Ade

Great idea! Think I'll join you! Oh, what's that? I'm your brother? Oh yes, that's right. I am. Allez!

Thanks TimR. Good advice!

The exhaust on my GPZ is blowing where it connects to the engine block, which I think is due to the gaskets needing replacing (I checked doing the old 'hands over the ends of both exhausts' thing to see where it caused a blow). I've got the new gaskets, but is there anything else I need to consider / do? I've seen a mention of gasket paste somewhere? I've got a Haynes manual on the way, but need to get on with this job as I have a ride to do before the Haynes gets here. Any help most appreciated. Thanks, Adrian

Tim, Yes, must have been more of a forehead shot I had, i.e. just above visor, but nothing as dangerous as a brick! Nice bike by the way. Exactly the same colour and model as mine! Ade

First outing for my new helmet yesterday when, doing 60mph, a daft pigeon in the middle of a local road decided to take off, feint left, then right, then aim its' backside towards my forehead, by which time it was too late for me to do anything, so I gladly sent its' backside through its' head. Apart from the fact that the bloody thing nearly had me off and the pigeon wasn't very well afterwards would you replace your lid if something similar happened to you? Also, ever hit a bird (the sort with feathers obviously!) and what was the outcome? Ade

nice one Jimsoon, thanks. Did you go for grey or were you very brave and went for the white?!

Being a hardcore cheapskate I managed to get a set of Frank Thomas racing leathers from ebay for £35 (they retail for about £300)! Okay they took some searching for and they make me look like a power ranger (they're a bit 'retro' - white with red and blue diagonals), but they are much more armoured, and therefore safer, than the textiles I bought when I started biking that were more than four times the price. You'd be amazed how many sets of really good leathers get bought by people who don't use them much, put on a bit of weight and then offload them for buttons. ( - you could just put down the cake!!) And I'm going to spend the money I saved on a better skid lid, which is the one body part I won't cheapskate on.

like these - http://www.ghostbikes.com/pp/PROTECTIVE ... Boots.html If so, what do you think to them? Thanks, Ade

What's your opinion about this weekend's much-hyped but eventual damp squib for the Brit Moto GP rookie? Poll answers and discussion please......

Lorenzo's out for the whole weekend, so he, unfortunately, is going to be struggling in the title race after that, which is a serious shame.

I'll say the 750, as I went for a backie on one ten years ago which I've never quite forgotten and which got me into bikes because I couldn't stop grinning for 2 days afterwards!! I'm having one next.....

There's one surefire way to tell if it's a beemer. If it only comes with 12" wheels, matt paint and the frame as standard, with everything else on an options list.......

I winced when I saw him bounce off his pegs in near-crash in qualifying after the initial highside. That had to hurt!

I want to see Lorenzo win, not the least because I like his attitude and any man who can bounce off his pegs when his ankles are that mashed up thoroughly deserves it! Great season so far. I'm new to biking and I can't believe I've wasted so much of my life watching F1!