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Gerontious

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Everything posted by Gerontious

  1. At the moment I’m just listening to music on my phone. It’s the end of an era. My Amplifier has died a horrible death. Hard to believe I bought it in 1985!! It was a Mission Cyrus One and though other components have come and gone that little amp just chugged along - 39 years!! Now I just have a very lonely looking pair of Linns. its been a long time since I dipped my toe in the murky ocean of HiFi. I have a feeling life is going to be a bit expensive for a while. does anyone else listen to music on separates?
  2. You mention a 'heavy coating' - this was a mistake that a lot of people make with this product. it should be the lightest coating possible. But that aside. ACF is essentially nothing more complicated than a very thin oil so any decent degreaser will remove it. There are all sorts of products that will do the job. Cheapest, though perhaps not the easiest is a very basic car shampoo in warm water. Though there are better products than that - because part of the crud will be gritty - you do need to be careful as any kind of scrubbing will damage painted and some coated surfaces. it will be like rubbing it with sand paper. so be careful. If it were my bike I wouldn't touch the ACF until the spring when any chance of salt on the road is well and truly over.
  3. I found this all with just using google. once a bike is 40 years old it's exempt from ULEZ fees. google told me that, or rather Autotrader did. In fact Autotrader answers most of your questions. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bikes/content/ulez-expansion-what-london-motorcyclists-need-to-know-and-what-are-the-best-bikes-to-buy?refresh=true
  4. Im not sure it's even possible to re-engineer a bike so it will pass ULEZ. I assume you have thoroughly checked the bike on the sites to make sure it's not already compliant. some older bikes that predate euro 3, are. I know TFL are offering £1000 for scrappage for bikes. I also think that your bike will be exempt from next year. once it hits 40yrs old. I know waiting for a year is tough. but unless you want to get rid that might be your only option and pay the ULEZ fee in-between times. Im not sure if it would be worth your while having it tested. £175 (apparently) is a hefty price to pay especially if it fails.
  5. Maybe it's just down to a lack of competition in your area. picked a random skip hire in my area and a 4 yard for brick waste is £198 this particular company doesn't offer a 2 yard for that type of waste.
  6. Now is definitely the best time to buy summer gear. just as early summer is the best time for winter gear. unless you are the type that must always have the latest and greatest. Though to be honest the 'greatest' usually returns for a few years before being updated. Bear in mind that summer gear normally falls into two distinct types. fully vented - where entire panels are made from a mesh like material that maximises air flow. and generally doesn't come with extra zip-out warm layers or waterproofing. Or what is more usually described as 3 season. so usually with zip opening vents and probably a warm liner that can be removed once its warm enough and the put back in when it cools down a bit - think spring and autumn. These normally come with either a zip-in waterproof membrane, or are made. from a laminate where the waterproof membrane is bonded to a stronger, more abrasion resistant outer. My main jacket is 3 season - but in reverse. so its late autumn/winter/spring. And Im actively looking for a fully vented jacket for this years tours. I'll also pack a waterproof over jacket in case of summer storms. heat waves seem to be the new normal - we had them both in Southern Europe last June. but also in the north, in the Eifel region in September. and to my mind a heat wave is as bad.. if not worse in some ways than the cold. A vented jacket can be a more practical buy than a fully vented/mesh as you can wear it for a much greater proportion of the season.
  7. when I added spots to my old GS I used standard LED spots and had them aimed so they filled out the 'dip' and were always on.. when the dip was on. So, at night I got better forward visibility when using main beam was inappropriate and during the day I was (in theory) more visible to other traffic without blinding them. so they were really 'driving lights'. The choices available for these is huge and varied.
  8. They don't. for a single light you would want the equivalent of an old H4. or a spotlight with two led arrays that are differentially aimed. Im not sure such a thing exists unless its been specifically manufactured for a particular model. Its probably not the sort of thing you could buy off the shelf as the market for such a thing would be tiny.
  9. Seems to be quite a few options, but whether any will suit your needs is another question entirely. I used the google machine - led motorcycle spotlights silver and got quite a few results.
  10. why not? as long as its dry and the leather isn't summer friendly perforated. I would probably need to wear thermals underneath plus an extra layer as a top. But fortunately I don't have the choice anymore as leathers became impractical and ive not worn them for almost 20 years. Anyway, this time of year, working up a sweat on a bike - regardless of the material is quite an achievement.
  11. I don't have a clutch either.. I have two. one for gears 1,3 and 5 and the other for gears 2,4 and 6. its complicated I know.
  12. I base my insurance decisions entirely on cost. viewing it solely as an inescapable tax on motorcycle ownership. I couldn't care less about anything else. It's gambling. The insurer is betting that I'm not going to claim. and im happy enough to go along with that - I will not claim for anything aside from a total loss. And so its down to me to prevent that total loss - which is most likely going to be theft. back in the day TPFT was an affordable way to insure - you had the essential third party plus theft. But the one time I had to claim for a total loss I realised very quickly just how much of a con it was. 1995 a black year. Nowadays TPFT is almost on a par with FC. so its just not worth it if the saving over the year is just a few quid. And for me the extras that are often included are the decider. paying an extra £5 for an extra that would cost me circa £50 as a stand alone. is a no-brainer. Ive never bothered with informing the insurance companies about extras. added. modifications - I've never added stuff that improved or changed the bikes handling - never anything that would increase risks. The cost of these effectively disappears once bought and added. Ive kept all the original parts so the bike can be returned to original if its sold. but there's not much chance of that now as there is not a single bike on sale that I find even remotely interesting. none. The only thing I concern myself with is theft. and Ive been very successful at preventing that from happening since that dark day 28 years ago. once bitten.. as they say. I have no security added or used on the bike as in my opinion its utterly pointless. if a professional were to target my bike then there is nothing I can do to prevent its loss. they want it, they will have it. I worry more about the incidental damage a theft attempt might cause rather than the theft itself. But.. they can't steal something if they don't know where it is. that is the full extent of my security.
  13. I would never consider a Cat C that was priced above 50% of book value. At the time I bought the second GS book value for the bike was circa £6000. I paid £2,600 and kept it for 17 years. Oddly enough after a few years the CAT C designation went away. maybe the insurers knew about it, but it was never mentioned nor was I ever asked about it. It did not appear on the V5 when I got the new one, in fact there was nothing different about that, it even showed the previous keeper - despite him no longer owning it at the time it was sold. Maybe that was a slip-up at DVLA. who knows? They seemed far more concerned by the fact that it was an import. it was originally a German import that had been fully converted for the original owner. MPH clocks fitted from new. That never bothered me as it was such a bargain. my first GS which I bought new cost £9300 in 1997 and had the optional ABS which added £800 to the cost. The second also had ABS. But of course this was just when the world was on the cusp of GS mania. And the invention of 'adventure bikes' that swiftly followed. Im not sure why resale would be problematic. obviously you could not sell it to a dealership. or use it as a trade in, but Cat C bikes were a frequent sight on the various platforms and seemed to sell alright. there are always people who want a bargain. don't I know it.
  14. I would happily buy a Cat C. (I did, back in the day - a stolen/recovered) Based on the old write-off categories. changes to the new system are always confusing. I remember bikes being written off as a Cat C for simply falling off the side stand. that could be enough if the bike had a rare or unobtainium fairing. Bikes that were stolen and not recovered until long after the final payout were commonly written off as a Cat C too. There was never any kind of hard and fast rule for this category. It was subjective. purely down to the opinion of the assessor. But, mostly based on money. how much it would cost to fully repair the damage with brand new parts. If brand new parts were no longer available (ie fairings) then a write-off was inevitable. and that could be a Cat C or D. flip a coin. Could be crash damage too of course. A new front end could do it. - easily. New Forks aren't cheap. Insurers were never interested in the simple fix. have the forks straightened and re-chromed. why spend a couple of £100 when you can buy new for a couple of £1000? easiest to just write the thing off... never fear, we will get every penny back. "So, you wrote your bike off? well done. - here's a percentage of its actual value and when you replace it we will be upping your premium for a few years until we get our money back - Kerching. - you are welcome!!" The categories that were strict were A and B. do not touch. But C. not so much. obviously Cat C bikes were always the sort that you need some experience to actually buy. I would never suggest anyone new to bikes immediately look at Cat C. Insurance was never a real problem.. you might pay slightly more. but this was irrelevant as the bike was and would always be worth significantly less. once a bike was declared Cat C it - regardless of the reason. It would go into the private market. book value became irrelevant as no dealer would touch it. so it would be bought and sold privately. Insuring it fully comp would be completely pointless. but the insurers would never tell you that!!! The Cat C bike I bought was stolen and recovered a year later. only damage it had was some slight scrapes on its one side where it had rubbed while bouncing about in the back of a van. I contacted the previous owner and he told me that when the insurance paid out, the bike was declared Cat C. when the bike was found he was contacted, the insurers sent someone along to examine it once it was no longer being used as evidence. and it went off to an auction. and guess who bought it at that auction. I insured it TPO. I bought it in 2002 and kept it until 2019. When it came time to get rid... I gave it away. A few people on this forum knew that bike well. It was my second R1100GS. the white whale. Snoddy now has it. And here it is after the crash in the Black Forest. minus its beak. and repaired.
  15. Seems unlikely to me that you are going to find any form of winter gear being sold cheap - in the middle of winter. Especially if its niche, and heated gear is definitely niche. The best time to buy this stuff is when the chance of even a light frost is in the rear view mirror. after easter. If there is any left to sell. and if there is its probably going to be sizes that nobody wants. Likewise this is definitely the best time to buy summer gear - assuming there is any left, I imagine it was mostly on sale in October. Gear that changes yearly is the stuff you might find on sale now, in readiness for the new styles arriving for next season. Plus leftovers. over orders. odd sizes for oddly shaped people. stuff that's been on the racks for far too long and is about to be rendered obsolete.
  16. Reisen unt bier. a yearly struggle. twice yearly perhaps. all it takes is a smidge of vorstellungskraft. and a willingness to butcher my schoolboy German. help me @bonio help me. is it time to get wistful about schnitzel yet?
  17. very interesting choice of language used in that article. Congratulations to the author. These journalists never cease to amaze me.
  18. This is one of my pet hates. I see it all the time, people see a bike and think its perfect for their needs and then are faced with a big bill shortly after buying. There are always exceptions but modern bikes are frequently expensive when it comes to the major service - especially if done by a dealership. Expensive mostly due to the labour charges. It can often take hours of disassembly to get to the valves. And at circa £100 per hour (plus VAT) the cost can escalate very quickly. Im kinda dreading my fist proper major. Though I'll be better prepared for it when it finally comes around. Believe it or not, Honda will want almost £400 just for the spark plugs and this before the labour charges are added. Full RRP for the plugs are almost £100 each!! and of course Honda always charge full RRP!! My advice has always been, be patient - even if it means travelling it can save you a whole wad of cash if you hang fire and wait for a bike to turn up that has recently had its major done. People are hurting right now and Im seeing a lot of bikes for sale, being sold mostly because a major service is looming and they simply cannot afford it. Obviously this is mostly Africa twins, which I see for sale - mostly. But, Im also seeing bikes that have had the major done and then months later circumstances have changed and the bike is being sold. Some in depth research might help. for example. I ignored the first Major on my bike because it turns out its actually unnecessary!! The chances of the valves being off at 16K is vanishingly small. My own dealership - when quizzed told me they have never had a bike in that needed any adjustment doing it that mileage. So, I ignored it and will have them checked for the first time when the bike is at 32K as it will then also need new spark plugs and the labour charge for that change is. very close to the charge for labour to get at the valves. does that make sense? I can get the correct spark plugs for less than half price. so will supply them myself - when the time approaches. So, a bike an easy distance might seem a great deal.. only it isn't. Whereas a bike thats some distance away and might require a train ride to get to could be a much better buy. I would much rather pay £100 for a train ticket (or delivery) than be faced with a £900 service bill 3 months after buying.
  19. In a fit of enthusiasm I cleaned and oiled the chain. This has completely worn me out, I’m officially frazzled and so I have retired to bed in readiness for a fun packed night with the (always) rampaging schizophrenics. Four nights of it. Acsherley the chain was in dire need. I have lost track on the last time I oiled it and I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been cleaned since the end of August. Not ideal doing it to a cold chain in the bleak mid winter but this is what enthusiasm does to a man. I’m sure it will be fine. The oil can creep all it wants into every nook and cranny. And I shall check for naughty drips ruining my patio on Tuesday next year. The anticipation is killing me. Night night.
  20. Its in northern Italy. in the Apennines. Its called an Inselberg.. German for "island mountain". The top surface is the original land surface, but because the rock is much harder than the surrounds, the surrounds eroded away and so it was left behind. Here in the UK we have a few, The Wrekin for example. Though probably the most famous in the world is Ayers Rock in Australia. Anyway, its really impressive in real life and I was really chuffed to see it. Pietra di Bismantova BTW, the decision to go there was as a result of everything going pear shaped. This was the year when on day one, the rain started at Peterborough and it rained every single day from Peterborough to Lake Garda. I saw nothing of the mountains in Austria and the Italian Alps. Low cloud and either rain or drizzle. day after day. So, I went to see this formation and then afterwards down to the foot of Italy. I was going to cross to Sicily. But after a few days at the foot I was so horrified by what I saw every day. That I turned around and headed up the Adriatic Coast. I did do a few touristy things. I saw Pisa. and the greek temples at Paestum. plus Vesuvius and Pompeii. Then back north and back to the rain. (sigh) I had no smart phone, so these various locations were found using a computer at a campsite I stayed at. in a common room. found these various places and put them on my sat nav as POI's and then navigated between them, making the routes up as I went. avoiding motorways and tolls. all very last minute and ad hoc. There was no preparation before hand. My intention was to spend the time mostly in the Dolomites. I never saw them. Never went near them. I crossed into Italy using the Brenner pass. the old road. The drizzle continued right to just by Riva del Garda. Ahead was blue skies - the sun came out and it was like someone opened an oven door. It worked out well, once I escaped the rain. but I have no desire to ever return to the south of Italy. ever.
  21. You could do that, and in fact only this summer a lot of people did. People who went to Switzerland. and there were people who went to the Picos. had it all planned down to the minute. everything booked and paid for. They arrived and so did the rain. and more rain. and every day. rain. This year was particularly bad for summer storms.. and not the usual isolated storms that come and quickly go. maybe.. not bother with all that. maybe, have a plan B. so if the conditions are bad you can just up-sticks and go someplace else. Or go somewhere else entirely to avoid bad weather.. or a really bad heatwave (which can be just as bad) Im away in June. so far I have nothing set in stone aside from visiting a grave. might do that going or as part of the return. Its just 90 miles from the tunnel so I have options. Might head east into Germany. or south into France. I don't know. And probably will not know until the last couple of days before the off. As the days and weeks go by in the lead-up I might come across something and just decide to go and see it. could be anything, anywhere. Did that once 10 years ago... something half remembered from a geography lesson. I decided it would be my goal and so it was. the fun was getting to it and back again. every day made up as I went along. it was this: The only planning Ive done so far for this year is filling two folders on my desktop with routes in Germany and routes in the South of France and the Pyrenees. thats it. I might add Slovenia to that nearer the time. because I would like to go there again and its always a good idea to have options. All thats uppermost in my head as of today is renewing my passport and booking the tunnel. there is no need whatsoever for me to do anything more than that aside from checking nearer the time that my bike is fit for purpose. And in the last few days kinda nail down where im going to head once Im off the train at calais. Phone. Sat Nav. Camping gear. and the doings to make coffee. Away for a fortnight so packing for a week. And my middle rest day - on the Sunday I will avail myself of the campsite launderette and wash/dry everything so I have clean clothes for week 2. Eating out or Al fresco meals bought from the nearest Lidl or Aldi/Hofer. I can't be doing with cooking.
  22. Gerontious

    Headlights

    When it lead me to a review on these bikes that answered the question I was asking. "Does the 2020 Z900 have LED lights?" I asked that and one of the top results was from MCN. And one can usually trust what MCN has to say about specifications. especially when multiple other sources are saying the exact same thing. This is where google comes in handy. I own a bike with LED lights and I know that if an entire array stops working then the problem is much more likely to be a general electrical problem than a fault in the array itself. 9/10 it will be the switch at the handlebar. And as the cost of a new headlamp is somewhat prohibitive, its generally a good idea to rule out the simple causes first rather than jump straight to a full replacement. You are going to seem a bit dumb if you buy a brand new headlamp and that doesn't work either because the problem is actually a faulty switch.
  23. Gerontious

    Headlights

    Google informs me that this bike has an LED array in its headlamp and for an entire side to stop working - sounds more like an ordinary electrical fault rather than the LED array being broken. Usually as LEDs wear out they will stop working individually and the MOT allows for a certain %. But this shouldn’t be happening to a 3 year old bike and even if it does, would be more likely for the ‘always on’ dip side. But how to fix it? I wouldn’t rush to full replacement I would be heading to a dealership and have the fault traced. Fuse perhaps or a broken solder join/wire - loose connection come apart, maybe. Faulty switch on the handlebar could be the cause too.
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