secretagentmole

Some of these people have never owned a Chinese made motorcycle. Now in answer to your question, depends how much you want to spend! A Chinese bike will last for a few years, I rode a 4 year old one from Colchester to King's Lynn for someone who had never ridden a geared bike before and had done his CBT and commuting on a scooter (he had a fleet bike, which was a Honda Melody 110cc horrid thing, tiny and he is over 6 ft, looked like a gorilla on a kids scooter). The maintenance this bike had received was not good, though it had an MOT it needed several repairs for it's next MOT, these included new front caliper, new front fork leg, new chain, new sidelight bulb. But it did pass and it did enable him to save enough cash to blow it on a Hyosung 125cc V twin (being the size and weight of a gorllia the V twin has more torque and gets him up to speed quicker). Cost him £150! It did have Pirelli tyres on... My wife was impressed by the noodle bike and bought one of her own. A man in Norwich had one as an operation meant he could not move a heavy bike, so wanted a light bike to pootle around on whilst he recovered. A Zontes Monster fitted the bill nicely with a sale price at the time of about £800. He bought it and when he had recovered he went to get a CB500, the local Honda dealer (Balls) offered him £100 trade in or a £500 discount for no trade in, so he went for the no trade in option, he sold the year old bike for £300! My wife was more than happy to pay that for it and I rode it home. Now this was on the standard Chinese made tyres, the roads were damp and a little greasy, but the little beast gripped well. I rode it home at it would do 65mph, down hill, wind behind you, just. Happiest at 50mph, so I sat behind a caravan all the way to King's Lynn and just pootled it back. She who must be obeyed then decided that bikes were not for her at this moment (again) and sold it to a local dealer who does sell Chinese bikes, for £450... In the meantime I had fun on it, riding it to and from speedway meets (40 miles each way), averaged over 110 mpg too! It worked well, apart from the headlight bulb, which on the only time I rode it back and night lost main beam and the dipped beam was not enough to see 20ft in front of you, corrosion on the bulb terminals you see, wet and dry and ACF 50 sorted it out nicely. The throttle cable also snapped, fortunately less than a mile from home. Luckily there is a motorcycle shop in the village I live in, ok it is for speedway bikes but they they have throttle cables too, so a Venhill cable was purchased and fitted, that bugger won't burn through in a hurry. The throttle cable is routed directly over the top of the cylinder and the brake cable from a push bike they use as a throttle cable just ain't up to the job. Venhill cables are! Those were the only problems we had with the little beast and I was quite sorry to see it go, however she did invest the money in a Honda NTV for me, vroom!

Well done!

Sounds like a fuelling problem, replaced the fuel line and filter?

Which is why I asked the question "where and who was it purchased from" That is what is relevant. If it is a recognised dealer they are not going to risk prosecution by knowingly selling non accredited helmets which is why make and model is irrelevant. I have only dealt with one case of a fake helmet here in the UK before and that was a fake AGV that split down the middle. Make and model only beomes relevant if it is a non recognised brand which I would imagine the OP would have advised had that been the case Seeing as the OP has just the CBT he may not have a clue what is a current brand! I used to like FM Axe helmets, can't buy them anymore, so now I have Duchinni!

Well I bought it from the company that is the wholesaler for the Duchinni range, I don't think they would be selling fakes of the helmets they are importing....

I have a Duchinni helmet, do not know it it is a copy of another brand of helmet, but it has a SHARP rating of 4* and fits me head nicely!

This question has been asked before but I will ask it again in large letters. What brand is the helmet? What model is the helmet?

A13 out, A130 to Chelmsford, then the A131! Well at least I started in London....

The Chinese are getting there with quality. My wife's little 125 Zontes Monster is a nice little bike for city commuting. Bit strangled and it struggles to reach 60 but then again I am not exactly a teenager so with less load on it will shift a bit better. Had disc brake front and rear, so stops well, 5 speed box, reasonable tyres as well (even though Chinese, still gave good grip in the wet). They are not brilliant and suffer from the typical furry fastener syndrome that Chinese bikes tend to suffer from, but they are easy to work on and with only basic maintenance provide a robust and reliable ride. Bad points. Fasteners fur quicker than a lint brush at a poodle parlour. Exhaust front pipe very prone to rotting as is the other pipe that comes out of the front of the cylinder block (EGR pipe I think). The fuel gauge is highly inaccurate and should not be relied on. Headlight bulb contacts prone to corrosion as well! Good points. Cheap price. most of it seems reasonable quality, plastics, tyres, nothing too alarming. Handling, capable little commuter, happiest 50mph and below, but will potter along for miles and miles and miles. First one I rode I did Colchester to King's Lynn (transported it for someone by dint of riding it home), second one was Norwich to Lynn, which was the wife's. First one was 4 years old, so with care and basic maintenance they will last you.

Take it back and best of luck in getting it sorted. It seems very few Hyosung dealers are worthy of the name dealers!

Its literal translation to modern english is something like: Enclosure of the Gods So? My question is still valid.... I like the Thor films....

Asgard? If they break in does Thor appear and clobber the crap out of them with his hammer?

I mean pump the lever up and crack the bolts or crack the bolt on the M/C and pump lever till you get some fluid there I did, I cracked the bleed nipple open, no joy, lower banjo, no joy, so got this syringe for under a tenner and sucked the air through. Worked like a charm!

Banjo bolts were cracked open and washers replaced, it just would not charge the master cylinder. That syringe just pulled it through nicely!

Changed the seals on the front caliper and I could not get the damned system to prime after I had bolted it all back together! Tried tying the brake handle to the handlebar, no joy, tried half pulls, no joy. Screwfix sell a plastic 1 litre syringe which comes with a length of clear hose, supposedly for draining the oil out of things with no drain hole, like some old lawnmowers. This hose fits neatly over a bleed nipple after warming in hot water, hose on, crack open nipple, pull on syringe, pulls brake fluid through system. Cost? £9.99 inc VAT

I have a Hunter Racing one, makes wearing a rucksack more comfortable!

What Model? The follow up to the 600 Revere, the NTV 650! I bought it on 11th of October for £450 with no MOT, £29 and three quarters of an hour later saw it with an MOT! Good points, economical, low maintenance shaft drive, V twin with more torque than enough! Sub 6 second 0-60, planted and steady on the road. Bad Points, weighs about the same as a fully laden fuel tanker. There are gears in the box somewhere. Would I get another? This is my fourth one, others were lost due to an accident caused by Lizzie at Sandringham, illegally sold by a so called friend and left as a lawn ornament due to caring for relatives with cancer. Now I have a shed and another one! http://i1036.photobucket.com/albums/a449/mikecarter1969/IMG_20161011_162317_zps13kp4qfb.jpg The NTV is an ideal first bike, 57bhp, so not over aggressive, but nicely balanced with enough torque to pull tree roots up, so able to get you out of most situations that stupidity may lead you into. The bike is a naked V twin, basically the Dulville (Deauville) but without all the damned hideous plastic everywhere. Manual choke, but twin spark ignition and 3 valves per cylinder. Final drive is shaft, so no buggering about adjusting chains, cleaning or lubing chains. This bike is unusual in that it has 3 different blasted keys. One for the fuel, the original for the seat lock and a different one for the ignition that can only have come off a Dulville as it protrudes higher than the rest of the instrument panel. Oh well! It is 19 years old! Climb aboard and crack the choke open about quarter of the way, put the key in, switch on, ensure the kill switch is set to run position and press start! Vroom, off it will chug, give it a couple of minutes, knock the choke off and the beast should settle quite happily down to 1250 rpm. The tick before you start up is just the fuel pump! Moving off you find it is very precise at low speeds, as you wind up the power the precision is not lost and the bike will quite happily fly down the road surprising many newer bikes with it's alacrity! You will never break the sound barrier on it, but it will haul two adults down the road at 115mph (though it does help if the pillion is not expressing their displeasure by hammering on your crash helmet at the time). The bike is capable of interplanetary distances with only basic maintenance, the 650 V twin is hardly ever stressed out. My second one had down 133,000 miles by the time I got my hands on it, I think it was only just run in! They do about 60mpg on a decent run with a 4 gallon tank, so Norfolk to North Yorkshire with no fuel stops is possible! They have a pleasant buzz when zipping along at 3 or 3 and a half thousand rpm, nothing annoying, just a gentle vibration to let you know that the V twin is earning it's keep. The gearbox though was knicked from a tractor I think. It requires firm operation and try and hurry it and it will show it's displeasure by spitting the gear back out and going into neutral! Treat it with respect and a firm boot though and there are no problems. Light is adequate, will be better with more modern bulbs in, might even LED it! If you like them you like them, I know it won't set the world on fire but at my age I would look a right naffing pillock on a 916 or an R1 (not to mention the fact that my generous upholstery at the front middle means I wobble about like a jelly on a plate on a weight forward bike). The NTV is a more refined hooligan, happy to idle along, letting you soak up the enjoyment of the ride, or capable of taking it's shirt off and harassing the corners with a verve that would upset other bikes!

Personal experience. As with any bike if they are neglected they can be a pain in the backside, neck or any other part of the body that offends you. If looked after, probably with more care than is required for one of the non Chinese bikes, then they will last, and last, and last. Residuals. I know of a motorcyclist who bought one as a stop gap when he became to weak to manage a mid sized bike. He ran it for a year and it cost him £1500. He then tried to trade it in against a CB500F at the local Honda delaership. He was offered £100 for the bike on trade in, or £700 off the price for no trade in. So he took the £700 option with the view as keeping it as a commuter. He decided a couple of months later to get rid. He advertised it for £400 on ebay with no photos. We went to see it and the wife asked him the least he would take, he said that to make up for difference between what he got for no trade in and what he thinks he should have got as £300, that would do. Wife ripped arm off buying it. One of the same type and colour was advertised where we live, 8000 more km on it, been dropped/slid at least once, only 12 months MOT not 22 months (new vehicle see, 3 years before MOT), £700! So she got an almost new bike for £300. I have ridden it a few times whilst the ER5 was being butchered by a so called mechanic and if you kept it to 50/55 it was happy as a pig in muck and would plod on for hours. A perfect B road bimbler, agile, good road holding actually, just crap lights at night, plastic reflectors and a 30/35w bulb does not make for great vision, but it is primarily designed as a city commuter. A friend of ours bought a 4 year old one with 20k on the clock for £200, for the MOT it needed a new fork and a chain, that done, sailed through MOT. It gets him to and from work happily. He is saving up for a test and a bigger bike, being a 6 ft 7 inch 24 stone gorilla! But the Chinese bike is saving him a flaming fortune on running a fleet hire scooter at a fiver a day! Build quality, late 70s, early 80s cheap Yamaha level I would say. Though the fastenings do have a habit of turning furry! ACF 50 is your friend (buy shares in it). Bought for what they are, not what they pretend to be these are good little bikes, the quality is rising, exponentially in some cases. They are beginning to innovate and produce better quality, don't forget some BMWs now have Chinese engines. They are cheap as chips, almost disposable, think about it, £1500 for a new bike on the road, basically over it's lifetime if you depreciate it at a tenner a week, 3 years, buy another one, never worry about MOT again....

Too rich a fuel/air mix?

Bikes, it depends where you are as to what £700 will buy you, what is £200 in some places is worth over £400 in others. For instance, the wife picked up a Zontes Monster in Norwich for £300, a year old so 2 years before it needs an MOT, £300. Round here someone is selling a 4 year old Zontes Monster that has been on it's side at least once for £700! So she is looking at a £400 profit easily on her bike. YBR are now Chinese made, so really you are no better off buying a YBR than you are a Zontes, just paying more for a Yamaha name (like Webley air rifles and Hatsan air rifles, pay more for Webley but same damned mechaism). CGs are now made somewhere in South America I believe, look at what training schools use. Many use the humble old SR125, a barrel of laughs in a comfy cruiser style package, plenty around and start from £400 upwards for those in need of a little attention. Invest in a Haynes and a socket set and get to know the bike!

Shop around. I have a new old stock Duchinni helmet that is SHARP rated 4*, got it from Numberworth on ebay (who is the online arm of a little known company - irony there - called Fowlers in Bristol, only going since 19:29 ad not 19:29pm). Next day delivery included saw me with change from £20! I know my head size so knew I needed the large helmet size. It also has a drop down sun visor so very top gun like! You can also pick up other end of line stuff from various retailers for loads of cash off rrp. Just be prepared to wear last years colours/styles. Hell tarmac won't care what colour you are wearing, just if the stuff is good enough. I picked up a bike jacket for £30 and bike trousers for £20, with Knox armour in... Getting a bike, yesterday I travelled to Essex to pick up a bike with no MOT, I took it for an MOT (it passed miraculously enough), rode it home. We had agreed a few days previously (Saturday) to buy the machine, this gave me time to sort out insurance, getting an MOT close to the seller, then buying road tax online on the mobile phone, then riding it 120 miles home! Great fun.

Ask these guys? http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_cat/299

Not many if you do the wedding on the cheap like we did! a) Get hitched mid week so that those who are invited may not be able to come and only those members of the families that really like you can attend. b) 2 bridesmaids, not 20! c) Keep it simple, church/registry office, no choir or bells, get hitched round the time of a flower festival (free church decorations), no wedding breakfasts or any crap. d) Find out if any friends or relatives have a posh car that can be used as a brides car. My best man had a Humber Super Snipe Series III, saved nearly £300 that! e) Target wedding for 2pm, that way a simple finger buffet is sufficient for reception, no waitresses to pay then. f) Hold reception in local church rooms/youth centre, chap and no corkage! g) Wine from Tescos! One bottle of red and one bottle of white per table, one glass of sparkling chardonnay for toasts, plenty of non alcoholic stuff. h) Honeymoon, take the rest of the week and maybe the weekend off from work, find a nice b&b somewhere in the countryside, cheaper than the Caribbean! My suit was a work suit, brides dress was a simple ivory taffeta job, not a white bog roll cover dress, wedding cost under £1000!

That is an epic restoration, well done sire!

Look on Ebay for Ducchini D429 helmet, drop down tinted visor, double D strap, 4* SHARP rating, £20 delivered to your door, next day! Some little known outfit in Bristol called Fowlers apparently! Have a link! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Duchinni-D429-Gun-White-Full-Face-Motorcycle-Crash-Helmet-EC-Approved-Bargain-/282073952417?var=&hash=item41aceaf0a1:m:mZUhOh-rrLUNktzHF1EKjfw This is a tested ACU Gold stickered helmet, I have one.... Save yourself a few quid!