Inithra

So this weekend my brother and I went to a show, and were riding through some very high winds. He was on a CBF500, me on my 125. At times, especially uphill and around corners, I felt like it was all I could do to stay on the bike, my arse was hanging off to the left, right hand pushing down to the right, just to go in a straight line. I ended up riding really slowly as a result. He told me I should actually have been riding quicker, but that was the very last thing I wanted to do. Is he correct?

I don't think he lost his edge, it was taken away from him when people started threatening his job for making jokes that nobody got offended by, but pretended to because they didn't like Clarkson. I didn't even click that the slope on a bridge joke could possibly be deemed racist until the news broke that a complaint had been upheld. I saw a wonky bridge. Then there was the UNAIRED footage of the word nigger (It is NOT racist to USE the word, it is racist to CALL SOMEBODY the word) being MUMBLED, and that was the last warning. Wasn't paying the license fee before, certainly won't ever again, if they make more episodes I will watch the first one online, if it's any good I will watch others. Maybe they will get rid of the shitty "Celebrity in a car" bit? Unless it is an actual interesting, famous, funny, celebrity, I always skip those. Who the f**k is Olly Murs anyway?

Yep, definitely take some time off. Even if you have to use your holiday allowance so you still get paid. My left knee had been giving me loads of problems (weak tendons, also after a Rugby injury, kept giving out, or locking up, leaving me limping for days after), but I had 6 weeks off work because I broke one wrist and fingers in both hands, and the knee has healed too!

Top Gear was the only show I even bothered to watch via the IPlayer. Literally not a single other show the BBC makes that is worth watching, in my opinion. Haven't had a TV license four about 6 years now. Youtube, Live Streaming and a certain site involving people who really like Rum have me covered. Even downloading, I don't bother with UK shows, Midwives, Posh Knobs and Reality Shows is all the UK knows how to make these days.

Yesterdays NOTD is a double award, to the pricks in the red hatchback, the driver decided to overtake me at about 80 in a 40 zone, then his passenger flicked a cigarette butt out the window as they went past. Saw the sparks as it bounced and hit my windshield. Had my visor up as I had just been stopped at a red light, so lucky it didn't go in my face instead!

In short, go to the doctor, not the internet. Pretty much advice for anything that is causing enough pain for an adult to be in tears.

GoG, persons are normally fine. People, however, are dicks. Individually we are mostly nice as pie (shortcrust chunky steak from Morrisons, is my favourite), but as a group? Dicks.

Assuming it's not (an unwritten part I'm sure) their job to increase revenue by creatively inflating fines, most of which will simply be paid rather than challenged.

No idea if this is relevant or not, but when I got a quote last year it couldn't find mine either, until I noticed a tiny box that said "tick if personalised reg" (or something like that!) Ticked, and it worked. Don't think the reg IS custom, but it didn't work until that box was ticked.

I have the same problem with mine, too, always have. I do find that regular chain and clutch cable/lever maintenance improves it, but the problem never goes away entirely.

GOOD fish and chips. Places that insist on serving peas can eff right off. Nachos, with added Jalapenos, sometimes a burger cooked up, broken into small bits and scattered over the tortilla chips, but under the cheese and salsa. My homemade curry. Really simple, chicken fried in oil and curry powder, then coconut milk added, along with cumin, coriander, turmeric and ginger, with a fresh chilli or two cut very fine and added in. Couple teaspoons of sugar while it's simmering. My roast potatoes. I do a pretty good roast overall, but the potatoes are always the best bit. Bagel, cream cheese, sweet chilli sauce, lettuce and then bacon on top. Yeah, I'm a fat bast*rd!

I've only been on the road for 2 1/2 years, been pulled over once in that time, about 11pm on my way home from Leamington, so about 20 miles out. I'd just let a van overtake me, and was trying to tell the next car to do so by turning the right indicator on and blipping the brake light. Suddenly it switches the blues on! Officer gets out and tells me he stopped me because it turned out I didn't have a back light, so was essentially invisible! He said they could see I didn't know about it, so wasn't in any trouble, and they then gave me a rear escort home.

Getting into the egine and trying to do it myself isn't really practical. Yes I have a Haynes, but I wouldn't even know what the carb looks like! The spark plug looks fine to me. I had the problems before a service which replaced the plug, and it was still there after too, so I have my doubts about the spark plug being the cause. I'm heading back to the home town for my 30th next week, so am going to ride it round to a mate of mines. He builds custom bikes, so while not a mechanic per se he at least can show me how to take it apart, tell me which bits to clean and help me put it all back together again. I've definitely spent birthdays doing worse! Shame about the 200 mile ride there, with a max speed of 50 if it's running well. Going to set off at 3am to avoid traffic!

I have suspected that the gearbox might be knackered, but am hoping getting the carb serviced will fix the problem, as this should be cheaper? I've seen people asking for help with almost the exact same problem, and seen suggestions including cleaning the jets, resetting the float and similar, but nothing from somebody who had the problem about what caused/fixed it! One thing to consider is that this is not a powerful 125 to start with! All the reviews I read on it said not to expect much over 50/55, or that getting over those speeds takes a lot of work, and the max speed was only ever said by Suzuki to be 65. So I am losing 10-15mph, not 30-40, which is why I was hoping it might just be the carb. If/when I do get it sorted I will make sure to put here what did it for the next guy like me!

Speed problems have been there since I bought the bike, had it serviced a month or two after I got it, when they replaced the Air and Oil filters, changed the oil, put in a new Spark plug and did something that had the word "tappets"/"tappits" in the sentence? Made zero difference to the performance. It goes fine in 1st and 2nd, accelerates normally, same as my last bike (that got stolen) did. I can get to 35 in 2nd, then change up to 3rd and can feel power drop off - unless I quickly change up to 4th, the bike will normally slow DOWN from 35 to 30 in 3rd. When in 4th, I usually get up to 40 fairly easily, anything more than that isn't acceleration so much as momentum. On a long flat fairly straight road speed gradually increases, but too many bends means staying around 40, any incline means speed dropping off quickly, and I usually have to drop down to 2nd to maintain 30mph.