Fozzie

She THINKS I was going 80 for most of it... She also THINKS I went to 130mph to get ahead of a pocket of traffic on a slip road.... Of course with me on the controls and eyes on the clocks i can say I was doing a very lawful 70mph

Bandit... No They are good bikes dont get my wrong but a CBR600F just blows it away in most ways. Looks Acceleration Smoothness Reliability Sporty appeal Better handling I may be biased... Well I looked at them before I bought but the CBR seems the best. Everyone knows cbr600f stands for: Completely Balistic Ride with 600cc f**k!! Also... Its a Honda... Seals the deal

Strip it down to its little pieces. Clean, put back together and make sure the mixture is set right. If this does nothing or the problem continues to get worse you have a crank case seal failure. A crank case seal failure is in the furthest reaches of the engine but easy when you have a haynes. If doing the carb and all else fails it is the crank case seals. Once they go the bike will begin to splutter above 8000rpm... Then they will get worse and it will splutter above 7000 and then 6000 untill you only have a 30mph bike. They keep pressure in the engine to help move the petrol and oil while it sits at the bottom of the engine.

Yeah, old couple next to me complained about my RS and me using it to get to college every morning... They came out and I told them "ill stop revving it TO WARM IT UP when you stop moaning like a wounded wilderbeast during sexytime I hear some nights". Put a stop to that... But seriously, if you know who it is write a letter and copy it in case there are multiple people that may do it. Explain that you are being wrongly accused and its within your right to run a vehicle you own during daylight hours however you like. It isnt at night time which means they cant actually do anything. You HAVE to and I really mean this you absolutely have to confront them over it. The ones down my road just didnt like me and didnt like bikes. If you've got a loud exhaust then its partly understandable on their part if you were revving. If not you are within your right to do as you wish. Seriously, write explaining you know they have been complaining to the council and that they are greatly exaggerating or making it up. Warn them to stop or you will explain it to the council they have been liars. Edit - Also its your duty as a law abiding citizen to alert the council to this. Also with videos you will have proof that you havent done anything wrong. They will likely want you off the bike for doing that. Bad relationship? Too late... really is too late now. They have their opinions of you. They are a pile of biased crap so its time to turn the other cheek and beat them just by being clever and some simple videos to keep yourself clean. Also for the record, make a video of your bike and going to work every morning even if its on your phone. Video yourself getting the bike up the path and then starting the bike. That way if they complain again you can turn to the council and prove your innocence.

My varadero is probably too heavy to manage that kind of hill too Very good write up by the way! I want to be able to do this sort of thing soon... Just need a good bike and alot of money to do it

Looks like you're leading the pack there, that KTM does seem able to be able to ford every stream and climb every mountain But do you think you could top Sherlocks attempt on the steep hill close to where you grew up?

I want to do a trip like this... But I need my big bike first How are the roads? I dont like long trundling as squaring off my tyres is the last thing I want to do during a trip like this

Very nice bike Ive seen alot of these around lately but theyve all been over 10 years old easily Nice to see a brand new one. Looks alot more gorgeous and definately a mile muncher...

How about the Street Triple (675 engined) and cheap enough new http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/biker ... =EPI-94728 or have a look at the kwack versys, nice bike. Triumph really isnt my style at all. As much as I think they are nice bikes part of me has always hated the styling they have. And the kawasaki Versys is tempting but hasnt got the characteristics of the other 2 that I really want. I love the enduro style of bike but I would prefer for this bike to be a bit more sporty. Im trying to stay away from street bikes as well.

I sat on an SV and the riding style suited me. Its got that sporty zest that I like in a bike but also it wasnt heavy and it was a comfortable seating position. The kawasaki was a bit more cramped and slightly too upright but its something I can change. There are alot of other choices but out of all of them I narrowed down my search to just these 2. They are my favourite out of the bunch. Im leaning towards the SV but i dont want to give in just yet. I want to see if the kawasaki really is a better buy than the sv. Which one will last 3 years if serviced at the right intervals and not chucked down the road?

Having burnt through one too many RS cylinders over my time on the strokers and touring around the country to various events on both a GPX400 and a CBR125 I have decided that its time to get a nice bike that will go the distance and last for a good few years before I need to upgrade. Now I am NOT at all interested in GSXR's and CBR600s as though they are lovely bikes they are a bitch to insure untill Im around 21 and they also come with the problem that they are not comfy long distance. I also dont like the excesive power as I'm all to easily carried away by it and eventually I know ill be filtering down a moving motorway at 120 so Im doing the smart thing and getting a bike that is comfy, can go long distances easily, is cheap to insure, its reliable, and is a good all rounder. Now down to business. Having a kawasaki and finding out the hard way that it is quite unreliable at times. How it just switches back on and keeps going I will never know but the Kawasaki ER6F popped into my head. £5000 on the road new, it has a good twin engine. 650cc and is quite cheap to insure... Then we have the Suzuki SV650. I have always liked these bikes. People have tried to put them down to me saying they are underpowered for what they are but that has never been taken in as I dont think 70 horse power is underpowered at all... So, down to the 2 bikes. Which should I get? The kwickasfucki or the superquicki? And Honda spammers will be executed....

I will have to say the Blackbird. Its probably the wisest choice... I would have the Ducati ST4 if I had the money for one but the Honda will do you the best in the long run! Also Ducatis use lovely twins that make heaps of torque but the Honda really isnt down on power so youd do well on one http://n3t.net/humor/motivation/torque.jpg

I live a 10 minute walk away from the Church green And Ive seen a red YBR around town... I saw it and thought "havent seen many of those up here". Might not have been yours though.

Again a stunning write up! Good to see you got back safe and had a birthday celebration when you got back. Thats one hell of a way to empty your pockets though I hope to do a trip like this in the next year but Im going to aim my wheels at the south of france and go from there

We live in the same town it seems What do you ride? I may have seen you. If you see a cocky Honda varadero or a very cheeky white Aprilia RS125 ridden by a rider in a black helmet and a blue jacket and black boots you know its me. Im not living in Warrington for much longer so I may just have to come out one day and rag it on the RS and show you these places.

Desmos and the F4 aint too expensive... Just you have to be an old nutter to buy one

Youve probably done this bit to death, but i usually do the road going to Pickmere, starting from High legh garden center (turn right on the A50 from poplars) and just follow that road, short lived though as i usually end up either on the A556 or A559 When you leave the Garden centre, turn right. go all the way to those funny lights that put you on a A556. Go straight on, (through the lights and first left). Go down that road and you can go one of 2 ways to get to this road. Up that national speed limit road on the left theres a small lane. Go down that and at the end take the left but within 2 metres turn right towards tatton park. The other way is to go up the main straight and at the turn where theres a junction turn left. And follow that road till you can turn right down onto a winding country road towards tatton park. Follow this and go straight at the one junction and at the end of it you end up at the manchester airport tunnels. Then you can turn back or head into wilmslow town centre and follow signs for Macclesfield up the A537, then follow signs for Buxton and hey presto. You're on the Cat and fiddle! I can google map it if you want

Time for some pictures! http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/3920543856_293608b9a0.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3919768705_09e773926e.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/3920563000_4ec7af7c04.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2433/3919784273_20b55f9b63.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3920573450_95b4008442.jpg A lovely man on a bandit.. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2656/3919794545_6bf18018a1.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2433/3919990081_a67331b9af.jpg And the following pictures were taken by the lovely Jin http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3519/3920246850_fcdc4f4645.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2634/3920241532_9c7e41f8eb.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2547/3919442927_5093ef2356.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2594/3919437897_c603c588ab.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2489/3920208176_58223bc23d.jpg Out run one of these... http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3435/3920181080_fd0c787b76.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/3919356049_b02232df98.jpg Hope people enjoyed them

I've been to a graveyard much like the one you visited but this was in Belgium. The sheer amount of graves really strikes you doesnt it! Out of curiosity I saw you mention trying out different shutter speeds. What camera do you use? Im running a Nikon D70 and soon a Canon 450D. Keep up the writing. Look forward to the next installment!

What's wrong with yammy riders??? Eeehh??? Lol very nice account fozzie, sounds like some nice roads up in your neck of the wood! The R6 riders tend to be wannabe hardcore chav riders and they take everything I say badly With different bikes you get different personalities of bikers And Via Gellia is an awesome road to ride though I never saw it as such. I prefferred my route as its quieter, slightly longer and has the same great bends.

Im going to be with MK, Jin, Skittles and skittles' family! Alex Gold I would love to meet up at the Ace on saturday night as I will be there!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3908589559_37532421f5.jpg Just outside the manchester Airport tunnels http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/3909371858_e6360fb7da.jpg All that dead, non-moving air... And a flat surface all the way through and a dual carriageway.. I wonder why bikers use it to top speed their bike? (I ofc didnt... that behaviour is left to renegade yamaha R6 owners)

I've only done that road once unfortunately... Think I revisit and some photos will be in order

I may have, name certainly rings a bell... Is that the one down the A515 you take from the centre of Buxton?

Date: 9/9/2009 Time: 10:00 - 1:30 Miles Covered: 120 I jumped on the Honda today deciding it deserved a good long hearty run. I set off as I usually do heading directly from my house in Lymm, to the A50 following signs for the A537 which lead into Macclesfield. I don't have any real destination in mind so I head on out but quickly decide the small B-roads between the A50 and Wilmslow passing through Ashley are all too appealing. Down I go, the sun is shining, the V-twin is being more perky than it usually is and through the twisty lanes I go without a single car ahead of me. Those behind quickly become a dull memory as they slip out of sight of the mirrors. No excessive speeding for me, I'm taking a nice winding route though I have a habit to drop the bike quite low in the corners and though it is smooth and controlled pedestrians throw me a look as if they believe I am some boy racer rocketing towards his death. Thankfully I'm not, I just corner confidently. I am spat out at the a dual carriageway with the Manchester airport tunnels to my right. Of course I go shooting through them along with a couple of BMW's all struggling to be the first for when the carriageway merges into a single lane. I end up heading up into Wilmslow and then in the town centre I have a choice. Head up the A34 or go towards the A537 into Macclesfield. I know it isn't much of a choice and point my wheels in the direction of the A537. Within twenty minutes I'm at the mouth of the cat and fiddle. A shadowed road that is all too enticing to speed up. I am alone and there is no one ahead of me. So I open up the Honda and let her breathe. She holds 50mph easily through the cat and fiddle only slowing for the corners. A BMW1200K is impressed a small bike such as a Honda Varadero can keep pace with it through the corners. At the top the clouds broke and unleashed a beautiful sight... http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2643/3903968932_754271780a.jpg And not to mention the cafe was littered with beautiful bikes... http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3903190481_f0bf78c3e7.jpg 35 miles done and under my belt with little over an hour spent working my way up there. I giggle as I realise my time on the accent was faster than Mr Philgales time was in his car going up the road at quite a pace. I turn left out of the cat and fiddle and head towards Buxton. The roads there are nice and curvy. Perfect for my tastes. Coming to the Junction where I would usually turn right I see the sign for Matlock and the A6. I've only been to Matlock a couple of times before and that was in the car. So I head down towards what I believed were the best roads this country has to offer. Cruising through on my own in the 50mph limit heading at the fastest pace I can towards Matlock Bath I am in heaven. The roads are long, with sweeping bends and are all engulfed in shadow of the large cliff they sit at the base of or the forrest these roads seem to pass through. I pull over for a little stop just to text some people and take a couple of pictures. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3422/3903965244_a1565c6c89.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3903186615_b8316a488a.jpg 45 miles now reading on the clocks saying I'm quite a distance away from home seeing as these Hondas have such small engines. But I continue onwards and pass right through Matlock. I'm aiming for Matlock Bath! A place bikers seem to love to meet up and shop as well as chat about how their bike is simply the best. "As stunningly powerful and pretty as your Kawasaki ZX10R is mine is better for the simple fact its a Honda..." I laugh out to the bloke in green leathers after he made fun of my bikes popping noise at idle. He laughs and takes it as a joke as I'd meant it. I wouldn't have got away with that if he'd been a Yamaha rider... More pictures... On the outskirts of Matlock Bath I loved the bowl the area seemed to nestle in. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/3903967758_fee51364a8.jpg And then the 60mile ride home! It was all the same as getting there apart from the cat and fiddle where at a bend, two lorries were going much too slow as well as the three cars behind them. Looking up the hill no one is coming so I lunge on this chance and throw the Honda into the other lane. I dip in low at a corner overtaking all the cars and one of the lorries before I nail it up the hill getting past the leading lorry easily in time for the bend coming up. I arrived home with the Honda glad to be switched off. I had jumped on junction 19 of the M6 up the junction 20 where my house sits just off. She doesn't like motorways very much