ANDYROSE

Thanks for that Scott, their website is interesting in regard of abrasion testing, dragging a guy along on the seat of his jeans! Ouch!! Cheers, Andy

Does anyone here know anything about 'Draggin Jeans'? I keep seeing them advertised and they appeal as a kind of compromise between leather jeans and plain denim for the 'nip down to the shop' sort of trip which is where so many people seem to come unstuck. At least with the Kevlar incorporated into the fabric they must offer a higher degree of protection than anything else, not withstanding full on gear, but at about £90 a pair I would like to hear some opinions about them before I shell out. Any info appreciated. Andy

Yellow is definately NOT my colour of choice (why do people like riding around on a daffodil?) but that is a seriously nice bike Scott. As it was in Southern CA I assume you didn't take the pic and have no further details? Cheers, Andy

I am so glad you got that sorted, thanks for the explanation. Having had problems previously with a porn site which kept putting pop-up ads (another unintential pun!) on my PC, and the fact that it is in an open area of the house it p****d me off to find that appearing on the screen. It's sad that these stupid b*****ds think it's fun to f*** about like that, I wonder what is so badly missing from their lives, love, security, attention, intelligence? Cheers, Andy

Flippin' 'eck! I reckon he probably needs those gas shocks and (what I asume to be) RD forks on there, I would think the handling must be pretty interesting Andy

At 48 I don't think I can quite claim to be 'vintage', but maybe 'classic'? And now you know Andy

Well, I'm not sure quite who invented them and I don't know if anyone else fitted them to bikes first, but Yamaha must surely have been the innovators of using Reed Valves on production road bikes. Back in the days when proper bikes had proper bike engines that is, not diesels Andy

Bloody hell Alan, That's bad luck, especially when you have been talking about cutting out the winter riding so recently! Still, as Boozehound says the important thing is that you are able to tell us about it. And if the folk in your life seem to be pissed off with you, at least you know they care . Take it easy, and hope you are feling a bit brighter soon. Andy

Alan, Have you seen the TV ad for cold sore treatment, 'Sovirax' or something? I don't think the stuff will help clean your helmet, but the girl's way of hiding her cold sore might. She goes everywhere wearing her helmet, including the gym and going SWIMMING! (you were wondering where this was going didn't you?). So put your helmet and take a trip to your local pool . Don't do what someone I once knew tried. They were told that to get rid of the grease that built up off their hair inside their helmet, coat the inside with talcum powder and then brush it out (the helmet that is ). For about a month they looked as if they had turned grey every time they took their helmet off. Cheers, Andy

It's all worth knowing, eh Scott? Probably save a few quid (bucks ) as well Andy

Nice tale there Tom Great to hear of people doing such trips on smaller machinery, goes to prove that you don't need the latest rocketship to enjoy two wheels Andy

Yamaha were very good (probably still are!) at using parts from one bike on another, but giving them different part numbers (which is what Scott is referring to). Sometimes even the price is different! Any way, the forks from the XS models were shared with RD's to some extent and a popular mod on RD's is to fit the forks from an XS (650 I think?) to provide twin disks. So that shouldn't be a problem for you to worry about. What you do need to be careful of is the point Mervin made about the diameter. Earlier RD's had 34mm diameter stantions, but the later E models were changed to 35mm. Obviously you cannot fit 35mm stantions into the yokes and legs of an earler bike 'cause they are too big, you would then have to swap the whole front although that isn't a major undertaking. I suppose it would be sensible to check that your existing forks are the standard 34mm and haven't been changed at some point . Hope that helps. Andy

Many (many!) moons ago when I was but a lad... Actually it was my own fault but when you are young you don't have the experience to look ahead. I had friends who lived about 5 miles away along a main road, about half the distance being dual carriageway, and was heading home quite late on a cold night on the RD400. The dual carriageway (thank God that it was) climbed steadily with fairly easy bends in it for a couple of miles and I was doing about 80 near the top of the climb when I realised that I wasn't really in contact with the road. Although it wasn't freezing the dampness on the surface had turned to black ice. The sensation is difficult to describe, but imagine being on a bike which you need to keep upright but from which you are gettimg no feedback at all, simply a feeling of wandering from side to side. As I say, thank God it was on the dual carriageway because I had no control and dare not try to do anything except sit very still while the bike used the whole width of the road in it's wanderings. All of a sudden the familiar feeling of tyres gripping returned, and boy did I slow down and take a few deep breaths. The rest of the journey home was taken very steadily indeed. Funny thing was that no one really believed me about how bad it had been as the section of road was not noted at all for problems, but a few years later a car went off the road and into a tree on the same stretch for no apparent reason! Andy

what's your cuppa tea... Earl Grey preferably, though I must admit to being unable to shake the British habit of taking milk with it . Oh, and taken in the company of my lovely wife Andy

Hey Scott! I came on here to look at the pic of the Brazilian 135 to compare with the pic you posted on the other site and found it on here too, made the comparison easie . A very pretty little bike indeed! By the way, you posted a picture further up of a TZ lookalike which you described as a 'well known special', but it's not to me. Do you have any details please? Cheers, Andy

...and that Scott is absolutely brilliant FOMCL!!! And the one about the Corsa is appropriate too as I know of one where the description fits perfectly. Cheers, Andy

Yow! Some trip there Scott! Smashing pictures, like Alan says a lovely looking dog your brother has. The scenery is pretty impressive as well! What a view to look at from the window! Sorry it wasn't more succesful in terms of the job but hang on in there as they say and something will turn up. Andy

Hello there Sir Tom, First knight I have encountered on a bike forum Cheers, Andy

Hello Pete, fancy meeting you in here Good thread this, isn't it? Andy

EddyIrish, how very nice of you to come barging in on a sensible and level headed discussion following the sad experience of one of the members with your loud and foul mouthed coarseness. You are the sort of person who destoys these forums by driving away those who find your language and standard of behaviour unsavoury and undesirable. Why the Moderators on here tolerate you I don't know, when it is certain that you are one of the reasons why so many people have left. You certainly are having that effect on me! I can only echo Tomg's words and hope you follow his advice. Andy PS Unlike you and most of your foulmouthed breathren I am not afraid to put my real name on here. Only the weak need to hide behind an alias, another common trait seen across other forums.

thanks for that - she's still not impressed! Blimey! If I proposed buying another Landy my wife would be quite happy with the idea, so that's a bit of a culture shock for me! Keep chipping away, maybe the water on stone principle might work? Mervin, it might be 20 years but you wouldn't notice much difference ! That lightweight, did it have dual tanks I wonder? I think some of the lightweights did. They were great, two tanks (the second one under the passenger seat!) with a change over valve. Very good with a diesel engine as you could then run white diesel for road use and red for off road (only off road of course ). Keepers loved them, so did the skinflint farmers who paid for the diesel . Cheers, Andy

Got to agree with Mervin on this one, although I would choose a series IIA or III over the Defender. The performance on the road might be better but it has to be paid for and the one I drive sometimes returns about 18mpg, and that's the diesel! It isn't much more comfortable inside either. Also agree about the Landcruiser if you can get one, but the good ones are getting thin on the ground it seems. Dear Mrs cidered666, A Defender or older 88" Land rover would be a VERY VERY sensible vehicle for Cidered to run over the winter. They are practical, easy to fix at home if garage bills are an issue, go forever and will keep him safe as they don't go too fast. Cheers, Andy

Alan, I would say you have the right idea. This machoman stuff is all well and good until you look at the effort and cost's you talk about in terms of your bike rotting in front of your eyes, the hassle of always wearing shitty gear etc etc. Never mind the risk of hitting the deck through no fault of your own (and isn't that a big enough risk anyway on today's roads) but because the council haven't salted or a tractor has smeared the road with mud. That's why I only ride in the good weather. Re your vehicle purchase plans, have a look at the Nissan Terrano, which is what my Ford Maverick is really. Optional 4 X 4, 2.7 turbo diesel which returns about 30mpg, tows very well and well regarded as a good workhorse in the 4 X 4 mags. They have been around a few years now so there are a few out there second hand, they just aren't fashionable so don't command silly prices. Cheers, Andy

Me know nothing about these so can't tell you much, but the Used Bike Guide says... "..good for town work and the little legged, better styling than the dull SR, but slow." They list a top speed of 70 mph so that is about right. They price from £1550 for a C1 condition bike down to £850 for a C3 condition. Andy

I don't have any familiarity with your model of bike so cannot speak authoritively, but it souns as though you have a problem in the master cylinder similar to one which can happen on RD Yams. I can't recall the specifics I'm afraid, but within the master cylinder there are a couple of openings which are a sort of flow & return system and these can become blocked. I would strip the master cylinder anyway to be sure the seals are OK but pay attention anything of this nature. Sorry to be so vague, but you might get more info from someone on here...www.aircooled-rd.com/forum Andy