Mississippi Bullfrog

Those are fairly common. There's usually a metal sleeve runs through the middle. Sometimes the sleeve is welded to a washer so the whole thing looks a bit like a top hat. They use a very similar bush and sleeve on the radiator mounts of my CBF.

I can answer that question. Two of them rolled up this morning just as we were serving bacon butties and pastries for breakfast. They ate the bacon butties, and the pastries, then drank a cup of coffee each. And then went for a wee.

And thereon lies part of the issue. Since the police can't / won't tackle wannabe Lewis Hamiltons in their Ford Fiestas the politicians shove the problem back up the chain to make all modifications illegal. It's a lazy / cheap way to tackle the obnoxious minority at the expense of the underrepresented majority of enthusiasts.

Since both of mine are in bits and waiting for parts I went to the pub

Something I spotted via the Bobber forum, several companies making aftermarket exhausts have currently withdrawn them from sale. When customers who have ordered systems have asked where their new exhaust is they get an email saying that from now on anyone buying an exhaust system that is either louder than the oem or involves a decat will need to sign a declaration that the bike is for track or off road use only. The reason given is that new legislation is making anyone who sells or installs a none compliant exhaust liable to prosecution.

I've got a textile jacket and a pair of gloves. Budget end of the market but so long as you don't expect it to be waterproof it is fine for riding. The gloves are actually some of the best fitting, but that's just because they suit my hands. I find gloves that fit well very hard to find.

You mean sat at the oars surrounded by sweaty men in leather loin cloths whilst being whipped by another sweaty man. Oh well, whatever floats your boat.

I snaffle the kitchen table for brake parts.

I use red rubber grease on new seals but brake fluid is fine if you don't gave any. They're straightforward just work in a clean place. You don't want any grit getting in there. Worth remembering that brake fluid is inflammable.

Yeah, but mine started dribbling this morning.

It 18 years old and the fan housing is getting the full blast of salt and grit all winter so to be fair I'm quite impressed everything came apart. The rest of the bike is virtually rust free. A bit of surface rust on the swing arm but nothing serious. A bit of rubbing down and a coat of rust treatment and the fan housing is structurally solid. That's pretty good for thin metal in a harsh environment.

Oh the joys of elderly motorcycles. I suspect none of these bolts have been touched since the bike was built as they live behind the radiator. But so far everything has come undone with a bit of care.

MOT for the CBF. It passed, and then as we were waiting for the machine to run its time the radiator burst. Ho hum....better here than somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I shall limp home and look to order a replacement.

Well that was a fun 24 hours.... Yesterday afternoon I got a call from my mother's falls alarm. Apparently she had fallen and knocked her head but was OK. But I thought I go over to check on her. First thing was that the new Mersey Gateway bridge was closed northbound on account of an expansion joint having failed. So that's going to cause mayhem for weeks. Then the M57 was down one lane and a truck decided to break down in that lane. So being in a bit of a hurry I was not best pleased. I got to her flat to find her virtually unconscious surrounded by a pool of blood. Heads bleed profusely especially when someone is on blood thinners. The ambulance crew were brilliant but we were stuck in the ambulance until midnight because A&E was like a war zone. How the staff cope is beyond me. By 5.00am she'd been seen by a doctor and patched up. Then it was sorting out her meds and arranging dressings. We got her home around midday and I've started the delightful job of cleaning the carpet. It's made me realise that murdering someone would be quite hard work getting rid of the evidence.

As they say....worse things happen at sea.

This explains what happened to a mate a few years ago. He went out to his garage one day to find his bike was gone. So he contacted the police and then submitted an insurance claim which was duly settled. He then bought a new bike and we went to the pub to celebrate. Where he found his old bike parked outside and remembered where he'd left it.

I have the Helite on the basis that there are no batteries to charge and you can buy replacement gas cartridges cheaply. It is heavy but once on I don't notice it. It soon becomes second nature to unclip it before dismounting but if you forget the gentle tug of the cord reminds you.

Quite right. I find a baked beans tin much better.

I noted that he released this on 1 April. He usually has interesting things to say, and this is interesting, but I will be keeping my armour in place. Not least because if there were to be an accident and I got hurt any insurance settlement could be influenced by my choice to remove the armour. And anyway - as he says - if you want protection wear an airvest, which I do.

OK - so not them then. Get some lengths of wool and tie them to various bits of the bike. They'll act like tell-tails on boat sails and you'll be able to spot the flow of air easier.

Does it have an immobiliser? Many ecus are programmed to the bike so changing the ecu means also changing the chips in the ignition barrel and key. Or some can be reprogrammed to the bike but you need the kit to do that. A lot now immobilisers cut off the fuel supply which sounds like what you are describing.

Buffeting can be caused by some really unexpected sources. If you are feeling a blast of air from lower down maybe it's the crash bars themselves that are causing it? If they are the only non standard parts added maybe that's worth checking. Or ask on a forum that's specific to that bike, see if other owners are having the same issue.

Just a heads up folks...in memory of Dave Myers of Hairy Bikers fame there will be a ride from London to Barrow-on-Furness Saturday 8th June. I think bikers can join along the route for as far as they can do. https://www.facebook.com/events/365252866484354/

Can you tell my wife this startling revelation? I think she needs to know.

Talk about sod's law! My Beeline died. It wouldn't take a charge, I tried everything but it just wasn't playing ball. If it could get a glimmer of life out of it then it was flickering but nothing worked. To be fair Beeline are sending me a new charger free of cost which is good customer support as it's way out of warranty. So no complaints there. So I went out and bought a new UA phone case and two sets of bar mounts for both bikes. Then I invested in a Cardo Spirit so I could hear the navigation prompts. I got it all working over the weekend. And this morning get back to my desk and notice my Beeline sat there - working perfectly.