You could head out by Crieff to Lochearnhead, over Glen Ogle to Lix Toll then take the Killin road to Aberfeldy, short hop down the A9 and come off for Coupar Angus and Blairgowrie, follow the road in to Coupar Angus then head over to Dundee and cut through Fife then over to Strathmiglo and back to Kinross area.

Or..

Head down to Dundee, take the Coupar Angus road to Blairgowrie, up and over Glen Shee then out to Braemar and onto Ballater, Aboyne, Banchory and back down the Cairn O Mount. Long runs but well worth it for the roads.

Edit: when you come out onto A9 at Ballanluig, head down to Dunkeld and take the Crieff road over the Sma Glen.. excellent road that. Then you can head through Crieff and take the road for Glen Eagles and follow the signs for Dunfermline.

Ahh just tried to delete the thread as I wasn’t sure it would read well.. but seeing as I have replies I’ll let it run.

The “banter” didn’t stop after I had a word. It only subsided a bit because I decided to shut up and say nowt to not give him anymore ammo.

Appreciate the replies, I was hoping I wasn’t imagining the one sided-ness.

I have ridden a few Harley’s (don’t tell my biking buddies) and quite enjoyed the whole experience. The 48 was a good riding position with the forward foot pegs and seemed to have enough grunt for overtakes. The 1200 Sportster was a horrible riding bike, felt twitchy to me and seriously down on power which is strange as it’s the same engine as the 48 but maybe the riding position put you in a sportier frame of mind that it couldn’t deliver on.

I also rode a Sportster 883 and that wouldn’t pull the skin of a rice pudding, some nice custom ones out there if your happy to pose, they don’t hold up well to the weather in this country though and unless only ridden in summer or given lots of TLC they start to show their age fairly quickly. Thousands of easily do-able mods though so you can customise until your heart is content. As you said they do hold their value unbelievably well so you shouldn’t lose too much money if you keep the mods to the usual exhaust, air filter and fancy pegs etc.

If I was looking for a relaxed riding position I’d be trying to get one of the few CCM Spirfire Bobbers that are still available, limited run on them so should easily hold their money. I nearly bought the Cafe Racer version but sensible head told me to hold off as I’m considering a career change. My mate bought the Flat Tracker and is getting it in August. I saw the bikes at the Edinburgh bike show and they are seriously well made and have loads of quality kit as standard. Worth a nosey on their website.

Ill stick to my K4 GSXR 1000 for now.

Just get her the car that mimics your username.. a rusty Nissan Prairie.

They were crap and slow when they came out new so I can only imagine they will be even slower now.

No further comments will be made on driving thread’s where this place is concerned.

This guys seems to have a real Maverick approach to driving, perhaps once he has been spoken to by his superiors he will feel like his Goose is cooked.

Im just glad you chinook the time to report the incident, im sure the time will flyby until you hear an outcome on the result.

Good to hear your up and about already.

I had my ACL done 3.5 years ago, snapped it playing ice hockey, it dislocated the knee aswell and also damaged the medial collateral ligament. I can still remember the pain of it happening now.

I had the operation in September 2014 and remember being hauled out of bed about 2 hours after I had woken up by the physio saying the best thing to do is get up and about ASAP.. on crutches obviously.

I had about 3 weeks on crutches if I remember right and I was back to work in 2 weeks. I remember falling down the stairs when my crutches slipped and buckling the knee underneath me. Didn’t know I was that flexible. All good though and they said it was a good sign it was so strong so early on.

I had a great physio who understood I wanted to play hockey again (even though surgeon suggested I stop), he gave me loads of exercises to do which I followed to the letter as I knew the importance of them. I was doing gentle running on it within 6 or 7 weeks and was able to weight bare on it with 4 weeks if I remember correctly. After the initial speedy progress I made I remember it slowed down a bit after that and I wasn’t able to put much power through it when cycling. Took me a good 7 months to pluck up the courage to get back on the ice and a further 8 months to start playing hockey confidently again, every hit it took or tight turn I made made me nervous for a while. It’s all good now though, gets a bit achy in the cold weather or if I sit for too long, still can’t fully bend it to tie my shoe lace but it’s as strong if not stronger than it was and I’m back playing hockey, running (but not cycling as I have fallen out of love with it) and generally not being restricted by it. Just waiting for the other knee to go now and I’ll feel 20 years younger.

Long story short.. listen to your physio and don’t overdo it. I tried to chap on with my crutches the day after surgery because I felt ok and it knocked me for 6 for a good few days, trying to sleep was hard aswell but I found packing plenty pillows round me and the knee really helped support where it needed it.

Good luck and get well soon.

Take spare clothes and change is surely the only answer.

Yeah he was recalling old stories in the pub with us and we were scouring YouTube watching them and getting the back story, it was interesting and he had some cracking stories. We spent a good couple of hours in his company talking about bikes and Dean etc. Couldn’t get a word in edgeways but as I said when your wired to the moon like he is there are bound to be a few tails to tell.

Id like to see the local lad Connor Cummins (I think) do well, he had a big off a couple of years ago and he seemed to be on pace at the time.

I haven’t followed it as closely as I usually do the last year or so with the new arrival in July but looking forward to heading over to Portrush in May on the new bike for beer, bikes, racing, food and plenty shenanigans no doubt.

Yeah we were speaking to Dean Harrison’s Dad last year in a pub at the NW200, he was a bit full of it but I guess when you have done what he has done you can afford to be a bit cocky.

Dean rode well last year at the NW and TT so if he rides like that again he may well get something. I like Hicky, he was mega quick last year aswell, comes across well and leaves it all out on the track. I like his riding style.. I’d also like to see William Dunlop do well on the 600’s, he is definitely more suited to the smaller bike.

Yeah ditch the electric bikes this year and run some old smokies.. would be great. I’d like to see a KR1-S going balls out round the island.

Oh and a big B Twin race, couple of TL’s, an SP or 2 and some big old Ducati’s, maybe even an RC-8 for good measure.

As long as the Norton is more reliable than the Honda from last year that spat Guy Martin off I think McGuinness could do very well.. will he beat Michael Dunlop? I don’t think so.

Im off to the NW200 in May which is usually a fairly good indicator as to who is riding the right machine and who is riding well.

Id like to see James Hillier do well and win the senior, will Hutchy get a tune out the Honda? If so he is always super fast at the TT and probably MD’s only real competition.

The usual suspects will be there or there about’s but I suspect it’s all about Michael Dunlop and McGuinness and the Norton.

As long as Rutter doesn’t win, can’t help but think he would be a smug swine if you ever met him.

Wilburt = bellend

Nice to see your not judgemental of people because of how they make a living to put food on the table.

I am neither desperate or on the minimum wage but I’m sure we all appreciate your valuable input into the transport industry.

As a lorry driver I do agree that in situations where the weather has been as it is the last few days and red warnings issued HGV’s should return to base or find a suitable place to park up with suitable facilities.

The problem lies with the employers constantly pushing drivers and the “give it a go and see how you get on attitude”. Just yesterday my boss wanted me to load fuel oil bound for a distillery up North of Scotland, thankfully the trace heating at the refinery packed up and the steam pipes burst with the cold so it never went. He wanted to send me up again today but I wasn’t happy to go with it as I thought the road conditions weren’t safe where I was headed… so it never went.

There will be consequences for my actions today for sure but in my opinion a load of oil is not worth risk to life.

If we go down the enforced day of rest who is going to pay the drivers wage? The employer? I doubt it very much, they will ask (tell) the driver to take it as unpaid or as a days holiday.

The other issue is parking, the facilities in the UK are completely inadequate, food is generally greasy spoon crap, toilets disgusting, not safe and not enough spaces for the trucks on the road.

The drivers should should have the sense to realise when road conditions are not suitable to operate 44 tonnes safely, but the issue comes back to employers again pretty much forcing them to head out and “see how you get on”.

We don’t want to get stuck and hold people up, we don’t actively go out our way to get stuck on hills etc but when the weather has been as it is people need to realise that not all deliveries will get through, so supermarkets won’t be as well stocked etc, that would then remove the pressure from drivers to get there reguardless.

All we are trying to do is make a living, the job is difficult enough with being away from home, working long hours and dealing with piss poor driving standards daily, add to that most people thinking we are the scum of the earth and just a nuisance on the road.

Some people have the luxury of taking snow days etc but in this game we don’t have that luxury because people still expect thing to be delivered as normal.. but don’t want to be held up by us.

Remember that without trucks you get Nothing!

There are some HGV drivers who are hell bent on making people’s perception of us a bad one but in general most drivers are doing there best to keep disruption to a minimal when out and about in adverse weather and ultimately just trying to pay the bills.

Fed up of the bloody snow. I drive for a living and it’s makes the job dangerous, plus my boss seems to think it’s businee as usual and we should “go load it anyway and see how you get on”

44 Tonne articulated tankers loaded with dangerous goods and snow do not a good receipt make.

Still chucking it down here in Dundee and the street I live in gets no ploughing or gritting, road and pavement are now indistinguishable due to the depth. I’ll be lucky to get out the street tomorrow and my car is an auto so can’t even show off my STW driving god skills with a manual box.

Humbug to the snow, hope it **** off ASAP. Due to head up past Elgin tomorrow with fuel oil for a distillery but the traffic cameras are showing some pretty crap conditions enroute.. cracking.

I know I’m a grumpy sod and a spoil sport but I hate the stuff. Got some family stuff to deal with aswell and it’s making it worse, plus Mrs1981Miked can’t get out with the wee lass with the snow so they are both fed up of being indoors.

And breathe. Feel better now.

Ah never thought of that. I’ll have a look and see what I can come up with.

I was asking £200 which I don’t think was overly excessive for a well restored Stumpy, it had Rhond forks, USE seatpost and full LX and I put Exotic carbon bars on it for some added comfort, also put a charge spoon saddle on it as the old one was wrecked.

I was thinking it may not be worth doing, it won’t be used for anything other than towpath rides band maybe the odd jaunt round the local woods etc which are far from hard work. Just fancied the reliability of disc brakes.

But I’m guessing by the time I buy wheels, brakes and pay for the conversion I could have a more modern frame and just swap what I can over.

I’ll echo the Red Army ice hockey recommendation earlier in the thread and also ice guardians.

Last of the Gladiators is along the lines of ice guardians but focuses more on one guy, very good watch.

Battered b*****ds of baseball is also very good.

Road and isle of Mann closer to the edge are both excellent, the speed these guys ride on the road is insane, mind totally blown when watching the onboard footage… and I ride motorbikes! Found myself leaning into the corners with them 😆

I have to agree with a previous poster on the Orange ST4 being a ridiculously capable bike for the amount of travel it had.

It climed like a mountain goat, devoured Singletrack and went downhill just as good as the Five it replaced. Really regret selling it and miss that bike so much, I emailed Orange when they had been discontinued for about a year and they had one kicking about they would sell me but I decided to build another Cotic Soul instead (Soul was a very close second though). I am constantly scouring eBay for a nice 16” ST4 frame, I think I’ll end up with another Soul though to be fair as I have loved and regretted selling the 3 I built/rode and sold.

Not sure if I’m just trying to relive my youth but I am also on the hunt for a 1997(ish) Trek 930 with the red and black paint or a Trek Y22 in the nice cream colour they did It in, rode and cracked 4 of them but I’d have another in a heartbeat.

Motorbike wise… probably my 1997 TL1000s, only recently parted with it as I was offered a good price for it and had to make some room, waiting to see if the K4 GSXR1000 that replaced it makes me smile as much.

Well I never, the grammar police are out tonight.

Typical bullying tactics, Yet again I am offended.

In my defence I have been up since 4am. CountZero for the death penalty. If that’s ok with you? Don’t want to put you out or anything.

I’m highly offended you have started and inoffensive thread… typical male misogyny! I bet you speed on the roads and your probably a racist aswell.

Wait until the hand wringers, cup cakes (sorry to offend cupcakes) and life heroes see this.. uproar I tel thee.

They will come round to your house (driving in a safe, considerate and non bullying manner) driving just under the speed limit and dent your car.. but your not allowed to complain because it’s just a car and we aren’t allowed to care about cars here.

You deserve a hoof in the… oh wait can’t say that either incase somebody gets offended.

I would definitely recommend going to your nearest shop and trying them on. I always used to buy Bauer skates, had a nice pair of Composite 5000’s for years.

When I came to replace them I couldn’t get in with the width of the Bauer skates. I ended up buying Reebok 20k’s with the pump extra ankle support. I was amazed how light they were and so comfy. Got them heat moulded aswell so no feet were ripped to shreds. I got 3 seasons out of them playing up to 3 times a week.

I ordered the same size and width in the 50k’s and tried them on.. hated them and ended up buying CCM supertacks.. and as an added bonus I found the junior size 5.5 fitted best. Got them heat moulded aswell and they are superb. Super light and very stiff so plenty support when I’m skinning defencemen down the boards..

So basically try loads on and see what you like. I tried Graf skates aswell but felt like there was too much weight on my heels, I prefer to have the weight on the balls of my feet and get the blade profiled to suit.

Been there myself very recently. Moved from driving lorries to routing them every day. I was responsible for routing and dealing with 50+ drivers pretty much on my own every day. Had countless chats with the boss to try and rectify the situation.

The guy I worked with did very little to assist me and sometime went out his way to be awkward. Has numerous fallouts with drivers and was verbally abused on a weekly basis.. im not one to sit back and be walked over so made sure I put my point across.. but nobody should be verbally abused and personally insulted at work.

Added to that the arrival of our little girl after a difficultly labour I was totally exhausted. I found myself sitting at my desk and my hands shaking and stomach churning, couldn’t switch off or sleep, had no energy to do any exercise and lost interest in everything, had splitting headaches and felt in a bad place.

Came to a head one day and I called the doctor to make an appointment. He wanted to see me that day. When I got there I told him how I was feeling, he reassured me that I wasn’t depressed or going mental but that I was suffering sever stress, anxiety and I was burnt out and heading for a breakdown. He signed me off for 2 weeks there and then. Took the line back to work and handed it in.. the relief I felt was unbelievable. I was like a new man the next day. Spent some quality time with my wife and baby girl, rode my motorbike and road bike and just pottered about the doors.

Had a chat on the phone with my boss who basically blamed it all on me… the day before I was due to go back to see the doctor and my boss about returning to work I was feeling all uptight and nervous again. When I spoke to the doctor he said he knew I wouldn’t be ready to go back to work after 2 weeks as I was in a bad way when he saw me originally. He signed me off again.

I had another week off then went in to see my boss, end result was I said I wasn’t prepared to come back Into the office and that I wanted back on the road.

I was treated like shit for a few weeks as a form of punishment but I was happy to be back on the road so knew it would improve.. which it has massively.

End result, I spent months questioning my own mental health, feeling like I was depressed, wondering if I should just up sticks and disappear, I thought I was making it all up and it was all in my head. I always used to think most people with “mental health issues” were making it up.. particularly those suffering stress or anxiety.

Having been there recently I can completely understand the consequences of doing nothing, get some time off work and speak to somebody about how your feeling. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or admit when your having a bad day. It does get better but you have to make the first step and speak to your GP, have a break from work and if needed move on from your current position.

Apologies for the long post, first time I have written down my experience, that’s the short version aswell!!

I remember a few months ago I started a topic asking for help on here.. then promptly deleted it as I felt stupid for posting.. so well done for posting your feelings and state of mind. Takes courage by the bucket load. Took me another 2 months to admit I had an issue.

Hope it all works out for you.

That’s marvellous and about as close as I’ll get to owning a defender..

Properly tempted!

Very nice.. I’m looking at one of them aswell. Can’t decide between the ZX10r (which I have ridden), a GSXR 1000 or the R1. Fireblade’s are nice but a bit out my price range for what I’m after..

Or do I just go all out and get the S1000rr BMW? Rode my mates the other week and holy Jesus.. that thing was bonkers quick. Like being strapped to a ballistic missile.

Lovely bike though mate and in the best colour IMO..

I’m having the kitten food!

I’m with Rockhopper on this, I like Guy a lot, speaks his mind and not usually afraid to go against the grain if the bike isn’t right. I think he has had to choose his words wisely in regards to the Blade’s performance and issues. He knew it was a crap bike and was seriously lacking track time and had too many issues. John’s NW200 crash proved they have no idea what it is or isn’t capable of, looks like there is a big hush hush going on at Honda this year.

If they let Guy ride I think a serious crash is on the cards! Guy is a talented racer for sure but he admitted himself he lets his mind wander when on the track, that’s something you can’t do whilst hustling a 200bhp super bike round the TT course.

My heart was in my mouth watching him on the start line. He was VERY luck to walk away from that crash.

Honda should have ran the previous model Blade this year and worked on the new bike for next year.

I’m going to the NW200, ferry from Cairnryan 11am Friday morning. Can’t wait.. now let’s hope my bike is fixed in time.

Electrical fault stopped the last ride…

I’d recommend a TL, red ones are faster.. fact.

The noise alone is worth it. Got an R1 rear shock on it to help improve the handling. The original damper is still in my possession. New steering damper on it aswell. Scorpion exhausts, smoked wind shield, belly pan and rare race hump aswell.

Got it off my mate, couldn’t resist it. He regrets selling me it so much he bought another last year. Great bikes.

I passed a couple of years ago, did my CBT, passed all the theory stuff and cracked on with the bigger bike lessons.

I used to get quite nervous before lessons (must be an age thing as I don’t usually get nervous). Made it hard to look forward to lessons. I changed the times I was taking them to make sure I was not having to hurry to make them and this helped a lot.

Don’t overthink things either, I was doing the slow speed manoeuvres no problem at the practice ground then on test day I had a good total brain fart and asked the examiner if I could have a minute to compose myself. He said no problem as I had nearly dabbed a foot during the slalom. I was just glad to get that bit done.

Then on the road ride part the bloody bike broke down so that was the end of the test. Had to wait 2 weeks to get another date. Got a free lesson and free re-sit though so not all bad. Passed on a Saturday morning at 9am, no minors either so well chuffed. He asked why I didn’t accelerate up to 70mph on a short bit of dual carriageway, my reply was “because I was bloody freezing”. He just laughed.

Got home, grabbed the rest of my gear and went to pick up my new bike.. 1997 Suzuki TL1000s in red. Not a great 1st bike but I love it, and as already mentioned, it will only go as fast as I let it.

No real insight there just my story..

Enjoy the bike shopping and lessons.

For me the one bike I won’t sell has an engine in it..

1996 Suzuki TL1000s in red. An original full power “widow maker”.

Everything else is always for sale at the right price.. Do love my Mountain mint Orange Four though!
Wish I hadn’t sold my Trek Y22 many years ago, some lovely looking old Kona’s on this thread.

I had a Trek Y22 in cream with Judy SL forks, V brakes, full XT and flat bars. Loved that bike but cracked 3 of them. Weren’t meant to be raced downhill… Apparently!

Had a Giant ATX 1 DH aswell but the rear shock kept blowing and spewing all its oil out.

I have been looking for a Trek Y bike for ages now, yet to find a decent one in my size. I think mine was 18″ which was too big but big frames were all the rage back in the 90’s.

Always wanted a Pro Flex and would still have one just to potter about on. Anybody with a small carbon framed Trek Y bike that they are looking to get rid of? That would be a good winter project for me when I’m finished with the Suzuki TL..

I have used this method of passing both my car and HGV tests. I found them to be better suited to my style of learning. I did have about 6 months driving on the roads when I did my car test as my Dad taught me, so it was more a case of practicing the manoeuvres. I seem to remember I had 5 1.5 hour lessons then the test straight after a lesson. That was 17 years ago mind you so probably different now.

Did the same for my HGV licence and again I found it beneficial to be out every day for a week. Probably did about 25 hours practice to pass Class 2 and 15 to pass Class 1. I had a couple of crap days on each but knowing I was driving again the next day helped me forget quicker and get the confidence back.

When I sat my bike test I did weekly lessons, did the CBT first then 6 1.5 hour lessons to get through both parts, I found this a harder way to learn as I had a couple of crappy lessons and I over analysed what I had done wrong and started doubting my ability or which way things had to be done, had I done an intensive course I would have put it behind me quicker and moved on.

I’d say go for an intensive course..

Email sent Murf.

Ok just checked the exact wording of what is required.

“An up to date certificate from N.I.C.E.I.C approved contractor or Select for Scotland confirming that the electrical system is in full safe and working order”.

Bloody small print!

We had Broken Stones by Paul Weller as we both liked the song when we started courting. Not to soppy either, then we had Forever in blue jeans as it was my song of choice to sing when bleashed up at the time..

I have since moved on to A boy named Sue by Johnny Cash.

Good on all those mortgage and debt free people on here. My finances were in a state about 8 years ago so I sat down and worked out what I owed to who and what I was “wasting” money on.

Binned the gym membership, contract phone, Sky TV plus paid off 2 loans that didn’t have much left to pay. Felt much better after it and started to save cash for a change. Made a daft purchase of an M3 2 years ago, didn’t keep it long as it needed some work and I just don’t care about cars enough these days. Managed to clear that recently.

We have just purchased a new house so the mortgage has gone up but we would have moved eventually so took advantage of the good deal. Other than that it’s just the car (which was 0% finance). If I want something I save up for it, bought a motorbike last year in cash and felt much better knowing it was bought and paid for so therefore an asset I can sell should I need to. I have a good amount of savings (very lucky I know), and it feels good knowing I’m not stressing about paying things.

That looks great Mosey, really like the fork decals. Also be interested to know where you got them.. I’m picking up my Four tomorrow (time permitting).. Can’t wait. Glad you are getting it out for a proper shakedown.

Ps, can I have an Easter egg aswell.

Id be considering a Fabia aswell, I have a 2014 1.6tdi Monte Carlo and it’s nippy, comfy, great to drive, roomy, economical (48mpg around town) amd looks good.

Bought it because I liked the look of them and it was a great deal, the car has been brilliant and exceeded my expectations. Interior is a bit dated to look at but it’s functional and not cluttered.

My parents have a Fiesta 1.0 ecoboost auto and they really like it, nippy for an auto, not that good on fuel mind you but it’s spacious enough inside and well built.

STW never ceases to amaze me with threads like this.

A bunch of strangers with a common interest in cycling who normally wind each other up and bicker about wheel size, tyre choice, gear ratios, Audi drivers, politics and everything in between step up to help a stranger in need with kind words, advice from experience gained and offers to meet up to share the burden. This thread demonstrates everything good about this place and shows that people still care about people. Brings a lump to my throat.

Been feeling the pressure a bit lately myself with this and that, this thread has made me realise it is really nothing to be concerned about in the grand scheme of things. I am awaiting delivery of my new Orange Four and REALLY looking forward to getting back out on a bike.

Well done for posting your fears and feelings Mosey and everybody else. Takes balls to admit when your struggling. Look after each other. I’m nowhere near you Mosey bur if you are ever Scotland bound let me know and we can arrange a pootle in the hills on our Mountain Mint Oranges.

Stem does look quite long, my Four is coming with a 50mm stem as standard. I reckon I will need a 40mm but I’ll see how the 50mm stacks up.

Looks good Mosey.. But Crocs! Don’t even get me started on the state of the mat and the dead plant!