125cc

Key worker so no "isolation" for me, however there's plenty I could be doing if I was. Thoroughly washing and polishing the 125. Always satisfying. Servicing the car (and fixing it after Mrs. 125's parking wars). Meccano for grown-ups and one of my favourite hobbies. Re-painting the bedroom wall that Master 125 Senior decided to "artistically decorate" the other night with marker pen (feck knows where he managed to find it...). Building/decorating some model rockets. Just need to be allowed out fly them... Having fun at home with the kids. Great excuse to be a kid again! Certain, er, "noctural activities" with Mrs. 125... Tidying up the utter mess that Masters 125 Senior & Junior make on a daily basis. Not fun but has to be done. Cooking delicious meals. Satisfying and enjoyable. Daily walks/cycling around the village (unless self-isolating). Simple pleasures and one of the few ways to say hello to folk in person these days. Ram yer Zoom meetings! Stargazing at night (one of my favourites). Nothing quite like taking in Orion, Gemini and the Pleiades Cluster on a gin-clear freezing cold night. Bingeing on Star Trek series on Netflix or listening to 70s/80s/90s rock music with Mrs. 125, small amount of alcohol, nice food, kids in bed and cat on lap. Favourite way for us together to unwind from the day's radgeness. Dreaming of home right now...

This is one of the things that bugs me massively about modern tech... constant bings, bongs and notifications. Seatbelt no fastened, BONG BONG BONG... lights left on, BONG BONG BONG... tailgate left open due to oversized item, BONG BONG BONG, smartphone in work/at home, constant notifications from SM, newsfeeds, texts, BONG BONG feckin BONG... jeeeeeeezus wept its enough to drive you tae the drink and fags.

I also fly privately, the aircraft I fly are 40 years old with minimal analogue instrumentation and a few switches. Navigation via ye olde 1:500k chart, compass/DI and clock. All good fun! GPS takes the fun and skill out of it (Follow The Magenta Line) however it is handy if you cock it all up and get lost.

Now THAT'S the kind of control panel I like to see... No screens that pack in/hurt your eyes, no dodgy buggy software, no feckin touchscreens... Switches, dials and bulbs all the way!

Haha yes I had a few disbelieving stares this past fortnight also. More the fool them however, whilst skiteing about in their mahoosive SUV poseurmobiles/Audis on our single-track road in/out of our village I was safe and sound on my 125 with its skinny little bicycle tires; nice low seat so I could put my feet down if required also! Air-cooled, next to no warm-up, no scraping waiting to clear windows, nice and warm and dry in my thermals.

Mine is only a 125 so no way of hiding damage, stickers or otherwise

I bought the kit along with my bike so I think I've still got the receipts somewhere... Have contacted the dealer to see if they can be of any assistance. Sorry to hear of your bad experience, my gear has held up pretty well in 2.5 years of daily commuting in all weathers, always got me to and from home safe, warm and dry, plus the trousers protected me very well when I fell off so I can vouch as to their crashworthiness... 125cc

We had Hive in our old house. It could be handy! Didn't really "need" it as such however, it was a freebie with a new boiler. I'm a bit ambivalent regarding the concept of "Smart Homes". The geeky Star-Trek-fan part of me thinks its great, futuristic and dead clever, however the luddite part of me says no way. Not quite worked out what part is dominant yet... I'm an airport engineer, and increasingly I get so sick of dealing with technology every day at work what I get home all I want is the basics... no computers, phones, technology, smart this or that, connectivity... its why I don't have anything "smart" at home, drive a basic air-cooled 125 and engage in hobbies with minimal levels of tech... hillwalking (map and compass), fishing (stick and line), flying model rockets (bits of cardboard/paper/balsa and black powder engines lit with a 9V battery)... simple pleasures.

Wondering what folks' thoughts are on this. Tacky 'n' naff or a nice customisation? Personally I'm a fan... I'll get a pic of mine up this weekend 125cc

Been commuting daily, been interesting with the snow and ice this past couple of weeks. Been a good experience overall, with care I've learned a lot about grip and handling in such conditions. This weekend's task will be washing the salt/s**t off the bike (again) and applying some more aviation-themed stickers to customise it a bit further...

G'day folks. Hope you're all keeping well. What's the usual expected lifespan of textile jackets/trousers? I have a Richa Infinity which is 2.5 years old, worn daily and hand-washed 2/3 times a year. Great kit however the zip for the inner lining is now busted and the velcro neck fastening is now very weak. I'm wondering if its time to either get it fixed if possible or get a new jacket (gulp). I've heard 5-10 years as a rough figure so I'm hoping I'll get more use out of it yet. The Richa stuff has been excellent in all terms, the above issues excepted. Regards 125cc

Why is my bike all rusty ? Pfft, a bit of WD-40 will sort that out no bother...

Came off recently when I bungled an emergency stop. It was wet and downhill, started to lock up and skid, didn't release the pressure, just as bike came to a halt bike and I tipped over and smited the Earth. Did my back in, cracked a mirror and severely dented ego but aside from that got up and carried on...

2.2 miles door-to-door for me each way. I can walk it in about 40 mins. Most days take the 125 but sometimes I walk.

Campervans in tourist season regularly exhibit the worst driving standards. Hogging space on roads, doing 35 in a 60, not allowing overtaking/pulling in, not paying attention, generally bizarre behaviour. On the other hand I find folk towing caravans pretty sensible and aware of other road users and tend to drive well and pull in to let folk past if there's a build-up behind them.

I've always had my car insurance with Admiral and found them consistently to be the cheapest and have good customer service.

Working at an airport, I see lots of cars getting hired out and driven away, clearly by people from abroad who aren't used to driving on the left or in the UK. It amazes me seeing how many are driven away on the wrong side of the road, stopping in the middle of roundabouts, trying to drive in to exits, and how many cars come back with all sorts of damage. Last year I saw a French lady destroy a hired Merc outside our workshop after dragging it against a barrier, having tried and failed to drive into an exit. The metalwork on both passenger side doors was peeled away down to the internals, as if a giant tin-opener had munched its way through it. She then stopped in the middle of the road, causing utter calamity, lots of horns getting sounded etc. and got in a hysterical state. Also last year, I saw a hired Skoda mount the kerb on a corner at 40mph+. Goodness knows what damage the suspension, steering and wheel suffered... On Monday a Belgian-registered Audi stopped across the roundabout exit I was about to pull out of, in order to drop off passengers for a flight Just a few examples. These people are not fit and competent to drive, are a danger and should NOT be allowed to drive until proved competent.

Deodorant or Odor Eaters.

Too many distractions - phones, social media, radio/music, farting about with the various toys, controls and buttons that festoon too many cars these days, admiring scenery, etc. Too many folk driving about with their heads full of s**t! The problem is, once you've passed your driving test that's it. You go and do as you please until you have an accident or get caught doing something illegal. That's no good and doesn't proactively manage safety. Most folk don't seem to really think and pay attention to their driving. Most just jump in, start and go, as if walking down the street or jumping on a cycle bike. There's no roadcraft or roadsense. Bikers are different as we are much more in-tune with our surroundings as we are exposed and vulnerable, so we are very aware and proactive about it. Pilots have to have a check with an instructor biannually. To me there should be something similar for drivers. Like a car CBT? Most probably wouldn't pass

40mph is all I get if I'm riding in stormy weather (40mph+ headwinds) in the winter up here. Which is practically all winter... Although I did a nice trip back and forth to Forres yesterday evening and managed a comfortable 60+. Until I hit some headwind and topped out at 56 with the throttle wide open...

You're not going fast enough On a 125?! Tops I can get is an indicated 75mph... Down hill with a trailing wind! 75?!? Blimey i'd be well into the redline with that speed.

Give it a few days on Highland roads in the middle of winter, a good smattering of salt, snow, rain, mud and general keech flung its way will put it to the test better than any lab run...

Nice bikes. Bright green's always been my favourite colour. Always fancied a Kwak because of that

That was my first choice actually, but I was tempted by something more solid and waterproof for winter use.

Bloody heck, and it didn't backflip as soon as you put any weight in it?! Nah, it's fine, I upped my pie count to weigh the front down. I like your thinking... Years ago when I was in my early 20s and somewhat thinner that I am now I did a medical with the CAA at Gatwick, at the end of which which I was told by a very nice and rather attractive young female doctor (am I allowed to say that nowadays as a complement without offending someone?) that "You're alright Mr.125cc, you just need to eat a few more pies, that's all". As a pie-loving Scotsman I was all too happy to follow the doctor's advice...