winston smith

Never a truer word spoken Absolutely agree with this. But I go a little further. I am wary of any car of German origins - including skoda and seat. Mind you, I live near Walsall, where most of the drivers paid their best mate's cousin's next door neighbour to take the driving test for them - everyone here races to get through the lights before they change to Green.

Well, that's me told then It's not something I've ever felt the need to do, but seen loads of cars/bikes/vans go the"wrong" side of these mini islands. Every day is a school day

I don't "know" the correct answer but I would imagine it is dependent on painted lines.... In your photo the hatched areas in the centre have broken lines on either side, and both before and after the refuge - which we can cross with caution. If the line are solid we cannot cross unless it's an emergency situation. I have come across refuges such as the one pictured between 2 lanes going the same direction, and obviously traffic glows on both sides of those.

If you're being sensible it would behave like rich said. If the bike is cranked right over and you give too much gas you're likely to loose grip to lose grip - more likely at the rear, but could go at the front too/instead. With trail braking it's a balance of braking force vs lean angle:- the greater the lean the less braking force you can apply - to the front at least (rear braking in a bend can help tighten the turn). And the same applies to adding power on corner exit:- more lean angle equals less gas. Is this a hypothetical question, or something you intend to try ? Cos if you want to learn this stuff do it on a trackday or with a race school - it takes a lot of practicing and not something to learn on bumpy diesel stained public roads dude.

...... So I'm out on a date with this really hot chick, wowing her with details of my trip to Japan ( cos it's really expensive there and she'll think I'm loaded) And then some small talk about woodland birds cos chicks always fall for a guy who likes soft fluffy animals. Anyway, I popped to the loo and quickly checked for anything new on TMBF to find you lot discussing my date. How embarrassing !! Ok, you got me, I'm just trying to raise some laughs while sat in my truck at Frankly Services

As much as I dislike them, I'm in complete agreement with you. People don't understand them or trust them or simply ignore the messages given, which is half the problem. There are still quite alot of road users that can't use a 3lane road properly, never mind adding extra or removing lanes as is required, the standards of motorway driving are sometimes so dire it puts everybody in danger........ ......bits that's a different rant altogether

They are a dealer, of sorts, I wouldn't call them reputable. I don't speak from first hand experience - just from various forum comments and conversations with other bikers. As I understand it they the the sales department for a "we buy any bike" outfit. The showroom is so rammed with stock it's nigh on impossible to sit on or even inspect them properly. There's no workshop as such to check, prep, service the bikes. The warranties aren't worth jack. Customer service is dire. On the flip side some people claim to have bought from there and we're entirely happy with their experience. As said, these are just comments I've seen or heard elsewhere, so best to do some research - google superbike factory reviews and see what comes up. Whatever you decide,. Good luck dude

And flip flops ??

Its twats like that who really do need taking off the road entirely....surely an m5 has bluetooth connection as standard Rich, it was M5 - the motorway, near West Brom. My bad, I didn't make that clear. The car was an Astra - tarted up to look like a vxr but probably just mid range diesel.

...and just for the record I hate smart motorways.

Well, in principle, the concept of "smart motorways" is ok. There are cameras every few hundred yards ( each camera is insight of the next ) which are monitored 24/7. Most, if not all, also have sensors that flag up abnormal traffic patterns, slow or stationary vehicles. Then the matrix signs display reduced speed limits, lane closures, warning messages etc. This is often instantaneous so I wonder if there is an automated system, or maybe the guys in the control room are really on the ball. So if people follow the guidance in large illuminated font in front of them all is good. The problems are caused by dickheads who ignore these signs (or don't see them cos they're busy texting)...... Like the knob today on M5 - joining at J1 there's a red X on lane 1. while everyone is shuffling into lanes 2&3, I matched their speed in the centre of lane one waiting for a gap. Knob decides he's too important to follow the rules and squeezes past my nearside within 2-3 inches, and off down the closed lane until he reaches the HATO's coned taper, before pushing into lane2 . When I passed him a few seconds later the knob was chatting away on his phone without a care in the world.

Interesting to see different people's takes on who waves / who doesn't. For my two penneth, I think it's partly a geographical thing. When I lived in Kent most people waved, nodded or leg dangled - a European habit I believe, with the exception of Harley riders and power rangers - you know, 1000 cc sports bikes, nearly new and cleaner than an operating theatre with matching top of the range one-piece leathers and latest MotoGP replica lid. I'm in the Midlands now - so far, just about everyone seems to nod, even the scooter boys. TBH there aren't many cruisers/choppers around my way so my opinion may need some revisions in future.

I don't know much about electrickery, but everything ive read here points towards reg/rec failure. Could be as simple as a loose pin or corrosion on the connector blocks. Have a look at Matt Hudson/Matt's Workshop on YouTube - he's done a couple of videos on reg/rec diagnosis and replacement on his sv1000.

Good Luck indeed CTR, really hoping for good news in the months/years to come!! I'm not confident that you can pay DVLA to obtain registered owner details as would that not breach GDPR, without consent from the owner that is? That's a good point, and I'm not well versed in gdpr laws. I do know that most if not all gdpr rules only apply to corporations, organisations and public bodies - not private individuals. I also know that dvla do sell keepers info. The whole licensing/registration thing is something of a grey area - vehicle registrations are technically "owned" by dvla and are loaned/hired/licenced to each vehicle. Driving licences are similar - we don't own them as such, we pay for a licence to drive/ride on public roads. So the keeper information belongs to dvla to do with as they see fit (within the law). And given the mercenary money-grubbing nature of any government department, if they can make a few quid from selling info then why not do it. If you think about it, it's 50% taxation/revenue, 50% big brother keeping tabs on who does what, where,when & how.

If the bike hadn't run for a long time it sounds to me like some shmoo has got lodged somewhere in the fuel line - maybe in the petcock. Might be worth flushing it through ?

I vaguely remember seeing somewhere that you can register yourself withe dvla and "buy" registered keepers details for a small fee. Private car park companies like parking eye do it, but not sure how a private individual goes about the process. Good luck dude

1. "Best bike" is a very subjective thing. Best at what? Every year there is an award for European Best Car of the Year. Each year it is won by a bland family friendly hatchback which almost nobody I know would say they really want to get that car. But according to the voters it's the best. The only way to find what's best for you is to do the research, go look at, sit on, price up the bikes, and ride them once you have the appropriate licence. 2. Comments like this really boil my piss. Loads of forum members have taken time out to give good sound advice, and then you reveal that all you want is to dick around. If you're gonna do that on the road buy something old and tatty with engine bars cos you're gonna crash it ..... a lot! Best advice - pass your car test, buy a van, buy a motocrosser or track bike, then do your dicking around away from the roads we all use with a modicum of common Sense. Nothing personal dude - just my opinion

Would it not be easier to buy the cup adapters for your paddock stand ? I know they're abit old fashioned and unsexy, but will lift the bike and no bodging required

I think its probably because we are concentrating on pulling away, changing up, road conditions ahead etc. The right leg is the lowest on the list of priorities. It's the opposite with me, my right foot is on the back brake, my left foot is on the ground, and as i pull away, put my left foot on the peg ready to upshift Yeah me too. When I was learning to ride it seemed like every junction was on a gradient, so always waited left foot down, right foot on rear brake. It's one of those things that I always do without even thinking about it. I have noticed that sometimes in stop / start crawling traffic my left foot dangles, just skimming the ground - absolutely no clue where I picked up that habit

What a fooking idiot What he said ^ Knobs like that deserve to be rear ended by something big, heavy n solid - they would never do it again! (Same applies to the tests that fly down lane 2/3 to avoid queuing then cut across for the exit ramp at the last moment, and stop dead in lane 1 while trying to force a gap in the queue on the slip road. ....funny how it always seems to be an Audi )

Foreign lorry?? It's really really common for foreign drivers to use the left lane on roundabouts regardless if which exit they need. No idea why ( maybe lost, maybe confused, maybe different rules in their countries) but it's something we all need to be aware of and watch for.

Yes other motorcyclists, mostly scooter riders (as in deliveroo etc) putting their feet out as they lean into a corner or roundabout. This morning (Thats what inspired me to write this post) I followed someone into Blackwall tunnel (Southbound, if that makes a difference) and all the way through (a good mile or more) skimming their right foot on the road. They must go through a pair of boots, shoes, trainers in a week. Wearing down their tread pattern, so that the footprints will be of no use, when on their crime spree Ahhh, yes! I think you've stumbled onto the answer..... ..... wearing down their tread pattern - because everyone knows that slicks are faster !!

Do you have a vision of the finished bike yet ? ( Cafe/rat/ standard spec etc) I look forward to seeing the results. I was gonna do a 750f but the bike was so far gone and used parts so overpriced at the time I have up n sold it for parts to a guy who'd just dropped his one. Good luck dude

If it's by post don't send any original docs. If any of the service record is filled in I would give them copies and tell them the rest is independent mechanic and/or self service and leave it at that.

Just a quick note about alarms... As a temporary measure or an add-on to an existing set-up, Personal rape/attack alarms ( not the official name but I'm sure you know what I mean) - they're small, battery powered, easy to fit and hide, ear-piercingly loud, really cheap etc Could work as an extra deterrent (?)