Sat Nav - what's that all about?

The dictaphone - always reminds of the old gag.

"Can I use your dictaphone?"
"No, use the grey plastic thing on the desk, like everyone else has to ! "

Me neither. Maybe we shouldn't meet up for a ride sometime soon.

The satnav has its place. Quite often, quite literally, I'd be lost without it. But occasionally that is the objective of going for a ride. So sometimes its rightful place is at home.

As someone who doesn't want to hear the dulcet tones of whatever euro voice is programmed into the thing, I find an appropriate mounting position (steady on) is essential but often difficult to achieve. It's a pity more bikes don't have a bar over the instruments - à la GS - for such a purpose.

Anything that makes you take your eyes off the road while riding is hazardous to some degree. I'm amazed that someone hasn't yet developed an audio-only satnav giving very precise instructions.

I'd happily sacrifice a visual aid for audio only guidance carrying very detailed instructions - either by always offering street names in town, or, in rural areas, instructions like, "sharp left hand 60 degree bend coming up in 500 metres. 350 metres after this bend take a right turn on to the B5605 - signpost marked Wyre Piddle. 400 metres after taking this turn you will pass Piddle Farm . . .'

If you wanted ultra detail but little peace and quiet you might upgrade to the acute hazard warning version ' . . . you will pass Piddle Farm which has a hidden entrance on your right. Cattle travel this road regularly and you should be wary of live beasts and hazardous surface materials . . .'

Yup. Especially the last one ;)

Interesting stuff Rocca. It would indeed be an fascinating debate; I think a constant stream of images/info from 'scenes' outside the normal observation range of a rider would take a hell of a lot of adjusting to. I doubt I could do it without a concentrated retraining of the way my mind works.

Even if I could, would the processing of so much more info add to or detract from the enjoyment of riding? For some, I suspect, it would be enjoyable, for others a distraction from the sensory 'thrills' of being out on a bike.

I also enjoy the degree of calculated risk that springs from pitting my own observation/anticipation and general riding skills against the frequent hazards faced on any trip. Losing that subjective judgement would, for me, lessen the pleasure of riding.

But in exercising risk assessment, my choice would be to avoid anything that tempted me to take my eyes from the road. Glances at the speedo are unnecessary for me in town - where, arguably, most hazards await, because I know what 30mph feels like, as many other drivers do.

In non-built-up areas, glances at the speedo/rev counter are less risky, imo. Of course there is the argument that the 'stress' of getting lost in a strange city (and subsequent risks such stress entails) is outweighed by using a satnav.

I'm not against them, but would always use just the audio service. If I needed to look down for more than a second to check an instruction, I'd be more likely to pull over and get my bearings before setting off again.

As I mentioned earlier, a detailed audio-only service would suit me fine.

As with many factors for drivers, personal choice and the degree of risk you are willing to accept would, I believe, be the decider.

Vikingbike, welcome to Ash On Bikes (But Mainly On Multistrada).

If that's a Zumo 550 you're trying to communicate with, I can tell you from personal experience that BT to phone and (BT) earpiece does work (although it can be a bit flaky). Check that you've got the latest firmware for the Zumo as there were some improvements made. Also, it's been a while since I bothered with the BT functions but I seem to remember that the connection success depended to an extent on the order in which the devices were paired (think I had to pair the earpiece first, which incidentally is a Scala).

Regarding bike-booze similes, I had the 1250 figured for a pint of Guinness myself. Consistent, travels well, velvety smooth (with plenty of body). And, of course, indisputably good for you.

Other selections from the (handle)bar:

Ducati 916: bottle of Bollinger
Vincent Black Shadow: vintage Châteauneuf du Pape
Old-school BMW boxer: Theakston's Old Peculier
Curent BMW boxer: pint of Tetley's Smoothflow
Yamaha RD: 2 litre plastic bottle of Diamond White on a park bench
FS1E: alcopops handed round the crèche.

I'll dip into your posts btw and get rid of those empty boxes with the question mark in.

As a young man I read this straight after finishing the seminal "Honda CG125 K1, B, D, E models - 1976 on" (Haynes, 1981).  What a let down to find after 418 pages that Mr Pirsig dodges the key issue: how exactly do you set the carb float chamber height?  Whereas the Haynes, of course, is a gripping page turner from the tense opening scenes of "General Overview and Chassis" to the tragic dénouement of the final chapter "Wiring Diagrams".  For years I've been trying to buy the film rights.  I'd have Harry Dean Stanton cast in the role of the CG: stoic, mulish, a bit frayed about the edges but guaranteed to get you there in the end.

But if it's pure Zen Buddhism enlightenment you're after, there's no need to look any further than under the CG's seat where ye shall find all ye seek in the opening lines of the Honda owner's manual (Nirvana included with bike at no extra charge!):

WELCOME, The motorcycle presents you a challenge to master the machine, a challenge to adventure.  You ride through your wind to higher state of human being linked to the road by a vehicle that responds to your commands as no other does. Unlike automobile, there is no metal cage between you and stars. Like an airplane, a pre-ride inspection and pilot high on skill are essential to your safety. Your reward is freedom. To meet the challenges safely, and to enjoy adventure fully, remember to only use approved Honda lubricating product.

About as confused as I was I think... Okay, I've taken off the sidepanel, poked around some wires whose purpose I didn't know, wiggled some terminals, put it back together again and now it seems to work, at least for a non-admin log in I tried, which I discovered also had the same missing green blob as you.

If you're permanently logged in, can you log out then log in again, and hopefully the green symbol will only baffle with its obscurity rather than its absence. If it still doesn't appear I might have to take the tank off and wiggle some more important looking parts.

I can't make the file attachment link go away, but don't use that (whatever you do, DON'T TOUCH THE RED BUTTON!).

You missed out corrupting...

Exhaustive technical analysis of the file attachment problem (I've tried it: it doesn't work) leads me to the conclusion that it's bust for me, too. The green wotsit is there, but avails of no "upload" button. The file attachment link teases with a preview of the desired image, only to disappoint by saving a wholly non-compliant blue cross within a blank square.

I've thumbed through all available Haynes manuals and can only suggest disconnecting the battery, then leaving it 5 minutes before reconnecting and giving it another try.

If that fails, see if you can chop it in as a p/x towards something decent tomorrow morning ("Honest, it was running fine when I rode it here......").

Bit too much stream of consciousness trickling through on this site now ;)