Compulsory insurance

Bear wrote

This bindit is a bike of many first for me, one of which is a large
metal box that fails miserably to fulfil any of the normal expectations
one associates with the word "silencer". Good it is. I can think of an
alternative primary reason for keeping it.

 

the cont known as darsy says...

'I know where you live, Hi'

 

Bear wrote

Which part of "Good it is" did you fail to understand? The noise, just
for it's own sake.

Although it is not perfect by any means, it is all on one side and
happens four times faster than any proper engine should allow. Double
the number of cans and halve the number of cylinders and it would sound
lovely.

 

I usually see bikes in the mirror before I hear them. You know those old
WWII movies where the destroyer is hunting the U-boat and the U-boat is
hiding in the depths with its motors off and the crew sweating and listening
to the sonar pings?

The inside of the Platybus is /nothing/ like that. Today was mostly
singalonga Iggy while making remarkably good progress. I'd have been lucky
to have heard a Stuka.

I don't seem to have too much of a problem with peds, but then most of my
riding takes place in areas with low ped infestation.

 

Bear wrote

<fx: rummages in trousers for a clean patch of underpants
spits on glasses
polishes glasses on aforementioned unmentionables>

Yes.

Can I pull my trousers back up now, there is a hell of a draft in here?

 

"Go long on tin foil"

 

'Tis true - a Dept of Transport consultation paper was issued in
December - the consultation period ends on 25th Feb.

It would not apply to vehicle that are SORNed (but it says nothing about
those that have not been on the road since SORN came it - prolly 'cos
they forgot about those).

They were out in force again in December - Montague driving an 1899
Daimler - with a petition of over 50,000 signatures against the 'annual
registration charge'.

We also have the FBHVC, which is constantly monitoring for adverse
legislation and jumping on it at the earliest opportunity -
co-ordinating the efforts of "the classic car fiends, the museums, and
even The Gentry" wot you mentioned up there ^.

 

My old CBX550 had an Alfa [1] 4into1 system. It was the loudest bike I've
ever owned, even with helmet and earplugs it sounded like a cross between a
Harvard on full chat and God ripping-up the road behind me.

It certainly got *everyone's* attention and I never had a ped step off the
curb in front of me.

However, the constant noise fried my brains on long journeys and I had to
replace the system with a "Jama original" before I just rode off the road.

I'd managed to buy the bike cheap as;
- the guys girlfriend was 9.5 months pregnant
- there'd been 6" of snow on the ground for the last week and I'd been the
only person to reply to the ad.
- it had a slow puncture on the front
- the engine wasn't running right and won't pull more than half-max revs
under load.

The "puncture" turned-out to be a bit of grit on the outside of the valve
housing in the rim. Fixed with a squirt of rubber lube and a wiggle.

The engine problem I assumed was due to the Alfa set-up, without any carb
mods but it turned-out to be a piece of towelling that had been left under
the seat and got sucked into the airbox - what's the odds?

BTW the Jama system was great; looked original with that strange CBX
cross-over but an extra joint that made it much easier to fit.
You could change the oil filter without taking it off - unlike the Alfa.
The chrome was good and it had a nice deep warble sound that was satisfying
but inoffensive.
The engine also pulled so much better in the mid-range.


[1] No relation to Romeo

 

yeah, I know. The list is you, porl (in theory), Blaney, Cane, Sweller,
Simian, Champ, Pip, probably some others I've forgotten.

 

sweller was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

What he said - when I got my ShiteOldRover it wasn't registered as
historic either. So I went down to my local VRO and they changed it
there and then, plus they gave me a nice free tax disc.

 

How about getting them to give it an age-relate plate?

Is it possible?
Is there a charge?

 

Shouldn't be a problem at all and there wasn't a charge the last time I
did it but that was a few years ago

 

Brighton is fairly busy but I still don't see a loud exhaust as necessary
unless, of course, you actually enjoy people thinking "wanker" as you
pass.

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Emerson"

The ShiteOldCBX550 I had came fitted with a Laser exhuaust. Not as noisy
as an Alfa, but nicely noisier than standard. I could burble around town
at less than 4k quite acceptably for the citizens. It came into its own
above 5k, where it was like a machine gun nest.

The nicest noise though, was from a pair of reverse-cone megas on a
SOBoxer. Weird, it was; all the deep tone blat of the Brit bikes, but
strangely spaced.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

?? <googles>

http://www.fbhvc.co.uk/

I'm glad someone is doing this.

When Toffs get mad...

 

["Followup-To:" header set to uk.rec.motorcycles.classic.]
Boots Blakeley was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

Especially given that they even cover me

 

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 13:00:47 +0000, Bear wrote:

Mostly, I don't much care about exhaust noise. That is: I don't worry
about what my bike sounds like. All else being equal, I'd rather have a
quiet bike than a loud one, but I do think some systems are qualitatively
better than others.

 

Why would you have to insure a sorned vehicle?

The only way they could, IMO, is that if you SORN the vehicle it's not
going to be on the road, therefore you won't get a fine. If you then
get caught using it there's a triple-whammy of no tax, no insurance and
purposely trying to avoid both.

However, as the snipped bit said, this probably wouldn't affect those
who won't bother with it anyway as it just makes it more expensive.

 

No, that's why you *might* insure a sorned vehicle. If "they" were to
impose a compulsory 3rd party insurance for all vehicles I don't see
how they could stipulate a sorned vehicle would have to be insured.
Bar the handbrake failing and it rolling off[1] what would it do to a
3rd party?

[1] or similarly freak scenario