Gerontious

I was flashed just outside Simmerath near Aachen... and i have had a fine drop through the door. €25 so not the end of the world. 14K over the limit. I have been expecting this.. the flash was very obvious and caused much hilarity. but.. never mind. €25 isn't as bad as it would be here.. and no points, which is good. I'll be just a tad more careful next time.. especially in or near any towns. The letter includes some quite spectacular photos.. and is asking who the rider is. fairly normal. However there is a second option, the letter says I need do nothing aside from transfer the €25 into a specified account before 15/10 and by doing that admit that I was the rider... very easy, compared with the rigmarole we have to go through here. I'm sure there will be much leg pulling over this.. and some finger wagging too. fwiw.. this is the way the germans apply fines and bans for speeding in town.

Your renewal quote was generated by a computer.. and I believe these are automatically higher (almost every time) because a number of those insured will simply renew without challenging the quote. Inertia is a powerful thing. Its the same reason that people tend to stay with a power supplier despite the fact that moving is very simple and can lead to significant savings. Banks are the same. ISP's even worse. Its called a "loyalty penalty". You mentioned a cancellation fee. they cannot charge this at renewal time if you choose not to renew. My own renewal is coming up in November and I am expecting a reduction. If this does not appear then I will definitely move insurers.

Im amazed... its been "HOW LONG"??? and finally we get three photos showing parts of your new bike. Im sure one day we will get to see the entire thing in all its glory. My dotage is fast approaching so please do hurry up.

You can. If its a multi-bike policy. and instances like this are the best reason to have one. especially if you have the minimum (1 year) NCD. and so are suffering from punitive prices. the question that needs to be answered is. Is insuring two bikes separately. one with an NCD and the other without. Cheaper (or not) than moving both bikes onto a multi-bike and so having the discount applied to both. As a single premium.

every kind of bike comes with some level or another of compromise. Plenty of people have tried sports bikes and worked out, sooner or later, that this particular style of bike isn't for them. One compromise too many. rarely is this 'instant'.. it only comes with time and experience. It might not even be merely the style, it might be a particular model. keep at it and see how you get on. whether these problems you have go away or are insurmountable. Whether you can adjust to them.. or cannot.

seems likely to me that the ECU recognised a problem caused by the bike falling over and this problem soon resolved itself when the bike was upright, the error went away, the light went off and the bike started. The same sort of thing will happen to my bike if it falls over.. the engine will be turned off. and will only restart when the bike is back upright, turned off (by the key) and then turned on again.

The Hi-Viz makes you invisible line has always amused me.. tell that to the Police.

YES. road test them all.. which will give you at least some idea of what to expect from an older bike.. your budget will easily buy you (at the very least) a 2-3yr old minter. recent changes in all these bikes have been relatively minor and incremental. when you do decide.. then look for one with the extras you need, like luggage, perhaps GPS etc. far better to get a bike with these already added than have that as a subsequent expense. I really do rate this.. 23 miles from you in Bromsgrove. and way under your budget. luggage, Belt drive, lightweight underseat tank. 65mpg and not a bad price for a dealership. https://tinyurl.com/y4now5hs worth serious consideration especially if its had its 16K Service.

Triggered by a 16yr old with plaits. Err... LOL.

No, this is something I do just once a year and we seem to have reached the point where 5 days away isn't enough. So next year it will be 8 days plus travel. 10 days all together.

I'm on tip toes on my bike.. and I'm 6'7 in my boots. Its great. a wholly novel experience for me.

I don't believe that. which is more likely? Someone knackers a fixing using a torque wrench. after taking some time to learn how to use it correctly. Someone knackers a fixing using a torque wrench. after ignoring the instructions and advice found readily on-line. And in the bikes shop/owners manual. Someone knackers a fixing by ignoring advice in the shop manual. ignoring advice in the owners manual. but listen to random strangers who tell them to do it 'by feel'. And by implication that the piece of equipment suggested by the manufacturer is somehow a bad idea. buying and using a Torque wrench is a bad idea. Hubris.

It was never enough.

Then there is this: What is Honda thinking?

By way of a complete contrast. I bought a decent one. If I were to recommend a torque wrench. My recommendation would be also to buy a decent one. 1/2" 40-200 newtons. This: £47 with free delivery, reduced from £86 https://tinyurl.com/yym8rbs4 It will last you a lifetime. My watchword with tools has always been.. buy cheap - buy twice. Buy once - cry once. Ive been working on bikes for years.. and have always considered a T.W. vital.. to do what its for. preventing expensive or dangerous mistakes.

might be an idea for you to research what the bike is plugged in FOR. before you start freaking out about how much this plugging it in might actually cost. more often than not.. its about turning OFF a warning light. reading fault codes. (if any) telling the bikes computer that YES.. the bike has now been serviced and you can cancel that pesky service light.

Its not like chain lubing takes a long time. and if it does... you're either doing it wrong or overdoing it. which almost amounts to the same thing. Helps to have a centre stand. obviously. or some method of raising the real wheel. but if not, just a bit of heft. And you can keep all these magical sprays, pastes, potions and so on... all of which seem to be more about emptying your wallet just to save getting your fingers dirty performing a two minute job once a week, fortnight. (the horror)

generally its done under tension. on the sidestand. ideally its done with the riders weight added. But, this isnt always possible and so the manufacturers give a 'range'. Ive seen a gadget on FB that makes this job extremely simple and easy.. the bike doesnt need to be on the side stand as the 'slack' is formed within the gadget itself.. and you simply tighten the chain. remove said gadget and the slack is then spot on. You can do it on the centre stand.. but only if you know what the 'perfect' slack is on the side stand.. and then what is added to this when the bike is lifted onto the centre stand. so.. for my bike. the slack should be 45-55mm on the side stand.. add the extra when its on the centre stand (5mm) and so.. on the centre stand the tension needs to be between 50mm and 60mm and thats how i do it.. i try to get 55mm of slack on the centre stand. pop the bike onto its side stand and its now 50mm. right where it needs to be.

an easy comparison. death and serious injuries. 2017 UK "serious" bike accidents 9,740 in Turkey its an average of 3,500 per month.

Last time I used Bennetts, they were a tiny little insurer, upstairs above a shop on a back street near the ruined cathedral in Coventry, online didn't exist so I had a ride over to there from Brum. They were very cheap and friendly. Of course they soon built up the business and then sold it for millions. It became part of a portfolio of insurers. Obviously... It's been built up even further given all the sponsorship they do and is being sold on again, probably has absolutely nothing to do with their origins anymore. Just another brand, a well known name. Was a time when they were a watchword for bad service and generally regarded as a ripoff. With a very bad reputation. But were still cheap and for many bikers that was all that mattered.

I couldn't care less. I see plenty of law breaking every single day I go out. 99% by 4 wheel drivers. 0.9% other bikers. 0.1% cyclists. So, hardly an issue. Just another hazard to avoid. I worry far more about phone addicted pedestrians stepping into the road, more interested in Facebook or whatever it is than the odd cyclist with a death wish who doesn't think the rules of the road apply to them. Just something to steer round and get past.

lifted from the .Gov website.. (snip) . in full here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aftermarket-hid-headlamps/aftermarket-hid-headlamps

SORN began in 1998. But, if you have never received a letter then I doubt very much they will charge a penalty. Give them a call.

Only low were the Umleitungs. (detours) The only bad thing about these trips, at the end of the summer holidays and before the snow arrives. The germans fix their roads and this involves (usually) fairly long detours.. not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but this time some real favourites were closed. And worse of all there was a fatality on the B50 and the road was closed, at the end of what had already been a long days riding, we had a massive detour. arriving with just minutes to spare for dinner. Still.. this is just a minor inconvenience in the scheme of things.. the area is fantastic. I think we all recognised that 5 days there isn't enough.. so next year the plan is to go for 8. (plus travel) And those roads closed for repair will be absolutely stunning when we go back, the germans don't resurface, they replace. Digging down to the base rock and relaying from scratch.