_amw_

You might be able to use something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/286443708574 The above is really for motorcycles (a 'tail tidy' or similar) but could probably be pressed into service attaching a number plate to anything. In addition to that you might need some number plate screws: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116404110737 You might actually be able to get away with just using the number plate screws directly onto the rear mudguard, depends on the shape etc I bet you'll need to drill some holes.

FUEL exhaust might be worth a look (assuming I've got the right type of bike): https://www.fuelexhausts.com/exhausts/bike-and-range/bmw/f800gt-2013 I've got a FUEL end can on my CB500 - it's a bit louder and sounds a bit better than the original exhaust with the baffle in; it gets quite a lot louder with it out.

This. If you enjoy having them then continue to do so; maybe even get more You can always get rid of one later if you change your mind.

Top-boxes are great and I have one; having said that, if I had a bike 'for the looks' then I probably wouldn't have a top box on it out of choice, so I can understand why some people don't like the look of them. You can't beat one for practicality though. I have an ancient 45L Givi top box on my CB500 and you can get lots of stuff in there - the 'weight limit' is claimed to be 5kg, however I'm fairly sure this is the point at which it starts to effect the handling of the bike - you can certainly put more than 5kg of 'stuff' in there (think going on holiday amounts of stuff) without a problem. It _does_ effect the handling, but IME not enough to cause any serious problems.

I can put in another vote for the '90s Honda CB500 - I rode one to work for years. I only don't ride it to work regularly now because I work a lot closer and use a bicycle instead - it would be quite up for it. I fear the prices for 'nice' looking ones will have gone up (less of them left now) - personally I wouldn't worry about getting a 'nice' one for every day/commuting use. My one had been given a horrible paint job by the previous owner that I've been meaning to get rid of for more than a decade, but somehow I have never been bothered enough to fix it.

> Try on helmets! I can only second this (and the other good advice given above), although I can share a story: I've been riding a bike for a good while and like you I started with a 125. At that point I got a cheap-ish Caberg helmet... I kept it for (probably) too long, it was great, but eventually I decided to get a new one... went to Bike Stop in Stevenage (a nice shop with lots of choice btw) and tried on various things - I eventually settled on a rather more expensive Arai Axcess II - it looks great and a I like the helmet, however after about 60 - 90 minutes of wear one side of the front of my head (one of the front 'corners') starts to hurt. Obviously, other than wearing it for 90 minutes before purchase, I'm not sure how I could have found this out. It's not *awful*, but I think if I was regularly riding for stints longer than 1 hour then I would probably buy another helmet. Anyway, my two points were this: 1. Make sure you try it on for as long as possible; 2. If there's a choice between one that looks nicer and one that feels more comfortable, then you know which one to pick

Sounds a bit like the bike isn't managing to charge the battery. Do you have a multimeter? If you do then I'd suggest charging the battery, starting the bike and then measuring the battery voltage while the bike is running. It should be (roughly) somewhere between 13.0 and 14.5 volts when the bike is running. If it is much less than this then you probably have a charging problem. If you don't have a multimeter then try starting the bike and then turning the headlight on. If you rev the bike then the headlight should get brighter, if it doesn't get brighter you might have a charging problem.

I'm going to apologise for the 'quality' of these photos in advance, they are awful. I did go to the places, honest Will charge the camera that works next time! East of England - Ashton Mueum South Midlands - Coton Orchard Garden Centre

Glad to see I'm signed up without having to do anything! I'll attempt to get more than the scant handful that I got this year, but I'm not making any promises. Three cheers for Hoggs - thanks for organising all this again.

I used to have an H100 and I can confirm that they look like the clocks that were on my 'C' reg 1986 model... however I'm pretty sure that wasn't an H100A but an H100S (as per the description of the clocks on ebay). I suspect you could 'make' the clocks from an H100S work, but you might also have to get a headlight and a the clock mounting bracket...

I can exactly agree with the above. It was the worst thing I did too. I'm still attempting to fix the issues that the insurance company has created me (and other people in my household) by placing inaccurate information on the claims database. It is all made worse as it's almost impossible to contact my insurance company, hence amazingly difficult to get them to resolve the problem.

I'm no suspension expert, but I can certainly agree that changing old fork oil for new can make things a lot better. Given what you were saying about lack of MoT I would aim to get an MoT ASAP so that you can test the bike on the road - maybe put off some of the work 'til later (unless it is needed to pass the MoT?). This will mean you can refresh your memory about how it handles and appreciate the difference that your hard work will have achieved. Personally, given how much difference new fork oil made on my (knackered) bike, I'd suggest that you just do that to start with and go from there.

If you really need to get there then leaking fork oil won't stop you, however you might want to try and make sure it doesn't get on your brake disc/pads while it is busy leaking. Once it's all gone it is less of a problem. Obviously handling will be poor and unpleasantly bouncy so you might have to slow down. So what I'm saying is, you might have to suck it up and go somewhere that has the parts to fix it. Best of luck.

The Rusty Gun pub/restaurant (East Midlands): I had to take the photo from their car park 'cos I started to sink into the mud on the verge; this is my own fault for not taking a bit of wood/beer can etc to put under the stand.

I had a small bike before getting my full licence. I'd encourage you to get a 125/do a CBT, if only because you can do one now and get on a motorcycle - this was something that motivated me. The idea of weeks of training, difficult tests and lots of money didn't really appeal to me. Once I'd got on a small bike and ridden it around a bit there was no way I wasn't getting my full licence eventually - when the opportunity presented itself I had all the motivation to get it, plus I'd had a bike to ride around on in the meantime. Really the only person that can decide is you.