nikolees

The black bull inn. Forum members at the background...

You young uns! I'm knackered We got back about 6.30ish get yourself a 675 daytona!! you won't be getting of it

I feel for you, must be very difficult in the car surrounded by so many bikes... I'm keeping your advice for Scotland

Just got in...right on time for the MotoGP... not tired at all..I could have another 100 miles!!! Great fun, nice to see all these faces...look how happy we look!!

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Cheers Rob...it really did pay off.. not to mention that I really enjoy leaving things I'd like to do for another time...it keeps me motivated in a way..

Aw, you're so blessed to have roads like these so close to you... I'm having thoughts for another ride, now that weather is opening up...but instead of challenge tags I would go for forum members... not that i know anyone personally, but why not...how does that sound???

in total 1200 miles on the clock...most of them on really nice roads.. I say that everyone should ride Wales...one of the best places I've been and great in many ways for motorcycling... I'm sure I'll go again soon

I was planning to ride Scotland on Easter weekend (which I extended by 2 days ) - then I had a conversation with myself (and a friend of mine), the conclusion was that it might be a very long journey with too much time on motorways and roads unsuitable (if any) for my bike, and the weather forecast didn't look very promising for the Highlands. Then I got that promo email from MSVT for a trackday in Anglesey and said (to myself again) why not? So I booked and didn't think of Scotland again. Off we go on Thursday (not only me but many many more, so it took me 2.5 hours filtering through M1 traffic for the first 100miles), then headed for the Peak District to get the first 2 challenge tags-the roads were very good, medium traffic...a nice way to start a holiday...first stop Liverpool. In the meantime, I'd spoken to a new friend from Hereford and asked if he'd like to join me on track- he couldn't, but suggested that I visited them on Friday and stayed with them at their restored barn-farm house in the middle of nowhere right on the Welsh border (I had a quick meeting - you should know by now with whom-me) and decided why not? the plan was to get as many riding time as possible on worth riding roads...(after I'd spoken to him I realised I would pass close from all the Welsh tags) Weather was not very kind on Friday, warm but wet- not that it bothered me, I knew the best part was ahead. Got my tags on the way, arrived late-ish and they took me to the village pub to have the best fish'n'chips ever...and then the word spread around that my friends were having a biker friend visiting them, so a small group of guys and gals in their mid 50s at best gathered around and chit-chatted (about bikes obviously),it was amazing that everyone of them had something to say - going back to Bary Sheene or Marc Marquez and Crutchlow- even my friends didn't see that coming... Next morning we woke up early and my firend ran to his workshop (right after he let the chicken out ) to fit last bits and pieces to his new acquisition, a '99 Yamaha R6 track bike (beautiful)... And then the very good stuff started...Llanthony Priory (1st tag for the day-beautiful place), I had to do some light off road/mud track, but the view of those ruins deserved it... I was now riding on the spine of Wales...beatiful weather, great roads, NO speed cameras for over 100 miles (!!!!!!), I found some company en-route to make things even more interesting...greatest riding day of my british life so far... Got lost one or two times (I have to admit I don't like sat navs, I keep it traditional-paper maps and notes), but every time that happened I was on a even better road, amazing!! Late-ish arrival at a village near the circuit (google maps suggested it would take me 3.5 hours - I doubled it ), had a "light" 10 o.z. Welsh burger at the hotel pub and went to bed... Sunday morning on track...the sea moist wasn't very kind- you couldn't see further than 200m, even less at some parts of the circuit and I had to wipe my visor 3-4 times a lap...funny thing was that if you moved 2 miles inland there was the brightest day... nice experience though...late afternoon it got much better and we enjoyed more... Back to the hotel, fast food from outside as I was too tired to wait sitting on a table until I get served...oh, yeah...I shouldn't forget to mention how friendly Welsh people were, especially ladies (after many pints I assume)...if I were a woman that friendli-ness would be called sexual assault... Next day on the road again, getting the last Welsh tags and arriving early in Liverpool, just to get out for a photoshoot in the fog... Very early start for my last day (mates had to go to work), mini breakfast on a tag point and the rest of the road back through A and B roads until I got tired and headed back on the M1 traffic

Not mine, but this one is good-bad: ACU gold sticker can certify that Arais are good enough

That's all you need Joe. And to be honest, I don't think anyone is going to check you - I did one of their trackdays last weekend and the only thing that came up was that they asked if we had 2-piece zipped leathers. And of course they didn't check gloves and helmets.

Just to get it right, are you guys buying us the Shandys or not???

You joining us?? Yep!!

Translation (loose): the biker is excited it'll be sunny

1 Robert Bagshaw Team Baggy Racing 242 2 roy garnett bandit riders 201 3 gary parker techone 189 4 Paul De Ste Croix Weekend Warriors 178 5 rachel spolton Rachel's Rebels 173 6 Milan Gajic Easy Rider 154 7 clive fieldhouse jimmy's jambusters 153 8 Craig Edis ASIFSIX 139 9 Martin Haylett Strike like Lightning 137 10 NIKOLAOS MATATSIS The Countersteerers 137 11 Gary McKelvie sprint to the win 136 12 ian renshaw rennie's rides 116 13 Robert Murphy Vanilla Racing 115 14 Mason Howarth My team is better than rach's 106 15 susan walls susie's stunners 66

Ha ha thanks... in a very abstract way they are opposite!!

I did Wales last weekend. Could someone check Montford Bridge Cafe?? The pin on google maps is on Wingfield Arms pub, there is also a Montford Bridge Cafe in a camping site nearby (I uploaded both). Cheers

Group 5 - Red Lollipop (North Midlands) Blue John Cafe

Ok, this is going to be long...in order of appearance: Group 5 - Red Lollipop (North Midlands) Grindleford Station Cafe Group 6 - Yellow Lollipop (Wales {ish}) Limekilns Cafe Montford Bridge Cafe ??? (here is the pin on google maps) or Montford Bridge Cafe ??? (here is the cafe) Dom's Bike Shop Queenswood Cafe Llanthony Priory (that was beautiful) Bishop's Meadow Cafe (Restaurant) Corris Railway Museum Fitzpatricks Cafe The Doof Cafe Snugbury's Ice Cream - Straw Sculpture (and that's all for Wales) Group 1 - Green Diamond (Central England) Salt Box Cafe First Place (was the Chequered Flag Cafe) The Long Itch Diner

Backyard

The cock The white swan

so please.. just for me, why didn't you like it? haha, yeah let me explain just for you...I rode it on greek SLIPPERY city roads on which I was used to ride a lot with my own bike. I really didn't like the feedback/feeling (although there's no doubt which system works better) and I was getting the impression it went on too easily. If I compare it to the british roads which I find brilliant in terms of traction, I believe that a willing-to-learn/train rider can make the best out of their no ABS brakes, I don't really see the need for ABS (although there's no doubt that it's a safety feature). I'm also sure I'm biased, but that's just me. Afterall most of us learned to ride, enjoy it and survive without ABS.

I'd say go without. But that's for me-I haven't ridden a modern ABS, only a 2009 Yamaha XJ6 and didn't like it. I trully believe that the more gadjets one introduces, the less they evolve their skills and the less they concentrate on their actual riding, so no ABS(although I understand that it's a safety mechanism), no traction control, no GPS for me. But after all that's me..

was just going to say so

Thanks Throttled, the way you planned it for me I would have two free days to roll around??