bonio

It really happened. 1983. When we got to the piglets, he castrated the wee boars with a Wilkinson sword safety blade and they squealed their little hearts out, bless em. Back in the car, we flew across the field to the road and then home for lunch with a glass or two of '76 claret.

It was the kind of holiday you don't forget.

All the best.

Happy birthday  

You serious? 

Ride your bike. Keep your hands on the bars and feet on the pegs. Nod once you've been doing that for a year without binning it.

Welcome to the forum by the way. Apologies if I've come across grumpy... 

It's true that they won't see you even if you wear dayglo orange or yellow. But a his viz vest or a white helmet might improve your chances of being seen, which is why coppers wear both. But in the end it's up to you... I've got a black helmet and I don't wear hi viz and I'm comfortable with that. But when I commuted a lot more I had a white helmet and sometimes I'd wear a hi viz vest in winter. They still didn't see me, mind.

11 hours ago, Simon Davey said:

They were originally designed to be able to get across fields

I was being driven by a French farmer in his 2cv. We were flying along, on our way back to the farmhouse, a rambling pile with very primitive plumbing, when he suddenly asked if I wanted to see his piglets. Im not a great conversationalidt, so I just said Yes, and the next thing we were off the road and bouncing across the field without the slightest change in speed. Very impressive suspension.

Sorry for your situation. It's not a great one...

Try to work with the company to get the cancellation reversed. Ask them what you would need to do to have a chance of reversal. You will have to be very polite and take full responsibility for your actions as any hint of making excuses for yourself will likely undermine your chances. 

Other than that you're in the hands of specialist insurance  companies who insure high risk people. But be prepared to pay a lot.

Hello new boy old boy. Welcome in.

Best o' luck @Fiddlesticks

Hope this means we can start to get spare parts  

Took the MV to the dealer yesterday for a service and some warranty work today. Didn't hear from them today, so I can't pick up the bike tomorrow morning, which means they're going to have to keep it until after the weekend. With the DRZ, the first date I could get for an MOT was Tuesday.

So it's a Bikeless Weekend ahead.  

I think they look great. When I rode a scoot I had nighttime fantasies about owning one 

Sorry for your woes!

Hey and welcome  

the Varadero is probably the best 125 for someone who clocks in at 6'3". I hear that they're getting hard to find, though.

A YBR is one of the zippiest 125 out there. And to me, zippy = good; so, zippiest = best.

But I'm a simple soul. 

2 hours ago, husoi said:

I found that a supplement of magnesium has greatly improved my continuous joint pain

I don't think I have a continuous joint.

I'd avoid the Benelli and the Husky. Huskies are legendarily fragile bikes - they can take a fair bit of spannering and fettering to keep them on the road. Benellis have been produced to a sadly poor quality recently - like in the last 10 years or more. Also both have the issue that parts can be harder (sometimes a lot harder) to find than for the Yam or the Honda. 

I guess you haven't anyone to take along with you....

This is what I would look for

Is it well cared for? I mean, if the tyres are worn or the horn doesn't work, or there's a rip in the seat, then it's been bit short on love, and that can mean it's packaged up with more serious problems.

What's it like when it starts. It should start on the button and the exhaust shouldn't smoke. You need to check that the engine isn't warm before you start it; sellers can sometimes get the bike started before a buyer visiting, which helps to hide problems.

Once it's been running for a few minutes, open up the oil filler cap, and look at the inside of the cap and around the rim of the engine. What colour is the oil? Ideally it's a pleasant luminous caramel colour, but it could be blacker than that, depending on when the oil was last changed (ask about its service history, but be prepared to take the information with a pinch of salt). If the oil's at all creamy or buttery, walk away.

Is this is kind of information you were after? If so, I'm sure others will add more useful stuff than I can give you!

The MOT says something about 90db or something, but when I've been chatting to the tester fellers, they've told me that none of them have the kit to measure how loud an exhaust is. So given yours has got the magic BS stamp, the only way they'll fail it if its so obnoxiously loud no-one would believe it's anything less than 120db. My old gixxer used to pass every time, even with its after-market jobbie that had no stamp and no baffle. 

This. A battery can show a full 12.8 volts straight off the charger but be so dead it won't even attempt to turn a starter motor. 

7 hours ago, Gerontious said:

I’ve studiously avoided them for fear that a test ride would convince me it’s a must-have. 

That's like me and new Multistrada. If someone can tell me how truly shite it is, I can relax when I next go past the dealership.

Welcome in. 

Please post some bike pics! We're suckers for that kind of thing

Great review! 

I don't believe you're under any obligation to pay that invoice. If it were me I'd write to the dealer and say that the problem clearly is one between them and the manufacturer  and that it is completely unprofessional and unacceptable of them to try to draw you into it.

Even if they got you to sign something to say that you were liable for costs there's an argument to say that the agreement has no force as it tries to take away the basic consumer rights granted you by their warranty. I don't if this argument has any legal force but it may make think hard before asking a lawyer to prepare a court summons

What about going to a dealership, the kind of place where they have a load of secondhand bikes (Lings in Harleston for example), and trying the clutch on any 1050s they've got in stock. Could be the clutch cable needs lubricating? 

But searching on the internet seems to show others complaining about the clutch being heavy on that bike. People say they get used to it.