trcooke

Boke

I'm told if looked after well the Honda v-twin will go on forever, same for the Suzuki v-twin that you'll find on the SV.

I ride a 2004 Honda 650 TransAlp and use it for commuting. The low rev torque and the high seating position is nice for chugging through traffic and being able to see over the cars. Plus as it's 14 years old I'm not super precious about it getting mucky and stacking the miles on.

This thread may have gone a little off topic. Perhaps a new thread is required for to discuss the appropriate refreshments you should offer passing bikers. Obviously not horlicks as it's boggin.

The funny thing about asking for opinions on a public internet forum is that you get them. Calling someone a douche because you didn't like what they had to say isn't very nice.

We haven't even got to the part yet where I try out some of these suggestions either. It's the most serious of businesses.

Dang! Heated gloves are expensive, in addition to whatever it'd cost to have a power supply hooked up on the bike. Perhaps I'll start with the cheapest option and get better gloves, then splash out on some heated grips if I still have problems.

Heated gloves? Such things exist? I never knew that.

dang! I passed my DAS about 6 weeks ago and my insurance is £152. I'm guessing you're young?

It's winter time and my hands are friggin freezing, so much so that the thumb and forefinger of my throttle hand go numb which is less than ideal. In your experience which is the more effective remedy, better gloves or heated grips? Cheers, Tim

Sorry Stu, that sounded a bit snippy didn't it, it wasn't meant to be. I was quoting his info about the car from elsewhere, you didn't miss anything.

I quote: "New modified oil pump balancer shaft with 100mm hex key"

I wouldn't know but he has put a new turbo on it and done some modification to the oil pump which was a necessary upgrade apparently. Like I say, he's a good mechanic so knows what needs done.

The length and quality of discussion in this thread is testament to the dedication we hold in keeping our fish suppers in optimum condition ready for eating.

Funny you should bring that up, because you are correct in that the entire stretch between Holywood and Bangor have average speed cameras, but those cameras are pointed at the oncoming traffic to read your front number plate with a picture of your face behind the wheel of your car and then time how long it takes you to arrive at the next camera, but bikes do not have a number plate on the front so the theory is you can hoof it undetected.

I have a buddy in Northampton who I know is selling a 2007 Audi A4 Avant S line 2.0 Tdi 170Bhp. I don't know if that's anywhere near you and I don't know how much he wants for it but I can find out if you like. The fella is a car mechanic so it'll be a solid car.

I also found the Mod 2 pleasant. It felt like just going out for a waft around town for half an hour. Having been a car driver for a long time I'm very comfortable with general road features, roundabouts, junctions, lights, signs, etc, so for me it was more about the physicality of driving the bike than anything else. I expect for a new rider who does not have the car experience then it's a much more intense experience as you're new to riding a bike as well as being new to to driving on the road. Thankfully I passed mine first time with just 1 minor under 'steering' for slightly swan-necking a right turn into a junction because I overshot the ideal turning point a little. My examiner even commented afterwards that I was "a good wee driver" which just made my day

I failed my Mod 1 the first time for putting my foot down on the ridden U turn and then again coming out of the last figure of eight. It was fair enough because at that time I just was not confident with low speed manoeuvring. The comment from the examiner was that I just wasn't driving the bike. The 'eureka' moment for me was realising that trying to coast round a low speed turn makes the bike want to fall over and that if I kept 'driving' the bike forward with a bit of throttle and clutch control then the bike immediately stood up and turned just nicely. So my top tip is to practice driving the bike round turns with a little throttle and clutch while looking where you want to go, as opposed to coasting round looking at your front wheel which is what I was doing before. I found that if I ever felt the bike slowing down and starting to fall then just a little throttle and clutch would stand it right up again. Get some practice in doing this before you go again and hopefully you'll have a bunch more confidence next time. Once I got comfortable with this then I passed the Mod 1 with a clean sheet. You can do it too.

A close cousin of "Don't take this the wrong way...".

"I don't mean to be rude but...." usually precedes the most scathing of remarks. If you're going to be a douche, have some stones and own it.

The OP, that's me, is embarking on a journey of experimentation that will involve eating lots of fish suppers. Thanks for all the suggestions.

This route would be pretty spectacular. https://discovernorthernireland.com/about-northern-ireland/destinations/causeway/causeway-coastal-route/causeway-coastal-route-destinations/ and if you're a fan of Joey Dunlop, why not drop into his bar in Ballymoney while you're at it. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g1393505-d5915334-Reviews-Joeys_Bar-Ballymoney_County_Antrim_Northern_Ireland.html?m=19905

That was exactly my problem on Monday. My choices were kack visibility or an icy cold face. I went for the cold face of course but would rather not again.

The visorcat does look a bit mental, I was imagining something like a teeny tiny squeegee on your index finger. I ride a Transalp and have a pretty decent sized screen to hide stuff behind out of the elements so a sponge in a small tub might just work out nicely.

While we're on the topic of chippy recommendations it'd be remiss of me if I didn't mention Cafe Cod in Bangor. Another favourite.