Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Well there's nothing stopping you. I'm still regularly shocked by the warp speed of my 600, I can't imagine wanting more!
I mean, I don't know how much your porsche set you back but for reference, my bike will do (on paper) 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds and it cost me 1.9k with 7k miles on the clock.

I like the idea of one of these:

I like how hard you're trying to collect the whole midlife crisis set.

:)

I'd go PhilDAS route.

I bought a 125cc, road for quite a while, then did my DA. While there's a good argument for this, on balance I don't think it's any better or cheaper than going straight into the DA.

Iirc renting for a week didn't cost @PhilDAS much and imo seemed like an excellent balance.

Bear in mind this time of year space on courses will be tight.

Be sure to get all the additional lighting options

Was a hundred quid I think, including insurance, jacket, gloves etc

Be sure to get all the additional lighting options

I keep seeing those bikes when I'm on holiday - Sierra Nevada most recently - and the accessory du jour seems to be a pillion rider and a GoPro stuck to the front screen.

Ha!

I was trying to think of a way to say this, but everything came out as too bitchy :)

The <27yos in his office best watch out [checks the dating thread]. ;)

The guy who instructed me through DA rode one, and said he ended up getting rid of all his other bikes almost straight away, coz the BMW could drop all the sports bikes but didn't drop him when there's a sudden patch of gravel. It may have become a bit ubiquitous, but that didn't happen by accident.

Just back from a week in the Alps.

Everywhere you looked there was gangs of identikit power ranger cosplayers in the same 1 piece suite and on all on matching versions of the GS or the Japanese equivs.

Never been put off a type of motorbike so thoroughly.

Had a couple days clocking up autobahn miles too, disappointed by no 180mph flybys by nutters on litre+ sportsbikes. It was only Audi barges that I saw getting proper rapid.

So at most a ¼ of just the cheapest insurance possible.

If I were to do it again I'd 100% do that.

• CBT and book Theory
  
• Theory
  
• Plan and book DA
  
• rent 125cc for a week before DA
  
• DA
  
• Adventure bike
  
• Commute into City
  

I'd probably have an africa twin of all the adventure bikes. Followed swiftly by the Triumph Tiger*

*Having never ridden anything remotely similar

@Dammit - one thing you'll love after your Volvo experience is how relaxed dealers are about test drives.

Obvs you don't get to keep them overnight, but no ones ever given me a time limit.

Should see anywhere north of the trossachs at the moment, so many pristine gsa and whatever the competitors are, all with same panniers, jacket and only two kinds of helmet available for such an ensemble. #

Used to see a lot more sports bikes made into "sports tourer" with a dry bag and a bit of Velcro. Have all those people turned into gs owner?
#(says he sat next to non gs baby gs eating lunch).

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Dammit - crack on with it. CBT, rent a cheapie 125 for a couple of weeks, do the test (not sure how that works these days but eminently doable.)

Buy an inappropriate Italian / German sports adventure bike and start modifying. :)

I like how hard you're trying to collect the whole midlife crisis set.

Is there a checklist? I'd hate to miss something.

I think you've got most of it.

Maybe an inappropriately young girlfriend, boot polish black dyed hair and a goatee but there's still time.

I'm mainly jealous that I couldn't comfortably ride a 1200GS if i wanted. Too short, innit.
Be warned that they're a bit shit for riding around in town as they're too wide to filter on most roads...

... If only I had photoshop skills.

Fuck me, been in Ireland for ten days, got home and needed milk so walked around to the local Sainsbury, found my stolen gt550 parked up on the walk back! Went home to get the keys and locks in case it was borked. Guy whose house it was parked outside comes out and reconnected the butchered ignition wires and it started. It’s been stolen nearly a month and another neighbor came out and said someone who looked wrong parked it today at about 1300 and walked off. It’s got a smashed fuel cap, 300 extra miles and a full tank of petrol. A local scooter twat did offer to help us steal it whilst we were trying to start it.

@Dammit I picked up my Tiger '11 for just over £4000 and it came with all the add ons I wanted which was centre stand, foglights, heated grips and panniers.

Bloody love it.

Work colleague has the gs 1200 and the Ducati monster 1200 but I see the gs in the garage more often than the duke.

The GS has a bit of a reputation for being oversensitive on the electrics (showing faults when no problems) and a bit expensive on the servicing

I don't think there is much in them tbh. I like the riding position (plus buying British) and chances of cruising through the Sahara in it are slim. Alps more likely bit sticking to tarmac.

Stuck about 10k in it since November without any issues. It does seem to run warm when stuck in traffic and hit weather but not caused a problem

Left grip is a little loose, what is the correct way of fastening it?

Glue?
Electrical tape to thicken the bar?
Something else?

Thanks

This is it....
Makes the schlep out to the arse end of Suffolk more bearable, especially over winter. Mix of A13, M25 and some A and B roads for fun. At times had to do there and back in a day

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correct

Check your owners manual. If that fails, the mechanics guide for your bike.

My guess is either nothing or some special branded glue from the manufacturer.

Personally I would remove, clean, then WD40 and leave over night. If it happens again, a thinish wrap of tape in the middle.

Some bits arrived from amazon today so I thought I'd clean and lube my chain and check tire pressures whilst I'm there. Woefully underinflated, which might help explain the vague rear end. Also whilst there I did a full lights check and found my rear right indicator non-functioning. No idea how long it's been like that but I think I checked last week... The after-market wiring in there is an absolute lash-up (wtf is the extra resistor for?!) so I pulled it apart and started again. Still ugly but fully functioning and I've ordered a new harness ($2.99) to tidy things up.

Oh and a bonus creepy toolwrap lining.

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Glue them for sure. I use weatherstrip glue - 3M make a good one. Gives sufficient lube to slide them on and enough time to get everything lined up. Tested to destruction on all my dirtbikes.