What Made Me Smile today ...........................????

Unless we emigrate we have to use what we have and hope things improve.

Some of the rides I've had in England this year have been great fun. Not the Picos or the Eiffel or Provence but certainly better than some other activities I may have been roped into otherwise .

 

It's all about when and where you ride in the UK - lay in bed on a Sat/Sun morning and start a ride at 11:00 am and you might as well go out in the car because that is what you are going to be doing - sitting in traffic. Go out at 08:00 or even earlier and you will have clear roads for a few hours to enjoy yourself. Summer evenings after 19:00 and the traffic pretty much disappears and you can have a fantastic unfettered ride covering great distances in a short time.

Ride the A272 on a Sunday or any of the approaches to the usual biker haunts and expect to incur the wrath of the local plod as well as having to dart in and out of day trippers.

France can be very good but the Gendarmerie in certain parts are taking a dim view of English motorcyclists belting down their "N" Roads at close to 100mph when the limit is 90kmh (56mph). Anything over 120kmh and your bike can be impounded and licence taken off you with a massive fine. I know of (only through forum posts) four people who have had this happen to them - two of them on the Route Napoleon - they had to return with a van and alternative driver to recover their bikes.
The French now know that English bikers get off the tunnel and immediately turn to the coast at Sangatte to ride the D940 so that road is now staked out at times. I now take an alternative route where I doubt the locals see the Gendarmes from one end of the month to the next.

I did the Picos a few years ago and although it is a beautiful area I thought the Spanish motorists had a real hatred of bikers and engaged in some positively dangerous tacticts in expressing their dislike.

Having done the Eiffel this year I am determined to return next year - certainly some of the best roads I have done in a while and cheap prices for accomodation and food - much friendlier than France.

I wouldn't write off the UK yet as far as biking is concerned - just bear in mind IMO the "golden days" of motorcycling/motoring may be drawing to close - make the best of it!

 

The wife finally selling her car

 

I FEEL FANTASTIC TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thats more like it

 

Whatever it is, I want some !

 

Took the Bird in for it's MOT, he said bluudy ell you keep this clean, whistled over it and done me for £29.
Yep .. then he said go on take out in this sunshine not got much longer. So I did.

 

so what did Mega give you for £29 ?...or is it just the accent thats thrown me off

 

Do you mean, tongue in cheek?

 

Yes I must admit I had a early fantastic morning ride to Sandgate a couple of months ago.... But goodness, get off the ferry at Portsmouth, hit the traffic and it saps the will to live, let alone ride .

Surprised on what you said with the Spanish around the Picos, I found them to be slow and doddery (bit like Jimbo) except he's not slow My only gripe was their positioning at roundabouts and inability to use indicators when stopping or turning. The traffic light speed calming that the Spanish use and hidden speed traps really has slowed the drivers down in the same way it has in France.... Difference is the Spanish stick to towns and villages where the French go for the Brits on open country roads as well.

Still marvelling at a day of riding 100 miles in Cantabria and only encountering 2 cars

 

This is first of two things that has me grinning, in the order of occurrence!!

This:


That is a new gearbox for my fireblade. Hopefully it will have a fourth gear that isn't as noisy as mine. Three weeks time it is engine removal (again), splitting the cases (again) and using the best bits from what is already in the bike and what is in that box, make a superb gearbox!!

 

Now on to the second thing and this is really very special to me and my eldest boy.

My twelve year old son is a pretty tasty footballer, has dreams of walking out on to the Wembley turf etc etc.

I have always done my best to help him realise his dream of being a pro footballer and maybe, just maybe we may have taken our first step to realising his dream.

An hour ago I received a phone call from a professional football development academy to say that his trial last night was a success and they would be happy to take him on. Yet more football training I have to attend but these guys have access to the best facilities, the best methods and most importantly the professional club football scouts. All this after he had yesterday off school as he was (and still is) very rough with a nasty cold but he still gave it his all as this was his chance to show what he could do.

Now to show them what he is really like next week when he is back to full fitness.

He doesn't know yet, and in an hour a very proud dad will be able to tell him - I think I am going to have one very VERY happy son.

 

How on earth could I forget the third thing!!!!

My TZR250 passed its MOT yesterday with no advisories and the MOT tester asking how much I would take for it. Told him it is not for sale, then took it for a quick razz around to say well done for not oiling its plugs or generally misbehaving on the morning of the MOT.

 

I actually found a tyre shop that were willing to repair my runflat tyre.

It would seem that what prevents garages from repairing these god awful tyres is that they cannot trust their customers. A runflat can be repaired like any other tyre provided it has not been driven in its flat state and has had no form of tyre weld slopped in to it. So, in my book that is the same rules as a regular tyre?????????

Can't say I blame them when the cost is so extortionate as the less safety savvy customer would do what they could to avoid paying these inflated (forgive the pun) prices and possibly economical with the truth as to how they have driven on it.

In my case, the lowest the tyre pressure went to was 27psi so was perfectly acceptable to take a repair.

So, £20 down rather than circa £250.

 

My mates boy getting selected for the Kent rugby team

 

Gah rugby, kept that quiet this morning Fergy

 

Not in to it myself but it has to be better than football? A mans game from what I have seen