bonio

Bummer. That looks like a good do, but I'm going to be off and away in the Emerald Isle.

Can't see the logic myself. The letter said vehicles were allowed into bus lanes depending on whether they are considered to be sustainable. Two bits of this don't make much sense to me. First off, wouldn't this mean that electric vehicles should be allowed in, and perhaps mopeds and 125s as well? But more importantly - why this principle? I thought the purpose of a bus lane was to reduce the traffic and congestion by making the bus journey faster, not to reduce the city's carbon footprint.

Have a cracking day Hoggs. Happy birthday!

The bike's going down the Pan.

Nice web site. The description of what you're offering is nice and clear. Now this is probably a really dumb thing to say - but are you tracking the site's stats such as, number of visits a day, pages visited, time spent on the site? Because if you are then you can see how the stats changed when you changed the prices and the description of the accommodation - which pages were affected? Did any pages get noticably more people or people spending longer on them? And if there wasn't any change, then you would need to start looking at what is driving controlling the flow of visitors to the site, given that it's not the prices or the words. But like I said you're probably on top of all that already.

I bought a whole stream of gloves from SBS last year, in the hunt for a pair that would fit (short fat hands). The Orsa gloves were among those that had to go back. But I liked them as they were comfortable and seemed solid and well made. I also liked the thinking behind the two little bumps on the palm that are meant to help you continue skidding along the tarmac rather than catching on the road surface and breaking your scaphoid. But is that just a gimmick too? Honestly I haven't a clue.

Top bike, Beefy. Well done.

My Dad used to have one of those!

I get this on mine, especially if it's been holed for a few days after riding in the wet. The best cure I've found is to ride it.

Well done Beefy!

I turn?? I thought the lady's not for turning!* * Soz. You're way too young to remember that one.

A lot of people struggle with one or other of the slow riding components on Mod1. I did (U turns ) and I never thought I'd get the hang of it. But I did, and so did 1000 others. So don't sweat about it too much - it will come in time. Meanwhile these tips might (or might not) help Keep your head up and look where you want to go; whatever you do, don't look at the cones! Keep some light pressure on the back brake; this will help keep the bike steadier For the figure of 8, you can ride as wide a circle as you like, so feel free to use all the space there is in the test / training area All the best with it . Once you;ve done Mod 1, the rest is all downhill.

Yup. Little lady legs attached to half a bum.

Can't find leathers to fit me. There's always way too much spare space around my bum. So in summer it's a leather jacket and Hood jeans. Textiles in winter.

Well done mate.

I'm reading his autobiog cos it was 20p an on Amazon and I was feeling kind in the mood for splashing out wildly on something. I'm enjoying a lot more than I expected.

You won't regret it! And that price is a bargain.

I'm in

My previous lid was a Qwest - really comfortable. Before that I had an HJC, an FS-14 or something like that - long since discontinued. But I usually find HJCs fit me ok. Not as comfortable as the Qwest though.

No there are no shortcuts . But because you're over 18, you have the two options set out above 1. Take the CBT and ride a 125; where you're 24, take the theory and practical tests (Mod1 and Mod2) for a full licence 2. Take the CBT, theory test and the practical tests (Mod1 and Mod2) for an A2 licence, and when you're 24 do the practical tests on a full powered bike for a full licence 3. Or just do nothing for now, and when you're 24 take the CBT, the theory and the practical tests for a full licence It's all set out here: here. Like has been said, I won't be happy commuting long distances on a 125, or if you're commute uses roads where the traffic goes much over 55, as a 125 won't be able to keep up, and people will try to overtake and cut you up. It's not a great way to start the day. And even where a 125 will do the job, an A2 bike is very likely going to be more fun to ride, and I reckon the experience you clock up will be more useful for the full test when you come to do it.

I live a sheltered life. I went out and bought a bike. Then people started saying things like, oh nice, like on the "Long Way Round", and I'm thinking, what way round? And Charlie Boredom - who? If I'd known what I was buying into I'd have stayed well a... hell, I've have bought it just the same. It's a nice bike.

Proper pissed off with this thread. Going to start my own thread WITH NO PHOTOS OF ME ON IT.

Is that a sports-focussed lid Tango? How do you find it on the Triple?

When I bought a scooter on a mad impulse, I'd never even done a CBT. I didn't need one, as I got my car licence way back when in the time of Noah. The first time I took it out on the road, I made sure I chose a time when the roads were going to be quiet, so that if I did something a bit wrong it wouldn't be a big issue. Is that an option? You could buy the thing, hole up in a cafe with a cuppa until later and then ride home. Only make sure take a big lock with you.

I did bikesafe and then a couple of years later I did the RoSPA course. They paired with me up with a lad who rode a Pan and we did a series of rides over a number of months, and each time I got feedback on how I'd ridden. The guy was great and gave me a lot of positive feedback and some things to work on: mainly position and overtaking. Over a cuppa after each ride we'd talk over a specific junction, or a car I'd had to negotiate, and how I could taken a better position or gained more speed or whatever. I found this kind of specific feedback a lot more useful than reading the general advice you can pick up in roadcraft or other places. At the end I took the test, although there was never any pressure on me to do it; I could just have done the training and walked away and they would have been happy. What did I get out of it? I totally enjoyed it It was a great excuse to get out on the bike and ride places I hadn't been to before. I got some great advice, and learnt to ride and corner with a lot more confidence. And I like the way of riding they teach; I like the way it keeps me focussed on the road and planning ahead, and it feels great when it all comes together. Reading around, I can see that other people have had bad experiences with their RoSPA or IAM group. My guess is that a lot depends on how well you get on with the person who's observing you. If it doesn't work out well with one person, you can ask for someone else or try a different group.