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Topics - Grahamm
151
« on: 21 November 2012, 11:00:23 pm »
Here's a petition worth signing (even if, most probably, it won't make much difference...!) I want the government to take seriously the amount of crashes caused by car drivers that simply do not see cylces or motorcycles. The majority of accidents could be prevented had car drivers looked properly before manouvering. The term SMIDSY (sorry mate I didn't see you) is an all to common phrase heard after a crash.
My aim is to improve road safety for all road users by re-educating car drivers to look and do proper safety checks when changing direction. Motorcycle riders are taught to do a 'lifesaver' shoulder check when changing lanes or direction and I would like car drivers to be taught the same. This simple check can save lives and prevent accidents. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/41813
152
« on: 23 September 2012, 04:53:46 pm »
If, like me, you're of a smaller stature than most bike manufacturers want to cater for, you'll probably have found that many bikes have a seat that's so high you can't flat-foot it on both (or even one) side. Now you could go out and buy yourself a set of Daytona M-Star Boots which are very nice, but also bloody expensive (the cheapest I can see them is about £250 including shipping from Germany!) So I looked into this and found a couple of better options: 1) Buy a set of "lifts" like these (search eBay for "Heel Lift shoe inserts - Height Increase Insoles" if that link has expired) which can give you up to 1" leg length (provided there's room inside your boots) and cost about £4 2) Go to Timpsons (or any decent cobblers) and ask them to put a heel (not spiked, unless that's your thing  ) on your boots. For £30 Timpsons added an inch to my boot heels and it means that I can now flat-foot my FZ6 Fazer on both sides without having to lean it so far over that I have to worry that the weight is going to push it the rest of the way as has happened in the past. Total cost £35 and a hell of a lot cheaper than a set of Daytona boots!
153
« on: 19 September 2012, 05:03:47 pm »
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38877Currently there is a tiered system for obtaining a full category 'A' motorcycle entitlement for new riders. As of January 2013 those requirements become stricter still, this presumably is intended to reduce the number of 'Killed or Seriously Injured' motorcyclists on UK roads.
In the interest of equality and road safety the same measure should be applied to new car drivers as novice drivers can currently legally drive a motor car of any horsepower. As motorcars are the cheaper and more preferred option for new drivers surely this inconsistency needs to be addressed.
I propose that new drivers have a cap placed on the size of engine/horse power they are permitted to drive for a minimum probationary period similar to that found with the motorcycle categories. This year has seen the first rise nationally in KSI numbers in over a decade. I can certainly support this!
154
« on: 13 September 2012, 02:23:23 pm »
Here's a great idea I've just seen mentioned on another forum. If you want to change your oil, rather than faffing around with trying to unscrew sump plugs and then getting oil all over your fingers etc, these people have come up with a replacement valve that allows you to drain into a container (via a hose if you want) without removing a plug. You just lift a lever, rotate the valve and you're sorted. You can even just drain part of the oil if you've over-filled it, rather than having to drain the whole engine and start again. For £20 it looks like a really helpful little gizmo. They don't list one specifically for Fazers, but there's an enquiries link you can send details to and if enough people ask, I'm sure they'll be adding it to the list!
155
« on: 06 September 2012, 12:07:10 am »
This is a bit of a long read, but it's the text of Tuesday's debate in Parliament on the upcoming changes to the Bike Tests. It appears that there is a genuine desire on the part of our politicians to sort out this mess and prevent people from being deterred from biking, which is good news! 
156
« on: 05 September 2012, 01:04:57 am »
On a ride-out earlier today we stopped off at the Departure Lounge Cafe on the A39, which, it turns out, is closed on Tuesdays from the 1st of September, but they don't mention anything about this on their website!
In any case, as I was leaving the cafe carpark there was a car in front of me also turning left, so I waited behind it noting that a) there were double solid white lines down the middle of the road b) that there was a national limit sign just up the road to the left (ie the direction I was going) and c) there were two bikes coming from my right (which is a 40 limit zone).
I pull out, figuring that I've got plenty of space to do so safely because there was nowhere for the approaching bikes to pass, so they'd have to slow down behind the car, only to find one of the other two bikes pulling alongside me, beeping on his horn and making "are you crazy?" gestures. Given the situation I couldn't see what his problem was, however I discovered that very quickly when both he and his mate decided to blast past myself and the car in front *across* the solid double white lines with a right-hand bend ahead and no way to see if anything was coming!
Who's crazy? Not me sunshine!!
157
« on: 31 August 2012, 01:08:39 am »
Ok, I've been riding for five years on the FZ6-SA and I really like the bike, however I'm now starting to think about the idea of getting something a bit more meaty, but still in the Sports/ Tourer line and the 1050 ST looks rather interesting.
So I'd welcome (helpful!) comments, especially from anyone who's ridden both and can give me some idea of how they compare and whether it's a good upgrade option.
158
« on: 22 August 2012, 07:46:51 pm »
A motorcyclist who killed a dog by appearing to deliberately drive into it while it was on its owner's leash is being sought by the RSPCA.
[...]
The RSPCA said the bike was a KTM EXC/Super Moto which is a road legal bike fitted with lights and indicators. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-19342953
159
« on: 19 August 2012, 10:32:59 pm »
... gravel rash ain't pretty...!
160
« on: 17 August 2012, 05:02:55 pm »
I've noticed that there's some bubbling on the paint (presumably rust starting to form under it) on the back of the swingarm on my FZ6.
So (apart from getting a new/ different bike!) could anyone suggest a sensible course of action to deal with it?
161
« on: 11 August 2012, 08:30:36 pm »
On Friday the 3rd I went down to North Devon for my annual surfing and biking holiday and because of the conditions I wore the wet weather textile gear. So yesterday (having had to come home even though the weather was improving) I damn near got heat-stroke on the return journey because I couldn't get enough cooling!  You just can't win sometimes...
162
« on: 31 July 2012, 01:17:04 pm »
From MCN:A petition has been set up to fight the planned parking charges for bikes on the streets of Matlock Bath, Derbyshire’s motorcycling Mecca.
Sheffield Motorcycle Centre (SMC) have started the online petition, approved by Derbyshire County Council, which requires 7,500 signatures to force a re-think and keep parking free on Matlock Bath’s North and South parades.
The village is one of the most popular destinations for bikers in the country, attracting thousands every month in summer, however, the council plans to bring in on-street parking charges for all vehicles on the North and South Parades, the areas usually full of bikes. Are the Council so short sighted that they don't realise that any money raised from parking fees will be totally wiped out by the loss of income to businesses in the area?? You can sign the petition here
163
« on: 14 July 2012, 06:30:47 pm »
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18840110Speed limits on many rural roads in England could be cut from 60mph to 40mph under government proposals.
The reduction should be considered by councils on roads with "many bends or junctions", the Department for Transport (DfT) says in draft guidance.
Some 49% of road deaths in 2010 in the UK took place on single carriageway rural roads with a 60mph speed limit.
Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said it was "vital that speed limits are suitable for local conditions". No, Mike Penning, it's vital that drivers (and riders) know that they need to use the road at a *speed* which is "suitable for local conditions"! There are roads where doing 60mph is perfectly safe, there are others where doing 40mph is entirely *unsafe*, introducing a blanket 40mph limit on many roads will do little to improve road safety because too many non-Advanced motorists simply consider a limit to be "the speed I should drive at" rather than taking into consideration road conditions, the severity of a bend, side turnings, junctions, visibility etc etc etc. What the Government needs to do is to encourage all drivers and riders to go beyond the basic Test which only teaches the bare minimum of skills for someone to be allowed out in control of a vehicle and get them to take Advanced Training which will teach them to drive appropriately on the roads. This, coupled with the Insurers offering sensible and substantial discounts for those who have taken Advanced Training will do much more to improve road safety than limits which, for the most part, will be ignored by those who are inclined to speed because they know there's little chance of them being enforced.
164
« on: 06 July 2012, 08:50:40 pm »
There's a new sexual position called the ''England football team''
Nobody knows what they're doing or why they're there, there's no passion, no communication and nobody makes it past the 1st stage.
There's horrible dribbling and never a clean sheet. Its over far too quickly and when it does end you know it'll be at least another four years before it happens again!
165
« on: 29 June 2012, 01:56:34 pm »
Teacher: If I gave you 2 cats and another 2 cats and another 2, how many will you have?
Johnny: Seven, Sir.
Teacher: No, listen carefully. If I gave you 2 cats, and another 2 cats and another 2, how many will you have?
Johnny: Seven.
Teacher: Let me put it to you differently. If I gave you 2 apples, and another 2 apples and another 2, how many will you have?
Johnny: Six.
Teacher: Good. Now if I gave you 2 cats, and another 2 cats and another 2, how many will you have?
Johnny: Seven!!!
Teacher: Where the f*ck do you get seven from?!?!?
Johnny: Because I've already got a f**kin' cat at home!!!
166
« on: 22 June 2012, 01:48:59 pm »
In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about Diogenes?"
"Wait a moment," Socrates replied, "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?" asked the acquaintance.
"That's right," Socrates continued, "Before you talk to me about Diogenes let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it."
"All right," said Socrates, "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about Diogenes something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something about Diogenes that may be bad, even though you're not certain it's true?"
The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued, "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter, the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about Diogenes going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me or anyone at all?"
The man was bewildered and ashamed. This is an example of why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.
It also explains why Socrates never found out that Diogenes was shagging his wife.
167
« on: 11 June 2012, 06:20:41 pm »
... as you've never seen it before...! 
168
« on: 06 June 2012, 01:31:20 am »
Several times this evening I've had a 500 Internal Server Error whilst trying to read posts or reply to them on here.
Anyone else had problems?
169
« on: 04 June 2012, 12:51:06 pm »
170
« on: 24 May 2012, 09:41:43 pm »
171
« on: 23 May 2012, 06:46:10 pm »
Why commuting by motorcycle is good for everyone.Motorcycle riders don’t just save themselves time and money, they do the same for car drivers, and they also help to reduce the emissions of cars. Well, this is a surprise, isn't it, boys and girls? Commuting by bike takes up less space, uses less fuel, causes less congestion and means you get there quicker! Who would have thunk it? Of course there's a need to use the proper safety gear (and, preferably, get yourself some Advanced Training too ) but this is just saying what every two-wheel user has known pretty much since traffic levels started increasing. Now all we need to do is get the bureaucrats (and Eurocrats) to stop playing silly buggers and make it *easier* for people to switch from four wheels to two, stop introducing petty (and useless) regulations on what you not allowed to do to your bike and requirements for Hi-Viz and, most importantly, recognise the benefits of bikes and consider them for VED exemption since they are even better for reducing congestion and pollution than sub-1 litre cars.
172
« on: 04 May 2012, 07:52:51 pm »
Since, despite the last protest, the EU plans for interfering with the right of bikers to modify their own machines are going ahead, there's going to be another MAG day of action on June 24th. This time, instead of separate rides around the country, there's going to be 12 massive demos, one in each EU constituency. I'm planning on being there! https://www.facebook.com/pages/25th-Sept-2011-Action-Now-EU-Hands-Off-Biking/218514361530962
173
« on: 15 April 2012, 10:18:59 pm »
I check the oil level fairly regularly on my FZ6 (04-06 model), but whilst on a ride-out today I noticed that the Oil Warning light was lit. It went out before I could do more than think "hang on, that shouldn't be on!", but it got me a bit concerned...
At the next stop I did quickly check the oil level which seemed to be down at the bottom of the marks on the dipstick, but even though I put it on the centre stand it was on a slight slope to the left and I didn't have time to let it drain down properly.
When I got home I checked again in my shed (which also has a slight slope, but this is from front to back) giving it more time to settle and the oil was half-way between the max and min marks so it's possible that the slope or the lack of time when draining compromised the first reading.
Either way, it seems that, having done about 6000 miles since the last service, adding some oil would probably be a good idea, except that I'm not sure what to get.
The manual recommends anything from SAE 10W30 to 20W50 depending on the tempertures it's likely to be ridden in and it seems that 10W40 (which covers from -10 to +45 degrees centigrade) would be the best, but then says "Recommended engine oil grade: SE, SF, SG type or higher" which means nothing to me and I don't know whether, if it has a different type in there already, would mixing that with a different grade cause a problem?
So I'd welcome some advice and any useful information here...
174
« on: 02 April 2012, 01:20:02 am »
175
« on: 20 March 2012, 10:05:59 pm »
Here's an article written by a biker who is also a solicitor. It's based on the advice of Jon Hullis, a motoring offence solicitor and Len Tempest a barrister of long standing. It follows on from the case of Ken Clark who was leading a ride-out and was doing around 85mph in a 60 limit when the two bikes following him were trying to catch up and doing over 100mph and the implication was that, as he was lead rider, his speed was an aggravating factor in the actions of the other two bikers' speeding. Despite the way this was reported in the media, it seems that things aren't as bad as has been made out: http://www.bgtbikersolicitors.co.uk/case_law.html#group_ride(PS Mods: I'd suggest making this a sticky because it's very useful info)
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