Gerontious

At least it's possible. and £518 is a very good price considering some of the quotes we've seen in recent years for a first bike.. in the £1000s

Lexmoto Titan 125 Euro 5 Technical Data EXHAUST VALVE (METRIC) 0.06-0.09 mm INLET VALVE (METRIC) 0.05-0.08 mm

The marketing for the Africa Twin does emphasise off roading. It’s in the DNA as it were. But the side effect of that for us more normal riders is that the bike…. Adventure bikes in general are totally untroubled by the condition of the road you are riding. Bad tarmac. And so on. No problem at all. They have become the most popular bikes for touring as well as general riding for this reason. I go abroad on mine a lot. Great in the mountains. As well as the more nadgery roads at home and abroad.

You might be lucky to find an earlier Africa Twin for £5000 sold privately, though they do tend to go for more than that. Very desirable bikes that don’t hang around for long. You can’t mess about when one appears and you might need to travel to see or buy it. Might be better to wait until you sell your current bike and can arrange a top up bank loan if you really want one. personally I would continue to look at bikes and see if you can up your cash a tad and perhaps aim for an ex PCP bike as these do come with a lot of benefits. Someone else has taken the hit on depreciation. It will have full verifiable history. Mileage tends to be adhered to. And so on. September onwards is generally a very good time to buy a bike. And there is a ready market for good second hand A2 bikes which is year round. Bike values have been artificially high these past few years as a consequence of the pandemic. good luck with your search.

Plenty of people keep their vehicles in garages etc that are remote to their home address. Garages round the corner. Separate block. And so on. Probably best to talk to the actual insurers. They want your money. I’m guessing its more about where and how the bike is stored overnight than the actual address of the owner.

There are regulations governing the hiviz you must wear. Oftentimes a hiviz motorcycle jacket will not comply unless it’s an ex police (for example) any workman’s vest will do and can fit in a pocket. I only mention this because I’ve seen reports of people getting instant fines for not wearing compliant gear. Never underestimate the police. We’re not the only ones with shiny buttons.

I never met a slapar I didn’t like.

that only applies to any coating applied to the outside of the garment. Not the goretex membrane itself. Just spray on a new coating. (Gore say that too)

This is pure de ja vu. And I’ll give you the same answer again. You followed the instructions gore have on their website. They are the ones to talk to. They give an warranty that’s independent of the manufacturer of the garment. you can run. But you can’t hide.

You don't need to. But, do investigate the Crit Air. which you might need. if you intend on visiting the cities that demand them.

Reflectors on helmets is a French regulation and only applicable to helmets bought in France. Visitors don't need them. Minimum is a bulb kit. spare headlight. (dip) brake and indicator bulbs. plus the tools needed to fit them. This is mainly to avoid problems. if your headlamp is off, you will get stopped if seen by a copper and they will more than likely just tell you off. if the bulb has blown then they will again let you off if you change it there and then. its a very low risk, but a few bulbs doesnt take up much space. HiViz must be worn if you break down the the Motorway. You don't need to go mad on security unless you are staying in inner cities. out in the back of beyond your bike will be fine. just park it out of sight of a main road. basic precautions. disc lock is all you need. (I don't even bother with that) Are you camping or chasing beds? means to charge your phone. proper sat nav is always my recommendation over using a phone to navigate. a second hand unit isn't expensive. Ear plugs.. there are all sorts. maybe try a variety pack and see which suits you Tyre compressor and repair kit will definitely save you time. but its usually the case, sods law says if you have it you wont need it. European rescue.. if you get this included with your insurance that's great. Travel insurance that includes bikes try - Navigator. Europe friendly credit card. I have a Halifax Clarity. and a Nationwide. mostly for fuel. unmanned petrol stations in France are evil towards debit cards., Theres actually not a lot to consider.. its fairly straightforward. though it always looks far more intimidating than it actually is - the first time. its great once you are over there though.

My idea of an ideal summer jacket is one that can deal with a British summer as well as Southern Europe. It needs to be light in colour so it doesnt absorb the heat from the sun. fully vented/mesh. removable waterproof liner. with preferably an outlast liner too. (for the mountains) light in weight. so it can be carried easily when not being worn on tour. something that looks like this.. though probably not this exact one.

That seat. A joy to behold.

working. so this weekend I will mostly be looking forward to next weekend and next weekend I will really be looking forward to the weekend after. trying to contain my excitement.

I believe he did it. No reason not to. But saying he did it without breaking any speed laws is laughable.

For my old GS it was a straight swap, the other way. from injection to Carbs. and people wanted to do it. early days for injection and people thought carbs were better. less to go wrong. same for removing the ABS, which I was reliably informed was positively dangerous on a motorcycle and a crazy idea. (and as it cost £800 as an option - madness) thing was, my bike was originally designed to use carbs. but a last minute brainwave and they put in injection instead. so the original carbs the bike was designed to take simply slotted in. very easy. for a time you could even buy a kit. everything needed. 30mm Bing carbs if memory serves. On more modern bikes this will very likely be problematic as the bike was never designed for injection so making it work, even if its possible. will not be easy.

This country would rather spend money on vanity projects than fix the infrastructure we have - properly. You should see what they do with worn out roads in Germany!! They don’t resurface. They replace. but even if we did that, we probably wouldn’t manage it properly. 5 minutes after it’s done some utility would be digging it up to replace a pipe!!

Why is the A2 test relevant? Your original question was about the full test.

I think your first port of call is talking to one of your local schools. maybe the one out by Ballymena. 07973 502600

I would take anything the testing authority might say with a pinch of salt. they might not even be aware of the innate peculiarities that are unique to DCT.

The problem is. DCT isn't fully automatic. like scooters tend to be. its a sort of cross between the two. it has gears and two clutches, it can be ridden in full auto mode. but you also have any control over gear changes you need to make on the fly. while most scooters do not. and its quiet niche. Only Honda makes them. (I believe) so the law probably hasn't caught up. Ive never seen a question quite like yours before. I would just assume the answer is no. You might be best going to a reputable training place and ask them.

Im actually unsure if you can do the test on a DCT. I would assume the answer is no. You are better off doing the normal full test even if you are getting a DCT. Which Bike are you buying. I have a DCT Africa Twin. And quite marvellous it is too.

Tonight I have been driven insane by a schizophrenic with a repetitive obsession. We’ve done the same thing tonight at least 200 times. OCD on steroids. It’s now 5:49 and he’s in bed. A momentary pause before he decides to get up and do it again having completely forgotten he’s already done it over and over. I’m not going to say what he does because it’s singularly uninteresting. And I obviously have to be careful. Another hour of this and home. Back on Monday by which time things might be back to normal. Maybe. Ish. he’s a fascinating individual. But this behaviour, when it happens drives me up the wall. But ever cheerful - obviously. can you believe in the time it’s taken to write this. 4 more times and I’ve managed to multitask a cuppa.

From a different angle..

Sometimes that sign can be a bit of an understatement. This is Italy, yesterday. The SS38 between Latsch and Goldrain in Italy. Not too far from the Stelvio.