Mallory1

Wind, rain, fog ..... And still smiling? Only a fellow (dedicated) biker gets that! It makes no sense to explain but real all the same. Well done on the u turns ... It's great when you make those wee personal achievements on the bike isn't it they all add up to a truly confident and safe biker I say.

Oh, and how can I forget ... "Craic" - a good time

Well, there's English and then there's Northern Ireland (Norn ' iron) english. I shall explain...... "Mucker" - Friend "Bout ye" - Hello, How are you? "Whats the score?" - What is happening? "Them 'un's" - Those people "Yous 'un's" - You people "Aye" - Yes "Here's me" - This is what I did/said "The Brew" - Job Seekers Allowance "A Swally" - A drink "Saunter" - Walk on "Ye What?" - What did you do/say "Bake" - Someones face "Bap" - Head/Hair "You Slabbering?" - You making fun of me? "Dander" A short walk "Stroked" - Stolen / ripped off "Baltic" - Cold "Houl On" - Please wait "Oxters" - Armpits "Bate" - Beat "Meat Wagon" - Police Landrovers "Suckin' Diesel" - Having a good time "Scundered" - Embarrassed "Stickin out" - That's really good "Get my head showered" - Take a much needed break "Dead on" - ok (can be used as sarcasm) "Taig" - someone of the Roman catholic religion "Orangy" - someone of the Protestant religion (NB: In N Ireland you must fall into one of these 2 religions - we recognise no other!! Lol) "Wise up" - Be serious "Your head's cut" - You are talking nonsense That's for starters ...

Well folks, thanks for the comments. As you rightly say bippo, they're an entirely personal thing. I appreciate the advice above I'm going for a sort of celtic knotted cross (not down the arm, Noise, you'll be relieved to hear, but on my upper arm). It's being personalised in some way (which I'm discussing with the artist at present) to reflect my 4 wee ankle biters. I'll post a pic when it's done so you can either A. Nod your head in silent admiration and approval, B. Shake your head and decide that I'm a complete tit without a single brain cell worth speaking of, C. Wonder if the epileptic tattooist has fully recovered from his sudden seizure. I'm hoping for option A

Right boys & girls ..... The mid life crisis continues. I'm getting a tattoo done. To be fair, I've researched and thought about this for over a year. Just wondering what your views are on tattoos in general? Are they a common feature among the disreputable bikers on this site??

When my back lets me ..... Haha. Made me smile. Welcome

Thinking back to the days when I was learning .... My instructor was like a moustached Sid James (for the younger folk, just google Carry on movies- have to remember I'm part I the old git brigade now). Every word was a swear word and yet he had a manner of NEVER losing his patience. Would call you a tit at times and laugh but in a way that made you laugh with him. Customers loved him.

I hear that. She now wants taken to school in the morning. Weather permitting. Guess I just need to get up early and stick out a load of home made traffic diversion signs ... Just to keep things safe

Ps. Crackin wee bike. Commute daily on mine besides the odd bit of touring so use it for most things.

Iandouglas, proud owner of a '99 model .... Ask away

Haha. I love it when you see these drivers' expressions (normally the female of the species) which roughly translated mean: please don't be there, please don't be there, I'm not going to look at you and that'll mean you're not there."

Miss double D from the West Midlands? Know her wel........ Just kidding Wade. Welcome to the site

If I was behind half of you lot at the lights I'd never be stuck wondering what to do .... It would pure entertainment just watching the biker in front

Mike, I'm breaking into a cold sweat just reading that! You mean wrapping them in bubble wrap on the bike isn't typical? Lol. My missus won't either but only cause she wants a bike herself I think hitting 60 on the bike with my daughter scares me more than her, hehe. Good to hear ur experiences ..... Keeps me motivated to keep the kids interested.

Signed for the attention of Mr Cameron. Good initiative shown - well done that girl. Glad she's ok.

Well, my daughter is a very average size & weight I would guess. Having NEVER had a pillion before I was probably a little over sensitive at first but even for such a short trip I could sense my confidence growing. I would guess that an extra awareness of braking distances and the extra load when low speed manoeuvring would be 2 key areas to keep in mind. Otherwise, it felt like a surprisingly 'intimate' way to travel knowing that you're sharing the journey in a fairly unique way. The odd wee 'thumbs up' coming into my peripheral vision made me smile

Cheers folks. All very encouraging ! About to leave for work. Came downstairs to find the same daughter eating breakfast (now like her dear Mum, wouldn't exactly be a ray of sunshine first thing in the morning . First words out of her mouth? "So, dad, when are you buying me all my bike gear?" I had a quick vision of happy (and totally broke) days ahead ..... Bring em on. Have a good and safe day folks

Well now. After years of riding I finally decided to go out for a spin this evening after work with a pillion. Common sense, sociologists and fancy equations would have told me one of the 2 boys would have been holding on for dear life but nope, that privilege went to my youngest daughter (11yrs). And here's the thing .... We only travelled a total of about 5 miles to some coast line, stopped, looked around for a bit before heading back as she's going out tonight with her mum. Stopped briefly to reward her with some chocolate for not falling off. And yet when we got off the bike in the driveway and I helped take off her helmet ... Well, we may as well have just stepped off the space shuttle having orbited the moon. Grinning ear to ear followed by hugs and "thanks daddy". Somehow I don't think I would have got the same reaction using our people carrier! Sorry for the pointless post but was just a great wee moment on the bike. Just makes me even more sorry for those cagers. A happy & grateful biker

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=N4AbK6osemc

New to bikes at the tender age of 45 - good for you Steve welcome to the club. We' re all learners really

Mmmm. Looks more like a rider problem to me. You can spot the erratic riding a fair bit in advance of him hitting the grass bank. Tiredness perhaps? Either way, nasty.

I use soft panniers daily. The bracket for my 99 fazer which would take panniers isn't in production any longer and I couldn't find any second hand - only the base plate for the box - which I already have. As for equally loading the soft panniers, all I would say is that while preferable it's not essential assuming the Velcro (or similar) fittings are secure enough - it just looks stupid. One tip from experience though ... Soft panniers move around no matter how secure so do place some protective material between them and the bike.

Sorry foamy. Me bad. But to be fair, its normally just BMW drivers. But I guess they're almost human too o_O.

If I'm totally bored, and I'm at the lights beside a BMW driver (or similar) I get his attention, point vaguely at his front wing and then make totally random hand gestures while pointing as if its meant to be totally clear what I'm on about. Invariably he will mouth the word "wheel?" and mouth the word "flat?" like a goldfish chewing bubblegum. I then shake my head and hit the throttle as the lights go green. Tens points awarded if same driver is spotted in wing mirror immediately indicating to pull in.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BVwjpQYAWz8