The moaning old git thread

[crump]

It's worth checking the overall costs, in some cases it's still cheaper to buy from EU and pay the import costs.
Bought my missus a new jacket earlier this year from Netherlands. Cheapest price over here was 260 quid, got it for 145 from there, duty was about 40 quid I think so still quite a bit cheaper.

[Brockett]

When driving my car I never hear a motoecycle until is passes me. The idea that loud pipes save lives is a nice comforting idea but is not supported by research or experience. 

[UK_Vstrom650]

The pipes clearly aren't loud enough for you Brockett...

[Brockett]

pardon?

[Barbel Mick]

I'm with you on that one Brocket. We were sitting in the car in traffic, on a dual carriageway, a few weeks ago and I even had the drivers window down.
I spotted lights in the wing mirror coming up the white line. I made out at least two bikes filtering, 5 maybe 6 cars back. I never heard anything until they were next to the car behind me & then not a great deal, but as each of them past the noise was 'quite loud'. There were 4 of them all 'Harley style' bikes with  open pipes.
As they continued I could hear the last one, probably 4 or 5 cars away.
This I've noticed before, you can't hear anything coming from behind as well as you can hear it in front of you.
Yes, I'm an old deaf t**t but so are a lot of car drivers, ride defensively, not aggressively & don't expect others to see or hear you.

[Mojo-Jojo]

This is why emergency vehicles (police, ambulance, fire service) are heard in reverse as their sirens are forward facing, meaning that you hear them from quite a distance away as they approach you, but the sound disappears quickly as they move away from you.

[kwackboy]

Loud pipes save lives, they don't do much for ear drums though. 

And ... fail MOTs... 

[The Doctor 46]

I was being sarcastic when I made the comment "Loud pipes save lives". I've only had one bike with a very expensive loud pipe which was dyno tuned with the bike. It and other modifications increased the bhp quite a lot so I didn't want to change anything.

I only went to work on the bike once and woke the village and everyone on route on my way home at 3am so, I could only use the bike during awake time. It broke my heart but I part exchanged it for my V-Strom and never looked back. My V-Strom has the original exhaust and if I had to change it I would look for a used standard can.

Loud cans don't save lives they just make a lot of noise and draw attention making people look at you. I don't want to be seen and never expect to be, I expect everyone on and approaching the road is going to kill me so I do the best I can to avoid them. 

[Brockett]

I like the sound of an ICE and I like it turned up a bit. I hate the ultra quietness of some pipes. I don't like an open pipe on a chinese 125 but an old British single racer from the 50s/60s is like music to me. As is a certain underwater Welshman's Varadero.   I  was merely making the point that loud pipes may not be a safety factor for the motorcyclist as they are inaudible to this semi deaf old fart sitting in his tin box with the radio/cd player on. But a pedestrian may well hear a motorcycle long before a motorcar and well..... silent electric vehicles accelerating at just under the speed of light is another matter.

[Barbel Mick]

Once again I find myself agreeing with you Brocket. I have nothing against an exhaust they is a little louder than standard & often remark, "that sounds nice" as the bike, sometimes a car, goes past.
But I am of the opinion that those loud exhausts don't save lives.

[Brockett]

I think silent vehicles are dangerous for other road users and electric bikes cars etc should have a noise generating system. Remember that cyclist who was found guilty of reckless riding when a padestrian walked in from of him and was fatally injured. ( IMO it was her fault for not taking more care before walking into the road).  A siren activated by wheel movement if repeated in all vehicles would be very tedius and make people crazy whereas recordings of various motorcycles would be much more entertaining. ( for me).   I think the Welsh 20 is plenty in all urban areas will, of course, be taken too far. That said 30mph down my road with cars parked each side is far too fast.

[Brockett]

 Strickly come prancing is back on the box, but thankfully there is Rugby, Golf, F1 etc to watch otherwise I'd be on here writing a load of old balderdash again.

[Joe Rocket]

Irony and contradiction! After a forced spell off the Internet recently I've had to download Adblock again to eliminate ads  on my computer, especially on youtube.

It's free and it works fine....on youtube but all the other sites, games, forums I use I get Adblock inviting me to spend money on their Total Adblock. No one else, just Adblock! 

[Brockett]

On Fleabay when I write exactly what I want in the search box and it offers me items that are completely different 

[Froglodyte]

That's what happens when you search for deaf, mute nymphomaniac who owns a pub

[Upt North]

Froggy, I needed a laugh. I wasn't disappointed.
 

[Barbel Mick]

Go on then, did anybody else search E-Bay for deaf, mute, nymphomaniac who owns a pub?
A bit disappointing really.   

[Brockett]

All I can say is if you want "Tubular Bandage" don't write Bondage.

[Brockett]

My Guzzi special is due an annual service. It's only done 1000 miles since first service and true to form I have left it late. Yesterday morning I logged onto the Colchester Kawasaki website and clicked on 'book a service'. It showed I could have Thursday or Friday this week. I didn't expect a service slot would be available so soon.  I opted for Thursday. Later in the day I got an email "we are taking bookings from October 24th onwards at present .... blah blah blah ..."
Oh Really well it'll have to wait until next spring as I am not riding it in filthy weather and who knows what it'll be like in late October.
I think it is deplorable that their web pages are not kept up to date. They might as well delete that function for all good it is ( none whatsoever)

[Brockett]

The government says it's going to spend squillions on pot holes but what they don't say is that the money will be spent on repainting the lines around the holes and not filling them in and absolutely not on reinforcing the substrate.