daveinlim

Glad to hear they work ok. SBS says that one you have has been discontinued though.

I've just been out cleaning my bike and realised I need more chain cleaner soon. When looking on Amazon I saw this which is advertised as an alternative to a paddock stand. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YHY7F6M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_MVCDVX9C8Q2CQZNYH1G3 Has anyone used these before? I'd only be using it to clean and lube my chain is all. There are separate ones for different size bikes. The large bike one has slightly curved rollers which I think might be safer.

I've bookedy theory test for the end of April hoping that they are going ahead by then. I've done 2 professional work exams during this lockdown I don't see why the theory test can go ahead as normal. Hopefully get DAS done soon and have the summer on something bigger than my 125.

I've just renewed my bike with MCE. The fully comp price was less than half that of any other provider. The excess is sky high. £1k on a £2.5k bike but I'll cover that excess through a 3rd party. The actual policy is terrible too. The level of cover is really low. For life altering injury you get a couple of grand, that's it. I took the policy as the next one up from that was £600 more but even fully comp, it's useless if I even needed to claim. Plus as mentioned by others, service isn't entirely supportive either. But nobody wants to insure in london so the competition just give high quotes to put you off.

I've a peweg chain and lock bought from brindley chains. I can't really fault it. I've had it 3 years and there's not a mark on it. The lock has been used every day for 3 years in all weathers and is as good as new. There's some good reviews on YouTube from channels that test chains and locks etc. Only problem is it isn't on the approved list by insurance companies

There's ton of jackets out there plus other garments like shirts and hoodies that have protection. What do you need from it? What level protection? Does it have to be waterproof? How much are you willing to spend? For around £100 Oxford, rev it, Merlin etc all do casual jackets

You're credit score is probably good enough for what you need. Make sure you're registered to vote at your current address. That s huge bonus to your score. Clear any debts if you can. Don't apply for any other finance in the 2 months before you apply for the loan. Check your credit history is correct. You'd be suprise how often this is wrong. Check out high street banks. Many of them have loan rates about 3 to 3.5% for loans of 7.5k and above. That way the loan isn't against the bike which would make it easier to sell as there's no official outstanding finance on it. If you're buying from a dealer put the deposit down using your credit card, say £200 or something. It gives extra cover to you in the case of a fault and for the entire price not just the deposit.

Yeah I did that last year, I'll do the same again this year. It was £40 per £1k last time around. Probably similar again now. Definitely something to read the small print on. I nearly got stung with it once. Took nearly a year to sort out, eventually I just claimed through my credit card company.

It's the same on London. If you're in greater London then insurance don't care if you're in millionaire row or the roughest street in the city, it's all London in their books. Wierdly, my renewal quote at MCE (which I've had to take due to lack of competition) is cheaper than what I was getting on comparison sites. £610 vs £677. Still £950 excess on a £2k bike is criminal.

Engine size doesn't seem to play as big a role as I thought. I was hoping to do my DAS in 2020 but that didn't happen. I've looked at bigger bikes than my 115 once I pass and many a2 bikes are more expensive that some that are much faster. Such as cbr500 is much more expensive to insure than a sv650. Higher likelihood of theft I presume and more parts to replace in a spill I presume. I think in London the risk of theft carry more weight than the actual performance of a bike.

Yeah I do. That's kind of the reason I have it. I got so annoyed with the tube delays, packed trains and crowd control at heaving central London stations so I bought a 125. It works out basically the same as my train ticket but much more enjoyable. I could put down that I don't commute or something else to lower the premium but I'd rather be above board when it comes to ever having to claim.

I already own the Suzuki so unfortunately that won't work. I did have a cb125 before and really the insurance wasn't much different

For mine I'm quoting on a Suzuki gsxs125

I've tried bike sure on the forum line. Still £700 over my renewal quote. Unfortunately it's double my renewal quote.

In my quote, I had chains, disc lock, alarm, datatag. Then I took it all off and it didn't make a penny of difference. So I'm taking the policy that states no security other than my steering lock. As husoi said, can you build a shed. There are metal boxes you can buy for motorbike that insurance might accept as an equivalent to a locked garage. I've insured my excess with a 3rd party. £40 for £1k excess. I must dig that out as I can't remember who it's with Post up some photos and your thoughts of the trident when you can. I'm really tempted by one myself.

Interesting article. So much of insurance, not just motor is a complete scam designed to work for the broker not the policy holders. 44 teeth have a good interview with a solicitor regarding bikers getting severely ripped off when making claims

Yeah I totally agree. I'd be happy to pay a little more for a better experience. Value isn't necessarily cheap. However the cheapest fully comp policy is £600 below the 2nd cheapest which isn't small change especially since the majority of the bikes use is commuting in to London which hasn't been happening for a year now.

I'll give it a go tomorrow. I know there is a forum discount but it would need to nearly halve your online quote to be competitive. Nobody wants to insure in London. Still though, nothing to lose but a few minutes filling forms.

On Google play there are a few apps available, which I think are free. The questions and the hazard sections are in separate apps. I've been using them in preparation for my theory test. I didn't think tests were going ahead though so I've not looked at booking one.

No mods except a top box. It's a 125 so there's no point in doing anything other than keep it serviced and clean. Over £600 though even though I'm no spring chicken and have a few years NCB. Living in London is the killer it think. Insurers like to show customer examples. They are never a greater London bike that's not garaged.

Done

Insurance time again. Any tips on applying? I presume all the comparison sites pop up the same quotes. MCE are quoting my renewal as the same as my go compare search. I know their policies are crap but they are by far the cheapest. Bike Sure are close to double what I'm quoted from them. Playing around with the setting online it makes literally not even a penny difference if I have datatag on my bike, if I add a few thousand miles to the allowed milage or if I say I have no security at all. Given that the industry 'experts' say adding simple lock like a disc lock can massively reduce the odds of it getting stolen, this isn't passed on in premium savings. All a bit mad I think

The new 600rr looks quite nice but would need to seriously undercut the Japanese competition. Could also do with losing a minimum of 20kg.

I've been using a heavy cover from xlmoto which was great until someone stole it off the bike. I replaced it with an oxford aquatex cover and it's terrible. On a positive note it's thin and light enough to put in my top box. But it bellows about in the wind and it is definitely not waterproof. When I've used it the bike is wet underneath. My bike is garaged up for now but I'll not be using the Oxford cover again

If you can, go have a sit on a few bikes and see what feels best. When it comes to performance, 125s won't have a big difference between them as they are limited to their power. Have a look at any that catch your eye. The Suzuki band the Yamaha are very similar, both have about the same power, weight, abs, seating position. But you won't know until your try them out.