Beginner Biker Adventures | Trials and tribulations of a London biker, from newbie to seasoned commuter

Riding

IAM Skill For Life Test Passed – Yippee!

Post author By Arthur
Post date July 28, 2015
No Comments on IAM Skill For Life Test Passed – Yippee!

I’ve finally done it, I’ve passed my IAM Skill For Life Course, I’m now officially an ‘advanced rider’.

I started the course back in January, when I signed up with the East London Advanced Motorcyclists (ELAM) group. The course is based upon the Motorcycle roadcraft police rider’s handbook, but is presented through a slightly more digestible ‘How to be a better rider’ book (included with the course). The ELAM group begin the course in a fairly structured manner; starting with a machine control day on an airfield to practice slow manoeuvres, emergency stops and slalom. This is followed by 5 observed ride outs roughly every fortnight, each concentrating on particular areas, e.g. overtaking, bends, motorways, town riding etc. There were also 3 theory night sessions around these rides which covered the ‘system’ – an underlying principle to apply to your riding, various best practices and many legal points.

Tags Learning

Maintenance

MOT Passed – Phew!

That time of year again, MOT due. You know the bike should be fine, you know you’ve serviced it well and checked it over thoroughly yourself. But still, there’s that little niggle of doubt over whether it will fail the MOT on something. Thankfully my trusty Fazer passed without a hitch with no advisories at all. Sorted.

Checking out past MOT passes, it seems I’ve put on 7200 miles in the last 12 months. Not too shabby at all really. A little more than previous years, but I have been doing a lot more riding for my IAM course.

On a side note, a thumbs up to London Scooters for turning the MOT round super quick in my lunch break. They’re just around the corner from my workplace, so super handy for me.

Edit: I took my wife’s CBF500 to London Scooters in May 2016 and received less than satisfactory customer service. Please see this video here.

Riding

Commute Delays in London

Most of the time when on a motorcycle in London you are immune to commuting delays, as you can filter past pretty much anything. However, on this day, my commute was delayed by a cruise ship. Bummer.

Here we are at Tower Bridge, waiting for this large Cruise ship to undock from HMS Belfast and make its way down the Thames. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t quite filter past this one. Still, it was a nice day to take stock of the fact I ride past some great icons of British architecture every day.

What iconic landmarks do you commute past on your way to/from work?

Tags London

Hardware

Ebay Fail – Givi Rack Wrap

Post author By Arthur
Post date June 17, 2015
No Comments on Ebay Fail – Givi Rack Wrap

I recently ordered this Givi rack off ebay for my Fazer (after bending the old one slightly in my last off). I thought the postage quote was a little high, but I wasn’t expecting a parcel like this…

EbayFail-GiviRackWrap — Ebay Fail – Givi Rack Wrap

Quite why the seller didn’t consider undoing the two bolts to separate the two arms from the plate, I will never know. Postman takes the mick every time I see him now!

Tags Ebay Fail

Maintenance

New Metzeler Z8 Interact Back Tyre Fitted

Post author By Arthur
Post date June 10, 2015
No Comments on New Metzeler Z8 Interact Back Tyre Fitted

A new rubber day. Back tyre was looking a little elderly and rapidly running out of legal tread (possibly a contributing factor to my last off). That said, I’ve had just shy of 2 years and around 13,000 miles out of it, so not too shabby. That was a Metzeler Z6. I’ve always been happy with the grip it has provided, so decided to try a newer Z8 Interact on the back. I already have a Z8 on the front which is just over a year old, so it certainly made sense to match it.

The top chaps down at FWR fitted the new Z8 in super quick time during my lunch break and offered a competitive price too. So, thumbs up there. Just going to take it a easy now until it’s nicely scrubbed in.

Metzeler are doing a deal to blag a £50 quid Dainese voucher if you buy a pair. But, my front still has plenty of tread and I don’t see myself buying (or affording) anything new from Dainese, voucher or not.

Tags Tyres

Gear Reviews

Renthal Bars – 758 Ultra Low Handlebar Review

Post author By Arthur
Post date June 7, 2015
2 Comments on Renthal Bars – 758 Ultra Low Handlebar Review

When I last threw my bike down the road I managed to bend my stock Yamaha handlebars slightly. To replace them I thought I’d try the Renthal 758 Ultra Low bars, which have been a popular choice for many on the Fazer. I was tempted by the Renthal’s due to the quality of the brand and the fact they’re cheaper than OEM Yamaha replacements, coming in at around £30.

Tags Handlebars

Maintenance

Mugshot in a Mag

On my last visit to Oval Motorcycle Centre, I ran into a photographer from Practical Sportsbikes magazine and ended up as an impromptu model for some shots. Well, they only put my ugly mug in print…

Here I am in a fetching red boiler suit (OMC supplied) being shown by onsite guru Matt how to sort out my forks.

Read the full article in the May edition of Practical Sportsbikes, or just pop down OMC and check your bike out.

Tags Servicing

Maintenance

Forks Aligned and Back in Action Baby

Post author By Arthur
Post date June 2, 2015
No Comments on Forks Aligned and Back in Action Baby

In my last update your will have seen I made quite a mess of the Fazer in a little off in the wet. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had a steady stream of parcels from Fowlers and ebay, containing numerous parts to fix up the bike.

Pictured is one of the last fixes to be done, putting the forks back in alignment. There’s countless methods to do this, but here I’ve opted for the two sticks approach, where their length exaggerates any ill alignment, making it easy to correct by eye alone. The basic approach is to slacken off all the bolts South of the top fork clamp yoke, realign the forks, then tighten it all up again.

Tags Repairs

Clothing/Protection Maintenance Riding

Whoops! I Did It Again…

Smashed her up pretty bad. Fairing number three trashed!

Tags Crash Protection

News

Essex Motorcycle Show 2015

Post author By Arthur
Post date May 8, 2015
No Comments on Essex Motorcycle Show 2015

It was a Bank Holiday weekend, so as per tradition it pissed down. Not that rain could stop the Essex Motorcycle show, over at North Weald airfield.

Being local and free I dragged the family over (albeit in the car), to see what the fuss was about having not visited in previous years. It was a small, local show setup outdoors with various aeronautical gubbins as a backdrop. Stands were mostly a mix of local dealers (promoting KTM, Suzuki, BMW, Ducati, Harley Davidson), local advanced riding groups, training schools and the emergency services. Not a huge amount, but still worth an hours mooch, especially as it was free. Oh yes, did I mention it was completely free to get in?!

Tags Shows