Pete

Yamaha Insurance Services...I'd be very surprised if you find cheaper. 08700 74 73 74

If it hasn't gone an E mark then it's illegal. Being fined isn't an issue...but possible invalidation of your insurance is.

Don't forget to take your anorak!

Hey Tym....the guys are looking to liven the place up! I'm sure a Julian invite would do that! For all you guys who've never encountered the legendary Julian Solos, I can't even begin to describe him. But he does have this uncanny knack of upsetting people with his various motorcycle conspiracy theories, and people do come from everywhere to abuse him. And Julian absolutely thrives on the abuse.

Hiya Tym....glad you made it! Tym's a good friend of mine....loves Yams...and hates Suzukis and Power Rangers! He's the US equivalent of me then! Tym's claim to fame is that he is the originator of the legendary catchphrase "There's no excuse for Suzuki ownership"

I saw a blue ZX9 the other day....nice colour too. The guy was telling me that he was gutted he couldn't get the "runny nose green" model.

The 636 is a nice bike and would be my choice for a sports 600. But can you name any others worth having from their range? I can't. Honda and Yamaha are consistently innovating and developing, and even Suzuki come out with new stuff like the VStrom, SV1000 etc. Kwak? They change the colour scheme....occasionally! :roll:

If I lived where you do, I'd be more worried that every god damn car driver was out to assfuck me!

The Divvy 6 is a good workhouse and very economical. Hard work 2 up on one though.

I think they lost interest in the mid 80's Alan. From there on you see the same old models going on year after year....a current example of that is the ZZR600, and also the KLR650. OK....the ZZR1100 was a world beater in it's day, and so was the ZX10....but the rest of the range is and was very weak. It's like they put all the focus on one particular bike like the latest ZX10R....and nothing else to back it up. The other 3 offer a much more comprehensive range. WTF are those Z750/1000's supposed to be? :roll: The guy who designed those parts bin specials needs psychiatric treatment!

They had the world at their feet in the 70's with the Zed and the Triples! Then a succession of bikes over the years that went well past their sell by date, seemingly no interest in development, minimal marketing and exposure compared to the other 3, and now finally a pooling of resources with Suzuki! :roll: I love Kwaks and I'm sorry to see this happen. :cry: What went wrong?

I've always been a Yam and Kwak man, even though I've owned more Hondas and Suzukis. The reason for that is that where I lived and grew up there were thriving Honda and Suzuki dealerships, and the only Yam dealer (of sorts) was a real shithouse that hardly ever sold a bike. We didn't even have a Kwak dealer for many years. Consequently there were loads of secondhand Hondas and Suzukis, but very few Yams and Kwaks.

Hey Amanda....what with your father's Bonneville leaking oil, and your Suzuki burning oil, you guys must be keeping Castrol in business just by yourselves!

The only thing I can vaguely remember about that ramming attempt is that as the car went past me I heard somebody shouting...."There's no excuse for Suzuki ownership!"

Basically the world is full of fucking psychopathic lunatics John. And it's getting worse I'm afraid.

Summer 79 on a GS750, and some psycho swerved across to my side of the road and tried to ram me head on. I had to vault the grass verge at the side of the road to avoid a collision. That experience has stayed with me all my life, and if I'm on a deserted stretch of road with ONE car coming the other way then alarm bells start ringing. There are some seriously dysfunctional people out there...that's why I always advise other bikers NOT to get involved in any "situations" with car drivers. You have a lot more to lose.

15 years is the criteria I believe.

From my experience the shittiest filters around are Fram. Also if your engine blew up while under warranty and you'd fitted an aftermarket filter then you're fucked. And even if you are out of warranty and a genuine filter caused an engine problem, then Yam and Kwak would stand behind the product and sort you out. Honda could well do it too.....but Shitzuki? No fucking chance whether it's inside or outside warranty. You're fucked. Again, like oil, for the sake of saving a couple of quid, is it worth the risk to fit non-recommended alternatives?

Definitely Alan....the bikes seem to run smoother and more responsive, the carbs get cleaned, and I usually get 1 or 2 more mpg.

I always add a good squirt of Redex to every full tank. The bikes do run better and it's a lot cheaper than Optimax.

I won't risk anything other than genuine for an oil filter Alan. And as far as car v motorcycle oil goes....well, the jury's still out on that. But personally for the sake of an extra tenner, I prefer the peace of mind of using a specific motorcycle oil. An extra £30 a year is better than replacing an engine!

Silkolene 10/40 semi-synthetic and new GENUINE oil filter every 1500 miles. Or less if it's been standing over Winter. Amazes me how many of these sad Power Rangers will willingly pay a grand for new colour coordinated leathers, yet won't pay £40 for an oil and filter change.

You didn't get broken noses fixed in my day Alex....you just carried on. You youngsters are bloody soft these days!

Mine's been bust about 6 or 7 times....all due to sports injuries in my younger days I must add. Can't really put this one down to a sports injury though....more like gross stupidity really.

The thing is, he wasn't really taking to it much anyway. So the sight of me getting my face splattered didn't help much. :roll: The wife was the only one who didn't come off!