Gerontious

obviously it was ensured that there was no link of any kind, even the most tenuous, betwen the decision makers and the contractors. That sort of thing never happens here.

There were always choices within the euro zone framework. This country always had a knack of making bad choices which could then be blamed on the Brussels bureaucrats. My own thought is that we should have been more aligned and, for example L plates abolished. So riding post CBT on L plates stopped. It’s only a thing in the UK and Ireland (I believe) and nowhere else. And training should include motorways and after dark. Which is also normal in much of Europe. As for 2013. Start by asking yourself - who was in charge? The minister of state at DOT was a former Banker! A former vice president of Citibank. Obviously highly experienced in transport policy. everything to do with transport is all about money. Extracting the maximum possible amount from the public. And every policy enacted has that at its heart. it’s the overriding concern above all else. and the obverse of that kind of thinking. Spending must be as low as possible - costs to the treasury at the barest minimum they can get away with… and who cares about the long term consequences. There’s a seat in the House of Lords waiting.

It stopped being Pidcocks after Roy Pidcock died and the business was sold. New owners made a lot of changes but kept the name. i saw the before and after… and the after was truly shocking.

following on from this both the Triumph and Ducati dealerships have been closed permanently and staff laid off. There is some interest in the BMW dealership - but it’s nowhere near certain it will survive.

That did strike me as a bit odd. Honda wanted £100 from me as a deposit. with the balance to be paid on the day of collection.

Now Pidcocks. Applies to go Into administration. If it disappears it will be a big deal for this part of the East Midlands.

That made me laugh out loud. you have too much time on your hands. but, my strategy has worked. My bike has zero security (aside from the HISS) and hasn’t been touched since I bought it in November 2018. It’s safe and sound at the rear of my house under its cover. i have been followed once - but they weren’t subtle about it and I very quickly became aware. I took them on a bit of a magic mystery tour that ended at Oxclose Lane police station - at which point they scarpered. That was a long time ago, before COVID. it helps that I live on a cul de sac that’s well away from a main road. And so there’s little or no through traffic. And anyone looking over the side gate will see no sign of the bike as it’s round the corner. ’Observation’ is just about checking my mirrors when I turn into my road. Fortunately, due to being a tad deformed, I can open the gate without dismounting so I’m out of sight in seconds. you have to think how thieves operate and combat them accordingly. To me that’s just a matter of doing my utmost to prevent them locating it.

The only good thing about the HISS on my bike is that it’s accepted as security by the insurers - and it’s the only security I have. But the little flashing LED might work to put off opportunists. my primary security revolves entirely around secrecy and observation. my bike is absolutely never left in front of my house even for a minute. Straight through the gate and out of sight. And I always have an eye on my mirrors for followers. There are spotters out there on the lookout and these will follow you home so they can identify exactly where the bike is stored. Sadly a lot of bikes that are stolen from home are targeted because either the owner lead them home or it was seen by the wrong person who just happened upon it as they passed by. my own strategy revolves around a very simple idea. If thieves don’t know where a bike is then it’s really quite difficult if not impossible for them to target and steal it. i can’t speak about commuting and parking in town because I don’t really do either.

I heard that. Pardon?

3 questions. im basically the same shape as you and yes, it will be a good fit. And easy enough to make a perfect fit as there is a massive industry devoted to making ergonomic parts for BMWs - so anything that isn’t quite perfect can be fixed. the weight of every boxer tends to be low down that’s inherent to the design. Only offset by a full fuel tank.. which is what you need sometimes. But not all the time. Of course. Because these bikes have been around for so long… going back to 1993 (and ignoring the older G/S) you can buy tyres for them for any road condition. From smooth as silk German roads to potholes from hell.. something we now excel at… even better than the Belgians. So full on road tyres. And nobody is forcing you to add corned beef can style panniers. You can have virtually any style you want. Make the bike your own for your specific purposes. best to go used with all the toys and accessories. They don’t add much to second hand value but they can be quite expensive adding them yourself after the fact. And if you can - get the BMW warranty and extend it when it expires.

it’s part of the completely motorbikes group. So is in administration like the rest of the group.

It’s governed by law. Stamps in the service book are unnecessary. its essential that you keep receipts. It’s also essential that you keep your ears open for any recalls and have the work done by the dealer so the fact they have been done goes on its history. aside from that the rules are quite straightforward. A warranty claim can be refused if you do any if these. Not following the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended servicing schedule/intervals; Fitting non-genuine/standard manufacturer-approved parts during repairs; Ignoring any warning lights which have illuminated on the dashboard or any noticeable mechanical and/or electrical faults, and continuing to use the vehicle; Modifying the vehicle outside of the manufacturer’s standard specification; Using the incorrect fuel or fluids, such as oil, coolant and brake fluid and Failing to follow the warranty provider’s claim procedure

Ready for it…, https://www.facebook.com/share/v/Q4dFVVJV7JFNgU7o/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Spring and autumn. Obviously I don’t buy these nonsensical conspiracy theories about vaccinations. Hence I’m still fully alive and lacking in any paranoia. It’s nothing to worry about at all.

I had my Covid jab on Wednesday and the flu is booked for the 23rd. I got email invitations for both. The Flu is at my doctor’s surgery while the Covid was at a pharmacy just up the road. I could have had them both at the same time - but elected to have them spread apart. I get 2 Covid jabs per year. I had one back in march.

I was assured one day talking to some Italians who took great delight in practicing their English that Ducatis are 'girls bikes' and who am I to argue? not all scooter riders survive. I passed 2 fatalities on the SS54 at Cividale del Friuli one year and there had been no attempt to clean up the blood or properly cover the bodies. a lot of people milling about and studiously ignoring said bodies. it was rather disconcerting. Ive never been bothered much by the standard of riding or driving in Italy. one year I ended up - quite by accident in central Rome at rush hour.. and survived. after that lovely experience anything else is a bit meh. In fact by far the worst driving was in the mountains and its always foreign tourists too busy oohing and aahing at the views to bother much about anything else - including what side of the road they were on - or should be on, its notable perhaps that the only accident Ive ever seen that involved someone I was with was when Snod Blatter got caught by a Yank.. who again didn't really know how to drive a car. Ive seen it said so many times that the Italians ride like madmen in the mountains.. my guess is that a lot of them are locals, or reasonably local and know these roads really well. after all the mountains are literally on the doorstep of Milan and Turin. just down the road... Its just another reason not to go during the holiday season and take advantage of the weekends (when the hordes descend) to have a day off the bikes... especially on a Sunday. they all disappear come Monday morning. Bless em.

and another one.. though this time a group.

I used to use CN year after year but with the switch from an old BMW to a new Honda they suddenly became extremely uncompetitive. And as my attitude towards insurance is that it’s just a tax on ownership I moved to the cheapest policy I could find. I would go back to them in a flash if they became competitive again. But that seems unlikely. They have premiums at two levels. The more expensive with all the bells and whistles is definitely the one to go for and if that’s the one you are looking at, then go for it. i never claimed from them. I’ve made it my goal never to claim on insurance for minor things. Total loss or nothing, especially if the total loss is someone else’s fault. Then I’ll claim. But my main reason for going back to them is their European cover. Which is important to me and my experience with them a number of years ago when I broke down in Austria. They went far beyond my expectations and I was back on the road the same day.

The consensus seems to be mixing up AirBNB with Booking.com. personally. I don’t have this as a concern as I always camp when on solo tour. So usually when it’s time. Out comes the phone and onto google maps and look at the nearest. And just turn up. I usually look for one that has an eatery on site or one within walking distance as I rarely cook. Occasionally I make do with a supermarket and buy the makings of an al fresco cold meal. Sometimes calling into one en route. My needs are quite simple when I’ve no one else to worry about. Bread. Cheese. Cold cuts and beer - I’m happy. I try to have a proper cooked meal each day… usually during the day. People who have come away with me over the years know how I do things and have never gone hungry.

ssshhhh. You should know that heavy pondering over 6 months cannot be interrupted. We should know by the end of March. I did the sums. my own pondering took less than 5 minutes. Fortunately I don’t really need to make plans… in fact with chaotic weather being the new normal it seems best to me not to become fixated on a specific goal. I will chase the sun wherever that leads me. Get to Calais and take it from there… just looking at the forecast the night before. Take each day as it comes and see where I end up.

Fortunately my first puncture when I used Stop&Go was at home. And it took a few tries to get it right. But the good thing is because there’s no glue involved there’s no residue to remove if it doesn’t go perfectly. Just try again. There are two essentials that you really need with the kit to make the process stress free. Needle nose pliers to remove the object and extra librication for the plug itself. I use silicone oil and keep a little bottle with the kit. When I tried to repair bonios puncture last year the plugs had dried out a little and so it was a bit of a struggle and was only 99% successful. He had a very slow leak. But at least he managed to complete the week and then get home without any problems. (The slow leak took quite some time to become apparent) so it was successful as an emergency fix. And he later had it professionally patched. To my mind this is what side of the road repairs should achieve at a bare minimum. Allow you to carry on or get home without any problems. And, if you choose - go for a professional repair at a more convenient time. its also good practice to check the tyres over regularly. And check for objects. Sometimes you might be lucky and be able to remove them before they can do their worst. Or (in the case of sidewall damage) take immediate action as this may possibly require a full replacement. ASAP.

It wouldn’t matter to me. But then I’m really quite fussy where I buy from. And I would never buy remotely. I know some people don’t have the choice. But I just wouldn’t. if there was a problem like bad fuel - this would become obvious very quickly. And what do you do? you walk away. because what does this demonstrate? Zero preparation for sale - that’s what. And if they can’t be bothered with something like that? Bye. but if they say something like. We need to prepare it. Then demand that it’s cold when you come back. One of the best tests of a bike… is how it starts from cold. This will also demonstrate the state of the fuel and how good their prep was - especially if this is a bike that’s been on the showroom floor for more than 3 months.

The easiest way to look at it is from an insurance point of view - where insurers usually assume 3,000 miles per year. So by that standard an 11 year old bike should have a maximum 33,000 miles and you can consider anything above that being high mileage (higher than average) what becomes important isn’t so much the miles its the service history. Especially the more onerous tasks like valve checks and adjustments. Coupled with visible signs of wear like a Smokey exhaust and high oil consumption on a bike where this isn’t considered normal. so, in the scheme of things a bike that has managed 1,800 miles on average per year is not high mileage. with older bikes I wouldn’t worry so much about how many miles it’s done but rather its condition and service history. One thing to always bear in mind is - is the bike due a major service? This can often be a reason for it being sold. Especially if this service is an expensive one - usually due to the labour costs. If an owner is facing a big service bill in the near future then that can often be an impetus to sell and for the buyer this can be problematic as it’s never nice buying a bike and then discovering it needs a big service very soon.