hate_camel

I read this the other week on Bennets website, according to them its a profile of the average biker, he's called Ben apparently... Name: Ben Sex: Male (96.8%) Age: 41- 50 (31.6%) Hair Colour: Brown (66.2%) Glasses: No (62.3%) Additional features: Tattoos (53.3%) and Beard (32.6%) Height: 6ft (33.3%) Occupation: Professional (29.0%) Motorbike: Honda (30.1%) How often do you ride: Twice a week (42.8%) Do you use the bike to commute to work: Yes (54.9%) Average annual mileage: 5,001 – 10,000 (43.0%) Favourite genre of music: Rock/Heavy Metal (48.8%) How long have you been riding: 1-3 years (22.9%) How many motorbikes have you owned: 6 (47.9%) Do you own a car: Yes (80.0%) Favourite sport: Superbikes (52.8%) Annual income: £20,000 – 39,999 (44.4%) They also say Now I'm no hells angel, I'm a 25 year old bloke who until a year ago had no interest in bikes whatsoever (and no biker mates either) but one day decided it might be fun to have a go, so I'm not sure where I fit in to that typical biker profile.

When I did my first aid at work course the trainer told us that out on the street you're under no obligation to give first aid to people, but it's up to you isn't it? Personally if I got to an accident first I'd do all I could to help, and that's pretty much just ring 999 and keep them comfortable until the professionals get there. I like some of the options they give you in the multiple choice though "The motorcyclist is unconscious and bleeding badly, should you... A. Give them a warm drink..." I had a good chuckle at some of them

Passed! It was pretty easy, about half the questions I'd already answered on my practice DVD and the hazard perception actually went well. Got the best score out of all the practice goes I'd had so I'm happy about that. Feels good to get it out of the way!

Thanks for the help guys, its this afternoon so I should be able to get a date for my practical soon! Not worried about the theory. Done a load of practice tests and not failed any yet, just get really angry at the hazard perception when I've seen it and clicked too soon! I also start criticising the driver of the car I'm supposed to imagine being in, his lane discipline is terrible and he tends to tailgate other drivers...but I'll try not to shout at the computer when I'm in the test centre!

Insurance will always be the biggest hurdle at your age i'm afraid. About 5 years ago when me and a mate both passed our tests he got an old Fiesta, nothing special just a cheap runaround, cost him about a grand to insure as a named driver on his Dad's insurance, I seem to remember it would have been about double that if he'd done it in his own name. Very expensive! This is why since passing my test I've not actually owned a car. Now I'm insured on my girlfriends peugeot 306, and adding me to the policy actually made her cover cheaper, work that one out!

£800,000? pfft, thats nothing, you just wait until I receive the money I'm due from the lovely widow of a Prince from the Ivory Coast that emailed me last week. £2,000,000! And all I had to do was give her my bank details, passport, driving license, birth certificate, address, telephone number, 2 passport sized photographs, £500 in cash, a blood sample and my mothers maiden name...bargain!

Agreed it was great to see Jenson Win, I thought he had ruined his career with the last 2 years at Honda but he seems to have proved us all wrong by sticking with them. Also love the fact they are now a proper independant British team along with Williams (Mclaren don't count, they are too much Mercedes, not enough Mclaren). Shame they have had to let a lot of their work force go, but that's what happens with all these cost cutting measures they are bringing in. Push to pass also seemed to work pretty well, I wasn't sure about it at first, it seemed a bit video-gamey but if it creates more overtaking then that's fine by me. I would love to see a proper battle between Button and Hamilton (my money would be on Jenson). I thought last season Ferrari and Mclaren tried their very best to throw the championships away on several occassions but one of them still won (Kubica and BMW should have taken advantage) but I can't see anyone having that luxury this year. Looking forward to next week!

Yeah this is the stuff ipone grease R Think it's more advanced than I really expected, but for a couple of quid its worth a try

Wow sounds like this is a common problem, well I'm glad I'm not the only one! Thanks for all your advice guys. Of course now the new oil is in I'll leave it a while before I attempt to get the screws out but when I do I will report back, replacing them with stainless steel allen bolts sounds like a great idea!

Will do as soon as i get chance, i'm starting to understand why my dad spent the last 20 years saying 'i need a bloody garage', got interrupted twice today by hail storms, and then didn't get a chance to ride the thing by the time I'd finished, so frustrating! Anyway...i'll get those photos done, cheers

So my first attempt to change my oil filter failed when under minimal effort i managed to destroy the heads of the screws holding the filter cover in place on my SR125. I mean how soft are these things?! The screwdriver managed to bore a big hole where there was once a screw head. Whats the best way to remove them now? Is it always this easy to destroy these screws or did the last guy just overtighten them? Anyway, oil change is done at least the bike isn't sidelined, bloody annoying though!

Hi, I picked up some aluminium based grease whilst ordering some other bits from Busters, thinking as it was dirt cheap it would be handy. I was planning to use it as a general purpose lube for things like the throttle grip, centre stand etc. However now its turned up it looks like it might have more specialised uses than that, will it do any harm? Should I just have stuck to using engine oil for everything like Yamaha manual suggests? Sorry if its a daft question, there are just so many different lubes, and so many things to be lubed, it gets a bit confusing for a newbie like me.

Hi Jim, in fact with the DA test it can be as dramatic as Push bike -> 300hp+ space shuttle with wheels type thing. New riders with a full A license are only limited by their budget. And with the Direct Access it means they can go from no experience whatsoever, take a test on the school's 500 and then go out and buy whatever they like. This is why I prefer the sound of the A2 test, 125 -> 33hp sounds better to me (some might say boring/soft but I didn't take up biking to end up wrapped around a tree)

Welcome Bornard I did my CBT about 6 months ago and have been practicing at my own pace since then. I think I learn better when I can go away and try things out by myself. The idea of Direct access and going from absolutely no bike experience to sitting my test 3 days later just didn't sound like it would work for me (some would say I'm just slow lol). Got my theory test next week and hoping to pass my practical before the summer. You must have some great roads up there, I used to love going up to Northumberland when I was a kid.

Cheers Goff, just tried the two free clips, scored 5 for both, bloody cyclists!

Thanks for the info Kevin that's great. Sounds pretty similar to when I did the car one i.e. still a bit of a rip off! My only worry is with the hazard perception and the way it registers your clicks. I will have to get the DVD and practice to find out how early is too early to click a hazard. Since I've been riding my bike I've learnt to accept that everything is a hazard and anyone who might pull out/jump out on me usually does. I'll just have to remember not to click everytime I see a 4x4!

The Smiths - How Soon is Now Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing Neil Young - Old Man I find it really difficult to narrow down to favourite albums never mind individual songs so that's all I can come up with for now. Basically I like anything, as long as it's got a soul, I especially appreciate a good guitarist. For some reason with a lot of my stuff either the band have split up or someone died, not sure why that is! Oh and after a few drinks I will admit to liking any old shit from my youth (mid nineties) as long as it reminds me of being 11 and buying my first Now album. Good topic

Okay so this weekend I decided I've had enough of my L plates so booked my theory test for next Weds and will then see what the situation is with the practical test. Gonna do the A2 test on my SR to save a bit of cash. It will work out the best for me as I'm planning on going travelling at the end of the year so don't have spare cash to do Direct Access (or buy a bigger bike for that matter) and the way I see it if 3/4 months of my 2 year restricted period will be used up when I'm travelling outside the UK then that's perfect, and I'll have something more practical than a CBT when I get back. So, firstly, does anyone have any tips for the theory and hazard perception test? I did the car one about 5 years ago now and had no problems with it, not sure if much has changed though? Cheers guys, feels good to have something booked even if it is only the theory. Chris

Hi Jim, thanks for the info, I'll be hoping for a dry weekend so I can get started with this.

haha my name is a reference to comedian Bill Hicks rather than my hatred of camels, I actually think they're lovely. Thanks for the welcome everyone!

Just thought I would introduce myself as I've been lurking around for a while now. New(ish) rider, did my CBT last september and bought an SR125, which has been great fun, looking forward to summer and not having my visor steam up in the cold! Considering doing my full test when money permits but for the time being I'm happy on my 125, and the sense of satisfaction when topping 60mph on that thing is still great fun. Looking forward to getting to know everyone. Also been looking around the Bike Chat Forums but this place seems much less bitchy!!

I've noticed this since I started riding too, was a bit unsure what the bloke was getting at when it first happened but I got the idea eventually! I always give a nod now, and like the fact that my L plates don't stop people nodding back (something I've heard other people complain about). On some of the winter days you get the impression the nod is more of a 'yeah you're as daft as me for being out in this weather' acknowledgement.

Hi everyone I'm planning on giving my SR125 a service this weekend if the weather holds up. It will be the first time for me since I got the bike after doing my CBT last autumn. I don't have much mechanical knowledge, in fact part of the reason I got the bike was to teach myself all the basic stuff like this, but I'd appreciate a bit of advice. In the Haynes manual it suggests 20W40 SE engine oil but reading around various forums I see a lot of people suggesting this is mainly used in hot climates and it could make the bike harder to start in cold weather. Plus it doesn't seem to be as widely available as 10W40. The owners manual doesn't really specify, it just has a chart with all of the grades listed against temperature. Anybody got any advice for my little 4 stroke? The Haynes also is a lot more in depth than the owners manual (which is why I bought it I guess!) but it suggests that checking valve clearances is a three monthly task, and changing the fork oil six monthly. These both sound like big jobs to me (removing seat, fuel tank, fork legs etc) especially as I have no garage or driveway to work on. Do you guys do this as a routine maintenance job or not? When I bought the bike the dealer said that changing fork oil wasn't something you would normally do on these kinds of bike, so the 12 month service he included with the sale definitely didn't include that job! Appreciate your advice and patience with a complete novice like me, cheers

that is fantastic, never heard of the site before, no idea who the guy is but he's funny

Cheers for that, sounds like a good route to get started with. I was used to travelling along the motorways by car so it will be interesting to explore the A and B roads a bit more.