littlecat

secondhand leather or textile clothing wont be a problem, as long as it looks in reasonable condition. you can always buy new armour if you want to be ultra safe. the one thing you definitely don't buy second hand is a helmet

again , with my parent head on. before my daughter turned 16 she was nagging for anything with 2 wheels and an engine, at that point a scooter was her most available option, and at that I put my foot down and said no... I honestly don't think theyre a safe option..... made her wait, and bought her a 125cc geared bike for her 17th....much better choice as far as im concerned....have you seen the size of the wheels on those little scooters . definitely not getting my vote for a learner. also , 125's are underpowered enough...would hate to see one of my kids on a 50cc scooter in todays traffic.

price can be as little or as much as you can afford. if you can get to any of the bike shows, j&s always have bargains, or you can go for top priced stuff new from a dealer, there's also absolutely nothing wrong with buying second hand off ebay ( apart from a lid...that needs to be new , though price is less important than fit). what you go for depends on what you're using the bike for. if its going to be your only , every day transport , in all weathers, then id recommend fully armoured textiles with a waterproof overlayer option. if you prefer the fit and feel of leather ( as I do ) then buy big enough to stick a layer or 2 under, and get a decent weatherproof over set. ( don't get leathers so big that the armour wont stay where its needed) the items to not scrimp on would be lid, boots, gloves, ( IMHO) , the rest just needs to be protective, armoured, warm enough, and comfy to ride in.

and if it helps at all , im more than willing to have a chat with your mum, as a middle aged mum of 2 bike mad daughters , who also rides, I might be able to help with some of her questions/worries. pm me if there's anything I can do

when it comes to gear there can be no compromise whatsoever( despite what the freedom of choice activists might say) from a parent point of view , my daughter wasn't allowed anywhere near her , absolutely not deadly fast , sr125, without full head to toe armoured gear and a decent helmet. the lesson stuck , and while many kids her age were risking life and limb in trackies and trainers , she wouldn't dream of riding without all the gear on ( and neither would I ) that is one of the most persuasive arguments when it comes to convincing your parents. no one can ever guarantee your safety on a bike ( nor in a car or even crossing the road, or cooking on gas , but if you have invested in every single piece of safety gear , then you have minimised the risks as much as you possibly can, and that is all anyone can ask of you. if you cant afford the gear, in my opinion you should wait until you can

wheel bearings would've been my guess, but then im a girl...so what do I know lol

brake fluid also works

on the other hand you could just express an interest in base jumping, or extreme cliff diving....that might help to put it in perspective.

mine just rolled her eyes and tutted a lot ( mind you I was 43 when I did my das so she didn't get much say in the matter ) my parents actually lent me the money for my very first bike a very long time ago when I was 15 and had just got my first job ( spain, many moons ago, different rules , and we didn't have to wear a helmet back then either) as a parent myself who has enabled my own daughter to ride, as well as having the inevitable head shaking from my own parents, I would recommend you talk through her fears...explain about the right gear etc....and at least at first , always text/ring her when you leave and arrive , if you are going anywhere on the bike.( having said that, the first time my daughter took off on her bike after her cbt she left her phone on the coffee table and disappeared for an hour ) if you ride it safely and without incident, she will soon learn to trust that you know what you are doing , and will keep yourself as safe as you can out there. as a youngster , one of my strongest arguments ( and I really meant it ) was id rather get thrown off a bike, than trapped in a burning car ( which did actually happen to my younger brother) its your passion...they as parents have to let you follow your own path.....just do all you can to help them with the transition, and respect that its a little scary for them.

which tells me bugger all, lol,. theres lots of places not far from telford. do you have a postcode \???

whereabouts is that ?

bob, I have someone looking into a recore for me, but not sure I can live without the bike long enough. chris, there isn't an obvious leak..ie theres no puddle or drips, but the guys doing the work ( mates who definitely wouldn't mislead me) said its the rad itself . it does run quite warm after a while, theres definitely no water in the oil, and I have nothing more to go on than the fact the exterior of the rad is in a state, and there definitely seems to be a leak from the rad, and lots of scaling ( if that makes any sense)

in fact, looking at pics of the 2 I would say theyre definitely different

cheers bogof, yeah ive found a couple for the nc23, unfortunately mines the nc29, and ive no idea if theyre interchangeable...seem to be very specifically advertised for one or the other

right, it seems the case that my cbr may have some leaking issues with the rad. did the full service on her a couple of weeks ago, topped up the ( admittedly ) apparently empty rad, and then took her to London this week for a mate to do some work on her, and when checked on Saturday the plastic tank was empty and the rad low , seems there must have been quite a leak somewhere, though she's not visibly dropping fluids anywhere, the outside of the rad shows signs of leakage. have used radweld for now, which seems to be holding...but don't seem to be able to source an aftermarket rad, and not keen on the idea of a second hand one , given that these bikes are over 20 years old. suggestions ?

has to be the t**t in the black Subaru who actively and most purposefully tried to kill me on the A38 this morning. pulled onto the A38 ( in the company car not on the bike) , plenty of room , car behind had moved into the fast lane , said car then starts honking his horn non stop at me, pulled up alongside still honking, then attempted to swerve into my lane and force me off the road. at this point I just about managed to pull back out of his way enough to then slip round and overtake him...to many and varied aggressive hand gestures out of his window , and a torrent of foul mouthed abuse. total dick

and it might sound obvious, but how old /what condition are the tyres, and have you checked the pressures

the performance base layers and socks are brilliant...had mine 2 years now and theyre superb, washed and worn hundreds of times and still going strong

fully armoured anything, that's big enough to go over 'proper' clothes will always look like a sack ....forget what it looks like and go for the safest/warmest/most weather/roadproof option you can get. im thinking armoured textiles with removable liners for your requirements, and a waterproof over layer, which will also cut out wind, for really bad days.

ermmm, hello and welcome to the forum ????

wait till you combine them with leathers with full shin protection, you'll be walking like you've been dipped in cement lol

'track' boots will feel different to walk in than touring boots, but you soon get used to it.( assuming you don't need something you can leave on all day once you get to where you're going) I wear sidi's and love them. im sure the tracktechs will make you faster too, so well worth the discomfort ( oh , and go for red, reds the fastest colour )

I reckoned a38 too jam, will have another look though

fair enough mate...that's what tracks are for....at least I hope you don't mean on the road where you can endanger other innocent road users who are unaware of your quest for excellence

yay, well done you....fingers crossed for mod 2, im sure you'll be fine.