bonio

Just in time... Merry Christmas all!

So @jhonesnow, that was weird. That was basically my post from earlier in the thread, but put through google translate a couple of times or something like that so that "father in law" changed to "father by marriage" and so on all the way through. And then your other posts are things like "thanks man that was so helpful" - even to an article skimmed off the internet by the admin bot. This final point is so clearly not what any human would do, which means you've failed the Turing Test. I call you out as a bot.

I think the ULEZ for London requires only euro 3 for bikes. Which means you could consider an earlier BMW F800GT like say 2013. Perhaps a bit more expensive but it's a really competent bike with a good fairing and no chain. With a top box fitted, it would be great for your journey.

Other thing to watch out for is even if a battery is showing it's fully charged - 12.6V+ across the terminals - it might not be holding very much charge. So even though a charger will give it a green light, when you put in the bike and the starter motor begins to draw current from it, the voltage quickly drops to the floor. When this happens the battery's knackered and needs replacing.

Hi Yves. All the best with your search for the brake lever. How frustrating that it's so hard to get!

Likely they will. Last couple of years I've bagged some great bargains in early Feb.

A great account of his life. And a huge loss for you. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Given a choice, I take -5 outside over +1. +1 is just damp and orrible. But I guess I'd think differently about it if in a drafty old barn like yours .

Are you sure the nurse wasn't really Ronnie Barker in drag?

...but it's a good start drawing up a shortlist.

This is good advice. You can't really know what a particular bike is like until you've ridden it. A bike is a really individual thing; one person will think a particular bike is amazing, but it will leave another person cold. And although you're 100% right in saying that 100mpg is important for a commuter bike, when you happen on the bike of your dreams, you might find a way to adjust how you see the situation.

Rookie insurance mistake: asking a reasonable question and expecting a rational answer.

Sometimes, @goat, you can be a little bit scary

Must be gutting for your son, but it's a hard fight. You're best off trying to put pressure on the company to pull their finger out. If it's a dealer you can write to the dealer head office. As Pie man say, write down what happened and when. If its a repair under warranty or for a recall, the consumer rights act says these have to be done in "reasonable time", so if they're delaying for no reason, you do have a claim, and you can ask the consumer advice bureau for advice. You won't get any compensation but you might them to get their act together and stop delaying.

Welcome in!

Good grief. Did you ask whose mistake? Mrs bonio had an appointment with a consultant at St Thomas' in London. They phoned the day before to check that she was still able to go. All fine. So off she went on the train, two and a half hours to get over to Tommies. When she gets to the reception, she was told there is no clinic, because the consultant's away on his holidays. No apology. Two and a half hours to get home.

Oh no, that truly sucks. Hope the insurance take good care of you.

I put a small screen on the DRZ because 70 mph in winter was to way too cold. Made it much more comfortable. Also made it easier to reach 80. As above, private road.

What a freakin miserable journey. I don't know how you picked the thing up on slippery roads. Well done mate on getting it home.

It's so clearly obvious what you need - a MV Agusta TV . It's definitely not an adv bike, it a sports tourer with the emphasis on squarely on sports, but still enough of what makes touring comfortable: comfy seat, panniers, cruise, decent screen, easy ergos. Hey, at least go and try one out.

You'll find there's a jokes thread which is perfect for your post. A mod might even transfer it for you .

Me too. When covid started,I stopped commuting and I've become soft.

Problem is the care varies even from one ward to another. My father in law was admitted 13 years ago with a renal problem and left in a bed on one ward where he was neglected for weeks, no treatment, no care. As a result he developed bed ulcers on his heels. They didn't notice them until they had become infected and painful. Then they tranferred him to a renal ward, where the nurses were basically lazy and heartless. The place was filthy: shit and pee everywhere. Visiting was strictly 2pm to 4pm. He was left there in terrible pain for five months while the doctors made no decisions about his care. In the end the infections had spread so far that he had to have both legs amputated above the knee. He spent three weeks on a third ward, for the amputations, where the nurses couldn't have been kinder. The ward was spotless. We could visit when we wanted. For him, those were three happy weeks in six months of utter misery. To his horror, they sent him back to the second ward, but they soon discharged him after that. He never walked again, and had to spend the rest of his life in a nursing home.

Happy birthday @manxie49. Hope it's been a good one.

Still waiting for speed cameras to arrive here