Ttaskmaster

Some of those already have this requirement in force, actually. Lorry and bus drivers have to complete 35 hours of retraining every 5 years. I imagine the Transport Office webshite will have more details....

Looks as much of a posey mess as the other Midnight Stars. OK, I can appreciate why people want this, but why aren't they doing any Custom models too. Why just the 'Classics', particularly when the Customs have more of a classic retro look anyway? Methinks Yamaha are missing a trick or two.....

Yeah, what's with that? Safer with them off??!! I guess they don't see me and therefore don't start going, "Oh no, it's a nasty biker, what shall I do", start panicking and swerving.... or purposely trying to fuck my life up. Either way, so long as I don't come to blows with them, I'm happy.

Check here...

DO YOU LIVE VERY FAR AWAY? OR ARE YOU JUST FECKING DEAF? ......BECAUSE WE 'AIN'T!!!!!! Dude, typing all in Caps is the forum equivalent of shouting. Don't do it. As for weight, I'm 5' 11", topping at 11 stone and 75 was riding a factory standard, uncustomised '02 reg 125 Drag.

I don't usually use my lights except at night or in poor visibility. I work on the assumption that drivers will not see me anyway and, even if they do, half will still try and race me/beat me off the lights/pull past or out before I get there or just not give a fuck and smash the shit out of me with their cars. Thing is, if they cannot see a large shiny bike with chrome all over the place, how do they expect to see a cyclist or a child on the road? I also notice I have less close shaves now I don't bother with the lights and just alter my riding. I'm basically the other side of the argument. Picture this - Bloke with white lid, yellow Hi-Viz riding a FUCKING BRIGHT orange motorcycle (the same colour as the DynoRod vans) also with headlights on. Someone turned straight into him on an otherwise empty road, with a "SMIDSY". Do whatever you can to help, but also realise that if someone wants you off, through stupidity, ignorance or intention, there won't be much you can do.

Carole Nash (who are strangely cheap for me) will let me add 2 or more bikes on my policy for a few quid. Literally, less than a tenner. The theory is that I can only ride one at a time and since I'm the only named rider, what difference does it make. £7.50 for admin, cost of a phonecall and bandwidth to update their database. Job Done!!!!

No. That's the short answer. The 650 Drag puts out 40BHP as standard. You're restricting it to 33. In power to weight terms, you'll be running at just over 82% of normal power. It takes a particular rider to ride a 650 Drag at full performance..... namely me!!!! Compared to a 40BHP Drag, a 33 Restricted doesn't suffer very noticeably. You will be slightly slower off the line and take a touch longer to get up to speed, but should still happily keep pace with the big 1100s in a group formation ride. You'll still be able to shift the weight of rider, pillion and full luggage. Definitely a good choice of bike!!!

"Hey, it's all gonna work out. Here's Tom with the weather....."

Countersteering crops up a fair bit on bike forums. As for the hang/push idea - I just find hanging easier. On a bike with narrower bars, like a Deauville or a 'Blade, pushing tends to be easier. Either way, when you 'lean' the bike, your head and chest move first. This automatically puts a slight puch through your shoulders, down your arms and on to the bars. It's only a few millimetres, so most people don't notice it.

Hey, simple is good. The fact is that countersteering is the ONLY way to steer a bike (except at very slow speeds). However, people do not need to know it to steer properly.

First time I ever did a wheelstand? DAS course, right in front of my instructor!!! Can't say I was particularly thrilled, despite him cracking up.......

Report it anyway.

It's a bit more complex than Chris explains and it does change slightly at different speeds, but he's absolutely right. I have explained it to people, then had them go out on the bike and try it. Despite having experienced it right then and there (I was riding behind and even saw them), they STILL swear blind that it doesn't exist.... stupid feckers!! Some of it depends on the bike you ride. Mostly, we ride by feel. Riding, say, a Sportsbike you feel like you're tipping the bike in, so that must be how it works, right? Nothing wrong with this understanding - It's whatever your brain needs to make it work. Ride a Cruiser and with no great effort from the legs, you certainly start feeling the steer controlled by the arms. Myself, I actually pull the bars, rather than push them, hanging off the outside grip in a corner. Makes it slightly easier when straightening up as the muscle groups work better. That said, I know I still corner with my knee stuck out - Like I'm going to get that down on a Drag!!

Nice, but HIGHLY illegal most places, or at least likely to land you in trouble.... If only because people like me WILL use live rounds in them.

If I Recall Correctly. Think I get it now. Ta!!

You should tighten your spokes before and after the 'break-in' period on a new Drag. The Haynes manual gives directions on how to balance your wheels, properly tighten the spoke system and make sure it's running central. Properly tightened, they should hold in place very nicely and give a solid ring when tapped with a spanner. Get it sorted now, though. Loose spokes can lead to a failure of the spoke system. Your back wheel will simply explode apart. Probably when you're doing 90 down the motorway. Is very dangerous - Fix immediately!!!

Sad buggers.... I'm thinking about Goff!!!

What charging issue? You said that you and your garage blokie have both confirmed that battery and charging circuits are fine. Colourtune/colortune can be had from many different places that sell bike parts and stuff. Google them up or even phone your local parts shops. Easy as!! Which mine does on a warm day. IIRC, the mixture will be ever so slightly lean at idle and rich when you open the choke? Opening the throttle adds more air into the mix, which is why you start a flooded engine with throttle open and choke shut? Right or wrong?

Feck....... OK: Bike Trader MCN Riders Digest Motorcycle Monthly UKBike.com SellingABike.co.uk Local newspapers Local sales webshites eBay Local classified webshites Freecycle (yes, people do) Most motorcycle dealers sell bikes too. Some don't even advertise. Many, many, many other places One easy way is to just Google the bike you want!!

Simple - Change the mixture. You'll need a copy of the service manual or the Haynes, simply because I don't know where the various bits are on your particular bike. Somewhere there will be a screw (very close, or actually on the carbs). Turning it wil adjust the air/fuel mixture. Get a Colortune kit (it's usually American, hence odd spelling) and make use of that to get a fairly accurate adjustment. Instructions are included and a decent one'll cost you about £40 including VAT, postage and all that crap. Once done, air/fuel mixture will be as good as you can get on a DIY job without lots of fancy kit. Plus, your fuel economy will go up as you use less fuel!!!!

Well, it's been as low as -2 round here, of late. I'm in the city centre as well. If you step outside and end up jumping back in shrieking, "Feck me, it's a chilly one", then you may consider it to be officially cold. I have. Wire the thing into a 5-pin relay, along with all the fancy electro-crap, like heated grips. Then build the solar panel into your leather saddlebags. That's what I've done and am chuffed to fuck, if I do say so meself!! Or, secure it some-other-how. Chain it on, lash it, tie it, bolt it..... Improvise, adapt, overcome!!!

As Old Git says. 'PIR'? I think that is indeed Prime, as also explained by OG. Models vary - Mine actually said Prime. My 650 doesn't even have one, though. Big Up ta OG, there!!!!

Simple cold, from the sounds of it. Do check things over, though. Make sure all your seals are good, tubes connected right etc. Make sure the battery is looked after too.

+1 for an Optimate. And yes, you can feck a battery that quickly. Hell, I can do it inside 4 minutes!!