Mississippi Bullfrog

I used to fly model planes - does that count?

That's me doomed then. Got two bikes and 2 boats. Mind you she has two sewing machines ....

Yuasa seem to do at least two ranges of batteries. The batteries on my CBF and Bobber are similar in size physically so I can swap them between bikes. The CBF battery is £130 the Bobber one is £36. There isn't much difference in capacity between them. But I'm expecting the one in the CBF to last longer. The Bobber one is 6 years old and seems OK so far. I use CTEK chargers and so far had no problems with them.

First tip is to provide more information. Age of bike, mileage, service history. Poor performance could just be binding brakes, blocked air filter, old plugs, Or as once happened, a guy complaining his bike wasn't very fast, riding an old 125 weighing over 20 stone!

You can have a battery showing good voltage but that collapses under load. Even a small load will do it so you could test with a spare headlight bulb. A 12v battery is really 6 2.1v batteries connected in series. So the minimum reading you're looking for is 12.6v. Lead a I'd cells don't like being discharged so if it's 3 years old and the bike has been standing the battery is suspect. At rest you want at least 12.6v. When running you want around 14v. If you check a battery shortly after running it ought to be around 13.5v.

12.3v is not OK for a battery. That is showing it's discharged. Give the battery a trickle charge then try it.

I shall nominate PayPal for nob award. My wife wanted a cushion for our granddaughter's play tent. She ordered one and I paid using my PayPal account. Nothing arrived. Weeks went by, no cushion. After many messages eventually she received something entirely different which we asked to send back. The seller refused. I took it to PayPal resolution who asked us to post it back at our cost before they would consider a refund. I warned them the seller dodgy and likely to disappear once they had the item back. So having paid postage on a very large item we didn't order the seller has failed to provide a refund and PayPal are doing nothing about it. I used them on the basis there was some protection from scams but they have done absolutely nothing.

And yet my Oxford rainseal jacket and Montreal trousers have kept me bone dry in many miles of torrential rain. I guess it's the luck of the draw with them. I haven't been so lucky with Richa waterproofs.

Depends which side you are on. I fired someone for gross misconduct and they took us to an employment tribunal. The thing to know is that when you get your hearing date chances are your case won't be heard. They usually book in more than they can handle. This happened to us twice which meant 2 days of barrister's fees down the pan. On the third occasion they didn't show up and the tribunal found in our favour. Dismissed their case and awarded us costs. When I got home I found out the reason they didn't turn up. The police had been tipped off that they were heading to the tribunal and arrested them en route. That resulted in them going to trial and being sent down for two years for fraud. They also nicked their solicitor who was also in on the scam. It took nearly four years to resolve the case.

Agreed. I like twins both round town and on the twisties. The engine is more tractable.

Much depends on where you live and if the bike is garaged. Unfortunately bike theft is rampant which drives insurance costs up. Are you looking for fully comp insurance? That usually works out cheaper than third party policies. You may have to stick with a smaller bike until you've built up more ncd. Possibly look at something a bit less sporty, more commuter style. They can still be fun to ride given you need to restrict it anyway.

Life can be so cruel. I got the Honda back together, following the new radiator and coolant. Refitted the tank thus afternoon and tested it. All good. Then turned to the Bobber. Fitted the new front fork spacers and changed the fork oil. Reassembled it all, got it off the stand. Now I can get at my lawnmower. And then it started pouring down. So I've had to come indoors and open a bottle wine.

New radiator fitted a refilled with fresh coolant. I ran out of time so didn't get the fuel tank back on. That will have to wait until tomorrow.

An immobiliser won't draw power. It's a passive system that checks the key is in the ignition. On most bikes even the flashing LED goes off after a short time.

Adds a whole new dimension to "pulling the chain".