Featuring a very giddy me at the dealership prior to riding home through Storm Boelo (even the rain and winds couldn’t dampen my spirit)

Can't wait to run her in. Currently sitting in the garage at 12 miles.

Winter is going to be fitting the inevitable extras and occasionally taking her out for a short potter at under 3k rpm for the first 300, then I get to go to 5k. Can't wait until those 600 miles are over!

Had him 3 weeks now and he's picked up some mud and the like. I have no cleaning products or brushes and clothes etc. So is there a range you would recommend? What cleaning tools?

Fanks guys

I'm crapping myself scared 😬 I am doing my CBT on a 50cc auto (given my age), so at least I won't have to deal with gears, but I'm still nervous since I don't know what to expect, and in what order.

Any advice?

Passed Mod 2 two weeks ago and picked this 2016 Yamaha Tracer 900 up on the same day. What an absolute joy it’s been ride!

On Saturday I had to take my CB125R from Oban to Glasgow for its 4000 mile service. It was the only time I could make the ride, and rescheduling worried me as it would push the date much further into winter. Storm Boelo was forecast, but not due to worsen until later in the day, so I made the decision to leave early and return home as soon as possible.

I would not make this decision again, and learnt many lessons on the ride home - I ask that you don’t admonish me as (trust me…) I have done so personally for the past couple of days. I do at least have a couple of good stories to share with my one other real life biker friend.

The question I have that I want answered to settle my mind - is there just a point at which no matter how ‘waterproof’ your gear is the rain will win?

I had a Richa typhoon suit on for the majority of the ride, and it did its job perfectly. However, both my RST Paragon 6 heated gloves and my Merlin Titan Outlast boots eventually failed and became waterlogged. The cuffs of the gloves were inside the suit so no water could have entered from there. I was riding through intense, non stop rain, and constant gusting wind.

Did my gloves and boots ‘fail’, or did I just put them in a situation they are simply not equipped to perform in? The gloves in particular were an expensive purchase and I am now stuck in my head thinking that there’s an issue with them. Rationally, I think that the latter is the truth and the weather was just too extreme and beyond their capabilities. I’m just looking for some internet people to agree with me and let me stop thinking about it. OR some thoughts on the former reasoning and what I should look for if there is an issue.

Sorry for the wall of text, and any replies graciously received.

TLDR; rode in extreme weather, decent waterproof gloves and boots failed to stay dry for the whole journey. Was it the weather or are they defective?

Think I'm in need of a new set. Had them a few years, and leaving them all spring and summer flat hasn't done them any favours...barely getting 2 days of use. Am I tied to the proprietary one, or are there some third party products available?

Tempted to solder the connections myself to another LiPo, providing it fits in the glove obviously, and get better capacity.

I was looking at FB Marketplace where the prices are definitely a lot better on 125ccs, but is there any red flags to look out for? Some state a lot of parts have been “recently changed”.
Would it be worth going for an older bike from a more reliable company like Yamaha and Honda, instead of a cheaply-priced Chinese Brand like Lexmoto or Keeway?
Just want to hear any recommendations or experiences that would help me.
If my budget allows, I’m tempted to go for a CB125R 2022 that I’ve seen for £2.2K from a dealer with 13k miles, as I feel this is the best legitimate value for money.

decided to fit a shad rack and top box to my bike. i thought oh it will only be a half hour job, its like 10 bolts. to get it fitted right with my tail tidy and aftermarket exhausts it took me 4 and a half hours. makes my bike miles more practical tho lol

Hello all, I'm currently aiming to get my A2 license and was wondering what the next steps should be. For context, I passed my CBT a few months ago and recently passed my theory test.

I was wondering what people would recommend as to what I do next?

Should I go onto a DAS course, do individual pay as you go lessons or get a 125ccs stick L plates on it and get more riding experience that way then do my A2 license later.

I'm not entierly sure what to do so any advice would be much appreciated.

I've got a Lexmoto LXR 125 SE and have fitted a Black Widow CL20R exhaust with a CNP802 link pipe. It has a removable baffle that I can fit or take out.

I'm planning to do my A1 Module 2 test soon, but I'm unsure whether my exhaust could cause any issues on test day.

Does the examiner actually check the exhaust or look for E-markings, and could they cancel the test if they decide it's not road-legal? Could they report it to the police, or would it just mean I couldn't take the test on that bike?

I'm not looking to get away with anything illegal; I just want to understand what to expect before booking my test.

Has anyone taken their motorcycle test with an aftermarket exhaust, particularly a Black Widow, and what happened?

Cheers!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some general guidance about a letter I’ve received from the Metropolitan Police.

I’m also arranging a free consultation with a motoring solicitor, but I’d appreciate understanding what I should expect and what questions I should ask.

What happened:
On 9 October 2026, I was riding my motorbike along Borough High Street in London. The traffic light was green for me, and I estimate I was travelling at around 20mph in a 20 mph zone.

There were pedestrians waiting on both sides of the road to cross, as their lights were red. As far as I can remember, a cyclist suddenly crossed my lane from one side of the road to the other, appearing around two metres in front of me.
Everything happened very quickly.
I swerved to try to avoid him, but made contact with him with my shoulder, and he fell to the ground.

I looked back, turned around and returned to the scene. I switched off my motorbike and checked on him. By then, he was standing and another person was helping him. He spoke very little English but repeatedly gestured that he was okay.
I left after he indicated that he was okay. However, I didn’t exchange names or contact details with him, and I didn’t report the collision to the police.

What has happened since:
I’ve now received a Metropolitan Police Form 963 asking me to identify the rider. The letter lists allegations of:

Driving without due care and attention.

Failing to stop and exchange details, and/or failing to report an accident.

The letter doesn’t explain what evidence the police have, and I don’t know whether the cyclist reported it, a witness contacted the police, or CCTV was involved.

My circumstances:
I passed my car test in December 2024.

I passed my motorcycle test in August 2026.
My licence is currently clean, with no penalty points.

I’m worried about the new-driver rules and the possibility of losing my licence.

My questions:
How should I approach responding to the Form 963, and what should I ask the solicitor during my consultation?

Could CCTV showing the cyclist suddenly crossing my lane help with the careless-driving allegation?

Does returning to check on the cyclist make any difference to the allegation of failing to stop/report, given that I didn’t exchange details?

How could the new-driver rules affect me if I were convicted of either offence?

Is there anything else I should do urgently, particularly about preserving CCTV footage?

I’m not trying to avoid responsibility; I want to understand the legal position and deal with this properly.

Thanks for any constructive advice

EDIT: forgot to mention that the cyclist was on a lime bike, one of the ones you rent through an app.

It was a lot of trial and error getting to this point but I’m so happy to finally have my first big bike! Rides like a beauty and I can’t wait to put some miles on her travelling!

I'm considering the Benelli BN125 because it's the bike I used during my CBT at the school. Although I'm also eyeing up the Honda CB125F - any suggestions? Or does anyone have any experience owning either?

A van reversed into my bike, forced it backwards with me on it and kept going, mounted the front wheel which flipped it to the ground and me off it and still kept going and backed up over my bike until his rear wheels lifted off the floor.

Insurance assessor comes tomorrow. My bike won't do anything at all if you try and start it and I can't get it out of gear or get the gear box to move at all so internally I'm guessing there's a lot of damage.

My bike looks remarkably undamaged to look at which worries me. It was mint condition before this happened and now has a bad scrape down the engine where it slid along the road. Some metal parts are snapped off but at a glance you just wouldn't know a van had been over it.

I'm wondering what should I expect repair wise. Will they try and fix the gear box? I'm gutted about my bike but not sure I'd ever fully trust it after what happened, if it were to be repaired.

Anyone got experience here?

Hi there I’ve only just realised but my SV 650 S it’s leaking from that oil cooler area. Most of the oil residue in dirt is around the oil line. I have uploaded the pictures a show anyone got any opinion on what this could be? I’m hoping it’s not the oil cooler itself as that could be quite expensive.

High gust of 60 mph tonight - how dangerous is it actually?

On a 125cc and finish work when it is suppose to be peak windy. Is it worth risking commuting 20mins back home or should i get a taxi tonight? only been riding since May.

EDIT: Taxi it is.

Hey all, I failed my MOD1 on the Hazard Avoidance. Everything else was perfect with no faults. My emergency stop was also fine. I failed in both attempts at the hazard avoidance reaching a pitiful 40kmh on both tries. I have a 125cc that I try and practice on and the training session only had a tiny space to practice in, so no chance of the higher speeds. Does anyone please have any advice on beating the test and also anything I can do to help me practice? Such as drills. Many thanks if you can help.

I’m currently living in Abu Dhabi UAE, relocating to the UK early next year.
I originally lived in UK and passed my car license there, then moved to UAE and passed my motorcycle license here - now upon moving back to UK next year am I able to simply add my UAE motorcycle entitlement to my UK car license entitlement and have both in UK?
Has anyone successfully done this?
I’m 45 so looking for full A license as I have unrestricted motorcycle license in UAE.
Any help/advice appreciated

I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture or anything but it went past quite quickly.

I saw a motorbike going down Dunstable Road past the Shell garage near Kingsway.

It was two up with two very dubious looking white boys in puffer jackets.

No number plate and ridden like they stole it... Literally.

It seemed to have red on the back but couldn't make much else from it. Sorry.

It went off in the direction of the town centre.

Figured it would be more useful than telling the police at this point. Any info is info hey.

Stay safe folks.