Capt Sisko

If you do this just be careful about what constitutes public access for these 'private' places. If it's got a gate on and you've got permission that's fine, it's 'off road'. However, just as you can be done for drink driving on a pub car park, traffic laws still apply to private grounds where the area has public access. Good luck.

If you get off your bike, take your gloves off, scan your clubcard and generally act like everyone else there is no reason for a garage to ask you to remove your helmet. However I can see why a garage would question someone attempting to refuel whilst still sat astride their bike, helmet & gloves on. You could be 'drive off' in seconds.

It's the same with my 12 bore. I can walk around the farm all day shooting pigeons and the like, but do the same in Trafalgar Square, which would be doing the public a service by controlling the numbers of pigeons, and the men with the blue flashy lights would be there in minutes. Never been able to figure that one out.

It's an unfortunate fact of life that some 125s they've been owned by a succession of learners, some of whom shall we say, may not have had much mechanical sympathy or money to spend on maintenance, so it shouldn't be a great surprise that it comes with a few issues. It‘s nothing new, the Nth hand Honda CD175 I had in 1978 was exactly the same. I was just another learner in its life and your bike at 13yrs old has already well outlived my old Honda so it can't be that bad. On the bright side, if you're mechanically minded or want to learn, this type of bike is a good place to start as the mechanics are quite simple & straight forwards. Buy yourself a manual, when you do stuff don't rush and don't be afraid to ask. We all had to learn at some point. Good luck.

And now the sun is trying to break through!

Well that's the good weather over in my cormer of Shropshire. The dots are lightning strikes in the last half and hour or so, plus of course the accompanying rain.

Put simply, in an accident that seam would tear and bang goes your protection. Post accident and if you wanted to make a claim for compensation, that involves an expensive experts report. Prior to an accident, it's just a case of, look this isn't good enough. Return it.

I don't see why it shouldn't work. They are designed to work doing a wet job and on the Ryobi one I've got the battery is in a sealed up box. Obviously salt water is far more corrosive that fresh, but they're designed to accept chemicals, i.e. snow foams and as with all these types of thing, there's so littal 'metal' in them anyway. If you think the salt water might affect it, just run some fresh through it as the last thing you do. Given that Boat is also short for 'Break Out Another Thousand', a hundred quid for a cordless jetwash from a known make is quite cheap.

As they used to say about cameras, the best air bag/vest is the one you have with you, or in our case are wearing. Watching the video Hairsy posted my Helite doesn't offer the best front protection compared to others, but for the moment it's what I've got and that'll still do nicely.

One hundred percent agree with both of the above. PPE has its uses and I make sure what I wear is made from/kitted out with marked up stuff, but I'm wise enough to know it's NOT going to make everything okay during an RTC. It's the same with cycle helmets, (or magic hats as the cynics call them). People put them on and think they're safe, however having been involved in the design of a cycle helmet the once, the bar that a cycle helmet has to pass is set ridiculously low. Sure, like motorcycle PPE they can help, put people expect too much from them. We as motorcyclists are in the same boat be that Level 1 or 2. It can only do so much. Me, yes I wear ATGATT, but I’m also IAM and old & wise enough to know looking after me starts with me.

No, well not on long rides it isn't. I've got a GoreTex laminated Richa Atlantic suit and whilst it's 100% waterproof the surface fabric still gets wet (the beading properties never last that long). The problem is that after it's stopped raining the jacket can suck heat out of you as that surface fabric dries out. A waterproof over the top prevents that and keeps you a lot warmer. It’s what a lot of us Iron Butt nutters do on long, wet & cold runs and it does work. In truth it's probably a bit OTT for summer daytime use, and certainly too complicated for just in case on a normal day rainy ride, but it the cold wet weather or as the temperature dips overnight and you’re starting to feel a bit tired, warm is better than cold.

Mini or the full Queen Mary style Sound Bomb?

Be careful with what you tell them you use. If you say, yes I use a Big Locks & Co XYZ123, then they will expect you to use it, all the tiime. The problem comes if your bike gets stolen, they may ask for proof that you used it. Now, that might be fine if the scrotes leave your smashed up lock on the side of the road, but some of them take the broken lock with then, it's called DNA free crime and herin lies the problem. The insurance company gave you a discount because you said I use an XYZ123, but you've got no proof you did. The insurance company then looks at the small print and reduces your claim by whatever percentage and you're stuffed. Call me a cynical old git if you like, but I've been dealing with insurance companies since I got my first bike in 1978 and over the years they've got both harder to deal with and more & more are taking the 'refer to the wording in your policy document' as a get out clause if they can. Insurance companies are hard businesses out to make a profit and not the soft cuddly friends they advertise as. Me, I use a Big Locks & Co XYZ123's and an alarmed disc lock, but the discount the insurance company offered me for it was so pathetically small I thought sod it, it's not worth the hassle should the sh*t hit the fan.

It's worth watching the video below. It's four years old and tech may have moved on since then, but many of its points are still valid. As per veracocha I'm a tethered Hetile user and very happy with it. One tip, if you do go the Helite tethered one, buy one of their clip hangers to clip the tether to when not attached. It just makes sense. https://heliteuk.co.uk/product/clip-hangers/

You have to remember shavings are not normal. They've come off something they shouldn't have, and that's not good. Some very fine particals in the filter at the first 600mile oil change maybe acceptable, but even then only detectable with a magnet. With modern engines there simply shouldn't be anything big enough to visible. As SD said the damage is already done. Walk away.