Ttaskmaster

Really??!! You ever tried Avon Venoms on the XVS? Last for ages and very good in all weathers. I'm about to change the front after 16,000 miles. The rear is the same one I've had since I bought the thing and I still have 8mm to go before replacement!!

I salute Gas Up for so concisely voicing an opinion that I feel reflects the absolute truth!! 130mph, eh......... Guess how much I care? Like the 'safety cameras'? Like the myriad road signs, such as the ones telling you the maximum speed you can take a corner at? Like the leg-protector panels, the seat belts, the roll cages and all the other insane add-ons that MAG successfully campaigned against? If Da Guv'mint has their own way, the easiest way to make motorcycling safe is to ban them altogether. The ONLY thing that causes so many crashes out there, regardless of vehicle type, is the human in control of the vehicle(s) concerned. Rarely does an accident happen where the human(s) could not have done something to prevent or avoid it. The occasional unpredictable mechanical failure or freak incident. The rest will have been preventable by the driver(s). The best way to make road use a lot safer and reduce casualties is to remove ALL safety features and teach people how to drive/ride properly.

There's only one Cruiser I know of that can pull away hard enough to do that - Rocket III Besides, it's a lot harder on a Sports bike with just the two small handles stupidly situated right on the pivot point - Gives you even more of a chance that you'll flip. In fact, I almost did on the back of a mate's VFR750. My feet came right up and I was tipping back..... For the most part, especially on the high backrests, they are absolutely fantastic. Having something to brace against works very well for the pillion and it means you can sit right back, allowing the rider more room. Plus, of course, you can lash loads of kit to it and go tourin'!!

Depending on the size of the hole, it could be either. Thing is, the weld could fail at a later stage. If it's that bad, they might just replace the whole pipe as that'll be easier. Seems you might want to just get a refund on this or something and get another bike from a different dealer. Stay with teh 125 drag if you like it, but this particular model sounds pretty fucked. I'm also concerned that the PDI they should have done hasn't picked up any of these issues.... Unless you're abusing the bike, I'd say your dealer is an arse.

A lot of brands that copy the drop-down visor, including one of teh later Caberg models are crap, because they don't drop low enough. Also, some people do find the original Cabergs (the V2) comes down too low on the nose.

Depends on the individual tyre manufacturer. Best chuck 'em an email. Mine tends not to stand for more than a weekend, so I have no idea. Unless there's a mention of it in the Owner's Manual, I wouldn't worry so much. Maybe roll it to a new position every 3-4 weeks, to be safe. Good choice of bike, though!!

Another girlie and another Dragstar rider. What more could you want, eh? So tell us more about yourself, Bella!!!!

Tinted visors are usually used by Sports riders with expensive helmets who want to show off (but they're not posers like Cruiser riders, honest!!). Basically, you have 3 options; 1/. Get a tinted visor. You will have to stop and change it when there's less than the legal percentage of light getting through, though. 2/. Wear sunglasses. Not always an option, especially if you wear normal glasses too. 3/. Get a Caberg. Other brands are trying the same thing, but Caberg are still the favoured lid for the internal drop-down sun visor. When it gets dark, either through sun setting or on those shaded B roads, you just flip the sun visor back up. Caberg also have a high rating on that new star system. Pretty good for a £100 lid, eh!!

Try seeing if there's any local MAG groups. Those can provide a foothold into the local scene.

Fix the hole first. I'm guessing air is being drawn back in through the hole (or fuel is being sucked further out than it should be) and you're getting some combustion further up the pipe, ie at the front of the engine.

I'm gonna hazard a guess and say you've knackered one (or more) of the electromagnety things that make the motor turn.

Nah - Watches. I suspect she's got me an MP4 watch. I'm looking at getting her something expensive, pretty and far more fashionable than my old-fashioned black plastic 80s Casio tastes. I'm not a fan of flintlock weapons, though she might like a Baker Rifle (she likes Sharpe, y'see...). The swords thing was twofold - I fight with them, so she bought me a pretty one. She's into her Viking heritage, so I got her a nice 3-lobed one with her name in Viking runes etched on the crossguard.

That'll be yer hole, then!!

I'd guess either; You're revving far too much, as in too much throttle for what you want the bike to do. Try a gradual increase, rather than whacking it open and expecting the bike to instantly respond. or - You've a small hole in the exhaust. Backfiring is when you have unburnt fuel that kicks off as it progresses through the system. Are you riding with the choke open?

Ah, V-Day is already sorted. Odd thing is - for the second time (if my guess is correct) we've both bought each other the same thing!! Last year it was swords

Go to Hein Gericke or some other similar accessories shop. They sell adhesive plastic panels (in various colours, effects and clarities). Stick a couple over the paintwork.

Be careful of stones. Mate of mine got one in his Wildstar belt drive yesterday. It broke the belt and left him high and dry on the M/way.

You mean Mr. Lookatmeiridelikeatwatandgivebikersabadname has yet another video of him being a nob? Good for him. He still doesn't compare to an attack helicopter pilot, tho I prefer the vids of the Tokyo MC Couriers - THAT is riding on the edge....

When you said 'Firefly', with capitalisation, I expected something from the TV show.

Man, I wasn't even born then Some bikes do, especially smaller single cylinder ones. Remember the old Honda M50 Monkeybikes? They do exactly that, although they only have 4 gears. Jing Chen now make copies of 'em. TBH, it's up to you how you ride. My box doesn't especially like going into N from 2nd and it takes a very delicate touch to knock it in.

Such things have been know to, yes. Some swer by them, all the Ultraseal stuff and so on. The idea is that if you get a puncture, this stuff seals it before it blows and allows you to carry on. There are stories of people who've thus been completely unaware of a puncture and continued on what is effectively a busted tyre. I'll let your imagination fill in the rest. Personally, I prefer to know when there's a problem.

You mean you ain't insured now? I assume you're not riding? 'They' don't. The water companies (one of which I am a consultant for) locate their MHs nicely to the very side of the road, or usually on the pavement. Over time (most MHs were laid pre-Victorian times) the ground shifts and/or Local Councils decide to re-lay roads. When they feck about like this, they usually don't plan it properly and you end up with MHs right in the middle of the road. "YAHHHHHH, GOFFICK!!!!!! OI, MORTISHA!!!! OI, ADDAMS FAMILY!!!!!!!" And other such Chavvy wanker jeers Used to wear a cassock until Keanu Woodentop started copying me in the Matrix, the bastard. That garment even landed me a job as an extra in a movie once.

Thoughtless Pussy. Thoughtless, because he should have found a wife who has her own bike anyway. Pussy because he should not bow to such pressure. If a woman cannot accept her man for who he is and who he wants to be, then she's not a 'real' woman and needs a good kick in the pants to help her get over herself. The Taskmistress is lovely - She's letting me get a shotgun, though I think that's only because she wants to play with it!!

There's a place called Cavaliers in Reading's Broad Street Mall. They do custom clothing. Plenty of other companies in the UK who do custom printing, embroidery, screening etc.

What?? Did ye not do CBT, then? Jeezy, we got it all the way through DAS and everything. When stopping on the road, at lights or whatever, you should 'technically' shift down through each gear separately, letting the clutch out each time for engine braking and cooming to a controlled stop in first. Apparently you can tell a poor rider by the fact that they stop and then shift down. It's good practice because it means you get the full braking effect (a bike has three brakes, remember) plus you will have executed the stop with enough time to downshift properly and correctly. You should then be standing still in 1st, clutch in, rear brake on and left foot only on the ground. Course in practice, I usually slow right down, maybe downshifting if I need extra braking, drag the clutch in as the revs hit the floor and shift down to 1st just before I come to a stop. I might then shift into neutral, fiddle with the engine, check my reflection in the mirror, dance the YMCA or whatever.