Mighty Mariner

Good luck with that one . What bike? Not a honda stepthrough i hope?

Just read other post Dover. £25?

What ferry? Dover? Hull?

Mark them left and right so if you have an ear infection it won't spread to the other ear. I had some of those ear classic foam one's from the RAF and they were good but uncomfortable (a bit hard) so I use soft ones which are ok or earphones (nokia) which also work well.

I have a Ventura rack and soft luggage and yes it is a bit different to get on but with practice and bending of the right knee its doable. I have two bags on mine one in front of the rack and one behind and the ventura can be lifted off complete with luggage by loosening two knurled screws leaving the brakets connected to the bike. Rack is quite expensive though.

I have just got a TOM TOM refurbished 710 from TOMTOM (cheap-ish) and a Nokia BH-103 bluetooth headset and it works a treat. With the tom tom the headphones have to be A2DP compatible but I know this setup works. I set the course (to the sun) switch the screen off, and put it in my bum bag and a nice lady gives instructions. The earpieces act as earplugs as well (quite quiet) and i can hear the instructions at any speed. I havn't tried the phone in blutooth through the headset as the microphone bit is difficult to get positioned. But I don't want to take phone calls anyway when i'm riding.

Just put two new Maxxis on and for the first 10-15 miles kept the throttle neutral around the bends then gradually give it a bit more and have done about a 100 miles on 'em now and they feel completely useable and no dramas. No wet riding though during the scrubbing process, I did once have a new rear on a bandit in the wet and it was interesting especially around roundabouts, very speedway.

You're an inspiration. Might even have a go myself. keep up with the posts.

Blue tyres are a sign of overheating. Have you checked tyre pressures? Has the bike been overloaded? If the tread is blue the compound will have hardened and could give reduced grip. If the sidewalls are blue throw the tyre in a skip.

20 minutes will flash past...........in about 20 minutes. I hope the tracks dry for you.

Try loads of different makes, there are shells made for different head shapes. Depending on your head shape it could rule you out of certain makes. Also if you wear glasses try putting your glasses on and off with the helmet on. On the same point make sure if you wear glasses any movement of the helmet doesnt transfer through to the glasses frame. I had a Shark that fitted really nice but at high speed lifted lightly and buffetted in the wind causing my vision through my specs to be worse, Scary:-(. Look at the construction as well moulded thermoplastic shells are not as strong as laminated/ woven reinforced shells. Get the best you can afford as with all your riding kit. Crashing hurts. From experience Shark RSV very strong helmet but heavy and noisy. AGV very light and noisy. Shark RST Very very strong but not good with specs. Shoei XR1000 medium weight fairly quiet good visor with pinlock system as standard and spares easily obtained. Value for money for your Budget I would go with AGV and earplugs if you can get one to fit properly. My mate has a KBC and it looks excellent Value for around your budget. http://www.racevisors.co.uk/product/kbc ... -Black-Red

Driver's of HGVs should be wary of the conduct they display on the road as their licence is vocational and how they behave can determine if they are of the correct temprament to be in charge of such a large vehicle. The licence they hold can be suspended without a court case. If you are intimidated by their behaviour and you consider that it is bullying or bad tempered or just plain driving below the standard you would expect report the registration number with date time and place to 0300 123 9000. I have had the misfortune of attending incidents involving two wheelers and artics at roundabouts and there is unfortunately only one casualty, whoever is at fault. I agree with the previous posters regarding making the lane your own. Make yourself as visible as possible, down in front of a big lorry you can be in a huge blind spot.

J & S at Doncaster are not too far away from you and have a large selection of equipment. http://www.jsaccessories.com/ Or have you considered made to measure? Not as expensive as you may think. Or get some and have 'em altered.

I had some Oxtar Boots which were the best fitting I have ever had and I have big calf and wide foot. I have broken one zip and will get that repaired because they are a quality boot and worth getting fixed. It depends a lot on your budget as well. Economy boots that fit are Swift which are ok, and Nitro which are ok but neither of these are as good quality wise as the Oxtar. I think Oxtar were bought out by TCX, I don't know if they continued with the generous widths under the new brand name. Another to try are BMW dealers they stock some good boots generally but the prices are high.

I bought the Biker Tidy at the Lincoln tail end BMF and got a show discount. Excellent product, quite heavy, but needs to be as leathers are heavy. I have two two piece and one one piece sets hung on , two pairs of gloves two Pairs of boots two helmets and a backpack on the top shelf and it easily copes with the weight. The hangars are made of tubular steel which is heavy guage and the clip on ones for trousers are simple but clever. The satin black finish is good as well and it has released alot of wardrobe space. Well worth the money.

I waited about 40 years before I did a trackday. Very pleasurable and reasonably safe way of ridng fast. But expensive and hard on the bikes brakes and tyres.

How longs a piece of string? If it's in a decent garage possibly although even with inhibitor the fuel might go off and I would recommend preservative oil instead of normal engine oil 'cause it's stickier. I would check out about tyres whether to keep them pumped up or not with the manufacturers.

Proper chargers that are "automatic" detect when the battery requires charge and charges it. A trickle charger just puts a low charge into the battery all the time and can end up over charging the battery and evaporating the electrolyte and bending the cell plates. Not charging at all risks dropping the charge level so low thet the plates in the cells get sulphated, covered in a thin layer of sulphate salts which is difficult to reverse and ends up with a lowering of battery performance or even total failure. I have had batteries over wintered on automatic chargers for years and not had a single battery problem. (optimate III) As for running engines at weekly intervals, not good if full engine temperature is not reached and sustained for a considerable period to get the oil hot. Each cold start will be run on rich mixture (choke) This rich mixture and cold conditions creates internal condensation in the engine inlet combustion chamber and exhaust. A certain amount will find its way into the crankcase. The condensate is corrosive and will damage alloy components and attack ferrous components as well. The best way to store the engine overwinter , i have found is Change oil and filter before storage (clean oil will not damage engine components) Specialist preserving oil is available but I have not found it necessary if the bike is kept in a garage or similar where temperature changes are not sudden (condensation). Spark plugs out and a small squirt of clean oil on the pistons rotate engine a few times to spread oil onto cylinder walls. Re fit plugs. Either drain fuel completely or add a fuel stabiliser. I would recommend the stabiliser and fill the tank to the brim. This will stop condensation forming on the iside of the tank and making it rusty. Thats if it's made of steel. Plus any seals incarbs or FI system will be kept wet and won't dry out and crack. For liquid cooled ensure anti freeze is up to strength and the correct type with corrosion inhibitor. Keep tyres off concrete, the alkali in concrete reacts with tyres causing hardness of the compound and in extremes cracking. Cover discs with card board or similar, helps prevent moisture collecting on discs, Spray all over ( not brakes) with The blue spray stuff by scottoiler or similar corrosion protection fluid and coat battery terminals in petroleum jelly. Plug air intakes with duct tape and end of exhaust with duct tape. does not stop mice but if they do get in at least you know they have. Cover bike with old clean wooly coats and a water resistant outer cover. The wooly stuff wont keep the bike warm but it will stop the bike suddenly changing temperature and prevent condensation forming. Keep a note on the ignition keys of what you've done so you dont forget to remove tape, cardboard , blow oil out of cylinders etc before attempting to start up. The day after you've got it all mothballed will be the warmest sunniest day ever known in winter and you wont be able to ride in it.

Pedrosa Lorenzo Rossi Stoner

Lorenzo didn't have to have a barging match again with Rossi all he had to do was finish for the title. The next race should see some battling as all the riders can go for it as the Championship contes has been settled. Plus if Rossi bins it or blows it up he won't costing his team for next season. Any bets to who will be the top four next season?

Have you checked the rear wheel bearings and spindle for adjustment and straightness (rear spindle)

Excellent helmets Rsr will withstand a pheasant strike at *** mph but breaks as it should. I have had two but have now changed to Shoei because my glasses fit better. Try some on in a shop for fit because different makes are different shapes for different shaped heads. The fit and comfort is what to go for first then reputation for safety. Get the best you can afford it might have to save your life.

front wheel now red

Kiyo was very kindly giving his riding gear up for a charity auction this afternoon I took this picture and thought that he was not happy. He must have known at this time that Tomi had died . RIP Tomi and great thanks to Kiyo. I didn't find out until I got home.

Bump . It's tomorrow and for a good cause. PS theres also a classic and sport car show in Wragby .