Its the getting there that counts......
 

Isnt it??

In my youth, ok up untill 4 years ago then......( being the grand old age of 44) I went everywhere at 100mph+ and faster if my bike was capable of it, and the BMW's usually were, after a particularly bad accident in which I was left in several pieces internally including a broken Pelvis, I reflected on the folly of my ways.
4 months on your back in Hospital kinda has that effect, ya know....

Upon resuming Biking activities I was keen to 'once again blatt around like a loony and enjoy myself' BUT after all the pain, the Hospital, the Agony, I found out that I didn't get quite the same "thrill" anymore.
There was always the niggle that maybe, just maybe , I wasn't Immortal after all!!....

So the average speeds dropped, the scenery became breathtaking rather than blurry, the fuel consumption halved, tyre wear halved, I wasnt knackered after a 200 mile ride, I didnt have to constantly scan for speed cameras and for the first time in 20 years I ACTUALLY STARTED TO ENJOY MY RIDING AGAIN.
But the MOST amazing thing.... a journey that used to take 1 hour flat out riding like a loony, only took 11 minutes longer keeping to speed limits!!!!

Hasta Luego!

Hi Martyn,

I'm glad you survived!


Yes, I enjoy the scenery, :funmeteryes: notice the fuel economy, :scooter: and I realised the point about speed without nearly killing myself. Long time ago I had an appointment in a town about 1/2 hour away. I was running late and rode like a loony to get there. I didn't crash, but I have one utterly miserable ride! :funmeterno:

On the way back I timed how long it took to do the ride comfortably. Three minutes!!! I've never tried to speed or make up time on the road from that day to this!


I was going to type a funny story for you, but I’ve not been well so I’ve slept most of the day. Talk to you tomorrow.

A long time ago (I'm 50 now) I used to ride a Suzuki GT750 3 cilinder 2stroke. One of my friends had a laverda SF750 and we used to go fast !!!!
One day I was doing 140 km/h in town and suddenly I was thinking "what the h$&*% am I doing ???"
I sold the Suzuki and bought a Yamaha SR500 with wide handlebars and saddlebags and from then on, I have been riding touringbikes and never regret it.
And.....I'm still alive to tell :-)

:oops2: I mean three minutes longer! :oops2: Three minutes for the ride would definitely have finished me off! :wheelchair: or :death:???

And the police didn't get you?

I live near a main road on the England/Wales border. It’s fairly narrow and winding, and mostly fairly quiet, but on summer weekends tourists head into Wales, and the big bikes come out. I cannot understand the mentality of bikers who zoom round a bend on the WRONG side of the road, terrifying innocent motorists who drive into the bend to find a bike doing 60 mph or more on a collision path! :scared:

If I’m travelling the other way from them, I’m so glad bikes are narrow so they can miss a C90. When I have a car, they’ll frighten the life out of me! :scared: :scared: :scared:

Signs have now sprouted by the sides of the road about the number of motorbike fatalities! :hang::death:

Biker fatalities
 

Here in Spain, because there are 330 or more riding days a year, and because it is mostly HOT (mmmmmm Yes!), a lot of younger, stupid Bikers do not wear the correct safety gear. I have seen Bikers riding just this week as follows....

A yamaha R1 rider in T shirt, shorts and flip flops passed me doing in excess of 150 kmh.

V strom rider trainers, shorts, no helmet, no shirt

moped riders in just very light clothes, not even a pair of gloves, no helmet


WE CALL THEM ORGAN DONORS

And it suits them! :rolleyes2:

One of the reasons I want a car as well as two bikes (Two steeds and a chariot!!! :D :D :D ) is because I hate wearing all that gear in our summer heatwaves, but I put it on regardless. :sweatdrop:

The average motorist thinks I’m freezing cold on a motorbike. When I tell them the usual problem is being too hot, it sounds sarcastic, but I mean it!

Mind you, although it’s quite comfortable to ride round the local valleys well wrapped up in midwinter, I do wish there was central heating on the hilltops! :freezing: We have thermoses of coffee and something stronger in our top boxes. And, no, we don't drink too much! :nono:

Coffee......nah! might keep me awake on the bike.........
 

Thermos full of Hot Chocolate with a splash of Brandy ( just a taste mind!)

or Horlicks .........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

Bought me a great Stainless steel flask, 14 euros, ya have to fill it with hot water ( just from the tap is ok) to heat it up while the kettle boils but it keeps stuff hot for ages...... I RECOMMEND A STAINLESS FLASK FOR ANYONE, they are heavier and cost more initially, but after breaking about 6 flasks at 7 quid a go one winter:oops2: i decided stainless was the way to go!

Xan, Well, I decided that a C90 was not quite for me and have bought an XT250 serow for my Iceland trip. It's a light trail bike and should be ideal in the sand and rocks. On the road people get 80mpg ! That must be close to C90 territory. Keep having fun.:thumbup1:

I found this, and thought of you.
http://www.honda50.cc/
Enjoy.

Thanks for the link!
 

Hi Folks,

I’m just checking in because I’ve been out :scooter: or asleep :sleep: all weekend. (Mostly out!) More very soon.

Sleepy again! :sleep:

Hi Folks,

Mind you, I'm usually sleepy! :sleep:

Here’s something for my blog about my trip last month, but there is a lot more to the story.

It is 166 miles from home, in the first village in Wales, to Burghley Horse Trials, and I thought The Hobbit and I were going to do it in one day under our own steam until we reached Market Harborough, with 25 miles to go. There was a heavy shower of rain and The Hobbit’s engine died.

‘Oh no, you don’t!’ I told her. Stopping in rain is one of Hawk’s tricks, now he’s got old and quirky. I tried to start her. Nothing.

I’ve lost my mobile but there was a house with lights on within easy pushing distance. The kind owners invited me in to ring the RAC. Soon a patrolman turned up.

‘I thought it was a car,’ he said. ‘I can’t fix a motorbike!’ Of course I’d told the RAC I’d got a motorbike, but this always happens. He started The Hobbit easily.

‘Hmm,’ I thought. ‘She goes when she’s dry but she hasn’t been fixed and it’s still raining. There’s a dark lonely road between Market Harborough and Stamford, where I can’t find help, and if her engine dies again she’s got no lights.’ :funmeterno:

I spoke to the call centre again and persuaded the RAC to give me a recovery to the Horse Trials. Soon another recovery vehicle came and the driver tied The Hobbit down on his huge flat bed trailer. I climbed into the cab and he tried to program his satnav. ‘Where are you going?

‘Burghley Horse Trials.’

‘Where’s that?’

Great! One of the biggest horse trials in the world and the RAC doesn’t know where it is. ‘In the grounds of Burghley House.’

‘Where’s that?’ The most beautiful house in England and the RAC doesn’t know where it is either.

‘Just outside Stamford.’

‘I can program in Burghley Road, Stamford. Will that do?’

Well…it got us there…

After the horse trials I set out to see the cross-country jumps at close quarters. A number of other people had the same idea. It was a dry day and The Hobbit started perfectly. Off we went as far as the water jump. I rode The Hobbit down to the water’s edge beside the jump, then contemplated my way out. We would have to climb steep rising ground at an angle, not a good idea on two wheels.

‘Ride through the water,’ suggested a man. I looked at him.

‘I’m not kidding,’ he assured me. I was the fence judge and I know it’s not deep.’

I visualised the call I’d probably make to the RAC. ‘You remember the little motorbike you took from Market Harborough to Burghley Horse Trials last week, because she didn’t like getting wet? Well, she’s…err…broken down in the water jump!’

That would get me banned for life. I turned The Hobbit round and rode back the way I’d come. The fence judge thought I was chicken.

Next day, when I’d struck camp and loaded everything onto The Hobbit, she wouldn’t start. Starting a reluctant bike isn’t easy for me now I’ve got a replacement knee.

‘I need a big strong man.’ I thought. Big strong men are easily found when an event is being dismantled. I stuck my hand out and in no time I had a helper. He tried to start The Hobbit.

The Hobbit. ‘Shan’t!’

Big Strong Man. ‘You need the RSPCA.’

The Hobbit, again. ‘Shan’t!’

Me. ‘She’ll go. She’s just kidding.’

Two minutes later she was running as though nothing was the matter.

*******************

To Be Continued.

Wise to stay dry
 

You were wise to avoid the "not deep" water jump. Not deep to a horse is plenty deep enough for humans and C90s - a few years ago I ran "Only fools, not horses", a charity "fun" run over the cross country course at Blenheim, after the horses have had their fun. The smallest jumps were huge and a few runners ended up swimming across the water! Obviously a great day for all, and some money was raised for a good cause, but just because a horse can run through water does not mean it is not deep!

Hi MarkE
 

That's exactly what I thought! Mind you, earlier this year I thought The Hobbit could swim because I had to pick her up from the mechanic on the day of the Great Floods. :stormy: The main road was underwater so I decided to come back along the Ridgeway, a thousand feet above the valley, and that was underwater too!

I've heard about the fun run at Blenheim. Pleased to meet someone who's done it! :clap: