elizabethf

Haha! Well yes, this is all alleged!

Definitely this! I didnt really notice the fact it was more powerful and heavy... I don't think the bike registered me on it at all so made it easier to do tight manoeuvres

Not quite. Its certainly not a fine art, as sometimes your parcel slips through... I wonder if they have a certain quota to charge, as occasionally my parcels from Oz slip through customs free but other times they get stung. If the sender uses their national postal services, then the customs charge here is £8 fee plus 20% up to about £120. After that, the percentage jumps up considerably but Im not sure on the number, I usually try to avoid that by separating up purchases. IF the sender or you decide to use a courier like UPS, Fedex etc then you will 100% get a customs charge, and wont get a grey slip asking you to go collect then pay (30 days to do this) but instead the delivery driver asking for the money on the door. The handling fees and percentage on top vary per courier. Not sure how long they hold the parcel for. THE ONLY WAY TO DODGE (Royal Mail/parcel force) CUSTOMS This will only work if you can ask the sender to do this for you (be it an ebay seller etc or a friend based in that country). Also accept this is a risk if the items go missing as you wont receive a full refund. I have a friend in Oz and the US so I send parcels to them first and then just send them the money for posting to me. Send to the friend in that country after buying your item/ send a message to the seller Request that they remove the invoice details from the package (you could always have them sent through email instead) Ask them to send as a gift Ask them to make the value no more than about £20 If the parcels is devliever in packaging with the brand's name all over it, request something more boring. Customs arent interested in these kinds of parcels and slip under the net, they also have no way of proving that it came from a business as you removed the invoice and branding, and without an invoice they cant calculate a charge. The one Ive bolded is where a seller may draw the line as some counties will fine/blacklist them for it if they figure out they do this.

Quite the relief, I approached it with fear, but deep down Im getting a bit fed up of just a 125, started to find the main limitations of them a bit frustrating. Figured it was maybe time to look at moving on.

So much fun! Using a Gladius 650 It was only doing the faffy stuff like weaving around cones and figure of 8 etc, but so much better than the 125 dare I say I have another sighting out on the road next week then Im in for my MOD 1 the weekend after! Fun times

Alas I can't - just remembered im doing a charity bike ride on the same day near Newark!

I may be up for this, not too far from me.

Yup... I'm glad you understand how messed up running a council is... central gov't happy to s*** money up the wall on random projects but meanwhile keep cutting funds at local level so we cant fix roads properly / keep streetlights on all night / trim hedges as frequently around main roads / cuts to schools, childrens services, adult care / desperate attempts to protect the fire service which here we also fund/ domestic abuse funding and other community and public health issues given away to other companies... ...and the residents just don't seem to get it!

So true! there's always a**eholes on the road. However not all bad. Ive been on my 125 (with L plates) on a dual carriageway that was blocked (evening commuter traffic) on both lanes and I was going down the middle (i was using the outside lane to go straight at the upcoming roundabout)... loads of cars ahead wiggled over a bit to let me through, it was great, like the parting of the sea. They probably were wishing they'd taken up biking so they didnt have to sit in traffic for an hour tbf! But yes, if you hate how people view your L plates, and your confident, get a few lessons in on a big bike and get the full licence!

My CBT certificate states automatic but I ride geared as I didnt want a scooter but Id never sat on a bike before so it was a good way of finding my balance etc. On the CBT even though I was on a scooter I was still shown my way around a 125 bike too. So nothing stopping me going out and riding a bike after passing. As it happened I did the CBT again but on a bike (no certificate at the end) as I did a 2 day.

Gave some of these tips a go this morning crawling down my close before going onto the main road, revs but not as many as I was initially throwing on worked a charm, straight line and a corner feet up at 4mph. Ta!

This what i usually do, but I dont mess around trying to stay at exactly 4mph, its sometimes such a crawl (just letting the clutch take the bike, no throttle) the speedometer doesnt register haha. Its as soon as i think 'try and control it at 4mph' it goes wrong - possibly overthinking it? Thanks all!

Yes the noise is just a lot of revving, not rattling

Hello lovely people So as I ride around I always think in the back of my head about the various things you need to demonstrate in the MOD 1. However one Im not sure about is the riding in a line at 4mph. I understand how to do it - slight clutch release, near biting point, revs on to help keep you stable, look ahead and tap the back break as required, just like cbt. But 1. my bike makes an almighty racket when I try and practice this, which is to be expected when you're not letting it release i suppose - is it normal for it to be loud and awful sounding? 2. I spend most of my commute crawling, but i never really go at 4mph. its either the tiniest creep ever so im just rolling with the clutch, or i wait until theres a decent gap between me and the car in front and then move, or i just filter lol. So yeah ramble aside I am just checking that point 1 is correct? its ok if the bike is a bit noisier than normal when doing that manoeuvre? And yes I'll be doing a bit of lessons on a big bike before taking the test anyway, but I just want to practice too!

We got the Haynes manual to help Also download a CBR manual online for reference.

http://i65.tinypic.com/2gx2zdi.jpg Honda CBR125 with the repsol colours. I love this bike, it forgives many of my f**k ups and making me a much better rider.

[mention]RantMachine[/mention] I just want to say I appreciate your signature a lot. Actually seeing sexy Julian and co next month as they are on tour here!

I'm a Lincolnshire lass and for me is a bread bap or bun.

I guess I always get sent extreme ones, like the kid trying to sneak past the lorry and ends up under the wheel but escapes because his helmet wasnt done up and that got squished but he wiggled free. Shouldnt need a video like that to tell you dont try and sneak down narrow gaps between large vehicles lol

I love how much this derailed but YES to curry sauce!!!!

This is essentially my thinking. Maybe, perhaps a few years down he line when I have more experience behind me it wont bother me so much, but right now whilst Im still trying to improve my riding I dont see how it will encourage me to keep at it

I should probably update now that I like going out on the bike when I have the time for a bit of fun, as Im getting more confident with riding now so enjoy it more, and some stuff I simply want to practice, so going out and seeking them in my own time, perhaps when its a bit quieter on the road, helps loads! And yes as a previous poster said, I stalled a lot at first. My hill starts could still be better. And 9/10 my cornering is fine, but 1/10 I dont quite look where I should resulting in over steering BUT I do recover it pretty well. It's all coming together though now and Its not a nerve wracking thing to commute each day anymore.

Im also an extreme over thinker as Im a very anxious person. My parents have also long hated bikes and think they are dangerous, and always made it clear how much - to be fair, they lost a good friend involved in an RTC on his bike, and outside our house a van clipped a bike and the rider hit a tree and briefly stopped breathing whilst my mum was checking for his pulse! My first few rides out on my bike were terrifying because of it, and add in the newbie wobbles (which have gone mostly now, just needed more hours on the bike!) I did initially want to pack it in before I started. The very last thing I wanted to do was watch videos of bikers f***ing up or getting f***ed up! Im more confident now, but to be honest I still dont want to watch those kinds of videos, unless there really bizarre ones like the biker who had a waste van pull out in front of him and his bike went into the side and threw him in the air... and landed safely in the rubbish on the van!

Thanks for this Spend the weekend doing some maintenance on my bike as due to it being a 125 even though its only 3 it's certainly been passed around without much care. The chain took over an hour to clean and was absolutely RANCID. Much cleaner and nicer now! Oil and spark plug were in good nick but changed it anyway so there's a log going forward (we have no logs from the old owner). The more general, easier cleaning stuff begins tonight!

Jacket has gone, trousers still up for grabs