MikeHorton

I've heard a lot of people praising the trk502. Maybe see 8f there is a benelli owners forum somewhere to get their views on how reliable the brand is and how they stand up to a British winter. They are imported by Moto GB who import royal enfield I found they along with my local dealer were not too responsive to any criticism, however if you are anywhere near northants I know cooperb are a good dealer who offer great support. Main thing is get a test ride and compare it to similar bikes

Dettol spray and wear works for me. If the boots get wet in the winter I tend to put newspaper in first to dry them out. The spray is good for your lid too. In both cases make sure you give them time to dry out before putting them away.

Welcome fellow black countryman! I'm in stourbridge, if you ever fancy a ride out let me know. You have to take a trip to quatford to the foodstop cafe if you haven't already

The Sting one of my all time favourite films great cast too

Safer than drinking tea in Russia Very true comrade

There seems to be a few Chinese bigger bikes coming out shortly, sinnis are releasing this 380 cc in the autumn. I understand people don't want to buy Chinese it may make the market more competitive though ensuring other big manufacturers don't push their prices up. This one will be in the same market as the RE Himalayan the same panniers and a lot cheaper than the RE ones. Loved my Himalayan but poor customer support and warranty claims.

Am I safe drinking out of my finest bone china, I don't want anyone spying on my drinking a nice cup of Assam in my pants

A fantastic ride and route one I enjoy I live stourbridge so a nice route with pretty much no boring or annoying roads

Thanks six I'm sure she will 8ts just a real bitter pill she's an anp nurse we are both key workers and I'm guessing all the stress of work through this torrid time has added a lot of stress. Here's to a great 2021 were just taking it easy this year and hoping we can all ride this storm and look to better times. Planning some nice breaks next year so she can de-stress and enjoying the garden in the meantime

You mentioned a sv650 how about a vstrom 650 you can pick up some well priced used ones and maybe more better setup for a bigger guy. I guess in the end it's a case of sitting on a few and seeing what works well. Hope you find a good match

Took it for a well earned ride out to the doorstop in quatford, Shropshire for breakfast then onto Sally's place in Malvern, worcestershire for an ice-cream. In need of a nice ride out wife had a minor stroke last week and is well on the mend and wanted to get some air just glad she's feeling well enough to get out worrying times

It's raining as I have 2 weeks leave sorry everyone!

I'd have liked mine on the frame but there was nowhere suitable. Glad yours seems to be doing the job too. Did use gear oil as lube it's what I've put in mine and seems okay

They are all staring to look that way, the xt1050 vstrom has a huge can too

What a beast! Looks great in those colours too

Did your oiler fit on easy enough, it was just where to fit the main body that was the awkward bit for me

I've fitted my gidibi oiler and I have to say it's fine. The thread quality on the top and anodising is good it screws down seamlessly. It's took me a while to get round to fitting it as there was nowhere obvious or easy to fit without looking out of place on the tracer. As you see in the photos the spacer I used does the job just fine. Easy to set up just threaded the oil tubing where I wanted it and loosely tie wrapped it in place. Ran some oil through to get rid of any air and a 1/4 turn runs for about 10 minutes with a steady dropping of the oil. Once happy all tightened up etc. I think it was worth buying just took a while to work out where to put it.

I think it most likely a mix of all of the above, 125s as said are used to their limits a lack of experience and maintenance. It's like when I'm on the driveway weekly cleaning the bike, checking tyre pressures and checking chain slack. They don't tell you that you need to do more checks and hands on maintenance on a bike, there's no tin can to protect and hide it all. Even my neighbour keeps saying you are always messing with that! They just don't get it, then he drives off in his car with under inflated tyres!!! Less margins for error on 2 wheels. I think the main manufacturers and dealers need to champion good maintenance more. Let's face it there a market for basic classes to teach people the essentials and more

Sadly it doesn't bring it down as much as people claim . Considering i Have Rospa Gold abd IAM Masters Distinction, Which are both considered the highest civilian Riding awards i used to get more discount by using a bikesafe award or my ERS award IAM surety are good ( cornmarket) as an observer as they add business cover for free and they will pricematch but off the bat they are not the cheapest. Insurance is an absolute lottery I halved mine with cornmarket on gaining the qualification but as a new returner to biking with only 2yrs no claims I'm guessing my situation was not the same. I don't think anyone can work out how it all worked. Prior to this Hastings used to generally give good quotes for me. Just shows how much you need to shop around for the best deal so time consuming

Consider getting your IAM qualification it will bring the price of your insurance down considerably. IAM recommend an insurer who offers great policies with quality cover in the event you need it

I bought a cheap set of polisport hand protectors when I had my Himalayan they were great well made and offers great wind protection but these did not have the metal inserts to protect in a fall etc but they did the job for me

I'd be lost without my Ryobi one power tools that are great and the batteries go for ages! Just like my hedge trimmer I have just bought! I specifically got a ryobi one as I have a drill with 2 batteries already and didn't want the hassle of wires! I like the ryobi tools so I am starting to collect them I got a bargain though! £83 for body only or £84 with a battery and charger! So I now have 3 batteries and 2 chargers I don't get why there is so much negativity about electric be it bikes or power tools! it is the way forward the only downside is the thieves now have powerful tools! Yes it will be the norm I think I'll be holding off until the range improves a bit or the charging time reduces then I'll be taking a serious interest. My Ryobi palm sander and circular saws were the same a bargain on the bodies from eBay and invaluble

I'd be lost without my Ryobi one power tools that are great and the batteries go for ages!

Yes I got the same one with a deal from the supplier and I have to say it's a good cover. Amazon I think it's sold on

Just be careful, if they do prosecute and you get found guilty the punishments are more severe than those with an early guilty plea. I'm sure it's a real tough situation to be in. Just remember these solicitors command a fee and are good at their job but but if it goes wrong it could be worse. Just have a think and consider were you speeding and way up all the pros and cons. Wish you all the best