Gerontious

Yowzers. Premium. Not really. They cost today, a little under 1.9% of the cash price of the bike I bought last year. So, not much at all. They are worn mostly when the air temp falls below 10c. I DO have plastic surgery on my hands and one very unpleasant side effect is the cold is not just uncomfortable, its agonisingly painful, because the blood supply never really repairs itself. So, i need decent gloves that will keep my hands warm and dry and protect them so i dont need to have even more plastic surgery. If i can justify spending almost £12,000 on a bike then Im not going to quibble over a couple of hundred quid to protect my hands. I only have two of them and need them. Same goes for my jacket and trousers. One nice side effect of buying 'premium' is they last a very long time.. Ive had these gloves for 5 winters now and they still look 'new'.

The manufacturers set the prices on brand new bikes. but once the models change to the 'new year' its up to the dealers to shift their bikes as quickly as they can, usually to make room. and/or make the new bikes even more attractive. The distributors also reduce the price of the stock they have on hand to the dealers to make way for new bikes apperaring. I bought my new bike on the 20th of November last year.. as the 2019s were just about to arrive. this year I expect the discounts to be even greater as there is a brand new bike appearing. I didnt go for the PCP deal in the end, i got a bank loan. but the price of the bike was the same regardless of payment method. I can see and well understand the attraction of PCP. But, it wasn't for me in the end. I wanted to own the bike outright. Is buying a used bike.. even one thats only done less than a 1000 miles out of the question? These.. little used bikes that people buy and then realise its not for them, or they have some type of financial disaster and need to get rid - fast. often represent massive bargains as the original owner has borne the brunt od the intitial depreciation and VAT. they also.. often add goodies to the bike in the short time they own it. One final point, be very careful. Its often the case that new riders get a longing for a certain bike and 'splash out' and then realise over the following weeks and months that it wasnt really the right decicison. for whatever reason. I would suggest you hang fire on buying until you have completed your DAS and only then start your search in earnest. you might change your mind.. or realise that your reasons for choosing a specific bike have been altered somewhat.

Bit daft buying 20L when a 4L jug will last years. especially if you re-use it. Clean the chain over a tray and catch the drips, pour the waste into a jar and overnight it settles out, black gunk at the bottom and clear paraffin above, pour the clean stuff back into the jug and dispose of the gunk. simple.

kerosene is paraffin ftw.

Paraffin to clean and gear oil to lube. total cost under £20 for everything and should last over 5 years.

what he probably means is that his "Bro" didn't have the experience to take on a sports tourer like the FJ and so just complained about it as a method of covering up his own inadequacy. (it happens)

Puppies in beer batter. (yum)

Plastic surgery on your hands is definitely not something you want to experience living with, for the rest of your life. My winter gloves. https://tinyurl.com/y6n4j67k designed for use with heated grips,

The "Passing light" is the name (in Americanese) for our dipped beam. so, auxiliary passing lights are lights that match the dipped beam in light spread. "Passing" simply means its for use when other vehicles are approaching and are going to pass you.. and not be dazzled by your light or lights. On the other hand.. main beam is often referred to as the 'Driving Lamp"

you have said what the are not .. so what exactly are they then ? The Africa twin comes with 3 "always on" lights. The 'Dip' headlamp and the front indicators, which are Amber and always lit at about 50%. The aim being to offer a little more road presence than a headlamp alone. This has become standard on a fair number of Honda bikes and makes them instantly recognisable. I've never been keen on the idea of spending £300+ for fog lights that will have minimum use. Fog lights are for FOG. And in my opinion as irritating on bikes as they are when used inappropriately on cars. I will at some point add extra lights that have a standard beam pattern, that can be aimed in such a way that they will pass the MOT requirements, that are always on. For a little extra visibility during the day and to help "fill out" the dip at night. Obviously if these are aimed to pass the MOT then there is no danger of dazzling oncoming traffic. There is plenty of choice for these at a considerably lower price than the Honda "Fogs". My plan is to fit them and then adjust the aim so they will easily pass the MOT. Honda offer a choice of wiring options, either a dedicated switch, or wired into the same circuit as the "Dip" or... If you want, "Main beam".

amazing to see something that has a kernel of truth that has been twisted out of all recognition go viral, between an anonymous tweet at the end of September and TMBF these past few days. Nye Bevan news... looks alright, until you discover its run by a London Barman. who couldn't be bothered to do even the most basic research. I guess he doesnt really care much about the integrity, just gaining traffic to his site. €4 million? The UK charity actually received £2000 from the EU. in 2017/18 just a small discrepancy there.

My helmet has both as standard, at the same time.

I use ear plugs for the catering industry, so no need to touch them when removed contaminated by ear wax. made by 3M. they are unaffected by the helmet being removed and with the cords easy to take out. price i pay means they work out at 35p a pair.

I was offered fog lights on my bike and turned them down, I will be adding extra lights at some point but not 'fogs'. just something to help 'fill out' the 'dip'' so that when turned on they will pass the MOT requirements for the 'dip' aim. Nice to see anothe AT owner on the forum.

I find it easiest to keep it simple.. there are two 'new' africa twins, the " 1100 Standard" and the "1100 Sport". Nobody really cares about the DCT. you have two main camps. those who got it. and those who couldn't get past the initial weirdness. Its not exactly a "Twist and Go" It has a normal gear box that is automated. with manual override. I see all the time people who ride it solely in manual mode - full-on quick shifter mode.. who never use the 'auto' function. I think its great.. mostly its like magic. gearchanges are so amazingly smooth. And its impossible to stall. because gear changes are smooth to the point of being almost invisible. the clutches have a very easy life. so does the chain. Take a pillion and they will never 'knock heads'. The seat on mine is a Sargent. they have redesigned the seat on the new bikes. hopefully improving its comfort over distance. They have also given it tubeless tyres which is a major plus. The new bike isnt a big enough 'step change' for me to consider upgrading. But is more than perfect i reckon for people coming to the bike for the first time. They have also made it lower.. which is a big deal. I'm 6'7 in my boots and i consider my bike to be 'Very" tall to the point its easiest for me to step onto it using the pegs. My advice on road testing a DCT is.. try it more than once.. with a few days between road test 1 and 2. And bear in mind that you cant feather the clutch.. very slow speeds are controlled with the rear brake... which very quickly becomes natural. "D" mode is all about fuel economy.. i tend to ride my bike mostly in S1, which is more aggressive. and leave 'D' for long distance motorway riding.

https://tinyurl.com/y28qqdmk

its MOT history is rather interesting. in 2007 it had done less than 10,000 miles and in a year it did 30,000, run into the ground and failed. and its hardly been used since, MOT expired in june

are you suggesting he should order these? Have you a pair? Are these worth taking a risk on? £210+ including delivery, duty and VAT. thats a big risk for a brand that's largely unknown in the UK. Just because you can order from the states doesn't mean that it's wise to do so.

Not available in the UK. An American made brand.

more likely than not.. the gap is incorrect, the gap between the sensor and the ring. or.. you fiddled when you should've faddled and broke something, a similar thing happens a lot for AT owners who still run tubes, or have the tyre changed (by a muppet). they put the wheel back on the wrong way round.. so the ring is not on the same side as the sensor.

How do you keep it so clean? Mine already looks like it's been rolling in a field of pigs Wash day on Saturday. Washed it this morning.. after taxing it. 20 more days and I will have had it a year. Fortunately i can pick and choose when to ride it as work is too close to commute. (1.3 miles)

Not sexy.. but the best answer for cold hands and winter riding are handlebar muffs ideally twinned with heated grips.

Summer is over but the riding is great, especially on a sunny weekday.

Not if all the horses are eaten.

it'll be fine.. just wait a few (or more than a few) months.