Great pics!

Did you get used to riding on the wrong side of the road?

As for chains - like Darrsi said. Most any standard by a decent manufacturer will do. I use Scottoiler (loads of topics on it on the forum) - worth it in terms of long term savings and less hassle with cleaning and lubing the chain.

As for oil - a can of worms.    I stick with Motul 7100 (in SAE 10w40 grade) - costs a bit more, but that's like once a year, lasting for 10.000 km without problems, and you know the engine oil is of top quality. Though many would say you'll be just as well off with a cheaper, non-synthetic oil.

Quote from: acid drop on 12 January 2017, 01:31:48 pm

    Blinging the bike up maybe.

 

But also to reduce the braking capacity as you cant get enough fingers on the lever to apply full pressure (even though others will disagree).

that said, only two fingers (or one strong one) needed to lock the front wheel on an FZS600 with proper working brakes.

Same goes for bicycles. I still prefer to have more travel room for tha levers.

As for clutch - there I'd definitely like to have a shorter lever.

"...Drugs don't cause violence as much as alcohol..."

Well I dunno about where you live, but to me that statement is almost laughable.
Any very violent crime I see when out and about, or read about, normally involves somebody on drugs, mainly cocaine if truth be told.

Where I live - alcohol is involved in over 90% of violent stupid things.

People smoking weed are usually far from violent.
Heroin addicts, unless tight on cash to get the (expensive) drugs are also calm. It's the high prices that create problems.

"...making a more humane society..."

This surely would not involve people harvesting their own heroin in their back garden!
That's just another ridiculous comment, the sort of thing a smackhead would say!

Shortsighted view IMO.
Drugs is mostly used by people who aren't happy. Or by young people without responsible adults who spend time with them and give good example.

For those "lost", keeping drugs illegal is making it even worse by forcing them into crime (since drugs are both illegal, and, because of that, very expensive).

Why would the government lower prices on something that can cause mental illness, medical problems, laziness, unpredictable behaviour, crime and random violence, or ultimately death? We already have booze and cigarettes for that, so i can't really see them adding another problem to the equation.

Just to make some things clear:

Drugs don't cause violence as much as alcohol.
By low prices I'm talking about not taxing too much, not subsidizing prices.
Legal and cheap drugs have two immediate benefits:
1) Mafia looses a very big income.
2) Less crime done by drug addicts - since the drugs aren't outrageosly expensive.
Leaving the drugs illegal doesn't influence the number of addicts, unlike propaganda and fear mongering that is spread about it. There are better ways of decreasing the percentage of drug addicts in a population.

One of the reasons, apart from being a big source of "unseen" income, for keeping the drugs illegal is what you say: people tend to become "lazy". Not good, obedient workers and consumers.

And there will always be a black market where drugs are concerned, it's just simple competition and a way to make "easy" money due to the demand.
If the government sells whatever for £20, then the competition will say £15, and the people "most likely" to want it all the time would much rather pay £15 than £20, it's no different to going shopping, everyone loves a bargain, and they couldn't care less where it comes from as long as the cost is kept down.

This conclusion jumps over some obvious facts. Is there a black market for toilet paper? I'm sure there is, but not nearly as big as armed, as crime propelling - compared to drugs trafficing. If you let people grow poppy and produce heroin in their own back yards, how cheaper (and how to make it cheaper) would mafia prices have to be? And with that profit margin, what dishonest, easy money grabbing man would get into such business?!

And bearing in mind, as i said earlier, right now i hear about more people dying on "legal" highs than i do on anything else. So what do you do about all that shit that's killing idiots off, make it illegal???
I would leave that crap as it is, and let natural selection take its place. If you want to take something that says "NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION" on the packet then more fool you, a bit like a bottle of bleach that says "DO NOT DRINK". 

Things like education, making a more humane society, helping people - all good.
However, when someone decides to kill themselves, it should be respected as a free choice IMO. Whichever way they choose. Drugs, jumping off a bridge, racing motorcycles... 

Drugs and prostitution should be legalized.

And all the nations should start driving properly, on the left hand side, by the way.   

Make drugs legal and all that will happen is that the Tobacco and Alcohol companies will switch production to drugs as they have nothing to lose, governments will  lose tax money so they will just heavily tax drugs instead and then all the do gooders will be telling you that you should just have so many drug hits a week and that governments should tax them even more. Drug dealers will then just produce more crappy shit and undercut the taxed legal drugs, just as they do now with alcohol and drugs. 
Interesting that people want to legalise drugs but they seem to forget that governments all over the world are trying to restrict alcohol and cigarette use which are legal to use and buy.

Cigars and alcohol are highly taxed in my country, but not nearly enough to make black market highly profitable enough to be massive.
Also, the prices are not as high as they are for drugs, so you don't see people stealing things to get cigars and alcohol. Even the lowlifes that are addicted to alcohol.

Legalizing drugs will not influence the profit of cigars and alcohol in a big way. You don't quit smoking (and drinking) when you use drugs, quite the contrary.

Last time USA tried to make alcohol illegal was a great time for mafia, great business.
Restricting and controlling use is one thing, making it prohibited and illegal might sound similar, but it's far from it.

Legalising drugs will not stop the crime of those that want money to buy them.
It will stop the crimes relating to those selling the drugs though. Plod wont need to chase the dealers, the dealer may even pay taxes on their sales and as the drug trade is legal, the dealers will have less reason to arm themselves apart from to protect themselves from junkies after a fix with no cash. Sort of sorts itself out if you look at it that way, as the junkies will kill themselves with the drugs or get shot trying to steal the (now) legal drugs and plod can just turn a blind eye.

Millions... billions of profit are made on drugs.
Legalizing them would make the price drop to 1/100 of the current price. You could grow poppy and produce high quality heroin in your own back yard, practically. 
Vast percentage of small crime that targets ordinary people in my country comes from addicts desperate for quick cash for a fix. One fix of heroin costs about half a whole day's wage now. If it were a lot cheaper, or growing your own were allowed, those desperate poor sods would probably be more productive than the Japanese! 


Many rich junkies live long with drug abuse. Like decades. Have jobs, kids. Lowering the price would allow most people to do so.


Giving people education and choices is the best way to fight addiction. Lots of propaganda is targeted at how  dangerous drugs are, while kids know they are nice, you get high. I'd make propaganda saying: yes, you will get high, it will be great. The price you pay is your  freedom of choice, you will loose it. Heroin - 99% you're hooked for life. It will feel great, but it will be the only thing you will ever want and seek and do until you die.


This video was interesting for me:

Many years ago (before Dun Blane) I held a firearms licence and had a couple of pistols. One of these was a S&W .357 Magnum.
Around the same time I worked at Gatwick airport and had to attend an anti-terror training session at the police station. This was when airports were one of the few places you would openly see armed police. During the session they talked about the weapons they used and the ammunition. Their advise at the time was if a situation occurred in the terminal buildings, get behind the plant pots as their ammunition was "soft" and low charge for the sole intention that it would not pass through the targeted terrorist and would splinter up causing massive internal injuries preventing the terrorist from doing anything other than dropping down dead.
I must admit, I did take the piss a little as my .357 was a genuine S&W model whereas the plod version was a cheap copy into which they were not allowed to use the magnum cartridges as they were deemed too powerful

the MP5 they used at the time, and derivatives are still used now, have a significant range/accuracy advantage over a pistol with a 6" barrel so are the favoured weapon and the one used at all times unless they run out of ammunition on the MP5. Unfortunately, even the low powered ammo they use can still pass straight through a body at close range and unless it hits a bone, exits out the read of the body in one piece. It's a risk worth taking unless you are in a densely populated situation.

In my country (and most of Europe for all I know), 9 mm parabellum is the standard police pistol cartridge. Decent penetration, but not too much noise, flashing, and low risk of over-penetration (and hitting people behind obstacles). USA have a different policy as far as I know, using cartridges with better penetration, being able to go through a car door, arm, then through the chest to the heart.

Pistol ammo will hardly split up and cause massive internal injury - it's a moot marketing point IMO. High power cartridges from long barrels - yes, but not pistol ammunition. Unless you pierce the heart, or the brain/upper spine, "dropping dead" time depends on the target's mentality. However, I understand that airport police would use the ammo with minimal over-penetration ability, not for the purpose of criminals "dropping dead" more quickly, but to minimize risk of the police shooting injuring other people.


Personally, I'd love to see a law giving life sentence to anyone caught with a firearm, even if not doing any crime. Preventing firearm use to everyone, including the police (so criminals don't fear being shot at, and for that fear doing something even more stupid). Army and special task force to deal with terrorism and a few armed criminals. Maybe I'm too naive, but I think it would work.

IMO, saying Metzeler, or Bridgestone, or Michelin is good or bad is like saying a Volkswagen is good or bad. Some need a lorry, some need a limo, some need a small car.
Same with tyres. All the big manufacturers make lots of different models.

Metzeler Sportec M5 Interact is a very good tyre. Handling, grip, even mileage on the roads I ride on is quite good. The nice thing is it handles well when wet and cold as well as on hot sunny days.

Z8 is a touring tyre, so not made to handle perfectly, the accent is on greater mileage (with still a decent grip).

The oil light comes on at time, not when it's too late. 

It is a warning, not the sign there is no oil, or it's below minimum. Which is good IMO.

Overfilling doesn't help the engine, so I'd stick to filling to the maximum level.

slainair we are not in the eu anymore so keep these pics to yourself. .     or get a spray tan at least.

Telling people in a calm tone to take a bath seems to piss most of my countrymen off.  When I really want to provoke someone to a fight, that usually does it. 

Kids today are getting.... well, people in general - like idiots.

When I see them all packed in helmets (and sometimes elbow and knee protectors) when riding push bikes... Not being allowed to climb trees, run more outside etc... Motorcycles fall into (and that is true, sadly) more dangerous category.

Add hassle and expense to get and run a motorcycle...

Plus the money my first motorcycle cost is now the money for which kids want to buy a smartphone... must have a smartphone...




Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but how things have changed. Popular music:


Compare this - musicians, lyrics... the whole energy...



To this, which is nowadays "the music":