Reiver

Same with me! And our swimming lessons were cancelled. If I drown it is all her fault

Ah that is grand then, I wasn't sure of forum rules Aye it is a Scottish thing but us Northumberland folk tend to have more Scots traditions (including the dialect) than we have English ones. That way we get to choose whose side we are one depending how bad things are going I'll never forget one new year when I was about 9 or 10, I went outside across the yard to go to the toilet (still had outside lavvy until 1985.. typical NCB-owned houses!) it had turned midnight and my dear owld granny who was incredibly superstitious, wouldn't let me back indoors until a suitable first foot turned up. She kept me waiting outside in the snow until the tall lad from a few doors along came in searching for a free booze-up. Oh the good old days..

Coal is also what they use to first foot at new year. Weird thing is, when I lived in Somerset and London, the folks down there didn't know about "first footing". But up here and across the border it is standard to have a man (preferably tall and dark and handsome..well, I'm 5' 11" and have nae hair and am nae handsome) bringing a bit of coal across the threshold on the new year. Sorry.. this thread seems to have gone off at a tangent

no claims bonus... right? Ha! I hadn't thought of that. Good one Hoggs! The sad thing is a few years ago the local kids were hanging about me and dad's garage as they did when we were working on engines and they spied a huge piece of coal on the shelf which dad had as a sort of ornament/memento from his days down the pits... the bairns asked what it was and when we told them they were really mystified and asked, "what is coal?" It made me old da a bit sad that they didn't know but I guess that is progress!

Yep All your fault I have dug out the old NCB donkey jacket. I am going to wear it to work just for a laugh... and will await the questions from the young'uns at work..."Hey Dean, what does NCB mean?"...

Blimey.. all of this just because I mentioned my dad's old NCB knee pads!

Great story lad! I hope I can say the same thing in October, which will be 12 months since my CBT. This is a really nice forum, there are lots of helpful nice folks on here

I have only seen that when people have been training for their full licence. Saw a guy last Saturday on a 600cc with L plates with his instructor riding behind him.

I do! In fact I have two. One a used one, and the other still in the plastic wrapping, totally unused, which me dad got out the stores at Ashington Colliery but never wore. I might wear it on my bike as it has that Hi Viz panel on the back Did you see the TV programme before Xmas on Kellingley (big K) shutting? Very moving n well made. Death of an industry and all that. I didn't Neil as I don't own a television set but I did hear about it. Maybe I can see it on the iPlayer thing. My da would like to see that I'm sure. Cheers!

Do you still have the donkey jacket too? Must be collector's items now I do! In fact I have two. One a used one, and the other still in the plastic wrapping, totally unused, which me dad got out the stores at Ashington Colliery but never wore. I might wear it on my bike as it has that Hi Viz panel on the back

Hi, I don't normally like just quoting a website in answer to a question, but you should have a look at the government website which gives all the information you might need. Here it is: https://www.gov.uk/motorcycle-cbt/who-needs-training Good luck and best wishes

I have an old pair of ex NCB kneepads. I still use them occasionally when I go exploring underground but they are nearly worse than not having kneepads. Really horrible. I have no idea why I just posted this, it is no help whatsoever. Sorry.

Tucking them back in to the slits seems best in case I want to fit to different bike. I'd not thought of doing it but it seems obvious now. I like Joe's suggestion though

No worries Stu. I have done similar to bits of caving rope that I have needed to cut. I know what you mean about touching it when it is hot and sticking to one's fingers.. that hurts! I just did not think about cutting the straps on this pack but I guess it is a similar material to my caving rope so I will give it a go. Cheers

Thank you for the tip Stu, I will get me scissors and matches out tomorrow and sort it out. It is a great wee bag for the price!

My Q Bag arrived today and it is really good for the price. The straps are too long though once it is fixed to my rack. Not sure if I can cut them as they might fray, so I had to tie them up to stop flapping about, but for 15 quid it is a bargain. I just tested it and I managed to bring 6 cans of Newcastle broon ale home from the local beer shop. Good product but I might get a Kriega when I can save up for one as this bag doesn't look very waterproof.

Will bike tax change or is this only applicable to car vehicles?

I rely on 12v car batteries and solar panels during the summertime when I live for 3 or 4 months at my remote caravan in the hills which has no electric/sewage/running water etc. I run several fluorescent striplights, a water pump, a portable CD/radio, a laptop computer and various other 12v appliances from a pair of heavy duty 12v car batteries which are kept constantly charged via a pair of 80 watt solar panels on the roof. The panels are only about 3x2 feet in size. In three years I have never had to bring the batteries home to charge them from the mains. Could be a cheaper alternative to a noisy generator and buying petrol as other folks here have said.

If you are getting spark then you need to check if fuel is actually getting through If the bike is carbed make sure fuel is getting in to the carb I kick started her for about 10 minutes and eventually she turned over! Sounded a bit ropey at first once fired up but seems to have smoother out now. Thank you for your advice everyone. Once I have finished her, I can post some pics if anyone's interested. Quite fun seeing what you can turn a humble 125 into! I'd love to see pictures of it as you progress doing it up. I have YBR as I am still on L plates but once I have got my full licence I still plan to keep the YBR for a cheap commuter.

Thanks for this post. By strange coincidence I was looking on that same shop website at this same tail bag tonight! I only have a YBR 125 but need a way to carry my lunch and other stuff to work and I don't want to use a rucksack. Bought my bike secondhand and it has nice GIVI panniers but they are overkill for commuting. I was looking at that exact bag but wasn't sure if I should get it but now after reading your post I will give it a go. Looks perfect for my daily requirements. Thanks !

oh no you're not one of those vegetarians are you? I go textile jacket and proper bike jeans with some ex-army gortex over trousers for when it's wet (which is often). best 12 quid I ever spent Yes I am .. actually I am one step worse than one of them... Sorry Feel free to shoot me or mow me down if ye see me ... Anyway, I can't get above 65mph on my bike so I think my textile gear will suffice

I wouldn't give a damn what people said mate. Wear whatever you want, it is nowt to do with anyone else. To hell with the people making snide comments. I don't use leather at all because of my personal beliefs and sure, many folks slag me down but I don't care. I like the look of them kevlar jeans actually.

I only use textiles. I keep the leather catsuit for indoor use...

Very interesting! How did you protect the pen work? Did you spray over it all with a clear lacquer?

Yeah I would never kill one, or any other creature. I have a place down in Norfolk that I only visit once a month and it is always full of cellar spiders whenever I go there. They just hang out in the corners of rooms and I just leave them to get on with it. It is the big house spiders I don't like but I would never ever harm one.