kingmunky

If you're going that far north anyway, can you spare a few more days for the best riding route in the UK?? https://www.northcoast500.com/explore-the-route/

Also, there's nothing that's more unsettling to see when filtering than (usually) a van that's lost it's wing mirror glass, or wing mirror completely!

Aftermarket in-line filters on these bikes can cause issues as well, they weren't fitted as standard to earlier bikes and you haven't mentioned if there is one. But, if there is, I'd start there. The point at the top about crud blocking the petcock filter is a good one too.

In Edinburgh so using all the bus lanes, all the time and filtering when the bus lanes are blocked. People genuinely don;t check their mirrors here though so I've always got to be on the lookout for people turning left into a side street and just cutting across me completely - stay out of those blinds spots!!

Generally covered already but: 1) Ride at your own pace, don't worry about getting left behind or trying to keep up with others, people will wait and you'll enjoy yourself more. 2) Keep your distance on all sides when the group gets close together. 3) Offset your riding line from the rider infront, you'll have a better view and more time to react if needed. 4) ENJOY!!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoff-Adhesive-Remover-20-Wipes/dp/B003IDDW7O These dissolved the superglue that my 4 y/o got all over his hair, maybe a good shout for the bike as there's no risk of spilling or splashing acetone all over your paint.

This site is pretty good for second hand parts in good condition. https://www.boonstraparts.com/en/parts#parts

My kids, although too young at the moment, are desperate to have a shot riding pillion. The Mrs and I have agreed that once they're old enough to touch the footpegs and can be trusted to listen to instructions/hold on tight/not lean all over the place , that they can start getting little runs around our town (20mph limit mainly, some 30 zones). They'll have a full complement of gear though, helmet, gloves, leathers/jacket and trousers plus boots. I've had a couple of offs at low and high speed, both times my gear has stopped me getting any injuries so there's no compromise on the kids wearing it.

Loosen off the bar end weight a bit, too much pressure on them can stop the throttle freely moving.

Was filtering the other day going into work and the chelsea tractor in front of me kept veering to the middle and back again, couldn't get through. Finally got a gap and as I passed I saw the guy was engrossed in his phone, with the window open an inch so I just stopped the bike, leaned over and shouted "GET OFF THE f**king PHONE!!!" He jumped out his seat and the phone flew onto the dash Think the high vis jacket, white helmet and white bike made him think I was a copper for a second, rode on laughing myself stupid after that

Do you have a voltmeter you could use to check the battery output?

Yeah mine was empty when I got the bike as well, it just needed filled, primed and set. Works perfectly

If so, stick a seal mate down and around the seal. If you've not got a Seal Mate, just cut a strip out of a plastic milk carton - works just the same.

Immediately obvious, first you'll see a tide mark on the stanchion, just above the dust seal, then as you ride farther on it you can end up with big blobs of oil sitting on top of the dust seal and eventually running down the fork lower. If it goes on for long enough it can end up coating the caliper and/or brake disc, so not one to sit on too long once it's been noticed.

Used to swear by Wurth cleaner & dry lube, then used white lithium grease in the winter. Current bike came with a Scottoiler and I love it, just have to lightly oil the side plates when I clean the chain.

Just did mine because one seal had started to leak and I've never bothered doing it on previous bikes unless there's been a leak. However, that said, the oil I just took out was so disgusting that I don't think it's ever been changed in the 8 years the bike has been on the road (I've only owned it a few months) - it was thick, gunky, grey and would not have gone easily through the dampers I suspect, minging! I reckon I'll start changing mine every 3-4 years from now on - it's too much hassle to be an annual thing.

It's a minimal rate of loss over the years and, to be honest, are you really going to have the same bike in 10 years?

I've had the same quantity of emails/PR for this, entered their big draw competition to win a helmet but without seeing some user reviews, SHARP test for comparison or it getting put through it's paces on a full review, I wouldn't touch it. The only news/commentary I;ve seen has been on FB, which I don't trust at all, or on snowboarding forums and that's not really relevant to a m/c helmet.

Bit late to the discussion, but here are some case law examples that might help you decide: https://www.motorcyclelawscotland.co.uk/start-your-claim/types-of-accidents/filtering/ This one in particular is close to your example, but every case is different so will be viewed differently: https://www.motorcyclelawscotland.co.uk/why-choose-us/case-law/fagan-v-jeffers/

Have you managed to narrow down the area that is leaking? Would be a lot less hassle (and cheaper) to try a waterproofing spray/sealing product first. I've just used SDoc100 for my textile jacket, trousers and backpack and it's done a good job. Went from getting the elbows and small patches saturated to water rolling off and only forming wet patches on the outer layers, they don't penetrate anymore, was only about £20 I think for a washing and re-proofing kit.

The only thing I think you could have done differently, and this is a presumption as there was nothing in your description to suggest you were riding close to anything in front, but leave a 4 second gap in the wet as opposed to the usual 2 second gap. It may have given you enough time to recognise the rainbow sheen on the road and taken appropriate action, whether that be pulling over altogether or having the extra couple of seconds to identify a safe path around it, even if that meant crossing on to the other side of the road. You don't say whether you were riding on the car tracks to the near or off-side; off-side would give you a slightly better view ahead and around the car infront - it may have just been enough for you to spot the diesel. I totally agree with folk above though, new tyres in the wet plus diesel is a nightmare and most people would have gone down in that situation. Even if you were upright, having an new tyre and hitting diesel on a wet day could force the rear wheel out from under you on contact with the diesel. Just totally unlucky. With the new tyres, I tend to try and right upright or go reeeaaally slowly and gently into corners for the first 10 miles or so and after that gradually tilt the bike a little farther each time until the areas are scrubbed in. Imagine the line of contact on the tyre when riding upright; once that's been roughed up a bit lean a bit more to either side so that you'd be scrubbing a new section of tyre but also sitting half on/half off the section you've just scrubbed in. Gradually lean further and further until you've covered 100 miles or so and can sit at an angle you're comfortable with.

Elephants on Acid - Cypress Hill. Listening along with the old ones in preparation for their gig in December!

Strange faults to be experiencing, I'd try taking the nose off and inspecting all of the wiring into the dash and light clusters. The only reason for that is with you saying the dash/headlight improve as you accelerate/brake, it sounds like the forward/backward motion could be putting pressure on the wire connections.

I've got two of these - one in the car and the other on the bike. Great VFM, lots of spare mounts, adhesive pads, waterproof case provided. Records at 60FPS/1080p, playback is good quality - I've used it twice when witnessing an accident and both times the insurers accepted it as evidence. I'd ignore the 4K reference, I've not got anything that will play back 4K to confirm, but I suspect it will be limited to regular HD given the price. Reasonably good quality in the dark too, doesn't get too affected by glare from lights but you have to be pretty close to clearly catch a licence plate at night. For the money, they've been a great bit of kit. I'd advise getting a couple of spare batteries and a charging dock as the record time is ~1 hour on a full charge, does me fine for commuting but longer than that it either needs externally powered (via usb) or the battery swapped out. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Campark-Underwater-Waterproof-170%C2%B0Wide-Camcorder/dp/B01DF2D30I?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_7

I think they're great tools, I got the larger socket set a few years ago and never had any bother with them. They come with a lifetime guarantee as well so if anything breaks, just return it to a store and get a replacement.