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Joining a forum is rewarding and fun, its a community of like minded people with a common interest. like any community, club or group on the 'Net' its good 'netiquette' to introduce yourself, this can be a simple "Hi' or better still a brief intro about 'you', this can include your first name or nickname, your bike/bikes, and where your from etc, its up to you what you put in your intro. This is not an 'on-demand' garage, and it is considered rude to barge in with a "how do I fix this" type question on your first post, however there are a wide variety of members with knowledge and skill that are only too happy to help you out- its just good manners to say 'Hello' first Use the 'search' facility there's tons of info already on this forum and it might help with your question/problem, there is also the option to PM (personal message) a member or a Moderator. Stick around, you might learn something (might) 'Start new topic' on the bottom right of this forum is the place to go

Just finished making this for her first birthday, it's not until August but wanted to make use of the crap winter weather.. Although the design is mostly mine, I did pinch the idea from a Canadian web site and used his method of putting it togerther but of course I had to make it as a v twin. It's made from 3 sheets of 2' X 4' plywood cut out with a router and then glued/pinned/screwed/dowelled together, the forks are made out of a bit of scrap 2" X 4".that I shaped with my router and a home made jig and the headlight is made from a wood furniture foot bought from the bay of fleas. I must say that I am quite pleased with it and hope that she will enjoy playing on it.

A retired guy sits around the house all day so one day his wife says, "Barry, you could do something useful, like vacuum the house once a week". The guy gives it a moment's thought and says, "Sure why not. Show me to the vacuum". Half an hour later, the guy comes into the kitchen to get some coffee. His wife says, "I didn't hear the vacuum working, I thought you were using it"? Exasperated, Barry answers, "The stupid thing is broken, it won't start. We need to buy a new one". "Really", she says, "show me - it worked fine the last time". So he did videos.files.wordpress.com/Xblfe4qf/retired-vacum-cleaner_dvd.mp4 nicked this from 2 stroke forum

Went for a ride today and stopped for a quick cup of tea, as it happened I met a mate of mine and we got talking to this lovely old lady of 84, turns out she was a biker chick way back in the 50's. I then spent the next hour or so talking to her. She was a district nurse most of her working life and did most of her rounds on various 250's turning up at patients houses in bike leathers. She told me that although she had known her husband for 60 years she wouldn't marry him until he learnt how to ride, she finally agreed to marry him after he took her to the I O M TT and he started riding himself 40 years ago. Sadly she had to give up riding after a parachuting accident when she was in her late 60's. She is still fascinated by bikes and was thrilled when I took her round the car park to look at all the bikes there and it made her day when the bike owners were only to willing to spend a little time telling her about their bikes. She only stopped there for a cup of tea not realizing it was a bikers haunt and went away a very happy old lady.

About 3yrs after our last dog was put to sleep we have succumbed to the lure of another. We have rehomed this beauty from Guide dogs Scotland. Just need to get the cats onside now.

Beautiful looking dog! After losing our last dog, hubby and I swore we'd not go through that again... but we fostered this little darling and fell in love. After a year now, he's definitely our little man. They fill your heart while they're here for sure.

Just thought you might like to share in a moment from my history? I was watching a film about Ramree island in Burma during the second world war, my dad was there with the royal air force as a radio operator for the air force while they took the island and eventually Burma back from the Japanese, he saw CHANGI where the Japanese had held prisoners of war during the final years of the war and has no sympathy for the Japanese at all. Anyway the TV program was about the mass killing of Japanese soldiers by crocodiles as they tried to escape from the allied forces and get back to their home. Was not really expecting to see anything of real interest but just to get an over view of what it was like for my Dad when he was there 70+ years ago. I decided to watch the thing right to the end even including the final few reels of film that were shot as the troops entered onto the island, and guess what! there was MY DAD riding on the front of a tank (SEE PHOTO) you could have knocked me down with a feather, how often have you seen your father from 70 odd years ago younger now than both my son's, I was astonished and to tell the truth moved much more than I can say here ( being a big hard biker!) I confess to shedding a tear when I saw this, I couldn't stop thinking "THAT'S MY DAD! Just thought you might find this interesting in one of those life can kick you in the nut's moments

Not sure if this will help, and it doesn't stop everyone who wants to be a tit, but when you're riding straight down a road with cars waiting to pull out, weave slightly. It breaks up the optical illusion that makes a narrow image look like it's standing still. Works the same with or without lights on and I commute every day. Although with your luck Grouch, I would also consider sacrificing a goat to the gods before you get on the bike in the morning...

I managed an Iron Butt on a Street Triple, so am guessing the FJ will provide you with more comfort than you think. Short rides for me are just irritating and dull so when I had a bike I'd always go for long rides. My suggestions, for what they're worth: - stand when you can. I found the ST too small really on long distances, plus it's slightly sporty stance meant my knees gave me more jip than my butt. This helps both. - leg dangle when you can. - shuffle about in different seating positions. Hang a butt cheek off the seat (attractive...), sit further forwards, further backwards, keep tensing - whatever you can muster on the bike really. With the ST being so small I used stretch back onto the pillion seat for a nice change. - when crunching motorway miles leaning excessively over the tank can take the weight off your rear end, help stretch the back and ease pressure on your wrists. - get some practice in before your trip, building up that distance stamina will help no end and is a perfect excuse when the weather is so nice...! - remember to consciously retain a loose grip on the bars. When focussing so much on the distance and dull motorways it's easy to cling on harder without fully noticing it until you start hurting. - probably one more for the knicker wearing ladies like myself... But make sure your boxers (or whatever) and bike trousers don't have seams cutting across your pressure points. They will give you grief in the end. - avoid a backpack. I did my Iron Butt and 1800 miles over a few days in Scotland with one, and they definitely take their toll. - do shoulder rolls, head tilts and any other stretches to keep your back and neck from aching. - mentally play games on long dull motorways. I don't know... Count the red cars or something to keep your mind ticking over. - ear plugs / headphones for music to reduce air flow noise and make things generally more comfortable. - in the run-up, get doing some stretches in the house. Holding your arms out in front and legs in a specific position will take their toll. - practice grabbing an energy drink or sweets whilst riding should you need the energy without wanting to stop. That could be something as easy as using a Camelbak or like me grabbing some Jelly Babies from an unopened zip on my tank bag. Definitely keep hydrated though as it'll stave off cramp. As others have mentioned, you can of course spend some money on creature comforts. Some ideas are: a more cushioned seat, Airhawk (apparently well worth it), sheepskin (just don't get them wet), padded cycling shorts, those wrist clips on your throttle to allow your right hand to rest, throttle locks. I suppose what I'm trying to get at is that depending on you and the bike - it may not actually just be your rear end you need to think about. For me and the ST I identified the following which I've listed in order of greatest bugbear: 1. Head woes (no wind protection and majority motorway speeds created undue pressure on my forehead). 2. Squashed ears (made worse by a number of piercings and only taking my helmet off twice). 3. Knee pains (lanky legs and small bike). 4. Rear end (despite having a more cushioned seat). 5. Boredom / fatigue (your crunching dull motorway miles, not fun country roads). 6. Pulled muscles the next day (mainly because of zero wind protection and it was my arms and neck that suffered the brunt).

ypou will need to be a certain age to get this one , if you dont get it look up Dexys Midnight runners on you tube

Been a while but shes complete. heres the result, Ran her down the drive , sounds good, M,O,T, and tax next.

Just got back from Hull, bloody windy on the motorway and it was down to 40 mph on the higher levels. got home no problem though and the bike sounds aamzing, very comfy to ride and has good road manners. Front brakes are , the back ot so but I can give them an overhaul ( they are the same as the FZ rear brake too) need to give it a service for peace of mind and I had a squeel from the clutch from standing start blasting off the line, maybe thrust bearing or something. need to keep watching the speedo as It crept up to 90 in some places. Its got 35k on the clock any way here's acuple of pikkies owner painted and not the best, but good enough for what i'm using it for just need some hard pannier frames and panniers if anyone has some lurking?

photos are here Folks miserable bastards at oil can interlude on the ride out, that rd350 behind mine was in a duel with me. we were doing a ton round one bend ( a long one) Dg heads, very nice our now, traditional Scabs beach photo the infamouse chinky meal which took 3 hours to be served. This is the first or second of the individual starters that we got. Kev running the gamot of soup jokes whist trying to enjoy it got a group photo in the chinese. Tommy ordered a load of food at the end thinking it would take at least 1/2 hour, came in 5 mins and there was too much. there was a caveat in that any wasted food was to be charged so Tommy stuff some insdie his kecks, Kev had the bright idea of each of us breaking it up and distributing the entrails across 8 plates

Just got a letter today of the district commissioner. I'm going to recieve a Chief scouts commendation for good service to scouting.

That is amazing. I tip my hat to her. On one of my camping jaunts this year (with the dog, so in the car) I saw an old lady nipping down the A6 in the opposite direction. She was on a moped (no L plates) with an open face helmet, a good old "kagool" - not sure how to spell that! And the worlds largest grin on her face. At a guess she was into her early 70's. Perhaps late 60's... Gave me the biggest grin ever. As a lady myself, she is an inspiration. Ok, so I don't want a moped - but I have visions of a sidecar on my bike when I'm too old for the weight. Why not, eh?! As long as my reactions are still sharp enough...

Pulled the trigger on a vmax this evening. Practically stole the damn thing. She is lightly modded to exactly how I would tweak a max. Motorcycle bucket list complete. So if anybody wants a tdr......

Pulled a short video together now that I'm back from my work travels. I tried to throw some music over the top (by a Welsh band, naturally) but after upload to YouTube the audio quality became distorted - so you may wish to mute. UPDATE: I've now sorted the music quality, and it'll default to 1080p if viewed via YouTube, rather than the embed below. In truth I had actually managed to film probably about 70-80% of the entire ride out on both days, so this video barely scratches the surface! Tommy is lucky, on the ride home I had put the cameras away so didn't get to capture my leaving him for dust on that beautiful, flowing road I'll see what photos I took on my phone and share any worthy ones later. But for now, sit back and waste 5 minutes of your life...

I don't have much riding experience, but I too have done winter on a bike - with my YBR 125 and Tiger 800 I used to cross the Pennines each day for work (100 miles daily). That was fun at times... But my most suffering bike was the ill-equipped (for winter riding) Street Triple which was clocking up 600 miles of commuting distance a week. Anyway I realise now I've picked up the F800GT just how much a little bit a fairing drastically improves the long distance riding experience! Today I've done about 200 miles to get me back into the swing of 10 months without a bike and was loving the fact I didn't have to think about holding my head in place on fast roads, or that fact that when it rained I didn't get soaked, etc. However as with Cynic and Jimmy - I don't think I'll be going through the 2-wheeled winter motions again unless I absolutely need too. Why I did it before I don't really know as I've always had access to my own car... Perhaps it was just youthful enthusiasm at the thought of being on 2 wheels?! For example this weekend I was looking at camping with my bike but when I looked at the weather forecast I decided against it, even though it's only a bit of rain... I tip my hat to the folks who do ride through winter (through choice like me, or through no other option). However equally I can't blame those who buy the bike of their dreams and wish to treat it well by bringing it out on only the nicest of days. At the end of the day, like me my bike is a hobby and the car is just a given

This made me smile, also made me remember some old friends.

Not for everyone but if you think it would help and make you feel safer then buy one, only cost a few quid. Been riding for over 40 years and never had one but been knocked off more times than I like to think of most of those were dummies who pulled out IN FRONT of me with a head light on so if they don't see that then there's not much hope for these dumb f**kers. S.M.I.D..S.Y should be nailed to the road and run over a few times to make them aware of how much it hurts. Oh and I want to say " I'm not your mate you dumb arse" when I'm laying in the road. PS SMIDSY = "Sorry mate I didn't see you" just in case you didn't know!

On Wed I was riding alone the M40 on my way to meet my daughter, I was in the outside lane following a Discovery doing about 80 when suddenly the car in front of it flipped sideways, somehow the discovery swerved and missed it by inches and was fighting for control in the middle lane, as luck would have it my exit was coming up and I was already preparing to move over to the inside lane so I gunned it and went for the safe gap that was there as utter mayhem unfolded behind me. It took a quite a while for my heart slow down and my bum to stop twiching, I like to think that it was quick reactions that saved me from being toast but really it was mostly just plain fucking luck.

ho fuck it ! I can't wait to show it off heres a sneak pre view.

Finally back on the road after nearly 4 months. I repaired all the damage and replaced the ignition myself as well with the help of a friend. The ignition was a nightmare to swap. It was held in by headless bolts.

Ooh... Somebody must have seen me out and about last weekend...

she actually texted him today and wished him all the best for the future. Gave her the empowerment back she was missing when he dumped her by text. Looks like she's turned the corner thank god

an oldie taken from BARKWINDJAMMERS thread. Sharing with Kev !! The guys were all at Squires. No one wanted to share with Kev, because he snored so badly. They decided it wasn't fair to make one of them stay with him the whole time, so they voted to take turns. The first guy (pilningas) shared with Kev and comes to breakfast the next morning with his hair a mess and his eyes all bloodshot. They said, "Man, what happened to you? He said, "Kev snored so loudly, I just sat up and watched him all night." The next night it was a different guy's turn (SirCardboardDave). In the morning, same thing, hair all standing up, eyes all bloodshot. They said, "Man, what happened to you? You look awful! He said, 'Man, that Kev shakes the roof with his snoring. I watched him all night." The third night was Drews turn. Drew was a tanned, cowboy type, a man's man. The next morning he came to breakfast bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "Good morning!" he said. They couldn't believe it. They said, "Man, what happened?" He said, "Well, we got ready for bed. I went and tucked Kev into bed, patted him on the butt, and kissed him good night. Kev sat up and watched me all night."

Picked her up last night She's great went round some back roads and then onto the M3. Had a job keeping her down to 80. I'm properly fixed now. My first therapy session since October.

No looser ther Bippo,If I am gardening or anywhere and hear a bike I always try to get a look. Just like titys they all make me look.

So I recently acquired a brand new ybr125 0miles. After a bit of a shakey start (I felt so uncomfortable it was unreal just so nervous on the road) I hit the 40 mile mark on the bike and suddenly out of nowhere I fell in love. Having owned the little baby for a week now and covered just over 80miles I look forward to comuting to work everyday as its just so relaxing. There is no real reason for this post to be honest but perhaps someone like me who was nervous as hell after passing there cbt will see this and know it does become so much fun. Picture of bike is below. Www.Imgur.com/p56p1nf

I'm back! Ended up in Cornwall - what can I say, I like the place! I left a rainy Manchester on Friday, but the weather cleared up as I neared Birmingham. Anyway, 300 miles later and I hit Cornwall after sunset. The wind had really picked up and it was throwing it down again. Struggled in places as the wind was blowing me off course. Put it this way, I used to struggle with cross winds on my little YBR as it didn't have the weight, but after 6000 miles on the Tiger, this is the first time I found it a real issue. Anyway, because I was running behind, I really didn't fancy pitching a tent in the dark and so checked into a hotel for the night. A good opportunity to dry off my bike gear. Bright and early start on Saturday - took a scenic route to a supermarket for food supplies then made my way to the campsite. Needless to say, the campsite was incredibly lonely...! Just me in fact, plus the owners were in France. So definitely peaceful... Tent pitched (in the wind and rain), items dropped off, and I was back out again for a general ride-about. It had cleared up again at this point, so was really nice taking in some fantastic roads. Got back to my tent before darkness, which is where it got interesting. Sure you can imagine just how saturated the fields were with all the rain of late, even walking on the grass was ripping it up and showing just mud. I took it slow and made it to my tent, popped into neutral. Right foot was already on the ground. I went to put my left foot down as I needed to dig out my side stand puck and that's where it went wrong - my foot just slid on the ground and the bike reached the point of no return - uh-oh...! I couldn't support it and so had no choice but to guide it to the floor. This is the first time I've dropped a bike so went into immediate panic - my pride and joy! Anyway, off with engine (as it was still running) and then began the mental will-power to bring a 210kg bike back upright. That wasn't easy I can tell you... But I did it , and the bike fired up first time (after I remembered I had flicked the kill-switch, durr...!) However, I was so relieved to see that the bike had zero damage on it, not even a scratch - suppose thats a good thing about dropping it on soft ground! Well after that I tucked into the whiskey I'd bought in a hip flask. I had to cook in my tent as winds were reaching 30mph. One of the reasons I'd bought myself a tent with a large vestibule. Despite the weather the tent remained fully intact and I was more than warm. I'm also glad I had ear plugs to drown out the wind. Slept really well despite the elements - must have been the whiskey...! Sunday wasn't very fun at times, the gusts were just crazy and if you encountered a road running parallel with the wind it was just immense. But it's all good practice for me, so can't complain. Anyway, I made my way home this morning, left at 1.30am as this was when the winds had died down and would remain calm until much later. Pretty uneventful ride home, I wanted to make good time so just stuck to motorways and was back at my house by 6.30am. Despite the weather and my (embarrassing) drop, I really enjoyed myself! It's my intention to make the most of 2014 - with my first trip over the Channel via bike, completing an Iron Butt endurance ride, and as many UK camping trips as I can squeeze into the year. So all-in-all this was really good practice for me. It's allowing me to build up my stamina on a bike and get used to things like carrying luggage etc. I know it isn't a Yammy, but I really can't fault the Tiger. Sure, it has some niggles (don't they all), but it really does swallow up the miles whilst effortlessly carrying luggage. I even used the in-build power adaptor for the first time to charge my phone - handy thing to have on camping trips.

Hey guys - long post alert, but for those not interested in reading it, there's a link at the end to some photos. So I’m finally getting around to posting up about my Europe trip. A rough plan for the trip was conceived before I had the Tiger 1200, but I won’t lie at being relieved with the prospect of doing it on a far more comfortable bike! Anyway, the core principles were to be on the move pretty much every day, to camp every night, and to be as self-sufficient as possible. In total I was away for 16 days and clocked up 4,000 miles. For the first couple of days I actually chaperoning a friend who wanted to go to Europe on her bike, but was a little tentative about crossing the pond and being there without the prospect of any support. Because of this, we spent 3 days getting to the Black Forest, which for me wasn’t ideal (as it was boring). If I had travelled on my own I would have reached the Black Forest in 1 day, but never mind. Anyway, I left home at 5am for a rush hour commute to the EuroTunnel. The panniers on the Tiger give it a very wide profile, and whilst I have previously filtered fully loaded, I was hoping for a trouble-free journey down the M1. Thankfully all ran smoothly - and the weather was crisp and clear. I arrived at 11.30am at our agreed rendezvous (a Shell petrol station one junction before the EuroTunnel). I filled up and then pushed my bike to a parking space to wait for my friend. Pushed the bike forwards (and even backwards!) into this parking bay so all I had to do was ride it out. Fully loaded, I was quite impressed. And then… for some reason when I went to put the side stand down, I physically pushed the bike away from me ?! I have no idea what I was thinking! It was a literal shove with both my hands? I’ve never done anything like that before. So naturally my bike fell onto it’s right side. A 90 degree drop, fully loaded, and pushed with quite some force! A couple of bikers were fuelling up having just returned from Europe so I enlisted their help in lifting it. The damage - well nothing which prevented me from continuing my journey thankfully: Smashed front right indicator so that wasn’t working A minor scuff on the right hand guard (but this had saved my mirror and brake lever) I had added some fork protectors and they’d done their job - no damage to the forks, front brake, etc. Just a very minor chip on said fork protector A little bit of coolant had leaked out, causing the bike temperature to sit just a little higher until I topped it up later in Italy My poor right pannier had taken the bulk of drop - but saved literally everything else on the bike (including the engine guard). The inside of the pannier compressed from the pressure applied to it from the pannier frame and weight of the bike / luggage pressing on it. The pannier stayed on for the rest of the trip (didn’t want to risk removing it), but I did leave it secured with ratchet straps as a back up. So that’s it! I need a new pannier and a new indicator, but everything else survived unscathed, which is a relief. Bike up-righted and friend now in toe, we headed for the EuroTunnel and had plain sailing over to France. It was then a dull jaunt over to the first campsite which was literally just a rest stop for us. The final couple of miles to this campsite were down a forest track. I was tired (having been riding since 5am) and mentally drained trying to navigate and lead my friend smoothly. This is only my third time riding in another country so every sense was heightened. Whilst trying to work out where our next right turn was I had stopped paying attention to the awful road conditions. The physical weight of the Tiger helped as I then spent the next few hundred miles literally storming through a series of rather aggressive potholes! I kicked up so much dust behind me, that when I did eventually see my friend in my mirror, she was so far back! I had a blast - the suspension on the Tiger was just soaking up these potholes. I had a massive grin on my face at the end! Day two - well nothing really exciting to report on this one. It was just another jaunt over to our second French campsite. Both these campsites were really close to the borders of Belgium and Luxembourg, so we spend our time snaking between these 3 countries. Upon arrival to the campsite I pulled down a road which was actually the exit for the campsite. Full gated security - no way of us getting through. So we had to turn the bikes around. This is where the physical size of the Tiger and my inexperience let me down. This road was narrow and on a very steep hill. My friend (on a tiny BMW 650) was able to shuffle hers round. I was over thinking and starting to panic. Assessing the situation whilst she parked at the top of the road, I thought it was best for me to utilise a patch of grass to help with the turn. So when ready to go, I aimed for this grass to complete a wide turn, rather than being restricted to a narrow road. I completed the turn successfully, but what I didn’t foresee was quite how rutted this grass was going to be! I wish I had it on film - a quarter tonne bike, with luggage and an idiotic woman at the helm basically didn’t make for a dignified scene! Much cursing and much bouncing up and down. In situations like that I usually go for speed and power (because I’m clueless and want to get out the situation as quickly as possible). Well that’s great in principle, but it was like riding over tiny trenches so my back wheel was only able to get traction on raised parts. Much wheel spinning and a scream of relieve when I was back on the road and climbing up the hill! Day 3 and we diverted to Strasbourg before arriving in the Black Forest. I’m not keen on city riding anyway (I used to get zero joy from my central London bike commutes for work). This is also where the Tiger isn’t in it’s element. It’s massive with full luggage, so I couldn’t filter through the heavy traffic, and I was struggling to locate a parking spot for both bikes - particularly one of my size. Anyway, success eventually and it was a spot literally in the centre! Perfect. A bite to eat in a restaurant clad with retro bike memorabilia, and a wander around, we were then back on the bikes and heading to the Black Forest. Finally, this is where the roads started to get interesting. We had our first introduction into hairpins - the first of MANY on this trip. We stayed at the campsite for 2 nights. On Day 4 we both did our own thing because our riding style is just different. I left early and did about 350km, my friend left later and did 50km. So I was glad to be out on my own, and was enjoying the roads. I actually chose to stay away from the more popular roads (such as the B500) - they felt quite similar to roads we have here in the UK, but the single track back roads were full of hairpins and steep drops - much more exciting. If I had travelled on my own, I would have spent 3 nights in the Black Forest. Day 5 and we were aiming for a German campsite near the Austrian border. It had been bucketing it down from 9pm the night before so our tents etc. were saturated. This made for a slow ride as I spent most of the time worrying about my friend who feels the cold, doesn’t have adequate bike clothing for rain, has no weather protection on her bike, and feels the cold. In comparison, I don’t feel the cold, have a Rukka suit which kept me bone dry (they are amazing) and was well protected behind my screen and fairing. I felt we had to keep stopping so that she could warm up, etc. About 20km from the campsite, her clutch failed, but luckily it was an easy fix at the roadside. It was at this point we agreed to split from day 6 onwards. I wanted to stay in Austria for longer and she wanted to aim for the warmth and sun of Italy. It was always our intention to ride our own ride, but the night before the EuroTunnel she lost her wallet, so I was having to buy her petrol and food, etc., meaning she was unfortunately tied to me. We withdrew a stack of cash from my account so that we could split. So day 6, and I was so happy to be able to ride how I wanted / for how long I wanted / and where I wanted without worrying about anyone else. So to Austria I went! I stayed for a couple of days at a campsite near Italy, so I was overlooked by the beautiful Dolomites. I loved Austria, and wish I could have spent more time there. I had a list of roads I wanted to ride, but physically didn’t have the time. However the standout ones were the Felbertauern Tunnel (I love a good tunnel) and of course, Grossglockner. The day I rode Grossglockner the weather was less than ideal. The toll person was in shock when I pulled up - warning me not to ride it as it was horrid up there. But I went ahead and ended up riding it twice (because I needed to get back to the campsite at the end of the day!). I get what he was saying…. I saw only a handful of bikes in total. The first time I rode it the temperature at the top was around 2 degrees and there was black ice. My back wheel was squirming around for traction on the hairpins, but thankfully I didn’t have an issue with the front wheel, otherwise I think I may have regretted my decision rapidly! For the ride back it was a little warmer at the top (3.5 degrees…!) and the torrential rain I’d been in all day had since made it to the summit, but was still just falling as rain. The black ice had gone on my return leg too (thankfully!). Overall visibility was terrible. I was able to see the glacier, but the higher I climbed, the worse it became. For those that know the road, you’ll be aware there is a ‘bikers point’. Checking out the map after I paid the toll I thought, perfect - I’ll head there. Well the fog was so intense that It was literally only when I pulled onto the access road, that I could see it was fully cobbled. I was doing this in the morning where I’d been encountering black ice, the fog was just crazy, from what I could see of the access road, it was incredibly narrow and my sat nav showed a tonne of hairpins! FFS… I was on it now, no choice other than to get to the bikers point to turn around. Because it was generally quiet, and bikers were in the minority, I was encountering cars on this road (I assumed they weren’t allowed). Really not ideal. I shat myself the entire way up because I was worried the cobbles would be slippery. Anyway, made it - but it was pointless because I couldn’t admire the views! Never mind, at least going downhill was easier… Days 8 and 9 were spent in Italy. I rode countless mountain passes in the Dolomites, but don’t have a list of the ones taken. They were great though, but I’ll admit to noticing a difference in local driving quality (when compared with Germany and Austria!). The Italian’s are a little mental and car drivers won’t hesitate to overtake another car whilst on a bend. Sometimes road conditions weren’t as great either, and I noticed that their hairpinned main roads were normally narrower than the hairpin roads in Germany and Austria. So overall I kept my wits about me the entire time I was in Italy. I was getting Italian bikers pulling up next to me in my lane and riding with me whilst they were checking me out. They’d do it for a while, give a thumbs up, and then carry on riding like lunatics. I couldn’t work out whether it was them seeing a UK biker, a biker on their own, a big 1200 (it’s all mopeds there), a woman biker, or that fact I was in full bike gear when it was hot?! No idea why I was attracting such attention from every other Italian geared bike…. It was making me chuckle anyway. It was at the Italy campsite that I’d agreed to meet up with my friend again so that I could top up her funds and so we could share our adventures to date. On day 9 (I think) I took a break from mountains and hairpins for a more leisurely ride around Lake Garda. I have visited Lake Garda when I was younger and loved how clear it was. So it was great to re-visit, and great to just stop and enjoy a nice coffee and ice cream by the lake. On this day I also pulled into a Triumph garage I was riding past. They were so kind and took the initiative to check the bike over. Everything was fine other than the coolant (from my drop, which I knew about). So whilst they were checking everything over (free of charge) I wandered around admiring a little slice of British motoring they had - classic Mini’s (I used to own one) and some old school Jags hidden out the back of their workshop. On the last day in Italy I headed to Stelvio Pass as I made my way to Switzerland. I knew the road had a tonne of hairpins, but I’ll be honest with you - I hate hairpins. I know the theory of how to get a bike round a hairpin, but I’ll often then overthink it and mess them up. However, I don’t like my own irrational fears to get in the way of why I ride. So I aimed for Stelvio with a clear idea of what to expect. Mind you, the first few hairpins really caught me off guard. The main thing I struggled with was the serious lack of visibility - I had not idea whether there was a vehicle coming down. So I was going into these hairpins blind, with a fully loaded bike that is overwhelming if I needed to physically stop it on a camber. I think it was that playing on my mind and making me feel tense. Anyway, once I cleared a few of the more tree-lined hairpins, the scenery opened up and I began to enjoy myself more. Don’t get me wrong, I was still taking some of the hairpins in a way which would make experienced riders wince, but I was enjoying myself, recognising my mistakes, and grinning like an idiot when I completely smashed one. I felt liberated by the time I made it to the top. I sat and watched bikers and high-end cars for an hour and a half at the summit, enjoying a bratwurst, of course! The ride down the other side was just as beautiful. I stayed in a campsite which was probably the worst overall - whilst it was in Switzerland, it was close to the Italian border, and still very much felt Italian - drivers were mental and I didn’t hear anyone speaking French or German…. The campsite itself was dated, the ground was like sand (so difficult to get my bike secure on its side-stand) and the campsite was also bizarrely a destination for locals to visit for their evening meal?! Italians gathered in groups are not quiet!! Never mind - it just encouraged me to get out and stay out the next day! It was from there that I headed to the campsite I was looking forward to the most. A campsite in Switzerland which was at the foot of a glacier. It was basically close to Mont Blanc (as the crow flies). I stayed there a total of 3 days and chilling at the campsite of an evening was just so serene. Over these 3 days I soaked up roads in the Swiss Alps, dipped into the French Alps and enjoyed seeing Mont Blanc up close. Overall the weather was great, resulting in fabulous views. One night I experienced a first for me, a silent thunderstorm. The mountains surrounding me were blocking out the noise, and the lightening was momentarily silhouetting the mountains which was so cool. I took a tarp with me so that I could comfortably sit outside my tent and cook, etc. So it was nice just sitting there listening to the rain fall. On my final night at the campsite, there was some light rain when I went to bed, then clearly a cold snap hit during the night so all these rain drops which had been sitting on my tent and tarp fabric has frozen solid. My entire tent was frozen, the glacier had a fresh layer of snow on it, and the ground was slippery. It was so cold that anything I then placed outside the tent as I was packing up was freezing! What I have also experienced is how painful it is trying to open frozen aluminium panniers with bare hands…! Likewise, my tent has one of the poles exposed, so I was having to melt the seams with my breath so I could collapse that down. All good fun! Getting my bike off this hilly campsite on icy ground - well that was less fun, but I did it. This is the very campsite where the day before I thought I’d ride towards the glacier and see how close I could get (big mistake as I ended up on a dirt track with large loose stones - and then suddenly a narrow dead end out of nowhere! Turning my bike around then (with no ice) wasn’t fun, so I was glad this time I didn’t encounter any problems. I’ll also take the time at this point to say just how amazing the heated seats and heated grips are on this bike. At this point in the trip, my friend has been taking 4 days slowly riding back through France to the EuroTunnel. I didn’t want to do that, so stuck in Switzerland for as long as I could. I then rode all day on the motorway to make it to the campsite we’d stayed at on day 1. This was then a great starting point for my final trek back to the EuroTunnel. Even though it was a boring day riding through Switzerland and France, it was a compromise I was happy to make. Along with Austria, the French and Swiss Alps are certainly a place I want to go back to. After I’d packed up at the final campsite back in France, I had a 250km jaunt back to the EuroTunnel where I met my friend again. She was a little worn out from her slow trek back through France, something she didn’t enjoy doing. But we were both safe and sound and ready for the delightful over-populated UK roads. After arriving back in the UK we went our separate ways (my friend back to London and me back up North). Terrible planning - the train had got us back into the UK on a Friday during rush hour…. So it was slow going for me, but I arrived back home with no dramas! It was a full on adventure, moving every day, but I loved it. I enjoyed camping every night - the longest consecutive period of time I’ve spent camping. The bike was mainly a pleasure to ride, long distances and cold weather are easy to tackle aboard this bike. Really it was only awkward slow speed manoeuvring I struggled with (more because I’m on tip-toes), and then the consistent 27 degree heat in Italy ,as I get no air flow behind the huge screen, hand guards and countless wind deflectors dotted around the fairing. It wasn’t uncommon to see me standing on the bike as I travelled around Italy…! The next time I head to Europe for a biking holiday, I’ll cover less distance. I want to spend a long weekend in the Black Forest (I think that would be enough for me). I also would love to do a week-long holiday specifically in Austria, and another week-long holiday specifically around the Swiss and French Alps. So it’s certainly given me a flavour of what those locations are like. Here’s to the next adventure! https://imgur.com/a/56Lomzz

This isn't the actual bike but very simular, not got it yet but but almost, just haven't told mrs xs yet! just wondering which licence I'll loose first driving or marriage

Is Patricia still in the game , or is she drawing the pension now ??

The face of our "killer" pit bull. He even passed his canine good citizen class. People are the common denominator when it comes to ill-mannered dogs or dogs at large.

Posted a while back when i had just got my Yamaha YBR Custom, got my CBT yesterday and had my first ride out on the road today. Did a whole circuit around Loch Ness, lived right next to it all my life but I still found 60 miles of roads with stunning views i never even knew existed before today! If cruising is your thing then it's definitely i must ride before you die.

I don't know if its because I do more pleasure riding these days rather than commuting, but I have noticed over the last couple of years that here in Surrey there seems to be a lot more vintage British bikes on the road, some of them beautifully restored. At one of my local bike haunts there are nearly always at least a couple turn up. I wasn't disappointed yesterday morning when these two showed up.

thought I'd start putting the pikkies from the Classic TT on here. no doubt Tommy will do the same too ready for the off arriving at the camp met a couple of guys from Newcastle, this is Barry he asked me if i knew what the weather was tomorrow and I said yes Peel Castle chillin on the Glencrutchery road found Kev's trousers for sale in Douglarse Joey Dunlop and Tommy Murray's Museum near Fairy Bridge this moose was hanging around so took a pickie. wanted to know what the character was, she said Lindsey. so its Lindsey the moose, with a mte we arranged to meet there got grandstand tickets for the friday at the creg we were all on yammies tommy couldn't take the stress on the minature railway note his red cummerbund he acquired at Jurby Festival (was a scorcher) lake at Ramsey where we stayed for 2 nights in a flat offskies waiting to go on the ferry

I was on my way home from work tonight, riding from Wigan to Bolton when I passed a guy hunched over what looked like a pre war bike at the side of the road. I turned round and pulled up to ask if he needed a hand. Indeed he did, the clutch had failed on what turned out to be a 1933 Coventry Eagle Silent Superb and he was going to need a hand to lift it into his van. I spent a very happy 20 minutes chatting with Brian, the owner whilst we waited for his brother in law to arrive with the van. Describing the Coventry as his 'new' bike Brian told me his usual ride was built in 1903 ! In the 20 minutes I spent there a rider on an MZ also stopped to offer assistance and to have a chat. If there's a better way to pass time on a sunny Sunday evening I've yet to find it.

Damn, I hate writing lists! So, in order of hazy memory Honda SS50 (learnt to ride on this. On reflection, taking some kind of instruction before going up the road might have been wiser) Puch M50 (paid £8 for it out of someone's garden. Didn't really work properly so used it in a field, painted it black and gold and sold it!) Honda C90 x 3 (different times, various states of repair, all ran, one with missing screen, brake, MOT, tax...) Honda 50 (clockwork, only worked on the straights or downhill) Honda CG125 (fab bike. 50 mile round trip commute every day. Only time it failed was when some git nicked my HT lead. Spent 45 minutes trying to start it before I realised!) Suzuki TS125 (Egyptian export model. Worked brilliantly, even after being straightened out with a hammer following an over-enthusiastic approach to a sharp bend) SV650 (my first big bike. Naked model, went on a European touring holiday two weeks after passing test. Spent 10 days developing huge neck muscles trying to keep up with all the faired bikes. My first experience of how to lose money when selling a bike) Honda VFR750 (painted RVF colours. Comfortable, smooth, fast. Found out it was a Category C write off when tried to trade it in! Second experience of losing money when selling a bike) Kawasaki ZZR600 (Hated it, most uncomfortable bike ever owned. Failed to notice there was no 5th gear when test riding. See above re: losing money) Honda Firestorm (Fast and fun. Rubbish brakes and worse fuel economy than a 747. See above re: losing money) Aprilia Falco (Superb bike. Fast, fun, fab brakes, comfortable for long distances. Lost some of the shiny bits following an incident with wet cobbles and sunken tramlines in Germany. See above re: losing money) Aprilia Falco (As above, kept the shiny bits intact but strangely, never quite as good as the first one. See above re: losing money) Yamaha TRX850 (bought as hack bike. Hated it, gave to my partner who loved it until it died a natural death) Forgot this one! Yamaha FZR400 (Only bike I've ever really tried to highside. Partner refused to take it as the clutch was so stiff. Also have it on good authority that it was so small, it looked like it was going to disappear up my flute! Can't remember now but probably lost money when sold) Suzuki GSXR750 SRAD (always wanted one so bought as next hack bike. Stupidly fast, dodgy electrics. Fixed all the probems and then sold it! See above re: losing money) Kawasaki ZX6R (hack bike. Was fun for a little while but got bored as kept running in to it's handling limits. See above re: losing money) Aprilia RSV1000 (Yay! Came with all the tweaks I'd beeing trying to get in to the Falco. Eventually got fed up with having to concentrate on staying on all the time! See above re: losing money) Yamaha XJ6S (this is where the YOC came in Eventually lost interest but my partner has it now and she loves it. No money lost!) Benelli TreK 899 (present bike. I am in love ) Got a feeling I might have missed a couple but I seem to be missing large chunks of teenage memory for some reason...

I came home from work tonight, as I came through the front door I noticed a parcel in the hall. The mrs shouts what have you been buying now! I said fork oil, she said well you must have ordered something!

Cynic suggested a regular drawing for the forum, this is the first, it was promted by membership of a motorbike club I once used to go to and some of the (almost unkind/unfeeling) comments I used to hear there although it's quite funny looking back...maybe this will promt a few comments from forum members, I hope so

Well it was a nice day up here, so I took the bike to work, 1200hrs start as opposed to the usual 0600hrs. Then into work, chained to a desk And finally the trip home, 2000hrs instead of 1800hrs Then got told to Moooove along......sorry