I had my fork seals replaced on Wednesday, and took the opportunity to go with 15 weight oil while at it.

Haven't been able to get out and about yet beyond the ride home, but my initial impressions were that it felt much more firm and precise. I'm 14.5 st and do a lot of heavy laden touring.

Will be out two up over the weekend and off up to Scotland in couple of weeks so will report back then.

Ps) I'm also chuffed to have found a great new mechanic, 50 labour I thought was good and he was kin kind enough to let me observe as an amateur keen to learn. I know enough to know a good job when I see one, extra care taken throughout, greased Speedo, cleaned forks etc.

Andy

There are Many different video formats, and different devices record in different ones.

Does the drift have any options as to which it records to? Mpeg .Mpg is most compatible,

.mov is Apple's native format which is supported by some players but not all.

For the pc I recommend a free player called vlc which will play most anything without needing to mess around with Windows.

I see there is a version available for android based phones but haven't used it, and don't know about other types of tablet or mobile.

But you'll be able to find a compatible player of some sort if that is all you want to do.

Or you could upload your. Mov to YouTube and it'll take care of converting to different formats and selecting the right one for the right device. They can be set private if you prefer.

And Google drive or similar services are very good for simply making files available to you on all your devices.

Editing is more complex subject, your best starting place may be Windows movie maker included with Windows 7.

Andy

You renting bike out there then Rich?

They do fazers?!

All depends how things are money wise but rough plan..,

As soon as weather allows, a weekend at my favourite little campsite down in Suffolk to test my new cold weather camping kit and hopefully catch up with friends.

Early spring, Scotland camping. Don't care if it's cold or wet, I'll be ready to clear my head by then. Determined to make it further north this time, probably Skye maybe highlands.

Late spring or early summer, Spain, hopefully, subject to budget. Can't afford the santander ferry so probably camp on way down through Germany and the black forest then a few days beach holiday in cheap Spanish accommodation somewhere in the north.

Autumn, Scotland again. Nothing fancy these trips just I find the countryside/nature/camping helps to destress and clear the mind. My 2014 Scotland trip was 5 days total £208 Inc everything, fuel accommodation food beer. Can be done on a budget.

May tag along on one or more of the group rides proposed recently (if I'm welcome!) But struggling to commit at present.

Hope the move goes well Nick, once north Scotland is very close sure you'll be able to do some touring.

Andy

Happy Christmas all

Andy

Welcome sasu, nice bike and tyres, and looking forward to your blog and will follow with interest! Maybe a video for YouTube?

Great mods limax2 and thanks Deefer for the fitting info.

I've been planning to fit gaitors myself, nice to see them in place. Any link to the particular Gaitors you used?

And any further details of how your mud-guard is fitted? Did you have to drill anything or is it fitted to existing mounts? Looks like radiator mound, but is that lower one standard?

Thanks, Andy

Hi Ronny,

Sorry for delay replying.

It's difficult to say about the sound you're reporting without hearing it. Why not make a short video with your phone and then share it to YouTube and let us know the link.

Bur speaking in general terms, it's normal to have a bit of a noise in neutral when the clutch is not held in, because the clutch is a bit grabby. If it goes away when the clutch is pulled in then it's probably nothing to worry about. That having been said I would generally expect this to be more noticeable with a cold engine because cold oil is thicker and so uncertain if this is what you're reporting.

Andy

Okay thanks, good news if it's that simple, will try that today and let you know how I get on.

Andy

Basic service/clean of brake callipers and new pads ready for winter.

Andy

Hi Ronny,

Welcome!

As above suggests, in respect of backfiring don't get distracted by this, if you wanted to deliberately make the bike backfire (like a hoon!) then you would (when rolling) use the kill switch to cut off the engine, while (with clutch out) letting the engine turn over so it pulls in fuel/air mixture, then when you re-enable the ignition via kill switch it will back fire. I mention this to explain why it's happening, but don't want you to get distracted by this and assume it's a fuelling issue.

Presuming it's cutting out when running, and on all four cylinders (as opposed to just loosing power, or bogging down, or dropping one cylinder) then it's likely an ignition problem. Perhaps due to water getting in somewhere, electrical short, or similar. Can't tell you of top of head what the cause is, you'll need to go through logical process to diagnose and there are others more expert than I who can assist with this, but did want to reassure you that it's not massive worry, once sorted should be fine.

A good thing to start with would be WD40 on electrical areas such as HT leads etc as that should help displace any water. Also check the drain holes around the head/cylinder are not blocked as these are used to drain water from around the spark plug area.

The side stand is a simple mechanical switch operated by a plunger. Don't be scared to get down and have a close look near where the sidestand meets the frame. If it's all gunked up then certainly when you raise the side stand the plunger can fail to move and the bike can fail to start. But unless there is something wrong with it internally/electrically I wouldn't expect this to affect you when up and running, only when on the drive. None the less go-ahead and give it a good clean, can't hurt. Soap and water or degreaser, then some WD40 or similar to lube.

So to confirm, it's cutting out when running, or failing to start on the drive?

Now putting that all to one side, this knocking, how bad is it, and does it go away with clutch pulled in? They are a bit grabby and so do rattle a little in neutral with clutch out, although in my experience usually more when cold than hot. Any chance of a video?

Andy

I'm also struggling to find a definitive answer, but I'm guessing the answer will be yes, because it's a proper license/category/entitlement, not a provisional one, and is therefore honoured in Europe.

I'd advise phoning and asking a) your training school b) the insurance company and c) the DVLA

But hopefully the answer should be yes!

Andy

Here's a list of pages under gov.uk about driving abroad:

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?q=site:gov.uk+driving+abroad#q=site:gov.uk+driving+abroad

Hi Silver,

It's not unusual to notice a bit of white smoke at this time of year as the weather changes and a few people have mentioned it. It's normally just condensation and should burn off. Go for a good 30 minute ride, or otherwise get the engine proper warmed up (not just a couple of minutes on tickover) and most likely it'll be gone, in which case it's nothing to worry about.

I think it's normal for the FZS to have a bit of a fuel smell on start-up from exhaust area, they run quite rich and I've noticed the same on mine, and others have mentioned it on this forum many times. Again, if it goes once the bike is properly warmed up then it's nothing to worry about. If you wanted to investigate it further then next step would be to check plug condition and colour.

I think (not an expert in this area) that it's normal to have a bit of back pressure from the silencer, and so I'm wondering if it's just as simple as your exhaust gasket (between link pipe and silencer, or rather if it's standard then thinking about it then it would be between the link pipe and the downpipes) is due for replacement? That's probably the first thing I would look at, as well of course as checking for corrosion around the area and any holes from which it's blowing.

Tell us more about the vibration side of things, how is it felt and how does it sound? Does it match bike's road speed or the engine speed? Have you checked the front sprocket is safely attached (they can fall off!) and the bearings are good?

Let us know how you get on and we'll take it from there. Meanwhile others more expert than I might have further views.

Andy

Have tried them all, had ebc ceramics on it when I got it and feel was really great, then tried sbs sintered and were fine, but now favour organics due to them being softer on the discs. More dust, but I look after my brakes and clean regularly so never been a problem since I got to grips with that side of the maintenance. As for feel of course that's subjective and a matter of personal preference, myself I prefer progressive to crisp, and so the organics fit. But all types have been fine.

Andy