Gerontious

Called in to cover a 15hr shift.... I've been stuck inside most of the day. I did get to ride the bike here this morning at 06:45 now looking forward to riding it home at 22:00. The joys of being a "keyworker" are never ending.. Just popped outside and the bikes looking shiny at sunset. http://imgur.com/K07Vobd

Im a dog owner. this is a non-issue. the only thing that would prevent me taking the dog for a walk is if Im housebound due to being symptomatic and too sick to go for a walk due to breathlessness. Even if the government orders a 'lock-down' - I don't expect the police etc will be too bothered about dog walkers... they will have other things rather more pressing to deal with.

And the shit hits the pan... At the service I work at a member of staff has gone into self isolation after her husband was admitted and is currently in intensive care. Cue mass freak-out and more than a little concern that the virus has arrived and is here... Now. A matter of waiting and seeing.

I seem to have awoken in an alternate reality, where a new Chinese bike is somehow, "good news". shame its not a 49cc.. there would be so much excitement world-wide. especially in Doncaster.

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle services are unaffected. Then a 3hr drive/ride. I think its only a matter of time before the ferries are shut down due to the lack of passengers.

When I need new glasses, I take my crash helmet with me and narrow down the choices based on which are easiest to put on and remove with the helmet.

As apocalypses go this one has so far been a let down. Instead of zombies we have pensioners fighting over Andrex 4 packs in the cooperative. No lack of irony there.

yes.. dividing by 8 and multiplying by 5 is far too difficult. though for some bizarre reason i seem to remember being taught that in the late 1960s.

After a very near miss several years ago.. part of a tree came down right in my path. I leave the bike at home in high winds.

Arriving.

Only let-down is the flying through the air bit was lacking in some artistry.

Rutland TT always a fun ride... anti-clockwise for a change.

They're not that price. It's an OEM. Not a generic that you would upgrade to from a lead acid. Completely different and only used in these bikes since 2018, it's also down in price compared with 2018 when it retailed for almost £700 Owners of the AT from earlier years can swap to a Shido generic for £118 or less. By the time there is demand for a replacement for my bikes OEM, The price of a copy should be well under £100. As with anything as popularity and demand rises. So does competition and that forces down prices. The battery in my bike has an expected lifespan of 8-10 years. So there is no demand. So no cheap copies. None.

So the new bike was only new to him. It wasn't new. As in brand new with an OEM. That's rather different. Funny you should say... Don't charge near anything flammable. On the Africa Twin the battery is directly beneath the fuel tank, in a plastic holder. £442 for a new one. (battery, not the holder)

No alarm or tracker on the bike so that wasn't an issue. So why did he take it out of the bike, it makes no sense. charging it, makes no sense. Even using an optimate type of maintainer makes no sense. If the battery has nothing draining it. Then it doesn't need charging at any point during a winter lay-up or even a 6 month SORN. As for it catching fire... My guess is he got a recommendation for a charger from the same plonker who told him he needed one. An expensive lesson on the perils of advice from the clueless.

That hasn't stopped us before... Indeed. What's an adventure without a bit of hair raising terror to lighten the mood. But, no off roading this year, There is one road im considering that might involve a hefty dose of terror. Passo Gavia. its not all that far from the Stelvio (almost a continuation of..) and is apparently a bit nerve wracking. just a tad. I was watching a video about it with the title. "One hell of a scary road" Its quite narrow and for a fair distance has no barrier between you and certain death. sounds great. But.. thats an old post so might be out of date, with barriers installed on the worse bits, maybe.. here is a video of the so called 'scary part'. I love the "pro-tip"

He took the battery out to keep it charged. So, I'm guessing his alarm or tracker had its own battery as back-up while the main battery was out?

We should have a poll on early failure of Motobatt or other AGM batteries. But this is no longer a worry for me as my bike has a lithium and before long they will be standard fitment in all new bikes. and not long after that point is reached lead acid batteries will vanish aside from specialist applications. I'm already looking forward to the myths and misinformation that's going to come to the fore when that begins to happen. The end of the world as we know it. Spontaneously exploding bikes. Hair turning green and falling out or the rather more mundane nonsense like.. Cold kills lithium. (It doesn't) What fun.

Stick it in the bike. option 1. engine starts.. go for a ride. option 2. engine doesn't start. put it on a charger. if the bike starts fine... then do think about getting a battery minder as and when you can. If it doesnt start... then you may have to get one or borrow one anyway. Theres a good reason why motobatt is so highly recommended as a brand which stu alluded to. They always arrive with more than enough charge to start the bike without any need to mess about. maybe cost a little more.. but it means you can put off buying extra gadgetry for quite some time.

Choose the size you need based on the rim size using the drop down menu. The explanations for the codes is further down the page. https://www.demon-tweeks.com/pirelli-motorcycle-inner-tube-1424842/?sku=PBT10C10V&istCompanyId=a2904180-3a7d-4e56-b876-cf81c9512180&istFeedId=6fbc4b04-fd28-4ce1-8513-835c8f118690&istItemId=wmwxxlapx&istBid=t&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwP3yBRCkARIsAABGiPrvLDW_4W5wNUBZ4KWz5CEQ0PjNjrb_G_-LyjOVXY3DaYKpBC6VqsgaAoVkEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I wasnt allowed to buy a bike until my 18th birthday.. and on the proviso i paid for it myself, which I did with the earning of a saturday milk round. It was a 1976 KH250B2 and looked a lot like this (photo from ebay) A Two Stroke triple.. and i felt like the bees knees riding it when all my mates had Superdreams. my one and only japanese bike.. until last year. when i bought the Africa twin. I passed the test in 1982.. just before it changed. and then sold the KH and bought one of these: A 1975 T160 Trident. followed by a succession of Meriden then Hinckley trumpets until 1997 when i bought a very odd BMW.. a GS. Now.. these are called "Adventure bikes" - back then they were "Monster Trailies" and really quite rare.. a bike that nobody seemed to understand the purpose of. how times change eh? Anyway.. of all the bikes ive owned the one I was most proud of was this.. A 1994 Triumph Speed Triple 900.

discounting is capped at anywhere between 4 and 6 years.. and 6 years is quite rare. its generally 4. The level at which its capped is down to the policies of individual underwriters. Im insured by AXA and they only offer a maximum of 4yrs. which is OK as my policy on the Africa Twin has been reduced by almost £60 compared with year 1. my actual NCB is 18yrs.. as I was forced to give up the bike for just over 2 years when i bought my house (and times were hard) In reality it should date back to my last claim in 1995. This year my premium is £122.80 FC which isnt bad for a bike worth £10,000+ and with zero security aside from the H.I.S.S. (and no garage) They treat my back garden as a "locked compound", which it effectively is.. a major upping the stakes to the usual "parked off road".. which can mean anything. (driveway?) Anyway.. what this all means is the rather long length of NCB I currently have has no importance except to me. #Smug. If the bike was stolen tomorrow.. I would be back up to the maximum NCB in 4 years. I would suggest that my top tip is, if you can park your bike out of sight in your own back garden or on your patio. and providing the garden is fully fenced with them being at least 6' high. and you can lock your gate (point of entry) then be sure to mention this and maybe your garden will be treated as a "locked compound" too. which gains major brownie points from the underwriters.

Toyoda introduced the first aspects of lean in the 30s. I thought Sony was post war... 1958. if you want to be pedantic.

erm.. Its a honda.. its a scooter... its a hoot. seriously i have nothing to compare it with as the only other Japanese bike Ive owned was made in 1976 and a 2 stroke triple. And I sold it 38yrs ago.