Help for a biking newbie :)

[Dogmatick]

Hi, so I finally grew up and bought myself a shiny new Black 700 - my first ever bike.

Now I know that this is all going to be common every day stuff for you guys but it's all a little perplexing for somone who knows no one with a bike to ask and I'm sure some of this will be how long's a piece of rope type stuff. If there's already a thread somewhere I'd appreciate being pointed to it.

I had a Scottoiler fitted from new which seems to keep the chain well lubed, someone told me that if I touch the chain and some oil comes onto my hand then it's enough. What I was wondering is how often should I be cleaning the chain ?

Am I right in thinking that the oil should be checked when hot and left to stand for a while, is anyone else finding the the oil cap an absolute pig to get off ? I'm six five and have xxxl gloves, it's a painfull nightmare without pliers !

Chain tension, do I check it all the time ? How often do people find the need to tighten up.

Has anyone found any improvement in using 97 Octane, found myself at a pump with only that and so used it, haven't pushed it all through to be able to report.

Does anyone else of my sort of height have the SWMotech crashbars, it looks like there'll be no room for my long legs And is there anything in particular I should know before getting their bar raisers ?

One I have learned myself is that the local petrol station air pump stated 29PSI, the handheld I just bought pointed out it was actually 23..... Such an increase in roadnoise...

For anyone considering fitting the full Honda alarm, mine keeps going off even after revisits to a dealer. It turned out that HISS gave me the max discount on the insurance anyway so unless you think you really really need it then don't bother.

Finally and they deserve a mention, I bought my bike from Branson's in Yeovil from Mike. Incredibly helpful gave me an untouchable deal and meant that I had an awesome ride home to London straight off. Much better than Chiswick Honda who left me standing for 25 minutes before an uninterested chap walked over and said - I quote - 'What do you want?'....

Thanks in advance for any and all advice, and StumpyFingers yes I'll be swapping out those Deathwings as soon as I possibly can !

[StumpyFingers]

I will try and answer your queries.
With an oiler the chain does not need cleaning unless you go off road.

The engine should be warm so after a run allow 5 minutes with the bike level, I need pliers to loosen my cap as well.
Chain tension should be checked every 600 miles and adjusted as required.
Normal fuel is best it is what the engine is setup for.
I used 98 in France for one fill, a mistake on the automatic card payment. MPG not effected at all. Always carry a tyre pressure gauge you can trust and use it for the checks.

Oh and enjoy your new toy, and get some picture for the hordes to admire..

[Dogmatick]

Stumpy Fingers thanks mate for your advice. She's (bikes are female right?) going in for her 600 tomorrow so I'll get them to do the first lot, coz frankly I'm lazy

You're right though the 97RON made no diff whatsoever

Am having loadsa fun finding all the various bits you can stick on a bike...

New shiny toys, my precious my precious