bonio

Nice letter - you've put it really well. And no harm in asking

The first time I dropped it I was heartbroken. But now, and especially after the incident at the roundabout last month where the young lady binned it for me, I'm a little less squeamish about it. It was designed to be dropped (ok, it was designed to be dropped on proper rough ground, not on a flat grassy surface ). But my way of thinking is just get it back back up and get on.

The first time I dropped it I was heartbroken. But now, and especially after the incident at the roundabout last month where the young lady binned it for me, I'm a little less squeamish about it. It was designed to be dropped (ok, it was designed to be dropped on proper rough ground, not on a flat grassy surface ). But my attitude is just get it back back up and get on.

TimR's suggestion of telling the school is a good one, and it might end up with a good outcome for less money, but equally well you might just end up with a discount on another shite CBT which isn't any better than the first. So I'd say find a better school. If you can, call in and see them and see if they're the kind of people who you'd like to spend a day with (or at least call up and chat on the phone). When you come to book, ask who will be giving the instruction, and how many people will be there. More or less the same thing happened to my missus at her first CBT, except no-one passed, because the instructor had spent so long going over the equipment and safety stuff, they didn't even get to sit on a bike until after lunch. The test ride never took place. For her second CBT she went to a different school where it was a lot more relaxed and friendly. She had to go through the equipment stuff again, which was a bit frustrating. She still didn't pass, as she was nervous and took her time to get into it, and they didn't think she was ready for the road ride, but they found a spare bloke who watched over her while she bimbled about on the training area while the others were out on the ride, so she got some good time on the bike. She went back to the same place for a third go, which she did ok at, and IIRC they were pretty relaxed about making her go through the over equipment thing for a third time.

Dang it that sounds nice. I've got a trip planned and approved for September, otherwise I'd have happily tagged along.

Cracking ride, mate.

[mention]Deso[/mention], [mention]JRH[/mention] The bike's fine. Crash bars took a few scratches, but that's their job.

Just back from a quick blast up north: Thursday after work: Cambridge to the Peaks. Friday: The Peaks, the Dales, the Pennines, Alston. Saturday: Pretty much everywhere between Alston, Dumfries and Melrose. Sunday: South then east to the Lincolshire Wolds and back to Cambridge Just over 1000 miles. This was a first bike trip north for me. Completely magical. So many to choose from, but these patches stand out The B6357 south from Bonchester Bridge http://i.imgur.com/PfsvBcD.png (see how I wrote the road name on there for you all) The A708 from Moffat to Selkirk http://i.imgur.com/3oYT9mN.png Upper Wharfedale http://i.imgur.com/56xuaui.png The YHA in Alston. Top place, very friendly. Amazing roads in all directions. Lowlights Getting lost and ending up on the M6 Finding out that Grassington on a warm Sunday is so full of people and cars it looks like Clapham Common Leaving Swaledale, stopping for a photo and dropping the bike. Here it is at the very spot, rubber side down again after some kindly bloke helped me pick it up. http://i.imgur.com/RgnZ7sw.png Getting the flies off http://i.imgur.com/zeLIU53.png

Well done mate.

There was a discussion recently about people's experiences with different kinds of ride outs: https://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=63919. Just forget the last bit where it descends into our normal high-quality forum output.

I haven't had any since a dodgy batch of moules in the back streets of Le Havre undid me. I still have flashbacks of a desolate WC on the edge of the ferry terminal, where the only hope left to me was that death would come quickly.

Funny name to call the missus

+1 for careful at roundabouts, especially in the wet. Buses and trucks are more likely to spill diesel at a roundabout, as they lean over as they go round. But to be honest, it's just a bit of bad luck; you're not always going to see the diesel or the gravel before you're in it - so much depends on the light conditions and the condition of the road surface.

Sure is, cos it's well known that all the Spanish love their Spanish politians to bits, they even send them gifts of flowers and turron on their birthdays.

So a system's stupid and antiquated because it's based on honesty? Geez, you're probably right.

I don't know why, but I don't feel the same level disenchantment. Sure, the candidates a long, long way from perfect, and the parties are hopelessly flawed, and their leaders too. They'd all be fine, I'm sure, if they were'nt run by people! Anyway, when I vote, I see it that I have a small say in which of the shambles on offer I would prefer like to give the job their best go. I know, low expectations. But here's the bit about voting that makes our votes important: in five years time they're going to have to come back to us and ask us if we would like them to carry on for a bit longer or give someone else a crack at the job. In other words, what we do in the polling booth today is making sure we're governed by people who can only keep onto power by asking our permission, rather than by people who keep onto power by putting their opponents in jail or bumping them off in the night. So I'm voting. [mention]MarkW[/mention] And may God have mercy on my soul.

Top report [mention]MR_W[/mention]. Thank you.

My bike jeans are an inch longer than normal jeans, so that they're the right length when sat on the bike, but I still wouldn't wear short boots with them: I'm not happy that they'd keep my ankles together in a bad off as well as longer ones would.

Oh no. That's completely shite.

From experience, I predict that the current owner will start to feel a lot better once his bike has has been discharged from hospital

Same story here. I managed to put my parking ticket face down on the dash once ( ) and so got rewarded with a ticket when I got back. Got let off on appeal, although they pointed out how kind they were being, as the offence is failure to display a valid ticket, not failure to buy one.

Oh my. What an amazing table. Very nice.

Yes it's been a step too far for me today. Thoroughly fed up now. Managed to get one seal off ( the other one is still mangled) but could get the new seal seated properly which in turn meant I couldn't get the dust seal on. So now I have one partially stripped fork and one partially rebuilt fork. Both are in the back of my car along with all the bits in the hope that my local garage will take pity on me and sort out the mess and destruction I have caused (once they have finished laughing at me of course). Bike is off the road for a while now I guess. Gutted. Done that one too: only with the carbs. Gave them a carbless bike and a cardbox box full of bits.