Gerontious

DCT. Which I’ve become such a huge fan of that any other bike that’s not a bloody Honda just isn’t on my radar. I just cannot imagine riding a standard geared bike with just one clutch. Also Lithium batteries have ruined (for me) the fun and excitement of stressing about having to charge the battery, plugging in the optimate and hoping the green light comes on and knowing that one day it will not. Thanks Honda - you’ve ruined my life. And I thought being a BMW fanboy was bad. Liking bikes that generally came with near fatal flaws. Fatal EXPENSIVE flaws, was bad enough. But, oh no. This is worserer. almost tedious reliability and more fun than you can wave an expired extended warranty at - Who needs that!!!!

Personally I view insurance as mainly a tax on vehicle.. or more particularly motorbike ownership. where the main incentive is to pay and never claim. in fact it can potentially be financially disastrous to make any kind of claim in your first year. They will absolutely screw you. Firstly you will only get a percentage of the vehicles value... even if its worth claiming. And then they will claw every penny back by massively increasing your premiums for years afterwards. so, my tip is forget about everything and concentrate solely on cost. use the comparison sites and find the cheapest that includes what you want. Then phone them. bear in mind premiums are generated by a computer and will nearly always have discounts built in. They want your business and a person on the end of the phone will 9/10 reduce your premium if you press them for it. "beat this and I'll go with you" kind of attitude will nearly always work. Pay as little as you can and then DO NOT CLAIM, unless you are talking about a total loss. and even then it might be worth thinking twice. what is the point in claiming for £300 worth of damage if the cost for you to repair is £200.. answer - no point at all. Damage will cost £1000 to repair... again there is little point in claiming if, for instance you have a £500 excess... because they will screw that extra £500 that they pay back from you, it might even be difficult to find any kind of insurance thats even remotely affordable afterwards. You are much better, in my opinion saving on insurance and spending on upping your road skills. spend more on training. and try to avoid the need for making a claim at all costs. Aside from accidental damage the next big worry is theft.. or attempted theft that involves damage. One of the best ways to avoid theft is to keep the bike hidden. how can it be stolen if nobody knows its there? if you can, keep it off road and out of sight of passing traffic.. or people on foot. don't be tempted to 'show it off'. when you get home get it out of sight as quickly as you can. covered or whatever it takes. be aware of spotters.. always have an eye on your mirrors as you approach your home, if you suspect you are being followed, go 'round the block' to be sure. I have had this happen to me twice in the past couple of years. On one occasion I suddenly turned and the car following me braked hard and reversed to turn into my road, I simply rode the bike round the block and waited and watched this same car pass me... eyes on me. and leave. I left my road and turned in the opposite direction... and found a sudden need to go pop to a random shop. I didn't see that car again. you have to be so careful. If you get an alarm.. then be sure YOU can hear it as everyone else is more likely to ignore it completely. aside from that I tend to think alarms are pointless. Ive not bothered. just my 2p 20p. £2... or £1000s worth of tips. if others disagree then thats just peachy. but certainly I think that talking about this company versus that company and another is largely pointless. they might have the best customer service on the planet but thats useless if you never claim. or the incentive is to never claim. or claiming will end up destroying any chance for years of insurance being even remotely affordable. worry more about insurance once you pass your test and up your game with a bike of higher value than a second hand 125cc. concentrate solely on getting that first years NCB under your belt. Its worth having.. and building on. year two and premiums should start to plummet.

I see a massive controversy in the making.

Until I came along... If you are in the right position to do the Direct Access Scheme. then do so. As pointed out this will be done on a 600cc. Over the years Ive seen so many who have gone down this route. From zero experience to a full license within weeks. One thing you don't see is regret that they made the wrong decision. In my view there is only one valid reason for anyone to begin on a 125.. and thats age/insurance. If you begin on a 125 then it makes sense to keep it for a year.. so, these are people who are planning ahead. ride the 125 for a year then do training and the test. Pass and with the equity on the 125 plus a years no claims.. it can be easier on the wallet to move up. Otherwise. DAS. and follow that up with advanced training once you have your first 'big bike' - thats the way to go. I learnt on a 250. zero training. and the test was no more complicated than riding around the block, watched by a geezer in a flat cap. armed with a clipboard and stopwatch. who... as it happened fluffed his overly dramatic emergency stop signal... a bus got in the way. Nowadays the test in its entirety follows a level of training that was unheard of in the past. You are far more prepared to ride on the road than I ever was. if you want to take it easy post-test. I would definitely recommend one of the modern crop of 300cc bikes. with ABS etc.

Ive never ridden a 125 in my life... and unless its a matter of age restrictions or budgetary concerns. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would. Are you not old enough for the direct access scheme?

Not banned at all. The wealthy will only be inconvenienced to a minor extent, if you are wealthy enough to call a £5000 fine "small change" and they are already talking about giving a free pass to second home owners so they can 'prepare' their place in the sun for sale or rent.

Don't become fixated on the lunatics fringe. the opposition really really want that. inflate the lunatic fringe to become the entire thing and it then becomes simple to crush... and who would care then?

Thankyou. though I see that somehow labelled was being loony all the time... and we all should know where that kind of thinking leads. First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

You mean "Antifa"? is that what you think?

what are you then? me.. I am definitely Antifa. absolutely and proudly.

Quoting what the actual manufacturers have to say on this subject is hardly nonsense. The Honda forums are full of tales of woe of people who followed your advice and have been left with a dead (or worse than dead) Li. battery. Ive made my point and done with this.

Stop with this NONSENSE. you are quoting a website selling SHIDO. but what do SHIDO have to say? exactly the same.

no "unless" about it. use a lithium specific charger. The very batteries you recommend above from Tayna/Exide say exactly the same thing in their users manuals. its of crucial importance.

you must, absolutely must use a Lithium specific charger, if your bike has anything attached that is a constant power drain. A standard charger will destroy it - guaranteed. if you do not, then there should be no need for a charger/battery minder in the short/medium term.

No idea about spark plugs. I would imagine it takes a couple of hours to access them. Fortunately that only happens every 32,000 miles. So... a bit of a way to go yet.

Either because you never read the owners manual. Or, you think you know better than the designers.

24 weeks today. and there is a lot that can happen in that amount of time. I'm not worried. See what is happening by the height of the summer holiday season - August. we are due to set off just after the bank holiday.

Paraffin can be reused too. catch the dirty... oil/dirt filled paraffin in a tray or something, then pour it into a glass jam jar. and leave it to stand.. all the gunk will sink to the bottom leaving clear paraffin above, just decant it back into its container. sorted. .

or you can take it a step further and add a mechanical "cruise control" - there is a reason these things, though in electronic form are becoming normal equipment on larger bikes, especially anything made with the likelihood of touring involved. im not bothered about cruise control. not standard on my 2018. but standard on the new 2020/21. but.. if I were to go for one it would be this. https://ruggedroads.co.uk/Atlas-Throttle-Lock

one possible cause. for me, modern bike handlebar grips are too narrow. I often say they're like trying to hold two pencils. so, I make them bigger, adding covers makes them bigger, adds girth and improves comfort hugely, also reduces vibrations somewhat. I use Grip puppies.

The keyword is unnecessarily. warming up my bike at least is definitely necessary. its an instruction in the owners manual. and so, I always do.. though my own circumstances and bike usage means this almost never happens on a public road. it happens on my own patio.

People have swung for less than that!!

I thought it might be a typo.. but after some deep imaginary research and (obviously) consulting the spirit of Rambling Syd Rumpo. (as you do) me deario. I became convinced it must bare some relationship to the Wogglers Moule. And the less said about that the better.

or mod boggling

I think you will fit in here.. mod boggling is a very rare fetish. in fact, it comes as quite a shock to yours truly that there isn't an entire thread on the subject. bender boggling. imagine!!!