Riding

The Best Off-Road Tracks and Courses in the UK

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Owning an off-road vehicle is all well and good, but even if you have your own space on a muddy field to practice on, it’s unlikely to provide the high-octane thrills you’re seeking. Whether you’re into quad bikes, 4x4s, motocross (MX) or all of the above, driving an off-road vehicle presents a whole different challenge to their on-road counterparts. For an all-terrain rider there will be thrills, skills and the need for a different approach to safety.

You may think the UK is limited when it comes to spaces to have the perfect off-road experience, but you’d be surprised! We’ve compiled the top places from around Great Britain to get your wheels muddy, as well as some safety tips, for whichever type of off-roader you’re into. Continue reading “The Best Off-Road Tracks and Courses in the UK” »

Videos

BMW Drivers

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BMW don’t have a great reputation. I’m sure they’re not all that bad, but it does seem like an awful lot are pretty bad. Here’s a Beemer driver I spotted last year, though this one got his comeuppance – enjoy!

Maintenance, Videos

How to Replace a Clutch Lever (Honda CBF 500)

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We’ve all a dropped a bike or few, so easily done when new,
Your joy laying on it’s side, gone is all your pride,
Clutch lever broken in the fall, repeatedly you now stall,
Such a cheap repair, why did you not pack a spare?

A snapped lever is so common after an embarrassing drop of your bike. But fear not, replacing a clutch lever is a such a simply and quick job, that anyone can do it. No need to pay for garage labour, let me show you how to replace it in 5 mins with just a spanner and screwdriver. This is on a Honda CBF500, but many other bikes will be near identical.

It’s also a good plan to order a couple of replacements (these non-genuine levers were only £6.50 from M&P), so you can stow one under your seat in case you find yourself inconveniently stuck.

Note: this guide is for traditional cable clutches and not a hydraulic clutch.

News

Farewll 2017, Roll on 2018

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Riding a Harley in San Francisco

2017 was quite the packed year on and off the road. In my main line of work as a software team lead I’ve been managing multiple projects in parallel, done three work trips to New Jersey and one to San Francisco, and have now just taken over a second team!

ELAM Folembray Track Day

On the biking front, I’ve also been busy in 2017. The highlights were a couple of track days (except when I binned it), an Essex Fire Service/Hopp Rider skills day, hiring a big fat Harley Dyna in California and seeing my better half, Mary Crash Bobbins improve her riding on her IAM course. I’ve been heavily involved with ELAM, sorting out their new website  which has been very rewarding. And let’s not forget all the great rides over the year, with ELAM, London Bikers, solo or as a couple with Mary.

Continue reading “Farewll 2017, Roll on 2018” »

News

New ELAM Website Launched

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As well as working on this blog, I am involved with the East London Advanced Motorcyclist (ELAM) group and over the last few months have been revamping their website. That’s my excuse for the somewhat sporadic updates to on this blog recently.

The group’s old site was pretty dated, but was WordPress based so plain sailing to update with a theme change. Fresh photos were sourced and page layouts reworked make things more engaging. Whether the IAM is something you’ve considered or not, take a look, any feedback would be much appreciated.

Riding

Happy Christmas!

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Christmas wishes and Happy New Year to you all!

I trust you all had a good year and are now putting your boots up and enjoying a well earning Christmas break. Weather, man-flu and busy work deadlines this last month have preventing me updating here as much as I would have liked. However, I did manage a great day at the Ace Cafe Toy Run with my daughter. No matter how crappy things seem to be going at times, it’s generally just first world problems and we can be glad of our health. Don’t forget those in worse plights or very ill.

Happy Christmas!

 

News

2017 Black Friday Deals & Discount Codes

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Of course it’s all a marketing ruse to get you to part with your hard earned cash. You know they, they know that. But if you are after some new gear or bike bits, then take advantage and blag yourself a decent deal and save yourself a few bob. Below is a round up of some of the best and most useful deals:

Get Geared

15% discount code (expires 26th) – BLACK17

GhostBikes

On top of this, Ghost Bikes will beat any other deal with 25 off – so get haggling!

SportsBikeShop

Have finally announced their black Friday sale section.

DemonTweeks

Great for bike (or other automotive) maintenance stuff:

More deals at DemonTweeks.

Amazon

Amazon will run various daily deals with random motoring bits going cheap. Look out for cheap TomTom’s, Abus security gear, oil, Yuasa batteries and so forth. I bagged a dirt cheap Abus Disc Lock the other year.

FC-Moto

A German based retailer with much discounted kit.

15% discount code (valid until 29th) – BLACK15FCM

MotoIn

This less well know German based outlook have lots of clothing, helmets and other gear.

10% discount code (order of £50 quid) – MOTOINTGIF

J&S

Currently have 20% off all online and in store.

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Let me know if you spot other decent deals and have saved yourself a packet on new kit.

Clothing/Protection, Gear Reviews

Dainese Clutch Evo D-Dry Unisex Gloves Review

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Small hands? Check. Get pretty cold in the winter? Check. I would love to have heated gloves- but the pennies don’t stretch that far at the moment. So to keep the winter chill at the bay I use these Dianese Clutch Evo gloves in combination with heated grips.

I have had these gloves for about 18 months now- I purchased them in February 2016 at the Excel Bike show. They have been through all the weather the sky can chuck at them- snow, gales, sun, heavy rain, drizzle, hail. They are a good quality short glove and are well insulated against the cold. For those of us who have shorter arms and struggle to find longer gloves to fit, these gloves fit well with jacket sleeves that tend to be longer than they should be. In the frost and snow my fingers can feel a bit cold but putting some merino wool glove liners in can help and the heated grips keep off the chill. Continue reading “Dainese Clutch Evo D-Dry Unisex Gloves Review” »

Gear Reviews

Comparison of Anti-Fogging/Misting Solutions for Glasses

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As a glasses wearer, I’ve always struggled with my glasses misting or fogging up on cold days. Whereas as my visor stays clear through the use of a Pinlock, there is no obvious solution for glasses, just a multitude of products to squirt on that claim to stop all misting up. But do they really work?  In the name of science I conducted a mini experiment to compare some popular products to ascertain which were most effective.

The Experiment

I used a number of old pairs of glasses, which I first cleaned then applied the various products as per their directions. As a control, one pair were left untreated. I then placed the glasses in the fridge to cool to 5℃, to mimic a ride on a cool winters day. First I took the glasses out into the kitchen with a humidity reading of 55%, to see how the lenses misted up (or not). Secondly I repeated by taking the glasses from fridge to hot shower room with a humidity reading of 60% to test a more extreme scenario.


Continue reading “Comparison of Anti-Fogging/Misting Solutions for Glasses” »