Ttaskmaster

You want an IBT-WLR-GT mkIII, size 1. That stands for Itsy-Bitsy-Teeny-Weeny- Little-Rubber-Grommet-Thingy. Make sure you spell it right, or you'' end up ordering the wrong part. Part suppliers, OEM and AM, are very fussy about such things...

Info? See signature.

OMG, I *SO* forgot to say - When motoring along on snow, use a higher gear than normal. This will help reduce the chances of wheelspin!!

They only do the one model, but it's actually halfway between Classic and Custom.

Trenches - I was referring more to a Drag with normal road tyres on, though I doubt knobblies would help much more. Then again, I also leave for work around half 9, so by that stage enough cars have gone by to rid the trenches of all but the slightest slush. The problem comes when you have to turn out of the trench and onto full slush, compacted snow and then untouched snow. That will have you down real quick on a Drag.

Also, not always a good idea to post your personal details like phone number on a public forum...

Eeeeeerrrrrruuuummmmmmeeeerrrrrrr....... dunno. Probably not, though I can't say for sure. Let's think it through... The issues you'll find is that the Drags need a fair bit of braking to stop... ever. An additional dab of back is often better to alter the weight shift and bring the braking effort down into the ground, rather than along it with such a rake angle as the forks have. Do that just a little too much on show and you'll fishtail. Cruisers have TORQUE, which means their best aid in stopping is engine braking. You drop the throttle on even a 125 with all it's 12 horses and you can spin the back wheel, fishtailing again. Drop it fast enough and you'll instantly lowside. So your only option is front brake, but with so much slippery stuff it's easy to lock the brake up. Now, this is easier to recover from if you're upright, as I found in one Tesco's (Value) sheet-ice car park. But if you're at a slight angle or carrying too much speed and weight into the brake, then you'll lowside even faster. Now... On uncompacted snow, knobblies will probably stand you in better stead. On compacted snow, it will be a rough, wibbly ride and on a heavy Cruiser (even just a 24st 125) you'll struggle. Motos and Trailies allow you to rapidly alter yoru bodyweight. Cruisers turn even the lightest of us into fat-ass sacks of potatoes. You have only your arms to control the bike so unless you're Geoff Capes (see the young 'uns stare blankly), if the bike's weight moves, your weight goes with it. Frost - You might slip around a bit, but I imagine no more or less than normal tyres. Not that I'd want to try... As for sludge, ice, mush and all, forget it. You need contact with something that feeds back and this is the same as riding through squishy mud. Wheelspin, wheelspin, wheelspin until your tyres cut through the crap and find some grip. If your weight is off-centre, you go down in possibly the most spectacular lowside of them all. Olympic judges will hold up cards to score the crazed flapping fo yoru arms and legs as if it were an interpretive gymnastic dance routine... You'll still go down, 'cept this time you will be all over the place as the bike swishes all whichy-ways, effective aquaplaning through ground that goes from no grip to all grip and back over mere inches. So yes, there will be some improvement. But not enough that you can ride anywhere near normally. If you were on a Trailie, then quite possibly. But not a pregnant cow like a Cruiser. Best bet, whatever tyres you have, is to take it slow as fuck, ride in the trenches created by the cagers where the grip is best and leave PLENTY of braking distance. Book says at least 10 times the normal gap. Sod whatever anyone else is doing, keep to a safe speed (20 in a 30, if that). Hold your position, usually in the right wheel trench. Braking - slowly off the throttle, clutch in if you have to. Front brake gently and be ready to release and reapply at the slightest twitch - FEEL your back end. Become one with it. Use the Force. Whatever... just be very aware of it. Moving off - VERY slow and gentle. Dump the clutch or whazz the throttle open and you're fucked. Best bet, find a buddy with a car, catch a bus/train, walk or stay home and take some days leave.

They made a Cruiser. Almost ALL cruisers look basically like that, with the exceptions of things like the DN-01 and the G-Strider, which are still Cruisers/Sports-Cruisers but look like space bikes! Shuddup crayzeh FOOL... I ain't gettin' on no playne, Hanibal... Get some NUTS!!! Precisely. Most Harleys have this steep upward slope on the tank and over-reclined seats. Drags actually look as long and low as they are because of the flatter profile. In fact, nothing else looks quite as long and low, which is the main styling thing for me. Also, I always HATED how Harley hang the indicators off the bars like orange snot-drops... Not a plus point for me. Just looks weird. Price - Drags win, every time. Once a 650 falls to about £2,500-3,000 it holds it's value as long as it's looked after. Besides, if I had a £20k bike, I'd never want to take it out and do the crazy shit I do on my Drag, for fear of scratching the bugger!! Build quality - Parts are cheap(ish), so not an issue. Plus, I can happily bugger about with the Drag - I'd be seriously worried about customising a Harley in the same the way, mainly as my mods are all functional and kinda unusual. Wild Hogs culture.... yeah.... so not my thing. Until recently, when an unfortunate hidden rust incident forced me to change, I LOVED having the quietest Cruiser on the planet. Even now, my pipes are pretty hush for what a Cruiser usually is. Even the Mrs's Drag is louder (unless I remove my removable baffles, of course....)!! I always say, horses for courses and ride what YOU like for the reasons YOU have. That's why I ride mine - It's comfy on my awkward frame, cheapish, indelicate, maintainance-friendly, doesn't have to look showroom pristine and will stand up to anything I put it through. Even as unbalanced and abused as it is, my bike will outperform most cages around here and a good few of the bikes as well. I'm proud of that!!

After years of riding, learning it's personality, discovering it's traits, understanding it's behaviour and putting FAR greater thought into it than anyone else here, I finally settled on calling mine...... "The Bike". Now, because my Mrs rides the same model, she sat down and had a thought. Thought long and hard, went through the same process of riding, learning it's personality, discovering it's traits, understanding it's behaviour and putting FAR greater thought into it than anyone else here, before finally deciding to call hers.... "My Bike". Match made in heaven, eh!

Buenas tardes, Senor!

Yeah, well despite working 11 hours every bloody day this week, I'm somehow having a good day today... so I'm sharing the love

Check your clutch cable for looseness, stretching, etc. Try also adjusting your clutch lever adjustment, as that may have loosened or just need altering anyway.

Happened when I overfilled my oil. Empty out, refil to correct level, try again. Then come back, post an Intro and then we'll talk...

Speedo Cable is busted. Put new one on. Lube petrol cap lock. Try again. Normally I'd be more curt and sarcastic, since you haven't even posted an Intro (very bad internet forum manners, that) but you're having a bad day... and I know I'm a moody bastard when I get one o' them, so I'm being nice! Let me know how you get on...

Never be brought up in convers..... NAH!! This is how we find out what's good, mate - Trial and error. Many Ratbikes and Survival bikes look shite, because people think it's all about bolting crap on and spraying it black... True beauty has many forms and achieving it is an art. It's an interesting idea and one I've not very often. By all means give it a go! Post pictures, too, even if they're photoshop test ones!

Hmmm. I may have a job for you...

29 of the 45 accidents in my area were dead motorcyclists. Most were aged 21-35. All were men. Most involved one car. About half the passengers in the cars also died. More women died than men. The weather was usually fine. Reading is peppered with c**ts in cagers (a couple even have blue lights* on the top). This webshite does not list non-fatal accidents, of which I *know* there are many more times this amount. *Reading cops are actually great guys, for the most part. Personally never met one I had a problem with.

You can get nobblies that work both on and off-road. AFAIK, they don't perform as well as road-specific tyres, like Avon Venoms. Dunno about sizing - You'd have to look through the manufacturers' webshites and see... They likely won't list one specifically for the Drag, but may still have them in the right size.

Funky! Can you do other models, too? Currently, I just bungie an overstuffed rucksack on the back and use that to relax against on long trips

I don't really do Christmas anyway, although the Mrs does and keeps asking me for a list... I usually go out and buy what I want, when I want it (and have the money, that is), so I'm a piggin' awkward bastard to buy for! However, if I had a list, it'd likely look like this: 1/. Complete stripdown and repaint. 2/. New luggage, REAL leather this time. 3/. Waterproof reversing light (it's fecking dark round our new house) 4/. Brighter headlight (low power drain, if poss) 5/. Complete strip-down and replacement of any knackered parts. 6/. Machine guns, rocket lauchers, phasers, multi-phasic ablative (graviton or molecular) shielding and a machine that makes "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot".

Ahh.... with the addition of one small letter, I have complete clarity!! Very good, sir!! Would have been better if it had fewer letters per keystroke though, to better match people's typing speed.

Huh? What is this all about?

You don't 'have' to and there are times when I have not. I personally find it easier, especially on steeper hills. The reason you're taught to use the rear brake is that, if you give it too much revs and you're holding it on the front, you're more likely to spin the rear wheel - The bike will low-side on the spot and take your leg(s) out with it, before spinning around on the road a bit and smacking anything around you. On the rear, it's just more likely to stall. This was missing J17 on the M25 and ending up somewhere in the 20s... I don't do that trip often (if I can help it) and it was a trip for work, so I was enjoying as much of a bad day as possible. I'm at J11 M4, but I rarely get the chance to go out West...

+1!!!!! I have gone 4 whole junctions past my motorway exit before, as I was so busy enjoying the ride!

Wicked intro!! If only all our newbies were like that... Mid-life crisis, bollocks. I started when I was early 20s. It's cool, it's fun and it's for whoever wants it, regardless of age, gender, race, religion or anything. You go for it, mate!! Confidence comes from experience, so get out there and ride away. Good that you're getting started during the less clement weather, as you'll learn caution. You're forced to take it easy and build up slowly. We all still get moments when we're a bit flappy cornering in the wet. Just stay within your comfort zone. It's better to arrive late than not at all. You'll have plenty of 'moments' so just learn from them and you'll do fine. Hill starts are all about the right balance of clutch, rear brake and throttle. This means knowing your bike. You know the basics, so it's just practice. I kid you not - This is what I did: 1/. Find a quiet area, preferably of private road or something. Maybe even just your front driveway. Start by just turning the throttle - Feel the point where the freeplay ends and the throttle actually opens. You will develop more sensitivity to this the more you ride. Now start the engine... 2/. Spend some time in 1st gear just applying a touch of throttle and slowly easing the clutch out until you feel it bite and the bike slowly rolls forward. Keep doing it until you know exactly where the biting point is and can find it (more) easily. Just let the bike ease forward a foot or two and pull the clutch in to stop. 3/. Now do the same with the back brake on and when the clutch starts to bite, ease off the brake and let it move forward a touch. Stop as above, but apply the back brake as well. Then go and find somewhere quiet, with a bit of an uphill incline. Do the same as 3, but apply a touch more throttle. Find steeper hills until you are managing this with a comfortable ease. Make no mistake - You *will* stall a LOT to begin with. Don't let it worry you. It's just practice. We've all been there and us older riders (ha ha, I'm only 30-something) feel even more embarrassed by it. But eventually you'll just wake up one morning, hop on and blast away like the rest of us! Oh yeah - Welcome to the forum!