Katie1

Liked the carols and, even better, it led me to this! No idea what the Romanian bits said but do know what lyrics are going to be going through my head all day today

Well done Airhead (even though I was sure I was going to get it this time)! Still, Lee is a very nice man, even if I didn't win...

Is that a bit like a skinny latte?

Yay! Congratulations! :hyper:

How odd Oh yeah, show us your 'kini Foamy!

There it is. That 'cleaning your bike' thing again. Isn't that just for Harley owners?

Hi Doodle, glad you're ok and the bike's not too bad. Unlucky with no-one stopping to help. I've been very lucky with that and have often stopped to help others when needed. Whereabouts are you in London? If you are in the south east, there's a good workshop and bike breaker's in Greenwich called Allbikes ( http://www.allbikespares.co.uk/ ). They will take the p*ss mercilesslessly and help you out in any way they can As to falling off? If there wasn't a fault with the bike, try not to worry too much. Everyone has fallen off and must of us will have done something daft when losing concentration (insert tales of ditch-jumping, hedgerow clipping, side-swiping cars/vans/wall/roundabouts, accidental off-road excursions etc). Best thing to do is try not to repeat the same mistake twice!

A warm welcome from chilly Oxford!

The Oxford Boss disc lock alarm is Thatcham Approved. Has the double bonus of (hopefully) reducing your insurance and letting you know when you're just about to try and ride off with the disc lock on! Even if you can't fit the lock to your brake disc, you can use it as a padlock for a chain with the same effect. If you're just buying a chain without a lock, try a cycle shop, they're often cheaper than a motorcycle shop

And ditto again...

Blimey Horrible thing to happen but really glad you're okay. Well done for giving the girl a cuppa. I realise you probably wanted to kill her (just a little bit) but accidents do shake you up , even when it's your own fault, so it was nice thing to do

A warm welcome from sunny Oxfordshire

Welcome Laura! You've landed in a good place here. Oh, and feel free to have lots more birthdays (about 6 extras per year for the next 5 years should do it) if you want to catch up with me

Well, I was going to join in but if I'm not welcome I'll leave things as they are...

Yes, very glad you made it out okay, without harm to you or machine Been there, done that and yes, did laugh a little bit

Hmm. Nice idea but what happens when someone comes up behind you at night with full beam on? Bad enough being dazzled by the wing mirrors...

You could get a pair of love handles? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTORCYCLE-MOTORBIKE-PILLION-PASSENGER-LOVE-HANDLES-GRIPS-FOR-HOLDING-ON-/220962786987 They are great for making the pillion feel confident but don't interfere with the rider. My son used to use them when he went pillion with me as he always felt a bit nervous just holding on to me or the bike.

Okay, thanks Slice. I used to use the old-style method of taking my bikes apart (throwing them down the road) so would never have needed that but I can see how that would have worked as well

I haven't had a fuel tap on a bike for years and, when I did, I used to ride around on reserve all the time (used to love putting my last 32p worth of petrol in so I could make it home!) but I always wondered. What's the 'Prime' for?

Just for info, I start my bike on the side stand and it doesn't make any difference, noise-wise. Which makes me happy, as I'm just a little bit rubbish at getting the bike on the centre stand!

What a great way to start my Friday

They're on the list! These seem to be getting goodish reviews http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-CLICKS-Adjustable-Brake-Clutch-Levers-Yamaha-XJ6-DIVERSION-09-13-Long-/171101497710?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item27d671a96e The 7 click adjuster seems to give a good spread of positions to choose from (massively stupid choice of words on a bike forum but hey). The real trick is if I can adjust the clutch level enough not to lose the biting point (city riding not fun without one of those!)?

Well, my throttle hand is ok but the clutch is a bitch... Oh, and my lobster heritage is only noticeable in the sun

Hi Yasmin, welcome to the club!