General chat thread... Links, pictures, banter etc

Richard tea

I plugged my rear tyre over 5k ago. It has started to leak air. Is it possible to re plug the puncture?

Wonda-Boy

Richard tea wrote: »

I plugged my rear tyre over 5k ago. It has started to leak air. Is it possible to re plug the puncture?

If the tyre has loads left on it get it patched on the inside and it will be good for a while longer.

But yes you can re plug just get the old plug out and make sure you double up the strip with a good bit of glue leave about half inch on top when you cut it so that when you ride the bike it will flatten over the hole.

Richard tea

Nice one Gary. To be honest there is prob only 6 to 8 weeks left on them. I'll try and replug it. I'm eyeing up a set of pr4 in cottors. I've done 11k since October. Dunlop roadsmart.

Wonda-Boy

Richard tea wrote: »

Nice one Gary. To be honest there is prob only 6 to 8 weeks left on them. I'll try and replug it. I'm eyeing up a set of pr4 in cottors. I've done 11k since October. Dunlop roadsmart.

Joe I would not be getting PR4's on that with the amount of commuting you do, they are a softer compound then previous you will go through them in no time. They are the sofest PR's I have had over the 2&3's.

You need a touring tyre for a bit of value for money TBH. Bike might not be heavy enough for a touring tyre but ask in cotters what they recommend.

D3V!L

I went to buy some luggage for my bike from a shop in the UK this morning, looks like they're starting to ramp up their prices now. Didn't take them long.

Richard tea

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Joe I would not be getting PR4's on that with the amount of commuting you do, they are a softer compound then previous you will go through them in no time. They are the sofest PR's I have had over the 2&3's.

You need a touring tyre for a bit of value for money TBH. Bike might not be heavy enough for a touring tyre but ask in cotters what they recommend.

Good point although on the nc owners site alot have achieved 13,000 km out of the pr4. If cottors can recommend a longer lasting tyre I'll check it out.

On a side note I used the drill tool to remove the old plug and re-plugged the puncture. Rode to work and it didn't lose any air. I will have to replace them soon but the closer to the winter the better.

Stiletto72

Remember that there are different types of Michelin PR4. Standard, GT and Trail.
I have GT's on mine and I've done about 4000 kilometres on them and they still look good.
Same on my last bike.

Richard tea

Stiletto72 wrote: »

Remember that there are different types of Michelin PR4. Standard, GT and Trail.
I have GT's on mine and I've done about 4000 kilometres on them and they still look good.
Same on my last bike.

I looked into the gt version alright. I think they are overkill for my commute. I don't have luggage or ride 2 up. The gt comes fitted to the big bmw's.

Stiletto72

Richard tea wrote: »

I looked into the gt version alright. I think they are overkill for my commute. I don't have luggage or ride 2 up. The gt comes fitted to the big bmw's.

And my big VFR.

Wonda-Boy

Its not as simple as just choosing the tyre. If your bike is not heavy enough to compress the tyre its very dangerous to ride on a GT tyre.....as its will not flex to give the grip. The tyre is engineered differently.

Its usually the big BMW 1600s and the like, I was advised against the GTs by both Cotters and RPM and I have a heavy bike (248KG) and I am heavy too

millingmachine

Richard tea wrote: »

On a side note I used the drill tool to remove the old plug and re-plugged the puncture. Rode to work and it didn't lose any air. I will have to replace them soon but the closer to the winter the better.

If you need new tyres get them. They're all you have between yourself & the road.

frozenfrozen

Is there somewhere cheaper to get restrictors than the people on ebay? nearly 80 euro for a couple of grams of aluminium is a bit much.

did another 2 hours of lessons today, test on thursday. Nothing wrong with my riding that a week on a bike wouldn't sort out but can't do that at the moment so we'll see what happens. Was nice to be out on a bike again. Few things I'm doing wrong are hesitating at roundabouts and junctions, and slow speed control, and I keep crawling along being a bit wobbly rather than just driving on and then braking down to 0 and putting the foot down. Also just generally riding too slow although I had that sorted out after the first half today. I just do all my braking early on same as in the car but for the test I should be driving on right up to the line

I probably should have just insured the sv and had the few weeks riding it before the test instead of waiting for the test to get cheaper insurance. But if I do pass the test then it'll be money saved.

Hotblack Desiato

millingmachine wrote: »

If you need new tyres get them. They're all you have between yourself & the road.

Define 'need'.

The front I replaced a few weeks ago was the first one I actually ran down to the legal limit in 21 years of biking. It was looking a bit shabby last autumn but between one thing and another I never got round to replacing it, no problems at all in wet weather etc, it was getting slow to turn in and wandered a bit more than the new tyre does in crosswinds, but otherwise no bother. I wouldn't worry about wearing front or rear down to the 1mm legal limit.

Also, it's great how tyres improve very noticeably every few years, I feel a lot more confident in the wet on today's 'touring' tyres than I did nearly twenty years ago on 'sports' tyres.

Hotblack Desiato

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Is there somewhere cheaper to get restrictors than the people on ebay? nearly 80 euro for a couple of grams of aluminium is a bit much.

It's a bit like the old joke about the guy with the hammer who charged a fortune for knowing where to hit. Yes they're just a few bits of aluminium but they need to be a precise size and have stud holes in the exact right places, etc. so they are easy to fit. There's nothing stopping anyone else from doing it cheaper if it's all so easy.

Few things I'm doing wrong are hesitating at roundabouts and junctions, and slow speed control

My slow speed control needs work, and I've 21 years on bikes and a Rospa silver. Don't ever get cocky and don't ever think there isn't anything more you need to practice or learn, then you'll be grand

millingmachine

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

no problems at all in wet weather etc, it was getting slow to turn in and wandered a bit more than the new tyre does in crosswinds

No problem at all just that it squared off. No need for a new tyre so. :pac:

D3V!L

4k round trip to the Alps booked for a months time

Cant wait !!

KonFusion

Anyone know a shop stocking the Bell Bullitt in store (as opposed to just online) ?

GBX

KonFusion wrote: »

Anyone know a shop stocking the Bell Bullitt in store (as opposed to just online) ?

Check with Cotters. I saw they had some Bell helmets

KonFusion

GBX wrote: »

Check with Cotters. I saw they had some Bell helmets

Thanks. Didn't see the Bullitt when I was in there recently.

COH

Took the bike out for my first proper spin today...

City Centre out through Sandyford, up to Enniskerry > Roundwood > Glendalough > Laragh ... stopped for some coffee, watched the rain clouds roll in and headed across to Hollywood, around the reservoir and over to Blessington and back into town via Tallaght.

Absolute bliss...

Only ~100kms or so but so much fun.

frozenfrozen

Just got my restrictor in the post today for the SV from kickstart engineering, ordered on thursday arrived today. Just noticed on the paper work that comes with it it says diy fitment will not be accepted by testers. anyone know what should I do, I intend to use this bike for my next test

if I can do it myself I'll be getting insurance today too

gerrowadat

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Just got my restrictor in the post today for the SV from kickstart engineering, ordered on thursday arrived today. Just noticed on the paper work that comes with it it says diy fitment will not be accepted by testers. anyone know what should I do, I intend to use this bike for my next test

if I can do it myself I'll be getting insurance today too

Usually a tester would want to see the restriction cert. Bikes are often sold with a cert (that may or may not actually be restricted). Your best bet may be to throw a garage a few bob to put it in.

frozenfrozen

yeah it came with a certificate that you fill out with the VIN / reg / colour and all that and it gets signed and stamped by a garage. I am dropping a car to a garage today so I'll bring it along and see if they will just stamp it and I'll put the restrictor in. I'll actually be leaving the restrictor in so I would be grand in the event of a crash, I just don't want to get turned away for the test by not having acceptable paperwork as you can imagine.

I'd have to ride it unrestricted to a garage otherwise. Unless I installed it and paid someone to actually inspect it and certify it.

If there's no approved list of bike restrictor installers or anything then I'll be grand with a car garage stamping it I suppose. Or indeed just writing down Dr. Frozen Frozen of boards.ie motorbike restrictor shop installed this restrictor

mardybumbum

Did my IBT yesterday.

Fell over in the compound when doing a U turn.

frozenfrozen

unlucky hopefully it didn't put too much of a downer on things! Those U turns are a bastard alright

Paulw

mardybumbum wrote: »

Fell over in the compound when doing a U turn.

You're not the first, and definitely won't be the last to fall doing a u-turn. Been there, done that, although not on IBT. Doing it in practice.

Just keep at it, and in time it won't be as hard.

Cienciano

COH wrote: »

Took the bike out for my first proper spin today...

City Centre out through Sandyford, up to Enniskerry > Roundwood > Glendalough > Laragh ... stopped for some coffee, watched the rain clouds roll in and headed across to Hollywood, around the reservoir and over to Blessington and back into town via Tallaght.

Absolute bliss...

Only ~100kms or so but so much fun.

If you ever get a free day midweek do a similar spin. The roads up there are empty, it's great.

mardybumbum wrote: »

Did my IBT yesterday.

Fell over in the compound when doing a U turn.

Did you touch the front brakes? Use clutch and back brakes in a tight turn, don't use the front ones.

mardybumbum

Thanks for the moral support guys.

Not too sure what I did wrong, I felt the bike leaning towards the right, put my right leg down and just couldn't hold the weight.
Those bandits are heavy feckers.

Yesterday was great. Went for a spin out to Ashbourne and Portmarnock/Malahide.

Looking forward to getting my bike and practising hill starts/U-turns, etc.

Aaron

Paulw

mardybumbum wrote: »

Looking forward to getting my bike and practising hill starts/U-turns, etc.

Find a nice empty carpark and practice u-turns. Get the turns tighter and tighter. Use back brake and clutch. Stay well away from the front brake.

It'll be grand.

I've passed the test and I still practice those u-turns. Just good control. Not as much fun as open roads, but needs to be done.

KonFusion

Anyone come across this seller on DoneDeal before?

Their username is "seller" and they've quite a few bikes up for sale, but don't seem to have any association with a garage/etc.

When I got in touch about a bike, they said they'd dropped the bike into Moto Pitstop for some minor work, and that it could be viewed there.

This sent off a few warning bells in my head. Was already curious about a private individual selling so many bikes.

Could be completely legit of course, but thought I'd ask here anyway.

Anyone had any dealings?