MikeHorton

1 hour ago, Gerontious said:

Bought mine with a bank loan, there’s something. Actually a lot of somethings I don’t like about PCP. So a bank loan over 5 years. Little overpayments here and there and the loan was paid off 11 months early. 49 months.

Miles stand at 15,700 and no commuting. I walk to work. Still loving the DCT transmission. One of my better decisions. Highly recommended.

Yes you have to work it all out and take the best deal that suits. At the time took the pcp as I didn't know if I'd keep it but sure as anything iit suits me. I'll do the same and overpay on a loan bit like the mortgage save a few quid on interest. I've gone manual but electronic suspension. Love the engine happy to chug and commute, scream round rhe bends or 2 up touring and feels no different. Hopefully get fully recovered and have some great tours and breaks. Got the camping gear all packed into one drybag  ready to go

4 minutes ago, Pie man said:

I have spied an HATAS I am interested in. Might just have the urge to splash out tomorrow.  

Not cheap but does everything well I'm happy with mine it's a keeper. Another year on the pcp deal then I'll get a loan to sort the balance out. You looking to buy new? If so there may be some deals like when I had mine included 3 services datatool tracker and some other bits which added up to save a few quid 

3 hours ago, Fozzie said:

Good morning!

 

I'm back after a week away, in New Jersey then New York for a couple of days. Was nice to walk around, but I heard that NYC had a huge rough patch back in the 80s, with huge homeless numbers and garbage piled in the street. And to my eye, it looked like it was in the grips of the same situation. If I had to go back to NJ for work, I'd probably drive down to Philadelphia the next time, which is only 75 miles from NJ. 

 

When I got back and had a night to recover from the jetlag, my girlfriends dad wanted to meet down the pub. When I got there he tells me he saw a bike in the canal, and showed me a picture. Ended up going to pick it up and dredging it out, and look! A Honda Monkey.

 

 

The steering lock was still on, so I had to haul it about 150 feet back to my gfs dads back garden. We've been in contact with the police, and trying to find the owner who must be local. Looks like some people dragged it, bent the handlebars trying to break the steering lock and gave up, throwing it in the canal. So far the police haven't been interested, and no one has claimed it. Trawled the stolen groups on facebook. 

 

I hope someone does claim as I've not a clue what to do with it otherwise. The police had no interest in picking it up. 

Maybe worth dropping Honda UK an email with an vin number they may be able to reunite the bike with its owner. Its bad you gave to do the running around. Maybe shame the rozzers on social media they will reply to a shitty tweet. Suspected stolen property high value they should recover it, poor show by them.

49 minutes ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

I will be delivering the model boat I built for my father-in-law.  The radio and motor were the last things to be fitted. 

 

Sea trials were held in our bath. 

Looks amazing!

Update via BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-64847214.amp

Bought a new commuting lid. I now need a flip front again to show my dace to security to get in the car park at work. My old one was falling apart. Went for bright yellow so I'm more visible in Birmingham rush hour traffic. I hoped I'd not have to move back to city centre working but needs must. Went and tried before I buyed which is a must for helmets I think. Its comfy nowhere near my scorpion 1400 carbon which is my leisure/touring lid but was still comfy and a good fit 

1 hour ago, Bianco2564 said:

Anyone else hear the sonic boom today?

We were shopping in Rugby and heard it.

Daughter in Daventry heard it too and said it shook the house.

No but did pop up on my news feed. Most likely an aircraft with a communication/security issue and the RAF follow it to its destination or redirect it to Stanstead if there's a security issue.

As said I think I'd look to get the clutch sorted prior to any big trip don't want to get stranded 

1 hour ago, rennie said:

We were looking at getting marine accreditation a while ago but it never happened

We already make mainly tractor/plant/commercial stuff. Almost no car crankshafts recently.

I haven't completely given up that 1 of the bigger plant customers may buy us out!

( They'll have to get their crankshafts from somewhere)

Fingers crossed for you Rennie I was an engineer apprentice after leaving school on was made redundant 4 times before I was 20 in the 90's. Loved my first job we built fire snorkels dead man's shoes type of job. Hopefully a resolution will happen

20 hours ago, Stu said:

Fresh from the powder coaters

 

Not bad for £20 

 

That looks great I've found the quality of coatings/paint on centre stands is Shite! Should be a big improvement 

7 hours ago, rennie said:

Yes indeedy! 

A great location lovely walks nice pub and I like Slimbridge 

33 minutes ago, rennie said:

We're going away in The Campervan! First time this year!

Friday and Saturday night at a site in Glos. There's a Pub a cafe and a canal  

Think we might need to take some warm clothing! 

Is it close to Slimbridge and the sharpness canal?

9 hours ago, Steve_M said:

Back in the mists of time self assembly items came with written instructions and supporting images. You felt that the person who’d written the instructions may have actually assembled, or seen the process of assembly. 
 

Now you get a sheet of paper with some line drawings which are generally open to misunderstanding. And misunderstand you do. Or, at least, I do. 
 

Yes. I’m constructing a greenhouse from a kit… 

I had the same issue with my greenhouse about 10 years ago. Instructions showed the part but which way they faced was a mystery. In the end I just guessed put it together and took it back apart until I could work out which way it went. Took 2 whole days!

50 minutes ago, Throttled said:

Knob of the day is the man who punched me because I asked him to pick up the dog shit his dog left right outside our house. I knocked on the window and he went instantly into ballistic mode, denying it was his dog. He insisted on picking it up, even though it was not his dogs, but then he announced, very loudly, that he was going to come in and shove it in my face. The front door was unlocked as we were about to leave, so I met him there and decided to try and calm things down by apologising and accepting it was not his dogs. That did not work, but he did hand me the bag of shit. I was shouting at him to f**k off and walked him down the path, when he turned, I put my arms up and he hit me. I threw the bag of shit at him and got him a cracker, there was shit all over his face! We exchanged a few blows and really annoyingly, I stumbled and ended up on the ground. By then my wife and neighbours were out, so he backed off. He got me just on the side of my head and bent my glasses, which the optician has fixed. He got a bloody lip and the shit on his face.

 

It is actually quite satisfying, for the first time in my adult life, to not be the one who backs down and to fight back. I had one fight as a kid, when I punched the son of legendary Rangers footballer Jim Baxter in the face, which then exploded with blood as I got him a cracker on the nose. I think from now on, I will fight and not back down

Be careful I know your thinking but people carry knives etc and it's not worth it. Walk off and let him find a other target there's a lot of strange folk out there.

I find this stuff good spray after every wear and good for the lining of bike clothes too

1 hour ago, Ian Frog said:

Not a bad little bimble and very happy with the improvements.

Cheers 

Ian 

Is that a customised seat Ian if so where did you get it done? All looks great !

4 hours ago, Fozzie said:

It was a proper cascade failure event. Leaking spout on the fuel can and a bad vent air locking it creating a small puddle, then starting the generator which triggers the relays made them go bang. Which knocked the generator off after a few seconds.

What I don't currently know, is how the battery voltage kicked in and found its way to the relay trigger circuit, that should be generator circuit only and I'm only on theories at the minute, so some internal short must have occurred, and at least one of the relay contacts welded/jammed allowing battery voltage onto the now dead generator circuit, and into the relays trigger circuit which was faulting.

And then the inverter in the battery box is meant to knock off in fault, but didn't as it must have been dragging the battery voltage too low causing it to reset (Which I tried to allow for by using an 110ah battery for added oomph). 

 

I'm only going to fuel the generator after use now, which deals with the majority of the issues. But as for the fault, I think it's time to get a "proper" off grid solution. So I'm going to get one of these as soon as I can:

 

19kg, so on the heavy side for carrying up and down 2 flights of stairs, but there's a smaller 13kg one that might do it. But I'll set it up so it powers the garage from now on, with the generator only for larger items, and charging the battery back up. Will not suffer any ingress issues as I'll store it in the flat. Just f**king expensive

Anker products are great quality I think you get a 5yr guarantee with these 

Here's another possible

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285110632634?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=T0wX0lanRWy&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=ZPITfT4aSPa&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

1 hour ago, Stu said:

What! Security for the centre stand? who is going to nick that I hear you say  

 

More of a belt and braces opportunist thief stopperer  

 

I saw someone who was modifying centre stands for the GS which allowed you to insert a lock on to it so you can't take the bike off the centre stand which I thought was a good idea to stop any opportunist thieves while out touring etc 

 

The centre stand was off to be powder coated anyway so I thought sod it whats the worst that can happen  

 

Here's the result 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just need to tidy it up a touch shot blast the centre stand and away for powder coating  

Genius idea you need to take that one on the Den!

8 hours ago, lukesft said:

just an update - tried getting test rides at bmw and triumph in London, no bueno. apparently need to of held my license for at least a year! might have to go outside of London?

also made a mistake in my insurance quotes and every bike mentioned here and that I have tried is £1000 fully comp. assume for biking comprehensive is best?

not off to a good start haha.

Maybe consider an older cheaper bike as said by others maybe an older vstrom 650 or cb500x. I came back to bikes after a 15yr break worked my way up to my current Africa twin that was still £600 last year to insure its building up your ncb that takes time 

7 minutes ago, Capt Sisko said:

 

That's a great story we all have such moments and remember them too well .  I'm hoping to do a brewery tour there at some point this summer 

8 hours ago, bonio said:

A clutch is always excluded from the warranty as a consumable. But I think a clutch that lasts only 4k would be usefully followed up by a firm conversation with the dealer about things being fit for purpose, consumable or not.

Different issue but this was the point I made with a royal Enfield dealer when I had issues mentioning fit for purpose was the point they agreed to sort the issue begrudgingly 

Decent ride out today nice weather and a chance to try out my drift ghost xl from Xmas worked really well v pleased!

1 hour ago, Pie man said:

Mike, Have you got the panniers for the HATAS or just run with a top box, & how does it fair with the box on the back at Mway speed. 

I have the full panniers it was the plus model so came with the full package. I opted for the plastic ones so I didn't need rhe metal frames so not so wide. I have to say they are well made come with dry bag inners  and no issues with the top box at high speeds which surprised me as its a bloody big top box! I don't normally carry the panniers until the weather picks up just in the event of a slide.

I just saw this too sad times and I'm guessing will have a big impact on the local economies