List of available Encyclopedias in Darlington Central Motorcycle Club:

· Bike won't start?
If your bike won't start but it was ok a few hours ago. It might just have been some pesky kids fiddling. As well as checking the kill-switch, also check that the bike is not in gear.

· Easy on waterproofs
When putting on waterproof trousers or a suit have a carrier bag handy to put over your boot. It will let the waterproofs slide on easily and stop the mud and water getting on the inside.

· Stop petrol drips
To stop petrol spilling on your bike after filling your tank with fuel, rotate the filler nozzle on the hose through 180 degrees while still holding it over the filler hole, then take it away to put back on the pump. The petrol then runs back down the hose rather than dripping on your paintwork.

· Disk lock reminder
If you don't have a disk lock reminder, the best thing to do when locking your bike is to wheel the bike forward so that the disk lock is touching the back of your forks. That way when if you forget to take it off when you get back on, when you let out the clutch your bike will not move and you will remember that the lock is on.

· Blast out the water
If you don't have access to a pneumatic airline, get a aerosol of air (airduster) from your nearest maplin, computer or phtographic store. You can use this to remove the water from the nooks and crannies on your pride and joy. It works great, speeding up the drying and cleaning process and stops the standing water rusting the hard to get at parts.

· Buff love
When riding in warm weather wear your Buff as a balaclava. Why? Because it holds your ears flat, making, donning and removing you helmet easier, and keeping your ear plugs in place, and plus it?ll stop your stubble damaging the helmet lining.

· Car lock the garage
Park your car very close to the garage where you keep your bike. Then if someone wants to steal the bike they need to break into and move the car first. Just one more deterrent.

· Laying your bike up for Winter
At this time of year when you have cleaned your bike and put it away for winter don't forget your chain. Soak a rag in WD40 and clean the chain thoroughly then apply a coating of engine oil. Wipe off any excess oil and adjust the chain, then it is ready for the spring. Remember not to use WD40 on stainless exhaust systems as over time it stains them a horrible dull yellow colour. Instead use something like Motorex Protect and Clean spray.

· Bad starting? Check your battery
If your starter motor is suddenly sluggish one morning even after a run out the previous day, or the battery doesn?t seem to be charging or holding it?s charge very well; don?t rush out and buy a new battery. Oxidising between the contact areas causes very poor conductivity. Take off each lead (+ve and -ve) and clean the connector and the battery post, reconnect and smear with grease.

· Get it right when you?re abroad
When riding in Europe or anywhere where they drive on the right hand side, just remember the golden rule; Throttle in the gutter

· Finding that misfire
If you have a hard to find misfire, run your bike in total darkness. Close the garage door and switch the light off and you may see all those little sparks jumping to earth.

· Practice on track
A well-organised track day will let you practice the art of throttle, brake and cornering in relative safety, improving your riding on the road. Oh and you'll grin for a week afterwards!

· Slippery passengers
To ensure your pillion feels safe whilst out riding with you, buy some non slip wonder web from your local DIY store, cut it to fit your pillion seat and see how much more safe your pillion will feel. This idea makes such a difference to the pillion and rider as your rear seat passenger will never slip forward under braking again.

· Blind right-hand bends
Don't hug the white line in the centre of the road when taking a blind right hand bend, your head could be directly in line with that tractors headlamp. Stay as far over to the left as possible until you can see through the corner, but be careful not to get caught out by the loose stuff at the edge of the road.

· Be prepared to stop
Always remember that you must be able to stop within the distance you can see or you won't be able to stop in time in the inevitable emergency.

· Dry your screws
In order to keep socket head screws from rusting when their heads retaining water after washing or riding in rain, I use a cotton bud to dry the moisture out. Or even better, you could dampen the bud with WD40 first. I buy Tesco's value buds cheaply from the baby-care section.

· Watch the hedges
The best way to make sure you enjoy the country roads is to watch the direction of the bordering hedgerows. This will allow you to gauge the direction the road is going when you can't see the road ahead. These old country lanes always have bordering hedges and using this technique enables you to set yourself up for the next corner and gives you lots of confidence.

· On your bike
An easy way to improve your skills on a bike is to ride to work. Getting out of the car or off public transport and onto a bike makes the journey an adventure. It also hones you skills and makes weekend blasts more fun as you are already familiar with the bike. Being in a car dulls your awareness and senses, on the bike you arrive invigorated and buzzing, even if your journey is a short City commute.

· Stop key scratching
To stop your keys scratching your yoke, put the ignition key on a spring loaded key ring (the type that is designed to fit in a belt loop). When you ride the bike just unhook it from the key ring and put the rest of your keys in you pocket.

· Cheap waterproofs
If you want a cheap alternative to expensive waterproof over-suits you should try your local camping shop or agricultural suppliers. I bought a two piece suit in cotton backed plastic (absolutely no chance of leaks) for £9.95. My suppliers also have a Padded one piece Nylon oversuit available - keeps the winter chill out and goes right over the top of your leathers for just £29.95. So if staying warm and dry for little outlay is what you want try your local camping shop or find out where the farmers go shopping.

· The basics of slowing down
Smooth progressive braking is another skill of safe riding and one that you should strive to develop. There are three main ways of slowing the bike down: 1) Deceleration - Often called Engine braking far more noticeable on twins and singles than four-cylinder bikes. Done smoothly it provides a steady and smooth braking effect. 2) Gears ? Changing down through the gears can be used in conjunction with deceleration, but do it too aggressively and too quick and the rear wheel will lock up. To avoid this rev the engine to match the road speed before releasing the clutch. 3) Brakes ? The easiest way to slow down, but be too aggressive and the wheels will slip out from under you. Stick to these three basic rules and you should never get it wrong: i) Try to remain upright when braking, ii) Give yourself plenty of time to brake, and iii) Adjust your braking to the road surface you are on i.e. wet conditions require more sensitive use of the levers.

· Conscientious filtering
When filtering through traffic on a slow moving motorway or dual carriageway, check your mirrors occasionally. If there is another bike behind you it probably means he would like to filter faster than you so let him passed.

· Position to see and be seen
Most motorcyclists make the common mistake of travelling far too close to the vehicle in front. Not only do you make the driver of the vehicle in front uneasy but you also put yourself at risk of sucking soup through a straw in the local A&E Dept. This particularly applies to goods vehicles. You need to make sure they are aware of your presence because if you can't see the driver in the mirrors, he can't see you.

· Squeaky boots
If you?ve got squeaky Sidi Vertebra boots there is no need to go hunting for that can of WD40 to shut them up. Squirt a bit of normal household furniture polish down the back of the moving plates, wiggle them up and down a bit and that should take care of the squeak.

· Anti-tamper tax disk
If you want to stop low-lives nicking your tax disc but don't want to pay for an expensive bolt-up holder, try gluing the tax disc in to a cheap holder with spray-mount, or even super-gluing the screw-on cover on, and then buy a new £2 holder every year when you replace your tax.

· Postal packing
If you are going away anywhere on the bike for a while, carrying all the luggage can be a pain. If you have a final destination where you are staying (i.e. Hotel or B&B), pack all your shreddies, trainers and t-shirts in a box and post them to the hotel, for your attention, a couple of days before you leave. It?s best to let the hotel know as well. Keep the box and then when you go home post them back to yourself. This is good if the wife is with you because then she can pack as much as she likes, including the kitchen sink, if she wants to pay for the postage that is.

· Safer paddock stand operation
When working on a bike without paddock stand bobbins, on a job that does not require the rear wheel to be removed. Instead of using the cups on the stand to raise the swing arm, obtain a rod the diameter of the cup holders and long enough to go all the way through the rear spindle and into each side of the paddock stand (I bought mine from B&Q for a £1). Then use this to mount the bike on the stand. There is no fear of the stand slipping along the swingarm nor the bike falling off. It is also a simple one-man operation to get the bike on the stand.

· Shop around to save cash
Every year despite gaining another year NCD your insurance goes up. Or only falls by a small amount. Apart from the various changes to underwriting each insurance company makes there are other discounts you should be aware of. 1) Most companies offer a discount to new policy holders (usually about 10%). You don't get this on renewal. 2) Most companies also set a minimum amount your policy should fall on renewal. So you should get say £100 reduced off your premium but with the minimum you may only get £50. I recommend to everyone that they move insurance companies each year. Or at least phone around. I saved £300 on my insurance this year by phoning around and then contacting my current insurance broker who promptly reduced my premium. Won't always work but worth a check.

· Cheap rim protectors
Rim protectors for when your changing a tyre can cost upwards of £2.50 each. The cheaper alternative is to cut up an old ice-cream tub into strips that you can either tape to the underside of your tyre levers or just slip between the rim and the lever. They may not last as long as the £2.50 items but you should get about a dozen or so rim protectors out of the average Tesco Ice Cream tub and they are free.

· Quick route check
When going on a long trip write down town names and road numbers on a label and stick it to the headstock on your bike. It makes an easy quick reference and saves stopping all the time to check the map.

· Semi-tinted visors
Instead of using a piece of electrical tape across the top of your visor as a sunscreen, as some people have suggested. Have a look in your local yellow pages and find a car window tinting firm and ask them if you can have an off-cut. Give the inside of your visor a clean then stick the film to the inside towards the top. You now only need to tilt your head up or down a bit to be shielded from the sun and it saves you having to swap your tinted visor to a clear one at night.

· 20:20 hindsight
Ever wanted to see what was behind you, but found your mirrors too smudged to see? The best cure for this is when you wash your bike. Use a little vinegar in warm water to wipe over your mirrors, preferably use newspaper or some 'blue roll' - anything coarse - this should stop smears and smudges and make looking out for those unwanted 'tails' a whole lot easier!

· Disposable Laundry
When you tour on your bike if you pack old t-shirts, socks, and pants you can bin them at the end of each day rather than keeping all your dirty laundry. The further you go the less there is in the panniers and the more room there is for cheap booze and fags on the way back.

· Tinted visor storage
If you have a tinted insert that fits sticks to the inside of your visor and easy way to store it when riding at night is simply to stick it to the inside of the screen on your bike. That way it is always there when you need it and it doesn?t take up any storage space.

· Dirt bikes
After washing your trusty mud plugger, try using some silicone spray (as used for easing drainage pipes together, available from builder?s merchants). Not only does it make your bike look brand new, but when power washing your bike down at the end of the day the crud just flies off

· Sun strip
A strip of black electrical tape across the visor will shade the eyes when riding into a low sun or headlights. Cut a piece of tape and stand in front of a mirror, so you can stick it to your visor just above your usual line of sight.

· Motorway overtaking
When riding behind a vehicle that you can't see past in an overtaking lane on a motorway or dual-carriageway, don't open the throttle as the vehicle pulls out of your way. Wait until you can see past it. It may be changing lane to avoid a queue in front of it - a queue that you may hit if you open the taps.

· Paddock stand technique
When placing your bike on a rear paddock stand, use a bungee strap to hold the front brake on by wrapping it around the lever and the grips. This will stop your bike rolling forward as you lift it onto the stand.

· Baby oil buff
When cleaning plastics around the rear number plate and instrument clusters use baby oil, you only need a very small amount and it makes the plastic look as good as new.

· Always arrive in the right gear
Avoid slowing to the point where the gear you are in becomes ineffective. Always shift down to match your speed. This is important when filtering to the front of a queue of traffic and reaching the front just as the lights change. The second it takes to find the right cog will no doubt have the car behind on his horn. It's even more important when filtering between stationary lines of traffic. If it all starts to move, the right gear will allow you to get out of there before the gaps shrink.

· Don't get fobbed off
To stop the your alarm fob scratching the top yoke, or flapping around in the wind and breaking I have stuck a small spot of Velcro to the back of the fob and another to the yoke. I then attached the ignition key to the fob with a bit of string long enough to reach between the Velcro on the yoke and the ignition barrel and it no longer flaps about.

· Easy on rucksack
There is nothing worse than trying to get the rucksack straps over your leathers or waterproofs. So when you buy a rucksack, also buy one of those replacement black plastic 'luggage strap' fasteners. Cut one of your straps near the bottom and sew in the fastener. Then when it comes to putting your rucksack strap on, unclick the fastener, place uncut strap on one shoulder and pull over and click into place the altered strap on the other shoulder. No straining or ripping of clothing.