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"Argueing with an Engineer is like wrestling a pig in mud. After an hour you realise the pig enjoys it" Anon Andy

You're quite right, Andy, of course. I work(ed) with a whole bunch of engineers in the race team. Clever men, one and all. Bloody clever. I only had to ask for something and they would set to and make it. They knew exactly what grade of what material to use and how much they could get the weight down to. An inspiration. But, every now and then, they'd be struggling with a task on a bike and I would step in and do it easily. And I would rub it in by declaring "Yeah, you ****ing engineers are alright in your place - but some jobs need a mechanic!" (Oh, how they would laugh.. ) So, j

I am an engineer and it's definitely true...oh no it isn't.....oh yes it is.... exit stage left to join Monty Python's argument sketch

Too true, ,Andy, too true. They would frequently talk for two hours to decide the right way to do a five minute job. If you could get them to discuss it, over coffee, in the office you could frequently have it done before they emerged! One rider, new to the team, once asked "Christ, do they always **** about like this?" "Oh no" we told him "They've sharpened up a lot since you came on board!!". I wouldn't have missed it for the world - but I'm not going back. It's 'over Rover'..

An engineer is possibly the last person you want for repairs. You want it fixed, not in bits pending a total redesign! We can't get good engineers or mechanics because of this language barrier. The bright kids think they'll end up mending washing machines so go to university to study Pop Idle and Big Brother Media Diversity instead. The clever hardworking practical kids think they'll be stuck in a classroom for years so take jobs at PPI call centres as Claims Attribution Discovery Managers. In Germany you can see a clear structure where the senior technicians have earnings and resp

They have no engineers there. None, zero. An engineer is someone who understands the fundemental principles and can work from these to a new, functional mechansim or structure. Honda dealers employ mechanics and possibly technicians. I bet you don't call your hair dresser doctor because they cut bits off you with scissors? You must be a dentist yourself as I assume you brush stuff off your teeth? Your accountant puts stuff through the till at Tesco's? These are all vital jobs and don't think I am denegrating anyone, but confusing the job functions is why we get such poo

I replaced both fronts on my 750 last week - it's dead easy - I had the same - 1 bearing had failed due to water ingress, the other was fine. I also changed my headstock bearings for a Taper Roller conversion as they had become 'notchy; (48k miles) - not such an easy job, getting the lower cup out required some 'special tool makeage' but the result is well worth it.... Cheers, Mike.

No, if you look at the link, kindly provided by Alan, in the above post you'll see that both bearings are the same part number.

Correct, Richard. Ask for the double sealed type. (Some are only sealed on one side). A bearing supplier will know what you mean.

Couldn't agree more, I am married to an engineer . Sorry but that made me laugh so hard!!

Did I say otherwise but I would still prefer a good official dealer every time.

Worst than that. It was the 18 year old tea boy experiencing his first hangover....(it was a Saturday morning) I almost asked his age as it looked like child labour!

You can take your bike to any registered mechanic to have the oil changed using OEM parts. EU Law is clear on that and it does not invalidate the warranty. My bike has done its 16k now and I need to get the valves checked, so will do it myself as "A" I can do it and "B" I have the tools and most importantly "C" I am a cheap bugger and prefer to get my hands dirty!

Ah, PoppetM, it's a guy thing. Male babies pop out of the womb knowing about oil change intervals.

They admitted they hadn't touched it. Put immediate refund through without argument when I argued the chain tension and wheel alignment. Bike was still parked at the daft angle I had left it at (my parking skills have improved BTW ) . Even the husband commented it looked like it hadn't moved when he dropped me off to fetch it. So unless it's done by molecular transfusion... As said above I am novice - how was I to know that's an important thing? No one else I knew at that point had a bike so could offer advice? They hadn't offered to take it in and flush it out and actually do t

You mean you want to go against 25 years of Internet tradition??

Hi Garth, welcome aboard. I'm so sorry to hear your new bike has let you down. DCT problems are very rare and I certainly can't help in that respect, but have you talked to your dealer about a loan bike until yours is fixed? Such a problem at just 18 days old really isn't good enough. You bought it because you need reliable transportation - and that's what you should have. Good luck!