The friendly "dumb" bike questions thread

[Rod200SX]

Rod200SX said:

Put a deposit down on my first bike this morning A KTM Duke 125 came up dirt cheap at a good little bike shop local to me. It went up over the weekend but they were closed so called up this morning with the intention of going over at lunch. They'd already had 1 person have a look & 2 guys going over in the afternoon, so I nipped down, had a look and left a deposit Bit rough round the edges but mechanically solid. 2012 with 4600 miles. New michelins and a service done 500 miles ago in March & pretty much 12 months MOT.

Going to pay the rest off today and either get it delivered or pick it up after my CBT on Saturday. Exciting times!

As a wee update, got my CBT done on Saturday with some really intense weather to help out , absolutely blasted with wind and raining sideways. We were hoping to finish up at around 2:30/3:00 but ended up only finishing the car park stuff at around 3:00PM. The other guy that was doing the course on the day had to give up at around 1:00/2:00 as he just couldn't cope with the manouvers and the wind, though he's going back in an evening this week that's good!

So we eventually finished up not long after 5:00, after some interesting road riding, getting blasted sideways by the wind at 50mph was interesting!

Got my KTM delivered whilst I was out, got home, warmed up and got insurance etc sorted. I ended up going with MCE, around £300 at 28, first time rider, garaged etc. Not great but not bad and it's got good cover.

Managed out for a wee run last night and aiming to head out again this evening. Bloody good fun and I was enjoying just driving about in quietish roads getting some practice in, went in to a few car parks to practice some things and got on okay!

Cheers all for the help!

[Krikkit]

Nice work, take it easy out there, slippy this time of year with all the leaves coming down

[Seight_Returns]

Congratulations. As above take it easy on the greasy roads - and be aware that new brakes and particularly new tyres need bedding in before they grip properly.

Read the good advice I was given a few pages ago about how to keep your shiny new bike shiny - if you're going to ride it through the winter.

Edited by Seight_Returns on Monday 2nd November 15:26

[TheInternet]

How thick do you lot lay on your ACF/XCP? I've applied some of the latter, wiping on with a soaked rag for the majority, and spraying on a bit more liberally around/under the rear end/suspension linkage.

For context I'll probably not use the bike much in the worst of the weather but perhaps passing showers / wet roads, and am trying to keep a newish machine looking newish to aid a sale next year.

ps. Don't make my mistake of applying it where your foot goes on the centre stand - that made for a sketchy moment.

[Kent Border Kenny]

TheInternet said:

How thick do you lot lay on your ACF/XCP? I've applied some of the latter, wiping on with a soaked rag for the majority, and spraying on a bit more liberally around/under the rear end/suspension linkage.

For context I'll probably not use the bike much in the worst of the weather but perhaps passing showers / wet roads, and am trying to keep a newish machine looking newish to aid a sale next year.

ps. Don't make my mistake of applying it where your foot goes on the centre stand - that made for a sketchy moment.

ACF creeps, it’s designed to do it, and it turns out that it creeps quite a long way, so be really careful about getting any of it anywhere near your brakes.

[toxgobbler]

Rod200SX said:

Rod200SX said:

Put a deposit down on my first bike this morning A KTM Duke 125 came up dirt cheap at a good little bike shop local to me. It went up over the weekend but they were closed so called up this morning with the intention of going over at lunch. They'd already had 1 person have a look & 2 guys going over in the afternoon, so I nipped down, had a look and left a deposit Bit rough round the edges but mechanically solid. 2012 with 4600 miles. New michelins and a service done 500 miles ago in March & pretty much 12 months MOT.

Going to pay the rest off today and either get it delivered or pick it up after my CBT on Saturday. Exciting times!

As a wee update, got my CBT done on Saturday with some really intense weather to help out , absolutely blasted with wind and raining sideways. We were hoping to finish up at around 2:30/3:00 but ended up only finishing the car park stuff at around 3:00PM. The other guy that was doing the course on the day had to give up at around 1:00/2:00 as he just couldn't cope with the manouvers and the wind, though he's going back in an evening this week that's good!

So we eventually finished up not long after 5:00, after some interesting road riding, getting blasted sideways by the wind at 50mph was interesting!

Got my KTM delivered whilst I was out, got home, warmed up and got insurance etc sorted. I ended up going with MCE, around £300 at 28, first time rider, garaged etc. Not great but not bad and it's got good cover.

Managed out for a wee run last night and aiming to head out again this evening. Bloody good fun and I was enjoying just driving about in quietish roads getting some practice in, went in to a few car parks to practice some things and got on okay!

Cheers all for the help!

A calm sea doesn't make a good sailor. Good news on the pass. 125s are stolen a lot so they do attract a higher premium, enjoy, it's a great bike.

[Rod200SX]

toxgobbler said:

A calm sea doesn't make a good sailor. Good news on the pass. 125s are stolen a lot so they do attract a higher premium, enjoy, it's a great bike.

Absolutely, the test centre we're umming and ahhing about postponing the 'on road' section for another day but I was politely insistant I'd like to learn in adverse weather.

And yeah, it's not a bad price considering new rider etc. I've a couple things to do to the bike (dicky speedo is the main one!) and I'll be getting as much riding in as I can.

[anonymous-user]

Rod200SX said:

toxgobbler said:

A calm sea doesn't make a good sailor. Good news on the pass. 125s are stolen a lot so they do attract a higher premium, enjoy, it's a great bike.

Absolutely, the test centre we're umming and ahhing about postponing the 'on road' section for another day but I was politely insistant I'd like to learn in adverse weather.

And yeah, it's not a bad price considering new rider etc. I've a couple things to do to the bike (dicky speedo is the main one!) and I'll be getting as much riding in as I can.

Best thing you can do is find a quiet car park and practice u turns, slalom round the space markings, etc. The result of me doing this on my old 125 was a Mod 1 pass with no minors. The only downside is I did pick up a bad habit of coasting a bit round corners which is a definite no no. After the lockdown when lessons resumed my instructor soon saw that and put me right though, it's funny how these things creep into your riding without you even noticing!

[Krikkit]

ruprechtmonkeyboy said:

Rod200SX said:

toxgobbler said:

A calm sea doesn't make a good sailor. Good news on the pass. 125s are stolen a lot so they do attract a higher premium, enjoy, it's a great bike.

Absolutely, the test centre we're umming and ahhing about postponing the 'on road' section for another day but I was politely insistant I'd like to learn in adverse weather.

And yeah, it's not a bad price considering new rider etc. I've a couple things to do to the bike (dicky speedo is the main one!) and I'll be getting as much riding in as I can.

Best thing you can do is find a quiet car park and practice u turns, slalom round the space markings, etc. The result of me doing this on my old 125 was a Mod 1 pass with no minors. The only downside is I did pick up a bad habit of coasting a bit round corners which is a definite no no. After the lockdown when lessons resumed my instructor soon saw that and put me right though, it's funny how these things creep into your riding without you even noticing!

I bought some sports markers to use to practice with after I'd passed my DAS as my U-turns and slow speed skills went to pot over the first winter. They're soft but fairly grippy if you run over them, so you won't fall, just find an empty car park and away you go. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303675171567

Definitely consider more training before you pick up bad habits - it's not wasted if/when you want to do your DAS as it leaves less to learn and more to practice!

[Bumblebee7]

Apologies if it's been done to death already- but what's the best way to keep my hands warm? Every year I say I'll get something and never do. It's only the start of November and my hands were freezing on the commute so figured now is as good a time as any. Heated grips, heated gloves, muffs?? Thanks!

[Kent Border Kenny]

Bumblebee7 said:

Apologies if it's been done to death already- but what's the best way to keep my hands warm? Every year I say I'll get something and never do. It's only the start of November and my hands were freezing on the commute so figured now is as good a time as any. Heated grips, heated gloves, muffs?? Thanks!

Bar muffs. The sort of hand protectors that you see on bikes like a BMW GS do help too, especially if you buy some aftermarket extenders for them, but muffs are the only thing that makes a really big difference.

[black-k1]

Kent Border Kenny said:

Bar muffs. The sort of hand protectors that you see on bikes like a BMW GS do help too, especially if you buy some aftermarket extenders for them, but muffs are the only thing that makes a really big difference.

I would say it's a decent set of heated grips but I've not used heated gloves and have heard they're better still. Muffs/hand guards are useful at keeping the wind/weather off your gloves but are no replacement for something that actually heats up.

If you're fitting bar muffs it's worth ensuring they're fixed to the bar ends in a way that stops them pressing on the brake and clutch lever, especially when moving above town speeds or you'll get front brake drag and possible clutch slip.

[MotorsportTom]

black-k1 said:

Kent Border Kenny said:

Bar muffs. The sort of hand protectors that you see on bikes like a BMW GS do help too, especially if you buy some aftermarket extenders for them, but muffs are the only thing that makes a really big difference.

I would say it's a decent set of heated grips but I've not used heated gloves and have heard they're better still. Muffs/hand guards are useful at keeping the wind/weather off your gloves but are no replacement for something that actually heats up.

If you're fitting bar muffs it's worth ensuring they're fixed to the bar ends in a way that stops them pressing on the brake and clutch lever, especially when moving above town speeds or you'll get front brake drag and possible clutch slip.

In my experience in properly cold weather I.e below 5 Celsius ambient then handguards (enduro style) with heated grips don't do a lot or certainly the hand guards don't add much of a benefit.

Muffs are fantastic but as above some can be depressed by wind and push on the levers which can be a pain.

For best weather protection I reckon some simple handguards with muffs that are soft and deflect, or a hard type of muff that doesn't get moved with wind + heated grips will keep you toasty warm!

I bought my muffs secondhand for something like £25 - but as I say they get pushed with wind and touch the levers annoyingly.

Not tried heated gloves but heard good things

[Kent Border Kenny]

black-k1 said:

I would say it's a decent set of heated grips but I've not used heated gloves and have heard they're better still. Muffs/hand guards are useful at keeping the wind/weather off your gloves but are no replacement for something that actually heats up.

If you're fitting bar muffs it's worth ensuring they're fixed to the bar ends in a way that stops them pressing on the brake and clutch lever, especially when moving above town speeds or you'll get front brake drag and possible clutch slip.

I find the opposite. Heated grips (for me) boil the palm of my hand, but leave my fingers frozen. Possibly a bit better than no hearing at all, but not great.

Muffs let me wear summer gloves nearly all year round, with only low heat needed occasionally from the grips.

What I also like is that I can wear summer gloves for more of the year as well, which tend to have better feel and comfort.

[TheInternet]

Kent Border Kenny said:

I find the opposite. Heated grips (for me) boil the palm of my hand, but leave my fingers frozen. Possibly a bit better than no hearing at all, but not great.

Muffs let me wear summer gloves nearly all year round, with only low heat needed occasionally from the grips.

What I also like is that I can wear summer gloves for more of the year as well, which tend to have better feel and comfort.

+1 on all of this. Haven't switched the grips on or used winter/waterproof gloves since getting muffs.

In terms of function muffs >> heated grips.

Edited by TheInternet on Wednesday 4th November 12:18

[Bumblebee7]

Thanks everyone, would also be interested in hearing from anyone that has used heated gloves. Seems a lot of people have heard good things but not much by way of first hand experience.

I'm a little reluctant with muffs as I use the gears a lot as I ride into town so constantly on and off the clutch and I'm concerned it might be annoying. They're not overly expensive though so I could always give it a go.

[Krikkit]

I've got some of the RST Paragon battery heated ones - I'm a big softie and hate getting cold hands, but didn't want to start faffing putting stuff on my bike for the few days a year I use it in cold weather.

Anyway, they're amazing - the heater element wraps right around your finger so you get super toasty. The only downside is they're proper thick winter jobs, so don't feel quite so nice in terms of control feel compared to summer gloves (obviously!).

If you don't want to add stuff to your bike, and don't want to plug anything in then highly recommend them.

[lukeyman]

I've got some Keis heated gloves bought on offer at last year's bike show. (G501s I think... there's a newer model out now)

I haven't had cause to use them over a season or daily, so can't comment on how robust they are, but they are toasty warm. Can be hooked up to the bike or plugged into a battery. I've got their vest too for them to link into.

I tried the liner at the time but couldn't get them comfortable under my usual gloves and the heated gloves are actually pretty nice to wear regardless of the heat too.

[Bumblebee7]

Thanks lukeyman and Krikkit, will look into both of those. Hands have definitely been cold the last few days so need to sort something out.

[Krikkit]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Turn the choke off as early as you can to avoid silly fuel consumption, otherwise no!

A bloke at work used to moan because from October he had to use the "cold weather lever" on his Triumph and his fuel consumption was terrible... He never clicked that it was the same thing that his old cars used to have and that it should get set back pretty quickly! Dread to think what the cylinders looked like.

Edited by Krikkit on Thursday 5th November 15:20