Biker's Cafe Chatroom

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Itchytrigg said:
Hmm I could maybe get to the reading store easily enough but good to know regarding easy returns etc. I’ll use them to check prices against a local store so I can get a good feel for fit and then either haggle or order online if necessary.

My current thoughts are lid, jacket, trousers, boots and gloves. Anything extra needed or on what items are where to invest the most in to? I’m sure this is something that’s been covered plenty before but here I am anyway!
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I think that covers everything in terms of the bare basics.

I'd split the investment pretty evenly to be honest, the most important thing with the lid is that it fits. You can spend £100-£1000 on a lid but if the £1000 one is a worse fit than the £100 one then it's no good. In terms of everything else it comes down to what you fancy leathers/textile/waterproof/warm/mesh/etc.

Buy from known brands and the protection is going to be pretty similar across most things, it then just comes down to how much more you want to spend for pretty looks, Gore-Tex, extra features.
 
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tom_e said:
I think that covers everything in terms of the bare basics.

I'd split the investment pretty evenly to be honest, the most important thing with the lid is that it fits. You can spend £100-£1000 on a lid but if the £1000 one is a worse fit than the £100 one then it's no good. In terms of everything else it comes down to what you fancy leathers/textile/waterproof/warm/mesh/etc.

Buy from known brands and the protection is going to be pretty similar across most things, it then just comes down to how much more you want to spend for pretty looks, Gore-Tex, extra features.
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Thank you!

Brand wise, just checking out sbs I recognise some brands (mainly from motorsports) but not many, who are the known/decent brands these days?
 
J&S is another store worth looking at if there’s one close.
I always wear a neck warmer, but not to keep the cold out.
A few years ago a wasp went into the neck area of my jacket and the pointy arsed git stung me twice on the neck, which was nice.
 
Am I the only one that keeps their bike took away in the garage until warmer weather appears? I suffer with really poor circulation in my fingers in the cold so try and steer clear of biking when its winter!
 
Captain Chaos said:
Am I the only one that keeps their bike took away in the garage until warmer weather appears? I suffer with really poor circulation in my fingers in the cold so try and steer clear of biking when its winter!
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Since I've had my car license mine gets tucked away end of Sept normally then comes back out for it's MOT March/April time. I've done my years of riding in snow/rain/other depressing weather so now only get out when it's nice.
 
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tom_e said:
Since I've had my car license mine gets tucked away end of Sept normally then comes back out for it's MOT March/April time. I've done my years of riding in snow/rain/other depressing weather so now only get out when it's nice.
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I am totally the same. All the fun gets sucked out of it if im riding along with my teeth chattering!
 
Rode the bike to the new place yesterday. A light drizzle when I left promptly turned in to a monsoon. I had water in nooks and crannies I forgot I even had :D

Still, it's in the new place now, safe and sound. When the weather perks up a bit I'll look for a little project to go alongside it.
 
Picked up lid, jacket, trousers, boots and gloves today so all set to book the cbt. Went to helmet city Oxford and the very helpful lady walked me through finding the right fitting helmet and advising on pretty much everything without trying to push me into certain brands or pricier kit which was good. Also price matched a few things and put a small discount on the back armour insert.

Really looking forward to getting the Cbt done and grabbing a 125 for riding for a while then look to do a direct access course before winter next year.
 
I took my CBR600 for its MOT last friday... Gladly it passed :D

Only one problem... just as he finished the test it decided to wet itself all over the MOT testers floor :cry:

Turns out the cooling fan is seized solid so its not doing its job to cool the coolant... riding in the cold weather has kept me safe so far but leaving it running in a workshop with no airflow caused it to overheat and pop the pipe off the radiator.

somehow this is only an advisory :confused:

Looks like i'll be pulling it apart to replace the fan before i can take it out for a ride any time soon.
 
I was driving in today down the A5 in my lovely warm car going past L platers thrashing their 125 to keep up at 70 and thinking "Thank **** I don't have to do that anymore".

Took me 10 minutes even in the car to warm up after having to de ice it.
 
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Diddums said:
Seen a couple of bikes on the A3 this morning, -3 celsius. I like to think I can handle some cold byt 70mph at those temps is a bit much for me :eek:
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I rode to Swindon and back in November to pick up a christmas present for my daughter. That was bad enough and nowhere near those temps.
 
I’m kind of regretting booking my cbt for the 20th…it might warm up enough maybe!

If not hope the base layers I’ve got will help. The jacket and trousers I bought did have me sweating in the store so maybe there’s some hope.

I’m screwed aren’t I!
 
Itchytrigg said:
I’m kind of regretting booking my cbt for the 20th…it might warm up enough maybe!

If not hope the base layers I’ve got will help. The jacket and trousers I bought did have me sweating in the store so maybe there’s some hope.

I’m screwed aren’t I!
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Base layers definitely help. My real saving grace during my winter commutes were heated gloves, as long as my hands were warm then I was happy.
 
Itchytrigg said:
I’m kind of regretting booking my cbt for the 20th…it might warm up enough maybe!

If not hope the base layers I’ve got will help. The jacket and trousers I bought did have me sweating in the store so maybe there’s some hope.

I’m screwed aren’t I!
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Base layers are a must in cold weather.

When i rode to Swindon from Basingstoke down the M4, I somehow managed to misplace the thermal liner for my textile jacket (still haven't found it either) so had to double up on jumpers etc. The only part of my torso that was unbearably cold was my shoulders at the seams where the jumpers were at their thinnest. Oh and my hands as i didn't have any winter gloves.

Since then I've invested in a set of 2 Piece leathers with a removable thermal layer in the jacket and a decent set of RICHA winter gloves. Used them last week to take the bike to its MOT and the difference is insane.
 
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