bonio

I'm always amazed at how reasonable the dealer services are. I've used BMW, Triumph and MV. The independents nearby are only a few pounds less. I only take the MV to the indy bloke because he's nearer.

I have the same problem. No one on the other end of the phone can hear me. But it's not the mic, as it responds fine to voice commands. Fortunately, I don't like speaking to people on the phone, so I'm to live with it as it is.

Put what where, mate?

@MawsleyOne of those days when you need that dog. Best of luck.

As for what you have to take V5 (you're supposed to have the original) motor insurance spare bulbs unless they're leds fluorescent jacket (for French motorways) passport Although you don't have to, it's wise to take your EIHC card, to get some travel insurance in case you fall seriously ill, and some breakdown cover in case the bike has to be shipped home.

For sure it's a risk. That said, I only bought the DRZ because the bloke selling it let me have a blast on it and that sealed it for me. I think it helped that I turned up on a fancy GS.

So to summarise the bit on helmets, they tested 17 helmets that had been approved to UNECE Regulation 22.05 or 22.06, and they found that 8 of them didn't pass the regulation's tests. In other words, you can buy a helmet with all these stickers on them, and there's a 50% chance it doesn't meet the safety requirement. On the other hand, if you buy one without the stickers, your odds of ending up with a dud have increased to almost 100%. So I guess the regs are doing something, even if it's not as much as you'd hope.

Paying about £250 for the MV. But I'm still paying through the nose for the theft of the Tiger four years ago. Next renewal, I'll be done with it.

5 owners from new. I'd call that full service history. But you'd be better off including what you've said here in the description, so people know what to expect before they make the effort to come and see it.

I've not read the act but from what I've taken away from the article, it's no concern. The most we'd have to do is come up with a risk assessment, and it would simply say risk is low and the mitigation is handled by moderation. And then nothing else would happen because ofcom aren't going to waste their time investigating tmbf. After all they have spent years building up a suite of complex processes that ensure they hardly get anything done at all.

That'll be Whitby then.

In your position I'd phone up some mainstream insurers like bikesure and see if they can give a quote. If they all draw a blank then I'd be googling "high risk motorcycle insurance" and phoning some of the companies that come up. If a company won't give you a quote ask them what you could do to find one who will.

Hey mate. Hope all is good. Happy birthday!

Tell us more about the 20% discount deal thing would you @Steve_M?

I'm convinced the nurse practitioner at our local surgery has been hacked already.

Nice outcome. But it makes me a tad sad that you need to know someone on the inside in order to get your theft taken seriously.

Oh crap. Not a great present

Yes, Tiggie is right. They ignore the fact that you found the bike that was nicked, and the insurance never paid out. In their minds, you've claimed on one bike being written off and another being stolen, all in three years. It's a rubbish situation you're in, 100% not fair, but it is what it is. There are companies out there that specialise in high risk insurance. If you haven't done so already you might try one or of these, but be prepared to open your wallet wide. They are usually ready to insure people mainstream companies won't give quotes to. Other than that, you're only way forward is to wait until the write off from the oil spill expires: once 5 years are up, you no longer have to declare it, and you'll be back down to one claim. You'll be two years older too, which will help. But I can understand that's not what you want to hear if you've just a got a new bike you want to ride

@markbrunell not much to go on, so you're going to have to fill us in.

Owner forums: yes for sure. Even the MV forum is really useful. Owner clubs, though. They're a different thing.

Because studies have shown that, over the two days it takes to register, 21.7% patients either get better or die.

Yes it's a mess. Cambridge: m/c bays all round the city centre, and some have metal poles to chain your bike to. Norwich: not enough m/c bays, and the rules are on parking a motorbike in car parks are unclear. Westminster: the only place I've come across where you had to pay to use an on-street m/c bay. They did give you a pole to chain your bike up to though. Brixham: last time I was there, you could between two car parking bays for free as long as both wheels were standing completely on the white paint. But who would want to squeeze their bike in the gap between two parked cars?

Welcome in.

@RideWithStyles Balderston's at Peterborough. But they've been bought out by someone else since then; they're now Sycamore. Reiten are the local go-to place in East Anglia these days; they've pulled out of sales but they're still doing BMW-approved servicing, for now at least. If anyone in my area wants a good independent, I'd recommend JTC motorcycles in Halesworth: Joe is and ex-police rider, a BMW-trained mechanic and and all-round nice guy.

I did give the BMW club a brief go. I was looking for people to go riding with from time to time, but they were more into meals at expensive pubs. The one ride I tried to attend was cancelled because of drizzle. But I did learn that not BMW dealers were created equal, and in the end started going to one that was pretty decent.