Gas up - Let's Go!

I'll agree to that! I've got Enduro Compertition tyres on my TTR, the most (UK) off-road legal tyre you can get, I have the contact patch of a stamp - great fun cornering arse end first!!!! but they don't half go down quick!

Watch out, might just be a rouse to get that HUGE dog something to eat!

You've lots of 'view' on the post, so (as in my case) it's probably a case of can;t rather than won't. However, I doubt any rim will fit, as the brake setup, bearing size ect may well be different. I'd start by looking around the breakers yards. 29 year old DT - will be a nice bike restored! good luck!

I think the riding schools are more affraid of this new test than the normal punters! Ok, so it's all different, and there are few new things to be tested on, but thinking back When I first did my test back in 1987 we had a two part test one which was very similar to the CBT stuff only with a DSA (Or whatever it was called then - can't remember) tester and one out on the road. In thoses days you had to do a test each time you wanted to move up. There was no following on the bike and the test was pretty difficult to fail, but my point is things change and it's not always to make thing worse, just different. I remember when they first introduced parrallel paking into the driving test, there was an outcry but it's not made much difference has it? If you've trained for your test under the current criteria then I agree it's a bugger if you can't get in because slots have been booked up for people who've not even got on a bike yet, and it's not fair, and if the DSA had any sense of fair play then they would stop the schools from pre-booking and give everyone a fair crack. You might be as well to look into the new test, just as a precaution. Just because you get a place doesn't mean you'll pass, and it might not even be your fault, but if something can go wrong it often does! Personally, I think licenses should be hierarchical - get a bike license before a car, car before a wagon/bus etc then maybe the roads might actually be a bit safer, or at least stop Dithery Dora and the off-pavement school run brigade from ever geting behind a wheel in her X5 that she can almost see the wipers.... sorry! Anyway, good luck with the test, and more importantly with getting a slot -

Cricky! for one extreme to the other.. but I might add it's the right way to go (IMHO). I've had sportsbikes, tourers, 4 cylinder, V-Twin, Twin in-line and singles. I'll confess that I like the trail bike ride possition much better than head down arse up, you see more of whats going on and that's great for learning, as to is the balance og these bikes, they are just made for easy control so another good point for you. At a Grand, you'll get a good all-rounder (I had a Varadero that could hold off all but the bravest of sportsbikes through the twisy bits), easy to ride, cheap to run, great fun on the twisty bits and around town. Maybe a bit crappy for wet weather long distance stuff as they lack any kind of screen, but you can get screens to fit with a bit of imagination! (look at my TTR), on the plus side you can get hand guards that really do keep the weather away from your hands. The XT is a good bike, it's big enough that car's won't try to take the p2$$ too much, and it's agile - IMO a good starter bike. For a first bike, I'd alway point people towards a sit-up style rather than a sports bike, espcially if your intention is to look towards doing your test. In the 125 market you really either have trail or sports bikes, the stuff in the middle aren't really the sorts of bike you can live with. At the end of the day, you need to have a sit on these and see what you think, beware though of sexy looking bikes - remember you're learning so sexy is something you can move to when you've got some experience under your belt. There's only one person who can make the descision, and that's the one parting with the cash! Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Why is that 'other' site in KTM colours (Colors - for the US readers!)?? It's not too easy on the eyes either. I see 'admin' has put up some posts now I'm staying here. Nice people on here..

Are you looking for soft luggage or hard, there are options from £50 to £600 and beyond ! Oxford do some first time through over stuff that's OK, make sure you use a 'blanket' (Oxford do these too for about £10). This kit is available at most dealers, Hein Gericke, Ebay or webshops Touratech do Zega-Flex, this is soft luggage that fits to a frame - Not sure if they do a carrier for your bike though - www.touratech.co.uk, Or you could go down the Givi route, there are lots of options here - www.givi.co.uk To be honest, if it's your first time, then you're probably best going for some soft options, www.mandp.co.uk often have offers on or Link to Busters have a full set for £69 that will probably do. When you pack, wrap your stuff in a bin liner, then put it in the luggage - it'll keep the wet out! and be very particular when fastening it to the bike, with speed, windblast and vibration it can move, the Oxford Blanket will hell to keep it in place as well as protecting your paintwork. Good luck - I know some great roads in Scotland, let me know if you want some pointers.

There's a £100 Hien Gericke Vouchers in the fund too! It's got to be worth a go ?

The very nice people have donated a brand spanking new EXO2 STORMRIDER Heated Body Warmer (in whatever size you want) worth £179 to help raise funds for ChildLine. If you would like a chance at wining this, then please follow the link for more details: WIN an EXO2 STORMRIDER Heated Body Warmer

If you're going to ride it in a public place, then you'll need to be properly Licensed, Taxed and Insured. Even the car park at Asda/Tesco/Morrisons etc, although it's privately owned is still a public place and you still need all the bits of paper. I'm not 100% about the New Forest, but I don't think I'm too far off the mark to say it's a public place. You will need to do your CBT and then you'll be restricted to a road legal 125cc, that doesn't mean you have to live with a road bike dressed up to look like a dirt bike, there are plenty of 125 enduro bikes around. Remember, wherever you ride, stick to the Green Lane Code - otherwise the bobble hat & Red Sock brigade will use it as more evidence to have bikes banished from the countryside (it's already happening in the Yorkshire Dales). There are around 2700 TRF members who are the only group standing up to the Ramblers Ass's with a membership of 13,000 (I could be way out on this, but it's still lots more than the bikers). Enjoy your off road riding, it's true that Off Road Riders can't manage sportsbikes. - It's because their balls are so big.. :chair:

Hmmmm, story of my life!, pass so many Petrol Stations I'm forgeting how to use the pumps I get 300 miles out of my 660, but then it's not a R6

Happens to me all the time, lucky for me though it misses my brains by 70 inches!

Which one are you talking about? Not sure I'd wana mess with either, but I think I'd take my chance with the one on the right Mind you, size isn't always important - this little bugger saw off the last lot who tried to have it away with my ride (stop it!) : Heart of a lion!

These work, not sure about the legality on the street, but my back fence is protected by them, with the landowners agreement of course. http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/ALARM_MINES.htm They don't half make you jump, even when you know they're going off !

Just ordered a pair from EXO2 direct, James Laing, the MD sounds like a decent sort of a bloke. Wasn't sure on the control pack, but as it takes another .4amp I'm going to try without. For the record the EXO2 gloves reach 55C on full power, that's about the same as a pair of Oxford grips, but it's inside the glove, so more efficient.

I'd agree, you must get out, it's very important that you regain some experience, I'd say about three hours every day for 6 months shoud do it

Take a layered approach, use different types of security (Chains, alarms, disc locks etc) and from different manufacturers, with different technology (i.e. - key types). You need to get it fixed to an imovable object - lamp-post or speak to your local council, they might let you fix a ground anchor, if you are allowed then go for a Gold Standard one. Chain ?? lots of them around, the problem is that they mostly protect from one type of attack, liquid nitrogen will reduce most to nothing stonger than a milk bottle (quick tap and it's in a million bits!) where braded wire will resist this, but can be cut with bolt crops, you see my point? you need to layer the security to defend against multiple attacks. There are alarmed disc locks, these are OK - at least you will be warned when they are trying to remove it The bottom line here is simple, if they want it, they will get it. What you need to do is make them move to the next bike and leave yours alone. Noise is your best deterent, the more noise (even though most people ignor it) the less the attacker is going to want to hang around. Some thieving scumbags tried to get my TTR 6 months ago, but a dodgy gate bolt (it kept falling out) hit the ground and the dogs went crazy, run outside to find the cover of the bike, and the disc lock damaged. I sold my boat and put the bike in garage with a ground anchor and alarmed the garage! They should chop the right hands off bike thieves on the first offence, the left on the second - There wouldn't be a third!

Chris, I'm not sure if this is going please you, or make you ride the bike into the sea! I've a TT600RE, same bike almost, but with electric start. Now mine was a bugger to get going and would pretty much drain a battery to get going - once she was going she'd start on a breeze. I worked out that if I turned the fuel off when I wasn't using her it made starting a bit better - dunno why but it worked. Now, a couple of weeks ago I gave here some TLC (not due a service for a couple of months yet) , new fork oil seals, brake pads, new brake fluid, cleaned out the air filter, and I can across an Irridium Spark Plug on Weeebay, so I fitted one of those too. Now she starts on the touch of the button, every time - even when she's been left out in a <damp> sea breeze all night. I use her for Green Lanes so she does get a bit of a beasting on a weekend. So, I'm going to go with the new plug that's given her the zest for starting again, mainly because I can't se why some oils seals would help !

These things will grip anything, even a greased pipe! Aston Super Wrench - On Ebay Useful tool to have in the box!

It's lovely up here,,, for now! A bit windy, 18C with occasional cloud - go on, you know you want to!

How many times have you been 21 now.....

There are always good tyre deals in TBM - www.watlingtyres.co.uk, Pitstop tyres in Letchworth 01462 685522 are a couple in this months edition, I've not used them as I've got a good local dealer (www.jandlmotorcycles.co.uk), who might do mail order for you - give Nicola a ring on 01228 596826.

Micky, this isn't going to help your current problem, but it might help prevent it in the future. The speed bumbs, how savage are they? We've some up here (in the less salubrious areas of town) that really need to be treated as something you'd find off road, in fact you can drop off some of them at 30mph!. It's just a thought but are you hitting them too hard with your weight in the wrong place ?? The bike should deal with them no problem but they just need a bit of help sometimes, like getting you weight right, the front wheel should be 'lighter' (weight back, litle tug on the bars and a bit of power), like the early stages of a wheelie - I'm not suggesting you wheelie over the bumps, or even do it at speed, but just a very slight movement of weight. Even just moving you backside back over the bike will help. I don't know if you are doing this already, and I'm not suggesting you can't ride, it's just a very subtle change in weigh distribution. Even standing on the pegs will change the CoG (Centre of Gravity) When you hit anything (rock, curb, speed bump, road kill etc), your tyre is the first to react (compression), this force is passed through the spokes, then the hub then through the bearings, then the forks will compress. Your forks are progressive so the more weight you have on them = slower response & more force needs to be transitted from the ground up, so by removing some of that you allow the whole system to function a little quicker, and you lessen the load on the unsprung weight. The best way to practise is find a green lane that your bike is OK with (nothing to muddy if you're on dual sport tyres) and have a go (when you get it fixed!), watch out for and the red scoks brigade - it's fantastic fun and you'll learn about balance and weight distribution. You can find the green lanes on you local councils website under "definative map" ..or I might just be going on and on and on.... sometimes I just need to get of my and shut the f'k up!