bonio

Six, you look blurry. You been on the drink?

Videos are beyond my skill grade. But here are a few time-lapse pics. http://i.imgur.com/k1lSa0b.jpg http://i.imgur.com/OTtBW5s.jpg http://i.imgur.com/lUk1Ipb.jpg http://i.imgur.com/wNoQC5b.jpg http://i.imgur.com/vyHJEZ1.jpg http://i.imgur.com/t8p38Pr.jpg http://i.imgur.com/XVBHsih.jpg http://i.imgur.com/B0GrPJt.jpg http://i.imgur.com/XfbDpil.jpg Wow that is perfect - exactly what I needed for next year's camping tour Top marks, Secret Santa - and thanks!

Great story. But what's really astonishing is the translation - top work

Mine's arrived too . Thanks to you-know-who-you-are.

Don't know how they do it for entertainment and how much for Youtube income.

Stick to the hills and you'll be fine. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

Ha. Capitalism red in tooth and claw

Yes yes yes . especially about the echo chamber. One way of viewing the problem with the left in the US is that they've made it really hard for a someone such as a Democrat-voting Pennsylvania steel worker to like their candidate enough to vote for them. I used to think politics in the US and UK were quite different, but I wonder if the same thing is beginning to happen here. As for Farage, I think part of his appeal was that he was clearly non-PC, and, just like Trump, he didn't need to say anything to prove it. But you're right, enough of this, before my pixels get ripped out

Interesting. You're not the first person I've heard link this trend to the popularity of Trump and Farage.

Pft you started it with the Ban Hoggs nonsense Nonsense? Where did this "nonsense" bit come from?

Oh sure. 290 hours to go.

If you want to go straight for the A2, you're going to need to do a CBT (£125?), take the theory test (£23), get some lessons on an A2 bike (£30 an hour, so perhaps a bit under £700?), and take the A2 test (£90). So somewhere around £900?. A bit less if you find a cheaper school or if you learn fast. Or more if you need a retake As for insurance, I don't know, but you can try to get some quotes from the comparison web sites. Try with a few different bikes and the variation can be quite large. If you were to do the CBT and ride on L plates for a while, then all you'd pay for now is the cost of the CBT. When you come to take the full test, you'll find you need a lot less time in lessons, as you should have mastered the basic control of a bike (and a big bike is in some ways easier to ride than a 125). This is for sure the cheapest route. There's another option: do the CBT, buy a 125 and ride it on L plates for 6 or 8 months, then get a few lessons on an A2 bike and take your A2 test then. Then sell the 125 and buy something like a restricted SV650 with the money. The training costs would be the CBT and theory as above then perhaps £150 for lessons and £90 for the A2 test. So around £400? When thinking about the costs of getting a bike, remember to add running costs like tyres and the cost of getting some gear: helmet, gloves, jacket, trousers - probably a minimum of £200 for the gear. Oh and set something aside to buy a bike

I did the battery bolt just one just last week, only I was by the side of the road and there no option but to try to grab hold of it: the 3rd and 4th finger tips did the job in the end. What was nice that some random AA man who was passing stopped and asked me if I needed help.

Have you tried translating into Chinese and then back again into English? Can't make it any worse...

I like Toad's approach. Most of the time on a tour we stop for petrol or for lunch in small towns. I've got hard luggage, and it might be locked or it might not, I don't think about it a lot. I just make sure I've my wallet and passport and stuff like that are with me. I feel differently about things In a city. I leave the bike parked up in central London from time to time. I choose a busy well-lit place, and I lock the luggage. If I've ever had a a bag on pillion seat then I've padlocked the bag to the bike and made sure the lock is clearly visible. If I stop for petrol in London, the hard luggage is locked.

Gutted for you.

Wow that looks like it's in great nick. Let us know how the DAS goes.

I didn't make it there. There's always next year.

This is my problem. I used to go running and for some reason never got bored, it was always fun to go for a run. Then I hurt my neck a few years ago and that put the end to running. Since then I've tried swimming and I've tried going to the gym but I found them both really dull.

Very nice, Stu. Never yet found and Arai to fit my head.

That's a nice bonus!

I'm going on the 24th, in case anyone going that day wants to meet up. Probably get there for 11 and be there for the rest of day.

Wot Hoggs said.

You're just an amateur, mate. Nothing compared to the lady on the bicycle I was following a couple of weeks ago. When we got to the roundabout, our ways parted, even though, as it turned out that we both were turning right: I went around the roundabout, while she - clearly a quick thinker - opted for the more direct, anticlockwise route. Against the flow of two lanes of traffic. In the rush hour. In the dark. With no lights. We met up again at the exit to the roundabout. She seemed a bit surprised to see me, while I was amazed that she was still alive.