mr bignal

great thread

check the fuses, fuse connections - often it's the simple things

since that model range was 92 to 04 i don't see why not, it's the same frame. tell you who will know http://xjrider.com/

i know that i am not a perfect rider or motorist,. however y/day that is sunday, did about 200 miles, met a friend with the same bike great day except... coming and going to our meeting point i had several car drivers push out in front it was like they saw me but came out anyway, in each case i had to slow in order to build up a decently safe distance i don't think i was speeding or going any faster than anybody else what is going on? i can't work it out, mostly elderly men with family in the car but one younger bloke who, judging by his later dithery driving, was lost. the only thing that i can think of to stop this is to get running lights in addition to the h/light, spots and hi viz, maybe i'll give that a go.

that's very similar to one of the people i know. when i built up the first bike, which incidentally runs brilliantly, i found it expensive, just little things like gaskets, difficult bolts/getting rethreading done, it cost more that i bargained for, in fact, had i known i wouldn't have done it but now it's done i'm glad i did it.

i think you might be right about 'wimen' but then i look at a couple of people (bikers) I know who aren't married and, well it looks good initially, long term though you can see we motorbike enthusiasts need to be reigned in a tad.

I have a load of 'spares' left over from making one good motorbike out of two i started thinking about building a second motorbike out of the bits i didn't use, the frame is too far gone but the engine is ok, the swing arm needs rebuild, shocker has had it and the oil cooler has had it too etc etc -there's a lot that's shot bear in mind I have used the best parts for the bike that i restored i made what i think is a realistic list of what i need and the real cost of getting it running to a good standard. then i set that cost against what i could buy one for with a decent margin for contingencies so that i was comparing on a level field the conclusion was that there wasn't a lot in it, both came out at just over £1K so the thing then became do i want the hassle of a build when i don't have to i quite like to tinker but if i add all that time on eBay, collecting items and rebuilding it isn't really cost effective especially as mrs bignal wants stuff doing

yes i have to agree - i was rather taken aback at that. however the current series was good. he's such an enthusiast.

BMW/Audi types? now that is interesting. I have independently identified drivers of those two makes to be the biggest hazard on the road, other that crazed farmers and dotty old bags.

i don't think that there's an awful lot that you can do - the best thing i found was an 'airhawk' which is an inflatable pad but they are not cheap, the trick is to keep it relatively low on air but that only helps to some extent. the only real solution is to have the seat rebuilt for comfort, that definitely extends range. i know that you don't want to but I'd say take breaks, maybe every 45 mins to 60 mins. and walk about, it's not a bad thing, you can check luggage is secure, clean visor and check directions.

there's nearly 4.5 million more people in the UK (mostly around London) in the last 9 yrs, don't think the roads have changed much in that period

i've used substantial stainless steel rods and nuts from a hardware store, cut to length with as hacksaw and double bolts either end - it was a rural one that had stuff for farmers, it worked ok, i didn't stress the bike at all though, until i could get the right parts.

i'm sure it is generally applicable to crowded m/ways, a herd of elephants, sorry trucks, slowly trying to get past each other plus nobody wants to go in the sliow lane for fear of getting stuck. This gives rise to strange phenomenon, no lane discipline, much of the m25 is now 4 lanes - you can get situations with the two outer lanes congested, two inner lanes pretty much free. sometimes, exasperated i say 'sod it' and resort to limited undertakes, carefully of course. It is actually feels safer to do that sometimes, not at excessive speed but gently.I'm really not a motorway fan but the thought of going through london on a hot day left me cold haha.. Incidentally, anybody know, are Luton vans allowed in the fast lane?

Season 6 Episode 6 of 6 Henry Cole's restoration of a race bike reaches a climax, and he also trains to become a volunteer motorcyclist delivering supplies of blood to hospitals. Last in the series last of the current series tonight Read more at http://www.tvguide.co.uk/titlesearch.asp?title=The+Motorbike+Show#JlYbOws8M2Y7jg9Y.99

Just got back home after doing half of the circular motorway - how do people stand driving on that for a living? Even on a bike, with miles of filtering it's horrible enough.

good luck with your new bike, scooters are good fun i imagine but be careful in the coming months won't you

i know henry is a bit of a one off and irritates some people but thank goodness he's around knocking out these programmes as there's no many who do, i like him much better than the two actors that went round the world backwards

without meaning to hijack this thread too much and loosely related to my earlier comment i think this is quite a good safety type vid, skip the beginning, about the frustration of welsh roads where it is difficult to overtake.I did not notice poor driving so much as slow driving by cars giving rise to tail backs. i'm quite a fan of the a44 , oxford to aberystwyth but it has a terrible reputation for run offs and head ons of course, there's always pulling out as well.

Don't forget tonight ITV4 9pm

nice bike, beautiful condition and love those candy colours

haha photo from my recent wales trip, early morning in stow, the gaiters are growing on me - more of a chunky look as opposed to those skinny stanchions

for some reason my haynes manual seems to ignore the fuel tap, leastways i really can't find anything on it - this picture shows the fuel on apparently, thin part of indicator pointing up is reserve but what's prime exactly, something to do with being able to drain the tank please?

i wonder whether the driver had been drinking? on that recent trip across wales i spent ages crawling to the front of a massive tail backs. when i caught up i naturally looked at who was causing all the aggravation.Answer: a woman in a small car doing about 40 chatting away and an old boy in a huge 4 wheel drive thing. In both cases they seemed oblivious. It must be extremely frustrating being a motorist in a queue like that. mile after mile, at least with a bike there's some hope of getting past on those roads, However it does take the edge off a day out.

virtually all my stuff is off eBay! surprising what good gear you can get second hand although i do buy helmets new. only advice is to buy things a size too big, or if you are near enough, go round and try on. i did buy some spade boots new, not really that robust or good wearing. important that boots are, in fact, waterproof. on eBay you sometimes find situations where an individual is giving up biking so they are selling all their equipment i feel these have the promise of being sound as there is a reason for parting with the items.

i remember this one, which i presume is a later derivative?