What did you do WITH your bike today.

[S-Westerly]

Rural Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire is the same. 40 mph regardless of the posted limit. Annoying on the bike but infuriating in a car. Actually had idiots overtake me in a 20 mph zone only for me to catch them up a mile outside the village. 

[Bungleaio]

150 miles around Derbyshire for me today, first ride since 1st January.

[curlylegend]

On 03/04/2024 at 10:23, Fender1515 said:

To Strip or not to Strip

At the end of last years riding, I am too old for wet and cold stuff, done that. my 2005  BMW K1200s developed an intermittent fault, the left hand indicator switch was only working intermittently, If I  used the hazard warning lights, indicator works every time, so confident the problem is with the bar switch unit.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been doing the maintenance stuff to get bike ready for the road, yesterday job was sort out the indicator issue.

So tried the indicator switch, same old, 

Being a BMW it's all TORX screw heads, I have a set of drivers,  off with clutch bar  mount, take off switch outer cover, two internal TORX screws, T8 size, nope, got nothing that fits that, so on internet and order set T6 to T10, £5, no big deal. 

Back to bike, tried indicator switch again, just for the hell of it, worked every time, really!!

So now question is, do I break down the unit and, spray and clean, it's going to be a pain the arse job, but peace of mind. or, do I wing it!

Humm!

Strip it, find the fault and fix it !  Otherwise it will just come back when you least want it.  It might very well just be a bit of contamination that a squirt of electro cleaner would shift, but you couldn't be certain unless you'd seen inside the switch.

[Fender1515]

7 hours ago, curlylegend said:

Strip it, find the fault and fix it !  Otherwise it will just come back when you least want it.  It might very well just be a bit of contamination that a squirt of electro cleaner would shift, but you couldn't be certain unless you'd seen inside the switch.

I was always going to be a strip down TBO, anyhoows, wasn't a difficult job in the end, just very fiddly, and took time to work out how disassemble, the issue was the rubber cups that fit over the push button had perished and a piece of the rubber jammed into the casing, stopping the button from moving. I have cleaned with electro spray, used silicon to seal it, reassembled and all working fine, happy days!

I am always wary working on electrickery bits, much more comfortable with mechanical stuff. every days etc...

[Trooper74]

Went for a ride out today. Set off at 0545hrs.

Rotherham, Beverley, Scarborough, Whitby, Middlesbrough, Newcastle on Tyne, Carlisle, Penrith, Keswick, Kendal, Skipton, Weatherby, Doncaster, back home.

Poured with rain as far as Middlesbrough then mostly cleared up …

Fantastic ride out … had an Apple AirTag in my bag so wife and family could see where I was … worked well.

 

433 miles on the odometer….. I’ll take that …10 hours 15 mins in the saddle ….

Great day out ..£36 in fuel with 2 bars left on the gauge and £5.90 for a Greggs lunch at Southwaite services ..

 

Edited April 8, 2024 by Trooper74

[Simon Davey]

1 hour ago, Trooper74 said:

Went for a ride out today. Set off at 0545hrs.

Rotherham, Beverley, Scarborough, Whitby, Middlesbrough, Newcastle on Tyne, Carlisle, Penrith, Keswick, Kendal, Skipton, Weatherby, Doncaster, back home.

Poured with rain as far as Middlesbrough then mostly cleared up …

Fantastic ride out … had an Apple AirTag in my bag so wife and family could see where I was … worked well.

 

433 miles on the odometer….. I’ll take that …10 hours 15 mins in the saddle ….

Great day out ..£36 in fuel with 2 bars left on the gauge and £5.90 for a Greggs lunch at Southwaite services ..

 

Wow! 

[Trooper74]

3 hours ago, Simon Davey said:

Wow! 

I fell asleep in the bath and snored !!!!

And I got receipts from the Shell station at Whitby, Penny’s Garage west of Whitby, Southwaite Services Greggs and the BP petrol station north of Kendal …. 
Because there’s always someone with a bad attitude ..

Edited April 8, 2024 by Trooper74

[Simon Davey]

1 hour ago, Trooper74 said:

I fell asleep in the bath and snored !!!!

And I got receipts from the Shell station at Whitby, Penny’s Garage west of Whitby, Southwaite Services Greggs and the BP petrol station north of Kendal …. 
Because there’s always someone with a bad attitude ..

 

I can only dream of a great day out like that. 

Was it a random route, or did you plan in advance? 

[Trooper74]

4 minutes ago, Simon Davey said:

 

I can only dream of a great day out like that. 

Was it a random route, or did you plan in advance? 

Planned with military precision .. then pretty much ignored …. Go up, go across, come down, go across and go home ….

 

Family loved the AirTag…. They logged in to see where I was half a dozen times …. When home I handed the AirTag back and installed an AirTag detection app on my phone ..

Edited April 8, 2024 by Trooper74

[Geordie Oldie]

First time out proper since I bought my 1999 Honda Hornet earlier this year, only done short rides just to test it and get used to a bike again, it's been 30 years, my last bike was a Honda 500 \4 .

 

I will only go out when it's mild and not raining, getting soft in my old age. So not much chance so far this year.

 

Left Newcastle at 1pm then a ride up the A696,  called in at Belsay to visit the final resting place of my best mate, sat with him for half an hour. Then a bit further up the A696 and off at Capheaton, a place we used to camp at as kids, over half a century ago now.

 

Home with a massive grin on my face, I had forgotten how much fun motorcycles are.

 

The hornet was faultless other than a little brake drag which is easily sorted. So fast, just stuck it in top once over 40 and rode it on the throttle.

 

The bike was my wife's idea at Christmas.

[Geordie Oldie]

1 hour ago, Angela Collen said:

She's a keeper!! What a nice present

Indeed, Christmas morning all I had were tea towels ( I do all the washing up), I was happy enough but then she pulled a helmet out from under the tree!

[bonio]

22 minutes ago, Geordie Oldie said:

Indeed, Christmas morning all I had were tea towels ( I do all the washing up), I was happy enough but then she pulled a helmet out from under the tree!

That's like the end of Cinderella, but written by bikers. 

[curlylegend]

 

 

After fitting pilot jets #40, to my Yamaha TDM 850, I went for a thorough road test. Headed east towards Nantes and took the southern loop of the peripherique to take me to much more interesting roads along the south bank of the Loire.

Weather excellent and bike running perfectly. Total distance 319 KM and fuel consumption 4.15 L per 100 km.

Stopped in a small village for a coffee break and n for a while.  Went to use the public facilities and was a bit surprised to see this !   Never seen than in a public toilet in the UK.

 

 

 

[Simon Davey]

But that toilet bowl does actually look clean. 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Adds a whole new dimension to "pulling the chain".

 

 

[Yorky]

7 hours ago, Angela Collen said:

But who would want to steal it, yuk!!

Well if you'd gone on holiday and forgot your toothbrush !!

 

Edited April 12, 2024 by Yorky
Typo

[Mawsley]

Up to Lincs - my word every dipshit was out today. Had some spanner rest his front bumper on my right leg as he jumped out from a junction just as I was riding by. Luckily I'd already scrubbed speed as I felt he hadn't bothered looking at me, which was fortunate as I was on roadside gravel by the time the both of us came to rest.

 

I am very good at swearing. I think he understood exactly how I felt about his driving.

[S-Westerly]

6 minutes ago, Mawsley said:

Up to Lincs - my word every dipshit was out today. Had some spanner rest his front bumper on my right leg as he jumped out from a junction just as I was riding by. Luckily I'd already scrubbed speed as I felt he hadn't bothered looking at me, which was fortunate as I was on roadside gravel by the time the both of us came to rest.

 

I am very good at swearing. I think he understood exactly how I felt about his driving.

Still upright I hope?!

[Fiddlesticks]

1 hour ago, Mawsley said:

Up to Lincs - my word every dipshit was out today. Had some spanner rest his front bumper on my right leg as he jumped out from a junction just as I was riding by. Luckily I'd already scrubbed speed as I felt he hadn't bothered looking at me, which was fortunate as I was on roadside gravel by the time the both of us came to rest.

 

I am very good at swearing. I think he understood exactly how I felt about his driving.

Sounds like some good defensive riding, could have been much worse . Don't feel that you have to use your leg to protect the bike though.

[V650]

2 hours ago, Mawsley said:

Up to Lincs - my word every dipshit was out today. Had some spanner rest his front bumper on my right leg as he jumped out from a junction just as I was riding by. Luckily I'd already scrubbed speed as I felt he hadn't bothered looking at me, which was fortunate as I was on roadside gravel by the time the both of us came to rest.

 

I am very good at swearing. I think he understood exactly how I felt about his driving.

Makes you wonder how some of these muppets got a driving license at all

[Mawsley]

2 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Still upright I hope?!

Yep. If I’d been still going at 30 I’d have been over his bonnet or into a hedge mind. 
 

Lincolnshire though, eh. They’re either drunk, high or battling the fifteen extra chromosomes with their seven webbed fingers. 

[Trooper74]

Washed the 400 + miles of grime off the bike from last Mondays big ride ( for me ) .... off to Morrisons to jet wash the thick deposits of chainlube off the suspension linkages and chain side wheel rim .... such fun ..... oil change when i get home ....

Edited April 13, 2024 by Trooper74
jhvuvi

[Simon Davey]

Slapped on all the luggage, and took my old fashioned, ageing beauty to Braintree today. I removed the winter liner from my jacket, and I was so pleased I did!!

Had a voucher to spend, and used it to buy myself a HG magnetic tank bag. I'm seriously happy with it, it's just the right size, has plenty of pockets, it expands and comes with a fluorescent yellow rain cover.

I also treated myself to an Alpinestars Andes Drystar jacket, it's been superseded by a newer version and I took advantage of the £30 saving. It fits very nicely, it's not too tight, or loose, but I have plenty of room.

On top of that, I had a great few hours out, I reckon I saw almost as many bikers as I did cars, I had such a fantastic time.

 

 

[Shepherd]

I love the ride to J&S from mine. After Chelmsford it's along the A414 to Harlow SBS then back up through the Rodings to Thaxted ( Wonky town), turn right through Finchingfield and all the wiggly bits until the Braintree Outlet.

I could go straight up the A12, but where's the fun in that? 

[Simon Davey]

48 minutes ago, Shepherd said:

I love the ride to J&S from mine. After Chelmsford it's along the A414 to Harlow SBS then back up through the Rodings to Thaxted ( Wonky town), turn right through Finchingfield and all the wiggly bits until the Braintree Outlet.

I could go straight up the A12, but where's the fun in that? 

 

I live 15 minutes from Finchingfield, some great roads around the area. 

I'll avoid the A12 as much as possible in a car, let alone on a bike.