manxie49

Just an update, the bike was apparently stolen and dumped by some scumbags, recovered by the Police last night .... No point in saying that I hope the tow rags get caught because they won't be, we can only hope they sustained some life long injury putting it there in the first place!

This link may help ..... To be honest we all live and learn, I've ridden in France and never knew that Helmet stickers were a legal requirement. Not sure if you'd get fined for not having them or not, I was never pulled over when I was there to test the theory. https://www.drive-france.com/products/motorcycling-france-legal-requiremets/

Leather most definitely slides better along the road without falling to bits ..... Textiles, in my experience, is definitely a case of getting what you pay for. Cheaper textiles, while giving some protection, seemed to fall apart, especially tearing at the seams, the more expensive stuff with armacor fabric and kevlar stitching definitely held up better. I find the problem with textiles is that you very rarely can get the internal armour to stay where you want it, compared to leathers which are more closely fitting ..... Regardless of brand or cost though, IMHO, any gear is better than no gear at all.

This is currently being circulated on what app ....

Happy Birthday ..... And thanks to all those who make this forum what it is, for their time, input and effort

I've seen bikers over here walk away from 90mph get off's because they've been wearing good quality gear, flip side, I've also seen bikers suffer life changing injuries at 30mph due to the fact they decided to go riding in training shoes and track suit bottoms, for some unknown reason they do seem to be scoot jockeys or those on low CC bikes. In my job I've heard everything from "I was only going to the shop, couldn't be bothered putting all the gear on", to, "it was too warm for all that clobber". From 2022 TT riders are now required to wear CE approved clothing, this is checked at scrutineering, this ruling has been made pragmatically for a good reason. IMHO enforcement of PPE takes away freedom of choice, and lets face it, we're seeing more and more of that in this country, however, as a biker who's been riding for many years, and someone who has also been knocked of, I know full well how much it hurts when you get intimate with the tarmac. I've been off while green laning, I remember going down heavily on my knee, the only thing that saved me from a trip to the hospital was the knee braces I was wearing. Therefore, IMO, anyone who rides without PPE really is truly courting disaster. I've heard all the arguments and the truth is PPE does save life and goes a long way to preventing serious injury, even a low speed get off with gravel rash, if anyone seen how they deal with gravel rash in A&E it would definitely make them think twice about riding in shorts. But, each to their own, I wouldn't want to dictate to anyone what they should do, and I hate it when governments start doing the same, but, so long as they're aware of the consequences to themselves when it goes wrong, and they're happy to accept them, then, it's their life, literally.

Just got home and this is pretty much how I feel ..... Starting to think it's gonna take me till April to thaw out as well, a few patches of snow and ice and this place grinds to halt!

Fairly low milage year, apart from commuting I never really got away and did much at all! Plus no TT, no FOM and no NW200, so for a road racing fan it was pretty pants! I did have a few good ride outs with mates, even found a few roads I didn't know existed! Enjoyed a bit of green laning, I still managed to get out most days, regardless of weather. Hopefully going to do a bit more touring this year, already have a trip booked with a mate, touring Cumbria and Northumberland in May, will be doing Scotland later in the year and would also like to spread the wings a little bit further afield, will see how the year pans out

Happy New Year everyone .... Have a good one

As Yorky said, no points, so shouldn't impact on insurance costs

Nice New Years pressie for you I'd definitely be going for the course, keep the moola in my own wallet

I'm not an anti-vaxxer or a conspiracy theorist ..... However ..... all the patients who had the first smallpox vaccine in 1796 have since died .... Makes you think!

I heard an instructor say once that fear is a human disease that kills hopes and dreams ..... And it's very true. Fear is also very individualistic, and therefore, the way one person gains control over it may not be right for another. IMHO the advice given above gives some really good starting points. I used to be really nervous about riding off road, so much so that I'd be a hazard to myself and others. What I did was enrol on an off road riding course in North Wales, learnt the skills with a group of other people the same as me. The main thing about the training was, although I was nervous, it was fun, I don't think I'd laughed so much in a long time. I did another course some months after that and eventually, went from a nervous off roader, to someone who took up green laning on my own enduro bike, and loved it. Off road riding is a great way to build confidence and I think goes some way to making you a better road rider. You need to try and find a way to over come your fears in a way that's fun, if you do a course now that ends up scaring the crap out of you then that'll just compound your problems. The first step though is to try and identify exactly what it is that you're scared off and why? You can then start to move forward. Good luck

I had a similar issue once, I removed the pinlock, cleaned the visor and re-installed it and it seemed to cure the problem. Sometimes, if the rubber baffle on the pinlock isn't flush against the visor or there's dirt on the visor it can result in fogging like what your experiencing. Also check the integrity of the rubber baffle, make sure it isn't damaged, the smallest of nicks can knacker it.

Merry Christmas everyone, ride safe and keep it shiny side up! & all the best for 2022, lets hope it's a good one for all of us ....

I agree, I call this "Scotland face in June", Laughed when I saw this, I seemed to be cleaning my visor every stop when I came down through the central Highlands

I thought exactly the same when I seen it ..... Wasn't sure if it was just a gimmick, I'm always sceptical of these things

I was sent this link, has anyone seen these? It looks like a pinlock for for the outside of the visor, used to repel rain. Look like it works pretty well in the video, but these things always do. I personally use RainX which is pretty good. https://www.popsugarco.com/products/50offphotochromic-anti-fog-helmet-film?st=&fbclid=IwAR1A4wePpK8ieVmxBdpFiRXseCwoNVAPwM08grXkzKB0NpuZcNZuEJJoBx0&variant=002b8291-2843-4911-b351-db1c3ff616f4

It comes with two re-usable cable ties which I've used, I've also used a padded, neoprene strap, just to prevent vibration from rattling it around. It's a pain to get to when the batteries need replacing but they last for ages. The trick is mounting it somewhere that isn't easy to reach, there's plenty of options and it seems to work well even when well hidden.

Not that big, about the same length as a pen, easy enough to tuck away on the bike

I'm with you on that one, it's actually nice to get your hands on the kit and see it for real ..... The downside to that is I normally end up spending a lot more than originally intended

If buying new I tend to start with SBS, I then hunt around on the net and see if I can find it cheaper, SBS will always price match and their service has always been brilliant, for me anyway. Crash bars and bobbins are subjective, as Bender said, off road they're essential items, on road, yes I do use them, they've certainly saved my bike from expensive damage when its fallen over on the boat deck of the ferry and once when knocked over by a car reversing into a space. If you were unfortunate enough to get intimate with the tarmac doing any speed though I have my doubts as to their usefulness. Be careful on fleabay, I've bought what looked and sounded like a good deal, only to find out that what I bought was crap when it arrived. Decent lock and a cover goes a long way to helping keep your bike safe. One of the best things I ever bought was a Pinlock visor. If riding through the winter months, invest in some good waterproof, warm gear and gloves, if you're dry and warm the whole experience becomes more bearable and you're able to concentrate more fully on the ride ahead.

It's usually something for the bike .... In our house though my missus tells me to order what I want, "within reason", I then give it to her, she wraps it up and I unwrap it again on Christmas Day! ....

It amazes me how many drivers actually look at you, you think, like you did, great he's seen me, they then proceed to pull out in front of you! You'd think with this Island hosting the TT and FOM, it would be better, drivers would be more bike aware, however, IMHO I actually think it's worse.