who to sue

38
BikeShop Advice/Bike chooser
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DOCTOR
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query which needs urgent
attention, contact MCN.
►Got a problem? MCN’s Chris Dabbs and
our team of experts have the answers
Lighter clutch required
Q
As a 60-year-old rider with
osteoarthritis in my left hand I’m
having trouble in traffic slipping the
clutch on my GSX-R1000 K6. Is there
any way of making the clutch action
lighter? The cable, clutch lever and
actuating arm have all been cleaned
and lubricated.
Trickytrev, email
A
We’ve heard good things about the
Shark Vision-R (see our review
on page 42). It also has a very wide and
high visor aperture for better vision
(hence the name). It can be picked up
for £300ish, too.
The AGV Stealth SV and S-4 SV are
also good (the SV stands for sun visor);
costs here are £250 and £145 respectively. Schuberth is bringing out the
S2 full-face with sun visor early next
year for £359.99-£399.99.
For riders on a budget, most Caberg
helmets have internal sun visors.
GSX-R clutch lever effort
can be eased by up to 55%
A
There’s a US firm, Righteous Stunt
Metal, who make the Righteous
Stunt Clutch (RSC). Originally designed for stunt riders, constantly on
the clutch pulling wheelies and stoppies and using a thumb-operated rear
brake at the same time, the RSC will
fit any bike with a 22mm diameter bar
like your GSX-R.
The stainless steel assembly uses a
different pivot point and has a selflubricating Delrin bush to keep the
action as light as possible. On a 675 Triumph with a shortie lever it’s claimed
to reduce the lever effort by 55%, from
16.5lb to 7.5lb. You can get them in a
variety of lever lengths and finishes
and prices range from $80-105 (£5573), plus $15 (£10.41) for shipping with
2-3 weeks’ shipping time. Visit: www.
righteousstuntmetal.com.
Venhill Engineering in Dorking offer
Magura clutch kits that convert your
bike from cable to hydraulic action. It
is claimed to reduce the effort by up to
20%, and they can make a kit to your
specification. The cost will be about
£280. Visit: www.venhill.co.uk/Magura_Clutch_Conversion/Suzuki/
KTM rear hugger query
Q
Squealing ZZR1200 brakes
Q
I have recently purchased a Kawasaki ZZR1200 and I’m very
pleased with it, but I have one annoying problem – the front brake squeals
under light operation.
I have removed the calipers, and the
pistons are free. I have renewed the
brake pads, putting a smear of copper
grease on the backplate. The pads are
free in the caliper. I have also cleaned
the brake discs, in case there was any
deposit on them, but I still have the
squeal…
David Coomber, email
A
Clean the brake pins and apply
copper grease to them as well as
the edges of the brake pads where they
sit in the caliper.
When you cleaned the discs what
was their condition? If there are any
high spots, grooves or ridges then that
can set off the squealing.
The brake disc thickness service
limit is 4.5mm. Runout service limit
is 0.3mm. You could also consider filing
a small 45° chamfer on the leading
edge of each pad where it meets the
disc.
Internal visor full-face lid?
Q
I’m looking for a new full-face
helmet, but fancy one with an
internal sun visor. I know a few of the
flip-front types have them, but I don’t
want the extra weight. Money luckily
isn’t too much of a problem and I would
probably spend £400.
Ian Martin, Exeter
mcn law Your legal questions
Disagreement difficulty
with third party driver
Q
I was riding my Suzuki SV1000
along the London Road in Bath
when a guy in a Nissan Micra pulled
out of a side road into my path. I
took evasive action but ended up
coming off and colliding with a
parked car, breaking my collarbone
and damaging my bike and kit.
The other driver gave the police
his insurance details, however it
was not his car. He said his own
insurance policy allowed him to
drive the car, but the car owner’s
insurer is saying that he was not
covered to drive it but his own
insurer is saying he was.
KTM990SMT rear hugger can
bought for as little as £82.95
Who should be paying up for my
injuries and kit?
Darren Pool, email
A
There are some insurance
policies that allow a person
to drive other vehicles with the
owner’s permission, usually on a
third party basis. I don’t know in
your case if the owner of the Micra
had given permission for your
opponent to drive his car.
However, your best bet (as
your opponent’s insurer is saying
he was insured to drive the car)
is to pursue that insurer. You can
either issue court proceedings
against the driver or his insurer,
rather than the insurer of the
Micra. Even if it transpires that
no permission was given for
him to drive the Micra, it is your
opponent’s insurer who is the
relevant insurer for the purposes
of legal proceedings.
I would suggest you get
your solicitor to write to your
opponent’s insurer and point
this out and it may be they will
agree indemnity and liability and
court proceedings will not be
necessary.
Andrew Campbell,
Bikelawyer.
Visit www.bikelawyer.co.uk
or email [email protected]
Some time ago Trevor Franklin
did a long-term test on a KTM
990SMT. I’m riding to work over the
winter months and I remember Trevor
saying he fitted a new rear hugger.
He said it came as gloss black and
showed us how to rub it down and
respray it matt black. Who sells them
and for how much?
Mac Elliott
A
The hugger came from Skidmarx
and there are two variants. The
glassfibre one is £82.95 and comes in
seven colours, while the carbon-fibre
one is £139.95.
Continental Escapes offer great
value for tyres for a Derbi 125
What rear tyre would you
recommend for a 2011 Derbi
Terra Adventure 125? The rear
is a 130/90 x 17 and the front is
a 90/90 x 21.
Newbiker1, MCN forums
Continental Escapes are a really
good price at the moment and
are excellent all-rounders that
should last well, especially on a
lower-powered bike like yours
– alternatively you could try
Metzeler Tourances.
Do you have a question?
Do you have a question? Go
to the ‘Ask an Expert’ section
on www.motorcyclenews.com/
expert
ZZR1200 brake squeal
can be cured following
a few simple steps
What
bikers
want
MCNbikesforsale.com
We've got a bike with your name on it
39
Wednesday 21 december 2011 www.motorcyclenews.com
Back on two wheels for £1000
I’ve been out of bikes for 10 years and I’ve
got £1000 to spend on something I can have
fun on. My last bike was a Triumph Tiger.
@
mcn’s
choice
mcnbikesforsale.com
Online
deals
Geoff Potter
ONLINE
NOW
I’m sure that Geoff would like to think
of himself as ageing gracefully, with
an appreciation of the good things in
biking that an FJ1200 can offer; like a
comfortable saddle, predictable handling, loads of mid-range grunt and
half-decent weather protection, too.
The big air-cooled mill only needs
servicing every 8000 miles or annually
and is easy enough to work on that he
could do a lot of those tasks himself.
The weight of the bike sits low with
its perimeter box frame so it’s easy to
toss around onto each footpeg, but will
give you a relaxed ride over hundreds
of miles.
Key things to look for are rear shock
wear (this is one heavy machine twoup) and a stainless steel replacement
exhaust. ABS models generally carry
a £300-500 premium.
1991 Yamaha FJ1200, £1000,
42,184 miles, private
ONLINE
NOW
1991 Yamaha FJ1200, £1295,
48,000 miles, dealer
the one to buy
YAMAHA FJ1200
£1000-£1995
THE SMALL CAPACITY OPTION
HONDA CBR400RR NC23
£850-£1999
The FireBlade took many styling cues from
the NC23 or Tri-Arm that predated it by four
years. A screaming four-pot with a 14,000rpm
redline, it’s a favourite of shorter riders thanks
to its sit-in position and low seat height.
Handling is great once the suspension is
overhauled, and insurance should be cheap, too.
THE NAKED OPTION
SUZUKI 600 BANDIT
£1000-£3200
A no-messing good, honest bike, the Bandit is
a fantastic all-rounder. Free-revving, flexibleish, novice-friendly and as solid as old boots.
The example below has averaged 2500 miles
per year and comes with Datatag security,
braided hoses and an ART exhaust. Good,
unthreatening fun awaits.
THE V4 OPTION
HONDA VFR750F
£1000-£4399
The VFR stands the test of time like the FJ. A
generation later, its water-cooled V4 is superb
and if someone else has had the pain of fitting
replacement stainless exhausts, all the better.
The one below comes with Bridgestone tyres,
uprated rectifier, new chain and sprockets and
a vanload of spares including a frame.
THE RACE-REPLICA OPTION
KAWASAKI ZXR750
£895-£2899
For hooligan fun, a snarling ZXR750 could be
for you. This one has a £400 Ohlins rear shock,
stainless pipes, an alarm and plenty of tread
on the tyres. ZXRs suffer from the elements,
so shop around for a ‘dry days only’ specimen
if that’s important to you, or get out and enjoy
the planted front end and the induction roar…
ONLINE
NOW
ONLINE
NOW
ONLINE
NOW
ONLINE
NOW
1989 Honda CBR400RR (NC23), £1000,
20,400 miles, private
1998 Suzuki GSF600 Bandit, £1000,
29,500 miles, dealer
1992 Honda VFR750F, £1000,
37,000 miles, private
1992 Kawasaki ZXR750, £895,
23,000 miles, private
@
mcnbikesforsale.com
@
mcnbikesforsale.com
@
mcnbikesforsale.com
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mcnbikesforsale.com