Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Weird mine loved it.
Wish youd said, I'd have bought that!

No commuting required when you work from home.

I don't think offices in the City will ever reopen so here we are!

I don't think offices in the City will ever reopen so here we are!

This needs a chat over beers one day! Been pondering this as I'm Liverpool St based, and the offices haven't had a whisper of footfall yet. Most of our normal business in the area has transitioned entirely to a new demographic.
It's pretty interesting over all, I'm smelling a seismic shift in working modes and behavior coming up in the future.
I reckon half the city of London territory will end up working from home.

The last winner didn't come through, so this is back for sale. Just in case any LUFGUSSERs are interested.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164245602997

It's insurance season again for me.

Hastings have generously provided my auto-renewal quote 22% higher than last years.
So I'm looking elsewhere, Bennett's have come up cheapest. Reputable?

They're a broker a think, so they just take your money and the rest is done by another company. But I have them in the past, and made a claim (theft) and they were fine

One of the reasons I have stuck with footman James is the renewal was exactly the same as the first year (classic policy though, 2001 bike).

I've been using Peter James Insurance for the same reason (renewal increases by no more than inflation).
I fell out with Footman James when they hiked my premium by 75%, the reason being the new owners (Aon at that time) had a 'minimum premium' policy. Things might be different now Towergate own them?

I use Bennets currently, they've been fine for me

My insurance isn’t that cheap anyway (£210 iirc) as I passed my DAS in 2018. The ‘normal’ insurance quotes were similar this time but massive excess and crap coverage without any extras - FMJ is no excess and leathers/accessories/etc are covered as standard.
It would be less without commuting but that’s basically most of my riding!

I believe that Bikesure are a broker as well, can’t remember who they pushed me through to for the 125cc, but as I recall the pricing was fair. May be worth seeing who they broker for.

An update on my saga.

Part 1:

The 125cc is ‘working’ again. A couple of weeks riding the Koga Fullpro instead of mtb and 125cc I noticed a significant drop in my confidence and skill on the motorbike. I tried the stubby little end can on the spare original header and it is way too loud. I bought a db killer, even packed out extra wadding inside, but it’s just ASBO loud. After a couple journeys I’ve put the pattern replacement back on. Shame as there was an increase in power and lost a bit of weight, but the noise was embarrassing.

El cheapo spotlights arrived from China, so they’re wired up with the independent switch to an external battery, isolated from all the bike’s wiring. I increased the cutouts on the DR125 fork guards so I could mount them at the top of the stanchions. Looks more or less okay. Inner-tube taped to stanchions to give the mounts a bit of bite. Runs about 0.55A for the pair, so the 2.3Ah battery is enough for any ride I’d need them for. Brighter than that LED headlight bulb it seems.

It limps on, and the bags look messy but work very well.

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Yep they are a Broker, I'm with them now, wel its Trinity Lane, who the policy is with.

Chainging from a Street Triple to CBR650F - much lighter on the isnurance...

I suspect I was getting a good deal at the time (£80 in 2008) - now paying £94 for two 1950s mopeds, no commuting but I'm covered if I want to tour Europe on my Trojan MiniMotor...

Part 2:

Looks like tests won’t resume until middle of July at the earliest. DVSA email updates just confirmed theory tests won’t recommence earlier than 3rd July. Getting very antsy. Worried my confidence on big-boy bikes has evaporated. Keen to get riding the Bandit again and get the test over with. Accepted that a road bike would be too tempting to go fast, and an enduro would be a better option all around.

Been beating myself up since March looking at all the non-bargains sell online. I’d watched the prices of Beta Alp, Suzuki DR/DR-Z, even KLR. For the reduced weight I also looked at the KTM 4T’s and they were more expensive than importing a new Suzuki. Prices are rising not dropping! So much for an economic slump!

My shortlist was basically Suzuki DR. Djebel 250 if cheap, post-95 DR350 if I ever saw one, and DR-Z400 if it wasn’t a kidney.

Heart was kinda set on the 350. Resigned to all the post-‘95 DR350’s being far away or too much money I thought, if it takes all year, maybe get a DR-Z400SM on finance from a dealer, get the enduro wheels extra, and learn to love swapping wheels. But then I realised that £2000 bike was going for £3000-4000 privately, and dealer bikes were not hanging around.

Joined the GLASS and TET facebook groups. Punishment watching people post their adventures.

Sunday evening, a few days after not bidding on a nice DR350 down the road in Bristol, someone uploaded to the TET page...

Low mileage, relatively clean, MOT’d in January, 140 miles away north of Derby. Begged dad to drive me up 2 1/2 to view and put a deposit down.

Idled fine, looked fine, chap seemed honest. He’d laid out the V5 and MOT certificates, original manual, Clymer manual, spare pair of inner tubes, half a box of Lucas 10W40, original welded-brace bars and a few random bits, and had just replaced the rear rotor that had been an advisory.

Welds looked okay, wiring looked pretty standard give or take a little electrical tape, plastics crack-free, tank dent-free, no obvious missing bolts, suspension plush but positive, tyres practically new, seat undamaged, two steering lock keys but only one ignition, and so on.

Had to have it.

By chance his night shift cancelled so yesterday evening the guy (who took me on that trial by fire over Salisbury Plain) and his dog, drove us up in his T5 to collect it.

I’m now the proud owner of a quite unmolested low mileage 1998 DR350SE (in the best colourway) registered 1999, sitting waiting for me to be legally entitled to drive it.

They’re practically the same size

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Ooh lovely bike!

That's max rad

sick^rad whip

Well done, that's a very nice piece of kit.

Solid! - that'll be plenty of fun off road. (and on)

I'm in bike purgatory. Fitted new tyres and fork seals to the GSXR track bike. In the process, broke one of the shitty plastic spring spacers. After waiting three weeks for a replacement and with still no signs of it arriving, I bought some 6061 and machined a couple up at my friends shop. Bit of a faff, but a for a couple of hours work, a great success.

With everything finally back together both new fork seals shit the bed on the first ride. I reckon in the rush bolting it back together late the night before, I probably put them in upside down. No other explanation I can think of....grr.

Going to redo tonight before I have to take it to bits again later this week to fit a manual camchain tensioner. The one in it seems close to borked.

On the plus side, everything else feels good and I got a screaming deal on some Bridgestone S22s. Seem pretty decent so far, very stable feeling, lots of grip even from cold.

I'd put them in the wrong way around. Doh.

On the plus side, I have world beating pace at rebuilding sodding upside down forks these days.

USD forks with seals in upside-down. Feels a bit baddum tish...

Quick errand on the little bike in the lightweight textiles felt like the wrong choice when drenched-through by the storm at lunchtime. Quite scary/fun on flooded roads. Had to ride under the speed limit and really concentrate on my lines and manoeuvres. Potholes, missing tarmac, and drain covers certainly felt more abundant than usual.

Pretty sure it was a short journey of the smoothest gear shifting I’ve ever done.

I had a wry chuckle when I spotted what I’d done. Amidst the heaving sobs of a Sisyphean, month long battle for dry fork legs... :)

@skinny did you sell your pragmasis chains and locks?

Starting the painful process of finding the right security for the DR.