Throttled

(Adapted from an old post) Bought June 2011, ebay just over £10 each. (watch Yamaha's which have a reverse thread) There are loads of sellers. I have been riding since last November. During that time I have ridden a Lifan 125, Suzuki Van Van, Yamaha YRB125, Suzuki GS500, Yamaha XJ6n and Kawasaki KLE500. One thing unites all of those bikes, the crap view from the mirrors. No matter what adjustment was made, I would see my arms and a view out to either side of the bike that was limited. I could have lorries behind me and not know. The blind spots to either side were huge. It is no wonder during lessons and tests so much emphasis was on paying attention to what was behind you and life savers. Every 15 seconds on straights and all the time for any maneuver. http://motorcycleworldl-spa.co.uk/images/uploads/mrumnt12.jpg I would rate the improvement in rear view I now have as having gone from 1/5 to 5/5. I do not need to move my head as much as before to try and get a view. The mirrors now point straight behind me and I can see vehciles that are even tailgating. The view crosses over left and right, so my view is virtually panoramic and my blind spot is now tiny. I have experimented on the motorway and with cars as soon as they have disappeared into the blind spot they reappear again. Lorries and buses never disappear completely. Those extenders will fit the vast majority of motorbikes. There are other versions that are more like stalk extenders for sporty bikes. I think that it is scandalous that bike manufacturers provide such crappy mirrors and having them longer should be standard. That applies to riders of all sizes and on all bikes. Here they are on my bike. http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6072847493_1c4822ece5.jpg The extenders are the best by miles safety addition to my bike. If I had known how good they are I would have fitted them to my YBR and would have encouraged the bike schools I was at to do the same. They do not replace the life saver, but they supplement it and make you more confident that you have not missed anything. I cannot recommend mirror extenders more highly.

Bought April 2011 for £45 direct from Tin Wolf over the internet. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2300/5719630090_6c008c8e05_m.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/5719068443_ca53fc1219_m.jpg GOOD Very reflective Not high viz They dont retain water and dry very quickly They will work with you for any design you want MEDIUM I am big and adjustable cord is still long The zip is a bit small and stiff BAD Nothing, the cost is high, but you pay for being different. I would highly recommend these vests.

Bought November 2010 off eBay for about £30. Bought to start my riding as it was coming into winter (and what a winter it was). They should not be called Bone Dry, instead they should be called Very Warm. GOOD Very warm, worked riding over Rannoch Moor in -5 degrees MEDIUM Feel very tough with good crash protection Shower proof BAD Not waterproof and takes days to dry out Very thick and restrictive. A nightmare to put on and take off when wet. I would not recommend these gloves http://www.oxford-shop.co.uk/usrimage/bdhybridgl.jpg

Bought June 2011, off eBay for £34.95 off Ghostbikes_uk. Light summer gloves which allow the air to ventilate into them. GOOD Very comfortable, keep your hands cool even on a bike with handguards Feel well made They dry very quickly when they get wet Price EDIT - survived landing hand first after a spill onto tarmac without a mark on glove or hand. MEDIUM EDIT - see above. They may only survive one crash as the protection is padding only, but they feel thick even though they are for the summer BAD Nothing. I would highly recommend these gloves for summer. They are a lot cooler and more comfortable than the thin leather ones I was given before. http://www.spadaclothing.co.uk/productimgs/thumbs/4bbb7b5984575_thmb.jpg

Bought from eBay from the seller hhhnk123 November 2010 for £60 the jacket and £50 for the trousers £4 delivery (BUT - they made a mistake with the prices, it should have been £150 for both, I just got lucky and they honoured the sale.) JF Pelle are an Italian company who also make weightlifting products. They do leather as well as Cordura kit. A matching textile jacket and trousers with full armour for back, shoulders, elboes and knees and nicely padded at the hips and back. There are vents in the back, a thermal lining and a sensible amount of pockets. GOOD So far so good with build quality, they still look new even though they have been through a terrible winter and have been washed a few times. I have had a low speed tumble in them and you would not know it. Edit - I have had a second tumble and hit my elbow hard, but no mark on the jacket and no injury at all. I ended up sprawled on the ground and again no marks on jacket and trousers. Keeps your body dry, just make sure you have completely secured the velcro over the zip. Warm with the thermal linings, cool without and the vents open. Plain but stylish design. The price, I could not find an equivalent for less. MEDIUM The zip to attach trousers to the jacket is a pain and means it does not sit well. I don't use it. BAD The trousers can get sweaty and the lining sticks to your legs. The pockets are not waterproof. I carry stuff in small polly bags inside the pockets now. I would recommend this textile jacket and trousers because of the price and performance http://www.jf-pelle.it/zen-cart/images/3101-black-jf-pelle.jpg http://www.jf-pelle.it/zen-cart/images/3131-black-jf-pelle.jpg

Bought for £100 with a free neck warmer from Nicholas Noble off eBay November 2010. Link to the Caberg site link removed by admin The upgraded Trip, as in it the same helmet but you can add blue tooth (of which I know nothing). I went for this helmet as it is flip front, has a slide down sun visor, a 5 star safety rating and it comes in nice plain colours. GOOD The flip front, the visor, the safety rating and the colours. The overall ventilation. MEDIUM Comfort of the padding, it feels a bit thin. BAD Noise, it is noisy as soon as hit 40mph. The visor's anti fog treatment. The first visor went back after a week as the anti fog treatment flaked off. The second was still poor and I have now fitted an anti fog film, which has finally solved the problem. I would recommend this helmet, I suspect I have just been unlucky with the visor problems. Earplugs solve the noise problem.

I would hate hi viz to be made lawful. I want to see evidence it has reduced accidents first.

What model was it? 2008 Suzuki GS500 When did you buy it and how much did it cost? Thankfully I did not buy it, I started my DAS on one and had three lessons and gave up. Good points? It is the basis for other bikes by other manufacturers such as Hyosung, so it must be doing something right. Bad points? Errr I am big and tall and it is cramped, so much so I had to stop at some point during every lesson I had on it to relieve sciatic pains I would get in my back. Vvvvviiiiiibbbbbbrrrraaattttiiiiiooooonnnnnsssss from the rough sounding twin. Reliabilty and build quality. My first lesson on my 125cc before I started on the GS ended after the instructors GS broke down. Some magnet that spun round somewhere in the engine had sheered off. The next time I saw the instructor he told me they had the same problem with another bike the next day and that thye regretted buying the Suzukis because of problems. Oh and build quality, they all looked very tatty, even the new ones. Would I buy one? No, not even as a run a round. Link to specifications and history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_GS500 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/1997SuzukiGS500E-001.jpg/800px-1997SuzukiGS500E-001.jpg

Yamaha YBR125, 2005, red, bought Jan 2011 for £1600, traded in June 2011 for £1200. I was its its fifth owner. GOOD Costs, low depreciation, easy to sell on, £16 road tax (2011) and a pretty genuine cold start short journey 90mpg without trying. I would refuel at about 210 miles. A full service including change of chain was £90 at a main dealers. Even the standard (there is a custom version as well) has high handlebars meaning room for taller bikes to sit up more and be able to turn without hitting their knees. The long wide seat and big pegs made it comfortable, particularly after adding a small screen. Reliable, it never failed to start even though it lived out side all of the time through freezing temperatures. The gears, they clicked away with no issues and the clutch is light and easy to get it on the bitiing point. Mine had both side and centre stand which makes life easy for parking and chain cleaning/adjusting. MEDIUM The brakes, it would dive and the rear drum brake did not inspire confidence. Aftermarket parts are plentiful and many are generic, but that keeps the costs down. A new clutch, after I dropped mine and bent it was £9. POOR Robust, but prone to rust. I had mine during a terrible winter and it survived well except for small spots of rust appearing on the frame. The exhaust (the black as opposed to the chrome one) also suffered. Both were dealt with by treating with Kurust and Halfords VHT paint. Performance. I am big and heavy which did not help, but the maximum I got according to the speedo was not quite 70mph. It would cruise at 55mph, but not with enough poke to over take on 60 mph country roads. Even for a 125cc, 11hp is not much. It did not feel nippy about town as I was expecting. There may be something in reports that have different bikes performing differently, suspicion being down to that they are an old design and made in their millions, so some are just not as fast as others. OVERALL I toured on mine, including doing 20mph up the Dukes Pass whilst fully laden and across Rannoch Moor in -5. People have ridden them all over the world and if you are up to travelling light and gowing slowly then can. Here I have got to Loch Katrine, well it is a start.... http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/5733643420_e9bc66cb39_b.jpg Would I get another one? Yes, if I needed something really cheap, comfortable and reliable to just potter about on. But I kind of hope that never happens!!!

Thanks, though in the finest traditions of Blue Peter, here is one I made earlier! (With added pictures and links).

I use one of these when out and about http://www.bikermart.co.uk/prodimages/of178l.jpg so I can chain my bike to the railings many bike parking spaces now provide. It just makes it that bit harder for someone to lift your bike into a van in seconds and carry it off, easy with a 125.

The Kawasaki KLE 500 was built between 1991 and 1998 and then again from 2005 to 2007. This review is for my 2005 model (designated B1P) which I bought June 2011 for £2100 with 6000 miles on the clock, one prevous owner and in very good condition. For more information on the KLE 500 that anywhere else, go to Horizons Unlimited the touring website. Here is mine, in Metallic Flat Spark Black http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6072848767_3331a2b165_b.jpg I have added the following extras. Top box, mirror extenders, Powerbronze flip screen and a gel pad from DanMedicaSouth covered with some anti slip netting and a Fenda Extenda. That is because it is being used all year round and for touring. REVIEW (adapted from one on MCN) MCN's terrible review of the KLE500 meant I dismissed it as a possible first big bike. That was until I saw one in the flesh and had a chance to ride it. The ride is soft, but I find that very comfortable. I find the handling is fine, but it is not a sports bike and I am not a speed freak. The brakes are not brilliant, MCN got that right. It dives and you need to pull the brake and push the pedal as hard as you can to emergency stop. It will sit at 70mph on the motorwway perfectly happily. What it beats many other bikes hands down is coping with bad weather. Its low centre of gravity, wide handlebars and big wheels with dual purpose tyres mean you can ride in rain like there is none there. It handles high winds well. It is well equiped as standard with hand guards, screen, rack, but no fuel guage. This is a tall bike, the seat height is 850mm. The pillion part is wide and flat. The front part is odd as you sit in a curve that is quite narrow. I disagree about the discomfort of the saddle, it is not as bad as MCN make out, but I have added a gel seat pad. I am tall, so I got a bigger screen as the standard one puts the air right into my face. The Powerbronze flip quietens the bike down at speed and takes the wind blast over you. Mine is 6 years old and apart from some pitting on the spokes people think it is brand new. There is no doubt that this bike, with a coat of protectorant spray will last for a long time. The engine is nosy and vibrates a lot and has limited performance. But it is in a lower tax band than most and by reputation is very reliable. I have no idea how MCN only got 35mpg out of it. I can only assume they drove it like it is a sports bike and want it to be a sports bike. Without trying I get 55mpg around town. I have yet to use the reserve tank and I refuel at about 150 miles. I love its road presence due to its height and mean looking headlights. I have had cars pull in to let me passed where on the other bikes I have ridden they would have ignored me. Overall, as an analogy I would say that as the the BMW GS1200 is the Landrover Discovery of dual purpose bikes, the KLE500 is the Suzuki Jimny. Tough, cheap, characterful and very capable. GOOD Price including insurance and tax Road Presence Toughness Lights MEDIUM Seat Fuel Economy Aftermarket extras Performance BAD Old engine is a bit rough

I bought mine from a local motorbike shop as different bikes fit different locks depending on the size of the disc. The most likely to be a universal fit are ones such as this http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/Motorcycle-Accessories/Anti-Theft-Devices/Xena-Disc-Locks/4010-0080-Xena-XN-Series-XN18-Self-Arming-110dB-Alarm-Motorcycle-Disc-Lock-Carbide.jpg as they have a small pin that goes through the disc which clicks in and out as you press it home or unlock it. I had one like that with an alarm, but outside it kept going off as the bike moved in the wind. So I would recommend you get such a lock and use it inside your garage as the alarm rather than security will be a better deterrent. Do not assume your bike is safe in a garage, you should lock it there as well. I now use one like this http://www.bits4motorbikes.co.uk/images/PartAccessoriesImages/Security/Mammoth-maxi-11mm-disc-lock.jpg as it is far more secure. Get a Thatcham rated one as that may help with insurance premiums. Oxford do do Thatcham rated ones. But, check it will fit the disc first. I would also recommend you chain your bike to something, particularly parked outside. How big the chain needs to be depends on how visible your bike is where it is parked.

You can get a Box BX1 for £45 and its replacement visor is £19.

All I said is that you should not stop where are likely to be a hazard.

I can't vote. I want to vote yes but I don't agree the emphasis you placed on the qualifier statement for a yes vote What is wrong with the qualifier statement? I wanted to exclude emergency stops where the vehicle in front can stop and the it is totally the vehicle behinds fault if there is a collision.

I have added a poll to the thread as I think this is an interesting issue. I would emphasis that I have no intention of making the same mistake again and I have learned a valuable lesson. But I do think you have a responsibility to other road users when you stop.

http://www.ponychan.net/chan/dis/src/131337671431.jpg Seriously... just make sure you can stop in time. Regularly diving out alongside stopped/slowing traffic in a last minute panic is a superb idea... but only if you actually want to become a mangled heap on the side of the road. I am well aware of that thanks. Quite why you think this is a regular problem is beyond me. It is my first big mistake in years. There was no panic, I realised that going past the cars was my safest option. If you have to make up exaggerations and sarcy comments to get your point over you have a failed argument. I made a fricking mistake and I think the driver who stopped did so as well. Nothing so far has changed my mind. I will continue to stop only if it safe to do so and I will not inconvenience or cause a hazard to other road users.

I have a clean drivers licence and it has been that way since I got it. This is my first near miss for more years than I can remember. I make mistakes, but nothing of any consequence. I don't lose my rag at other motorists and I drive defensively. But I still have things to learn. The main thing I learned from my near miss was I do need to leave more space as the brakes on my bike are not that good. I have also learned that I need to be more wary of other road users as I was under the impression you should not stop when the way ahead of you is clear. I also thought that unless it is an emergency, you should make sure it is safe for you to stop and that you are not going to be a hazard or inconvenience other road users.

I was look at a new visor and found the Race Visors site linked to above is the cheapest. I think visor prices are a rip off.

Why the sigh? I am being serious. The same thing happened again to day. I was in my car this time and behind a car which was behind a car that stopped at empty round a bout. I had a much better view of what was going on this time and could stop in time easily. The car infront of me was not happy at all, blowing its horn and then gesticulating at the first car once we were round the round a bout. I assume stopping at an empty round a bout during a test would be a fail or at least a minor. I have always used and checked my mirrors to make sure any manouevre I perform, including stopping is safe for roads users behind me.

I agree" You should always be able to stop safely in the distance you can see to be clear." If they stop so should you be able to.....otherwise you are 100% to blame So the consensus is that you can stop wherever you want to, no matter what the circumstances are, the road conditions or anything.

What I have learned from this and other reports of roundabout madness on this forum are That roundabouts, of which there are many where I live are the most risky part of riding. That the brakes on my bike are no where near as good as the XJ6n I took lessons on. That I have an escape route by passing cars.

I've been up loads of Glens. Glen Coe is the most spectacular ride.

If I had crashed, it would have been my fault, I accept that. What I am pointing out is that at times the vehicle in front also has to take responsibility. You cannot come to a halt whenever you want to and hell mind what is going on behind you. In this instance I would say the car in front would also be to blame.