Chit-Chat
This page is for any comments, pictures, stories or information you might want to impart to the site that don't necessarily
fit anywhere else on the website.
There are rules!
Primarily don't be rude, offensive or obnoxious, for more details CLICK HERE
See Older Posts
ROD¹ said :-
Of course, the other problem that most people never think about (and I have been guilty myself) is the legality of two up with luggage.
The bike has maximum carrying capacity of 180kg.
The average male in the UK weighs 86kg and the average female weighs 72kg add 10kg each for bike gear and that is 178kg without luggage.
Just the weight of a rear rack and top box would take it over the maximum capacity without luggage.
I know that you are very unlikely to be stopped, but if you are, a police officer would not be allowed to let the rider continue their journey even if they just cautioned the rider.
This would mean leaving your luggage or the pillion.
If you are involved in an accident, the investigation may find that overloading contributed to the accident and the insurance company would have a reason not to pay out.
The carrying capacity of my bike is good and our weight is 15kg under the average, but we still struggle to keep legal when taking camping gear!
31/07/2026 11:30:27 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
31/07/2026 11:30:59 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I think the STrom has about 200 kg carrying capacity Rod, but I think we probably get very close to it. I think the GVW is around 420 KG and it goes over the scales at around 230 with everything on including empty luggage, so we're left with about 190 kg for ourselves and clobber. So after me and Er'Indoors (who really needs to diet) we've got about 25 kg left.
Like I say close, but probably just under.
I've never seen a motorcycle weighed at the roadside to prove an offence of being in excess of the GVW and doubt I will. But your points are a worthwhile reminder to encourage healthy eating. Now where are my custard creams.
Upt.
31/07/2026 12:47:23 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You're absolutely correct ROD - I'll add a link to where we discussed this previously.
As you say it's one of those things that's OK until it's not OK. It'd be all to easy to have even a minor bump and when the insurance is having a look at the report and images they might be keen to ask "errr... what's the total mass on the bike at the time of the incident?"
https://bikesandtravels.com/biker.aspx?ride=7173...
31/07/2026 13:40:05 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ed me duck, after much waiting and deliberation we've taken out what I think was your suggestion although ours is an annual policy with Aviva for travel insurance. You are covered for motorsiccle travel and the cover seems mors than adequate for our needs.
We actually waited in order to cover trips up to the end of August next year, so using man maths two years for the price of one. Seemed a good idea.
Ta me little Manchester duck.
Upt.
01/08/2026 16:48:19 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Well my insurance comes through my bank (Nationwide) but it sounds like it's a similar affair - glad it was useful!!
02/08/2026 22:51:05 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
RIGHT I HAVE A PROBLEM.
I've been given a copyright strike for an image posted up quite some time back (a couple of years). It's going to cost "quite a bit". I take great care to try and not use copyright images on the site for this very reason but I can't control the images other people post up.
At present I have removed the ability to post an image and temporarily removed all the images from the comments. I am thinking about the best way to manage this going forwards. I suspect any images you add will have to be strictly vetted by myself going forwards. Sorry folks but them's the rules I have to abide by.
02/08/2026 22:56:15 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I hope it wasn't one of mine. As far as I remember all I have posted are ones I've taken myself but who knows?
03/08/2026 10:03:55 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It wasn't any of the regulars on here - a random one off poster. I'm wondering if it was intentional... But it was quite some time ago so maybe not.
03/08/2026 10:20:21 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Now my first thinking is that when you make a comment and/or upload a picture the comment (and picture) DO NOT go live until I get to read and check them. The problem with this is I can't spend all day checking for new comments to allow access. It might be even a day before I can go through and check them. This does allow me to also check for rude/offensive comments. It would rather spoil the "flow" of the conversations.
Perhaps another option is to provide a login - logged in users get to see the comments and then when I've had time to check them they come out of the login into the public domain. Ideally I don't want to do this as it'd require a lot of coding and security and lots of people don't want to login.
Another option is to do away with the comments altogether! Right now the way I'm feeling about it all would be to throw in the towel altogether. I make no money from the site and with automation and AI it's getting far far too easy to be swamped with rubbish. The hosting ain't cheap and if I'm going to be threatened with litigation because of an image, or a review someone disapproves of, or a picture I took of in some foreign country upsets someone...
03/08/2026 11:33:39 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Sorry for your troubles Ed and hope you can work through it. Like Ian said if it was I then I would hopefully make amends somehow. I posted an image only yesterday that I found on the GB500S, I suspect it was probably from Honda India. I will stop posting anything but own pictures. Would this also apply to links to other sites, are these links copyright in any way?
Like I said I'm really sorry and hope the pain is minimal, we'd miss you if you weren't here. Honest.
Upt.
03/08/2026 12:44:02 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Thanks Upt'. Links apparently are fine!! However yeah I've been researching this and even if an image is edited, resized or trimmed it's still "IP", intellectual property. Heck even if you take a picture of a picture, or artwork, or seemingly whatever it can still be construed as IP.
It's really hard to know if an image posted is from the creator, ie yourself. What puzzles me is social media like FaceAche - loads of people will post a generic piccy of a bike from say Yamaha's web page with a comment like "this is my new bike". Do FB have people contacting them re IP hourly? Are they shelling out for this? Lord only knows.
I was advised I seek legal council then I looked at the costs of this. Yeah, easier and cheaper to cough up.
03/08/2026 12:56:47 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
03/08/2026 12:56:12 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I really hope you can continue Ren as this is one of the sanest and most useful bits of the WWW. If it's just images, is there some way of checking them for copyright before they're posted?
ps control enter doesn't work any more.....
03/08/2026 15:22:13 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
No Ian not really. Google has a search for images same as function but in this case the image was from one of the big "Stock Photos" websites and that image may not have been "seen" by Google yet. Also imagine the image was from a very recent post on say MCN - "Oooh look there's a new Triumph out" and someone posts on here an image of the new Triumph, google might not have indexed that image by the time I check it.
"Well if it looks professional?" Yeah you can usually tell if it's a professional pic of a new bike versus a pic some punter took at the recent bike show. However - if the recent pic from the bike show was taken off someone else's blog or social media account...
03/08/2026 15:31:56 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
Ren, I am sorry to hear of the copyright problems.
I have looked for information online and it looks like a legal minefield!
Some of the suggestions to protect the site seem OK for a lager site generating income, but would not be practical in your case.
Sorry that I can't be of any help.
I hope you can find a way forward.
03/08/2026 20:30:00 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I think for now I'm going to (frustratingly) omit the ability to upload piccies. It's such a shame as that's one of the best bits about the chat.
04/08/2026 10:58:07 UTC
Snod said :-
And I was just getting around to posting pics of my con rods into repair chat..
Personally I think any regulars on here who are retired should be made moderators and can vet all submitted posts to pass the time. By this logic it'll just be myself and Ren who don't need to do anything, which seems perfect. All in favour say aye.
But in all seriousness this sucks for such a small/niche site.
04/08/2026 12:28:02 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I suspect AI is playing it's part Snod. It'll be all too easy to give an AI a set of instructions "Go find images that look the same as the images we have in this folder". I'm using AI at work and to be frank in spite of the warnings and doom scenarios from YouTube developers it is very very good. You do have to check it's work that's fair, but it does good work. And that'll be the end of my current career.
04/08/2026 14:16:56 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Just got back from Hartlepool after visiting Little Richie, the STrom is resplendent with a newly affixed front black round thing. Bridgestone A41 if you're interested. I can now report that the Weise waterproof leather pants work. Almost biblical rain at times on the way down and I just had a damp bottom bit on me t-shirt at the front where water had blown up. I should have zipped the pants to me coat, but I didn't.
Pffffffftttttt. Bike had a quick swill off upon its triumphant return.
Now back wom with a cuppa.
Upt.
04/08/2026 15:59:03 UTC
Name
Comment
Add a RELEVANT link (not required)