Problem with claiming hi-viz is safer is that you will never know how many car drives have NOT pulled out in front of you because they have seen your hi-viz!  If you are wearing hi-viz and 1 car pulls out on you, who is to say that 3 cars would not have pulled out on you if you had not been wearing it.

There is research (cannot find it now, but it was by a Uni in the States, Brown Uni I believe) that shows that there is a correlation to 'perceived' protection and faster driving.  Put a bloke in a Mankini on a bike and he'll only ride fast enough to get away from his laughing mates.  Dress same bloke in leathers, helmet, put foam on the outside of corners etc etc and he will ride faster. [the actual study was based on cars, but the pirnciple is the same].  Guess this could be taken to a rider in hi-viz will think he will be seen so will not react to the possibility of a car pulling out as readily (?).

I wear a hi-viz jacket in the winter for reasons that include the fact that the hi-viz can be cleaned/replaced a lot easier than an expensive set of textiles when it gets dirty.  I don't wear it all year round and would object to being forced to wear one.

Finally, all that I have typed above (and most of the other replies for/against) do not seem to take into account that the French law is for REFELCTIVE clothing - not hi-viz.  IMHO, reflective clothing does less than nothing during the day and lights (which most of us use at night) are better when it is dark.  As refelective clothing only reflects lights, if a car pulling out from a side road there may be no light source for the reflective bit to reflect, so will not work.

Only problem I have had with the Iplayer is when I set the date on the laptop to either the year 1911 or 2111 (cannot remember which now) rather than 2011.  That screwed up some permission or other.

I watch through the Wii or on my phone mostly and, as of yesterday, they were both working.

Mark,

I am a ham fisted idiot and, apart from putting the tip-over switch on up-side-down, I managed to change the undertray easily.

I put the new undertray (2nd hand on eBay) beside the bike and when I took a screw out of the old one put it in the new one so I knew where it went. After I got the old tray out I swapped the screws over and as Haynes says 'fitting is the reversal of removal'.

With a trip for a new number plate (and look at bikes) and a panic because of the tip over switch, I managed it in an afternoon.

Would be cheaper if you can find an undertray on ebay.

Got one on the Speed4 (can't have Scottoiler for some air pressure sensor reason or something).

Easy to fit.  Does not need adjusting with temperature change like the Scottoiler.  Can use any oil (I use Scott oil as I have some for the Fazer anyway).
Wire it into the lights and it (if you ride with lights on) it turns on when you ride and off when you don't.  You can turn the lights off if, say, working on the bike with the ignition on, so you don't get a puddle of oil.

Only two down sides, IMHO, over the Scottoiler.
1) "the final bit".  The Scottoiler drips onto the sprocket and then this is flung onto the chain.  The PD oiler uses a sock like thing to 'brush' the chain.  I prefer the Scottoiler style (easier to set up and to keep an eye on) but I can see no reason why this cannot be changed on the PD oiler (just me being lazy!).
2) no add ons for the PD Oiler to make it longer range and touring capable.  The PD oiler can do 750  miles, so only really applicable on tours.

Very well build piece of kit and a bit smaller than the Scottoiler so can be hidden under a side panel.


(Pic was before I tidies things up)

Given the choice, I'd probably put on a Scottoiler, but the PD oiler does have advantages (cost being a big one).  They both keep the chain (and bodywork/chain guard/tyre if not set up right) oiled so would not rule out a PD Oiler if needed on another bike in the future.

Thanks Falcon.

I raided my son's Christmas stuff which included something from the British Science Museum with some good magnets in it.  Worked a treat.  Obviously the little magnet on a stick to get dropped screws and bolts was not strong enough.

I changed the undertray on my Gen1 Fazer 1000 at the weekend all by myself and some idiot  replaced the tip over sensor upside down  .  Anyway, easily fixed that once I worked out the 9,000 rev display warning and found said tip over switch, BUT...

As I switched off the ignition with the rev needle showing 9k revs, the needle fell the wrong way and is now point down at the 6 o'clock position when the ignition is off.  When the ignition is turned on, the needle moves clockwise and stops underneath the normal stop and cannot move any further.

A quick net search suggested using a magnet to drag the needle back around but this makes no movement at all with ignition off and a little flicker when ignition is on (perhaps I need a stronger magnet).  Same post also says that it is easy to get to the needle and move it by hand if you take the instrument panel off.

Before I take everything to bits for no reason...
a) can the needle be moved by a stronger magnet?
b) can the needle be easily got at
c) would just rotating the instrument panel around to get the needle back in the right place work
d) any other easy way to fix this.

Thanks in advance

Hi all,

I have a Gen1 Fazer 1000.  It has been off the road for a year or so, but just got it back on the road.  It wasn't stored very well over last winter and was sat under a plastic sheet in the garden so got a wet and snowed on.  It is running OK except for an intermittent electircal problem.

Every now and then the engine will die for a few seconds.  During this time the lights stay on, but the clocks, rev counter and speedo stop working.  I have done things like turn the run-kill off and on, but I dont think this really has any effect on the problem - the bike just starts working again.  Once (and only once as far as I know) the rev counter and speedo both flicked around about full and then back again to zero and then the engine started (as I was riding at the time I was not paying too much attention to exact figures displayed by the needles - is this a diagnostic like the TPS is out?).

Given that the clock die but lights stay on, I've ruled out side stand switch, run kill switch and ignition as, I think, either the clocks will stay on or the lights will go off - is this right?

I've wiggled wires and fuses, but cannot replicate the problem when stationery.  Before I attempt to trace and double check every wire that it could possibly be, are there any known weak areas in the electrical system on the Fazer that could cause this or areas that people think I should start looking at first.

Thanks in advance