Ttaskmaster

I used to meet them a lot when I had my 125 Drag. Depending on my mood, I'd either inform them that I'd just very happily ridden all the way down to Cornwall and back on my bike, or I'd simply kick them in the nuts To be fair, not many people go back from a big bike (the classification of which actually starts at 400cc, by the way), but 125s are seriously great fun for pootling about on and are most gracefully adept at filtering. I used to do London and back every Friday and my 125 was always more fun to filter down the M25 on. It just took more time to get there once the roads cleared

I quite like the Warrior. It's the American model (I can't recall what the UK version is), but it's probably the nicest of the 'modern' styled Cruisers.

Hate to say it, but..... If you almost crash into the vehicle in front of you, then YOU were either following too close or going too fast to start with. Remember that rule - Always be able to stop within the distance you can see to be clear? It's in operation ALL the time. There was a famous blog by a friend of mine called Longrider. He gave a classic example and perfect explanation of how he was following at proper distance and going nicely below the speed limit, yet was still going too fast for a situation that presented itself. In court an incident may still be ruled as not your fault - but if you think about it, there is almost always something YOU could have done to prevent it becoming dangerous, or worse. Trick is to think about these and learn them before you encounter such situations. Another common one for bikes is to overtake (or undertake) a vehicle that has slowed, with indicators flashing, to seemingly make a turn. The driver then changes their mind and decides to carry on, smacking into the bike just as it passes through their blind spot. Friend of mine did this and the 4x4 he was overtaking actually went to turn completely opposite to where she was indicating - Instead of going down the major-to-minor road, she went to crash into a blank wall. As it was, she hit the bike instead. The trick here is to wait until the vehicle actually starts to turn before you burn past.

WHAT???!!!! What good is that.... unless you have an immobiliser and *that* is the cause of the problem?

Good bike, good choice. Surrey's a good area for Clubs and the like, too. Big bike scene down that way!!

Nope. I have a trickle charger anyway, but I also know how to bump-start a bike

Lower??!! You can't really get much lower. It's a Cruiser. You can cut some of the seat out and maybe drop the rear shock a touch, but that's about it. Paul - Rotating the existing bars up won't make them much like Ape Hangers:

Not really my thing. Doesn't seem complicated, really. Yes, you will need longer cables for everything, but that's about it. Otherwise, fit as per normal bars.

Italy? With THREE daughters??!! All that fashion... you'll be broke within 3 days, mate

I might do.... But do you have the time to fully complete your Profile and bother to post an introduction?

Durable - It's a Highway Hawk, so it should be. Look good - Personal opinion. Some like it, some don't. Comfortable - Rider, mostly yes... Pillion, no fecking way!! TBH, most customisation is down to personal taste anyway. I don't like a lot of custom things, but I can still appreciate them. Most riders get on well with such a laid back seat. Personally, I don't. It's one of the reasons I don't like Harleys. It hurts my spine, being all slouched up like that. But give it a go - It's a good price and it's getting rare, both of which mean great resale value if you decide you don't like it. Oh, and post back here to let us know what you think of it!!

Pretty much a non-runner... Hope you got it cheap. Still, that's one hell of a way to get acquainted with the bike, eh!! Welcome to the forum, chap!!

PAH - fancy automatic doo-dads... just one more thing that go wrong

Bollocks. I use a Xena alarmed disclock and it works just fine. Chain it to something big and immovable wherever you can and make sure the chain is far off the ground - That way, someone with bolt cutters cannot use the floor as a leverage point. Unfortunately, you're in a high-crime area anyway, but 125s are always sought after. Kids can joyride on them easily and they are great for pro-thieves to break and flog as parts on eBay. Best defence is to stand next to it, holding a big stick.

Fast enough to lose your licence, depending on which country you live in. I don't know, since your profile is blank. Try Googling the stats. That's what I did.

I can't see that page - It won't load. However, I'm guessing from the URL that's a Star Wars X-Wing Fighter car? If so, that'll be my associates in America, who build movie props for a living. They also did the one from Battlestar Galactica. Me, if I'm gonna get a vehicle from a Sci-Fi film, it will be this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36903214@N04/4108638617 http://www.flickr.com/photos/36903214@N04/4108638659

There's a guy round our way selling very nice condition ex-Police Pans for about £1500. Three of my colleagues bought theirs off him and rave about what great deals they were. One is a Butterfly, the other two know about 17 times more about biking than I do

I dunno if the Haynes manuals use UK specific terminology, though I expect they might... and I haven't a clue what a grudgeon pin is... I just look at the pictures and go, "Take part A out of Part B, remove Part C, drop Part A, swear, pick up Part A, reassemble" etc etc...

FOOKIN' 'ELL, LAD!!!!!! Yeah, no BMW style for you, eh!!

Dan's got a few posts and he's back for more. He's OK. However, Dan, I'd ask that while you're adding the exact bike, you include at least your location details - One of us may be near you and willing to drop by to look at it in person. What's the idle speed running at?

IOW? Isle Of Wight??!! I dunno if they're the same company, though it wouldn't surprise me if they are.

OMG!!!!!! Twice - Firstly, because I am now so infamous here that I now have a thread with my name in the title Secondly, because that this is mad.... madder than Mad Mick McMad!! Actually, despite my über-geeky 'Lightsaber maintenance' post in another thread, I don't actually like Star Wars, ha ha I just Googled everything in that post for a joke However, I AM an insanely big fan of ALiens. I have several 'geek toys' from it, including a full set of US Colonial Marine patches, BDUs and a 'fully functioning' prop version Pulse Rifle (ie, it does everything but shoot). My real Xmas list currently comprises bike bits, de-act WWII firearms, American WWII M41, M43 and Class A uniforms (Claire's getting me into that re-enactment lark and I get to play with tanks), a few old movies and stuff. I will NOT be getting this robe... though I know some friends who will

Have you tried all the usual places - ie local independent parts shop, eBay, Yamaha Dealer, PartFiner (and derivative websites)?

FJR1300 - Feckin' fast if you ride it right, but very comfy and great for long distances. Also loads of gadgets and thingies that do stuff of use, for all manner of situations. Just don't get the extra 'wind deflectors'. They turn nice wing mirrors into big elephanty loppy lugs like you see on the front of coaches... and I WILL take the piss out of you if you do!! But yeah, nice bike. Very nearly bought one myself!!

Wrong. BANG. You're dead. You just rode into the oncoming truck that the headlight-flasher could not see. Also, do this on a test and you fail instantly on safety. It states quite clearly in the Highway Code that the flashing of headlights is to alert other road users to your presence, just like use of the horn. It also specifically states it's NOT a signal that it's safe for you (or anyone else) to move on. It may not be safe but they cannot be sure as they can't see what you can. YOU have to see for yourself that it's safe. Same as relying on a car passenger to tell you if anything's coming from the left. Over time, the flash has gone from meaning "notice me" to "notice me waiting for you to go first". If you want to signal the latter, do something like wave your hand, nod your head sideways (I do this all the time on the bike), or just slow to a stop and let them go first. Cars pull out on bikes because when the bike goes down even a slightly uneven road, the car sees the headlight appear to flash from dipped to high. Kinda the same as when someone has a torch pointed at you and they turn it just a few degrees - To you it flashes, right? Same thing here and it happens on most roads to some degree. Sorry to sound all GRRRRRR about it and I know most people do this wrong, but this small fact could (and often does) end up leaving us permanently paralysed and all sorts of nasty things. If you survive the incident, the law will rule against the mis-interpreter. 87% of bike crashes involve another vehicle pulling out on them. A high percentage of them claim that the biker "flashed them out". Us bikers must always be at the very top of our game just to make it down the shops and back!!