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Everything posted by Gerontious
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Today, for the first time in more than 10 years, I think. I’m sitting downstairs on my couch listening to music and not over earphones. I pulled out my (spare) 2012 Mac mini and am using that as a source for now. The speakers look great - not overwhelming the eye. The little 30w amp is doing well. Though all the cabling is a bit of a dogs dinner. I’ve got a fortnight off from the 17th using up the last of my annual leave and plan to do some decorating so it’s all just temporary. And will do just fine until I get a proper CD player at the end of this month.
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You’re probably right. I read something and got muddled. It happens. Still, I’ll stick with the plan anyway. It makes me feel exceptionally smug to have a mortgage and stop paying it for a year. I think back to the years of struggle. Hard times at times. A different world.
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One of the benefits of a mortgage that's so close to being paid off.. I've stopped paying it for a year. apparently its generally a bad idea to not have a mortgage as your credit rating suffers. once its ceased to be. I owe (today) £213.56 and its not due until September next year. Though I might throw in a few quid here and there. Also I have nobody nagging at me. "you can't buy that!!". And sadly my outgoings have reduced somewhat with no 4 legged friend to feed anymore. anyway, speakers have arrived and are out of their box. looking very pretty and strange on my sideboard. Kef LS50. white so they will kinda disappear once set up. No council tax to pay either this month or next, so though Ive got them on 0% I'll likely pay them off next month. or near as dammit. Then start looking for a CD player or Transport. Im quite good at being patient. sometimes.
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quite amused by the last few days antics with a couple of sellers on eBay. In my bid to put together a new hifi system, I was looking at two CD players second hand. both mint and fairly recent. The first I made a not unreasonable offer for. and added a message that if my offer was accepted I would be able to collect the player either yesterday or on Sunday. The seller rejected my offer. and then yesterday he messaged me to ask if I was still interested. He has now relisted the item and said that the buyer pulled out. he can sod off. The second was a really glamorous cd. made in Italy. and at a very good price. but the seller wanted to send it via Royal Mail!!! - I messaged them and said I was ready to do a buy it now, but I would rather collect it in person than risk it being dropped or thrown about in the post. the seller replied. "sorry I dont want anyone coming to my home." - no suggestion of any kind of an alternative, so I didn't bid. its still for sale. Plonker. Overwrought at all this plonkerishness. I decided to delay the CD until step 3, I got an amplifier last month and paid for it, and yesterday I ordered Speakers and Stands and they arrive today. and of course.. as luck will have it, another CD player thats at the top of my wish list appeared on eBay at a really, really good price. but, hey ho - the deed is done and I'll have to pass. until next month. step by step its coming together. Im going to have to start thinking about cleaning all my cds as they have been gathering dust - literally. mostly untouched for almost 10 years - probably. aside from those that were copied onto the computer. shame about the Italian. it was really lovely. with valves!!
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New (cheap) helmet
Gerontious replied to Mickly's topic in Clothing, Luggage, Accessories and Security
Not really. what is important is that the helmet is genuine and has the ECE standard. this means that a helmet from every batch has to be tested to that standard. this is what matters also crucially that it fits properly. oddly, Arai helmets seem to have a fairly bad sharp rating for some of their helmets. but nobody could say that Arai don't know how to make safe crash helmets. same for Shoei and many other top flight brands. when I used to pay attention to such things I did think that some of the tests that Sharp used where, shall we say 'somewhat unrealistic". I gave up paying them any attention. My own helmet is 5* on sharp. and is in the budget class. whereas Schuberth average 3* and are considerably more expensive. it seems meaningless to me and just another added complication paying serious attention to what they say. -
New (cheap) helmet
Gerontious replied to Mickly's topic in Clothing, Luggage, Accessories and Security
Ive more important things to concern myself with than the age of my crash helmet. I have two. one for general use and another that's only worn for touring. I tend to replace them when they no longer fit properly - this happens - usually if they deteriorate. - or are dropped badly.. I'm in no rush. -
one of the best things about riding a bike that's impossible to stall* are hills.. or rather mountains where the roads have some really quite nasty sharp bends with cambers that are the stuff of nightmares. S2 and whoop. My mate is oblivious (obviously) he just takes it all in his stride on his barge (pretending to be a tractor) and whoops anyway. so irritating. *impossible to stall assuming its working properly. who woulda thought that maintenance was important.
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Theres nothing to stop you importing anything. (within reason) but nowadays its largely pointless. as the added costs are (or can be) hefty.
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What to do with keys???
Gerontious replied to Simon Davey's topic in Clothing, Luggage, Accessories and Security
ive seen this once, where a fella had his ignition key at one end of one of those curly whirly disc lock reminder things. one end attached to him and the other end to the key. I thought at the time that there must be some horror story behind his decision to ensure the key was never left in the bike. I didn't ask. -
Dentist Turned Moto Guzzi Wizard John Wittner Dies
Gerontious replied to Admin's topic in Motorbike news
In 1995 there was a 'special' Daytona called the "Dr John" a real collectors item now. selling for upwards of £20,000. and a lovely thing it was. this is number 3 of the 20 that were built. -
There are always details that would need to be thought through. but as you hinted at with your opening question the problem seems to be the complete lack of joined up thinking. but thats always been the case, you might remember that time in the 1990s when a provisional license only lasted 2 years and then lapsed for a year. what was gained by that? The insurers have your history. So does DVLA and VOSA. (now DVSA) should be quite simple to target the outliers. if you haven't ridden for 6 years then its unlikely you will have been paying for insurance all that time. or tax. or the MOT. or bought and sold/traded and bought again. its all on computer. every detail. (or lack of) people who play by the rules would have just one test. for either a learner. a restricted or a full. people who for whatever reason fall outside of that standard learning path. have them evaluated... it could be something as simple as an evaluation by an external agency. like RoSPA. or at worst a minimum number of lessons ending with a test "light". dont we normally advise riders who haven't been on a bike for a long time to get some refresh lessons? and dont get me started on the delivery riders. mmm.. bring back the 1990s
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Wrong. I know you sometimes have difficulty with comprehension, so as Im a forgiving soul. patient to a fault. I'll make it simple. my answer is about fixing the licensing system going forward. unless you want to be rather draconian and make these changes retroactive. 10 separate tests. this is the ridiculous state of affairs being at the heart of the question. maybe I should spell it out. I used the word TEST. singular, not TESTS as in plural. (plural being more that ONE.) There would be one test to achieve the right to ride a bike above 50cc. (moped) maybe I should add a clarification.. make it simple for you to understand. I would remove the requirement for anyone to take more than 1 full test. so. a test to ride an A1 bike a test to ride an A2 bike. a test to ride an A bike. I do not see why someone who has passed a full test and then ridden a 125 for however long would need to take another test to ride on an A2 Nor do I see why someone who has been riding an A2 bike need to take another test to ride an A. obviously you would need to legislate a minimum amount of time for each license. but then movement upwards should be automatic if desired by the rider. The only fly in this scenario is if they were to ever bring in motorway riding as part of the test or intrinsic to training. then something would need to change regarding 125cc bikes. (in my opinion) I also addressed the question about "delivery drivers on L plates - people doing repeat CBTs" Get rid of L plates, by following the European model. simple as that. delivery riders get a full license for the size of bike they are riding as part of their work. ONE FULL TEST. and then progress based on age and experience. upwards through the engine size. engine power whatever way its regulated. I did one full test. and I was prevented from doing it in the way I wanted to by my Dad. I wasn't allowed to have a motorbike until I was an Adult. 18yo. and only if I saved and bought it entirely myself. Then, soon after the clock started to tick. I was staring into an abyss where actually riding my bike would become illegal overnight. I had slightly less than 2 years to pass my test. on that bike. So, in my life I just did one test. And my proposal is for everyone else to do just one test. so Im unsure how that squares with your rather insulting line "because i'm already old and got my license thanks /screw those lot" comprehension eh.. and there was me thinking my first post was simple to understand.
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I would bring it into line with the European standard. With extras. AM requires a 7 hour training course (CBT) and the bike bears a different colour licence plate. A1, A2 and A requires CBT plus lessons and 2 part test. L plates to be abolished except when having lessons and worn as a tabard. No more riding “forever” on L plates with only a CBT 2 year ban and then back to square one on achieving 12 points. vehicles to be immediately seized and crushed or sold, if any of the above are ignored. all bike thieves to be tagged and subject to a 12 hour curfew. Regardless of further litigation. Same for anyone caught riding following a ban.
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Im not so sure about September being less conducive due to closures. in my experience that comes later as September is still very much "summer" this far south and a favourite time for holidays for people who are 'without responsibility'. ie older folks and childless couples and so on. its only later into October and early November that the switchover from summer to winter sports begins in earnest. at weekends in particular these places become rammed as people take advantage of the dog days of summer. where the length of daylight is still reasonable and the risk of snowfall or indeed a frost remains low. Theres quite a contrast between September and the period between easter and the start of the summer holidays for example. of the two periods I would opt for September every time as the weather trends towards being more settled compared to the earlier period I mentioned. although a bad September is always possible, its far less likely than a bad May for example. or even June. that's been my experience anyway. though it excludes Switzerland as I avoid that country as much as possible.
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Who uses My-Route-App
Gerontious replied to Simon Davey's topic in Clothing, Luggage, Accessories and Security
There’s nothing I can say that’s useful about the XT2. i wish you had mentioned you were considering buying an XT in advance, I would have strongly urged you to get either the original XT or an earlier model. the XT2 might look like a simple upgrade of the original - nothing could be further from the truth as unlike the original it’s almost exclusively reliant on a smart phone and smart phone apps. I don’t need to think about them aside from one which feeds live updates to the device when I’m actively using it - the Drive app. Everything else I do at home with the device connected to my Mac computer via a usb cable. I tried MRA for a week and deleted it as it added nothing to my user experience -
Its probably easier to rent as the rental company will very likely sort out all the associated documentation, liability insurance and assistance you might need to carry or have available. you might find that you are not allowed under the terms of the rental agreement to leave the country that the bike was rented in. or there might be further restrictions, on distance covered for example. its probably best for you to search for rental companies in the rough area you have in mind, or that are close to your arrival point. (airport) and talk to them via email or read what they have to say on their websites. find out what documentation you must provide to them and any limitations there are and proceed from there. At a guess I would suppose that Switzerland would be the most expensive country to rent from. followed by Germany and Italy. but that's really only a guess. You make no mention of where you currently live or what nationality you are. thats important. if you are non-european then I cannot see how buying would be easier given the requirement for insurance.
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Turning off the bike with the side stand?
Gerontious replied to Fiddlesticks's topic in Motorbike Chat
it can be a positive as it keeps the switch moving. I cycle through all the 3 methods as Ive seen people having issues with Africa Twins where the emergency stop button in particular becomes faulty and the bike refuses to start. in most cases the owner stated that they had never used this button before. it was an easy fix with contact cleaner. but a pain in the neck nonetheless. so, using these various methods in cycle might be seen as a preventative measure. its certainly not going to cause any harm. The only thing I do and this is particular to my bike and its odd gear system is I always put the bike in neutral before turning it off. whichever method is used. -
What to do with keys???
Gerontious replied to Simon Davey's topic in Clothing, Luggage, Accessories and Security
I keep the ignition key entirely separate from all other keys. and then luggage keys on the same ring as my house keys. so obviously whenever I go out I always have the luggage keys with me (with my house keys) Because my ignition key is remarkably valuable.. its chip key so replacement is very expensive. I keep the spare with my documents, in a safe place. And my daily use ignition key also in a safe place ready for use, downstairs. so, when going out I pick it up and with my house keys have everything. Im also very careful to put the ignition key back where it belongs upon my return - without fail. If Im out and about on the bike and the bike is to be left, the ignition key goes in my pocket. separate from my house keys, I did used to have a separate clasp on the ring to secure it, but when that failed I didn't bother ton replace it. Its become habit to always look at the ignition as I walk away too make doubly sure the key is not there. When I travel... I take the spare key with me and store that in one of the internal pockets in my jacket that can be zipped closed and is never normally used. so, if I were to mislay my normal use key, I have a spare. I would rather be seen as paranoid by checking and double checking. refusing to be rushed, especially when abroad as the one thing I don't want to have to worry about is losing or mislaying the key and ending up stuck. a nightmare scenario. when on tour always take a spare and keep it somewhere safe. on your person. hidden safely in your jacket or trousers. (jacket in my case) -
The biggest difference between France and the UK. Which also made the UK unique in the EU, is that L plates do not exist outside the UK. There is no such thing as riding a bike of any kind on a CBT only. Bikers are only allowed on the road while having lessons. you will not be allowed on the ferry/tunnel with L plates displayed. Ive heard in the past of such difficulties. To ride a moped in France normally requires an AM license. And as these involve training I wouldn’t be too sure that a gendarme would be sympathetic if you can’t answer his demands in full. A French AM license is highly likely to be different in how it’s validated to over here. There may be a loophole. Read this page for details. Though I do worry about loopholes when trying to argue the case with a non English speaker. https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/france/transport/driving-licences/motorbikes-scooters
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Lost mine yesterday - just shy of his 15th birthday. His decline was very quick - a week. One of the most common ways for an older dog to go. Kidney failure. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next. I’m still in a state of shock and to an extent denial, the habits of living with a dog don’t disappear over night. I’m very conscious of his presence and yet he’s no longer here. It’s very strange. I’m dealing at the moment with waves of grief due to the constant reminders, the daily rituals that have ended. anyway, onwards and upwards. This state of mind will soon fade away and I think that at some point I’ll perhaps welcome the freedom from responsibility. I often tell people in this same state of grief. Don’t wait. But this time it’s me and right now I’m in no rush. It’s all too raw and shocking. So fast. I’m actually consoled by that. Some previous dogs in my life didn’t have that luxury.
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Keeping bike outside in winter without covering
Gerontious replied to George's topic in Motorbike Chat
I would buy one of the covers that are made from - effectively - tent fly sheet material. These will keep most of the wet off, any that does get through, or if the bike is wet when covered, will more easily evaporate off as the material is very thin and breathable. Most cheaper covers are like this. -
ignore me.. totally wrong. though.. if appropriate a shock sock might help protect the spring etc until something more permanent appears.
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Aah… counter steering. Memories of a past on this forum when this was by far the most controversial topic ever. It used to amuse me no end. As for me I learnt it, long before I owned a motorbike - during the transition from dual to single and then no stabilisers at all. I must have been 7yrs old or thereabouts. And later. When I was 11 and would sometimes cycle to school, which was 11 miles away. (And I missed the coach) it became somewhat more important. Not something you think about, it just happens when you go round a curve in the road at any speed. Would have to be walking pace to turn by physically turning the handlebars. Can’t think how long it was before I realised that something that was instinctive had a name. And was actually controversial. happy days.
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Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pay. If someone has the parts go and buy them. You will at least save the costs of the labour if the warranty will cover that. Maybe there’s something I’m missing.
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Temporary Puncture Repair -Tubed Tyre
Gerontious replied to Mickly's topic in Clothing, Luggage, Accessories and Security
me too, which is why I have a set of tubed wheels and tyres that have just 500 miles on them. I’m not entirely sure why I still have them cluttering up one of the spare bedrooms.