feedback-2012

FEEDBACK

Here is the next installment of Feedback. This is what you have said to me! One of the really great things, for me, to have come out of doing this web-site is the fantastic response it has brought from all you readers out there! I really appreciate your emails, and it's great to be able to share your comments with other readers through this page.

The page runs from the first comments at the top, to the most recent ones at the bottom. So, as the year progresses you'll have to do a bit of scrolling to get to the latest entries. Sorry, but it kind of needs to work that way. Oh well, it doesn't take too much to get there.

You'll notice that, for convenience (it's easier for you to find where to scroll to!) I've split the year into two - one page covers January to June, while the other July to December.

For the previous feedback page, just click the button down the bottom of the page.

JANUARY 2012

There were a few comments on my item about UK politicians intending to raise the speed-limits on main motorways. (Click here and go to the second item under January 6th).

Peter wrote, “From what I saw over there they make good roads which can handle good speeds. Here in the Brisbane area our best bit of road is 110kph heading down to the Gold coast and there is never any problems. Then it changes to 100kph then to 90kph. The same coming back from over the border; one minute you can cruise on 110 then the sign goes to 90 and the police are waiting all the time. Around Brisbane at one stage you are allowed 100 then it goes to 90 to 80, even at one stage there is a 70 sign. In traffic one is so busy watching that you don't run into someone or them into you that you forget the sign but there are cameras everywhere; they get you or the police who hide behind the road works barriers. Out on open roads (good ones) where you can see for miles, have plenty of room etc the speed limit is 100 then will suddenly go to 80 for some reason or another. All to make revenue I think. If the speeds were just upped a wee bit on decent open roads I am sure less accidents would take place.” Yes, I think you're right, Peter. There's a road near my neck of the woods that is notorious for accidents. The authorities have responded by lowering the speed limit form 100kph to 90kph. My thinking was that would only make it worse as drivers (riders) get more frustrated and more desperate to overtake anyone not quite at the speed limit. Most of the serious accidents have happened in the wet and it's my opinion that the main cause of accidents is people not slowing down to match the conditions, and also the road providing a lower than desirable level of grip when wet. In the dry I reckon you could do 120kph quite safely for the whole distance! I also know sections of road such as you mentioned where the speed-limit is constantly changing, and it's confusing because you forget which zone you're in.

Keith is originally from the UK and, in his younger years, worked in the police force; and still spends a fair bit of time there. He made this comment. “I can't agree with your comparison of English politicians and ours regarding speed limits. I regularly visit and drive in England and the drivers and roads leave ours for dead. Drivers keep to the left and overtake on one side only, trucks in the left hand lane as well. Whatever speed limits we have in this country the idiots will always ignore them, why encourage them to go faster? I have been riding and driving for 51 years so do have some experience to comment.” Yes, Keith, I have heard that the standards of roads and drivers are better in UK than here. Keith also confirmed that “undertaking” (passing on the left) is illegal in UK; that’s a good idea. My comment on increasing the speed limits was in respect of major highways, which, in the main at least, I think are pretty good and could easily support speeds of more than 110kph. However Keith says that he often sees cars on our highways driving along at 130kph or so with “maybe a car’s length between them.” Yes, there will always be idiots who break the speed limits and drive irresponsibly, regardless of what the speed limits are are, but in general, I believe traffic on our major highways would be safe at, say, the 130kph which the Brits were reported as proposing for their main motorways.

Keith followed up on this with the following comment on driving standards here and in UK. “When driving in the UK and Europe I am never aware of tailgaters and finger-raisers. Drivers are more courteous and will let you merge willingly. On the downside have you seen and read about the carnage that does happen over there when things do go wrong? At 130kph or more it doesn’t take much for accidents involving 20 or more cars. Before we even think of raising speed limits, make the driving test different. No night driving is required, no rain experience, not even any experience of what happens in a skid. No, I am sorry Elwyn, whilst we have so many drunk, drugged, angry, impatient, selfish drivers sharing our roads it would be a shame to see the limits raised.”

Rod has also spent quite a bit of time in UK, including living there for a couple of years. He saaid that the push to raise speed limits is not new. He said that when he was last there, back in the early 2000s, the speed limit then (as now) was 70mph on the motorways, but, “Few people adhered to that limit other than when approaching fixed speed cameras. One thing I did read some time ago is that traffic accidents increased in the region of fixed speed cameras on motorways. I do recall that Sweden increased the maximum speed limits a few years ago but they are much more progressive than our bureaucrats.” Yes, speed-cameras have been known to cause accidents as people divert their attention from the road to the speedo, making sure they stay just under the limit. I’ve also heard it said that some speed cameras are being pulled down in certain areas of Britain, because statistics have shown that they cause accidents. Rod also commented on the standards of driving being considerably better than they are here. And, like Keith, also suggested that the driving tests here should be more comprehensive.

Ivor agrees that some local speed-limits should be higher. “I ride, and drive, on major highways fairly frequently, and at 110kph after a while you feel like you’re crawling. Especially on a bike you can spend almost as much time looking at the speedo to make sure you don’t go much over the 110kph limit as you do looking at the road. When you think back to the way the roads used to be, with main highways just 2-lane roads, and think how much better cars and even bikes are today, the fact that the speed limits haven’t changed in all that time see illogical.” Yes, I agree. I’ve recently been to Canberra, and I remember when the Hume and Federal highways were both just 2-lane roads. The speed limit back then was actually lower, but only slightly, at 100kph. Now with divided roads and multi lanes, and no sharp corners etc, and, as you say, cars and bikes that have far better standards of handling, braking and general stability, then an increase of just 10kph doesn't seem commensurate with the other environmental and vehicular factors. But, having said that, I can see the point that Keith makes above too. Another good point, made by Keith and Rod, is that driver standards need to improve, regardless of what the speed limit is.

Simon wrote in response to the article on pillions. He offered quite a few tips, many of which we’d covered in the article, but he also made the point that it is often the rider who needs to learn about pillioning, not just the pillion. He wrote, “I must mention that I have spent enough time as a pillion myself to know what sort of ride (rider) inspires me to go again. Occasionally, it is the rider that really needs the pillion training, and the bike itself can sometimes be a determining factor in pillion comfort / behaviour as well. I once became an air-born pillion off the back of a big-bore sports bike at a ton plus. (Must’ve been interesting! Elwyn). I just ran out of places that I could physically hold on to even if I could reach one. Luckily all returned to earth and their seats without sustaining any gravel rash.” And on the bike, “Something like a TRX 850 with a pillion seat that resembles an overcooked piece of toast with about as much padding, can be a bit uncomfortable to travel very far on as a passenger. The pillion sits higher than the rider and catches heaps of wind with not much to hold on to except the grab-rails and that leaves your arms at a strange angle and most of the time under compression except when braking. Sports bikes, with their faster acceleration, higher speed and bigger brakes, makes being a pillion on one all that much more interesting.” And finally, a tip for pillions, “I was taught years ago by some pretty experienced riders and pillions that the best way for the rider and pillion ‘to be as one’ is for the pillion to put his or her hands flat on the top of the rider's thighs. Now be very careful here so that no-one gets the wrong idea! I wouldn't advocate this procedure on some twisty, bumpy piece of road, but I also wouldn't take an inexperienced pillion on that sort of road either. This sort of thing isn't necessary all the time, but it really helps a pillion learn what the rider is doing and what they are about to do. The rider is also reminded that they have a passenger. The threat that a punch in the groin area is within easier range than a punch in the kidneys might also be a deterrent to any unwanted ‘two-up boy racer’ antics.” Thanks, Simon, you make some great points on the issue of pillioning – which is an important one for many people.

Simon related a story of a less-than-ideal pillion. “We stopped on the way back from a Toy Run years ago to help out a couple whose old, really nice, carefully looked after, CB900 had broken down in the middle of nowhere. They wanted to get to a phone box (pre mobile phone days) to call some relatives to come and collect them. They were a bit surprised to find Maree crouched on the bike behind me as they thought there was only one person on board. (Maree is quite short, Elwyn). I offered to give one of them a lift a few Ks up the road to the nearest phone box. They had been around bikes all their lives apparently, but I should have been a bit more cautious as the lady was wearing spandex tights and a nylon jacket/raincoat. She nominated herself for the ride up the road and what happened next should have set the alarm bells off ...she stuck her right leg out and hopped sideways onto the bike in a pretty ungraceful and unsettling (for me) manner and then sat right at the back of the seat against the Gearsack rack. I had to lean forward a bit to keep everything in balance and the front wheel on the ground. The phone call was made and on arriving back at their bike I decided to make a U-turn on the highway, with the foreign pillion still on board, so that we would all be facing towards home. We very narrowly avoided an off-road expedition into the culvert after she tried to stand us up about half way through the turn. The problem here was that I assumed that a full briefing was not necessary as this pillion had at least a few hundred kilometres of experience just in the last two days and I therefore did not expect any problems. They were nice people and hopefully they learned something too. Judging by the looks on their faces when Maree got back on the bike, they probably did. I got on, applied the front brake, with both feet on the ground. Maree marched up to the bike, put her left foot on the left peg, her hand on my shoulder and climbed up and sat down like climbing stairs or getting on to a horse. Keep in mind, that my XJ has a Gearsack rack, and bigger exhausts that get in the way and Maree is 5' tall. I was very proud.” Thanks for the tips and story, Simon!

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Simon had been off his bike (an early model Yamaha XJ900) for almost two years, due to a family illness. Recently he got it out, dusted off the cobwebs and got it going. Now, we hear a lot about modern fuels “going off” etc, but Simon makes a good point here. “I think that old engines are a lot more tolerant of old petrol than new ones as they don't have a computer telling them what to do all the time. The XJ started and ran smoothly on fuel that had been in the tank for well over two years, just as I expected.”

(By the way, I mentioned Simon in the article "Oldies Can Be Goldies" - look for the photo of the bike about half way down). He mentioned that he uses Flashlube additive, and wonders whether that may have helped. When discussing the issue of fuel, I mentioned an old car that I have that doesn’t get fueled up very often, and is left standing for weeks at a time. Despite all this business about fuel going off (which I’m sure it does, by the way!) it hasn’t given any trouble starting, beyond just taking a bit longer turning over before it fires. But then it runs fine. So I think Simon might have something there about the older cars being more tolerant of old fuels.

I received a few comments on Michael’s story of his trip with wife Desley and Virago “Black Betty”, saying that it was a good story and they enjoyed reading it. Yes, it was a good story, and very inspiring to just get out there and do the same sort of thing! Thanks again for the story, Michael.

Aussie wrote, “Just read Michael and Desley's trip which I found a good read as I have traveled most of those roads over the years. There is nothing like long distant touring as long as one embraces a similar philosophy as they did. I'm talking about weather of course. Good rides tend to blend into one lifetime of fun riding, but it's the tough rides that stand out to be relived over drinks and around rally fires. On annual visits from Melbourne to my Mum 'n' Dad in Port Stevens over many years, I would usually look forward to an immensely enjoyable burn up the Putty Road. However, cutting across to Raymond Terrace there would often be torrential rain. Glancing down at those sparkies sticking out in relentless bucketing water, I'd marvel at how that Jap transverse four just kept humming."

"Ironically I was riding down the Melba Highway from Winton (Vic.) races when I stopped at Flowerdale to shelter from a raging storm. On arriving home I found that my dear old Dad had passed away in the nursing home about that same time. (That’s a photo of him on the left, Elwyn). He used to tell me as a kid of how he and his mate would chase storms on their motorcycles in England. I guess those tales are what got me riding in the beginning. That's one ride I'll always remember.” I’m sure it is, Aussie. Thanks for the story.

What??!! American Choppers making an electric bike? I bet they guys had a few arguments over that one! (I was going to say “I bet the sparks were flying..” but that would be too lame a pun!). Thanks to Rod for sending this in. Click here to go to the story.

Aussie sent in this clip of the Isle Of Man races. I love watching the IOM, but I reckon anybody who races there must be crazy! This shows why.

Noel sent in this link to a site that displays motorcycle ergonomics. It’s very clever. You enter your height and leg measurements, and the bike you want to check, and it shows you sitting on the bike with a measured angle of how far forward you would be leaning and what your knee angle bend would be. Very clever! I knew I’d seen it before though – and then I remembered; I have put a link to it on my “Links” page! It’s a good reminder that the link is there and to check it out. I tried a few bikes – it’s fascinating!

FEBRUARY

Another one from Aussie, this time it’s some Brits having a play with nitrous oxide and an old Vincent. Click here to go to the You-Tube clip.

If you scroll up to the photo of the old Yamaha XJ900, you’ll recall that Simon was getting back into riding after a couple of years or so off the bike. Some new gear was required, namely a helmet and jacket. He recently bought these items. What he got was a RJays Striker II helmet, and an Avalanche Pro jacket. Here are his edited comments on both. (If you would like to read his full comments, just let me know and I’ll email the review to you. For reasons of space I had to put just an edited version here. Oh, and by the way, the photos aren’t of his actual items, just ones he found of the model).

RJays Striker II helmet. “This helmet is very comfortable (for me) and seems to be longer (taller?) than some of the others I tried. The build quality is not perfect, but still pretty good and there is a nice mesh panel under the chin that helps to keep some debris and visitors out. It has heaps of vents and a rubber shroud that goes over the front of your nose that seems to help reduce some of the fogging. The vents are pretty effective and you can really feel the cool air circulating. I'm not sure that you could operate all the vents with gloves on and underway, but the one at the front and the one in the middle on top can be opened OK. The liner is removable (that's a new one for me) and apparently is treated to resist mold growth and bad smells etc.” He says that one criticism is that it can be difficult to use glasses (either sunnies or spectacles) with the helmet.

It cost $140 which is pretty amazing for what you get! I have a $700 (or thereabouts) Arai and it doesn’t have a removable liner and it doesn’t have the mesh under the chin or the panel over the nose.

Avalanche Pro jacket. “I chose the ‘Pro’ version over the other one that Bikers Gear sells because of the potentially better water resistance (supposedly water proof rather than water resistant), some extra pockets and sewn-in armour on the sleeves/shoulders. I'm pretty pleased with the jacket so far. I haven't tried the neck warmer or its waterproofness. I have been riding around with the quilted liner removed and this seems to aid the effectiveness of the vents. With the vents on the shoulders and the top of the sleeves opened (sleeve flap clipped on the first press stud), you get a nice cool draft flowing through the jacket, most noticeably across your back, at even low speed. Quite comfortable to ride in on a hot Tasmanian day (27 deg or so).

The removable CE approved armour on the back, shoulders and elbows is quite comfortable and doesn't seem to restrict movement. It has a low / no collar that has polar fleece around it (as does the removeable neck warmer extension) which feels good around your neck without being clammy. It has as many pockets as my old Dririder, plus a phone pocket, and some straps around the waist and bottom to tighten everything up (and keep out drafts/insects/water). It cost $99 plus postage (about $110 all up), so I think that it's pretty good value too. The only fault that I have found was with the vent on the left shoulder where the stitching had missed the mesh liner inside the vent leaving the mesh loose half way across, and a few misaligned stitches in the cordura on the outboard end of the vent that leaves two panels not attached for about 10mm. A bit of hand stitching will fix these problems pretty easily (still shouldn't happen on a new jacket though really).” For $110 delivered to your door that sounds like a great bargain – even with the couple of little glitches in the stitching.

Peter wrote to tell me of the death of a good friend of his, Gary Franklin. Peter was out riding with him when it happened They were riding home and became separated. The next day, Peter learnt that Gary had crashed and was killed on impact."

He had landed on his head. Peter said that apparently there were hardly any marks on his riding gear, including his helmet. Peter wanted to let readers know about Gary’s death. “Gary was involved in so many biking groups etc around Australia."

“I just thought I would put this in as someone out there might know Gary as I know bikers from all over knew him.” Peter also commented on the report that his helmet hardly had a scratch on it, yet according to police, the impact would have been enough to kill him. Peter sent in this photo of Gary. “I have attached a picture, not a good one but the only one I could lay my hands on with him and his much loved Goldwing.” Thanks Peter, and my apologies it has taken me so long to post this on the site.

Ivor commented on the review of the Avalanche jacket (above). He said, “The jacket sounds good, although I’d be concerned about faulty stitching. The stitching is what holds the thing together when / if it ever hits the ground. If it comes apart it won’t provide much protection!” Yes, if it is a “structural” part of the jacket then safety / level-of-protection is certainly an issue. In the article on the Draggin Jeans C-Evos, the importance of strong stitching holding the garment together was highlighted. On the other hand, if it is just a flap on a vent then it isn’t so much a safety issue. I think I’d be giving the whole jacket a good inspection for any sub-standard stitching though!

Peter commented on my article on Terms And Tricks., in particular clucthless gearchanges. He writes, “I use this an awful lot. I just keep pressure on the gear lever and on dropping the revs some, the gear changes up. Mind you I use the clutch for changing down. I was taught this at a day out at a riding school where they teach you all sorts mainly to keep us older riders and the new ones a little up to date with today's riding. They said that the gear change that way did no harm to the gears and was actually safer in a lot of cases when riding.” Thanks Peter; interesting to know that they actually teach this at riding schools.

Bill commented on the Terms And Tricks article too. He writes, “I’ve been riding for around 40 years and I still learned some things from your article, thank you.” Thank you, Bill; it’s good to know it was of some benefit to the more experienced riders too. Bill had a comment on Filtering. “I never do it, not even in the breakdown lane unless there was no other option, as in the event of some obstacle ahead stopping traffic. Some time ago, while stopped in traffic in my car on the freeway, I watched with envy as two Harley riders sailed past at a safe speed in the breakdown lane. Once they got ahead I saw a police car turn its lights on and follow and then stop them, presumably to book them.” Hmm, so there’s a warning for us!

It’s good to know that people appreciate the web-site. Peter wrote, “There is no other site that I know of that speaks in easy English and tells all to all us bikers (or whatever we are called these days). You out of your goodness of your heart have gone ahead and put “The Old Bloke” website out there and it is jammed full of very good information and various stories. One can get great ideas and how to's and not to's c/o your site. I know you have helped me an awful lot and when I am scratching my head over a subject to do with bikes I always check your site first.” Thank you for your very kind words. There is a point here that is worth mentioning (which is the real reason why I quoted this). There actually is quite a lot of information on the site, and the advantage of a web-site (as opposed to a magazine) is that the information is always there and readily accessible. Checking the Questions page, as well as this Feedback one, there is a lot of useful information from you, our readers, too, so it’s not just me and my ramblings. Thanks again for the kind words Peter.

MARCH

Pino sent in this photo of a Kawasaki Ninja 650R in racing kit. Looks great, doesn’t it! I always thought that suspension unit off-set to the right side of the bike looked a bit odd, but especially in this format it looks quite spectacular. Thanks Pino.

There has been a bit of a saga going on behind the scenes, which the particular reader and I didn’t want to make public until it had been resolved. The saga concerned a pair of Draggin Jeans C-Evo jeans. The reader, Max, bought a pair, largely upon my recommendation after reading my report on them. (He said it was the only detailed report he could find). However he was, understandably if you look at the photo, disappointed with the product he received.

As you can see, the main problem was that the pockets for the hip armour were not symmetrically placed on the jeans. The pocket on the left side was incorrectly positioned much closer to the centre of the jeans than it should’ve been. This was really surprising. As I said to him, Draggin Jeans has a very high standard of manufacture, so it's hard to understand how something like that could get through their quality-control – let alone how the mistake was made in the first place!

Max returned the jeans to the shop where he bought them, and they returned them to Draggin Jeans.

A short time later, a replacement pair arrived. The pockets were more symmetrically positioned, although Max said not perfectly so. But there was another potential problem. There was a loose or pulled thread in the surface of the denim; not on the stitching, but the actual denim. It was only very small, but Max was worried that if he caught the thread on something (or cut it) it might start to unravel. He said, “I can't say I'm overly happy with the jeans, given the price, though considering they are the only CE approved motorcycle jeans I'm backed into a corner here.” I agreed that when you're paying a premium price for the product you expect it to be beyond any manufacturing flaws! As I said to Max, I've always been impressed with Draggins, and haven't heard any complaints, so I was inclined to think these faults were a one-off that had, unfortunately, happened to him. At this stage I contacted Draggin Jeans myself, detailing the problems he had experienced. As I said to Max, I don’t have any pull with Draggin Jeans, other than having written the article about them, but as it was this article that convinced him to buy them I felt I should contact them.

I received a reply from Fiona Mackintosh, the general manager, thanking me for my email and asking me to have my reader contact her. Max sent off an email, which was attended to by one of the service staff. They showed genuine concern with his complaints and arranged to send a courier to his home to pick up the jeans for exchange. When the replacement jeans arrived, Max was pleased with the quality of construction.

Now, how we view this whole saga comes down to how the manufacturer responded to the situation. And with this, Max is very pleased. He wrote, “I am pleasantly surprised at the interest and concern that Draggin has shown towards these manufacturing faults. It really does say that they expect the best and aren't willing to settle for anything else, having paid for a courier to both pick up and send out a new pair of jeans.” And that’s the bottom line, isn’t it. No, the jeans shouldn’t have had faults in the first place, but given that they did, it’s good to know that they responded very positively in each case of the returns; especially the second one which was, it could be argued, a fairly minor fault. As Max said, it shows that they are concerned about customer satisfaction; and that, despite the quality-control glitches, is a good reason to still recommend them! And that’s why I related this story, because ultimately, I think it’s a good reflection on the company, not a bad one.

Here’s an interesting situation! Pino told the story of a mate of his who took a new Ducati Diavel (pictured at a Bike Expo by Pino on the left) for a test-ride. During the ride he was pulled up by a policeman, on the basis that the bike was not roadworthy for having a rear mudguard that wasn’t compliant. He writes, “My friend explained that he had just taken it out on a test ride from a dealer and pointed to the dealer's plate but to no avail. Mr Plod said it was the rider's responsibility to ride a compliant bike.

“Argument ensued as to the merits of this and it went on for so long that the dealer phoned my friend to find out where he was. When told of the dilemma with the police the dealer naturally asked to speak with the police officer, but he refused. In the end however he only cautioned my friend and proceeded to follow him all the way back to the dealer. He thinks that the policeman was interested in the bike but couldn't bring himself to just say that. Anyway it all ended happily – no ticket; and nor should it have been, otherwise Ducati would have had something to say about that.” As I said, an interesting situation! It’s strange that the policeman considered the rear guard not to be compliant; it’s hard to believe that Ducati would be able to put a bike on sale that did not comply with roadworthy requirements. And as the issue was dropped by Mr. Policeman, it makes you think that he perhaps changed his mind about the legality of the item. The other aspect is the responsibility of the rider to ensure the bike he was riding was roadworthy. I suppose, in a way that’s understandable. But it’ll make you want to give that test-bike the once-over before you take it out on the road!

Peter wrote in about a road in the area of south-east Queensland where he lives. He writes, “A road that takes you from Boonah to Beaudesert was named the best bikers road in Australia for many years with its curves and twists and turns and so on. A new dam has been built along this area and so most of the old road is now under water. So a new stretch of road was put in.” He says that the new road is a typical straight highway type road, and consequently has lost its appeal for bikers. But it’s worse than just losing an enjoyable road; Peter says that they have installed those dreaded wire-rope “safety barriers” along the new road. Peter says that, “The road now makes one want to keep well clear when riding it, as the slightest slip one way or another and you end up being sliced up to pieces by what are supposed to be safety barriers, not death traps.” Yes, there’s universal agreement in the motorcycling community that these things are dangerous! But the authorities don’t listen to us, do they.

APRIL

Aussie wrote in response to comments made by Keith, Rod and Ivor on speed limits. (See above). He writes, “I was in England 18 years ago and couldn’t believe the road courtesy extended especially to trucks, my having driven them here for over 20 years. One tires of hearing the cops moan after every week end road toll, ‘Some people are just not getting the message.’ Of course they’re not. They are testosterone charged young blokes as we once were. All the speed cameras and limits won’t stop them disintegrating their cars which are now simply too fast for their inexperience and lack of training. It’s worth noting that Victoria’s road toll dropped dramatically when the Government actually started spending money on safer, divided roads. An enormous number of head-on accidents were caused by drivers overtaking slower cars and particularly trucks on single lane highways including the Hume all the way to Sydney. The Benz 1418 semi I drove was down to 10 kph on some of those hills with nowhere to pull over for the line of cars behind me. No open road speed restrictions then either.” I think you are on the money with what you say about young blokes - it doesn't matter what the law is, they're going to flaunt it anyway aren't they! And, while cars are much safer now than they ever were, they are also much faster! Now, I don't like the old "Speed kills!" slogan, but speed in the wrong places and when being controlled by inexperienced hands certainly can kill!

Steve wrote in after reading the item on the faulty Draggin Jeans. (See above, again). He writes, “I too had a slight problem with a pair of Draggin Cammos. I emailed the company and they requested I send them back which I did. I received a new replacement pair in a few days. I am only too happy to recommend the company and continue buying their products based on their quality product and great service. No complaints from me.”

Steve had a chuckle at the story (see above) of the Beaten Beemer. (See "Grant And The Beaten Beemer" under "Rides In Brief" section). He says that he had a similar experience. “When returning from Birdsville on the DR650 I was about 3kms from home when I was stopped at a red light. A Landcruiser pulled up next to me and I assumed it would be easily beaten. Bloody thing was a V8 and blew me into the weeds! The problem was made worse when I forgot to allow for the load and did a monster wheely which necessitated me backing off. But he would have still soundly beaten me soundly anyway. Bugger!” I wish I’d been there to see that – I reckon it’d be very funny to watch!

John wrote to us a while ago (See Questions page) concerning vibration in his Yamaha XJR1300. He wrote to tell me that an after-market exhaust has all but fixed the problem. “A mate had been pestering me for some time to fit an after-market exhaust 'can' but I couldn't justify spending $500 - $800 on something that, whilst it would reduce weight and provide a minimal increase in power, was effectively just something for looks and more noise. Then, when surfing the internet for something completely different, I stumbled across the Pipe Werx site (a UK based mob who also produce Hawk Exhausts) and was surprised at how affordable their cans were. I then remembered one of your readers, who had suggested that I ‘ditch’ the standard can in an attempt to eliminate the vibration.

"I ordered a Hawk stainless steel can that was delivered within the week at a total cost of AU$300. The standard can weight is a fraction over 6 kg, while the Hawk is flat out at 2kg. It makes more noise; lots more! And there’s a very noticeable increase in power! But best of all, there is a noticeable reduction in vibration; especially at the 120 mark. While it hasn't totally eliminated the vibration its made the ride much more enjoyable.” I wouldn’t have thought that an after-market can would’ve reduced the vibration so much! Anyway, it's good that it has (all but) cured the problem.

John also had a comment on tyres. “The tyres were due for replacement, so I fitted a set of Continental Road Attack 2's. They are a brilliant tyre with good feel and comfort”. Yes, the Continentals have a good reputation. Glad you like them!

Bike-Photo sent me an email about personalised number-plates. “In case you are not aware, anyone wishing to place personalised number plates on either their car or motorbike, incur a purchase/order fee of up to $160 and then a recurring annual fee of up to $440.00. These are today’s prices and can be expected to increase in future years. The Roads and Maritime Services (previously known as the Roads and Traffic Authority) have said in the past that these ongoing fees contribute towards road safety. There is a train of thought at the moment that these fees are nothing more than a revenue raising exercise and that it would be a better business plan to abolish the ongoing annual fee and have a once only application/production fee. Most people are content or accept that a nominal fee be charged to supply personalised plates but reject an recurring annual fee structure. I believe that other states do not charge a recurring fee.” Yes, that’s the way it used to be back when I first got personalised plates for my car. As you say, a once-off fee is understanadable, but how can they justify charging you each year? BikePhoto told me that there is a petition circulating, to try to get the RTA to revert to a once-off fee. They probably won’t, but if you’d like to sign the petition (I did) click here.

Aussie often sends me an email, and it’s always a pleasure to hear from him. He writes to other people too, including letters to politicians and newspapers. He says, “Nothing changes but it gets shit off my liver. I told Damien Codognotto that I’m tired of being angry and I’ll stop writing, to which he replied not to stop. It takes people writing in numbers to get things changed, like the MRA glory days of the 1980s before it became ‘respectable’ and rolled over.” That’s a good point about keeping on writing to politicians and the like. I admit I don't do enough of that. I've just been sent a petition to sign (see above), which pertains to the cost of personalised number-plates in NSW. If we make enough noise, maybe - just maybe - things will change. As my father used to say, "The squeakiest wheel gets the most oil!".

Paul found out about the increase in cost of personalised plates (see above) when the renewal of his registration came, together with a $99 fee for renewal of his personalised plate instead of the previous $48. To add insult even further, having decided that for that price they could have them back, when he returned the plates to get standard ones, they charged him $39 for the new plates!

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