Old-codger

I would have thought a Honda dealer should be able to get one.

Is there any room to slide the exhaust pipes further into each other to stop it poking out so far.

There is a very good article in this Mays Classic Bike Guide about this very subject.

NW200 is live from 10am Saturday on the BBC I player until 6pm. Wet racing today and they only got 2 races in due to conditions and failing light.

The NW200 is this weekend there was practice yesterday which is available to watch on BBC NI Iplayer. Next practice is Thursday with racing that evening and then the big races on Saturday. It is live on BBC NI I think or catch up on Iplayer.

You know this offer aint going to come up again any time soon so I say never look a gift horse in the mouth Goat. Go on you know you want it.

Lidl have one of their Battery chargers on sale this week for a very reasonably price Ultimate Speed Car Battery Charger - at Lidl UK - www.lidl.co.uk

I thought that was a phobia to mouthy chefs.

How long is a piece of string? I would say at least a few months minimum but be prepared for a lot longer as the DVLA are extremely slow at the minute.

Sorry to say If you haven't got a Nova certificate you will probably be liable for all import taxes. Once you have sorted that out you can move on to the DVLA and filling out forms to register the bike. They will probably want to inspect it to confirm engine and chassis numbers then if things are all legit issue you with a reg number. Good luck

Check the small print of the self storage lock up as there could be a clause that all fuel is drained from the bike and no flammables to be kept in the unit.

What about a Suzuki VanVan 125 they are quite large for a 125 and hold their value well if looked after.

Are you sure your spelling it right could it be a Solex or velo solex. Has it got a small engine in front of the handlebars mounted above the front wheel. Like this velosolex 3800 | eBay

I doubt if you can ride anything in the uk over 50cc as you are only 16 years old. You have to be 17minimum to ride anything bigger in the uk. You need to check french driver licensing authority as to what it entitles you abroad and also the British DVLA for the same.

If anyone wants to watch the world superbike highlights package this year it is on ITV4 starting on Tuesday at 8pm

Yes

Just to insert a modicum of sanity into things - as we live in a rural area with no mobile signal we are now without a phone connection once the power is off, which happens quite a lot round here. So BT were meant to ring me today to discuss providing an aux power supply to keep the router live during a power failure - except our power went off so I have no idea if they rang me or not. This is going to be the big problem as the government want to stop using copper wire for phone lines and change over to voip instead except those that do not have internet access will be left without a phone line. An even bigger problem is the many hundreds of thousands that have the lifeline emergency system that rely on a phone line to work and as you have found out no power means no internet access so no voip phone network.

Once while doing an enduro in very hot conditions I crashed and as I lay there I threw up before I could get my helmet off. During a break I washed the helmet out and stuck my head under a tap but the helmet did stink for ages. Oh the fun I had.

Get them powder coated and save all the hassle.

One problem with the design is on each side of the head is a little drain hole so water does not gather around the plugs but these holes get blocked and not cleaned out so a little pool of water sits around the plugs and thermostat tubes and does a really good job of seizing them in. As you have found out it can be a real pain, makes you wonder if its ever been removed and if the valves have ever been adjust. Strange where the wd40 is going though.

Are you spelling it right? could it be Beta Motorcycles who have been going for many years making Trails and Enduro bikes in Italy. Beta UK (beta-uk.com)

It can be a bugger to get out but just persevere with fluid and a bit of heat and rocking it will release in the end. If you force it you may end up destroying it and have to get another one.

The thermostat housing and the two tubes that go into the head seize in place so be careful, just use a lot of your favorite release agent and gently rock the housing until it comes free. The tubes can go out of round if you use to much force but you can get them back in shape. There is an o ring on each tube I think 16mm Dia. As for the engine breather as Bob says either put the pipe back on or run a new hose from the breather up to nearly the top of the airbox and put a Ferrell in a newly cut hole. Then the petrol wont dump into the crankcases or you could just put a little pancake filter on the breather stub and do away with the little pipe completely but put a blanking grommet in the bottom of the airbox.

An instant MOT failure and a good chance of getting nicked by plod if pulled on the road.

Could they include Liverpool docks as I spent many a year there trying to get loaded or unloaded and the dockers certainly need payback.