dimmers

well whatever has happened, it feels so good shifting from 1st to 2nd smoothly!

try holding down any 'select' buttons for more than 2 seconds, might work.

On the ride in to work this morning, i noticed that my bike now shifts from 1st to 2nd so easily, prior to the oil change i really had some trouble getting it in to 2nd. I thought this was probably down to my riding as the bike is not even 2 years old (and has been serviced by Honda since new), but i'm guessing now that it had something to do with the oil? Does anyone know why that would cause shifting problems? Too much oil perhaps?

i'm another one who likes the vulcan style gloves! i've got some by hein gericke, wish i'd got a pair sooner. They give you that extra bit of time before you hands start to go numb, and as my commute is only 30 minutes, they work great for me.

back on topic, yes they give good room. I have them done up quite tight and there is still room for my leathers to tuck in. With them fully open you do get a lot of space. I'd say they would be perfect for what you're looking for. Plus they are a great boot, they even do a goretex version for a bit extra (50 quid ish), but the standard is pretty water proof as it is, unless you're in a real downpour.

did you try the Sidi vertigo?

Google the following for good web sites, sportsbikeshop hein gericke lids direct mandp and for the prices you stated, i would take a look at the RST range of clothing. helmet for £150 easy, lots of people on here would spend a lot less, me personally i always wear an Arai. But a recent thread on here is talking about Lidl helmets, i think they are about £40, up to you really. gloves for £50 no problem, plenty to choose from for that price. Check out RST, Spada, Buffalo, Hein Gericke. boots for £75, yep you can do, but i would spend a bit more on boots. A good pair of boots will last for a long time, and wet feet when riding is horrible, having to dry your feet off and change socks is a right pain! and if you can, get a proper pair of motorbike trousers! i always think getting a back protector is a good idea, not the type that fits in the jacket, a separate one that you strap to your back - Forcefield are excellent!

Why's that??? Not having a go, just curious! Personal choice. Don't think i'll wear anything other than an Arai. Reasons behind that are down to what i've researched, and what other riders have told me. Plus the fit of an Arai is perfect (for me they are anyway).

I've got a spare saucepan if you want? only £5 seriously though, can't really help you, but there's no way i'd wear a helmet from Lidl. as others have said, fit is very important!

Ok, bit of an update. I've done nearly 3000 miles on these tyres now, and i'm amazed they still look like new. I'm so confused by these tyres, they offer such good grip (especially in the wet) yet they just don't seem to wear down In comparison, the set of Bridgestone tyres i was using before (came stock on my bike - BT012s) were almost done by 3000 miles. Needless to say, i'm a massive fan of these tyres!

that must cost you a fair bit?

nice 2 piece, i tried that on a while ago, was over my budget though.

i've had a cheap RST jacket for quite a while now, good value for money. So +1 for RST jackets. They do a cheaper touring jacket, Tourmaster or the Alpha.

perhaps this guy could help us all pay our taxes... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16714480

wonder why the police aren't releasing details of the crash? Like how it happened.

wonder how this happened... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-16716617 by the look of the car it was crashed at quite a high speed (i'm guessing) i take it the police don't have anywhere off road they can "test drive" their sports cars?

hein gericke is the place to go! they are nice and friendly and always doing deals. If you tell them you'd love to get some new kit but just can't really afford anything at the moment, you'd be surprised what sort of deals they will offer you.... plus they do a buy now pay later option. plus, their gear is very good. ebay is good for bargains, but with leathers you really need to try them on before you buy. edit: sorry, not heard of anyone doing student discounts.

Sorry, I re-read my post and it wasn't very clear. I agree 100%- I ment to say that Jeans are not worth the money, but if you do at least pimp them up with knee & hip inserts. I've heard some pants have straps you can wrap round the knee to hold it in place, then unstrap for when you go for a mince to the shops. Personaly I like my leathers the best. They feel great on, everything stays in place, and you get the nice looks from the young ladies (if that's your thing ) FYI HeinGerike have some craze promos at the moment - 20-30% off is getting the norm and their stuff is the kitten's mittens. yeah, they've got a sale on this weekend with 30% off everything (i think), you just need the discount code pm me if you want this

knee armour in the jeans is better than nothing, but really i'd go with a separate set of knee protectors that you can strap to your leg so that they stay in place. Unless you get really tight jeans, the knee armour is unlikely to stay in place if you came off.

thanks for the input, might try a pair of silk inners then. cheers

thanks, i've heard this before but not tried it yet. have you tested it out?

Because apart from the very basics, i leave the rest to the garage. I know putting heated grips on is suppose to be easy, but i just know something will go wrong i've seen the Oxford heated over grips, interesting idea so will look in to that further. Handle bar muffs are a no go for me, heard too many bad reviews; like when travelling at speed (60/70mph) the bar muffs actually start to press on the brake lever!

Ok, it was actually painful this morning riding to work as my hands were so cold. At one point i had to pull over and heat them up on the engine. I know that heated grips are the answer, but i don't want to fit any on my bike, so my question is, for those of you who don't use heated grips what pair of inner gloves do you find work best? i found this useful pdf link, reviewing some gloves, but just wondered what you guys use. http://www.motorcyclenews.com/upload/Ride%20Magazine/Product%20test%20pdfs/15%20spr09%20INNER%20GLOVES.pdf I'm currently using some thin running gloves as inners, but they just aren't good enough!

+ 1 for making sure you keep the wind out. a cheap waterproof jacket will do just that, and when it's really cold i wear one over the top of my bike jacket, works very well. plus wearing lots of thin layers.

got hold of this helmet for free (long story why, so won't post here). my previous Arai was the condor model, which is now discontinued, so this is apparently the replacement model. comes in black or white, has a pinlock ready visor, nice venting, is very stable at speeds, bit more wind noise than the condor but not really a problem. overall, really nice helmet, cost £245 in Hein Gericke at the moment, also got a Ride recommends award.