chiz

All the kit.... All the time. Arai Tour X3 Helmet Necktube Lug plugs Hein Gericke 3D Shirt Hein Gericke 3D Trousers Hein Gericke TRG GTX Jacket Hein Gericke TRG GTX Trousers Forcefield Pro Sub4 Back Protector Alpinestars SMX+ Boots Hein Gericke Pro Sports Gloves As well as a walk in wardrobe jam packed with spare stuff. Discount at Hein Gericke and being a bit of a kit collector helps.

Can't guarantee I'll make it on either date. I'll just turn up at the cafe if I can.

Congratulations to both of you. Shiny side up and all that.

My girlfriend wears Joe Rocket gloves, they're tiny. Same as these but you can get them in ladies small elsewhere, I only paid £50 for them too. http://www.infinitymotorcycles.com/prod ... gloves/357

Nowt to worry about, they just look flippin' awful on most bikes!! I've got a 50 litre one that takes two lids, no problem, it was £130 though, it's made by Givi but branded as Kappa (Not the shite tracky bottoms brand), and fits my Givi base plate. There's those Chinese 'Tech46' ones kicking about for about the £50 mark, they're not too bad. Not sure which boxes will take a computer tower, mine probably would. I'd suggest taking down the towers dimensions and comparing that to whatever you can find online.

I was gonna go but my girlfriend has decided to stay up all night so she's still asleep now, if I go by myself there'll be hell on.

Bad luck mate. You'll get it next time, no problem. How could the examiner tell you weren't using the foot brake? Did you pull a big stoppie or have your right leg in the air or something??

Cheers mate. Got this one written down, see you there, all being well.

Have some confidence in yourself, you'll get it. Good luck.

That's what I've been told on every test I've done (bike, car, rigid lorry, artic, bus, tracked, IAM), although the only test where I can recall actually encountering a mini-roundabout was my bike test and I didn't pick up any minors for junctions so I'm guessing it's right.

That's not quite how Independent Driving will work, but anyway it applies to the car test, not motorcycle. Well it's third hand info so some of the details may have been muddled, the second hand was a bike instructor who was convinced it applied to the bike test too. The person he heard it from was a bike examiner.

We'll see if it actually happens, a change like this will cost a few quid to implement, the majority of government departments aren't gonna be keen on spending much for a little while.

I don't think it'll be just a random place they'll ask you to go to, they'll have a list of start points on each test route where they can conduct the 'independent drive' module. They'll also have a list of destinations for each test route, which they will publish so your instructor can show you the way to go during your lessons.

Here's some official looking articles that back up what I've heard, I can't see any specific mention of bikes though.... http://www.free-press-release.com/news- ... 54288.html http://sharing.govdelivery.com/bulletins/GD/UKDSA-D179E http://www.dsa.gov.uk/News.asp?id=SXD051-A7835A58

Really??? In what way is the test (the road part) changing in October? I've heard that the examiner will ask you to lead him/her to a certain place, but wont give you any further instructions. i.e. 'we are now at ......., take me to ........' For approximately ten minutes you will be expected to navigate for yourself, under test conditions.

Saw these last year when they first came out in a shop near me. When I asked the bloke in the shop selling them about it he said they were a gimmick and no amount of daft air bags are a substitute for a helmet that fits properly. This is the bloke who's supposed to be selling them, doesn't inspire confidence really.

To clarify, there is no testing involved during CBT, it is Compulsory Basic Training. You need to be tested on these manoeuvres before a bigger bike can be ridden (i.e. Mod1/ manoeuvres during the original road test). The rumour factory is at full production it seems, I'll believe it when I see it.

Give this a bump a bit closer to the time please mate, for my sieve-like memory.

Ahh, just get off and push ffs!!! Nah, it's not hard once you're actually on it.

Therm-a-rest are nowt special. I've got a prolite plus 3/4 (£70) and my girlfriend has an almost identical Alpkit one (£20). The Alpkit one is every bit as good as the Therm-a-rest.

AGV website is a bit vague, all the AGV/Dainese stockists near me are doing it. I would ring around some of your local shops and see if they are doing it. I know the Dainese ProShops are all doing it, they stock AGV too.

Can't advise on whether you should replace it or not. I do know that AGV are running a 'scrappage scheme' just now, meaning you can get 25% off a new AGV lid when you hand in a used helmet (any brand, any condition). I tested this last week when I handed in my girlfriends knackered X-Lite and got £80 off a new AGV for her. The 'scrappage scheme' also applies to Dainese kit, tested this one too with my girlfriends cut in half textile jacket.

Problem with the main players is the prices they charge!! That's why people rate Alpkit so highly, my Alpkit Down jacket is far superior to the ME one it replaced and it was half the price. I'm after one of their down sleeping bags if they ever get it back in stock! As a rule I've always said that if your the clumsy type (i.e you'll get it wet/ treat it rough) then synthetic is for you, down bags just wont last getting wet/ rough treatment. A half decent bivi bag will add a season to a sleeping bag without much extra bulk, coupled with a silk/ fleece liner and you're laughing.

Alpkit.com do the best value for money sleeping bags, not the cheapest but worth every penny. They're an internet only company and are a hidden gem, long distance backpackers/cyclists swear by the stuff. Snugpak code green stuff is really durable, I've got loads of the stuff at home, I wouldn't part with any of it though. It's not the lightest or most compact however. Can't really help with tents, I don't tend to use them!!

Pinlock works for me. I've heard of people drilling their visors to fit pinlocks, brave move in my eyes.