manxie49

Good luck with the IAM, I did it a few years ago, I was lucky to have a really knowledgeable and experienced rider as my observer, former Police motorcyclist. Don't be tempted to try and rush things to the test, listen to what your observer says, act on the feedback and take your lead from him. I suppose the best advice would be, try and ride normally and relax, sometimes hard when you know you've got someone critiquing your every move.

I think he was wrong Possibly, but I’m no expert so played it safe.

I put a tail tidy on my MT, it was all pretty straight forward though, mostly just "plug and play" type connectors. I've done the same as you though, started a job and realised its outside of my capability, ended up down the garage. Fair play to you for having a go, a lot of people wouldn't

I asked the same question a couple of years ago from a non franchised dealer. Fair play to him for his honesty, he informed that it had to be a Yamaha authorised service centre using genuine Yamaha parts to prevent screwing up my warranty....

I agree with what Bonio said above. Don't be tempted to buy cheap crap though, I ride all year round and in all weathers, if I'd have invested in good quality gear from the outset I'd have saved myself an absolute fortune. You don't need to go top of the range, most bike shops will give good advice tailored your riding requirements, SBS are brilliant, you can call in or they'll give advice over the phone.

I fitted these to my MT10, they're brilliant and makes adjusting the chain a breeze. Easy to use, more accurate and you can leave them in place when removing the rear wheel https://www.lightechuk.com/lightech-yamaha-yzf-r1-15---19--mt-10-2016-chain-adjuster-kit-18173-p.asp

That was a really interesting read and makes you think about the necessity of modding a bike to gain extra BHP! My MT10 is 158bhp, the only place I would truly spank the bike is on a track day, even then I wouldn't use it anywhere near to is full potential. We do have unrestricted roads over here but the way some wombles on four wheels drive you'd have to be crazy to ride at track speeds. I put a new end can on the MT but that was purely to give it a better sound, I never went the whole hog of decat and reflash because, for me anyway, I never seen the point.

Try these, online quotes, may help ..... https://www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk

Welcome

A lot of places allow for self referral for physio therapy now. However, if the pain is bad enough £35 for a private physio session is money well spent. Ring the local NHS Trust and they’ll tell you if you can self refer. If I recall the facility to do this was brought in to reduce GP workload....just an after thought, NHS staff are supposed to get priority appointments

I get a lot of back ache, years of abuse, especially in my last job. Still get a sore back after a long ride. I tend to go and see a physio, they know a lot more about musculoskeletal problems than your GP. Odds are your GP will just prescribe an anti inflammatory such as Naproxen or something similar that just masks the issue and doesn't cure it.

I put these on my Tenere when I had it, not cheap but they were brilliant and easy to fit https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/377828/#/27907,3203,1186

I use R&G crash bungs, OK for a low side as they'll help prevent grinding expensive metal away, there gonna do nothing for a high side though, unfortunately in that scenario you just have to sit back and watch your bike being destroyed....I've heard that some crash bungs can cause the bike to flip but I've no experience of this. R&G do a test here where they deliberately crash a bike (although not at track day speeds). IMO you'll love the track day and get bitten by the bug, its difficult not get a bit throttle happy, but its great fun.

Never done a track day at brands, only ever done Mallory Park and Donnington. Hope you enjoy, they're a real blast

You with Hastings? Bennetts, I had to challenge the renewal quote this year though. That said, they did give me a more realistic quote when I rang and said I'd go elsewhere. I could have got it a bit cheaper with Carole Nash but quite like Bennetts, especially the reward scheme they do.

Try this comparison site https://www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk as for advanced rider qualifications, I'm with Tim. I have IAM and ROSPA and it didn't really make much of a difference to my insurance, unless you go with one of their approved insurers, which in my case, cost more anyway. Do the training to improve your riding standards but don't count on it giving you cheaper insurance.

Welcome.....Good luck with the CBT than get out and enjoy

Super Tenere is a good bike, well built and reliable ....It is heavy though! Only ever becomes an issue if you're into true adv riding and drop it. Took me a while to get used to the fly by wire throttle as well, I found that it can be a bit "snatchy", other than that I couldn't fault it.

Belated Happy Birthday Dynax, hope you had a good one

Wasn't Fleetwood marine college was it??

I painted mine, never again! I used floor paint recommended for garages, followed the instructions, prepped the floor, put two coats on, It looked good for a couple of years then started to flake. Once it started to flake everything that I had sat on the floor would get covered, I used to get covered in it when I was kneeling down, Any wind blowing through the garage would chuck it all up in the air, it was a nightmare. I ended up buying some cheap, interlocking, hard rubber matting from B&Q, I bought it just to cover up the flaky paint but it seems to do a pretty good job. Not sure if it was just crap paint that I used or the floor wasn't thoroughly cleaned that caused the problems but I personally wouldn't do it again, I read reviews some time after doing it where people had the same problem as I did. If you do it I would definitely recommend taking the time to search for a good quality paint and then have a look at the reviews.

I use a TENG, great bit of kit, you do need to look after them though. As for whether you need one or not, well IMHO I'd say it's a definite yes. But that said I'm pretty anal about making sure everything it torqued down correctly, especially wheels and brake callipers, a lot of people don't bother, but I'm a fan of torque wrenches.

Probably not! I was on a course so didn't have a choice

Raceways in Fleetwood was pretty good. Mainly a Yamaha dealer but when I was there they had a good selection of second hand bikes from different manufacturers. They also sell bike gear, parts, they do servicing, mail order and I think they also do training? Really helpful, friendly staff as well.

Not seen this....using safari