South East Biker Motorcycle Forum

Dear SEB,
In reply to Pete’s letter in issue 3 regarding the state of the roads there IS something we can do. If you report a road defect to the local council they are then liable for any injury caused by it, which is usually enough incentive to get them to repair it ASAP.

The Motorcycle Action Group have published info and links to help you report road hazards quickly here: http://fill-it-in.mag-uk...ill_it_in_campaign.html

Just follow the links at the top-left of the page.

Martin Ward via email

Thanks for the info, Martin. If we report any defects on the roads rather than just moan to each other about them, something will get done. It’s always worth taking a photo of any damage to your vehicle and the offending pothole as evidence. ED

Dear South East Biker Team,

I really enjoy your magazine but find it difficult to get copies in or around south

London, which is where I live. I noticed you have Mottingham Motorcycles listed but none other than that. I previously had picked a copy of the magazine up at Ryka’s which is where I met one of your team, Debbie. Debbie mentioned you would be increasing the places to pick a copy up in the future. Any idea if you have any others I haven’t seen yet?

Many thanks
Lisa J

Hi Lisa, glad you enjoy the magazine. The good news is we now distribute at Hein Gericke, Purley, Warr’s at Mottingham and the Ace Café. I suggest you pester any local biking haunts and ask why they aren’t stocking it! Get them to contact us on the number on the contact page. ED

Dear Pete,

My Honda 1998 CBR 600F has always been a great handling machine, but recently the steering has started to shake at about 40 mph. It’s okay below that speed and it’s okay again above 50mph. Any thoughts?

Marc, Ditchling.

Hi Marc,

Your front wheel seems to be out of balance. Have you hit a kerb or pothole recently? Raise the front wheel and rotate it slowly, looking for any visible damage to the tyre or wheel such as bulges, cracks, splits or dents in the rim. If there is nothing obvious, spin the wheel a little faster and check for any warping or sideways movement in the wheel. Also check for missing balance weights. If none of the above identifies the problem, have the wheel checked by a professional tyre fitter who can test it on a balancing machine.

Dear Pete,

I’m 19, just passed my A2 test and I’ve bought a restricted ER5. It’s a bit slow compared to my mates CB500, how can I make it go faster?

Ian, by email.

Hi Ian,

You don’t mention whether your mate's CB500 is also restricted, which would make quite a difference! The whole point of being on a restricted bike is that it won’t be as fast as when it’s unrestricted. Your ER5 has a large washer fitted in each inlet pipe that reduces the amount of air/fuel going into the engine when the throttle is fully open. Under normal riding conditions, you shouldn’t notice much difference. It’s only when you try to rev above 8 - 9 thousand RPM that the restriction becomes obvious.

Until you are old enough to remove the restrictor, the best way to go faster… is to actually go slower! Don’t use large amounts of throttle - feed the power on smoothly. Work on your forward planning so that you avoid heavy braking, thereby needing less power to get back up to speed. Enjoy the restriction, it won’t last forever and it will make you a better rider!