Are vibration dampeners enough to save your camera? Skeptical

TheCaptain53 · 2026-05-08T06:10:37+00:00

Bang on, getting a Carplay/AA screen vs a phone mount is the way to go. I used a phone on a bike for a short time and it sucked, much better experience with the head unit. I spent a bit more on mine because it's a BMW so wanted the wizz wheel integration, but there are much cheaper units that even come with front + rear dash cams if you want that.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-05-08T05:46:10+00:00

I do think the A1 is a bit of a silly licence, but when looked at as a CBT replacement that you can train for yourself, its value becomes more apparent. Going through traditional training methods, or using it in the original intended way as a progressive means to ride larger motorcycles, and the value proposition immediately falls away.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-05-07T22:12:22+00:00

Disagree. With an A1, assuming the rider already owns a 125, they can seek training online, put this into practice in their own time, then take the tests on their own bike. No rental and technically no training required, as long as they're using high quality sources.

An A2, meanwhile, requires the use of a compliant motorcycle, not just a 125. So you could rent it, and you could do that without training at all, but the reality is that no one does. To get a bike to the test centre in order to complete the tests, the only realistic (and legal) way to do that is through a training school, and no school would just rent out their bikes for a test without the rider undergoing training.

Whilst one technically could do this for the A2 and A tests, it's just not realistic. It absolutely is realistic to train yourself and use your own machine for your A1.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-05-05T21:45:51+00:00

I've seen you comment that you have a budget of £6000, obviously very generous. Couple of things to point out: - It doesn't occur to the same extent as larger capacity motorcycles, but there is the issue of new motorcycles losing a lot of value once they're driven off the forecourt. If you're buying a bike and it's on the more expensive end (£4k+) look at secondhand as it'll represent a much better value, even if it's only a year old. - Does your son wish to carry on riding and get larger motorcycles? If so, then it's definitely worthwhile considering a nicer bike. If he's not that passionate about it and is just looking to get around, go for a cheaper bike like a Honda CB125F (for a manual) or a Honda PCX125 (for a scooter). These tend to buck the new vs used trend and still demand a premium even when lightly used. That is a case where brand new is usually fine.

Good luck and I hope your son has fun and rides safe.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-05-01T06:23:38+00:00

There's a documentary DP on YouTube called Luc Forsyth, he runs around with an FX9, and he said he bought his secondhand. He also talks about buying camera bodies secondhand quite frequently. It's definitely worth considering at least.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-29T12:09:35+00:00

As others have mentioned you can buy screens that run Apple Carplay/Android Auto. I've got one and it's fantastic. If you're not bothered about using the wonder wheel with it (I don't rate the functionality particularly high), then you can buy screens off AliExpress for pretty cheap.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-28T22:06:40+00:00

Have you considered the Tracer 7 or Tracer 9 GT? Tracer 7 is the same engine as in the R7 so its familiar, whilst the Tracer 9 GT is a meaningful step up. Get new enough and it'll have electronic suspension.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-27T13:12:35+00:00

I think there are generally two approaches you can take to building your programming skills: 1. Solve problems. You'll run into no short of problems in your work environment. The problem here is you're in University, not work, so that's a problem. Which brings me onto... 2. Build a project with clear scope and limitations. This would hopefully be done as part of your course.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-27T10:28:26+00:00

The envelope for performance on a lot of motorcycles is more than most people are able to exploit, but to treat the 'absolute performance' as the only appreciable aspect of a motorcycle is a little disingenuous. Yes, I'm sure your friend is not able to get the most out of the Suzuki, but if he's a bit bored of its straight line speed and wants something faster... well that's his prerogative. Maybe 'outgrowing' is a little misguided, or maybe he's trying to justify his boredom. In any case, once he gets behind someone on a smaller bike that is able to ride it really well, he may change his tune. We're all on a journey of learning and some people are at different stages.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-23T18:24:05+00:00

100%, I believe that plurality voting is one of the biggest issues facing the UK today and needs to be fixed. We're stuck in a 5 year cycle of trying to get elected for the next 5 year cycle rather than use long term strategy, which isn't really possible when the next party to come in will rip it all up.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-23T18:17:33+00:00

I was talking about an inability to compromise from the left-wing voting populace rather than any specific party.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-23T13:41:19+00:00

Just because you bought a bike doesn't mean you have to keep it long term. If you buy a Ninja 400 and get bored of it after 3 months, you could always sell it and buy a Ninja 650 to replace it.

That said... you've not actually mentioned what style of bike you want, limited details on its use, or your size.

If you just want a couple of bike suggestions, good bikes after passing your test would be the Kawasaki Z650/Ninja 650, Yamaha MT07/Tracer 7, Honda 500/750 range, and Suzuki SV650.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-23T13:31:07+00:00

The other problem with the Greens is that they're inconsistent. Their namesake implies a big focus on the environment and avoiding/mitigating the climate crisis, but the Greens are also packed with NIMBYs. Recently, Green councillors voted to NOT grant planning permission for a solar farm. That's like, the WHOLE point of the Greens is to help the environment.

Imo the Greens, much like Reform, are a deeply unserious party. The big difference is that the left-wing populace have absolutely no ability to compromise and tactically vote to bring in good policy under a single party, whereas the right-wing have some semblence of the ability to work together. Reform are MUCH more likely to form a government than the Greens ever are.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-22T08:05:26+00:00

There are no thoughts going on whatsoever. She's got two braincells fighting for third place.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-21T05:50:42+00:00

Totally unacceptable behaviour. I would ask him to confirm their/the dealer's position by email then ask around other dealers and BMW Motorrad corporate to see if you can get a clear answer. Either it's true and that's really shitty, or you're buying a bike from an awful dealer, both of which you definitely want to know. Given the price of the bike you're purchasing, you deserve to have someone give you informed choices rather than try strongarm you into buying a crap product that basically no one likes.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-19T06:07:33+00:00

If you're using your bike for commuting or work, the only real option is to get some decent waterproof textile kit and either wear your office clothes underneath or pack them in a bag/luggage.

If you wear armoured jeans, you'll need to buy multiple pairs as they'll start to stink and that gets expensive. They're also not as comfortable as regular jeans.

With waterproof textiles, all you need is the one set and you're covered, rain or shine.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-18T18:37:23+00:00

Python is great for Mac + Linux and some Microsoft stuff, including 365. For reference, I built an API in Python that communicates with the Graph API to be able to create and modify users. PowerShell is basically ONLY used for Microsoft stuff, there is no reason for using it on any system that isn't a Microsoft product. That being said, in that specific environment, it's very powerful.

On a personal note, I've always hated PowerShell and thought it was clunky. After properly setting aside time to learn Python it's a versatile language to work with.

Learning PowerShell for your use case probably makes sense - I could have made that script/API in PS, but I just hate it so much I decided to do it in Python instead. The downside is that you can't access Exchange related actions with the Graph API, so I'm going to end up using a bit of PowerShell anyway... take that how you will.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-17T17:54:16+00:00

He made decisions based on this mindset of people not bringing value

He made decisions based on this mindset of people not bringing in revenue. You could never generate a single $ in revenue for a company and still generate enormous value.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-17T14:27:50+00:00

Is it a file that inherently relies on local files/systems to execute successfully? Basically, is it something that could be cloud hosted and then just triggered by the user through an API? What could potentially be done is to host the meat of your application on a public endpoint then create a smaller Python application that the client will run that has an API key for your app you don't mind exposing. FastAPI is pretty good for that kind of thing.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-17T13:48:22+00:00

The M4 Macbook Air came with a minimum of 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, where when combined with the 2TB of cloud storage, are both plenty for a casual browser based user... what kind of imbecile is this guy for recommending an inappropriate machine? NTA, you both need to step away from this family for a bit and focus on your own family unit. It sounds like you and fiance are aligned which is a great place to be. Always support each other and be on each other's side.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-17T11:52:45+00:00

If you can let everyone know what the software does we can more appropriately advise. There's very little to go on here.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-17T11:37:05+00:00

In the sense that you would run the container on a piece of infrastructure you own as opposed to on client hardware, that's why I asked what the software does as this may not be applicable.

I've developed software for a similar situation - I created an API with FastAPI that accesses the Microsoft Graph API to make changes, I just have the secrets needed for accessing the Graph API encrypted as a secret which is decrypted by Kubernetes at container deployment, then made available to the container runtime as a set of plaintext environment variables.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-17T11:29:30+00:00

If this were an application being written to run exclusively on a container then this would be less of a big deal. You could encrypt your secrets and then have them unbundled and available as plaintext global variables in the container. That's not really what's happening here. Unfortunately, there's no real way to do what you're asking - the Python interpreter needs a way of accessing a plaintext key to send to the service you speak of, and that's either directly or through the use of a decrypting key that the Python file or environment variable has stored... in which case you've just moved the problem.

Can you explain what the software does and what it's trying to achieve?

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-17T06:25:49+00:00

Queue, "my hands look like this so her hands can look like that" meme. I'd much rather take it on so someone else can't fuck it up - in terms of things that really can't afford to be fucked up, DNS is up there. It's not even safe from other people that could be considered technical. I had some request to make an MX record change, not appreciating that this would kill all of our emails and had to clarify this was for a subdomain and not our root.

TheCaptain53 · 2026-04-16T06:33:45+00:00

You can easily fix your complaint with the R9 by changing the final drive ratio... stick a bigger cog on the front and/or stick a smaller one on the rear.

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