Gerontious

its never nice when a bike suffers from heatstroke in a synergistic ecstasy of sympathy for the owners suffering. Too hot it was. Too Hot. KTMs... glorious.

Not done anything aside from building a selection of 'set piece' routes, for Germany and France. so I have options if the weather is iffy. First thing will be to sort out my passport as its now basically defunct, it expires in April. So, I'll wait till then to sort a replacement. Still undecided whether to just get a new (not) blue UK one. or a surrender, project fear, Farage would not approve, EU one. I guess at the end of the day it doesn't really matter. Tunnel can be booked either April or early May. no worries on that score. And then it will be booked again for September, probably mid July. For the first trip, its just 150 days to go. so I tend to hold off the excitement until it clicks over 100. For September, that's 230 days in the dim and distant future. Meanwhile I have other priorities.

The M57 is 10 miles long, so even at the crappy speed of 40mph on a motorway - that's just 15 minutes. Ive ridden in some pretty shocking conditions, usually made so much worse by spray kicked up from other vehicles. a wipe of my visor with the finger wipe (essential during winter) and then a stop at the earliest convenience to give it a better clean when appropriate. and allow more time for this. Thats always been my strategy.

Allow more time for stops. that's all.

Pretty normal for me, working with the rampaging schizophrenics. often the best strategy is to look interested and nod vigorously, while backing away slowly with an escape route in mind.

There was a period of time, in the 1990s where the 125cc license only lasted 2 years and then lapsed for a year. So, if you didn't pass the full test in that time - you were off the road and your bike was just an ornament. imagine if they brought that back and the impact it would have on all these delivery riders. carnage.

Its not unknown for mechanics to make a mistake. The general rule of thumb is that when refilling, the coolant is added to the upper line. then the engine is run and if necessary top up once again to the upper line - once everything has settled. This must all be done with the bike upright. if you are concerned about this then I would be taking it back to him for reassurance. This would, at the very least mean you dont have to go out and buy coolant yourself. If you were looking at the level when the bike was on its side stand that can give a distorted impression.

Casting my mind back, I honestly cannot think of any occasion or circumstance where cornering ABS might have come into play. Normal ABS - definitely. 2 events stick in my memory and will likely stay with me for the rest of my life. But on a corner or bend? never. But, Ive always stuck with the old advice. on bends only go as fast as you can see. eyes always on the vanishing point. riding like that has definitely saved me a few times. Had I been going too fast for the bend then it might not have ended well. So is that the point of cornering ABS? it allows you to go much faster and not worry so much if you suddenly encounter something that might ruin your day? Its not something Ive ever really thought about.

its 90 days in. 90 days out. so it could be possible to stay within the normal standard. depending. not many people go on tour for over 12 weeks at a time (or repeatedly in quick succession) except RTW and they live in a different universe than the rest of us. Adrian Flux is quite good at non-standard policies. Im pretty sure that if this is not a mandatory EU thing for 3rd countries an insurer will be able to do it. at a cost. but, its likely not something you will find on a website as its quite unusual. it will mean speaking to them - direct. A cheeky way out is simply dont tell them. if your (plus) 90 days is split between trips then how will they know? if its over 90 days or.. say, you want to go for 15 weeks. that's when you would need this specialised cover. I wonder. if you make a claim for 3rd party do they demand to see your ferry/tunnel tickets? I have no idea!!

If it works for you then I’m not going to argue. But it does seem doubtful to me that the tyre makers test their tyres on individual bikes - all of them. Their recommendation will be based on a per tyre and per size basis. You might easily have two completely different bikes. That take the same size tyre but are wildly different in weight. Yet the recommended pressure is the same. Both ways seem to be a one size fits all. I do think though that the maker of my bike will know what suits it. Rather than a tyre maker who might easily have designed their tyre before my bike even existed. Pressures are really just advice - they are not rigid. “This or you’re gonna die” a few pounds either way isn’t going to hurt and if a pressure works better with your specific bike, but is a tad higher or lower then that’s not going to be a problem There is no right or wrong. I just go with what Honda recommends. Just as I used to with BMW.

1982 a couple of months before the test changed. On my KH250, which I thought was the bees knees. A 2 stroke triple. I was a tad more flexible then with an uncanny ability to fold myself in 3 to get aboard. Took the test in my home town Walsall. I remember the man doing the test looked like Harry Worth. Armed to the teeth with a clipboard and stopwatch. And wore a trilby. I kid you not. Emergency stop took two attempts as the first time I was overtaking a stopped bus and the genius thought stepping out to stop me in front of a bus that was preparing to pull out - was a great idea. The bus driver sounded his horn which caused me to wobble and swear profusely, like I wasn’t nervous enough. He made me go round the block again, The test involved me just riding round a block in town. I only indicated left. I only turned left. (Aside from when I overtook the bus) I don’t think I ever went faster than 20 as it was a very busy street. thinking back now, it was completely insane. I never had any lessons. The only prep I did was reading the Highway Code. nobody died. Obviously (or maybe not) when the test changed. So did everything. 250s became mostly worthless as there were so many of them and nobody wanted them, really. They were mainly learner bikes and that was over and done with. Of course there were exceptions - a few.

The owners manual for my bike has nothing to say about atmospheric/ambient temperature. It gives a single recommendation for the tyres on my bike and for the way I ride. (No pillion) That is what I follow. When on tour and loaded with luggage I treat that as a pillion and increase the pressure, again as recommended by Honda. Been doing it this way for decades and it’s never given me a problem. I’m a bit old fashioned. I have this outdated idea that the people who designed, built and tested these bikes know what they’re talking about.

Blue light card. gives discounts for emergency services. NHS. social care or armed forces. it comes in handy for things like this. just a matter of hunting down resellers who accept it. but for a general purpose motorcycle sat nav, you dont need the latest and greatest. they have been rather good for a long time now, but they do hold their value so even second hand will not be as cheap as one designed for use in a car.

I still dont begrudge spending £260 on my Garmin XT. its expensive yes, because its a niche product. but its built to satisfy a particular purpose and withstand the conditions its subjected too without any modifications. like any quality product. buy once - cry once. Sat navs made for cars will always be significantly cheaper as the numbers are disproportional, its always going to be cheaper to produce something in the millions than in the thousands. But there will always be certain limitations, but if these are not a concern then, why not?

Its an oil. so no amount of plain water will wash it off. it might push any excess around. but it won't remove the coating which in most instances is so thin you can't even see it. you only know its there because you might see particles of dust and grime adhering to it. In addition to being an oil its also a super-thin fluid - though its doesnt appear so when cold and out of the can. but it is and these behave in very strange ways. This is why its used on jet planes/ jet engines. and applied as a warm/hot fine mist. If we had the ability to do it in the same way at home. a normal sized can would last 10/20 years. 10/20 applications. at a bare minimum. but we dont. we slap it on with a brush. or wipe it on with a cloth. or spray it on with a pump spray. But its still a super-thin fluid and does the job it was designed to. if you think about its use on jet planes and jet engines. just think of the pressure. air streaming over it. water hitting it at 300 miles an hour etc. and it still doesnt come off. so a hose isn't going to do much.

Iridiums require less power than standard spark plugs so are better suited to older bikes with original electrics than standards. The FAQs generally recommend reducing the gap by 0.1mm if the electrical system is noticeably weakened. But obviously if the system is noticeably weakened that’s not something that should be ignored for long as it’s likely to affect the starter motor and that’s definitely not good.

drain it and refill to the correct level.

Might do. I would wonder why? Some possible answers have already been given, but here is another one. People are apt to go with their heart rather than their head and especially if the bike is bought without a test ride. And test rides aren't always possible or even feasible. They might realise they made a mistake. (I did this once.) It was a second bike.. but even so, I kept it a couple of years riding it quite rarely and sold it on. Did about 400 miles a year on it. maybe less than that. And a bike can go through a series of owners for this reason. maybe not all of them, each owner might have had a different reason to sell. If the bike is attractive to older owners then it could be as simple as death. or some physical/mental deterioration and they can't manage it anymore. There are so many reasons. And of course you always run the risk of just being the latest. and soon realise it was a mistake and its time for owner number 10. But.. its not all bad. sometimes we have an itch we need to scratch. And if thats the case then no amount of persuasion will change your mind.

Iridium plugs in my bike are 5 years old now, passed 24,000 miles. fuel has been nothing aside from normal E10 and the plugs aren't due to be replaced until 32K. no issues. bike starts the same as if it was new.

This shouldn't be a problem with a bike like yours. There is a fair amount of adjustability built in to these things. the cross straps can be shortened so the panniers are lifted higher. This should be normal. but, I imagine there might be some brands that dont allow this, for some stupid ill thought out reason.

There are all sorts. some need frames, many do not. (frames are commonly required on bikes with a very high exhaust) Obviously the most important factor to consider is depth, they must not touch the exhaust as they are generally made from either Polyurethane or Vinyl and can easily melt - there are also canvas like options. Most commonly you might have 30L per side. sometimes more. sometimes less. Some aren't inherently waterproof and need a waterproof inner bag - this can be as simple as a heavy duty (garden) bin liner. a very easy fix. Some can be entirely waterproof. Like these 30L per side Lomo. of course there is nothing stopping you from putting another bag on top and across the pillion seat - if you dont have a pillion and thus increase capacity even further. just measure the width and buy a bag to fit within that width. none of this is particularly expensive, compared to hard case panniers. just slightly less convenient. maybe. The options are wide and so are the costs. brands made specifically for Motorcycles tend to be at the pricy end - Like Kriega. but there are more affordable options - like Lomo. (and copies)

Not bad for an imaginary guitar solo. but ultimately, who gives a f**K anyway? one of many favourites from this man. sadly missed. even 30 years later.

Well obviously its now practically worthless.. so why not? The dealer won't be bothered by that little bit of missing paint. nor will the next buyer until he notices it. (obviously) Life is too short. if you like the new bike. get it.

I would be extremely surprised if that is treated as a warranty issue. They will just use clause 2 of the warranty to get out of it. and blame the weather. or the salt/grit mix we use in this country. I would rub it down and then cover it up with an appropriate paint. myself, before it spreads further.