Shepherd

I can recommend Hythe Hill motorcycles in Colchester, they do a good job at a fair price. Not afraid to send you to the breakers yard either, if it's a part worth getting. They're now in Whitehall Road, but still under the same name.

That looks absolutely fantastic,  congrats on your talent.

Erm ... Welcome and Good luck...

"In order to replace the starter motor of the Gilera DNA 50, it is necessary to completely disassemble the engine block, removing it from its housing by unscrewing the screws that fix it to its supports. Once the engine has been removed, the starter motor can be located in its upper part. The starter motor can be removed from its housing by unscrewing the fixing screws and disconnecting the connectors. In this way, the old starter motor can be removed from its seat so that the new one can be inserted. After installation, the engine must also be reinstalled".

https://www.scegliauto.com/en/video/gilera/moto_tutorial/70327/

I love the ride to J&S from mine. After Chelmsford it's along the A414 to Harlow SBS then back up through the Rodings to Thaxted ( Wonky town), turn right through Finchingfield and all the wiggly bits until the Braintree Outlet.

I could go straight up the A12, but where's the fun in that? 

Tbf, they were working last night

Im 6'1" and regularly have a pillion on my Versys 650, if only for a couple of hours at a time. Doing a trip to Spa Francorchamps soon, and it's a coin flip between the V or the Deauville.  Both quite capable I think, just very different. 

2 hours ago, bonio said:

By the way, have you thought about the Versys 650? A good tourer and insurance group 9. Won't do 2-up, though; if you wanted that you'd need the 1000, which perhaps blows the budget.

+1

I think it's like riding a pushbike, a little faster than you think you should go makes it a lot more stable and easier to control.

Having the confidence to that however, is a different matter.

Good luck with it.

12 hours ago, keith1200rs said:

Near where I live a BMW RT blew over in the strong winds we had a month or so ago! It now seems to be parked closer to a nearby wall.

I know that feeling. Bleeding hefty deauville leaning away from daughters car on side stand was blown upright and over in the January winds.

2 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Had the usual song and dance clearing into Nigeria.  $2500 "fines" plus 25 ctns cigarettes, paint, oil and god knows what else besides. Needed the crane to lift it all off. The actual pilotage and loading is fine but we'll be done by Thursday. Happy days.

2 hours ago, Gerontious said:

You’re probably right. I read something and got muddled. It happens. Still, I’ll stick with the plan anyway. It makes me feel exceptionally smug to have a mortgage and stop paying it for a year. I think back to the years of struggle. Hard times at times. A different world.

 

A lot of the time having a mortgage gives life insurance too, so worth keeping a little owing.

20 hours ago, Fish said:

I've got a Biker Down course on Saturday, no idea about Sunday yet.

Did this course last Thursday, it was so good.

Never having done as much as a first aid at work course before, I feel I can drive a defib now. 

Tip: don't volunteer to be test dummy for the tourniquet section!

Enjoy reading this, and learning from your tips.

Congrats on the pass 

Take it easy though. I see too many over confident riders on the A13, A406 and the A2 whizzing between traffic at stupid mph - it's only a matter of time at the speeds they filter at.

Enjoy it ... safely!

10 hours ago, daveinlim said:

I'm nominating 2 mercedes drivers today. Commuting home last night on my bike. On a roundabout turning right one merc decided to cut me up as I'm turning on the roundabout. The other turns right on the left turn lane. They then zip in and out of traffic and must have been doing 60 or more in a 30 mph zone in the dark where there's several pedestrians crossing. 

 

They were chasing each other until I turn off a side road. Only a matter of time that they crash and maybe kill someone if that's how they drive.

 

Was one of them yellow and on The Highway / A13 by any chance? Had the same thing picking Wife and Daughter up from theatreland. Bloody dangerous, and how come they can ignore the average speed cams?

I'm an ATGATT rider, a cager and had a Smidsy.

Been riding since end of Covid. 

@Old-codger just replied to a similar question here 

May be worth a try?

2 hours ago, amber said:

what a scum bag man, if you can't take it you could rust it?

half a cup of paint stripper, 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide, 3 spoons of white vinegar & 1 spoon of salt, mix it up in a spray bottle an give it a quick spray should only take few days lol 

 

It's frightening how and why you know this!

(Note to self: do NOT piss Amber off)

To add to the above  - thanks for a great thread. Even for a 'panic mechanic' like me, I enjoyed it. Maybe I didn't understand some of it, bit I read every bit.

Congratulations. It makes it all worthwhile. 

Now the learning really begins.

Tried and failed to pick my Winter doer upper from off the bonnet of my daughters car. 

Apparently it's been a little breezy whilst I was on my hols?

Gonna have to get the neighbours help on this one - Deauvilles are not the lightest bikes. Might try pushing it up using the car, can't do any more damage. 

My so called 'Intensive' car lessons in 1985 equated to 1hour each day Monday to Thursday,  with a 2 hour lesson on the Friday which gave time for the test in Grays, Essex. 

It was 3.35pm, school chuck out time. I sat in queuing traffic on the original A13 for most of it.

The examiner was new, more nervous than I was. When the emergency stop came, he kept looking over his shoulder for a space behind me to avoid a collision. Just kept an eye in the rear view mirror, anticipating the tap on the dashboard. I was stopped by the time he turned around to face the front 

Total cost was less than £100 including the £17.50 test fee.

Not been on bike for long.

Cbt was £99 in 2018

Rode on cbt until lockdown restrictions eased for Mod 1 & 2 same day.

Had to ride from Southend to Ipswich for tests, as local centres were fully booked. A great ride home from there with a smile bigger than my visor

Congrats, the hard bit is done. Enjoy mod 2 on Monday, treat it as a ride out with your buddy.

Hippo bags are quite popular around here - may be worth a go. I've seen them collect their own branded bags, but also the builders tonne bags too.

https://www.hippowaste.co.uk/

The doer upper winter hack I got from (unknowingly) 4th Dimension was a Cat N - non structural write off.

1 fairing from the breakers and an ignition lock / immobiliser antenna from Aliexpress and all sorted, taxed and mot'd.

Less than £250 including the road tax and a bike back on the road for about 40% of it's true value.

Mind you, it is a Dullville.