fastbob

A lovely bike that would be a welcome addition to the calendar but do you have any shots with the light falling onto the bike from behind the camera ?

I should add , in case anyone missed it , that these accessories came with the bike when Ian bought it and do not reflect his taste as they do not reflect mine . That said , I may try the screen next season if I've got motorway miles to do . It only takes seconds to fit or remove . The panniers , although of good quality and of a leading make are deceptively small and wil not accept any of my very compact camping gear . The quick release backrest , despite its rather gothic appearance , is ideal for supporting a large roll bag in just the right position to provide a comfortable back support . All I need now are some leather tassels , footboards and of course a skull fender ornament .

No worries , I'll nip out to the shed this evening .

I've garaged mine for the winter now so I fitted all the touring accessories ( Screen , backrest , bags ) cos I'm fed up of shifting them around in my little flat .

There he is . Unfortunately I think he was terminated just before I posted this .

No it isn't . A lot of what they sell is pure shite . Some examples are , mild steel chromed Allen Keys , Torx wrenches that shatter and screwdrivers with tips painted black to simulate hardening . The worst that I've bought are their screwdrivers with a hex on the end . It's actually a hollow mild steel pressing that's set in the plastic and is of no use whatsoever . Pure Dogshit !

You do realise that the very existence of a Forum is a very outdated thing nowadays ? Seems to me that if it's to continue , it needs shaking up a bit . My personal opinion , put a stop to the threads Good morning and Good Night etc and What are you doing at the Weekend ? There's rarely anything bike related on them and it's just the same small group of people every time . It's small wonder that people visit once to ask a question and then leave . They probably think they have stumbled into an old folks home .

Metal working in ? Typical dealer bullshit ! They want you to keep the bike and they want to keep the money in the till . I'll say it again . It's a faulty consumer product and it should be replaced with another one that is fit for purpose . You don't want anyone splitting the crankcase and f**king around with it . You want a new one that works . If you bought a washing machine from Currys and it didn't work , would they ask you to take it back so they could have a fiddle with it ? No , they would take the old one away and give you a replacement . Sorry to be so direct about this but it infuriates me when the bike trade treats people , especially newcomers , in a different manner to other consumers .

Same story we've had on here a dozen times . Accept no bullshit from the dealership whatsoever . It is a faulty consumer product and that's the end of the discussion . Do not even refer to it as your bike . It is a bike . Take it back and state that you want a refund or a replacement and let them fix this one in their time and not yours . End of .

" Strange people everywhere " I think I've reached that stage in my psychological journey as well . I pause sometimes in Coventry City Center and watch them all go by and there is very little that I understand or recognise .

Conversely , I have never owned or ridden a Yamaha . I wouldn't trust a manufacturer that sent out bikes for decade after decade knowing that the paint is going to fall off the engine . And then there's the XS750 with its inevitable second gear failure lurking in the memory .

Oh yes ! That's right , we sold nothing but honda replacements in the shop . Electrex RR 33 or 35 if I recall . Regarding the V4 cams issue , apparently it wasn't oil after all . https://www.motorcycleproject.com/text/v4_cams_what.html

Probably not relevant today but I think Honda's got a bad reputation because in the early days they never got overhead camshaft bearings right . The issues I know about occurred with the K 1- 5 series of twins and with some smaller bikes such as the CD / CB 175 etc . The camshaft was set straight into the head and the journal was split so that the top half ran in the cylinder head cover . For reasons unknown , people used to remove the cover and put it back on using gasket sealant and incorrect torque values . Result , knackered cam shafts and engines . With the CD/CB the camshaft ran in just two plain bearings , one at each end . Couple that with no proper oil filter and the general ignorance of first time buyers or ex Brit Bike riders and there is another recipe for failure . Then there was the " Chocolate Camshafts " fiasco with the VF engines . It turned out that they were turning faster than oil could lubricate them . ( Something like that ) These are merely personal experiences and things I've read but I've never been tempted to buy a bigger Honda for long term use .

Correct .

Welcome back . What have you been up to then ? I've got a proper Harley now courtesy of Mr Frog and he's gone and got an even bigger and madder one . James in Brum appears to have quit motorbikes for now and all the usual old scrotes are still chuntering on ..

You want my opinion ? Dress in whatever bike gear you are comfortable and safe in and then stick a set of " Outdoor " waterproofs such as Karrimor etc from Sports Direct on over the top . Buy big and be prepared to replace them every couple of years . I'm done with so called waterproof textile clothing . None of it ever works for long and everything except the really expensive stuff starts to fall apart from day one . And don't even mention waterproofing sprays because they are just a con .

I'll take my chances . There's no way I'm riding a Harley with a plate fitted in the traditional way .

Ah well yes , I really wish I'd tried this before I went to Scotland . If I use the sissy bar in conjunction with my big roll bag it forms the perfect backrest for touring . I might even be tempted to try the screen next summer .

I don't get any of this . You have all the time in the world to inspect the bike , Lexmoto or otherwise , before you buy it . And as soon as you get it home it's your bike and it's your responsibility to sort it out mechanically . That means getting a spanner and tightening up bolts . The clutch lever screw fell out because you didn't check it and tighten it . Same with the chain and exhaust cover and anything else that you have allowed to fall off because of mechanical negligence . Sorry mate but it's called taking responsibility ..

Is that it ? Some great photos but a very disappointing response from such a large forum .

I actively encourage and facilitate overtaking . I fail to understand why car drivers will come up behind another vehicle and then just sit there . Overtake or hang back but don't drive just behind me for mile after endless mile . It's just rude . And before all the Harley jokes get dusted off , I used to do this on my GSXR if it was raining . Why should I be pressured to ride 10 or 20 miles an hour faster than I want to because some nobhead dictates ? This is why every long route is interspersed with little convoys of 5 to 6 cars all driving nose to tail . They didn't set off together did they ? No , someone set off and after a few miles another car latched on behind them . It would be seen as crass to floor it to lose the second car and the driver of the second car does not have the inclination or the balls to overtake . So they drive along until car one becomes weary of the car following and slows down a little bit . It's not long before another four cars join on in the same manner until the whole thing slows down further because everyone is subconsciously interacting with each other . And that's why the open roads are full of little processions of tin boxes .

Now that's exactly where and when I would wave . By the way , have you ever tried the B7076 that runs parallel to the 74 all the way ?

You've answered your own question really . There IS a hierarchy in motorcycling as there is in most things . I personally don't go about waving and nodding at everything on two wheels . I do nod or wave when there is a common experience to be briefly shared , like being hundred miles from anywhere in the pissing rain or on a particularly wonderful piece of road in the sunshine . One thing I definitely wouldn't do is wave at scooter riders especially in my locality . I don't really want some coked up little Roadsman shoving a kitchen knife into me at the next junction because I " Disrespected him " Ya get me Fam ?