KINGTUT – Member

Yep, LVIS Pirates.

I'll be in LVIS kit wobbling slowly around on my Blue Pig… :-/

Heh, your bars will prevent people from overtaking..

Surely the 5 would be better?

Damn right! 😉

Yes it would, but it's in bits and I can't be arsed to rebuild it again at the mo (used most of the bits off it for the Pig).

Yep – drink sh!t loads of water – it bloats you out and stops you eating (quite) so much.

I'll eat most stuff, but have bad memories of retching uncontrollably at primary school when being pressured to eat stewed prunes….

Yep, LVIS Pirates.

I'll be in LVIS kit wobbling slowly around on my Blue Pig… :-/

Easyrider – yeah!!!

RIP

Yep, track riding is great fun. Just keep the speed up when you're up the top of the banking and you'll be fine 😆

simonfbarnes – Member

I'm pretty careful / sensible about what I post on facebook.

and what of freedom of speech ? I say whatever the hell I like

Really? I'd never noticed……. 😉

I'm pretty careful / sensible about what I post on facebook.

Until I'm p!ssed. Then I post all kinds of inane gibberish on there and have to walk into the office on a Monday morning to "you were p!ssed on xxx night weren't you Gilo?"

Philby – not heard of them but sound good, thanks.

however difficult life gets abroad – and it can get iffy – it's still x10 better than broken britain. because it really is broken, and they don't have anyone there in a position / smart enough / sufficiently motivated to fix it.

Utter horsesh!t. This is a great country to live in, it's got a lot of problems for sure, but I'm in no hurry to get out.

Shut the door behind you ro, there's a good chap.

Yeah, Beck's used Udalls for her Ka and we've found then to be good and reasonably priced. Interesting to hear you think Brunel are ok, maybe I should give them a chance.

Surf-Mat – Member

Welcome to Bristol where its ace.

And bike theft rates are horrendous…

Yes they are, mainly because there is such a big riding scene here (great trails minutes from the city centre, plus great road riding), so plenty of top end bikes around to nick. It's not a reason not to move / live here.

dd – yes I had thought of them, I'm the right side of Bristol to get to them fairly easily. Have you used their workshop, or know anyone who has?

No.1 on my legs in the summer. I do ride more road than MTB but I'm nowhere near a good enough rider to justify shaved legs (if it needs justifying…). I'm naturally a hairy b'stard and very hairy legs look hideous in lycra in my opinion so I trim them every month or so in the summer which seems a good compromise to me. They tan soooo much better as well 🙂

Surf-Mat – that's where I did my riding course. Great bunch of chaps there, and really superb riders /drivers. You really do learn so much from them.

Obi – thanks for your concern but I've been around long enough to make informed decisions as to how I ride.

+ what epicsteve said – spot on.

Plus a very empty motorway is when you see 172mph on your speedo.

Alledgedly.

That copper was quite clearly a bell end and should have lost his job and his licence for doing that

Daily Mail-style knee-jerk reaction I'm afraid. Look at it logically: Any muppet with a bike licence and a load of cash can walk into a dealer and buy a 180mph superbike. A lot do and then find they have nowhere near the skills or experience to handle it, leading to idiotic riding as witnessed by many on here, or them ending up in hospital or worse.

Whether you like this state of affairs or think it's sensible (it's probably a sign that I'm getting old that I'm starting to think it's not) it's the way it is. Given that people can and do buy such bikes and want to and will use the performance in question, instructors like the copper I referred to are to be commended as they recognise that fact and do their best to impart sufficient skills and knowledge to keep these guys alive.

Similarly, my (car) driving instructor took me out on the local dual carriageway while I was learning and made me accelerate to and sit at 70mph. Scared the life out of me first time he did it, but his rationale was that you'd have to drive at that speed on motorways and the like once you'd passed your test so best that you did it first in controlled conditions. Similar sensible thinking IMO, but sadly uncommon.

Good luck to those who ride. But no matter how much I love bikes, I'll not have another one

A fair few people feel the same about road cycling. I can understand why people think that way, but I love road riding and road motorcycling too much too stop. I accept the risks and do my best to mitigate them.

Obi – it depends on your level before you do the course. I'd ridden for over 15 years when I took the course, learnt a hell of a lot, and was told at the end of the course I was of a standard to take, and probably pass, the IAM test. A girl in my sub-group of three had only recently passed her test and was miles away from IAM standard, but undoubtedly learnt skills over the two days that greatly increased her chances of living to old age.

So many bikers spend a fortune on shiny bits (like most MTBers!) when spending a few hundred quid on advanced training (road or track) increases the fun of riding hugely and makes you far safer. And incidentally, police riders, when let off the leash, don't hang about. The memory of coming over top of the Mendips at 120mph+ with a uniformed copper on his Pan European right up my chuff (with oncoming car drivers flashing me in a "slow down, there's a copper RIGHT behind you" kind of way lol) will always remain with me. The point being that the copper in question had determined I was capable of riding at that speed in appropriate conditions, and as he knew we'd all do it anyway, best he imparted his skills and knowledge to enable us to be able to judge when and where to do it safely.

a_a I don't disagree with what you're saying. I do like to ride fast, it's why I have a sportsbike, but I sure as hell don't want to get killed and have my kids grow up without a father, and being naturally a fairly courteous person (most of the time….) I don't want to p*ss off or inconvenience other road users. Hence when I want to go out for a hoon I go out early (7.00am) on roads I know well, that are fairly traffic-free (at that time of day), and are suitable for the sort of riding I want to do – good surface, good visibility, no hidden junctions etc.

I don't get why so many bikers go to honey-pot areas on sunny Sundays or bank holiday weekends – it can't be any fun, the risk of an accident is far higher, and loads of car drivers end up hating bikes and bikers even more, as evidenced on here.

Hey ho, like Peter Poddy I love all things on two wheels, motorised or pedal-powered.

I don't have the answer but it sure as hell isn't about income or money.

Obi – nope, the aim was to get attendees to Advanced motorcycle test level. I was told I was at that level at the end of the course.

a_a: our opinions clearly differ. "we all"? You're appointed to speak for everyone?

Ticks all your boxes except: Within walking distance of Q's

http://www.porlock.co.uk/members/index.php?id=00075

Great site, stayed there loads of times.

Obi – nope, no chance of me ever being a copper. A two day Ride to Arrive course with Avon & Somerset police back in the late 90's. Best money I (actually my wife paid) ever spent, those polis boys sure know how to ride, their lines are millimetre perfect.

Lol – well, middle aged: yes. Manager: yes. IT: <spits> no!

Ok, to many people I am akin to a gremlin. But with less hair…

I ride a sportsbike with a race can (no baffle), small plate, use an iridium visor on sunny days, and ride well in excess of the NSL when I deem it safe to do so, based on nearly 30 years of riding motorbikes and police advanced training.

To many people that makes me something akin to the Antichrist.

I rather like that 🙂

What?

Oh,it's been done…..

A mate has a GS and has taken a couple of Multistradas out for test rides. He loved the Ducati and is very tempted to buy one, except the dealer has told him it will be next year til they can get one in the spec he wants….

His ultimate verdict: Ducati for a toy (second bike or weekend plaything), Beemer for a workhoorse (commuting, long distance touring).

Yep – Bristol Cathedral School. Spent my time there arseing about and hence didn't get anything like the qualifications I was capable of, but had a great time and no real regrets.

Been big here in Bristol for at least a year. Lots of trendies in skinny jeans and Converse All Stars with toeclips. I reckon it's got a lot of people into cycling who wouldn't otherwise have, so no bad thing.

Personally: 1.6 or smaller engine: petrol. 1.8 or bigger engine: diesel.

You really shouldn't brake rules y'know…

Looking forward to watching it later. I'll be interested to see how Spies gets on in his first season in MotoGP.

Our two girls are now 10 & 8 and we've always had 2 weeks in St Ives every year since having them. They love it there, choice of 3 beaches, etc. The pubs aren't very family friendly though.

Mind you, we have so far managed to go in term time, I've heard St Ives is horrendously overcrowded in July and August.

Perranporth is lovely, HUUUGE beach…..

CountZero – inspired by this..??

bit like the time my mum saved money at Christams and made my Action man some clothes instead of buying them- Action Man off duty male nurse anyone?

Brilliant! PMSL!!

<sheesh!>

BUMP!!

.

Personally I'd go for LCD over Plasma, I have a 32" Toshiba LCD that's a few years old now and it's great, really good picture quality, and audio, though I use a seperate amp and speakers for watching dvds.

Go here and learn all you need to know: http://www.avforums.com/forums/tvs/

Not usually a fan of White cars, but the new VW Scirocco looks superb in White. Though the lime green one does rather float my boat too…