Wednesday Evening 3 September

Eeeekkkkkk, September already!
This will be one of the last of the year.

Meet usual place, usual time but, with the nights drawing in, a shorter ride. May stop for chips in Goudhurst, but will get back to my neck of the woods for about 2100 in time for a swift pint.

I know it's the first Wednesday of the month and The Halfway House beckons, but those lanes are very dark after 2000 now, and I'm frightened of the dark .

By the way, dark visors are a this time of year.

 

Sorry Jim
Can't do as we are off to the Route Napoleon Wed am with the ZX14 forum
Ray & Ali

 

Have a great trip. Some of the best biking roads in Europe, if not the world.

 

Hmmm …. the last one eh?

 

One of the last. May be able to squeeze a couple more in this year.
Depends on the weather, sunny = stays lighter later.

 

all being well and if the roads are dry i should be there!

 

Weather is looking good for Wednesday, nice and sunny, which should keep it light enough to get a ride in before darkness falls.

 

If no firm response to this by 1400 tomorrow I'll head out earlier.
No point in wasting the sunshine.

Anybody?

 

Sorry, that sounded a bit terse! But:

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:"

 

Sorry I can't make this one, my new clutch cable hasn't arrived yet and I ran out of adjustment on old one on my last ride out, which has decided to take on the molecular structure of elastic. I hope there will still be a chance of getting out on 1 or 2 more before the close of season

 

No probs, Leila: bring your books and we'll all pitch in to help. The plan will be done before you know it.

 

I agree Leila, it's very difficult to do a lesson plan on a motorcycle. I find the tank just isn't flat enough!

Anyway, some have found my reference to 1400 a little confusing. I meant getting a response by then, not to leave by then!
Even I'm not lucky enough to skive off that early on a work day .

Because of secret communications about this ride the start time is still 1830 at the moment.
If you are attending and can make it earlier post here.

Thanks

Jim

 

It all came together in the end! Nice little run around Surrey, Kent and almost into East Sussex with NijaBob, TheBlondeFella and PanigaleDave. Thanks for your company gents.

Beautiful evening doing some roads I know well and some I didn't know at all! Sorry about the "anchors on" moment at Friars Gate on the Ashdown, the turn off came a bit quicker than I anticipated . Lucky there was a get out clause eh? Put it down to a JimJim moment.

The kebab bar at Newenden ( N E W E N D E N Steve!) came to the rescue after discovering the mobile chipshop wasn't at Goudhurst. Boo! Pity we couldn't do the road between Rolvenden and Newenden because of a closure. I love that bit of road.

Evening nicely finished off with a beer and natter, most of which seemed to be about how old I am. Perfick .

 

And a good time was had by all who attended OLD chap.

 

Fun in the sun and the Kebab Bar in Newenden produced some particularly well cooked chips with a tomatoey tomato sauce washed down by a can of Pepsi's finest - so it was worth all that silly riding stuff to get there.

I have sent Dave a text about being plagued all evening by his equipment failures and he took it quite well - quickly replying "b*(locks".

Perhaps next Wednesday you could find us a motorway route down there to save time.

Nice to see my "cast off" brake pads working well at Friar Gate although I do not normally like to mount the rider in front.

The ride back in the dark enabled Steve (blondfella) to impress us with his custom headlight conversion he acquired from (unbolted) from a downed Police Helicopter. Those wishing to purchase one for their own machines may inquire here:

http://www.spectrolab.com/searchlights/products/prod_sx16_ns_ifco_enh.html

he managed to make my HJ09 Light Sensitive Pinlock Lens Insert go dark just from the reflection back from my mirrors causing me "dark visor under the trees syndrome".

More silly riding stuff unsurprisingly brought us to hostelry not 75 yards from Jimbo's Care Home and after drinking two pints of their finest ale and despite Jim's "lets have another for the road" protestations we continued on home at a sedate pace.

Till the next one

 

DAMN YOU WORK.......DAMN YOU TO HELL

 

You're arm chair old have fitted in well with the other two rocket propelled armchairs Jim and Bob were riding too