Gerontious

In which case you remove or otherwise deal with any access to a food supply so the rats are forced to eat poisoned bait. And tell your warehouse people that doors must be kept secure when not in use or unattended. if rats can get in so easily then so can thieves and Im sure you wouldn't hesitate to take steps if you were robbed. if equipment walked out the door.

double post. i fiddled when i shoulda faddled.

Ive never liked the idea of Tipis.. even though on the face of it the extra headroom is very attractive.. its that central pole that I do not like the idea of and also.. from a purely practical sense. the pack sizes tend to be a lot longer than usual. (because the central pole is often over 6' tall and is normally split into longer sections. I have 3 tents. two that are tunnel type and one that is a dome... all bought during the winter when they are significantly discounted... like by 70% Now.. as the summer is drawing toward its close discounts are already appearing. Ive already covered how I go about choosing a tent based on its pack size, which is important when used on a bike. you cant have a tent that makes your 8 foot wide BMW 12 foot wide. its just a daft idea to even consider a tent that has a huge pack size. On my bike the maximum I would go for is 55cm but i would look for shorter than that ideally. I'm a fan of Robens and Vaude, These are brands that specialise in lightweight.. but technically highly specified tents. with a close attention to detail. Robens tend to be discounted.. right now they are half price. if you look hard enough. for a single person, I would go for the Voyager 2EX. it has a pack size of 45x16 has a longer than average sleeping area 220cm. and a huge porch. large eneough to keep everything off the bike under cover. the sleeping area is large enough to keep anything that must be kept dry and still allow plenty of space to sleep in. For a couple.. the Voyager 3EX pack size 47X22 and 225 long sleep area. Both of these have fantastic ventilation.. and you can easily batten down the hatches in bad weather. They are also.. almost free standing... with no need for any guy lines unless its windy. a couple of pegs at each end and a 3 at each side.. and thats it. 10 pegs in total. The tent arrives in two parts.. so as per the video below when you have a practice pitch in your garden.. you attach the inner.. once the inner is attached from then on it can be left in place.. so next time its already there and the tent can be erected all-in-one.. I would think it would take less than 5 minutes to have the tent up and be inside out of the rain. which is pretty speedy. The fella demonstrating the tent uses the guy lines.. but, there is no need to if its not windy. http://tinyurl.com/ydbza3pr The one extra I would buy to go with this is a tarp.. to act as a 'footprint' to give a little extra protection for the floor of the sleeping area and cut down on condensation.. one that is long enough to act as a 'floor' for the porch. that would probably cost about £4. you can see what I mean in this video.. where the fella has a blue tarp under his tent.. he also goes through the tents features. its two doors and so on. http://tinyurl.com/ycsh2538 Its not a cheap tent.. the RRP is about £280.. but is already being discounted and this will only improve as the weeks and months roll by. but having said that.. you really do get what you pay for. I would put Robens as a brand just a step or two below Hilleberg in features and materials. They are excellent but a fraction of the price.

gotta love it when the most obvious answer has already been ruled out. try harder..

what size are you looking for, a 2 man, 3 man or... (If camping solo.. then a 2 man, or with partner.. a 3 man. for that extra (in my opinion vital) extra elbow room.) and what is your maximum pack size?

Im trying (and failing) to work out how you can pitch one tent inside of another, and be able to carry both on a bike in addition to everything else. if you buy a decent tent designed for CAMPING, rather than a throwaway shelter for festivals.. and these days most tents actually are really quite good, and have taken the time to practice pitching (and breaking it down) there is no reason to fear getting wet overnight. a bit of research and its easy enough to find a tent with space outside the sleeping area for wet gear.. enough space for boots and so on that you don't really want in your sleep space. Like this 2 man VANGO. the same goes for taking two sleeping bags.. utterly pointless and means doubling up on what is often the most bulky item aside from the tent. likewise a thick foam mattress. Its almost like you have forgotten that this is a bikers forum rather than a car owners. I'm trying to imagine the average bike with TWO tents.... with the second more than likely more than double the size of the first. TWO sleeping bags And a thick foam mattress. plus all the other essentials. I have a fairly large bike with a load of capacity and I would struggle packing that lot.. and then comes the hassle of unpacking and pitching FAST.. if im unlucky enough to arrive somewhere in the rain. when the goal is to get under cover ASAP.. like in a few minutes and not be wasting time unpacking two of everything and getting twice as wet in the process. Wind noise need never be an issue for a biker.. as many of us use earplugs for every ride and so its easy enough to wear a pair over night as and when necessary. just seems to me to be completely out of whack, with the ideals of touring or quick getaways. and turns camping.. which lets face it can occasionally be hard work. into a drudge. a daily chore.. unpacking everything in duplicate and then repacking everything every day.. if the holiday isnt to a single specific site.. but moving from place to place.. maybe even country to country. Minimal and simple... and fast. should be the goal for anyone considering touring and camping by bike. I simply fail to understand the logic of this. what you are suggesting is a Motorcycle camping/touring nightmare.

I didn't mention opie... As they are mail order, which is a little extravagant with additional postage costs, for a bike that probably only uses 1 litre. £11 from halfords for an appropriate Castrol. Castrol Power 1 4T 10W/30 API SL

You can basically ignore the sh/cd ratings as they are obsolete and date back to the 1990s (1996) What they say though is any oil manufactured from that time to the present is just perfect. That's any bike oil that doesn't say something like "Classic" in its name... Those are for antique engines (basically) and are often sold in a tin can... Just to make it look nicely old fashioned. Most bike manuals would say something like SH or later. SH was followed by SJ in 2001, SL in 2004, SM in early 2010. So any of those are perfect too... If you can find them. SN is the latest... And dates from late 2010 and is widely available. It may even have been superseded by now. So, what you want is a semi synthetic motorcycle engine oil: SAE 10W-30 API SN. Any big brand will do. Like Shell, Mobil and so on.

if you arrive at 19:00 on October 5th it will be getting dark. sunset at whitby is at 18:28 I would suggest early September.. when theres more chance of warmer weather. and the days are still reasonably long. sunset on the 7th is 19:39 or 14th 19:21

No... there are no motorail services that go north. and as you have seen there are no ferries from the Uk to anywhere in Scandinavia... or even northern Germany. your only option, by motorcycle, is to cross the channel or southern North Sea.. using whichever ferry service suits you.. and then ride to northern Germany and take another ferry. Or.. ride through Denmark... using the bridges to hop from island to island and across to Sweden.

Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament for the 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat from the Straits of Loch Knombe, in the Year of Our Lord 1727, on the Occasion of the Announcement of Her Marriage to the Laird of Kinleakie – Fairport Convention (it was the B side of Now be thankful 1970) Not silly at all!!!

I dont watch them. I don't need videos to tell me that showing off is a bad idea, or that drivers can be blind. Ive already found that out for myself. I get no pleasure at all from the misfortunes of others.. whether they are asking for it or not. Ive seen two fatal bike accidents in my time and thats enough blood and gore to last my lifetime and seeing accidents on YT or any other video sharing site does nothing but bring those awful memories back and make me sick to the stomach. So.. whenever I see a link to a video on this or any other site.. I tend to read the title and the comments before deciding whether or not to watch and most of the time, I don't bother. So far as traffic "fail" videos go.. Ive seen a few, (watch one and YT seems to think you're an addict) and the only thing Ive learnt from them is that it will be a cold day in hell before I ever ride in the Russian federation. And/or that you can never really trust that the stupidity of other road users wont cause you to have a very bad day. luck of the draw. wrong place wrong time. usually.

Lay all your love on me. - ABBA now excuse me while I go hang my head in shame.. perhaps consider suicide or lie down in a darkened room and think about valium.

I haven't bothered with leathers for years.. I gave them up one hot summer when they were impossibly hot to wear.. and a real struggle to get off. I was sweaty and they seemed to be glued to my skin. If you were to buy vented leathers.. then you are buying something that has a fairly limited use in our climate.. unless summers like this are the new 'normal'. And you dont mind carrying waterproofs to wear over them if the weather turns.. and then stopping and putting them on. Just my opinion, but i think textiles are far more suitable for hot weather than leathers.. due to the venting, but obviously you need to buy textiles that have this feature in abundance, where the vents can be opened in the heat.. and closed when the weather turns and its either cooler.. or even cold and wet. When you can increase the warmth by adding layers.. either as one that is zipped in, or extra layers as under clothing. similarly a waterproof layer. Ive seen waterproof textiles that have vents on the lower legs.. thighs, below the shoulders.. arms and back.. so the air can flow through. Just a matter of deciding on a budget and looking at features you want and then reviews. couple that with wicking base layers so that sweat can be dranw away from your skin and rapidly evaporated which helps with cooling. Personally.. I rate clothing from Scandinavia. so.. Rukka, Halverssons, Lindstrands, or from Europe.. brands like Rev'it. all of which go that extra mile with design and use of the best materials and generally excellent quality control. Add to that.. fully vented gloves. people often forget about gloves... but cool hands in this heat are a genuine boon. as is a helmet with vents that actually work. In my case.. I have a flip front helmet which is fantastic in this kind of weather... at moderate speeds. locking it down when I up the pace.

Sy Borg - Frank Zappa.

Theres a chap lives just down the road from me who has been riding as long as Ive lived here.. so at least 18yrs. He first had a CG125 and then more recently a CBR125. all the while on L plates. So.. over the course of 18yrs he has probably spent not far off £900 on CBTs. I asked him once why he didn't take his test. his answer "no point" as his bike is just (local) transport and its easier on his low wage to pay £100 every other year than the several hundred he would have to save to pass the test. Also.. he saw no point in getting a bigger bike as his 125 did everything he needs. I cant argue with that.

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And only make the bike 10 foot wide rather than 11 according to the spec sheet its 4" wider than your bike (mirror to mirror) and the original panniers do not increase that width.

In that case.. just think about what you would need to take. If it were me.. then a change of clothes.. so Im not stuck in bike gear all the time. and a change or two of base layers including socks and underwear. If you already have a top box, thats half the battle. I'm sure I could do it with just a waterproof bag strapped to the pillion seat.. or at worst, a pair of throw-over panniers like those new ones from LOMO that Tango mentioned just recently. That would likely give you more space - in total, than [mention]Bungleaio[/mention] is bringing for a week in Germany. And will cost £50.

If its only for occasional use, my suggstion is that you decide which panniers you want, using google images. buy the racks new, as you are unlikely to find the specific racks second hand, then buy the panniers themselves, second hand. They may not be 'mint' but that hardly matters for occasional use. Ive had a quick look round.. and to my eye these look the best, I like the way they 'fit' close to the bodywork.. unlike some others that stand proud. sold with the bike.. and he doesnt name the brand, but you could try messaging him via ebay and ask what they were. Or, perhaps someone on the forum recognises them. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282874963201

As that is the RRP.. its almost a certainty that they will be further discounted when they appear on eBay being sold by 3rd parties. The only thing to be careful of.. is that there is zero possibility of the material touching a hot exhaust on a bike with a 'high' exhaust that doesn't have a guard. But.. things like these certainly open up a whole world of possibilities for bikers who want to tour.. but, for various reasons might think their particular bike isnt appropriate. maybe because the only official panniers are tiny (as they usually are on sports bikes).

A can lasts me 5 winters. That works out at less than £3 a year. The thing is.. ACF is a super thin liquid, what this means is that when you spray it on - as thinly as possible - it spreads. it creeps into all the nooks and crannies over the course of a few days. you don't need much nor do you need to be 'thorough' as it spreads all over the bike on its own. Its wasted on plastics. so just a dab on fixings. just be sure to cover the brake disks and callipers so there is no danger of stray droplets getting where they shouldn't.

In which case.. before it turns very cold. wash and dry it.. ACF it. ONCE and then use it through the winter.. the ACF will protect it during the worst weather... the bike will get mucky (but the ACF will continue to work) Then.. once the weather turns and the risk of snow and more salt/grit vanishes. wash off the ACF and you're good to go for the spring and summer. Washing and reapplying ACF.. which some people do, is actually a waste of time. you only have to apply it once.. then leave it strictly alone. ignore the dirt and muck, the bike will be perfect under the dirt.... ACF is brilliant stuff.. which doesn't wash off with rain. It will only come off with warm sudsy water. Its designed for use on aeroplanes.. jet engines and the like and is only applied once a year. thats how good it is. flying at 300mph or more through rain storms wont wash it off.

My bike lives outside.. and my preparation for winter is to wash it... allow it to dry, give it a quick spray over with ACF and then cover it. and thats all. Bikes aren't that fragile. and standing for say... 4 months will do it no harm whatsoever. Dont think that starting it every now and then.. warming up the engine is a good thing - it isn't. leave it alone. I know some people take steps like filling the fuel tank and adding stabiliser.. or doing other things like raising the bike off the ground. but in my experience, you dont need to do any of that either... just wash and dry it.. give it a spray of ACF then park it up. cover it and forget about it. maybe plug it into a battery minder.. to keep the battery charged up. or be ready to charge the battery when you put it back on the road.. especially if it has an alarm that might be a slow drain. My bike doesn't have an alarm.. so all I do is charge it up when the bike is parked up.. and then at the end of the winter.. charge it up again. and thats it. The big enemy for bikes during the winter is the salt/grit mix they use to clear snow.. the grit can damage paint and coatings and the salt will then attack metal. But if the bike never sees salt.. is never ridden when the roads are gritted then this isn't going to be an issue for you. If the bike was going to be out of use for a year or more..then there are things that need to be done.. but for 4 months? just a few very basic steps.

If its neither MOT'd or insured at this time of year then it will either be in long term storage... or perhaps in a showroom somewhere, or has been crashed and written off, so no longer exists. on balance.. likely the latter given its age. 24yrs old.