dimmers

1. i don't remember being told off for putting my foot on the pavement when doing my training, or taking the mod 2

2.before pulling away, always do a lifesaver over both shoulders. It may look a bit comical, but you can't get marked down for checking over both shoulders... rather too many lifesavers than not enough

3. perhaps discuss with the examiner before you head off, he/she is only human, you can ask them questions before you set off.

4. from what i remember, before moving you always lifesaver, so turning left/right, it would be mirror, indicate, lifesaver, then turn... so mirror, signal, LIFESAVER, then manouver

5. no harm keeping your foot on the brake for as long as you like

(the above is just what i remember from taking mod 2 last year)

if you get a waterproof jacket to go over the top of your normal jacket that is long enough to cover your crotch area, then this will help.

i got a waterproof over jacket that has a zip at the top near the neck, but doesn't unzip all the way down, so the bottom part is quite long so the water doesn't really get a chance to soak my trousers.

also, change your clothes at work, as others have said keep your work clothes in your bag (in a dry bag), also keep a spare pair of socks in your bag just in case your boots don't keep your feet completely dry.

i also keep some spare clothes at work, but appreciate that might not be possible for everyone.

only downside to the waterproof over jacket and trousers are that they make you really hot and sweaty, as the better something is at being waterproof, the less breathable they are

finally going in to get some new tyres Monday morning (after delaying it as long as possible), was all set for the Pilot road 2's, but a quick phone call to the tyre place and they tell me that they're out of stock of the 2's and that they will only have pilot road 3's from now on!

i imagine this will be the case for most places now, so thinking of just going with the 3's.

anyone had any experience with these? they look to be even better than the 2's (and more expensive!)

paid around £100

pros

lightweight

probably the best back protection you can buy

breathable

kidney protection

moulds to your back when riding

comfortable

cons

the price maybe (but for something that could save your life does it matter?)

other than that i'm very happy with it. Don't be put off by the size, it's very lightweight and comfortable. Perhaps my only niggle is that the straps dig in a tiny bit under your arms, but you get use to this very quickly and it becomes hardly noticeable after a while.

dimmers,

what bike are they for?

and what is your riding style/requirements?

are you a winter rider or fair weather only?

whats your annual mileage?

honda hornet (2010)

commuting to work mainly (country lanes, lots of bends

ride all year round (except snow/ice)

annual mileage is around 7/8k miles

had to replace the rear tyre (BT012) back in March after just over 4k miles, got the same tyre fitted as wasn't sure how a mismatched front and rear would work. Front tyre still has plenty of tread left (i'm not heavy on the brakes)

Yeah...if your pressures are not dropping significantly every day or 2 the marks are not likely to have breached the inner. I had a screw pulled out of my rear tyre at the bike shop recently...they put a load of soapy stuff round the hole...but as the screw had gone in at an angle it hadn't breached the core, so they said it was OK. And I check the pressures before every ride and it hasn't gone down at all.

What tyres are you currently running and on what bike? They look like Bridgestone BT020's?

Bob

cheers!

close, they are Bridgestone bt012s.

i'm looking at some pilot road 2s next, need something that will offer more mileage.

i don't think the puncture marks have gone through, because i check my pressures weekly and they are fine.

when do you normally replace a tyre? do you go down to the wear indicator, or replace sooner

those are just normal marks from sharp bits of gravel and stuff mate, they push into the rubber but not through the carcus.

Defo nothing to worry about

cheers for the reply.

uk190 - thanks for the reply! was helpful.

i think some of the puncture marks were from where they relaid the road surface in town a few months back. I didn't know about it until i was riding through it, by then it was too late.

sorry i should have probably been more specific...

the puncture marks, should i be worried about these?

i think the tread is ok for a bit longer, but as i commute every day to work, they are getting very worn in the middle and will need replacing soon.

i imagine this topic has a lot of varying opinions, some people may run their tyres until they are almost hitting the cord before they replace them, others may get a fresh set far sooner. Just wondered what people's opions were really?

cheers

Hi,

I've been through a lot of old topics on tyre wear and damage, but couldn't really find what i was looking for. Just wondering what people thought of the below, is this normal wear you'd expect using a bike everyday (they're 3.5k miles old).

i commute most of the year, and was thinking that i should probably replace this tyre soon?

thanks!

bought a 2 piece set of RST Razor leathers few months back, very happy with them.

got good reviews in Ride, but only slight problems are...

you slide about a bit in the seat, and they are difficult to get on (trousers) due to the lining.

nice fit though, bit stiff in the sleeves, but overall a nice fit.

would recommend!

all in £350

Like many other's, I couldn't reccomend pilot roads enough. Got the 2's at the mo, not sre if im going to try the 3's next time or just get 2's again.

cheers ash, i think i'm going to try the 2's.

got some quotes at lunchtime...

£250 all in for some pilot road 2's, sounds ok to me? i keep hearing very good things about these tyres.

£280 for the pilot road 3's

Rennie has recently had the Avon Storm Ultra's fitted.

Hasn't put that many miles on them yet but he seems pretty happy with how they're performing so far

thanks!

 

I should add that they weren't that expensive in comparison to some - if I remember they were less than £200 for the pair

that sounds pretty good to me!

Rennie has recently had the Avon Storm Ultra's fitted.

Hasn't put that many miles on them yet but he seems pretty happy with how they're performing so far

thanks!

cheers for the replies

keep hearing good things about the Avons.. will look in to those further.

also the Michilin pilot roads sound good, pilot road 3's are out now as well.

Hi,

been looking for some new tyres for my hornet, and was just wondering what people thought would be a good option for someone that does a lot of commuting (with the very occasional weekend blast)?

I bought the bike new last year, and it came with a set of Bridgestones (can't remember what the model is) on it. Already had to have the rear changed at around 4k mark, and now i'm near 8k i need to replace both.

Tried a search on here and didn't come up with much, but if someone knows of a thread then please let me know (or any good websites - currently looking through threads on the hornetsnest).

thanks!

only just seen a clip of that!

how on earth did he stay on the bike???

I went to this zoo the other day, there were no animals there apart from this one dog....... it was a shitzu.

if you've got the money, then buy a set of leathers and some textiles.

if you can only afford one set, then go with textiles, as in my opinion they are much more versatile.

i think this is something all new bikers ask when they start out... you want to get the best protection, at the best price, and for it to be warm on cold days, and cool on hot days

unfortunately, there isn't really one set of riding gear that will cope with every condition. So in the end it becomes quite expensive, as you will end up buying all sorts of gear

benefits of using them?

might be some useful information here...

http://www.howardleight.com/hearing-protection/articles

so what ear plugs would people recommend then?

tried a few so far, just ordered some Howard Leight Max. 10 pairs for £2 or so, guess it doesn't matter if i don't like them for that price

i use those, they are brilliant! best ear plugs i've ever used, buy them in bulk off ebay.

if you find those uncomfortable though, then try the howard leight laser lite, slightly smaller and softer.

i commute every day to work.

i keep my work trousers in my rucksack, but do wear my shirt under my leather jacket. I keep my work shoes at work as well to save carrying them around.

i keep a set of waterproofs in my bag as well.

If the weather looks really rubbish though, i then use a two piece textile suit as it's just much more convenient. If you can only afford the one set then go with textiles. Also much easier to wear your work trousers underneath your textile trousers.

as others have said, i would advise against wearing your suit under leathers, you would bake!

i'm a 40" chest, and recently bought RST razor 2 piece - got the 40" jacket. Fits me perfect

i have decided the bike im gonna buy is...........................

09 kawasaki ZX6-R in green

Did you test ride it?