I suspect the poster bandying around the word "muppet" probably sees Gonzo in his bathroom mirror most mornings.

I must admit that my Alfa's I used to drive, specifically the boxer engine variants, for no good or discernable reason, used to like Shell or Texaco system 3, and on filling up at a BP station, you'd notice the difference pretty quickly.

Not convinced it wasn't all in the mind, and the BP was a couple of pence cheaper back then. Oddly enough, I used to use Redex as well, but that didn't seem to make any difference at all, apart from creating lots of white smoke as it burnt off.

But the query I have is – where does supermarket petrol actually come from? A refinery? If so, how could it differ from anytthing else the refinery produces? Do the tankers stop, unload the fuel so a mad scientist can giggle manically and add a few drops of chemical and then refill the tanker?

Do refinerys have the abilityto "tailor the product" ? Can they "store" a dozen different types of petrol dependant on demand? Ie one for Texaco, one for Shell, one For BP, one for Esso, One for Morrisons, evt ect?

Hey, Purplefunkymonkey, you remind me of the council workman who got an award for saving the council money by using the same broom for 25 years. In that time it had only needed four handles and seven brushs.

At least the lids original? (oh, and if not the bearing, my mate swears by the cirkus bearing kit).

I've an lp12, ittok LvII and a Linn k9 into Audiolab 800oa and Castle Durhams.

But it rarely gets used – it does sound better than the Arcam Alpha 7 SE I have, even cloth ears like my dad, and verious flat visitors will tesitfy, even on stuff that wasn't recorded on analogue or particularly well.

But in todays lifestyle, I just don't have the space to enjoy it, in a tiny flat crammed with bikes – spotify is so more covenient, I simply don't "listen" as I used to.

Lol must be a radbmx member then?

As a DB lover (Before the Raleigh years) http://www.os-db.net is where us old schoolies hang out.

Got a Silver Streak built up, the Learyalike is awaiting the paint (the chrome was knackered) but complete, with Araya 7x, DC890's, and NOS DB pedals. Alos got a pacer500 which will be finished next week, and I have a nos never built up DB formula1 frameand a Sugino DB crank, awaiting a collection of parts. I do have some black skyways with whitewall tyres, and nos DB bars, will look smart finished.

(See OP, this becomes a collection addiction, but you can't use stamps, but you can ride a bike!)

This might sound a daft call, but I've got into restoring old school bmx bikes.

Theres parts aplenty, but sometimes hunting down the "right part" is a bit of a challenge, and many require restoring. But finding a frame and forks, doing the acid path, possibly sending for rechroming or powder coating, and refurishing a nice bike is satisfying, and requiring slightly different(but simpler) skills to usual bike maintanace.

I've got 4 on the go at the moment, and the fun of making a new set of bike contacts, swapping parts, making newcontacts and being able at some time to actually ride the fruit of your labours is great!

Race you on my Harry Learyalike Diamond Back Senior Pro with Leary Pro bars and a DB Formula1 crank.

But seriously, look at "it".

Even if it needs to pi$$ sitting down, the whole shape of the body is male. It doesnt go in and out in the right places, and I dont mean the trad hourglass figure, but theres simply no "ar$e" on it, the bone structure looks all wrong.

Sorry, thats a bloke with a ****.

Drac – you wasted weeks?

I wasted 3.5 years! Nightly. And I didn't usually do instances either!

Big handful of l70 toon,s and plenty of FB friends aquired over the time. Its the only way I talk to my sister (who's a warlock orc, btw) and her kids, and guys I was at poly with 20 years ago logged in to play – our guild was a big happy family!

No one put in for World of Warcraft yet?

1 WOW
2 Elite
3 IL2 Sturmovik (way better than MS Combat 3 flight sim)
4 Sim City 2000
5 TV Sports football on my mates Amiga.

Litigation?

Up there – its probably pi? And probably RTA work at that.

PM me and I can tell you discretly who the police are closing in on for fraud.

But generally, through the antics of the frankly corrupt Liverpool and Birkenhead county courts, where 80% of PI is litigated from, all the solicitors I come into contact with are supremely cocky ar$ehoels deep in the pockets of non fault hire providers. Good luck, its a miserable part of the coutnry, and a miserable bunch of the most unreasonable laywers anywhere in the country.

The insurance industry hates Liverpool, its fragile populace, its pi factory farms, and its corrupt courts (the 10 minute disposal hearings are legendary).

So its the bloke that irritates you, for possibly no particularly good reason (hey' we're all human, plenty of people get on my tits too), and the "young man" is a symptom, rather than the cause of the irritation.

You are being over sensitive, but again, thats a natural emotion. Personally, I'd grit my teeth and bear through it, as its so trivial, that it will simply mmake you look alike a pratt/poor sport.

For instance, theres a kid who gets on my bus every day, with the loudest ipod ever. He might aa well have speakers, for all the good the earphones do. But it winds me up more than the other passengers, almost certainly, so I sit it out, knowing that even asking him to turn it down is probably disproportionate, and will simply make me appear like a grumpy old fart.

Its really your problem, not his, especially if he's popular and doesnt wind up others like he does you.

Er, as far as I understand it, the DPA under s29-35 inc allows for the disclosure of personal details for good reasons, including for court action.

For example, if you are issuing court proceedings for compensation after an accident, say the insurer wont pay for the credit hire vehicle you hired, or offer what you believe is sufficent injury compensation, which may still be a small claims court action if its sub £1000 injury or £5000 property damage, you may issue on the defendant directly, and obtain their details if you dont have them, from the insurers.

If you'd bought it from them, whats the cost vs the issues with warranty, (ie sister/friend buys it, in another country) and possible import dutiesas well as the increase in fitting, and driving to Daventry and risking a wasted journey if there are issues fitting?

Perhaps he's jealous, of you meeting fit young men whilst out on your own, and wants to monitor you.

Never assume theres a nice explanation, when something more sinister lurks. Its basic human nature.

But hang on.

Meercats are from Africa.

Shouldn't be be saying "well ello dere man.. Katanga!" or something. But that *would* possibly be rascist, imitating a heavilly accented African speaking English.

Depending on the finish you want, there might be better/cheaper.

for example, a lot of the old school bmx community use a couple of guys who do top class work everytime, as they do it almost at a loss, for fun.

Guys trust their valuable old school bikes, which will be older more worn, and possibly more susceptible to damage to these guys.

Powdercoating seems preferable, for a hard wearing, long lasting coat, and I can find a thread on radbmx.com which has loads of photos.

http://www.pwsfinishing.co.uk

and http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=56789.0 (you might need to join up toaccess it) to see loads of refinished bikes including candycoats ect.

Theres a couple of others I can find if your interested.

Sorry RD, I was posting my reply before your list.

But you really are the very first person I ever heard of who couldnt get what you want through Halfords, rather than becasue the manufacteruers dont have stock or what ever.

I really would check again – halfords actually have a couple of people (it seems) who do the sourcing from outside suppliers. And if you get it delivered to anex bikehut store, then you will get probably, a decent bloke spannering up the bike, dont be offput by the turtlewax and batteries.

I really would check *again* you've not misunderstood something.

I can't talk about new ones, but my black one from 99 still looks superb. Ok I don't use it like I should, or as often, but I boutght it really well set up, and if I cleaned it it could pass for nearly new apart from "wear and tear" on items like grips.

TBH as a little lad, It;s a tad overbuilt for me, but they'd stopped doing the clockwork when I bought it, and I wanted a steel frame.

The new ones are not quite like the old ones, but the geometry was in a contemporary fashion at the time, more racy, quicker and agressive than many others I tried from Sepch and Marin, which suited me.

A solid, strong, well built bike, good for uk conditions. My only regret was I really felt the Clockwork was better, it was a touch "zippier" in the rear triangle, and with better wheels than the p7 that teplaced the Clockwork.

TBH, without wishing to intrude on the "fanboy" debates, Orange Bikes (I've had 2 p7's and the clockwork) just seem well engineerd cycling solutions. The frame may be from Taiwan, but the "deisgn" character and geometry is pure UK. Great mud clearance, full frame fittings.

There could be better out there, but you can't really buy a "bad" Orange bike (since the x1 or x2 possibly?) although I;d love a new R8 if I can get cycle to work fundage.

Buy, forget and enjoy.

Have you even asked what they can supply before complaining about Halfords?

I got a Bianchi via the scheme. Buit up and delivered to a local Bikehut shop which had a whole store full of well built up Fondreist, DeRosa's, Merida and other high end Boardmans, Konas ect ect

It was fine. Honestly. If you substituted every poor story about Halfords with a story about a bad experience with a black person, apparently we'd all be rascist. Seriously, you'll be fine, especially if you choose where your bikes delivered to – choose one with a good reputation.

Perhaps they fell out, the perpetrators didn't realise, no one died, and your a drama queen?

Well, it's on their website now, and looks lovely.

Get a kit, and then you can have a "Dad" moment helping to build up and paint.

And for a first vehicle, electric is just fine and well fast enough.

Buggy types are the ones to go for if you want to do jumps ect on them.

Get a cheaper one, from say Tamiya, and if he takes to it, can then spend pocket money upgrading it (from 380 to 540 motors) or saving for a new one, and hey presto, an interest/hobby has been created.

Yep, the main difference is with a learning 500, that everything it does (apart from accellerate) is just biger and slower than what you did on the 125.

They'll take you out for a bit, a decent run of 20-50 miles just to get used to the controls and the weight of the thing, before really getting you into traffic.

Once your there, its mainly about hammering in observation, road awareness, and riding confidently through town traffic. Towards the end, when you got a feel, then slow turns in the road requiring balance, emergency stopes ect come in to play but not too difficult,

The only best tip I can give is "LIFESAVERS"…. you can't really do too many when learning. That glance physically over the shoulder, and being prepared to act on it is essential.

Oh, and when you turn or manoever, keep yer head UP and in the direction you want to go, like on your mtb really. Dont look at the ground or you lose balance.

Out of interest, if due to the low rents and financical circumstances that led he to "invite" people into her *home* for modest returns, she can't afford the works needed, and has to evict everyone, making people who both cant afford better, or get a decent deposit or references, will you still be such a magnificent specimin of the "holier than thou fighting for your rights in health and safety?"

Or didn't you think about anyone else when you blubbed to the council?

I still dont get why you didnt move out if it was unsatisfactory. Just hand in your notice and move on.

I lived in a shytehole that the man from the council said was the second worse house he'd ever seen. (nothing to do with us, he jsut appeared one day and we let him in) But I couldn't have afforded to continue to live and study somewhere else on my trivial full student grant (unable to work in holidays, nursing my mother).

It was still a roof over my head, that we could treat as we wished – decent parties without worrying neighbours ect.

Sometimes, you pay your money and take your choice. Sounds like you wanted an Orange for Apollo money. And then complained when it wasn't full xt.

I've lived in places worse than that, with dodgier landlords than that too.

So she took you for no deposit, the place was really cheap, but you decided that presumably having seen and inspected it, that you wanted it nicer, presumably for the same terms, and used the council to try and get your way?

Why for goodness sake didn't you hand in your notice like decent people, hand over a big deposit for a shoebox and leave her well alone?

Why go sneaking round without even the courtesey to talk to her first.

I'd have physically evicted you and your posessions there and then for your behaviour and stuff the law. Do you have issues with confrontation?

Honestly, if you dont like somewhere, or it no longer suits, why run to the authorities?

Nightmare landlady? offering you somewhere cheap without a deposit?

Nightmare ungrateful tennant more like!

I wish I'd had ebay and the interweb, when my Orange c16r (in red, with grey z3's in West Sussex – in case you have it now) was nicked several years ago

If they were young enough to reproduce when they nicked it, I'd have made certain their chances of reproducing their criminal genes in the future were dim.

And to the doubters of the thread – very high spirited, but sometimes, if it waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it probably isn't a ready frozen 18 il pre stuffed Turkey. It's probably a duck.

And this thread demonstrates why we've all largely given up on the police and view them as overpaid time wasting tossers. They take ever more of our council tax money for overtime to stand peacefully at protests, if they can prevent themselves from coshing innocent bystanders to death, but when you actually want them to do something, they jump through hoops to tell you why they cant.

Their hands are tied when it comes to investigating a crime but not when it comes to killing members of the public, for which there seems less red tape and authorisation required.

Might be a trade in from a dealer they cant sell through the forecourt due to age, value, ect. – If they want to give you a receipt marked sold for parts or sold as scene, then thats their get out.

Or it might be a total dog the guys trying to get rid of as he bought it and realised its rotten/knackered.

Have you asked the bloke why he;s selling? And do you trust the seller? If hteres a little voice telling you to walk away, then do so – the world is "full" of second hand cars.

This thread needs pictures to make sense.

I got as far as my kitchen with it – I have a wonky table….

And this is why houses shouldn't be "investments", but treated as homes. Why the housing market in this small overcrowded country with its planning laws pandering to nimbys with the money and power should be regulated.

Crap landlords mess with peoples lives. People "playing" at buy to let with just the odd property to make money out of the housing "market", are the precise people for whom property investment should be taxed through the roof, so they can do somehting more "meaningful" with the cash they have to invest.

If you cant invest in housing for the "long haul" in a business type fashion, and are unable to ride out slumps or lifestyle choices, then you shouldn't.

They may only be "tennants". But they're also people. With friends locally, potentially with kids in schools locally, with personal budgets based on travelling a certain distance to work ect.

Masturbating into a dogbowl whilst wearing a gimpmask and viewing hard core bondage pornography during the viewing usually gets them out the house quickly.

Or fresh earth sprinkled over the patio, and your new "collection" of knives hanging from the walls in a display, perhaps with a pot boiling on the stove containing bones, and perhaps a few squares of fur on the worktops next to the pot can make that subtle but all important "first impression" a negative one.

A morris Minor would be a more sensible "classic option", as people have continued to develop them. You can fit modern engines to them, update the suspension, and the brakes, without losing the essential charm of having a period piece.

For modern traffic conditions, dual carrigeways and motorways they are both too slow to be truely safe, along withtheir antique brake sysytems and levels of crash protection.

They are also not green. The engines may provide a reasonable economy, but the pollutants kicked out from a 60 year old engine design over a modern engine which burns the petrol more efficiently, means its frankly a non green option.

So if she wants a dangerous car that pollutes the planet, then fine. If she's prepared to let her partner and kids travel like that, well, thats just negligent and thoughtless…

http://www.pwsfinishing.co.uk/powder.html

Is a chap very highly recommended by the old school bmx community, who entrust their 20-30 year old frames to him.

Theres a gallery on the radbmx.com site which shows his work.

I cant recommend myself as never used, but I've never heard of anyone complain about his work, and will be sending my semi valuable Diamond Back BMX frame to him shortly. Seems to understand whats important about bike frames, seems careful not to go over serial numbers and nice welding too heavily.

Sounds like a theft version of Jeux Sans Frontiers.

If only you could do it whilst they were dressed as penguins, trying to steal and carry the imacs, whilst on a large roundabout, with security throwing buckets of coloured water at them, that would really be worth watching…….

My understanding is that quorn is some slime found in a field, that is grown in a lab.

A long way from the physical resemblance to a mushroom. But as I think mushrooms are one of the tastiest things on earth, I wouldnt write quorn off due to it being inferior to something that good.

however, bear in mind, that a lot of people are actually allergic to quorn, or at least,something in the finished articles, and there has been pressure put on the manfacturers to disclose the full contents and information about it. They deny an issue, but a quick google suggests otherwise.

I just dont understand, why any discussion about food, rapidly decends into childish farce from grossly over defensive meat eaters, who behave as if a steak was on a part with finding "the one ring".

I dont eat meat myself, as a kid I was fussy, and didnt like offal like kidneys or liver, or other cheap cuts. Cheap burgers and sausages were awful in the 70's, as a student I would rarely afford decent meat, and after a while, gave up and really never went back. Back bacon was expensive,and middle and streaky were too fatty for me to find palatable.

I dont have anything other than the general ill ease when thinking about abbatoirs, slaughterhouses, the huge processing factories, but it all seems so unnessary to eat, frankly, so much meat.

I mean, picking up a packet of haribo, I look at the ingerdients and think ktf? why is there pork gelatine in kids sweets? They may appear to be yummy, but if we all gave in to what pleased us, Id drive at 100mph everywhere becasue its fun!

When you first turn veggie, esp when I did in the 80, I literally had a St PAul on the road to Damascus thing, that after an hour in a huge new superstore built on theoutskirts of Reading, having virtually nothing in my basket, I realised I was going to have to have a rethink about my lifestyle. There were meat products in everyhting, almost everyhting…. I realised even then that we wouldnt have decended to "meat at every meal", which is probably why Iwas a touch overweight anyway.

I went veggie, and actually feel much better for it. I lost weight, which brought other benefits.

Feel free to eat meat, its a free world. But there are important reasons why becoming a veggie is no bad thing. All the childish responses of "yum yum its so good" only relate to quality products we get in the west here. Besides, you would say that, youve had 30-40 years of expensive marketing to get used to it being "yum" and its what your used to from an early age. Some from less rich diets would find it impossibly cloying. In much the same way sushi would turn my stomach, but Mr Japanese person clearly loves it.

Eat what you like, but do so responsibly. Why the meat argument makes people as defensive as x box vs ps3 fanboy arguments (or Orange 5 owners!) amazes me. Its like no one else is allowed an opinion.

Btw, I ride an Orange.

:-)

Knock up your own short 1 edition only version, take the piss out of him for seveal pages, and just post it round to his mates and places he goes?

BAT motorcycles in Biggin Hill specialise in grey imports and used to have hundreds. The goose wasn't a super rare grey, so try looking for them.

Offer "each side bears own losses".

Its 50 50 without any evidence to support one version over the other.

His estimate could be knocked up by a mate. Seems dear. Whats the breakdown of the estimate, in labour, paint materials, and parts? Someone heres bound to have access to a bodyshop tool like audatex, and will be able to draaw up an estimate based on thatchams times (the insurance standard repair costs).

He might back off if his no claims and driving record are at risk.