bonio

Me too. I'm pretty sure my next will be electric. But I'm not planning to replace the car for 5 years at least, hopefully more.

I reckon you've pretty much reached the point of answering this yourself. You're not that happy with it, so why not send it back and get one you'll be comfortable in all day? I got a bargain helmet from Sportsbikeshop a few years ago and kept wearing it (labels on) in the hope that the fit would improve. It looked great and matched the bike, and the price was unbeatable. But in the end I had to admit it was nowhere near as comfortable as my old lid, and it never would be. I must have had it four or five months before I finally gave in.

Welcome in. All the best on your hunt for the new bike

The CBT was introduced as a way of getting people enough skills to go out on L plates while they're preparing for the test, and not kill themselves. Passing the CBT is like passing an entrance exam to get into a school or college; the idea is to enrol in the school and qualify, not to keep on taking the entrance exam. But as it's understood that some people need more time to pass their test than others, they let you keep doing the CBT as many times as you want.

I know it's not a 250, but a DRZ400SM would do what you want perfectly. And make you smile a lot. Perhaps a tad pricey... cheapest on autotrader is £3400.

The 1000SX is a cracking bike. So is the AT to be fair. But they're completely different beasts: Inline 4 vs parallel twin. A sporty-tourer vs a sit-up and go-anywhere adv. I'd say that the Ninja is more involving to ride; while the AT is a more practical tourer - more practical all round, probably.

Yes, that's how it used to be. Did this once when I found some jewellery down a county lane. But the police have stopped doing this now, as a cost-saving measure.

Odd that the police aren't interested in stolen property. I'd have thought that was part of the job spec. If you find something and you've made a reasonable attempt to return it to the owner, then you can keep it. What about contacting DVLA and making it their problem: you could (politely) suggest they either they get in touch with the owner, or they make you the owner. They can chose.

Got a location, mate?

Looking very nice

I was hoping for nearer home. Ipswich, NH?

Down in the west country, we could set our watches by the sonic boom from Concord. 18:10 every evening.

Location?

I'd get a load of brake cleaner the disc and pads first, and only replace the pads if that doesn't fix it. But I'm lazy.

Sounds quite a lot like a land war in Europe

Yup. I reckon life's too short (or at least has too little free time in it) to spend it on so-so roads. I plan routes like this too, more focussed on the bends and the tarmac than the destination.

Strudelday

That's so discouraging for kids...

You taking the ferry from Poole or Portsmouth? Agree with the above. Stay in Wales or Shropshire's as long as you can. Once you're in England avoid major roads and large towns. If you're heading for Portsmouth, then something like this would work: head for Leominster (almost any route there from Holyhead will be a good one), then Ledbury, Tewekesbury, Lechlade Shrivenham, then dodge between Andover and Newbury to join the Winchester by-pass, nip up onto the South Downs before turning south to Portmouth.

Sorry, yes. Hopefully the person at the DVLA will notice this and refund you.

... except you end up in Holland, which is one of Europe's least attractive biking areas. Too much traffic, too many towns, too many pedestrians and too many bike lanes. Nearly no bends and definitely no hills (actually that's not true - there's a hill in the very south east). At least it's small, easy to leave. Sorry all you nice Dutch people reading this. I love you all, and you make great pancakes, but your country isn't a great place to ride a motorbike.

Brand new bike as in a 72 plate? Get the dealer to pick it up and leave you a demo bike while they fix it.

The only time I've had this happen to me it turned out to be a loose connection to the battery. But a failing switch or side stand sensor could do something similar.

Oh and another tip: run some sample insurance quotes before you get too attached to a particular model.