bonio

Yup that's the one.

Ok, but I guess you're expecting the "why not buy a secondhand Jap bike instead?" thing, so here it is: why not buy a Honda Shadow? You'll not regret it.

... you need to click on the pics; in the post they've compressed to fuzz

Very nice ride MB. I took a day off work to celebrate the good weather Hazelwood marshes, looking east toward Orford Ness.

dang it you know how to manipulate a man's where he's weak. Sure, make it cherry. Just for the record, though, I can't wield spanners.

Perhaps the speedos are to avoiding being searched at the supermarket exit?

Noticed this one when I was out yesterday. Proper Norfolk.

I ride from time to time with L plates and I've not had any hassle. It's a different country out here.

Asking prices on ebay are 1.5k - 2k (with one outlier at £1250). Buy in winter, and get a decent deal? Go for it @goat no harm in asking.

It's meant to be more like IAM a better rider than I used to be

Nice one. I did RoSPA years ago. Again, I got on well with my observer bloke, so it worked well. I hadn't been riding that long so my riding improved a lot - better obs, better planning, smoother riding and "progressiver". Being RoSPA, you do a retake every third year, which has been great for reminding me of the basics, and each time I get more out of it. The only downer is that I get a RoSPA magazine through the post four times a year which is full "but if we only did this we would be safer" articles and letters telling me why speed limits should be reduced.

Ok, here's one to add: Goretex leather jacket with D3O for £120. Sold in M. Loads of XS. Just the last few in other sizes. https://triumphfactoryoutlet.com/collections/mens-jackets/products/triumph-mens-zora-gtx-leather-jacket

I had the Cardo headset. Yes, a bit limited, but it does what it says it does really well.

The issue - I think - with the TomTom Rider is that the "lifetime maps" promise means that you get map updates for the lifetime of the gadget. What this means in practice is that some number of years after the device was first release, the map updates stop. The 550 first came out in 2018, so three years of updates have already passed, and you only get whatever time is left on it - another three years perhaps? It's not a reason not to buy it, but it explains why the price the thing is coming down. I've never had a TomTom, so perhaps someone who has can explain how it works better.

Not heard of it... but that the best 15 minutes of my life I've ever lost to youtube

Hrrmmmm. Not sure. You're supposed to be able to check here: https://check-vehicle-compatibility-e10-petrol.service.gov.uk but the site seems to be down at the mo.

Oops

The choke is there to help the bike start on cold days. If the bike starts without it, that's great: don't use it. If you need to use it in the winter, usually a couple of minutes is enough before you can go back to normal running. On my drz, if its cold, I pull out the choke, start up, and leave it running while I faff about with my helmet and gloves. When I hear the engine speed up a bit I know it's warming up, so I push the choke in, jump on and ride off. You'll get to know by the sound of the engine when you need the choke and when to put it in.

One more week at work and then off on holiday. Scotland

I didn't say it was always true. You trying to agree with me?

Depends on the bike, but mileage is usually less of a concern on a bike than on a car - the engines are usually designed to go on until the end of time - as long as they've been serviced ok. So like @Bender says, top things to look out for are general condition and service. If you don't know what you're looking for then the next best guideline is to buy from an older person who looks as if they're comfortably off. If they keep their garden and their garage tidy, more chance they've looked after their bikes too. You'll miss some good bikes this way, but you'll miss most of the dogs too. As for mileage on a 600cc+ bike, anything under 30k wouldn't worry me at all. Most bikes will happily do twice that and be fine except for the suspension which might need servicing.

Good move. Be patient and something in good nick will come up. We're only a few months from that time of year when bike prices soften up.

Living the life, mate. How's the back doing?

Happy birthday Frowne! Have a good one mate. Happy birthday iangaryprice! Have a great day.