^^^ It doesn't meet the prescribed specs and yet they managed to get the fine to you no problem!
Talking of number plates ...
Apparently Northampton Police didn't like mine ... got an electronic "producer" and a fine ...
I'm not swapping the plate - I'll go down fighting .... they won't take me alive ... etc etc :-)
^^^ It doesn't meet the prescribed specs and yet they managed to get the fine to you no problem!
Spend a great day yesterday doing the Bikesafe course.
A couple of hours in the morning of classroom based discussion on hazards, positioning, overtakes etc which was good as a reinforcement of what you hope you know plus a couple of takeaways that make you think.
However, the afternoon was what it was all about for me. Paired up with another biker and our fully liveried police biker and off we went! With his words of "lets not piss about and lets make progress where we can" in my ear we spent a fantastic few hours 'progressively' riding different road types with regular change of positions of lead and follow with lots of constructive feedback on positioning, speed, overtakes, smooth riding and cornering. Learnt a huge amount just following him whilst observing the lines he was taking and his road positioning.
What a fantastic day and great value at only £35.
Once, when chastising me for having a small white on black plate that I'd had made up in France, a police motorcyclist suggested that they tended to overlook one of plate, can or (non-pisstaking) speeding.
2 or more and you get pulled.
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I have considered the Bell, but I don’t feel comfortable without chin protection at higher speeds and I think I’d find the goggles a bit of a faff after a while. So looks have made way for practicability and I’ve a flip up with a sun visor built in.
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https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/steven-bennett12
He’s got more gear than when I was Don R
Best of luck to him.
Collected my Speed Twin on Saturday and put nearly 100 miles on it, loving it so far.
Last edited by Vanguard; 28th May 2019 at 09:34.
We rode passed a camera van that photographed us - they sent a copy of the photo...
Got a reply from DVLA already this morning after sending my photo in ...
Thank you for your correspondence including photographic evidence that the number plates displayed on your vehicle are now compliant.
I can confirm that on this occasion no further action will be taken by the Agency. However I must advise you that if the Agency is ever made aware that this registration number is displayed illegally again, we will withdraw it from use.
Seems clear enough. I'll take the risk.
And further irony - I was only riding in Northampton because me and a friend were having rider training with Rapid Training who decided to take us up there from Aylesbury ...
My friend got fined as well. His bike number plate was one of those wide/car style but with small characters - looks very obviously undersized/illegal format.
My daughter and I spent time in two wheels this weekend - her first pillion ride through London to the show, a bit of an eye opener for her, I suspect, as filtering on a full-dress Rocket tourer needs either some courage or lots of stupidity.
We did also look at a number of Mk2 Midgets, so I can see one of those in the garage before too much longer. Or an MX-5.
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Having sold my R9T, regretfully, I'm now looking at bikes again and the Speed Twin has caught my eye. I've only ever read good reviews on it.
Fitted the original one year only (1958) tank emblem badge at the weekend. Most expensive piece of plastic ever!!
Curved mounting plate took forever as it generally only has one sweet spot on the tank. Took me over an hour before I was happy to commit with the 3M backing!! Easy fitting the first, so much longer ensuring the other side was positioned exactly the same as the first.
Still have the option to swap over as and when.
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“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
Pressure washers are fine as long as you keep them off the brakes, hubs, supension linkages, chain and electricals.
Just a matter of being sensible. I pull my bikes apart once a year (during the cold winter months) to remove and replace old grease more or less everywhere. Pack & wrap connectors also.
I will not let a dealer touch my bikes once out of warranty.
I know, it was just my weird sense of humour!
I’ve only let a dealer near my bike twice; once a Ducati 916 service and belt change (eye wateringly expensive) and once a 500 mile free first service on a ZZR600 where they managed to scratch it in two places (but denied it was them of course).
The only other time any of my bikes go near a dealership is for the MOT.
If I’ve done the work myself then I know it’s been done to my satisfaction.
You may not be a fan but I think they definitely hit their target market.
The majority of British motorcyclists are older, rounder and less mobile than they'd like to be, and often have bodies that are slightly "distressed" from mistakes when they were younger, slimer, mobile and gung ho. Bikes that are easier to handle, more comfortable and more easily maneuvered are somewhat appealing.
For many too, speed isn't (or no longer is) the ultimate goal, and I tend to apply a 50%-70% speed rule to motorcycle enjoyability. If a bike has a top speed of 100mph, it'll feel nice to ride between 50mph and 70mph. If the top speed is 200mph, it'll feel nice to ride between 100mph and 140mph. The 100mph bike won't be pleasant at 100mph, and the 200mph bike won't be at all satisfying between 50mph and 70mph. And a 100mph litre bike will be far more relaxed in the low to mid range than a 100mph 250.
All of a sudden manageable, comfortable large capacity bikes with a top speed of about 100mph or so make sense. Especially when they're significantly less expensive and fit the brief better than a Harley.
That's why Triumph's modern classics and (for taller more affluent riders) BMW's boxers have such a large share of the big bike market, irrespective of the styling.
Last edited by Gyp; 29th May 2019 at 07:58.