2fast2soon

Whats the speed rating on a battlax bt020 - isn't it a Z? which would make it illegal to plug it. spunky1976 - if you do ever have a crash on that tyre, I'd advise suing the garage that did the repair as its not legal.

Am not sure its as straight forward as that, I believe it depends upon the type of tyre as well as the size of the hole. Quote from superbiketyres.com: "Motorcycle tyres have to be repaired within the limits of British Standard BS159F." It then goes on to mention you can't repair Z rated tyres or above, and that most 600cc sports bikes these days come with Z rated or above tyres. So the answer to your question is more of a maybe, depending upon what tyre it is...

I agree with philgale, have a look at some of the custom suits as it sounds like you may struggle with off the peg. Have a look at Halo Leathers or GiMoto. I've recently been told about a company in London call Arc-On that if you email them, may make pants/suit to measure for you?!? If you do go custom, please tell us how you get on as I'm sure you're not the only one in that position. I actually know someone who wants a Halo Oracle 2 piece. If there are a few people who want to go down this path, you might all be able to club together and get a good discount!!! This might bring it right into you price range for perfect fit leathers. To partially answer your original question, I find my Alpinestars pants are roughly similar to the Dainese suit I tried on for fit in the leg, whereas the Spidi 1 piece I've just bought has a quite narrow calf. This might mean you could go up one in waist size in Spidi pants without having to wear padding round your legs. As everyone has said though, trying on is the only way you'll find out. And if the clothing is anything like the helmet companies, sizes vary between models from one manufacturer!?!

Here's what I was told by my instructors last Autumn. On a main road turning off left: Rear Observation (Left Mirror, Right Mirror, Right Lifesaver) Indicator Left Lifesaver before turning On a minor road turning left at the junction onto a main road: Rear Observation (LM, RM, RL) Indicator, Left Lifesaver Move to the left of the road Observe the road is clear Left Lifesaver just before you turn onto the road. Hope that helps.

Its the same amount of time that it takes for another vehicle to come up behind you in your blind spot - depends upon the roads. However I'd say generally if you're waiting more than a couple of seconds after your lifesaver, look again.

Have had a look at them again today and have noticed that they don't have the ring/pinkie finger connector so I have no idea where I pulled that gem from!?! I think they use an extra layer on the little finger instead - not that I mind either way. Ian from Arc-On emailed me back quite quick with the answers I was after, so I think I'll be going ahead and getting myself a pair of these real soon. Good spot Julesholling, thanks for sharing. I'd have been paying over £100 for a new pair of A*s that could match these bad boys.

Good news! A summer of two wheeled fun for you then. One last thing, get rid of those damn test dates from your signature - you're fully licensed now!

Those Buffalo gloves may look similar (black and white leather) but I don't think they've got anywhere near as much safety tech in them - stingray skin, kevlar patches, double lock cuffs with armoured wrist protector and ring/pinkie finger connection. The arc-on's also look the business whereas the buffalo gloves look like they've stepped in something's business If you want that sort of level of safety tech, I think £75 is cheap in comparison to the market's famous brands. If you aren't bothered/don't believe it makes them any safer then the extra £30 can't justify the better looks. I might get a pair of these Arc-Ons since I need a new set of gloves to go with my new leathers (maybe not need, more a case of really, really want) Thanks for sharing!

Just watched it this afternoon after a weekend away partying, what a race - I love MotoGP but the Moto2 blew it away, it was similar to the MotoGP race about 4 years ago (Elias, Rossi and Roberts Jnr I think it was) that converted me from boring Formula 1. I'll be watching Moto2 from now on. Didn't understand why the restart didn't use current track position rather than qualifying position though - I thought that was unfair.

The fear in your pillion's eyes that you could only ever hear/feel as they grab hold of you like a boa constrictor, mwah ha haaaa.

Its a good idea but the tech is quite limited: the view port is quite small and bumpy roads make it almost unbearable according to reviewers. Plus its heavy and has pretty bad ventilation. I contacted the company a while ago about trying to find someone who stocked them so I could try one on - they never got back to me. Its a bit like Apple products, don't go for the 1st generation. If they manage to get round to making a reevu v2, then its maybe time to buy one, or at least try one on. All that wouldn't stop me from trying a version 1 on if I see them at some bike event though...

Fingers crossed, you'll get through it without any issues and be on the roads before summer starts. Good luck and well done for taking the sensible option! (DAS)

Be VERY smooth when you start off with cold, new tyres as they are prone to slides if too much power/sudden change of direction is used (I know this from painful experience!) Treat the first few miles as though its mid winter, smooth and steady and not too much lean. Don't do a burn out on a brand new tyre as you're just ruining perfectly good rubber. Do it just before you replace it if you like the smell of burning rubber. 100 miles is what was always recommended, but you can probably get away with 20 or so. Its a mixture of getting rid of the release agent which shouldn't take very many miles at all, and getting some heat into them to set them up. Not too much heat though or you'll ruin them (there's another topic a few weeks ago where someone goosed a brand new set within an hour or so ), i.e. don't go doing a land speed record attempt in your first ride out on them.

This might help you: http://www.bikebandit.com/houseofmotorc ... 5h/o/m7078 ???

Hi, I did a 6 day DAS, first day was CBT, rest were getting me up to speed on the bike. It all depends on how you take to it, if you're a natural you could only need a couple of days lessons to get you to exam standard. I wasn't a natural As for helmets, I've got an Arai, very nice but expensive. A good alternative is HJC, 1/3 the price of Arai and quite comfy. Thing is though you'll have to go try any helmet you buy on. Its all about the fit. Get yourself down to some local bike stores and just start trying them on. Good luck with it all.

Congratulations. When you can spare a few minutes away from the bike, get your signature pic changed to a honda!

I tried on a 5 star Caberg V2R - it was terrible, pinched my forehead, lining was as rough as a badger's backside, all in all I'm glad I settled for the 3 star Arai Chaser I've got. The Arai fit is perfect, lining is plush, its just so nice to ride in and I'm pretty sure it'll look after me in a crash. Its a dutch import but has the gold GB sticker on (an ECE cert), and to save almost £100 off retail, I'll happily have an E4 rather than E11 orange label in my helmet. If anyone is after an Arai and doesn't mind about the E11 label, PM me and I'll direct you to a site that might save you some cash! The SHARP test is very specific and their is talk (rumours and mumbles) of manufacturer's now adding bits into their helmets at the exact point of impact to get better ratings. Unless SHARP do the tests on random locations, its not going to give us better helmets, its just going to give us a false sense of security.

I was told that if I was taken on the route in Blackburn that goes past the bus lane then I should use that lane. I missed it on one occasion during training and the instructor said it wouldn't have gone down well in the test - not sure if that means fail, but I'd recommend using the lane if you are allowed - that way you're easing congestion in the other lane and making progress safely - which is what the test is about. Good luck.

I still think having neutral between 1st and 2nd is stupid, there's probably some reason to it?!? Never heard the thumb, gap and fingers explanation before - I suppose its right. I asked a mate before I went on the CBT, he explained it as first is bottom, up half a click for neutral then the rest are above. Its just getting used to it. On my CBT the instructor had me move over to the side (the thicko area ) and practice starting smoothly while the scooter boys did turning. I soon caught them back up though after I managed to find the biting point. PS - do the DAS!

First they take a load of our money, now they're taking our racing - damn you Iceland!!!

For the questions: http://lightningpass.com/jkcm/COURSE+IN ... +QUESTIONS As for tips: Life savers and make sure the indicators are turned off! Don't force other road users to brake and don't confuse them by changing your mind last minute, i.e. if you've indicated left for the next exit/turn, go left, don't change your mind and confuse people (that's what I was told) Oh and don't give up, even if you think you've failed - you only now you've failed when the examiner says so at the end. They might not have seen the mistake!!! Good luck, you'll be fine!

I have the same boots (although went more conservative with the colour, all black) and they're really comfy. Once you've passed your tests you'll learn that where they teach you to have your feet (heel butted up against the peg) isn't the best place for controlling the bike. It is the probably the best for training and passing the test though, so stick with it for now... Good luck with the tests.

I'd sack the trainer off, he sounds a bit lazy. I practiced gear changes at home without a bike. Just trying to get the order right so it went into muscle memory, throttle off, clutch in, click with the foot, ease clutch out and twist throttle smoothly on again. You'll get the hang of it quite quickly. Do the DAS. For one thing, with a bigger bike you'll not need to change gear as much with the big torquey engine if gear changes really are a problem for you... Good luck.

Congrats, Mod 1 is the one I found most difficult, hopefully you'll sail through the Mod 2 and have a full license for the start of the summer!

Just out of interest, what was the instructors argument against the DAS? I did the DAS immediately and am thankful I don't have to ride a 125. CBT plus two days DAS on them made me realise how... hmmm, how do I elegantly put this... it made me realise how sh*t 125s are.