fastbob

Do you regularly ride a bicycle ?

I know the Forest Bends bit that you mean . Luckily it was a warm Saturday evening and there was zero traffic . As long as I could keep my momentum up I was ok . I just couldn't open the throttle at all without the engine running away .

This is my favourite cycling in Scotland picture .

The A44 from Stowe on the Wold to Aberystwyth is even better ! It's got a bit of everything from Dual Carriageway to Cattle grids . One of my greatest achievements was riding my ER5 from Aberystwyth to Coventry with an almost completely burned out clutch . I learned a few new riding techniques very quickly .

I'll probably be selling my latest project at some point this summer .

Good luck . I've cycled Fort William to Oban via Skye and the Outer Hebrides from North Uist to Barra . 50 miles a day is my limit . Any more and it spoils the next day .

I blame the ER5 . There's a lot of fun to be had thrashing the best performance out of 50 horsepower rather than knowing that you can go any speed you want . Oh , the cat has just climbed aboard and put it's arse in my face . I think it could be his second dinner time .

Believe it or not , October can be pretty good weather wise and if you are into star gazing the skies can be absolutely stunning .

And if you need any proof of that , I joined this forum with a GSXR 1100 and chose the name Fastbob then after a few years I flogged the Suzuki and bought a Harley Davidson .

Ok , just making sure . As I said earlier , these days it's a case of joining a Facebook group and looking out for events and rideout's or organising them yourself . You can be a member of multiple groups based on location or a single bike model or whatever . There's no real need to be in a club because before you know where you are there will be subscriptions , meetings , committees , rules and all that garbage . Alternatively , you just start regularly attending your local bike meets and get talking to people . You will soon start to learn what goes on in your area .

I'm not sure why meat eaters are offended either , but trust me , we really are offended .

That's handy , they self combust . Saves me the trouble .

What do you actually mean by Club ?

No good asking me . I was born silly .

Beautiful riding country . I pass through those places as often as I can when I'm on my way to Wales . Have you been down the Vale of Kerry ( Ceri ) ? The road starts a few miles north of Craven Arms and ends in Newtown .

I had a blue Ice Lolly called an Electric Blue in Stonehaven in 1968 after we had driven all the way from Coventry in a Morris Minor . That was one of the treats of going to Scotland in the 60's , you could get different sweets and Pop ( Or Ale as my Grandfather used to call it ) I suppose globalization has put paid to all that .

Keep your money for petrol .

Oh well , don't worry . In a few years time all vehicles will be electric which is 100% reliable and everyone will be be whizzing up and down the country on HS2 . So the future's bright and your f**king welcome to it .

Fortunately I am lucky enough to only ride a bike for pleasure . I detest Smart Motorway and I will avoid at all costs . I find the whole set up hugely distracting and very stressful . There's just too much information for me and every driver around me to process . I've nothing against a bit of lane management in bottlenecks like the M6 Birmingham section but these bloody things seem to be spreading across the whole country . And then there's the years of disruption caused by building work to create them in the first place .

Have you checked with a multimeter ? I got given an Optimate 3 that charges but dosen't switch to Maintain mode .

Same here but the last crash I had was immediately after I waved at a couple of bikes .

Do not distract yourself or other motorcyclists by waving at them . You don't know these people and they don't know you . Nod your head if you must but never take your focus off the road ahead .

I think a run out to Sally's Place Cafe on the Malvern hills might be in order . They do an excellent BLT but they don't have a Chili Sauce with any heat to it so I've promised to donate a bottle of Sriracha .

Good luck mate .