More bike related stuff

[Der Amf]

Up in the hills, I encountered some real rain for the first time. It hadn't dawned on me how loud it would be.

[sweets]

These two signs are back to back, thus banning motorcycles for about half a foot. What's the law on pushing a bike on the pavement?

I do not think that is supposed to be used on a public road (which that clearly is). The road is obviously used by cars, and this sign is not prohibiting cars, only bikes. Which makes no sense.
This sign does exist in the Highway Code, but I think its use is supposed to be limited to pedestrian or cycle areas that would otherwise be readily accessible by motorbikes, but cannot be used by them.

EDIT - My lad is just starting to drive, and this sign is not in the Official Highway code (just looked it up) - so it is therefore not a proper road sign and can be ignored in this instance.

[learningtofly]

I do not think that is supposed to be used on a public road (which that clearly is). The road is obviously used by cars, and this sign is not prohibiting cars, only bikes. Which makes no sense.
This sign does exist in the Highway Code, but I think its use is supposed to be limited to pedestrian or cycle areas that would otherwise be readily accessible by motorbikes, but cannot be used by them.

EDIT - My lad is just starting to drive, and this sign is not in the Official Highway code (just looked it up) - so it is therefore not a proper road sign and can be ignored in this instance.

You may well be right, but the sign doesn’t need to prohibit cars. The bollards take care of the cars.

[SimonH]

Well it's crystal clear what they are trying to achieve, which is mopeds/scooters/motorbikes tear-arsing their way through, probably Deliveroos or the like using it as a short cut.

I've long thought a full license should be required for working as a delivery rider...don't get me started on the Deliveroo (ok there are other delivery services available) riders on chipped eBikes flying around illegally 🤬

[Dave+63]

Well it's crystal clear what they are trying to achieve, which is mopeds/scooters/motorbikes tear-arsing their way through, probably Deliveroos or the like using it as a short cut.

I've long thought a full license should be required for working as a delivery rider...don't get me started on the Deliveroo (ok there are other delivery services available) riders on chipped eBikes flying around illegally 🤬

No, it’s to stop all traffic from using the street as a shortcut.
As Tony mentioned above, the signs the care of the bikes, the bollards everything else.

[learningtofly]

The "replacement" T120 goes in for its 600 mile oil and filter change this morning. I've struggled to get out on it much of late, but finally managed to find a day with a decent (and sustained) weather forecast that I could also book as leave.

May see what they have that I can take out for a test ride whilst I wait.

[Saint-Just]

Interesting question if it’s not a sign recognised by the highway code, how can it lead to a fine?

[Dave+63]

May see what they have that I can take out for a test ride whilst I wait.

Now you know that’s not a good idea don’t you Tony?

[learningtofly]

Now you know that’s not a good idea don’t you Tony?

Haha... I'm in a happy place with the T120 so I should be safe.

[ralphy]

Interesting question if it’s not a sign recognised by the highway code, how can it lead to a fine?

I think the sign in question is recognised by the Highway Code.

R

[Dave+63]

Haha... I'm in a happy place with the T120 so I should be safe.

Famous last words!

I’d quite like to try the new 400s or possibly one of 660 triples.

[sweets]

I think the sign in question is recognised by the Highway Code.

R

As I said above, it is not in the official highway code (I have a brand new copy for my recently 17-year-old son to learn from). It is the 2022 Thirteenth edition, 3rd impression (2023).
The only prohibition round signs in the code are No Vehicles, No Cycles, No Motor Vehicles (bike over car), No Buses, No overtaking, No towing, No vehicles Carrying explosives (!), and restrictions on height and weight.
There is no "No Motorcycles" sign, I promise you.
Nor is it on the government website covering such signs.
And although the bollards stop cars going through, they are clearly permitted both sides of the sign (with very recent parking bays marked out for them too), so this is a nonsense piece of signage.

[Der Amf]

Highway Code, p126: ....a comprehensive explanation of our signing system is given in the Departments booklet Know Your Traffic Signs....

Dept of Transport, Know Your Traffic Signs p17: No solo motorcycles.

[ralphy]

As I said above, it is not in the official highway code (I have a brand new copy for my recently 17-year-old son to learn from). It is the 2022 Thirteenth edition, 3rd impression (2023).
The only prohibition round signs in the code are No Vehicles, No Cycles, No Motor Vehicles (bike over car), No Buses, No overtaking, No towing, No vehicles Carrying explosives (!), and restrictions on height and weight.
There is no "No Motorcycles" sign, I promise you.
Nor is it on the government website covering such signs.
And although the bollards stop cars going through, they are clearly permitted both sides of the sign (with very recent parking bays marked out for them too), so this is a nonsense piece of signage.

I poorly worded my response, apologies.

It is a sign that is in accordance with DoT signage, therefore recognised under law (and so could result in a fine).

See page 17:
https://assets.publishing.service.go...ffic-signs.pdf

R

[learningtofly]

Famous last words!

I’d quite like to try the new 400s or possibly one of 660 triples.

Same, and they have the full range of demos here. However, by the time I’ve had a coffee and doughnut, and then had a mooch in the adjacent Harley showroom, my bike will probably be ready.

[Gyp]

All the front end torqued up using a handy reference I found on the ninetowners forum posted by some bloke known as learningtofly

[lewie]

Same, and they have the full range of demos here. However, by the time I’ve had a coffee and doughnut, and then had a mooch in the adjacent Harley showroom, my bike will probably be ready.

Your not at Laguna are you?

[learningtofly]

All the front end torqued up using a handy reference I found on the ninetowners forum posted by some bloke known as learningtofly

Haha, I remember posting that

Your not at Laguna are you?

No, it was Lind in Watford - adjoining Triumph and Harley units.

[Martylaa]

Brilliant run out today around North Yorkshire, plenty of coffee stops as well which always helps in the colder months.


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[I a n]

Back in Gran Canaria and got to do some riding again ... out with Canary Motorbike Tours and as always they delivered some amazing roads.

[blackal]

Back in Gran Canaria and got to do some riding again ... out with Canary Motorbike Tours and as always they delivered some amazing roads.

Grrrrrr !!!!

[lewie]

Looks great - now you’ve got me thinking…. Winter sun and motorbikes

[Bobbyf]

Took the Speed Twin out for a spin this afternoon to make the most of the autumn sunshine. Got into Northallerton and enjoyed a nice coffee before returning to the bike to find a thorn stuck in the tyre. Only replaced it 150 miles ago! I steadily rode it home and whipped the wheel off ready to drop it on for a repair tomorrow. It’s the first time I’ve ever managed to get a thorn through a motorbike tyre, I’ll be more wary now when I see them cutting the hedges.


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[SimonH]

No, it’s to stop all traffic from using the street as a shortcut.
As Tony mentioned above, the signs the care of the bikes, the bollards everything else.

Er, well obviously I get that, the point being (and maybe this area is different) normally around where I live the bollards are deemed sufficient and there are no "No solo motorcycle" signs. So I think in this case there was a specific issue hence the signs.

Anyway, whatever, they need to modernise the sign 😂

Managed an hour on the CRF at lunchtime, the smiles per pound on this bike are high 👍

[Enoch]

It’s the first time I’ve ever managed to get a thorn through a motorbike tyre, I’ll be more wary now when I see them cutting the hedges.

The wife had a blackthorn go through the thickest part of the tread on an all terrain 4X4 tyre. It was as hard as a nail and as sharp as a scalpel..

[higham5]

The wife had a blackthorn go through the thickest part of the tread on an all terrain 4X4 tyre. It was as hard as a nail and as sharp as a scalpel..

Are you still on for the engine transplant using the Thruxton engine over winter? If so we need pictures , lots of pictures:)

[higham5]

Looks great - now you’ve got me thinking…. Winter sun and motorbikes

We took a cheap as chips package tour to Torremolinos ( Spanish side) about £240 from memory with Jet 2 . Then we hired a GS for four days from BMW motor hire ( nothing to do with BMW I may add) again from memory about £120 per day for a F650GS.

Toured around Granada , did the Alhambra , stayed in great accommodation sourced through Booking dot com. Only really used the package hotel on days 1,2&7. We went very early season , pouring down at home stunning in Malaga.

We plan to go again to do the Sierra Nevada area.

[Enoch]

Are you still on for the engine transplant using the Thruxton engine over winter? If so we need pictures , lots of pictures:)

Oh yes. Just waiting for the go ahead from the orthopaedics folk that it’s safe for me to weight bear on my leg. Seeing them on the 21st. In the meantime I’ve been collecting parts ordering parts and speaking with a couple of fabricators for some custom bitsn n bobs.👍

[Der Amf]

Profiles of three Hondas: CB125R, CB500 Hornet, NX500



The top one is my bike. One tootle around autumnal lanes in the rain, and I've mud all up my back.

Would the other two bikes be any better in that regard, or is a muddy jacket a simple fact of life? Wondering if a top box gets in the way to a degree.

[Stanford]

The wife had a blackthorn go through the thickest part of the tread on an all terrain 4X4 tyre. It was as hard as a nail and as sharp as a scalpel..

I've lost count of the repairs to wheelbarrow, sack trucks and trolley punctures caused by them - very effective hedging, though.

[higham5]

Profiles of three Hondas: CB125R, CB500 Hornet, NX500



The top one is my bike. One tootle around autumnal lanes in the rain, and I've mud all up my back.

Would the other two bikes be any better in that regard, or is a muddy jacket a simple fact of life? Wondering if a top box gets in the way to a degree.

Sorry to say its the design of the rear wheel / bodywork. My KTM Dukeis just the same. You are lucky with a muddy jkt, I get seat/ jkt and helmet covered in road crap.

You can get mudguards “mudsling” do them , they are called huggers and fit over your rear tyre like a curved section. Additionally there are ones such as on the Indian version of mine which are curved mudguards that stick out at the rear. They are fitted to Ducati’s and some bobbers.

Try googling your bike best mudguard etc, that may bring up some good suggestions for owners who have undoubtedly experienced the same.

[Dave+63]

Profiles of three Hondas: CB125R, CB500 Hornet, NX500



The top one is my bike. One tootle around autumnal lanes in the rain, and I've mud all up my back.

Would the other two bikes be any better in that regard, or is a muddy jacket a simple fact of life? Wondering if a top box gets in the way to a degree.

The other two would both be better, the NX the best of the three. If you look at the path of the dirt coming up off the rear wheel, the shorter the rear overhang (ignoring the number plate holder), the more easily it’s going to get yo the rider.

You’re still likely to get some spray though, it’s just a symptom of riding on wet winter roads.

[Enoch]

Profiles of three Hondas: CB125R, CB500 Hornet, NX500



The top one is my bike. One tootle around autumnal lanes in the rain, and I've mud all up my back..

I’ve found the best solution to trying to stay clean is to put something like this https://www.motolegends.com/scott-er...-jacket-yellow and this https://www.motolegends.com/scott-er...ain-pant-black. Over the top of what I’m wearing. (Cheaper options are readily available)

The other thing I do is get the Mrs to turn the jet wash on me if my Rukka gear gets mucked up🤪👍

[gorrie]

I generally leave the bike when the weather is a bit rubbish… but when I have been caught out I’ve found the best solution to not getting my back covered in muck is by having the wife as pillion.

[Der Amf]

Thanks for all the thoughts and comments, they've all gone in. I guess I'm going to have at least one mucky winter to get me started. Then I'll work out what my appetite is for future winters, and the best way of accommodating that.

[pugster]

I generally leave the bike when the weather is a bit rubbish… but when I have been caught out I’ve found the best solution to not getting my back covered in muck is by having the wife as pillion.

one of the pitfalls of a tail tidy :) , i went out yesterday to bridgnorth for a coffee on the bike - due to flooding a sewer had burst in danesford and a mix of water and raw sewerage was running across the road -you could smell it half a mile away and i had to ride thru it :/ - i perked up a bit though when i realised i had 2 harly riders behind me with open face helmets :)

[ralphy]

If Pyrimid do a rear tyre hugger for your model that'll make a big difference.

R

[learningtofly]

As mentioned above, the only answer is to source a rear hugger for your bike. R&G, for example, seem to make them for a multitude of bikes but there should be plenty of options that come up with an online search.

[Thewatchbloke]

I went to go out for a ride on the Rapide last weekend, turn on the petrol tap and ended up getting a petrol soaked leg. Even though I only fill up with 5% ethanol fuel, in the course of a year it's turned my NOS fuel hoses to mush.





I ordered some 100% ethanol proof hose and some ferrules along with a crimping tool during the week and this morning replaced both the Rapide and the Comet fuel lines.

Not a problem for most of you with modern machinery but I was surprised to see the speed in which the hoses had degraded, they felt really spongy. I'm sure if they hadn't been braided they would have let go even sooner.

Anyway, job done and both machines ticking over nicely. Now to get out on one for a couple of hours!

[djjuk]

Lovely day to get the running in miles finished off...

[Saint-Just]

I went to go out for a ride on the Rapide last weekend, turn on the petrol tap and ended up getting a petrol soaked leg. Even though I only fill up with 5% ethanol fuel, in the course of a year it's turned my NOS fuel hoses to mush.





I ordered some 100% ethanol proof hose and some ferrules along with a crimping tool during the week and this morning replaced both the Rapide and the Comet fuel lines.

Not a problem for most of you with modern machinery but I was surprised to see the speed in which the hoses had degraded, they felt really spongy. I'm sure if they hadn't been braided they would have let go even sooner.

Anyway, job done and both machines ticking over nicely. Now to get out on one for a couple of hours!

I am maybe too star-struck by the Rapide but I wouldn’t dream of filling the tank with anything other than Aspen at home and Esso Synergy Supreme when on the road…

[higham5]

I went to go out for a ride on the Rapide last weekend, turn on the petrol tap and ended up getting a petrol soaked leg. Even though I only fill up with 5% ethanol fuel, in the course of a year it's turned my NOS fuel hoses to mush.





I ordered some 100% ethanol proof hose and some ferrules along with a crimping tool during the week and this morning replaced both the Rapide and the Comet fuel lines.

Not a problem for most of you with modern machinery but I was surprised to see the speed in which the hoses had degraded, they felt really spongy. I'm sure if they hadn't been braided they would have let go even sooner.

Anyway, job done and both machines ticking over nicely.

The issue is Duncan thats what you can see externally. The E5 also damages o rings and any neoprene components in the fuel tank / petcock/ float bowl / carb array. I was stopped at the lights on my 1990 Kr1s , a kind motorist said “ you have a water leak mate” Not quite I had fuel pouring over hot expansion chambers. Ive never jumped off the bike so fast.

My local bike shop said the Ethanol proof fuel lines he was supplied were not and had to scrap the lot.

Aspen is a good call , the other I did around this time of year where my classic usage dropped was to run the carbs and fuel lines dry. Simply by turning the pet cocks off 1/4 mile from home , then giving the bike some beans. If I timed it right I stuttered to a stop either on the drive or 50 /100 yds away.

For winter its above plus emptying the fuel tank completely and a quick spray of GT85 or WD40 inside.

Steve.

Ps and dont listen to any old boy who says he runs his Moggy minor or Ford anglia on E10 with no issues (as has happened on here before). They all run steel fuel lines and the carbs are on the manifolds so the residual fuel evaporates away unlike our bikes.

[Groundrush]

While the ethanol rotting fuel lines is a thing, it’s not usually a recurring thing. If you replace the fuel lines it will mostly likely be fine. I have 4 classics ranging fro ‘47 to ‘76, I fill them up with E5, don’t bother draining the tank in winter, don’t bother to empty the carbs and none of them leak.

[Mj2k]

While the ethanol rotting fuel lines is a thing, it’s not usually a recurring thing. If you replace the fuel lines it will mostly likely be fine. I have 4 classics ranging fro ‘47 to ‘76, I fill them up with E5, don’t bother draining the tank in winter, don’t bother to empty the carbs and none of them leak.

He did replace them with NOS and they went within the year.

[MakeColdplayHistory]

Tenerife last year, Fuerteventura this year...
Same format as last year I've been away for with some friends - they do their thing in the day, I do mine and we meet up to eat in the evening. So I hired a motorbike again for three days and went off to ride three routes that I'd pre-planned based on some local knowledge from a facebook group.
I hired from East Coast Rides in Caleta De Fuste where we were staying. They were very easy to deal with. I took my own jacket and helmet but they do provide them if needed. I rented a Honda CB500X (A2) which was fine for riding round the island.

Pics here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qzSsh11BiupDobF97

Routes...
https://calimoto.com/calimotour/fuer...1-r-iFhCrD8rQh
https://calimoto.com/calimotour/fuer...2-r-5i8D99EHuu
https://calimoto.com/calimotour/fuer...3-r-hZwBLfsGGx

[Thewatchbloke]

He did replace them with NOS and they went within the year.

I think the issue with the NOS set of fuel lines I bought, which I didn't consider at the time, was that they were genuinely new old stock - in other words decades old and not ethanol proof!

The carburettors on both machines are brand new and ethanol proof as are the Dowty type fuel tap sealing washers so I think I should be good now. Unless ethanol is no good for petrol tank filler cap cork seals?

[Thewatchbloke]

And I did have a chilly 64 mile run on the Comet, never was a cup of tea so welcome. My fingers were ice cold!

[learningtofly]

And I did have a chilly 64 mile run on the Comet, never was a cup of tea so welcome. My fingers were ice cold!

Heated gloves, Duncan. Literally no reason to suffer these days.

[Der Amf]

Today is my 14th day of bike ownership and my 5th day riding it. I went over to Masham, 72 mile round trip. In Masham I came across a group of bikers meeting up for tea and bacon rolls, who befriended me instantly. Very nice 😊 I hadn't seen a single other bike until I got there. I got told that my bike needed a clean!

[learningtofly]

Today is my 14th day of bike ownership and my 5th day riding it. I went over to Masham, 72 mile round trip. In Masham I came across a group of bikers meeting up for tea and bacon rolls, who befriended me instantly. Very nice  I hadn't seen a single other bike until I got there. I got told that my bike needed a clean!

That's the biking community for you. There's nothing quite like it.