kingmunky

Been there, done that! Now I just keep the visor cracked a little bit unless I'm slowly going through city centre/resi streets.

Have you not got anywhere outside the house or on an external wall where you could fit a ground anchor? That'd be the best solution, you'll still get a reduction on your premium if you use one from the approved list.

Think the best you could do would be to write to the DVLA, filling out a V62 Application form for a V5C Registration Certificate, with as much detail as possible. Chuck in a covering letter that explains the situation and if there's any other evidence to confirm the background put that in with the application. I think there's a fee of around £25 or so. EDIT: There's also plenty of places that will do an HPI check online for a nominal fee. Just google it.

[mention]fastbob[/mention] If you're planning on heading down the east coast and travelling over the Queensferry Crossing, follow the signs into South Queensferry and stop off at Biker's Cove - very friendly wee cafe, right on the front and cracking views of all 3 bridges. Give a shout out in advance and I'll nip down to say hello.

Police Scotland stopped providing Bikesafe courses which was a bit crap, but I've been to the BikerDown course before and would thoroughly recommend it to all riders. Good common sense advice and really clear instruction and acting out how to tend to someone in the aftermath of a crash. Definitely worth a few hours of your time.

If you're in the UK, get yourself registered on banditforum.co.uk and ask around in there. There's usually a couple of people that have spares/parts they're willing to sell.

Have we done this topic before? Or is it just déja vue? (classy 'é' ) I thought WD40 was a no-no for chains, an O ring killer. Or have I just been believing old wives' tales? MCOnline tested this a while back and found no ill effects when using wd-40 https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/mc-garage-video-will-wd-40-destroy-your-motorcycle-chain-o-rings

You can get some visor/helmet specific rain repellent sprays, I've never used them though so can't really comment - they're not expensive though. Keeping the helmet and visor really clean helps, I tend to use a bit of furniture polish to keep it slick in the winter and seems to work with no ill effects. Don't be tempted to use standard Rain-X or similar for glass though as it will fog up the visor over time. You can always just turn your head to either side as you're riding and clear the rain from visor that way.

But they will do the job for most locations. We don't all ride into Central London and need half a dozen locks on each wheel. I've just got an Oxford Boss D/L and an Oxford GP chain - more than has been declared on my insurance and plenty for the quiet area I live in or others I travel to.

Yeah, everything mentioned above. Practice in a big, empty space doing ~3mph in straight lines, full-lock turns and figure-8s. Keep the revs consistent and slip the clutch to move forward, keep on the back brake gently for stability. Practice slowing and starting up again by either easing off the brake or the clutch, not at the same time - that's when things get wobbly. Bit of practice you'l' be grand

Decent advice all round here, one thing I would say is don't lube the chain until you've dried it off thoroughly, either with a cloth or compressed air as you can speed up the corrosion process if you coat the chain in lube/wax etc while there's water still on it. Speaking from experience

Had a long ride a few days ago in the baking heat and I swear my leather jacket formed a new outer layer composed entirely of decomposed bugs Worst one was when I was doing a bit over the limit on a motorway, tucked in on top of the tank, moved my head up slightly to get a better view around the car infront and BAM, a massive yellow bug went right into my visor and smeared itself everywhere. Luckily the services were a mile away!

Google is your friend mate: https://www.easyfairings.com/sport-bike-parts/fairing-bolt-kits https://www.pro-bolt.com/ http://www.speedyfasteners.com/

I have three nominations for nob of the day yesterday: Contestant #1: The inattentive Volvo driver that turned right halfway across my lane, while I'm on a long right hander, forcing me to slam on and swerve into a junction on the LHS to avoid him - didn't f@+king notice me and kept laughing with his passenger as they passed behind me. Contestant #2: Would be the woman walking her dog at rush hour...I'm riding along in a bus lane (n/s) with two lanes of nose>tail traffic to my right, I see a ped crossing point up ahead so I'm gently easing off in case the lights change, next thing I know she just appears skipping out from between the traffic into the middle of my lane - proceed to slam on again. Barely get an acknowledgement from her. Contestant #3: Come on down Mr. Uber! Sitting at a junction, to the RHS of my lane with my indicator flashing and waiting for a clear spot. Just as one is about to arrive, I check my mirrors/blind spot and out of nowhere appears a taxi straight up the right hand side of me (in the lane for oncoming traffic turning into the junction!) F~*k Mondays that is all.

That's a really good, useful and detailed write-up you've give there - I'm sure it will benefit those who are about to sit their Mod1/2. One thing I would pick up on though, and I hope that people read this far down, is that you shouldn't do a emergency stop with just your front brake. If you do this, you're not only reducing your stopping power but it puts you in danger. Locking up the front means no steering when you finally get to a speed where you could potentially manoeuvre out of danger; and having to let go then re-apply the brake just increases your stopping distance. Fair enough, the weight does shift forward but unless you're trying to do a stoppie, the back wheel will always have some braking force to add. Your distribution on the brakes should be about 80:20 - technique should be immediately off the throttle, pull the front brake and then gently on the rear so you don't lock it up, once both brakes are applied then progressively increase the pressure on the controls and pull the clutch in just before you reach the stall point. Even at high speed, the rear wheel will be carry about 10% of the braking force - don't believe me? Try it, pick a quite car park with a big straight and use some markers to test your start and end points; try braking with just the front, just the rear and then both. See how much of difference it can make using both brakes.

Was talking about this yesterday with friends, what do you think realistically they could expect if caught? Max sentence is 6 months, which would be served concurrently, so most likely it would have f**k all effect especially if they're charged with a list of other crimes at the same time. State of the sentencing guidelines in this country is ridiculous.

Sounds like something is draining the power when it's left sitting. Are there any aftermarket tracker/alarm/heated grip additions? Anything wired directly to the battery? If so, remove them, charge the battery and see how it goes once it's fully charged. If not, you might have an earth fault somewhere. Break out the multi meter and get testing.

I've used Nikwax before with decent success, did you have the two-part cleaner and waterproof washing kit?

Never used TW so can't comment on that but from what I've heard they are expensive but good. Equally, Saltire Suzuki are decent but they labour cost is ~£65/hour so even small jobs can start to add up. Plenty of indies to choose from though: I've used Mark1 Motorcycles for years and Mark knows his stuff, doesn't take the piss on cost and does work to a good standard - I'd highly recommend him for any repairs/MOT/servicing. He can be booked up for a couple of weeks at a time though. I've used Street Evolution Motorcycles in Inverkeithing for tyre swaps at short notice - reasonable cost, good work and managed to fit me in on the same day I enquired. DBS Motorcycles in Livingston are really knowledgeable as well, haven't used them myself but my friend swears by them. Metro Auto Centre in Granton is another option, I don't know anyone that's used them before but they provide the whole repair/servicing/MOT services too.

I wouldn't say it's a myth and just dismiss it like that, I mean, lids are plastic at the end of the day and plastic does break down and deteriorate due to exposure and UV rays over time so while most helmets, properly cared for, would last in excess of 5 years - would you really want to take the risk of one under-performing when you need it most? So many variables to take into account, I'd always feel better replacing than second guessing the condition. Have a read of this from a guy who knows pretty much everything you need to know about motorbike safety gear.. https://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=953836#p953836 SmartSelect_20180619-193205_Chrome.jpg But I still buy expensive helmets because I like the way they feel Yeah fair enough, that's just sitting in the open for 3 years though, not being used over the course of 5+ years like was mentioned. Not denying that helmets have gotten strides better over the years but if it's a polycarb helmet I still wouldn't feel as comfortable with using it beyond 5 years. Each to their own though, we all do what we think is necessary to keep our brains inside your skulls.

I've always used HJC helmets and haven't had any issues - usually around the £200 mark so I'd expect the quality to be high anyway but I don't think I'd be comfortable spending any less. General helmet advice, spend as much as you can reasonably afford - it's the only thing protecting you from brain damage or death. I cringe when I see these £50 helmets on display, there's surely no way they can match the build quality of higher priced competitors. This link, albeit two years old, gives you the 10 cheapest 5* SHARP rated helmets available, gives you an idea of what's available. I still wouldn't buy the cheapest ones though. https://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-top-10s/top-10-cheapest-5-star-sharp-helmets I wouldn't say it's a myth and just dismiss it like that, I mean, lids are plastic at the end of the day and plastic does break down and deteriorate due to exposure and UV rays over time so while most helmets, properly cared for, would last in excess of 5 years - would you really want to take the risk of one under-performing when you need it most? So many variables to take into account, I'd always feel better replacing than second guessing the condition.

I'll tend to cover the brake with two fingers if I'm filtering, same as I'll have my foot near the rear brake just in case. Sometimes if it's in a built up area or there's heavy traffic I'll do the same but generally I'll just grip the throttle like normal. I prefer to plan ahead and have a good idea of all the hazards infront of me so I'm prepared to stop should I need to.

When I was trying to get the hang of slow control, I found that the easiest way was to set the revs fairly high, slip the clutch out just enough to being accelerating and then hold them there - just use the rear brake to control the accelaration until you get up to speed. Adjusting the clutch/throttle can come once you're used to setting the slow pace.

Hi Folks, Just joined the forum and keen to find out who's nearby...anyone fancy meeting up in the city centre one evening/weekend and taking a ride through east/mid/west lothian? Cheers, Km