A place dedicated to the brave souls who ride in the deadly British weather

I was queuing in Sportsbikeshop today behind a guy with a leather vest covered in patches—some of them upside down. Is there any special meaning to that? For example, there was an upside-down Kawasaki patch on the lower right. I think he’d ridden in on a Harley.

Was changing spark plug on my Derbi Terra Adventure 125. Had to remove tank for access as spark plug sits deep. Now the bike won’t run. Was running well 5hrs ago. Including when tank is reconnected, of course.

Tested with old and new spark plug in, both sparks have good sparks, the new one is slightly better. Starter motor sounds good, battery works well. Slight smell of fuel when trying to start, suggests fuel is being pulled through. Compression seems good. Also tried to start with a couple drops of petrol in the cylinder chamber, didn’t work.

Any ideas at all?

I like the look of the Yamaha XJ6 Diversion, but it's quite an old bike these days.

What 'type' of motorcycle is it?

What do you think is the closest equivalent newer motorcycle that's on the market today?

So I've met a girl. She wants to be my backpack. How does one progress to riding with a pillion or is it just a case of hop on and hope for the best? Any tips?

Motorcycle Live is coming up in a few weeks and I'm toying with the idea of going. It's been a few years since I last went and I'm wondering if it's worth it. Has anyone been in recent years and if so what were your thoughts?

I have my theory test booked next week. Hopefully I pass that first time. Once I pass, is it as simple as doing my CBT then doing lessons and then my test?

I’m 28 so does that mean I can ride the big bikes? And just do one test?

My local bike school does 5 day crash course lessons. So I’m gonna go for that I think.

Any advice about riding in general and what to look out for would be really beneficial.

Thanks

I'm planning on adding these lights to my bike, and from the (extensive) manual, it appears I need to cut this fuse wire myself? Can anyone advise?

So think I've found a great bike but... the guy says he hasn't riden it all year.. what issues could this cause?

Its an 58 plate Suzuki gsx 650 f done 14k . Its got a new battery which hes been keeping charged up with a some 3 way thing no idea? But it started straight away several times when I checked it out. Chain is new and tyres look perfect. No leaks on shocks , no oil anywhere as far as I can see.

Living in East London (thanks to all those bellends that keep stealing motorcycles I wish you all die), always driven 2-wheelers back in Italy.

Been here 6 years, converted driving license in 2018, got my license in 2008, I now have 3 years NCB but 4 years ago some cunts stole my motorcycle after 3 days since I bought it, and the system punishes the victim of a crime that’s currently out of control by making them pay more.

The insurance almost costs more thank the bike itself, this is ridiculous. Thankfully I don’t own a motorcycle, but I was hoping to buy one in spring, maybe the same one I could only enjoy for 3 days (CB300R), I guess I won’t. Sorry for the rant, but I hate this “side” of the UK.

Hello everyone,

I am looking to rent a scooter for a weekend, however, it seems that every scooter rental is for Uber Eats which is asking for 4-6 weeks to be rented.

Recommendations for London, preferable East?

I'd like to say a massive thanks to everyone that helped get it back in particular User Ex-Asperation-54321 for bringing the police post to my attention.

Did my CBT at the weekend, I’ve only had the bike 3 days and decided to take it to a car park to practice some low speed handling this evening. Everything was going great until it wasn’t and I fell! I guess that’s why we practice and I should be thankful I didn’t do this at a busy junction.

Thankfully the damage is limited to a scuff on the brake lever and bar end. I guess I’m ordering crash bungs at the earliest opportunity.

Hi all, I’m planning on designing some custom leathers for myself, a 1 piece Dianese suit but am struggling with deciding on colour themes and so forth. The suit will be fully customisable (as it’s not actually being ordered from dianese themselves;). Will most likely be the Dianese Mugello 3 D AIR suit. One thing I will definitely have is the polished metal shoulder and knee plates that only Rossi wore when racing as I always thought it was special only he had them in polished metal. I’m thinking purple or forest green as a primary colour with yellow as a secondary as yellows my favourite colour, but any suggestions you may have or finer details are more than welcome. Looking forwards to seeing what you guys suggest.

Hey guys, so recently I broke one of my mirrors off so I eventually took both of and awaiting to get a set of new ones, today I was pulled over for no mirrors and a hold being put on my bike to not ride until I provide proof of mirrors and mileage, to my belief it was that mirrors were not a legal requirement, can anyone share some insight on this and where I stand?

Thank you!

I am going to take my A2 test soon so I can get off of my CBT. Is there much difference between riding a 125CC bike vs an A2 bike vs a full A bike? Is it just the power of the bike but in all other aspects it is the same? I'm currently 22 and I turn 24 in 23 months. My CBT will run out before I will turn 24 so if I wanted to wait and go straight to the A license I would have to get another CBT anyway and I want to go on the motorway and carry a passenger so I'm going to to go for the A2 license.

I likely won't upgrade my bike immediately as I have a car which can go up to 105+mph and I like my Honda CB125F which is my daily driver for social and commute with my car being used a couple times a month for high speed motorway driving.

Also is it worth going for a full A license eventually anyway? When the day comes that my car starts to break down or I sell it I would want something that can keep up on the motorway which my CB125F can't do as it caps at 65mph. I'm not really interested in track days or racing so I'm not really bothered about getting a crazy fast bike but many A2 bikes I've seen have restrictions on them to be A2 compliant. I drive a 2009 Nissan Note that has a top speed of around 107mph and I would like something that either has the same or higher top speed. Would a full A license be useful to achieve this?

https://preview.redd.it/ste1zvckacyd1.png?width=1198&format=png&auto=webp&s=eefcbdf40e973ca012dcf8d152908d7b838e8540

Hi all, just wondering if anyone here has tried putting ppf on their own bike?

I got a quote for a guy to do it for me but thinking if I buy the film myself I’ll save a boat load of cash.

It’s a matte black bike so scratches are coming up quickly. It’s only really on the side panels I’m more worried about because I think I’d be able to do the tank and front fairing without any issues.

Any tips/tricks? Or should I just pay for the guy to do it?

Added a photo to show what I mean

Girlfriend wants to do her A2 licence. Our nearest test centre is Enfield, but I did my A2 at a different one. Does anybody know what the route is like? Whether or not it’s particularly difficult compared to normal? Thanks

Edit: Talking about mod 2 specifically btw

Hi,

Bought a second hand 125 with an aftermarket Pedmoto sg4 exhaust system on it. The chap did offer the original exhaust but he had replaced it at 10k as it was damaged in a fall.

I'm not mad about the exhaust note, think it's a 400mm so it's not obnoxiously loud. I was wondering if my understanding of silencers is correct, they have holes to make them quieter right, so in theory, if I drill more holes in the silencer would it make the exhaust quieter?

I don't really want to buy another exhaust system as trying to keep cost down. Any advice would be great!

on Tuesday I failed my Mod 1 for stopping short of the slow speed stop box. Not an issue.

But I never really had a debriefing. I haven’t received my post test email from the DVSA.

But even worse when my instructor chased them Wednesday they had nothing on the system and “were going to look into it”.

I called again yesterday, confirmed the email is correct, and again “oh hmmmm somethings not right, il escalate it with the centre” and still no email.. and nothing on the system.

I got a CBT voucher for my 33rd last month (buzzing btw). I'm really keen to get started on my journey, but I'm on the fence about starting at this time of year when the weather is going to shit.

Voucher lasts a year but I'm impatient! Should I wait until spring to use it and start MOD1/2 training shortly after or do you guys think I'll be fine starting sooner rather than later?

Cheers

E: Just wanted to thank everyone for your responses. From what I can tell most people recommend doing it asap regardless of the weather. I'll get it booked and will be part of the club soon!

Looking for some Auxilary lights for my '96 Yamaha TDM 850. Not wanting to spend a fortune as I don't use it in the dark too much, so wanting to hear any recommendations of some cheaper ones...

Time to put the inner thermal lining in the jacket, don’t you dare to think that I will stop riding 😉.

For an A2 what would be a sensible first bike? I think that A2 goes up to around 400cc (47bhp) so I was wondering if there are certain bikes/brands to stay away from as a new rider, and any that I should be considering more.

Edit: same with gear aswell. When I was looking at body gear RST had lots of good reviews looked however I'm also unsure as to what brand are good and whatnot for helmets and gear likewise with bikes.

Edit: My favourite looking bikes are naked ones like the 390 Duke

oooo