RobSamson

Westminster Council have decided to start charging for parking in motorcycle bays... £1.50/day It's in 'trial' for 3 months and so far it hasn't been well-received by bikers for obvious reasons. My gripe is that a residents car parking permit costs £115 for the year, a bike is £150 for the year (limited to motorcycle bays, no discount for residents). How can this be fair? If this might afftect you PLEASE take 2 mins to drop an email to the address below and COMPLAIN (very un-British!) [email protected] I am told the scheme will go ahead unless there is 'significant resistance' from motorcyclists. This will come in the form of complaints so please don't sit back on this one. Cheers, Rob

Thanks for all thoughts and feedback. I've found gated/secure parking for the daytime and beefed up the locks for the evening to make sure it's chained to something. Next stop... shotgun & landmine shop

Unbelievable - bought a 2001 R1 about 3 weeks ago and was woken up about 5am this morning as the alarm was going off. I knew they were popular but 3 weeks?! Anyway, this morn - I ran out of my flat to find the cover had been taken off, the front disc lock was on the pavement and the bike was lying on its right hand side. Picked the bike up and found no scratches apart from a very, very light stone chip or two on the side cowling can only guess the alarm went and they had the good sense not to drop it?? Bizarre... thought I would be looking at some new panelling. Couple of questions for you guys/girls and would be grateful for any advice: - I'm assuming it hasn't been dropped as I can't see any marks. If it was dropped, is there anything I need to watch out for (bent frame etc. etc.) and how would I check it out. Could it have been dropped without obvious signs? - Decided it's time to beef up the security. I have an alarm/immobiliser - can any people give me your top tips. I'm thinking a 6ft chain to lock it to a lamp-post and a better quality disc lock. If you have any other ideas or suggestions on brands/ types of lock that would be much appreciated. Take care, and lock up! Rob

Hi Steve, Yes - the air filter change was very easy, no more than 5 mins and all the instructions made sense. I was a little worried about pulling out the fuel tank cables but didn't need to do this in the end as I just propped up the tank. Rob

Thanks for the advice. Just got a flexi cord magnet from halfords...think that pesky screw must have dropped out when riding as I spent an hour with the panels off checking everywhere and anywhere. Hoping I don't find out it was still there when my back tyre explodes on the M1....

How I'd love to turn it upside down and give it a good shake... Cheers for the tips... will try halfords for a telescopic magnet and try not to be so cack-handed in future

I've just managed to drop one of the air filter screws on the right hand side of the air filter. It's disappeared into a gap and not come out the bottom of my R1, despite removing all the panelling. PLEASE someone else tell me they've done this too! I've no idea where it's gone, would appreciate anyone suggestions as to how to find it / get it out. Rob

Cheers Steve & jrhendry. Steve - how do I disconnect the fuel pipes (just pull them?) and where do I find the fuel tap. Ta, Rob

Hi there, My second thread and hopefully quite easy for someone: - how easy is it to change an air filter? I have a 2001 R1 and it looks easy on internet but I have ZERO experience on bikes bar doing an oil change. How long should it take and what the opportunity for me to make a balls up of it? - what are the advantages of specialist air filters vs. standard Yamaha. This may be a really stupid question but I don't know the answer - stock one looks to be around £18 new whereas K&N, which are advertised everywhere, are about £42. Just trying to work out what the benefits are and whether its worth the extra cash. - any recommendations for where I can buy air filters cheap online? Answers to any of these q's would be much appreciated!! Rob

OK, cheers - will check out the headlights first as they're not the brightest! Colour - blue, looks great. One other question (in addition to the clutch)... my trip resets every time I turn the engine off. Any idea why that might be?!

Contact lenses!!

Ta very much - this was really helpful. Been out this weekend to see a couple and decided on one today. Didn't get to the redline on second - it's way too fast for me (bare in mind I'm coming from a fazer 600!). Anyway, the bike seems to be in good shape, just a couple of questions: - Are there any replacement tail-lights or headlights that are worth looking at? I'd like brighter headlights if possible - wondering if you have any recommendations? - Second - tough to explain - when slowing down at traffic lights, if I pull in the clutch to get to first and then release the clutch half-way (when nearly standstill) to move the bike forward a bit there a clicking sound. Any idea what this might be? Doesn't seem to happen from a standing start, just happens when releasing the clutch a bit with the bike already moving at approx 5 mph. Any help appreciated, Rob

Hi all, My first post! I'm currently riding a 2006 Fazer 600, thinking of moving to a 2000 R1 (need it to be old to afford the insurance!). I was just wondering... does anyone have any buyer tips for these bikes (i.e. what to watch out for) or any advice? Are there any known faults/watchouts with this model? Are more recent models THAT much better?? The bike in question has 16k miles on the clock. Many thanks for any help!