j0hn

Happened today around 8pm. First time wearing a reflective vest too. I'd expect something like this to happen on normal 30mph roads but not on a motorway at 50mph.

I'll have a crack at this and say £485.21, a pair of front row seat Bieber tickets and an empty bottle of Lucozade.

Must be a pain having to carry those breath test kits by law. Ever tried loctite on those bolts?

They didn't feel too bad but I've ordered one to be replaced just in-case. Does anyone else grease their axle, if so, how often and are there easier ways to do it without having to take it out ?

Noticed the other day my rear brake was pretty weak so decided to have look and what I discovered was pretty disturbing. My workstation State of rear brake pads - I do check my pads from time to time and It took a while for me to notice the actual pad has worn. I should have checked thoroughly so this doesn't end up happening. Dirty axle - The axle was also in a terrible state. As well as changing the pads, I spend some time greasing up the axle and the space for it through the wheel. I took it out for a ride straight after and I was surprised how light and lose the ride felt. It didn't feel like the old ride, felt much snappier and faster. DIY and money still in pocket .

The only thing I don't like about the XT660 is the way it's designed to steer. Not sure what the technical term is but I'm more a fan of the supermoto/enduro/naked setup where your headlight would point in the direction you steer. It just seems like it would be pretty weird to turn but have the front bike to be in a constant position.

I was thinking about this the other day. A bunch of bikers doing the harlem shake would be pretty good as the lead almost always seems to be someone wearing a helmet

That's a pretty good save man. Does it sound like you accelerated slightly just before you got into the potential slide? I was on the shit end of an ice patch a while back and it was pretty obvious from the footage that I came off - slow moving - due to accelerating at the wrong time.

Thanks for the tip. Sorry for rearing off topic here but what wax type do you use?

I think it depends on the chain. You'll have to look for the master link. The only time I removed a link on a chain was on my bicycle and that required a bit of grinding, not sure if this is a good approach on a motorcycle chain though.

I've had to tighten my stock chain a few times but not as frequently. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's safe to remove one to two links from the chain if you don't have any adjusting space left on the swing arm.

Idiocy aside, that was pretty intense.

Number 10 and 2 are hilarious lol. By the looks of things, not enough personal damage done in the final clip for there to be any lessons learned.

This is a pretty standard risk assessment of a hazard covered in the police rider's handbook to better motorcycling, page 43 to be specific. Where a stationary car at a junction is angled to turn but no eye contact is made between you and the driver. As the car begins to move, your action should be to alter your position, lose speed and make a long horn note to reduce the risk of a collision. I was in similar situations three times that day but this was the worst.

I think we must be on a motorcycle equivalence of a menstrual cycle because I kid you not, I changed the oil on my XT today as well, just a few hours before your posted this thread .

I got given a number to call for RAC and when I asked MCE about a card, they said if you quote your registration that'd be enough. Nah, you don't legally have to carry your documents but it saves me a trip if I am ever to get stopped. The two pieces of paper hardly adds to the weight anyway. I did a little research about iridium plugs and they obviously have their advantages. It'll probably outlive a standard plug. I can't say I've noticed a difference and apparently it's meant to have better "ignition characteristics". It doesn't really warrant you going out and replacing your brand new standard plug but I guess if it's due a replacement, you can't really go wrong with an iridium plug and it's only really a few quids more. My dad has a habit of hiding a small amount of "emergency" cash in the car, maybe around £5 to £10. That little panel is just enough to fit a £5 note .

Damn, that sounded beastly. Was that with the baffle out?

I don't and haven't really got enough space on my bike to carry tools. The little compartment at the front barely has enough space to fit anything that's actually useful and under seat space is nonexistent - getting into it requires a tool too . Like Grouch, I always have my back pack which always has my Insurance and MOT Certificate but more importantly, a disk lock. I also have a tiny coiled bicycle chain lock wrapped around my handle bar which I sometimes use to lock my helmet. I've use it to lock the frame to a bicycle lock stand/rack before merely as a deterrent. It seems a lot of riders carry spark plugs and I was wondering how often these actually "go out". I switched to one of those NGK Iridium plugs a while back and going by the hopes that it lives up to its hype. I don't think I have space to carry a plug and a wrench and my backpack is heavy as it is with a disk lock. As posted by a few, a mini adjustable wrench doesn't sound too bad. Also noticed a comment about carrying a 90 degree air valve for those emergency flat tyre situations which would be pretty useful

Would be good to hear if any of these tools actually came in to use during the worst of times.

How much of a performance increase and would you be able to post some kind of guide on how you did it

That looks pretty good, I'd be tempted to go for MX style when they make flip front ones available

That's the exact ones I bought from eBay. H4 is the correct size and the blub in that listing does fit. However, I had serious issues the following day when my bike failed to start up and had to kick start it. I figured since the only thing I changed was the blub, I took it off and put my stock 35W back and it worked as normal. Not really sure what happened, maybe 55W was too high and my old led-acid battery just couldn't cope. Grouch, also an XT owner, bought and fitted the same item and I don't recall him having any issues afterwards. Good luck when it comes to actually changing it though. The headlight compartment is pretty tightly packed and you've got hardly any space to work with. Related threads: and

Have any of you installed some kind of GPS tracker on your bike(s)? It seems like one of those solutions that might actually work after your bike is stolen to pinpoint a location so you can figure out its whereabouts. I know there are pretty expensive trackers with monthly/yearly fees but I came across this contract less tracker which doesn't seem too bad: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tracker-Vehicle-Theft-Protection-System/dp/B003XDN58K

bennyboy1, I think that's legal as long as you show a sign.