Harry

It's interesting to see the differences between states in the USA ... https://www.valuepenguin.com/motorcycle-helmet-laws

Something reassuring about doing an oil filter and oil change ...

Quite enjoyable servicing your own bike. Good chance to get to know your bike and it's workings. Some of the points on your list will be covered in your MOT visit as well. Take the opportunity to go over all the nuts and bolts. People who don't feel proficient in carrying out a service that's absolutely fine. And some prefer to get a stamp for initial servicing for warranty reasons.

Sorry Stu, I've edited the subject to just MOT now and not tax and mot as originally put.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/03/drivers-given-temporary-mot-extension-due-to-coronavirus/

irresponsible on the parents part ... a hot engine and exhaust !!! Seen some nasty skin burns from contact with a hot exhaust. Not pleasant!

Hopefully whoever changed the tyres advised him about the importance of taking it easy on new tyres. I do a bit of work at a bike shop and before anyone rides off with a new tyre it is always stressed to take it easy. It used be generally accepted to take care over the first 100 miles or so. I get the odd "why?" so I just explain that not sure about modern tyres but manufacturers used to use a releasing agent to get tyres out of their moulds. And even if that isn't the case now there are other chemicals e.t.c. used in the tyre making process that leave a gloss on new tyres that needs to be 'scrubbed' off. Glad the subject has been raised on the forum as it will have raised awareness of the importance of scrubbing in new tyres.

Having been biking since the 70's I've had lots of aches and pains associated with lots of different bikes. I could have aching lower back with one bike, aching upper back with another. One bike feels like an armchair the next a deckchair! With every bike there is a certain amount of give and take and adaption needed. I guess I'm saying a bike has to be adapted to you and you have to adapt to the bike over time. A bike could be made for the Japanese market with Japanese bikers in mind. Or the European American market. I've used an airhawk to good effect on one bike and found it useless on others. My current bike/seat is pushing on my arse bones on the inside top of my legs. I tried some padded bicycling shorts I've used in the past and they make a heck of a difference.

Yes got it sorted. Another problem while sorting it was a screw snapping on the case cover! Tried absolutely everything but ended up drilling out and re-threading. Thinking about it now the sump bolt had been cross threaded too and that needed re-threading as well! Have a look at this link. https://www.ludd.ltu.se/~joshua/xf650/xf650.html

Had one for a while a few years back. Looks are an acquired taste. I have seen a couple customised to look more naked. I couldn't fault the comfort and performance though. It is a single cylinder so has the characteristics of a typical 'thumper'. Easy to service and look after. One thing to look out for is a neutral light that doesn't work. Mine didn't ... must have just happened said the seller so must be a bulb. Well no it wasn't the bulb and was a finnicky job to sort out. Neutral switch pin and springs popped out and ended up in the sump and a couple of other places! I managed to account for all the pieces eventually after using a telescopic magnet and Henry the hoover to get pieces out of the sump. There is a sump filter so the bits were not gonna come out through the oil drain plug.

Good advise above ... recheck what you've done, which I'm guessing you have done by now ... did you replace the spark plugs? always worth rechecking the plugs are the correct ones and gapped correctly ... let us know what you discover.

In my experience it's rare to jump on to another bike I'm not used to and feel at home straight away ... bikes can be similar weights and feel totally different mainly due to how that weight is distributed ... the style of bike and its weight distribution will also determine what muscles you use ... getting onto another bike and starting to get pains you didn't have before is usually down to putting weight on and using body parts you didn't use on the last bike ... the body and the mindset need time to adapt to a different bike ... so a simple thing like a U turn in a car park can feel alien to both the body and the memory/mind ... so in answer to your question ... give the body and mindset time to adjust, and in the meantime try and make physical adaptions to the bike to suit you ... if the bike is too much for you it will become obvious to you.

Yeh time to be extra vigilant. Lovely summer country roads around here become a right challenge this time of year and when they are wet. As the above ... fallen leaves, tractor shite, horse shite, manhole covers, white lines, even road kill, all becomes extra shitty when wet! The 'slipperiest' (I had to look twice when spellcheck gave me that!) at the moment around here is the middle of narrow newly tarmacked roads/lanes. Car wheels flatten where their wheels make contact and all the loose shite and stones gather in the middle. That's really tricky when cornering!

'just getting old'! ... that's exactly what my doctor told me! I've been a couple of times to see my doctor and after checking me over he tells me it's old age! Says a bit of physio might help. After a couple of months waiting for a physio appointment I've been had a couple of sessions now and things are quite a bit better. It's about strengthening up the torso and surrounding muscles to help take the strain so I don't rely too much on my 'old' back. I still get back ache now and again so I take a pain killer. As many stops as it takes to stay comfortable when I'm out on a bike run.

Honestly I've seen some increasingly outrageous driving on the roads. You see it almost every friggin day! I'm always saying to my other half after witnessing some shit driving either they are oblivious to other road users around them and can't help it ... or they are complete dicks that don't give a damn! Biking has always been a hazardous pastime but now more than ever we need to be vigilant. More cars and traffic on our roads ... In your case thank goodness you weren't seriously hurt. Just stay alert and continue to enjoy your riding and thanks for sharing.

Wow that's a scary moment! Not had a bird strike on my bike but have had 2 in my car. First, a pheasant hit wrecked my headlight. Second, a friggin wood pigeon put a big dent in my front panel! Tons of nice rides in N.Wales.

That's the first time I've had to ring an insurer and play games over an insurance renewal! The end result was that they got it down to 'almost' what it was last year. Which of course begs the questions ... why not offer that deal in the first place? ... and what if I hadn't checked the renewal statement? ... not impressed, told them so, but still decided to stay with them!

Oh man I've dropped a few in my time! Similar to the above ... no side stand down, went down like a ton of bricks! ... side stand down but parked on a slope, turned my back on it and it just rolled forward in slow motion and laid itself gently on it's side ... just happens now that I'm paranoid about making sure the side stand is down! Also pushed bike upright to check oil level while I was down on one knee, that also went down like a ton of spuds! (nice falcon, Gyr?)

Hi all. Okay so there hasn't been some revelation I've missed regarding motorcycle insurance rises then! The insurers website says there could well be rises of 20/25% for some motorcyclists but that's a fair bit away from the 65.7% I've been quoted! I'll give them a ring tomorrow and let you know what the score is. I'll have to check if there is a cancellation fee as my last cancellation with another insurer cost me £60.

Perhaps I should get on to my insurance company first but I thought I'd put it to you guys and see if the same is happening to others. Basically I have a 65.7% hike in my renewal statement. Seems a bit excessive. Anyone else experiencing such large increases?

Hi, I've bought lots of bikes since starting out in '74 ... that's 1974 not 1874 ... and I don't think I've left many of them as 'standard', ... like they rolled off the factory floor ... if a bike fits like a glove straight off then, bonus! But if not then I look at a prospective bike with a view to changing a few things. The bikes that I've not adapted to suit me have not been that many. The bars on this ER6N for instance ... as you want to know about the bars ... have been swapped for bars that are a touch higher and wider. The distance between myself and the bars are sorted by just rolling the bars either more forward or towards me to increase or decrease my forward lean angle. I guess the thing is to sit on a bike and if it fits like a glove then cool. If not, think about possible adaptations ... The 'flat bars' would increase your lean angle as they are basically just that, a flat piece of bar. Then you have low bars, medium bars, high bars increasing in height.

Hi , I have the naked version of the ER6F ... the ER6N. Although I'm just over 5'10" my inside leg is 29 1/2". So only an inch or so more than yourself. I can flat foot the bike no problem ... both feet. Now, I'm around 14 stone so my weight plus a 13 year old rear shock may add to my ability to do that. Often when I look on ebay there is a lowered seat available or a shorter rear shock with shorter side stands. Or standard seats for around £50 that can be bought then customised to fit. Perhaps just getting the cover off and shaving an inch off the padding? The stance of the ER is quite sporty due to foot peg placement and it's a half hour job to fit some flat bars.

Lots of points raised have hit the nail on the head ... yes riding a motorbike can be tiring. And for some of the factors mentioned. And some of the factors you mentioned too. A couple of years ago I decided to downsize after riding all manner of bikes since the early 70's. So for me it was off a BMW1100 and on to an ER6N. The first thing I noticed was I seemed to be getting tired more often on the Kawasaki. I've put this down to the smaller physical size of the bike ( I too am just over 14 stone ) and the busy nature of keeping a 650 engine buzzing. Jumping from an 1100 to a 650 means I have to move and think differently, judging overtaking ... throttle control ... braking ... cornering ... wind resistance ... But I have persevered so far and it seems to be paying off. On runs out I just take more comfort stops. And I'm getting quite used to stopping more often and taking in my surroundings. But for me, yes, riding a smaller bike is more tiring.

acf50 ... there's quite a bit of stuff on youtube which is useful to watch... I've been using it for a year or 2 now and in my particular case it's been really good. I bought a 12 year old bike that had spent some of it's life not being used and left outside on occasions. The result was bit of rust around the frame e.t.c. I've been spraying the affected areas with acf50 and the rust hasn't worsened and if anything it isn't as noticeable anymore. So in my case a result.

You may or may not have seen it but ... white spider shite! If you've ever seen tiny white spots on your bike or car that's garaged then you'll have seen white spider shite. We get it in work on bikes and guys bring their bikes into the shop with tiny white spots on their tanks. So my point ... a cheap bike cover is a must if you havn't got one already.