Thanks I’ll have a go in the morning and will get the measure out – so for the minimum travel setting I need to flick te lever and compress 3 to 4 inches?

Ah – perfect I though it was cracked, good to know it is supposed to be split. I wonder why it doesn’t reduce down to the minimum travel setting.

I’m guessing the car was 15 to 20k in the first place? The owner should have spent the ~50k on a used Porsche or Aston!

The clevis link looks good – FWIW, if it doesn’t work out or there isn’t enough interest the distributors (e.g. Mojo, Fischer etc) can change the shaft on the shocks to fit the standard clevis – means that you can run monarchs, RP23s, Evolution CTDs etc

Whilst the 2.0 vag is good have you driven a 330d ?! Completely different league. Forget the saloon, get the touring. The 3 series isn’t that big but it will easily take a couple of bikes with wheels of and plenty of gear for a few nights away.

Spicer – get a new bleed kit, go for the pro kit; it should sort your issues.

Best remedy is to ditch the truvativ cranks and fit a shimano crank & BB.

I wouldn’t get too hung up on the toys – but I guess it depends on your needs (rather than wants) I’ve got an Lci with media package (pro nav and I drive) an not a lot else… I find it more than meets my needs.

One point to consider is that the loci models have the revised idrive (with built in HDD) – it’s a lot better than the earlier offerings

Modern alarms are pretty clever… dialers and inbuilt CCTV in the PIR and can be controlled remotely.

Don’t rely on your neighbors to tell you – let the alarm earn its keep and call you.

I’d take a determined thief to stay in a shed with an additional siren mounted on the wall, damn thing makes my ears bleed (well almost)

May be we need a poll… how many people have had their bikes stolen from sheds / outbuildings when they were asleep?

In some areas your choices are bikes in the shed and it gets stolen or bike in the house and your back door (so to speak) is kicked in and bike stolen. Personally I’d rather keep it outside.

Aside from picking a decent shed – Tiger sheds are good quality & cheap – and as said above erecting it properly with plenty of screws and nails (chose one without windows). Its all about layers of security rather than investing in one product:

1: Insurance.
2: Don’t advertise the bike i.e. if possible don’t drive it around on the roof or back of your car; inside is always better.
2: Pragmasis or Almax chain, ground anchor and shed shackle (get two chains)
3: An alarm (not a £5 quid job) but proper house alarm with a PIR and door contact in the shed.
4: coach bolts through the hinges and drill out the heads of the remaining screws (stops the hinges being unscrewed / removed)
5: Decent shackles, I prefer the square bullet padlocks that leave very little exposed for anyone to bolt crop – long dangling padlocks are an invitation to be cut.

It won’t be cheap…

Mog – both the 2.0 petrol and diesels are good; you may find the petrol a little under powered when fully loaded.

A 2006 E90 320d will be the 163PS engine; modified swirl flaps so no need to worry in this engine – turbo can fail but that is the same for any car and is dependent on servicing and how the car has been treated. If you find the fuel consumption is poor you can go into the “secret” menus to check the engine temp; the thermostats can degrade which lead to the engine running at 80 degrees rather than 90, this hits fuel economy, particularly in the winter. £200 to replace at an Indy.

The 320d changed to 177PS in Sept 2007; there have been some reports of timing chain failure on these engines but it is one of the most common engines fitted to BMWs.

In late 2008 / early 2009 they gave the 3 series a face lift and in 2010 the 2.0d went to 184PS

Both of mine have been M-Sports and I’ve got decent mileage out of the tyres (30K per set)

Things to look for when buying – check the service history and when the next services are due on the computer as everything is condition based; third oil services on the diesels are expensive as the filters need to be changed.

My wife’s 2006 120i was recently serviced at an indy and was £370 for almost everything (oil, filters, plugs, brake fluid, inspection) – first money we’ve spent on it in 2 years.

If the tracking needs doing I really recommend the £150 wheel alignment at BMW; I’ve had it done by an indy for £30 in the past and it ruined the handling – when setup right they don’t eat tyres and the handling is spot on.

Standard kit is generally good on the SE but if you can look for one with bluetooth.

We now just need the motivational spreadsheet.

Motion x will send an email every 5 minutes with your position, chances are you won’t have signal when you need it but at least there will some evidence if where you were heading which worst case should narrow the search down.

When riding alone I wear dog tags… If nothing else they will know who to return my belongings to.

Motion x with automatic position updates.

Great choice – you won’t regret it.

Look for some used (but in great condition) RS Rebas and fit a poploc if it doesn’t already have it

It’s also with checking if the bell wire is connected and if so disconnect it – I can’t remember what colour it is but you only need two wires. Many older installations and properties have a third or even fourth wire connected; these are known to cause interference; modern phones don’t need the bell wire to ring. When i disconnected mine the line speed doubled.

The cheap shimano set around 20 quid, set it up with the various rubber seal bits and you won’t need to touch it for a year.

Couple of simple things to try… Is the router plugged into the main socket and have you tried disconnecting all other sockets? You may need to whip the front plate off the master socket to do this (modern ones have a test socket behind them)

With nothing else connected except your router to the main socket what speed are you getting?

Hora, box doesn’t override paddles unless making engine labor in too a high gear and won’t let you to shift up if speed is too low for gear.

I use the paddles for engine braking, particularly when having fun very easy to blip down through each gear. Take one for a test drive I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I’ve got a 2010 330d – it’s the first auto I’ve owned and has the steering wheel paddles. I’ve no regrets on my choice to go auto and don’t plan to go back to a manual

I can’t comment for other autos but the BMW is fantastic – particularly since having the latest SW applied; it seems very intelligent varying when it shifts depending how you are driving; sports mode is fantastic as is the manual mode which is very similar to a manual except no stick or clutch! It will hold a gear when engine braking and will allow you to hit the rev limiter but won’t let you labor the engine.

My other half has a manual it’s a bit weird switching back and you’ll forget to press the clutch when braking for traffic lights every now and then.

I tried the pike coil in a set of 2009 revelations and have the same problem – the coil is 15 to 20mm too long.

In the short term I’ll run them with 120mm travel whilst i find the correct parts needed.

Hi Loco, Erm no but it dawned on me that I might have missed that.

I was going to look a Pike parts diagram later. Do I need a negative spring on the rebound leg?

To check I’ve used the right parts is a pike u turn spring assembly ok in a 2011 revelation? Is it normal to have a bit more stanchion showing? My revs were set at 140mm and still have the spacer on the rebound leg, do I need to remove that?

I need to drop you a line as I think the bushes need some adjustment too.

Well that could makes sense… Wound down to where to stanchions used to sit the fork feels so plush and rides very well; I’ll give TF a call on Monday if they are open

It’s a 2011 revelation (the one with the power bulge) with an air spring in it it could be adjusted with spacers between 130 and 150 mm.

From reading on line I understood all I needed was a u-turn pike coil assembly at 140mm?

Also since swapping the micro for a DNA version the fork doesn’t fully lock; guessing this is due to not enough fluid in the damper leg – could this also be the cause of the harsh top out?

I’ve passed out a few times, the last time I woke up to find my other half had put me in the recovery position.

Report it to the police – for all you know the police may have had previous complaints.

I got my power button fixed at Timpson’s today for £19.99 – I was without a phone for about 45 minutes; very impressed.

DR78 – on top on the standard quad, hamstring and calf stretches exercises such as using your muscles to pull your knee cap towards the back of your leg (hard to explain but essentially locking the leg, squats (you don’t need weight but get your bum down to your ankles) single legged squats, lying on the floor and with one raised leg pointing your toe writing the alphabet in the air with your toe (sounds weird but works)

If you google knee strengthening exercises you find some really good articles and videos. You need to identify root cause which is likely to be bike fit. Cadence was never my strong point and I preferred to push a big gear; as soon as the saddle height was reduced I instantly went from 80 rpm to 100 rpm as I was no longer over stretching ( a saddle too low will cause similar problems) in colder conditions decent knee warmers are essential.

Some really good fitting advice here: http://bikedynamics.co.uk

Does the lever move when the hose is disconnected?

Incorrect fit and pedalling big gear can cause this. Leg doesn’t achieve full extension when pedalling, the small muscle on the inside of the knee is used for final extension to lock leg due to this not really being used fully during cycling the outer muscle can become in-proportionately stronger and as a result pulls the knee cap off course when bending it. Soft tissue massage will help but ultimately better stretches and strengthening exercises are needed.

I had this, bleed it again and pay close attention to bleed procedure including adjusting speed knob.

Like wise I had 6 weeks off the bike due to incorrect saddle height and cleat position not allowing enough float.

Physio stretches, squats and a bike fit.

You should be ok for the FPN unless the enforcing police force were having a zero tolerance campaign however the acpo guidelines are just guidelines so to a degree depends on where / conditions etc.

I was caught a few years ago doing 93 on a dual carriage way and was relieved to get only 3 points. My NIP didn’t include the option of court or a FPN instead just to identify driver so if your letter mentioned FPN I think you should be fine. It made me think twice about speeding.

Is there any chance that the noise is coming from the linkage under load and that maybe a little grease is needed on the mating parts? (my linkage does this when it dries out)

I’ve got the sane problem as Z1ppy. If only there was a software option to turn the phone off.

stoner – thanks that’s perfect. Will hit wickes at the weekend.

As an expensive alternative.. Stumpy Evo?