Ask a Shiter

[Skizzer]

Nah, leave it there, other road users love* it when it blows off all over them.

 

Once the inside of your car warms up it also starts getting mobile, it could just slide off the back

 

Particularly if said other road users are on a motorbike.  Ask my left knee how I know.

[dave21478]

Its great for stripping the splines on your wiper arms when you stop at traffic lights and it all slides down the windscreen just was the wipers are moving upwards.

Get a cheap soft broom and keep it just for sweeping snow off the car.

[Asimo]

Saw great thick chunks of ice slide of the top of a curtainside trailer entering a roundabout yesterday.

I was REALLY glad I was behind it rather than beside it. Worrying.

[skattrd]

Is there a rule to say that I have to clear the frozen snow from my roof ...

 

Not that I am aware of ...

[Pillock]

I tried but the snow-defrost-freeze cycle welded the snow to the roof better than superglue on your fingers. There was just no shifting it without hacking towards paintwork with a scraper.

 

So I left it and now it's on a road somewhere.

[a60rod]

Last time we had proper snow, as opposed to improper snow, down Sarf the police we doing people for X offence as when they braked the snow slid over there screen obscuring their view, totally and the reverse, literally was happening where a motorbicyclist behind was getting hit by a few stone of frozen.

[myglaren]

Is there a rule to say that I have to clear the frozen snow from my roof or is it OK to just let it blow of in great swathes at high speed?

I believe that is just comes under the general heading of endangering other road users inasmuch as it can reduce visibility suddenly when it blows off onto their windscreens or do some damage if it freezes, along with the other points noted.

I have a vague idea that there have been some prosecutions where a collision has been caused by it.

[meshking]

I scavenged a broom to do this the last time it snowed down here. It doesn't take much longer (if you have got it early and it hasn't refrozen) and the car will be slightly warmer from sitting for that bit longer. It should be an offence. I saw someone driving down the road peering through the cleared bit at the bottom of their screen where the hot air vents had cleared. Safe.

[doobietoo]

Not that I am aware of ...

£60 fine and 3 points for dangerous or inconsiderate driving....

[barefoot]

I tried but the snow-defrost-freeze cycle welded the snow to the roof better than superglue on your fingers. There was just no shifting it without hacking towards paintwork with a scraper.

The snow on mine has travelled two junctions along the M1 without shifting!

[phil_lihp]

One for the bikers, finances allowing I'd like to do my motorcycle A licence test this year.  I need a 595cc+ bike to do the test and this is a total unknown area to me.  I love the mechanical simplicity and reliability of the CG125s which are the only motorbikes I've ever owned.  What's a good, cheap (i.e. under £500) first big bike?  I'm going to gain fancy nonsense like electric start which will be a novelty but otherwise is there anything in particular to look out for/avoid?

 

This sort of thing is quite tempting...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1981-YAMAHA-secca-650-SILVER-BARN-FIND-/331412682244?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item4d29bc3604

[andy18s]

Get in touch with a good,locally recommended school and they would be in a much better position to advise

It's all done on BHP/Kilo's these days,so something like the bike you have picked "may"not be powerfull enough to actually take you test on

Talk to someone who can state yay or nay ....

[bub2006]

Find a old Kwak 550 gpz. Sub 6 second 0-60 and top end of 130. Cheap to run,not too bad two up an parts are plentiful. As for ice on roofs of cars,pet hate of mine seeing as the wife can't use bike so I have no choice when she at work.

[willswitchengage]

One for the bikers, finances allowing I'd like to do my motorcycle A licence test this year.  I need a 595cc+ bike to do the test and this is a total unknown area to me.  I love the mechanical simplicity and reliability of the CG125s which are the only motorbikes I've ever owned.  What's a good, cheap (i.e. under £500) first big bike?  I'm going to gain fancy nonsense like electric start which will be a novelty but otherwise is there anything in particular to look out for/avoid?

 

This sort of thing is quite tempting...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1981-YAMAHA-secca-650-SILVER-BARN-FIND-/331412682244?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item4d29bc3604

 

ER5, CB500 (ugly but reliable), GS500 will all get you where you want with adequate promptness.

 

Restricting is a grey area. For a test you just need a certificate to say it's been done... but who's to judge this? You could just print one out at home. I got an ER5 as my first bike which oficially was 2KW over the 35KW limit, but was it really at 40K? Apparently the onus is on the owner to prove that their bike puts out less than the limit in the event of an insurance event (e.g. rolling road report) but it's one the pub lawyers will no doubt argue about for a long time.

 

Get a Suzuki GS500. Early nineties bikes are like early nineties cars; simple but the reliability was generally sorted by then 

[CreepingJesus]

Saw great thick chunks of ice slide of the top of a curtainside trailer entering a roundabout yesterday.

I was REALLY glad I was behind it rather than beside it. Worrying.

Jan 2011, I took a frozen load out. Dunfermline to Dumfries and Irvine, and back. I could see all that snow on top of the trailer, and it was going nowhere with the freezer set to -25°C. I set it to defrost after Irvine, and didn't even get to Kilmarnock before it came loose.

I went into a roundabout with the hazards on, having cleared a gap in the traffic. All clear, I clattered it off both kerbs to knock it off, and some twonk decided to undertake. Right under a 20' slab of icy snow. That woke him up.

Moral of the tale...look up!

 

@Dave b47: ECP have offered me 88° or 92° stats before. Summer and winter respectively. I've got an 88° one in just now, and that's plenty!

[phil_lihp]

Good advice chaps, thanks.  The whole kW power rating thing is highly confusing - this seems to be a new thing from the EU put in place last year.  Older GS500s do seem to be within budget so I'll keep an eye out.

 

The guy who did my CBT both times is a sound bloke and does the full range of tests, I'm not keen on forking out £500 on 4 solid days of Direct Access, I do know someone who has recently passed his test coming from a CBT and just practiced off-road beforehand but I'd definitely want at least a couple of hours tuition so I know what to expect.  I'll drop him an email.

[skattrd]

Right, I've spoken to a nice person in Swansea and they're sending me form V55/5.

Once I get the car over here I need to MOT it then send off V55/5 with some money for tax then they'll tax the car and issue a V5 at the same time, hopefully.

 

Next is finding out about customs and import duty etc.

 

Ok, for future reference, importing a car as I see it.

 

1. Bring car back - you do not need to declare or see customs on arrival at docks.

2. Fill in form C384 if it is from outside the EU or NOVA declaration if the car is currently registered in the EU.

3. Pay VAT/import duty (if from outside EU)

4. MOT the car

5. Complete form V55/5 and send back to DVLA with fee for RFL. Form V55/5 is not available online or from P.O. so you need to call DVLA and ask them to send you one.

 

If all goes well then DVLA check NOVA, see car is on there, issue a V5 and tax the car ...

 

Anyone with more experience in this than me feel free to add/update any info.

[M'coli]

Is it possible to wash the salt and road muck off of a car without removing the underlying grime? The salt's getting a bit thick but I don't want to disturb the stuff that's growing underneath it.

[twosmoke300]

Phill, get a big single trailee and come green laning with me . 2 bikes in one

[daveb47]

My son has a cheap 1984 Suzuki Gsx750 es. for sale,has mot,

[willswitchengage]

MZ Skorpion. 660cc Yamaha single. Made in East Germany.

 

or more practically speaking, I think Honda NTV650s come under the 47hp limit.

[willswitchengage]

Just taken my AS 2014 calendar down. What was the story behind the image on the front?

[Pillock]

What was the image on the front?

[M'coli]

TwoSavvy attempted a selfie in Linwood with the "Talbot" logo still on the railway bridge from when the Imp factory was still there.

[phil_lihp]

Phill, get a big single trailee and come green laning with me . 2 bikes in one

 

Had to Google that one and still not entirely clear, is this a particular type of off-road bike?

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys, Dave I might be interested when I'm ready to buy one (although that might not be for a couple of months), how much does he want for it?  NTVs are a good shout but possibly a little out of budget.  They seem to be durable though, one sold on Ebay recently with 183k miles on it!

[twosmoke300]

600 ish cc big single bike which is ( roughly) set up for off road . see aprillia pegaso , BMW f650 , Honda dominator , yam xt600 , suz dr650 etc.

Good road bikes too

[Minimad5]

Yes this has been covered elsewhere, but :
A) I can't find it
B ) I'm stupid, so need to ask, to ensure i know 'DA RULES'

Towing.
I passed my test in 2010, so as far as i am aware, the following applies to me:
 

Licences held from 1 January 1997

If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can:

• drive a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500kg MAM towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
• tow a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as the combined weight of the trailer and towing vehicle is no more than 3,500kg
  
  
  
  Feel free to call me stupid here, but that to me means i can tow a trailer of say 1000kg, with a car that weighs 1563.99, and still have 'room' so to speak, to put an rolling body on the back ?

[DS20]

Yes, that sounds right! Just make sure you're under 3,500kg in total. I think it varies from place to place, but here in Turnip's own county the polis are quite hot on checking licence entitlements on heavier car / trailer combinations (it is farming central though - your local lot may not be so excited by this).

 

PS

Do check the car's towing limit, though. IIRC my Range Rover is 3,500kg and the Lolvo is 2,000kg, so if you've a

largeish car it should manage a 1,000kg trailer plus rolling body.

[Sigmund Fraud]

One additional limitation is that the trailer/load combination must not weigh more than the empty car that tows it.

 

So you can only use your 1563.99kg car to tow a loaded trailer that weighs up to 1563.98kg. That is irrelevant of the car's towing limit.

[panhard65]

Had to Google that one and still not entirely clear, is this a particular type of off-road bike?

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys, Dave I might be interested when I'm ready to buy one (although that might not be for a couple of months), how much does he want for it?  NTVs are a good shout but possibly a little out of budget.  They seem to be durable though, one sold on Ebay recently with 183k miles on it!

I just bought a Honda NTV650 Deauville which is basically an NTV with a body kit. £500 with mot so there are some bargains out there. I also need to do the test but need a bit more practice on the 125 first. Then I will get in touch with the guy's I did my CBT with. They wanted to put me on a 500 for the CBT even though I hadn't riden a bike in years.