bonio

Not Last. Amazing start.

Sorry @Fish. Two answers here you didn't want to read.

Silly question

This is the big problem. Was reading a history of WWII that said the military bods in Berlin knew they couldn't win the war by the end of 1941. But they kept on fighting for another three and a half years because there was no off ramp. They couldn't see any other option.

Is this the new MI6 pitch? What job are you offering?

Don't know why on earth I've joined, but the die is cast. CanTheseBonesLive.

Did you phone em up and ask? Most places I know of are very flexible - but that was a while ago and I suppose things might have changed since then.

I'd say get yourself booked in for the tests, then start the DAS training now, and spread it out over the next 6 weeks. You'll be out on your 1000cc whatever before the summer starts.

How long do you have to wait before you can do DAS and the tests?

Suzuki GSX-S750?

But that's a whole new bike!

Large cod about £6 here. And large enough for the two of us.

They say Avon Skin So Soft is the way to dodge the midges. I did buy some a while back, but we never had any trouble with them in September, so I never got to test it out. Thinking about it now, I should use it on Dunwich Heath in the summer; been eaten alive up there.

As said, check your policy. Read all the small print. There might be a clause which says what they will do if they bike isn't locked. If there is, then they will stick by it. If there's nothing in the small print, then, as far as I know, they will have to pay out.

From Inverness, I'd cut across to Kylescu and then come down the coast through Lochinver to Ullapool, taking in the Coigach peninsular on your way. Something like this https://www.google.com/maps/dir/57.5076577,-4.2605047/57.2399732,-5.8438777/@57.7500677,-5.2696971,9z/data=!4m29!4m28!1m25!3m4!1m2!1d-4.8953909!2d58.3020532!3s0x489029f30e887e27:0x550280c9395f4c5b!3m4!1m2!1d-5.3042386!2d58.2256917!3s0x488e27d09123fdbd:0x9ef25a6d8efcc096!3m4!1m2!1d-5.2630568!2d58.1277939!3s0x488e25823d110de5:0x8502b5f4e627bec6!3m4!1m2!1d-5.3514094!2d58.0381936!3s0x488e3b7b4631b58f:0x2648cf354fe520d1!3m4!1m2!1d-5.5816799!2d57.7836905!3s0x488e6eafb7858d53:0x58c6b49d10827f4d!1m0!3e0

....except for the stretch from Edinburgh to Perth, which is a bit rubbish. But @husoi might know better roads thereabouts; it's his patch.

Here's my suggestion for your route from Newcastle to Inverness. You won't be disappointed. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Newcastle+upon+Tyne/Inverness/@56.3085892,-4.0066524,7.83z/data=!4m49!4m48!1m40!1m1!1s0x487d857e0c6f64cd:0xbe252b072a76191!2m2!1d-1.61778!2d54.978252!3m4!1m2!1d-2.4944877!2d55.3642446!3s0x487d8436a697c96d:0x49347a964e501a0d!3m4!1m2!1d-2.8839553!2d55.7157475!3s0x48879a2376b3812d:0x464f6f4494f00bb5!3m4!1m2!1d-3.4127806!2d56.7818486!3s0x48860eadb5d7907f:0xb3d2d36787783d12!3m4!1m2!1d-3.6087488!2d57.3287889!3s0x48858e0598e8de13:0xcb1d87fad67d85c3!3m4!1m2!1d-4.112685!2d57.3058959!3s0x488f6f4cd54f4ec3:0xfd500a8653f1c65e!3m4!1m2!1d-4.3701536!2d57.2774478!3s0x488f14966678d743:0x86bf1fac18019f11!3m4!1m2!1d-4.5233722!2d57.1915909!3s0x488f3d64fe9b8b41:0x9971ba1c1d2af02!1m5!1m1!1s0x488f715b2d17de2b:0x624309d12e3ec43d!2m2!1d-4.224721!2d57.477773!3e0

I was up in the Cairngormd last year. Amazing roads. Scenery from paradise. No traffic. All of it miles from the nc500.

Often get a soggy neck, and never found a great answer. If it's going to rain I fit my neck tube outside my jacket, and this helps.

Go north, young man. Forget the south west; the best riding starts north of Leeds.

Ohlins.

CB500S? Was my first bike - still got a soft spot for it.

@RAYK47 Mine is the universal case - but I checked before buying it and made sure it was good fit for the phone (Samsung M30). I didn't want a case that was way too big. As it is, the phone is nice and snug, so it's easy just to plop it in the case and know it's in the right position. If you're sure you want to go down the route of phone + waterproof case, the UA route is very good one. Once you've got yourself over the emotional hurdle of the price tag, you won't be disappointed with the quality of the capability of the product.

Be easy on yourself - it takes time, and you're not going to be a good rider overnight. If you've ridden for a few years and done 20k+ miles and you're still not riding satisfactorily, you can think about giving up then. Until that point, though, you're still making your way slowly up the first learning curve.