Lateralus

The house wot we're staying in. posed bike photo>

I don't mess about! Slightly concerned I may now feel dissatisfied with my bike when I get home though - loved the VFR800! Amazed how much difference the extra 200cc made in terms of power, speed and flexibility. Never spent so much time in second gear before! Fairing was much more effective too, and I was much more confident overtaking. The more forward-leaning position was a little uncomfortable on the wrists after a while, but is that something you get used to? Currently feel like I'd swap for one tomorrow if the opportunity arose! In comparison, the BMW was less forgiving, with the power not quite so immediately on tap, but it felt much more nimble. I didn't like the button-like switch gear either - not enough feedback through gloves for my liking. Not really a fan of the vibration from the twin cylinder engine either, but the exhaust sound much nicer, with the occasional pop when rolling off. Also, I'm never buying a naked bike! The push from the wind at what I'll refer to as “dual-carriage speeds” is pretty quickly tiring, and would do me no good for my stints on the motorway. So, I think I may ask my insurer how much it might cost if I changed to a bigger sports tourer now, rather than when I get a year's NCB next Jan! If it's a fairly cost-neutral change, I'd be very tempted!

Route map Big day out! About 220 miles on bike, taking in Lizard Point, Lands End and 8 tags! My mate was kind enough to humour me with photos of random destinations, and a big thanks to Grumpy Old Git for picking arbitrary tags which gave us a great day out. Then got up extra early this morning so that we could take a longer route back to the bike hire place, and had an excellent 2 hour blast! Morning blast Was really interesting to compare the two bikes - VFR800 and F800R. Will post up thoughts about them later​, but right now we have a pressing* date with a cider farm! *Pun firmly intended

They're a bit pricey but I have a Merino long sleeve base layer from these people http://www.edzlayering.com/ and it is pretty good at keeping me warm without being sweaty. Gonna get some leggings for the winter! Think my OH has their whole range of base layers and his recommendations made me try them out! Keep an eye out on Aldi's special buys too - can get merino stuff much cheaper than I've seen elsewhere, and so far it's been every bit as good. Might have to wait for skiing stuff to come around again, but think they do them for the motorbike and possibly cycling offers too. It's a good question though - I'm planning on taking my textile stuff when I go to Europe in the summer, but wasn't sure how to layer up, especially for going high in the mountains.

I've always done shoulder checks on my bicycle... Today's nob is the idiot in a tracksuit, without a helmet, doing wheelies through Nottingham city centre on a dirt bike this morning, whilst undertaking people.

Strong nomination today. Chav No1 flies on to the A38 dual carriageway from a pretty short slip lane which is preceded by a very sharp corner. There was a gap in the traffic, so no real harm done. Chav No2 racing along behind Chav No1 attempts the same thing, swerving violently alongside a car in the inside lane, who has no room to move, as the car in front of me is alongside him at that point. Chav No2 then gesticulates wildly, pointing at the car he just nearly hit to indicate that they should have swerved into the outside lane to let him in, notwithstanding the complete lack of space for it to happen or the fact that they never had the opportunity to see him. The only redeeming factor was that whilst pointing, waving and swearing, he drifted his car to the left, off the slip road and into the wide, soft verge. What a nob.

Great big long spikes should help keep people clear.

Also, when trying them on, you don't want the knee pads in the right place when standing up or they'll be too high when sitting on a bike. Ask advice from someone in the shop - overall I found staff in motorcycle shops far more helpful than most other shops! No substitute for finding a shop with a decent range and trying lots on though.

It really does just come with practice. If you can get the CBT signed off on the second attempt, get a bike and take yourself off​ somewhere quiet where you can practice in your own time. It's good that you're not pressuring yourself to rush, but don't be concerned about not taking to it instantly. We were all novices at some point! Also, there's no reason you can't ask for further lessons after the CBT if you feel you need more instruction. And if you're not convinced that you're clicking with your instructor (although you haven't actually said that's the issue here) then plenty of people have switched instructors/schools and made better progress afterwards.

I've just never got the attraction of boxing to be honest. And ironically I've just been invited to watch a match in Birmingham between *checks* Kal Yafai and Suguru Muranaka. I gather there'll be booze though, so I'll be going!

I like to think that you didn't have to check any of that, it's just part of your encyclopedic knowledge of all manuals.

Sounds perfectly straight-forward when put like that! Have you taken some “before” measurements for comparative purposes? Edit: Yes, yes you have. Of course. 109bhp.

What'll be the effect of installing the turbo? I assume it's more than simply “the same as before but more so”? question>

bast*rds require me to have had a license for 24 months.

So far, Mrs Lat had been very tolerant of my new hobby, but she did try using it as leverage for us both going to see Beauty and the Beast at the cinema the other night. Got so far as booking tickets, but then found another female friend to go with her instead. Lucky escape!

Downhill corners are very disconcerting!

I found that just getting out and practicing on twisty roads brought on tangible improvements. On a recent ride with a few other novices, some of whom hadn't been out much at all, I found that I was far from the slowest rider overall, despite being on the bike with the smallest engine. I also have had a few corners where I've got halfway round and suddenly needed to fight the urge to grab the brakes after nearly bottling it. Interestingly, I read an article in Bike this month about the Bikesafe course, which I've already signed up for, where they say that if there's enough grip to stop an upright bike, there's also enough grip for a bike to get around the corner. After doing the course in July, I fully intend to sign up for some advanced training. This video provides a decent explanation of this, which I found useful. https://youtu.be/WkAtWiRq8Q0

Don't know the answer to the poll, but I'm assuming it's a pizza delivery moped from Milton Keynes - looks like someone really likes roundabouts!

Aloha! I bought the theory test and hazard perception app from Deep River Developments for my Android, which for me through the theory first time. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.deepriver.video Don't know if they do an iPhone version, but there'll be loads of options about. I've driven for years, so wasn't overly concerned about the theory element as that was mainly topping up, but was very glad of the hazard perception practice. Plenty more advice in the CBT, Test and Advanced Training Information bit of the forum.

Brilliant! Have you smashed through the Hoggs Eight Step Programme now then? I was out with a few guys on Friday, and was amazed to hear that one of them passed his test last summer and had only done about 1,000 miles since then. Nothing beats time on the bike I've found, and I can definitely say that the more I've ridden, the more my skill and confidence have improved. Keep it up!

That's more than fair enough!

What phone do you have? I have satnav built in to my car, but chose to use Google Maps on my phone instead since it's significantly more accurate and responsive to traffic than any satnav I've ever used. You can download the map data for specific areas of you think data might be patchy, and it'll continue navigating on GPS alone if you have no signal. I have a Kenu Airframe mount which is brilliant - very discreet, easy to attach and take off again, and rock solid. Can highly recommend them if you go the mobile route: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00D901B4W/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_xiq9ybEZH5C07

Ferry out from Portsmouth to Santander booked for 15th Aug! Now the overly-detailed trip planning can start in earnest!

Lovely ride down to Foxton Locks and back. Had been expecting to be at the tail end of the group, but apparently my recent twisty rides have paid off, and my little CBF600S more than held its own with the others! Feeling pretty pleased with myself to be honest!

Minor point of detail!