Breezin

59 minutes ago, Swagman said:

So are they going to separate the bikes from cars in all the villages and country roads as well.

Yeah, fair point. I was thinking the biggest danger from dumb cars, as with dumb drivers, is probably on urban streets.

Self-driving tech has gone 90% of the way, but it's the last stretch that's difficult, according to this in the Guardian... https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/03/peak-hype-driverless-car-revolution-uber-robotaxis-autonomous-vehicle.

As for bicycles, they are being separated out already in their own lanes, in most civilised places.

2 hours ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

No different from running through a puddle. I hose mine down most days during the winter, just don't aim the hose directly to any electrics. 

I suppose. When I hosed the oil radiator the other day there was a lot of hissing, so I thought that's going to be a sudden cooling with metal contracting.

Maybe I should just stop worrying . 

Just wondering about washing off crud after using the bike, as I've recently got access to a hose outlet.

Interested in opinion on whether it's ok to hose down all parts of a hot bike (air and oil-cooled), or should I let it cool off.

3 hours ago, onesea said:

 

Sorry @husoi  , and @Breezin  if you feel I am miss quoting, to me that sums up not just lids but most motorbike gear.

I have yet to find research showing statistically the difference the "quality" of kit makes in the event of an off, its a very subjective point.
Even the cheapest stuff is better than nothing.

As with most things the quality of the cheapest gear can be noticeable less than "mid range".  However when people start paying 100's more for a brand and a few grams less weight and other special features I start to wonder.

Some one mentioned going on Tour, 2 suitable helmets:
FRANK THOMAS - FLH01 HELMET WHITE - £69.99
SCHUBERTH - C4 PRO MAGNITUDO HELMET WHITE - £624.99
Both about the same weight (1.6kg) both SHARP 3* Rated. 

Yes The Schuberth has more features and is probably a better helmet in many ways, is it £500 better?   
That becomes down to personal circumstance, if some one gave me  the choice of a free Schuberth or a Frank Thomas and £500 to go touring I would be asking them how many days holiday do they have left?
 

I'd probably agree with every word of that! Schuberth are lovely: they make me go 'mmm' in motorbike shops. But so is having £500 (I think -- I have had €500, but never £500 ) . I know which I'd choose.

Maybe reams of features, and of course exclusivity, but apart from official validation there seems to be little science justifying the massively expensive options. For example, I came across a piece of research some time ago* saying the top helmets only achieved marginally better noise protection than mid-range. I suspect that's probably true across a lot of variables.

*I can't find it now even though I thought I had bookmarked it. You'll just have to take it on trust that I'm not making it up!

I'm not convinced that the best you can afford necessarily equates with the best lid.

Helmets are functional items and you can objectively see some of what you're getting for your money, in terms of weight, features, etc. But they also are fashion items, and in fashion the main idea is that people pay for a label's statement, where quality may or may not follow. So I think that until there is some sort of independent testing arrangement beyond meeting basic standards we are largely working on trust and intuition.

HJC i70 does it for me... I'm not persuaded I need to spend more, though I probably wouldn't trust a helmet priced at £50.

Came across this a while back. I like my Interceptor's 'respectful purr' -- and the odd decel pop

Bimbling is great. But sometimes I like a good blem.

I can't remember ever thinking about blipping (only recently revealed to me a 'rev matching'). It just seemed a natural thing to do. Maybe it was just fun.

When I came back to bikes after a good few years off them, I found myself doing it automatically. I've actually tried to stop to see what would happen with a slipper clutch, but I've found it quite difficult. I can't stop blipping!

I do think a lot of these things are over-thunk nowadays, thanks to the Internet. Counter-steering anybody? We've all been counter-steering since we took stabilisers off our first bicycle.

images-1.jpeg

Exactly why it keeps happening. Whose job is it to enforce?

I appreciate that different bikes have different recommendations and that people find a setting that works for them, but that does not actually answer the question; what does it do, and how do you know if its working. Is this just one of those things that we don't actually know?

On my (non-muscle) road bike, I would avoid going too high, as I intuitively would expect to lose grip, whiteline etc., and I would avoid going too low, because that means increased wear of expensive tyres.

32psi front and 36 rear as per the manual seems to work, and I haven't seen a compelling reason to deviate from those.

What about coatings? The gold colour. Presumably its for corrosion resistance. Does it work?

Goldie lookin chain be cos it looks good!

https://youtu.be/ICG0MuzEYzw

PS: Battery is about 15 months old. Only accessory is Oxford grip heaters (and the occasional phone charge), but very rarely on of late...

The change charge is that a reducer to 5v for usb?

Does it isolate when bike turned off? Even with nothing plugged in they can take a little current.

Yes, 3 amp or so usb charger. I didn't realise it would draw when not in use! I can disconnect at the sae connector. I assume that would do the trick?

I'd put it on the switched circuit but it's been great to have when camping and charging the power bank. Usually, camping goes with longish runs, so the charge should be ok.

The red battery light is purely to tell you if the bike is charging or not and nothing actually to do with the battery as such.

I would just double check to see if the bike is charging fine and if so don't worry about the charger if you're using the bike at least once a week

 

Right... stop worrying! I'll go with that solution for now!

 

If anything just get a multimeter across the battery terminals to make sure you have plenty of charge

You're ahead of me... can't find my old one, last used maybe 10-15 years ago, and buying one today!

Seen as though no one has picked up on it or questioned it what do you mean your battery light stayed on longer than you like?

Do you mean the one on the bike on the dash?

 

Yep... red battery light just stayed on for a few seconds after starting the engine the other day, when I hadn't noticed that before with the engine running. No other draw at the time.

No problem turning the starter, but if I'm guessing it was maybe at the limit.

 

The red battery light is purely to tell you if the bike is charging or not and nothing actually to do with the battery as such.

I would just double check to see if the bike is charging fine and if so don't worry about the charger if you're using the bike at least once a week

Right... stop worrying! I'll go with that solution for now!

For £10 I can get the tyre changed and balanced.

Just take the wheel off and go to the garage 4 miles away. Don't think is worth the trouble for little saving

 

Any garage or a bike shop? Will the standard car equipment damage a spoked bike wheel?

 

Bob Scott Bikes

One of the best bike garage in Fife

The guy is a gem.

Wow. That's a good deal. Bit far for me though!

Seen as though no one has picked up on it or questioned it what do you mean your battery light stayed on longer than you like?

Do you mean the one on the bike on the dash?

Yep... red battery light just stayed on for a few seconds after starting the engine the other day, when I hadn't noticed that before with the engine running. No other draw at the time.

No problem turning the starter, but if I'm guessing it was maybe at the limit.

For £10 I can get the tyre changed and balanced.

Just take the wheel off and go to the garage 4 miles away. Don't think is worth the trouble for little saving

Any garage or a bike shop? Will the standard car equipment damage a spoked bike wheel?

Cheapo option for me -- habit of a lifetime and not going to change now!

If I can get away with the quick and dirty solar panel just for trickle purposes, I'll do that.

Bigger panels might be a bit of a hurdle with the neighbours -- some are a bit precious about my having a shed in front of the house as it is, so I'm keeping things on the down-low as far as possible.

PS: Battery is about 15 months old. Only accessory is Oxford grip heaters (and the occasional phone charge), but very rarely on of late...

Thanks for those helpful responses - lots to think about there!

Good point about higher output to compensate for lack of sun. Might go that route.

Taking the battery out is a pain on the Interceptor. Not something I want to do on a regular basis. Longer term, will wire the shed for power so I can also use a shed heater. That's bit of a project though!

My bike only gets out once a week max these days, due to lockdown/winter etc., and yesterday the battery light was staying on longer than I'd like. So thinking of a trickle charger - solar, as the shed has no power.

Looking at the options, they range from 3w to 10 or so. Any clue as to what it needs, or what might be too much?

The Himalayan took Itchy Boots from India to Holland and through much of S. America before the pandemic put a stop to her gallop. I was impressed. Look for her series on YouTube.

As a Interceptor owner, I think the new generation REs are a class apart and shouldn't be judged on the poor record of the Bullets.

Hard to resist!

I had this one lying around since January. I feel obliged to confirm that none of those oil leaks are RE -- at least not recent!

Got 'em. Thanks Stu!

Good quality!

overtrousers don't survive long on rural roads due to the contaminants off the fields

 

Er, what contaminants?

 

Pesticides, fertilisers, slurry etc.

We need a campaign for shite-free roads!

Sorry