Fender1515

So early frosty start for my ride this morning, down to my local bike garage, drank tea, talked back in the day bike stuff, love these times. Oh and bike passed the MOT, happy days.

I have a ME day on Sunday, weather is looking cracking, so I could, A:Wash the car B: Re-paint the front door C : Gardening D Take the bike out for some fresh air, as it appens, I seem to have found a couple of route options, Filey and Sea side no motorways route or Matlock, as I haven't been for a few years. or, I could do both and ask for forgiveness when ever I get back!! I think we all know how this is going to play out. Have a great weekend folks

These are the Days to seize and love, It's Bikers coming out time. Have fun and stay safe.

I must have been 42 once, but can't remember, sooo long ago, I am sure I have been through a time warp ting!

Nice one SD, I do like the V-Storm, I chucked a leg over one at the dealers last year, being a short arse, only one foot got to terra firma. Are you planning long trips in 2025 after the initial service is sorted?

That was a whole heap of fun. I have been putting in the hours for our business, BUT, today was not one of those days! Downed tools, well switched it off, and off on the Bike at 1pm, Yorkshire Dales, bit around the Peak District, bit more across the dales. A & B Roads, loads of pot holes, Farm tractor muck, sorry SD but you folks are raising the risk bar! Totally dialled into the bike and it's running, riding, stopping and shaking it's head when I get a bit laddish, so why was I going to swop this one out, brain fog maybe! First proper solo ride of the year, very happy chappy!!!! I think 2025 on two is looking great PS: We spent a great weekend up in the Lake District last, if I had to choose, I'd be picking up the helmet

We are, Ready to Ride. Callipers front and back stripped, cleaned and sorted, All metal scrubbed cleaned and polished, locks oiled, Just need to organise some Sun, I may need to google that one. Happy Days

Being a proper old Git, when I look back at my early biking days, which started in 1967, I was 12 years old, me and many of my pals wanted to get into School Boy scrambling, I/we found ways of earning money, caddying at the local golf club, finding almost lost golf balls and selling them to the proshop, milk rounds at the weekend. With our £10> £15 we would buy BSA Bantams, ex-GPO or what ever we could find, all we needed was one of the guys who's Dad was into mechanics to help us put them back together after we stiped them, the mechanics where very strait forward, we all learned of each other. It became a bonding thing. To be honest we didn't win many races, the JAP bikes where faster, but it didn't really matter, bruised and covered in mud, just great times. This carried on into our teens, passed our tests, on our apprenticeship wages, we got speed twins, starfirers, AJs' somethings, most Friday nights 3 to 6 of us would be in a pals garage fixing and felting for the weekend run out. Owning and running bikes cost the square root of bugger all, everybody owed some body else some thing, brake shoes, battery cables, head bolts, petrol, money, it was a club with out a label, but it was a very strong bond. I have just returned from a business trip down Souf, and stayed over with some one of my old biker buddies, we met up, and this will come as a surprise, in the pub, with two other old gits from back in the days, We didn't talk politics, we did talk Rugby, most of the time talk was about dem days, do you remember when Mark etc, and of course we didn't, we all had a different version of the tale, but what we did all remember was the vibe, the bond. I am still a member of a couple of bike groups I joined since moving up Norf, which I enjoy, but I often reflect after a meet-up, on the difference in the conversation, banter. Modern'ish bikes just don't bring, need, the same hands on stuff, and when they need fixing it's down to the garage to plug it into the tinternet, we don't get to call out Dez, who knows about the eletrickery stuff, or one of the Mark's who does carbs, we don't need. do the Pal's stuff. Yes we talk about the rideouts, the best tyres Iv'e add stuff, but, for me it misses the people stuff of the Friday nights, we got them fixed, some way some how, mostly! And that's what made our bike worlds special, back in the Day, our bikes where front and centre of our friendships our lives. Times & technology, change, it is inevitable, but for me, we have lost chapter and verse on what bikers where all about.

I was taught to interpret the movement and direction of the vehicle, and where the driver is looking, a flashing indicator does not control the direction of the vehicle. But I am not sure that helps in a test situation, just the staying alive stuff

Bonio, did he explain how they got the sheared bolts out, might be useful for all of us who will be in this dilemma in the future

Bonio, with the bolts sheared, are you able to take the callipers apart, if you can, perhaps find a a local metal worker shop, and ask them if they can Mig Argon/Co2 weld onto the sheared bolts, if the bolts are alloy, a bolt would do the trick, really important to let the weld to properly cool before you try to remove, as the heat will cause the sheared bolt to expand. I have had some thing similar done on a restro project, where it would have been difficult to find a replacement part, in my case, it was the cylinder head, manifold bolts that sheared. Just a thought!

Have you been talking to her, that's what she said , I feel a conspiracy is a brewing.

The situation is like this, it's is, in my world, officially biking weather, time of year, it seems like a very long time since I got off tbike end of October and winterized. Last weekend I was at a conference in Peterborough, I did break the journey for a tour round Lincoln, which I thought I new, but didn't, what an amazing city, lover the Waterfront, not so much The Steep, route back up to the historical quarter! but a great few hours. Back on point, so situation, she and me haven't spent much time together of late, I would think that was a win for her, apparently not! Weekend of the 14th to 16th March, we are doing a makers market in Buxton Pavilion, she is a maker, and dam good at it, at which I will lend my wit and charm at the stall, that's how I see it. I suggested I would like a bike weekend, fettling on Saturday, ride/blast out on Sunday, the leads balloons falling from the sky would have flattened most of Yorkshire, some folks may think this might me a good ting, although I strongly disagree. So we have an impasse, do I stick to my guns and possibly suffer a long cold spell, but with the biggest self satisfied grin, which is going to piss her off even more, or do I demonstrate I am worthy of of the Love of this amazing lady, and leave the other love of my life abandoned. I have done tinternet search and can't find any counselling that addresses these issues. So I am reaching out to the good folks of the forum, for any experiences of dealing with this situation and finding a win win outcome. PS: taking time off during the week is not an option at present! Over

Signed on the line. I, like a few of you have mentioned, am warry of giving any authority the rights of entry to folks homes without proper due cause, but in the case of Motorbike theft and use abuse, in my manor, this is a huge problem, and I am aware of biker folks, who cant get to work, travel, because some little scrot has decided stealing a bike is a better option than earning the money to buy one. The owner then has to deal with the hassle and stress of the insurance process, and potentially loss of no-claims etc. It needs stopping, and as much as I applaud the local bikers who have organised patrols to catch bike thief's, we all know who is going to get to visit the guy with wig on after the event, coz if they have my mentality, the scrot wouldn't just get a verbal warning! Tough call either way.