Sham

I see Land Rover are attaching the panels better these days

Yep. It was used by a few cars of that era.

I appear to have succumbed to dealer discounts and bought a Suzuki SV650 Whoops

Today, my 13 year old 130k mile Skoda Octavia passed it's MoT on the first attempt with advisories for some tiny cracks in the tyres between the tread (they're Avon's, TADTS) and corroded rear arms. Both of which are only there so the garage had something to write down and are extremely nitpicky. Happy days.

Nice one. There is a hazard perception test training thing that you can get a months subscription on for £10. Well worth it since I'm told by my son that the people at the test centre reckon that it's aimed squarely at 17 year olds and seasoned car drivers often fail by reacting sooner than the system expects to a hazard, scoring no points. Training your brain to react the way they want is apparently very useful.

I'm loving it, even in the cold and rubbish weather. But I tend to never feel cold anyway and have been wearing full gear including over trousers. I've not needed earplugs - but the exhaust on the bikes I've ridden aren't too loud. Have to say, I've not noticed much wind noise either. What helmet are you using? Some are very noisy, one of the reasons I bought mine was that the reviews said it was quite quiet at motorway speeds. Motorbike riding is louder than cars, obviously, but it shouldn't be annoying or painful - it should be fun. Definitely sounds like you need earplugs.

There's been a spate of thefts in the local villages around North Walsham area as well. The one I live in has so far not been hit as far as I know, but it will. I'm pretty sure the Skoda on a gravel drive is too awkward for them to bother when there are easier targets, and I really hope they're stupid enough to look for one on the Kona Electric 🤣

That hilarious, and thoroughly ridiculous. A 200ish Kg bike with 15bhp... Imagine the pain.

I ran around on a 125 for a little while last month. Was fun, but I've just done a refresher day on a Yamaha MT-07 and the 125 is so skittish on the road in comparison. The big bike is so much more stable, so much more predictable. Time to move up. Shopping has commenced.

I still maintain that anyone who lives in London and drives needs to consider the reasons. It isn't cos you like driving. Or performance. Or moving. If I lived there, which will be over my dead body - same as any large town or city - I wouldn't even own a car, I'd hire one on the rare occasion that I needed one.

Looks a lot like Great Yarmouth, last week.

I've been grinning like a loon since Saturday. I've had my full bike license for 31 years, but hadn't ridden in 30, until Saturday. I crashed my bike back then due to riding like a newly qualified teenager, and lost my nerve a bit. That and not being able to afford a bike and a car at the time meant that I went with 4 wheels, and never really thought about bikes again. Until my son took his CBT and got a scooter. I borrowed a friend's 125 commuter over the weekend to see how I felt, and had a bloody fantastic time. I have use of his bike until March, but I can feel a shopping spree coming on.

No one's forcing anyone into EVs. There will be second hand Dino powered machines for decades thanks to the cost of EVs, and you CAN charge an EV - just maybe not at home.

The issues with charging has nothing to do with the car. It's idiots who buy them unable to charge them. I'll bet that if they'd spoken to the person that owns the parking area, a charger could be fitted - and if not, the seller got the wrong car. However, many people run EVs while only using public infrastructure. I only charge at home. Both, or a combination is perfectly possible. Each to their own, but buy the wrong car and you only have yourself to blame.