manxie49

Panniers will be fine for a long weekend, semi rigid in construction and come with waterproof liners for your clothes, as they supply waterproof liner with them I'm going to assume that they're not waterproof, as a precaution I've treated them with Nikwax water repellant spray. I rode with them on today, very stable, in fact I didn't even know they were there. Three metal attachment lugs on a steel frame, locked with a key into position, easy to take off and on, can fit a helmet inside well. They're pretty unobtrusive and don't get in the way when filtering.

Gotta agree with this! I hate corner cutters, had a couple of close calls myself with pricks just like this. Glad your OK mate, metal mends and if it doesn't its easily replaced! I can appreciate how shaken you feel, first time I had a bump I was exactly the same, don't let it knock your confidence, chalk it up to experience

Yep agree with six, I used autosol on the Akro exhaust on my last bike, titanium as well, no problems at all, washed and dried the exhaust, then applied autosol and buffed off with a microfibre cloth, don't use excessive pressure when buffing there's no need.

£36 annual subscription Just proves I never actually read anything!

I like your thinking .... Develop one and retire a happy man on the proceeds

Someone has written something on climate change that actually makes sense! https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/empowering-the-planet/why-your-carbon-footprint-is-meaningless/ar-AAHnwwg?li=BBoPRmx&ocid=mailsignout

Yes I agree somewhat with what you're saying here, I think the whole ethos though is to make it less attractive, if its parked sensibly, has good security measures in place then the light fingered scum are more inclined to move on to what they see as an easier target. I enjoy the riding but I also like to think my bike is going to still be there when I get up in the morning and whilst most people will ignore alarms, if I'm in the hotel and hear my alarm go off I'll be straight up to see what's going on. Doing something to improve the security of your bike can't be a bad thing IMHO and you are right, a big F--k off chain attached to an immovable object is definitely the best way to go.

Not tried one of these myself but a medic who stayed with us during this years TT had one on his bike, doesn't stop the bike being nicked but potentially helps find it if it is, I think it also sends you a text message if the bike is moved? I looked at it when he was here and it seemed to be pretty effective with no annual subscription charge.https://monimoto.co.uk/?_ga=2.130907466.41762124.1568632652-1462968911.1568632652

Alarm is a really good idea, the problem is when I had one I was plagued by false alarms in windy conditions. Now this may sound naff but it actually works a treat, I bought a personal attack alarm pictured below for £4 of fleabay, I have a piece of monofilament line one end attached via a small clip to the bike the other to the alarm, alarm is hidden discretely nearby, someone moves the bike and it pulls the pin sending out 143Db siren, you can be as poetic as room permits when it comes to hiding the siren, I don't get any false alarms and because the monofilament is so thin it can't be seen unless you really look hard, especially at night when the majority of thieving scum go about their business.[attachment=0]s-l1600.jpg[/attachment]

Thats a good point about asking hotel staff, I asked the staff at the Holiday Inn Express in Lancaster and they let me park my bike right at the reception door, reception staff were really helpful, said they could see it and would keep an eye on it.

S--t when that happens!! I feel for ya .... Dropped my old blade taking it of a paddock stand once, only the neighbour seen me and was good enough to help me pick it up.

Chain around the rear wheel, usually to a mates bike or something immovable and an abus disc lock on the front, I put a cover over the bike as well "out of sight out of mind", I park it somewhere well lit or if wherever I'm staying has cameras I park it where it can be seen by those. Theres only so much you can do and if some scum bag wants it they will get it, its just a case of not making it an easy target for them.

Cheers Geofferz and thanks for the input and advice on my last thread

Happy Birthday, hope you have a good one ....

After a day riding I would say it definitely needs the comfort seat .... My arse was numb

I know what you're saying, not sure why it posted 2 photos but if I delete one it deletes the other! 1st to admit I know F--- all about computers

I got the IAM qual because they recognised an advanced rider course I did as part of my job, I'll be honest, the only reason I looked into IAM was to see if I could get an insurance discount. All training IMHO is good training, even if its bad, I think we learn just as much from identifying crap as we do good things, I've seen some pretty atrocious riding on this island, especially during TT, usually from F--k wits who think that their WSB heroes! It usually ends in tears, I've also seen some pretty exemplary riding from newbies with L plates. The danger is complacency! Some people have a tendency to sit back on their laurels, put their feet up, judge everyone else in the misguided belief that they know it all .... None of us know it all, regardless of who we think we are and again IMHO, a good rider will continue to learn every time he puts the key in the ignition and takes to the road, I don't think you necessarily need to do advanced training, all you need is the ability to be able to reflect and learn from your self identified weaknesses, I feel that extended training is good at helping overcome issues you may have self identified, with the focus on that training geared to assisting you in overcoming those problems, you don't necessarily need a certificate or a sticker for your bike to say you've done it.

wow! I would certainly shop around, unless anything has changed to warrant an increase (claims, change of bike, change of address, etc) then I would certainly say your insurers are taking the P--s! Mine actually came down slightly this year, although I have heard that some insurers have increased premiums but not by that much.

Got the newbie! Lovely day for getting out and about as well, awesome machine, still smiling [attachment=1]IMG_0355.jpeg[/attachment][attachment=1]IMG_0355.jpeg[/attachment]

"I didn't see that" No shit Sherlock!! He seriously needs to slow down before he kills himself or someone else, recommended speed for green lanes is 20mph .... Thankfully this sort of off road riding isn't something I've witnessed that often, most green lane users are respectful, polite and careful.

Try and get out of the habit of doing this, you run the risk of locking the back wheel and going into a skid, even worse if your doing it when cornering. practice using a mix of front brake, rear brake and engine braking from speed, the only time I use the back brake on its own is when I'm crawling along in heavy traffic or manoeuvring in tight confines, rear brake and throttle makes the rear of the bike sit down and therefore easier to control when moving slowly. I would further argue that most of what you need to know comes with experience, if I think back to when I started biking I was probably making the mistakes you are now, the same as everyone does.

Good choice of camera, I got the Ghost 4k, really unobtrusive on the side of my helmet, easy to use and captures some pretty footage

I did wonder about this, I got the same invite but was a bit suspicious so never responded....

I've never been stopped when riding abroad, including France. My understanding is that you need to have a full, valid licence, registration document, passport and insurance certificate. Depending on where you ride, Paris springs to mind, you will also need something called Crit'air Vignettes sticker displayed on your bike, its all about emissions and denotes when you can legally ride in some cities, you can apply for one here: https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/demande don't get caught out with this one, if you get pulled you will get fined if you haven't got one or you ride in certain areas outside of the designated times, as far as the French Police go ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. The sticker by the way has to go on the front fork, I stuck mine on the screen and was advised to move it to the correct position. It all sounds like a bit of a nightmare when you ride abroad but I've personally never had an issue, follow the rules and you'll be fine, above all enjoy it!

Definitely an ace of the mountain course for the future, reminded me a lot of Robert Dunlop in his riding style, very precise and in control, from what I seen he was a pleasure to watch https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-sport/hind-blitzes-field-to-take-lightweight-mgp-victory/