Mississippi Bullfrog

Thick and dead....but was it tasty?

The ones in our garden must be the exception then. They wait until the squirrel is around then head for the bird table knowing the squirrel will scatter seed on the ground. I'd clobber the squirrel if it wasn't doing the pheasants a favour so between them they've got a good deal going.

A son of some of my parents' friends was killed when a pheasant hit him on the helmet whilst riding a motorbike. Having moved to a rural area I am rather aware of how many of them there are around. Our back garden this morning for example. They are heavy birds and fly up when startled. A friend hit one on the motorway in his car and the damage it did to the front end of the car was horrendous. It stoved the whole front in taking out the radiator, grill and upper crossmember. With regard to the article which is very sad - I'm not fully persuaded that speed didn't have some factor to play in the tragic outcome. Hitting one at 60mph would take you off the bike but the forces involved and the distance travelled after impact increase exponentially with speed so I don't entirely buy the conclusion that the speed had nothing to do with it.

Does varying the biscuit have that much of an influence, is it cheaper to stay with just the one? Insurers use past history to determine premiums so consistency helps keep premiums low. Which is fine for me as I tend to stick to jammy Dodgers, wagon wheels and Tunnocks Caramels. But if you're a biscuit tart then you're going to pay for it. With reference to the specific question about which you consume most often the frequency of consumption doesn't seem to be taken into account. This is strange and sad because it is obvious that bikers who consume biscuits more frequently are going to be somewhat heavier and therefore in terms of power to weight ratio a better bet for the insurer. They also present a wider visual aspect on the road which is safer. So you'd think the frequency would be taken into account but it seems not to be.

Just be aware that third party isn’t always the cheapest option, often fully comp is cheaper. Insurers know that newbies look for third party only to keep costs down, but that’s precisely where their greatest liability is so they load the premiums up. By going fully comp you can often get a cheaper quote. And then, as others have said, the variables are huge so you’d need to know the bike, your age, driving record/experience, postcode, garaged or parked on street..... and what kind of biscuit you consume most often. And they will vary!

Not sure what the rules are tbh. You can fit them with just a slight flicker that helps draw attention but I thought flashing was only for none motorised things like pedal bikes. But as said, I’m confused.com what the rules are these days. Be interested to hear what others know.

Riding bikes teaches you far greater anticipation than most car drivers ever achieve. When we're out in the car my wife often asks me how I knew what that other car was about to do. You learn it, but don't rely on it cos it doesn't always work. Mind you I am pleasantly surprised how effective my new front lights are. Several cars I sussed were going to do something daft then had a change of mind so I'm guessing they spotted me late...but at least they spotted me.

I would suspect that either it has to be leaking through the float chambers or there's something like a vacuum pipe connected wrongly.

Almost everyone I know buys their first bike very carefully and then ends up changing within a relatively short period of time. So my tuppence worth is not to get too hung up about getting it right first time - you won't. Buy something second hand that is in decent nick which you can sell on when the time comes. By then you'll have a better idea what suits you and then it's time to make a longer term decision. For a novice I think the above advice about not going for something that might get away from you too quickly is sensible. I have a 1200 and a 500. Both can cruise happily at the legal speed limit - one gets there a bit faster than the other though! But to be honest for most journeys I jump on the 500 because it's easier to ride - especially when the roads are wet and greasy. You also need to consider if there is much filtering to be done on your commute - bigger machines can make filtering less easy.

As above. I looked at getting a 125 for pottering around the villages as there's so much mud on the roads, the insurance was higher than both my other bikes, a 500 and a 1200. It's not just theft, insurers fix the rates on their records of claims and 125 riders seem to have more claims than people riding bigger machines.

I will admit to being a bit OCD about fitting parts of known provenance and so I mainly stick to known suppliers. The way I see it is that if I spend my day off servicing a bike I want to know my time and effort are well spent, so a few quid more on bits doesn’t worry me.

Doctor's receptionists. Do they have to undergo special training to learn how to be deliberately awkward, or is it just a power trip with them?

With regrets I can't make it. I've literally just offered our house and garden for a charity event that day so I'm going to have to honour that promise. Sounds like a send off he'd appreciate.

If the Radweld didn't seal it I very much doubt putty will. If you need to be taking the rad off I'd replace it. Do the job once and then you know it's sorted properly.

I've looked there but always got a better deal elsewhere. They basically source from wherever so it's like buying a car from a dealer who gets his stock from auctions, you're just handing over a mark up for something you could buy cheaper elsewhere. Plus it means they're buying in stock other dealers have shifted on, and there's usually a good reason for them doing so. They have some good ones, but you've got to do the legwork checking. The only reason to usually buy from a dealer is they've weeded out the duds and offer you a warranty. If the warranty is rubbish it's because they know their stock is of unknown provenance.

Depends on the job you're applying for. I guess anything to do with electric or health and safety and you've shot yourself in the foot.

At rest you're usually looking for around 12.5 and above - at 5000 rpm (as others have said) you want to be seeing 14+v. Anything less and nothing is being put into the battery.

Coke is strong stuff. When I worked in a food stockroom someone clipped a case of coke with a forklift....next morning the floor wasn't there anymore. But in general you're more likely to break the frame mount than the stand itself.

I doubt you'd break the side stand but I don't see the point. If you're too short to throw a leg over the bike anyway what are you going to do once you're in the saddle with the bike still leaning over on its side stand? Your legs still ain't going to reach the ground.

Sciutific Riter....I'd bee gud four that job. Wen do i start

You'll probably know , there's an extremely similar bike by another of the big four Japanese manufacturers ( I think ) but I just can't remember who made it and what it was called . I think it has a tank that is incorporated into the pressed steel frame . Or did I just imagine it ? Can't place it, but then again the Sunday evening service ended up in the pub so several brain cells are not functioning at full capacity. Will ponder in the morning.

I think it was originally done for farmers, but why not just work to the light rather than the clock?

What's the science behind increased oil consumption and a non standard can ? The science of having done it and found what happens, and it proved to be a common experience by forum members. Something to do with back pressure and the way oil was controlled in the combustion chamber. No idea why though.

Got to go with BST. It’s the only way to get two sailing races into an evening. Still a pain in the bum though.

I love the Van Van, but after much mucking about I think those who know them realise that they are that rare thing in that they are as good as you get in factory spec. You can swap cans but be prepared for serious oil consumption issues. They can go through a lot of oil with none standard systems fitted. There used to be a brilliant forum for them but it seems to have folded which is a shame. I think the only two mods that really work are to upgrade the chain and fit a one tooth smaller front drive cog.