Mississippi Bullfrog

Car manufacturers don't invest millions to deliver the best possible machine for their customers. They invest to deliver a vehicle that will sell and survive the warranty period - after that any problems are a source of income for the industry. There are plenty of cases where mediocre quality components are used to save a few pennies when a better quality item would last much longer for very little additional cost. Yes - modern alternators will keep a battery charged without the driver needing to use a trickle charger. That's not the point. Batteries these days are mainly sealed so very few people check the specific gravity of the electrolyte regularly. If they did they'd find 90% of the cars driving round have batteries running at only partial charge capacity. They are kept at a capacity that will start the car reliably so drivers never notice or worry - there's no need to. But the fact remains that alternators do not raise the battery capacity to 100%. They're not designed to. They're designed to provide sufficient starting charge and then take over the running of the car's power demands. With bike batteries being smaller the difference between a partially charged battery and one at max capacity is more likely to be noticeable, especially on bikes that are not used daily. The growth in passive electronics - such as alarms - that use battery capacity whilst the bike is stored adds to the issue. Battery voltage does not equal battery charge - a flat battery can still show 12+v. So if you've flattened the battery and bump started the bike the charging system will put some charge into the battery - all I am suggesting is that if you want to return the battery to full charge you need to use a trickle charger. There's no harm not doing so, the battery will hold a starting charge, it's just not going to be at full capacity. You may never notice - that's fine. But personally I like to keep batteries fully charged for those times when you really need all the juice they can provide.

As it comes - with the frame supports in place. They are adjustable by screwing them up and down, not a huge degree of adjustment but sufficient to give you room to work on frames which are different heights either side. How I use it - with rubber jack pads from my car trolley jacks as the Bobber sits very low to the ground. And a socket to raise and lower it. With a Triumph Bobber raised off the ground so I can work on the chain, clean the rear wheel, or in this case just have the bike level so I can install the swing arm bag on the left hand side

I thought it looked a bit flimsy but I think it's the way they've photo'd it. I've had my Bobber up on it and flimsy it is not. The photo shows it at full height - it lifts the Bobber clear of the ground after only a couple of turns of the screw so the scissor action is nowhere near as fully extended as they show it. If you used the frame cradles - which are themselves extendable - I don't think you'd ever need to wind it up to that height. I was pleasantly surprised how solid and robust it is. The box it came in says it weighs 15.85 kg and it certainly feels chunky. I looked at similar jacks that did feel a bit flimsy but went for this one off a recommendation - I am not disappointed. I'll take a photo of the bike on it later and post it up.

Stu - your post has done what mine did - the link is there in the quote but it isn't showing on my screen, just a blank area. Unless other people can see it?

For some reason the link won't paste into the post - it just leaves a blank space. But if you search on Amazon for motorcyle lift it's the first one that comes up. I'll get a photo on my phone tomorrow as I'm planning on using it to lift the back of the bike when I fit my swing arm bag.

With most bikes these days not having centre stands getting them up to do basic maintenance can be interesting. I have paddock stands but they're sometimes fiddly and having bought a Triumph Bobber there's nothing at the back end to get hold off. This jack is cheap but very solid and stable. It comes with two frame supports which are fine but they won't fit under the low frame on the Bobber. I took them off and replaced them with two rubber jack pads off my car trolley jacks - resulting in a simple and very stable way to raise either end of the bike. I really don't like working on bikes that wobble around when they're raised up - this stand locks the bike solid. It comes with a socket with a steel pin to wind the jack up and down - I replaced that with a 7/8" socket on my rachet drive, making it much easier and smoother. For £41.99 from Amazon I half expected a cheap and nasty bit of far eastern tat - this is a good solid little jack and for the price it's real value for money. Likes: Solid Versatile Sits low so easy to store No hydraulics to go wrong Comes with two frame supports, or these can be easily removed for low slung bikes. Dislikes: The socket drive supplied is hard work to use - replace with a socket as said and it's much better.

Having looked at a wide range of disc locks / disc alarms I ended up buying the Oxford XA14. Retails at £72-75. Currently available from SportsBike Shop for £55 for the black and steel colour, £65 for the black and yellow. Being a skinflint I went for the £55 version which actually looks very classy fitted to the disc. https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/275925 It is one of the more solid models available though obviously nothing is proof against a determined thief with an angle grinder or sledgehammer. The reason I went for this one is because the alarm is one of the few actually worth having - and when you see the alarm module you wonder how such a small bit of kit makes so much noise. It is genuinely loud. Reading up it seems most thieves avoid anything which takes them time and/or draws attention to themselves. Likes : Neat and stylish. Rechargeable via a USB lead so no batteries (says it should be recharged every 3 months). Easy to use. Looks solid enough to deter. Loud alarm. Comes with reminder cable. 3 keys with security code. The alarm sensitivity seems to be pretty well thought out. It won't go off with wind or rain, but any interference with the unit and it gives a warning bleep before letting rip. Minor niggle - you have to undo a small allen screw to take the alarm module out for recharging. To be fair it's pretty easy using the 3mm allen key supplied and it does mean that the electronics are secured inside the metal body and therefore also totally waterproof. Dislikes: No carry case (none of them seem to these days).

You're going to hoist an Italian up your flag pole? Maybe I'm old fashioned but I suspect there will be consequences.

It's the cat that fell in the cream and has no intention of being hauled out of it.

After a good ride around N Wales the brakes are certainly improving. I found I had slipped into my usual routine of two finger braking and had no issues with lack of brakes. Having said that I wasn't pushing it as the engine is still running in so I guess once that's been done I might find more fingers needed! I was riding for three hours and the bike is so comfortable I really wasn't ready to come home.

Typical - I was free to go until last night, then I went and offered to cover a duty for someone Wednesday evening. It's just down the road from me as well.

Triumph Bobber - bought from Bill Smith's of Chester, £9995 otr, delivery mileage - 3. I tested the Bobber and the Bobber Black. The Black is - well - Black. It has thicker front forks, a smaller front wheel with a fatter (& heavier tyre), twin front discs, LED headlight with DRL and cruise control. Having ridden both bikes my personal feeling is that whilst the Bobber is surprisingly easy to hurtle round the bends the heavier front end of the Black makes it a matter of more manfully hauling in the direction you want to go. Once it's pointed in the right direction it's well planted but you do feel that heavy front tyre resisting the initial turn in. The Bobber uses LED tail/brake light and indicators, with a halogen headlamp. No DRL, the headlamp is on when the ignition is on. The twin discs on the Black give you more stopping power but like the Bobber the brakes need a handful of grab rather than two fingered braking. The brakes are perfectly up to the job and if you like an engaging ride then they suit the genre of the bike. But if you want the power of modern bike brakes the Bobber will feel lacking. Personally I think Triumph have got it right - a Bobber with brakes like a modern sports bike just wouldn't feel right. But then I don't like the brakes on modern cars - too much servo assist and too little engagement with the road. One thing about the Black I didn't like, and it's a minor thing really, is that the DLR system shows a green light on the instrument cluster, ie the same as the neutral indicator, and I found that irritating. I'm sure it's something you'd soon get used to though. There are a wealth of accessories and options. You can add ape hanger bars or feet forward pedals (taken from the Speedmaster with an adapter kit). There are panniers, though the frame looks odd on a Bobber and it's strangely made in bright chrome whereas all Bobbers share a black rear end. I opted for a swing arm bag fitted low down on the left side to keep my disc alarm lock in. Most Bobbers you see are matt colours to reflect the origins of the design. I absolutely love the red and silver colour scheme shared with other Triumph models. The tank in those colours is a thing of beauty. The presence of the Bobber is not just its looks. The soundtrack is a huge grin factor. When you fire the motor it's as if Wagner has met Motorhead - it is dramatic. Riding the bike in traffic is a lovely experience. Motorists get advance warning that some badass beast is heading their way, but then it's so wonderfully retro and nostalgic that there's none of the aggression that can go with more modern designs. Most people just smile when they see it. The real surprise though is the way it rides. On the bends the Bobber is a very intuitive bike, it goes where you want to go with perfect manners. In heavy traffic it is a doddle, it carries its weight low down and your bum is near the ground anyway. If you can handle a 125 you can handle a Bobber round town. On the motorway there's another surprise. The instrument cluster is adjustable, put it in its more upright position and it acts like a flyscreen - I found myself doing a steady 60 and then realised I'd left my flip front helmet fully open and never noticed. The lack of buffeting is amazing. Go faster and you know you're on a naked bike - it isn't a machine you'd want to go long distances at speed on. I noticed a difference between the Bobber and the Black over poor road surfaces, or hitting white lines and cats eyes on overtaking. The Bobber just smooths over them, the Black has a pronounced twitch. It may have been that the Black's tyre pressures weren't right? But I have a hunch that the heavy front tyre upsets the dynamics of the bike. It sorts itself out immediately but it is there. So for me it's the Bobber rather than the Bobber Black. I think it's a bit more minimalistic, rides better, looks nicer and the front wheel is easier to keep clean.

Did you change the plugs? Struggling to pull away can be down to failing plugs as the sparks may be too weak to properly ignite the rich mix.

I have an alarm on the Honda which is quite handy as it self arms, bleeps if anyone nudges the bike and then lets all hell break loose if the interference continues. It won't stop the bike being nicked by anyone determined enough (but seriously - no self-respecting thief is likely to go to any great lengths to nick it anyway) - so for that application it works. The Bobber - there is nowhere to fit an alarm or even an immobiliser. So I have bought a good quality alarm disc lock for that. The Oxford AX14 is a reasonable compromise between size and strength. Best bet is two disc locks - one front, one rear, with the best one on the rear. It won't stop a determined thief but it is enough to make them look elsewhere. Most thieves are lazy. If a thief is stealing to order then frankly short of locking the bike in a bank vault there's not a lot you can do. Most of the time you're aiming to make yours the least easy target. What thieves really don't like is being caught so anything that makes it more likely it will take them time, during which they're vulnerable to being collared, is what you're looking to achieve. Multiple smaller locks are better than one big lock. I'm not sure what the hassle is about immobilisers - both mine have them and they are fit and forget. The Honda is within the alarm so when you turn off the alarm the immobiliser is switched off. The Triumph is within the ECU so it just checks you have the correct key. I guess some aftermarket cheaper versions might need separately disarming.

What does Bob think? After all, he's clearly the key played in this process.

I read somewhere that battery acid has now been declared a substance which requires a licence to handle. Since Joe Public is unlikely to hold such a licence dry batteries will now have to be taken to a garage to be filled. So technically you'd risk prosecution taking it to a rally to be shared. Silly really as we've all used it for years but I agree with the caution voiced here about the dangers of batteries. I've seen several accidents but usually caused by shorts rather than the electrolyte itself. However, we live in world where people do silly things and don't want to take responsibility for their actions, so regulations step in. Of the batteries I have there's only one that you can still check the level of, the rest are all sealed. The one I have is about 20 years old so my guess is fewer and fewer batteries are in use which can be topped up.

If charging a motorcycle battery you need to do it at lower amps than a standard car battery charger. When disconnecting a battery (if you're replacing it) then always disconnect the earth first and reconnect it last. IE: 1. Disconnect earth 2. Disconnect live Replace battery 3. Connect live 4. Connect earth That way when you are undoing the live terminal if your spanner or screwdriver touches the bodywork there's no circuit. They may only be 12v but they can pack a lot of current and a shorted battery can explode. Batteries don't like being left in a discharged state so if yours was left like that chances are the battery needs replacing. Don't buy a cheap one, it's false economy.

For warm weather riding I ditch the textiles and wear Red Route jeans and a Frank Thomas leather jacket. Contrary to what other people seem to find the jacket is really spot on even on the very hottest of days.

Yeah, well....on the day in question I'd been on duty for 26 hours non stop so a bit of kip was well in order.

Nah - Bob's just thinking how much cat food you could have bought for the price of a chunk of metal. If you're doing a take it bits, put it back together, hide the bits left over thread - then lots of piccies please. I love engine builds.

Yes 7am is the law .. 9am on weekends .. It may be legal - but it's rather annoying when you've been on call out all night and just got your head down for some kip. However, when the Bobber arrives I think a sound test of the exhausts might be in order - in the early hours - outside a certain builder's dwelling place.

Electric Eye Judas priest ps how did we go from Schools out to Another brick in the wall in the first two posts ... Surely some rules needed We don't need no education....the clue is in the lyrics. Maybe a bit too subtle? Back on track .... The Rain Song - Led Zeppelin

You take all these on the bike? I have a very big top box!

The builder who is working on the house behind us. 7.00am is apparently an acceptable time to start using a jack hammer and shouting to your mates.