ChrisCH

Give Farley a ring at Guildford (01483 538485) they are expecting an Evo 200 in shortly (2018) no idea about the price they don't tell until the bike arrives. Might be in your new budget though. Personally i would look at the 250 as well but that is just me.

Generally speaking no. The driver and vehicle standards agency (formerly VOSA) are the people most involved in this area of enforcement. They are rather more "jobsworth" than the Police. The common issue is overloading and there are weighbridges around the country where this is checked. They are also responsible for tachograph and other similar enforcement. As a very general rule the Police don't know enough about the law to be bothered. If you have a minor accident they will be much more bothered about getting the road clear and testing you for alcohol and so on. Where the trailer and bike rack would be scrutinised is if the accident resulted in a fatality. Then the insurance companies would be seeking some serious money out of one another. If overloading were present this is contributory negligence and can adversely affect the level of cover. It is possible the Police at that stage would look to prosecute for something because the family of the deceased tend to want that. If you just dented someone's car they just want it fixed. Too much weight on the rear of the vehicle is unlikely to break the bar but adversely affects the handling. This will be the prosecution's line of blame attribution. The recommended limits are there to save you from that line of attack. It is unwise to ignore them. There is a VOSA stop point near us and it is not often open due to limited budget. When it is open there is soon a line of sorry looking individuals with crappy old trailers and big fines.

Bike prices have gone mad in the lockdown and in the UK you could get £1500 for it. Whether it is "worth" that is another matter. My wife's Beta would now sell for more than we paid for it 18 months ago. My TRS is now probably the same as I paid about the same time back. All of which makes it difficult for people starting out to find a cheap bike sadly. Newer bikes are a better buy IMHO.

That is all correct according to my local MOT person as well. Lights must work if fitted, but not a requirement.

Ford (IIRC) produced an engine that had 100k service intervals. it never took off as the service is a revenue generator for garages. Modern oil technology is amazing, as shown by your VW gear oil. I often wonder about axle diffs - they do the whole life of the vehicle and are totally forgotten about. The difference between the old oil and the Nano Tech in the missus' Beta is quite something. I have experienced the change for real but it is hard to get your head round. On really big kit (like earthmovers) the service engineers test the oil to see how much wear it has had rather than just change it at an arbitrary interval. The half litre in a trials bike is so cheap and so easy to do it probably makes sense to overdo it.

I can't imagine anyone being embarrassed at an electric bike. They are good kit and will do the same as a petrol bike. More likely curious and want to have a go on it themselves.

Sounds like unburnt two stroke oil and the exhaust packing is breaking up.

If only I had really done my research I would have "done" Spain for my 40th. The romance of the sahara was a big pull, but there was a huge missed opportunity to have a great ride in a country that would have (at the time) required no paperwork or hassle. I still want to tour the Picos de Europa - something that could be on a road bike and still a fantastic journey and experience. So very much of Europe that is worth a visit - Romania has vast forests, brown bears and places you can lose yourself for a few days. Looking back on it the Morocco trip idea was wrong at so many levels. How many days can you ride a sand dune before you get to "done that" status?

I am sure I read the factory has a front Braktec MC. Thanks for the feedback on the rear unit.

Thanks micm. How were the brakes on the new 250? I have wondered whether to try to improve the ones on our 2014 bike or if it just makes more sense to buy a new(er) bike. The factory editions have Braktec masters and I have wondered about that route. I will stop thinking about the 200 now (and have been told off about new bikes and "man" lust for new machines ? )

I would agree. My wife has trashed her rear mudguard and the front one broke on its own (have a Bosi now). The clutch is a nuisance but not so bad and (all) the brakes are poor compared to my TRS. Yes the Beta can be road registered and Farley have one (200) in stock if you go that route. I would like to try the Vertigo as well but we are not able to look at or ride anything at the minute so maybe another time. Given how little we are all riding I don't much see the point in changing a bike if it is running OK. I would love to buy the 200 in Farley for the wife to replace her 2014 250. I figure the price is only going to go up as the pound goes down and importing gets more problematic. However you are parking the bike up when it is under warranty. Surely it makes sense to have the manufacturer's warranty when you are actually riding the bike? That is my thinking anyway and so no intention of a change until the pandemic is not a factor.

Sounds like a great trip. I had intended to do the Sahara (trail bikes) for my 40th but gave up for a variety of reasons, but one thing that really put me off was all the paperwork and nonsense to take a vehicle through Egypt. Some years later I discovered that Tunisia was a great deal easier and the better option (go via Italy) but by then too late for me and then there were the terrorist shootings and that put paid to that. Maybe for my 70th/80th now, if the pandemic has ended.....

That is possible, but the carnet is an International document agreed by everyone. I would hope that a customs officer will have had at least basic training that identifies standard documents. Where I think you are going to be correct is that the customs officers in the channel ports probably do not have the experience. I would think such documents are not uncommon for visitors coming in elsewhere. Also the Dutch have recently trained and appointed a lot of new customs officials (they seem clued up on sandwiches). I agree the French Douaniers can be a bit jobsworth. They also can be found at the motorway toll booths sometimes and that could be interesting if someone has slipped through at Calais.

I doubt the ACU are in the business of scaremongering to be honest. Switzerland, France, Norway and Sweden are all EEA countries so there is no issue. The UK is a third country and so requires carnets for entry into the EU/EEA. If your brother returned prior to the 1st Jan 2021 there would have been no issue as we were in the transition period. Plus as above posted by not ron the vehicle was driven not part of the sports goods cargo. I guess we will see how strictly this is imposed. We are in new territory as this is the first time people from the UK have been outside the EU. If the customs officers on the mainland want to be a bit of a jobsworth it could be problematic. Not that anyone in a uniform is ever a jobsworth ?

Looking at that list it includes pushbikes. Hmph. I wonder if the customs people will start to get picky about taking a (pedal) bike over? All those camper vans with a bike rack headed to the beach in France/Spain. To quote the Beach Boys, its gonna be fun, fun, fun. (I don't have a T-Bird and my dad is dead...) Edit: Just laughing about this in the office and the missus points out all the skiing people could get a shock too.

Surely the way forward is to register the bike(s)? The carnet required is for goods. If the vehicle has a V5 and insurance it is no different to taking a car over on the ferry. Don't forget you need to carry the V5 with you - always have for travelling on the mainland.

You can get an MOT on any vehicle whether or not it is registered in the UK. The test is simply a requirement for UK registered vehicles. I registered our car when we returned to the UK and the requirements were some sort of insurance and a current MOT (if over 3 years old). As the car was registered elsewhere in the EU you just changed the documentation. Since leaving the EU the process is a bit more complex to my personal experience but essentially you will still need an MOT on an old vehicle and this can be issued on the VIN number if the vehicle is not registered. Therefore the existence of an MOT does not confirm the vehicle has already been registered. You posted same second as me - edit - for us on the car you had to have insurance and the application required payment for the VED as well. Not sure if you can apply and SORN at the same time, doubt it - the DVLA want your cash ?

It would stump me too. Sounds like you have a good handle on it. Just worried when people suggesting more pressure - the rim is alloy (I assume) so please be careful - we need to look after all fellow motorcyclists.

I would be cautious. The tyre should seat at 60psi. That is a lot. Much more and the shock could quite literality destroy either the tyre or the rim. You could easily hurt yourself in the process. Assuming enough lubrication the tyre should seat properly with or without a tube. Sometimes it takes a few seconds and it can help just to tap (gently) round the tyre with a rubber mallet. Washing up liquid is OK if you don't have tyre soap. If you struggled to get the tyre on it does sound to me like it is a bit too tight and this is the issue. The tyre should seat at a much lower psi. https://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/mechanical-repair/wheel-and-tyres.htm#re-inflation-of-pneumatic

i can only speak for myself. I am a bit odd.

Electric bikes are a nonsense from environmental grounds, just as electric cars are. The "benefit" is less exhaust fumes, which is great in cities but irrelevant in a rural setting. The point about what is used to transport the bike is also correct. I am not at all sure they are not so capable either. The cycle parts are the same and the motive power is different, not less. X-Trial is very popular in other countries so perhaps the problem is not trials as such it is the way it is promoted and seen in the UK. Mud, wet, cold, rain and old men are not the basis of a popular sport.

More practice needed ?

I love MTB too. Is there any good riding near you? I have ridden through Antwerpen on the road (motor)bike a few times and remember it as very industrial. We used to go to Assen for the racing but there was no camping allowed at the track so it was not my favourite venue. Nice coastline though.

We are locked down and no riding. I am not much in love with our little friend either. Hopefully things will improve by the summer. My wife's Evo gets half a litre as that makes it easy to get two oil changes from a litre bottle. 550ml is the "proper" amount.

The XT 500 trail bike is a modern classic and worth enough to buy you a brand new Vertigo outfit built by Paul for you. Tidy it up as much as you can and expect a decent return on it. If you want to sell it off for a few hundred to get a crappy old TY PM me and I will have it.