SatNav

[johan]

looks industrial, but makes perfect sense. 
 
I think I once saw that they also developed something similar to lock the clocks on the GS, which apparently is easy to remove and popular with tea leaves. Where would they get a market for stolen GS clocks?
 
I can't wait for contactless cards to be accepted at fuel pumps, or some sort of RFID means of payment so I don't have to get off my bike...

[wessie]

looks industrial, but makes perfect sense.  
I think I once saw that they also developed something similar to lock the clocks on the GS, which apparently is easy to remove and popular with tea leaves. Where would they get a market for stolen GS clocks?
 
I can't wait for contactless cards to be accepted at fuel pumps, or some sort of RFID means of payment so I don't have to get off my bike...

A friend works for Shell, oversees 40 outlets. It's a breach of H&S to sit astride the bike when fuelling. Staff aren't supposed to activate the pump until you get off, which is difficult to enforce if it is pay at pump. Search youtube - I won't post the link - if you want to see how it can go wrong when the fuel vapour coming out of the tank as petrol goes in ignites, and the rider can't get away easily whilst astride the bike. 
Shell are supposedly introducing a system to pay by Smartphone. I've had a number of arguments with the mate about whether they will actually get this to work, based on the reliability of their pay at pump machines, plus why not use the existing RFID system rather than reinvent the wheel.

[steve]

 It's a breach of H&S to sit astride the bike when fuelling. Staff aren't supposed to activate the pump until you get off,

I've only found this once at a supermarket pump, refused to release till I got off. I could well have caused an explosion on my own. 
I won't get off and refuel, my choice, I chose outlets that have pay at pump.
 
Smartphone payment, umm, don't they also try and stop you from using your phone near a pump.
 

[jimf]

It's a breach of H&S to sit astride the bike when fuelling. Staff aren't supposed to activate the pump until you get off, which is difficult to enforce if it is pay at pump.

 
Seriously? I almost never get off the bike when filling. Heck, I got a Mobil SpeedPass so I don't even have to take out my wallet most of the time. I guess even Massachusetts is not up to the nanny-stateness of the UK (but we're trying :-/ ).
 
I can see how you might get fuel all over yourself while sitting on the bike, but it's not like that isn't plenty easy standing next to the bike too. Maybe they're worried that you can't move quickly if there is ignition?
 
FWIW the metal insert on the FJ makes it a lot more annoying to fill than any other bike I've owned. It's very easy to get it to splash off that insert because the large hole is just barely bigger than the fuel nozzle (at least in the US model). I end up putting my face almost into the fuel ring just to see what it's doing.
 

[steve]

 (at least in the US model).

Ours are the same in the UK, suppose it's to save us from ourselves by not putting in Diesel.  

[Order66]

I don't mind the hole... I put the nozzle about 3/4 inch or so into it, and it auto-stops at pretty close to the top, close enough that I don't care. Sometimes I'll pull the nozzle out and let it flow slowly to fill up to the hole (if I know I'm going a long way), but I don't usually bother.

[johan]

I don't mind the hole... I put the nozzle about 3/4 inch or so into it, and it auto-stops at pretty close to the top, close enough that I don't care. Sometimes I'll pull the nozzle out and let it flow slowly to fill up to the hole (if I know I'm going a long way), but I don't usually bother.

I do exactly the same, I do usually fill it to the brim as I commute and it's annoying to stop on the commute. I have never been asked to get off the bike. I always remove my helmet.

[jimf]

I'm a fill it to the brim guy. You never know if that last few ounces of fuel is going to be what gets you to Northumberland NH because you were too stupid to refuel at lunch.

[wessie]

I like the fuel filler - it's the same as the S10. The hole is the right diameter for the UK unleaded nozzle (they made it narrower than the old 4* leaded fuel standard size to prevent people killing cats during the changeover period.) The holes mean air escapes easily as you get to the top so no nasty blow backs. If you want, on the mainstand it is easy to brim the tank as the air can escape.
 
On my BMW, the filler was deep and had no vents. Unless you drilled some holes yourself it was not easy to get the tank brimmed and you got some blow back if you had a pump with a slow to react cut-off, or if the cut-off was sensitive, you had to dribble the last few litres in.

[johan]

I'm a fill it to the brim guy. You never know if that last few ounces of fuel is going to be what gets you to Northumberland NH because you were too stupid to refuel at lunch.

Good idea for another tour, Hadrian's Wall and possibly over to Yorkshire. We need more Bank Holidays. Yes, I get you were probably referring to another place, but good idea nonetheless.

[wessie]

Haltwhistle is a nice little town to use as a base for a few days - I sometimes use it as a halfway stopover if heading for the Highlands. Not done that on the bike since owning my TDM850 in 1996-99, so due a revisit. Reims is 100 miles closer than Inverness though...

[jimf]

I'm a fill it to the brim guy. You never know if that last few ounces of fuel is going to be what gets you to Northumberland NH because you were too stupid to refuel at lunch.

Good idea for another tour, Hadrian's Wall and possibly over to Yorkshire. We need more Bank Holidays. Yes, I get you were probably referring to another place, but good idea nonetheless.

Pretty near everything in New England is named after someplace in Old England.  It's often amusing to hear you all talk about places and they mean something completely different to me. 
On the trip I was talking about there wasn't a single fuel stop for something like 60 miles.   I thought that with ~80 miles of fuel left I'd have no problem getting down into fuel-stops-aplenty-land, but one problem with planning trips on the iPad is that you can't necessarily tell how far away things are :-/.  The GPS pointed out a couple of stations, but they all looked like they'd been bombed out decades ago.  186 miles into the tank of my Daytona, a 4.1gal tank where I typically got 42mpg (you do the math), I finally found one that was actually open.  I can't remember how much fuel I put into it, exactly, but it was so close to the rated capacity of the tank that I must have been tenths of a mile from walking.
 
One of the things I really love about the FJ is the larger tank.  I got just over 180 miles to reserve on the one ride I have run it that deep; that's a lot better than the Daytona's 145.  I get pretty much the same 42mpg as the Daytona, despite the larger capacity engine, although admittedly with the engine still in break-in I'm being a bit less heavy-handed with the throttle.

[steve]

Good idea for another tour, Hadrian's Wall and possibly over to Yorkshire. We need more Bank Holidays. Yes, I get you were probably referring to another place, but good idea nonetheless.

Hadrian's wall came to mind when I read it too  

[johan]

Haltwhistle is a nice little town to use as a base for a few days - I sometimes use it as a halfway stopover if heading for the Highlands. Not done that on the bike since owning my TDM850 in 1996-99, so due a revisit. Reims is 100 miles closer than Inverness though...

I know, amazing how compact Europe is. My sister lives in Aberdeen and I do fancy a trip from Glasgow to Inverness and around the Cairngorms through the Highlands to Aberdeen. There is also Spain and I also promised myself I would drive back down to Cape Town. Maybe I should retire now...

[michaelb]

I have a Garmin 590lm mounted on a Telferiser mount (£25). This replaces one of the handlebar bolts and works very well. I also have the nav holder hard wired into the battery. The 590 recently came down to £450 which is why I bought it. Had a Tom Tom rider v2 for many years and used tyre.
Have 590 connected to my sena smh5 which has upgraded speakers inside my Shoei Neotec.
Works very well and I love the big screen. Not used Basecamp yet as only been local and I have been using the windy road functions which has led me to a lot of new roads.