Ingah

Just to check, it's not this noise right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz7VXGxW ... e=youtu.be (especially at 25-27 seconds).

IIRC you can be an arse and insist they send a courier to collect as you can't get down the post office etc. You might want to look into it further, but end result is often that you keep the item and the money. Perfect in the circumstance of a taking-the-piss seller.

F**k it, failed another university exam. Feel like i have turned into such a retard because i'm not even close to passing (suspect it might be something to do with the loss of "revision books" at degree level that got me through school etc ).

Agreed, tank slappers, highsides and back end slides galore for the heavy handed I read shit like this and think you really ought to learn to ride! And then you wonder why insurance costs alot for the young Thank god for this, i was beginning to get worried that these bikes were more mental than i could ever have imagined! (i seem to do a good job of occassionally scaring myself with a rear tyre slide etc as it is. On a bike of not much more than half the power ) The idea of it "going light" in 2nd gear didn't sound too appealing either - as that's right where i love to jam on the throttle to wake myself up...

Hmm where haven't i seen this situation before? 1. Honest employee of firm decides client/customer is ready and tells them that. 2. Boss / bean counters decide that not enough has been milked out of client/customer yet, and possibly even gives honest employee a telling off. 3. Boss / bean counter tries to get client/customer to reconsider their readiness and pay out more. The answer is - nowhere! Anyway, whether the firm is honest or not in this circumstance, the point is that your instructor wouldn't have told you you were ready unless he/she believed it. So it's either a mistake, or a ploy to get more money out of you.

http://themostcake.co.uk/wp-content/2010/11/scissors.jpg You know you want to...

It may be a broken spoke, more likely that it just needs tightening. Right you are (Casually EFA )

Wire wool for getting rust off them. And yes, tap them with a stick one after the other. If one makes a distinctively different noise then it's probably a broken/loose spoke. Can check the entire wheel in 5-10 seconds this way. I'd imagine you can use the same metal protection you'd use elsewhere (i.e. ACF/FS365, or simply regular cleaning, or if you're like me, nothing!)

Just want to give a +1 to Hood. Value for money suggest they might be the best out there (they certainly don't (Edit:) didn't used to cost more than other pairs of kevlar jeans and they cut them to the inside leg length you specify), as they're properly kevlar'ed/para-armadid'ed (rather than just patches), and they do a pair that does genuinely look like ordinary jeans (no obvious stiching etc that i can see). No one ever notices i'm wearing them at uni or work's "dress down" days (i have the ND4 pair) etc, despite the additional hip and knee protectors (until i point it out). Only problem is that i recently got abit fat and so they're not comfortable any more... And the other downside, is that if the room is hot (enough that other people are complaining), i'm getting very hot in them. If the room is at normal temperature there is no problem. Don't know what else you could possibly ask for in kevlar jeans - apart from waterproofing, if you're one of those buggers who's never satisfied! Just checked their site - they've gone up by quite a bit since i bought them 2 years ago! (now £120 for a pair including hip and knee armour, £100 without).

Don't worry could be worse, you could be getting 45-48mpg on a well-serviced CB500. It's kinda lose-lose-lose really (But hey it's worked for 2 whole months now ) 'Pumping losses' are apparently a very big fuel waster. And they are at their lowest at peak torque. So some sense is being made. However you can't take the article literally, as peak torque on a CB500 is 8K RPM and in 6th that's about 90mph! (think air resistance!) I'm glad you linked the article, as i've been looking for an excuse to use a lower gear more, now i've got one

that sucks i wanna ride my bike soon Best get on the blower then To be fair, it's a very small company, therefore they get stuff done quickly. They cut the leg length down to what you tell them to.

As far as i know, it's mail order only.

Probably won't see it for long either, as you KNOW sooner or later some dick is going to abuse that

Hood. Far more reassuring with their use of kevlar damn near all over the jeans (well, para-aramid or something - the same stuff for all intents and purposes) than stuff like Draggin' only putting patches here and there

I'd like to challenge you for that title. If it ain't science or technology, i don't know it! (and probably not even then )

Have realised there's no way i'm going to get the 50% i need, the data i've been given by another group is totally crap and not explained well enough to use properly, my head isn't on it (i'm too busy cursing the university, myself, and the module), the arses at the university have last-minute scheduled us a complusary noon lecture, and i haven't slept. F**k it, i've failed.

Have realised that i need to get nearly 50% in the coursework write-up that's due in tomorrow just to pass the entire (double) module - and i haven't even started it yet! And additionally that if i fail this module, then i can't progress onto my 3rd year. Just to top it off, the reason my marks across the module are so dangerously low largely comes down to being given the wrong information during a significantly-weighted open-book stats test earlier this year, by the people supposed to help you out when you get stuck! (he told me to use the wrong statistical test for the series of questions so i muddled through with them, got stuck as it didn't work as it should and failed the test having ran out of time, directly because of his duff information, and the uni refuses to do anything about it because i don't have "evidence" that he said that!!!) F**k it, f**k it, f**k it, and f**k them! Argh!

The act of changing gears doesn't "consume" petrol literally, but by using the clutch to separate the engine from the primary drive any throttle (more throttle = more air let in, therefore more petrol mixed with it and being burned) you've got on during those few seconds will be making the engine spin round faster, burning petrol, but not doing anything useful as its ultimately not connected to the wheels, therefore wasting it. But shutting the throttle of completely and then letting the clutch lever out is very bad for stability, so best avoided. However, on the flipside, by disconnecting the engine, the resistance it causes (engine braking) will also be eliminated and so you'll be saving wasting energy/petrol by reducing drag (it's called coasting). We're talking absolutely negligible amounts of petrol here. Duck down a little bit, you'll save far more petrol that way (and you won't save much even then) than trying to economise your use of gear changes Riding around in a higher gear will save you far more noticeable amount of petrol, but it's less 'safe' for responsiveness etc. Avoidable crashes are far more expensive than petrol. Also avoid leaving the fuel tap on reserve setting when possible, as all the crap/rust over the years accumulates at the bottom of the fuel tank (gravity, heaviest item sinks), and this is right where the reserve outlet is (i.e. at the very bottom of the tank), and that stuff will soon clog up your fuelling system (the older the bike the more likely there is crap in the tank to be sucked in). In normal (non-reserve) mode, the petrol is taken from higher up, avoiding sucking the worst of the debris in.

2 Hondas, so do i count twice?

Perhaps he enjoys spending money at £30+ an hour. And sooner or later, being ripped off. In all seriousness OP, it's a good suggestion megawatt had - bikes are relatively easy to work on.

A really good idea imo - I'd definitely be interested (even on stuff i think i know, a reminder/alternative method wouldn't go amiss!). Suggestions: Valve clearances, carburettor balancing.

Mole grips?

I've heard the stock tyres are pretty terrible. Now i know why

I believe it has a few % more torque than a CG125. Basically in the real world, i've been led to expect it'll perform identically to the CG. If it's not going well, then it probably just needs a good thorough service more than anything.

Fitting wider tyres i regularly hear is a bad idea as the rim is designed to take a certain size, and any bigger and you not only affect the handling of the bike in a way the manufacturer didn't intend - it could pop off the rim (probably abit extreme to happen - but i'm quite risk averse). At the very least i can't see the extra pressure on the tyre from the smaller rim being a good thing. Suggest 'better' tyres rather than wider ones - those fitted to a CBF from stock are pretty pants for grip if i remember correctly. Try Bridgestone BT45s if they do them in your bike's size - they're very good. Also as its such a similar bike, maybe the Michelin Pilot Sporty tyres as recommended by http://hondacg125.awardspace.com/tyres.htm#Tyre%20Makes%20and%20Models will be good - as suggested there? Also, perhaps more importantly, check you're running the correct pressures, and that there is at least 2mm tread on each tyre, as if either of those are wrong it would explain your poor rain performance!