curlylegend

2 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Signed up to a Bike Safe course in June. Bound to have some uncouth habits I have picked up over the years.

Keep us posted, please, this will be interesting.

There's no such thing as a "vanity plate" in France. The nearest to such a thing is a pair of Presidential Citroen SM's with the numbers 2-PR-75   and 3-PR-75 but these are rarely seen nowadays.

There is also a rumour that people like Johnny Halliday and Jacques Anquetil had very individual registration plates, but I've never seen them.

When I mention the subject to French people they're somewhat bemused and class it as "un folie anglaise"

I've got a private plate on my moto. Totally unique , no-one else has one, and it never cost me a sous.  The government gave me it.

1 hour ago, Fozzie said:

They just can't get their heads around why I don't want a screaming baby just yet. 

They don't all scream.  

2 hours ago, RideWithStyles said:

The mofo in a tesla

Anyone driving a Tesla should be given a wide berth...

3 hours ago, husoi said:

Can we just have bushes both side of the road?

Like in France ?

7 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Getting enraged by lying bast*rd oil terminals. Turns out there's two ships ahead of us in the queue which they've known about for a week. Instead of telling me that from the beginning they only told me once I arrived off Rotterdam and anchored. Spent most of last week arranging crew changes and a load of work that needs doing with 7 different sub-contractors which is all now having to be rescheduled for the 7th / 8th. I'm furious; you could even say I'm having conniptions. 

So it's true then ?  

Worse things can happen at sea ?

6 hours ago, JRH said:

As it’s a nice sunny day, ride out to “The Pig Place” near Banbury for an all day breakfast. Worth a visit if you are in the area. And it’s a tag.

We've got one like that too, just round the corner.

Sells stuff that's just about completely extinct in UK now, we love it !

Madame, you've come to the right place for advice.  Just stick around and more knowledgeable people than me will be along to advise you. 

You sound like a true daughter of the Empire to me !

14 hours ago, Geordie Oldie said:

I hadn't realised how few young riders there are out there now, so few young uns coming through, what will it be like in 20 years time?

Motorcycling in UK is mostly a retirement activity as far as I can see.  There are very few young people involved, not hip enough ?

Different over here though.  There are lots of teenagers celebrating the descent of their testicles by tearing around  ( 45 kph ?  not really tearing, is it ? )  on "customised " 50cc bikes. The girls favour 50cc scooters.  Out in the sticks here kids need transport and bikes are still regarded as being cool.

But even the real motorcyclists, i.e. the ones you acknowledge with a wave, are of all ages.  The older ones tend to ride in club outings in a very disciplined manner. Two abreast where appropriate and strictly observing speed limits. Albeit in a French fashion, that is no more than 5kph above the limit. But no overtaking and no racing.

Yes, Geordie, in twenty years time in the UK, motorcycling will be as common as horse riding or riding a penny farthing.

16 hours ago, Tinkicker said:

I stopped group riding because of such behaviour.  Nothing worse than mixing pack mentality with motorcycles.

Me too, years ago when I still lived in Scottistan. 

A dozen or so of us would set off from south side of Glasgow heading for Loch Lomond.  Mostly it would just be two or three of us getting home together. 

The reasons were breakdowns, running out of fuel, getting lost and getting stopped by the polis.

23 hours ago, curlylegend said:

A number of years ago

Over forty actually !  So while the gist of the account is correct, some of the details might have been imagined ??

The cop in question did eventually end up being second in command of the entire Strathclyde cop car and bike organisation.  

He retired earlier than expected and gave his reason as violently disagreeing with the Chief Constable's insisting that Strathclyde Police needed a helicopter....because Manchester had just got one !

I would say that the disasters with the helicopter crashes into a block of retirement flats in the south side of Glasgow and more recently onto the Clutha Pub in the city centre kind of proved him right.

10 hours ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

If you ride with anticipation most potential issues become non-events.

A number of years ago I went to visit a friend in hospital in rather a bad way.  I was surprised to hear about his predicament as he was a cop motorcyclist and IAM certificated and he was always banging on about " There's no such thing as an accident, only lack of anticipation ! "

He was admittedly a bit OCDC/ AFTK...shit, I forget what the correct term is, but you know what I mean. He was a pedantic obsessive bugger !

So while I'm peeling grapes, I ask him exactly what happened ?

" I was proceeding along Sinclair Drive in a southerly direction at 10.36 on the morning of Tuesday the 12th of March at exactly 26mph in 3rd gear. I was correctly positioned on the road to allow me to scan parked cars for occupants in the drivers seat and also checking licence plates in case of a foreign vehicle with probably left hand steering.  I was also checking cars parked in household drives in case there was a possibility they might proceed onto the roadway without checking for oncoming trafic, in that case me on a white Strathclyde Police BMW motorcycle. I noticed a car in a drive facing away from the street with an elderly female at the wheel. I was then aware of the fact that she had started the engine due to vapour from the exhaust. I assumed the was about to enter the open garage which the car was facing as the wooden gates for the driveway were closed. So I proceeded on my way until I was first struck by a white wooden gate then by the rear of a 1989 Nissan Micra. The driver had inadvertently selected reverse in the auto box and applied the throttle, shot backwards and removed the gate from the posts and me from my motorcycle ! "

" I'm going to have to surrender my IAM badge and certificate, and I don't know why you're laughing !"

12 hours ago, RichRuk said:

Hoarders? Or passionate collectors?

Its nothing to do with mental health.

People these days use that term all too liberally, it looses all meaning if anything can be tarred by the 'mental health' brush.

Always good to get a fair share of other peoples' views.

And it's sometimes good to listen to people who are serious.

3 hours ago, Blackholesun said:

Shouldn't have long hair at his age 

Probably shouldn't be riding about on motorcycles either.

8 hours ago, Nikki said:

Hi I have inherited a Harley from my brother in the Uk .How do i go about registering it in Ireland 

Thanks

If you're in the Republic, I wouldn't bother too much.  According to the media the Gardai have got more than enough to keep them occupied.

And if it's in the media ,it must be true !

Some of Henty Coles shows are about people who, to my mind, are hoarders.  And was there not a series of TV shows about hoarders who were classified as suffering from some sort of mental instability ?

The difference between Henry Coles hoarders and the fruit cakes was that one lot had acres of space to pollute and the other lot were just slowly destroying a nice semi-detached in Swindon.

7 hours ago, Fiddlesticks said:

Mother, now-French brother and his family are arriving tomorrow to inspect the naked floorboards. (I have thrown a few rugs down). Including our son who'll be arriving from Manchester, that'll be seven house guests. I've stuck posit notes on all the doors so people can find their rooms,

I do high class buttling as a side line. Notes on the doors ?  Really ?  Standards old chap, please.  I don't drink, smoke or eat. I don't do pilfering and I don't pick up dog's jobbies. And I can make sure that Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons never darken you door again. Teeth and medals will be worn at all times.

Just send a private jet over to pick me up and we'll arrange my fee when your guests leave.

5 hours ago, daveinlim said:

Whoever invented these as just a fashion item and even moreso whatever clown buys them for nearly £10,000.

I thought maybe it was just a mistake on the pricing, but I had a look at the site and came across T shirts at over £500 !

I'm lost for words !

On 25/04/2024 at 18:04, Stevie68 said:

I'm not looking for anything fancy or too expensive, just a decent pair with decent sound quality & they stay in your ears. Ones I have just fall out so when I take off my helmet they usually end up on the ground. 

I tried using ear plugs, wired and also bluetooth but could never get comfortable with them. And  I also found they could drop out when taking my helmet off.  My best solution so far, is a bluetooth headset which has a pair of speakers and an extension that doubles up as an on/off switch and a microphone.  The microphone bit I never use but I do like having an on/off switch that I can use with gloved fingers. My music source is an ancient Apple iPod Touch with bluetooth .This sits in a secure zipped pocket.  I can't remember the name of the headset, but I got it from Amazon for about £25.00 so you'll find it'll still be on sale. Or loads like it !

My only criticism is that my old iPod cant pump out enough volume to let me hear it at higher speeds, over 100kph that is.

I would recommend giving that a try, won't cost you much and if you're really dissatisfied Amazon will give you your money back.

Never met the boy so I only have an opinion of some of his TV shows. Like Capt Sisko says his shows are very formulaic. Kind of dumbed down to a target audience ? Maybe.  I got bored after a few series and rarely catch the Motor Bike Show nowadays.  I prefer watching Alan Millyard on You Tube.

Does anyone remember the dodgy restorer on some of the earlier shows ?  Forget his name, but he turned out to be a real rascal and ended up in the jail.

And what's with the laddish accent ?   I'm sure he never spoke like that when he was at Eton.

6 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Nasty way to go. Rather than do yourself why not try roasting a Green. They're so full of hot air they should go up with a bang.

I'm living on borrowed time as it is, so no big deal.

I stay away from these Green people as much as I can.   They're bloody hypocrites you know.  They want to bump off all the cows because in their opinion cows' farts are polluting the atmosphere.

Having endured a trip in a VW transporter with a card carrying vegan and a vegetarian, I can assure you that these people fart like f*ck !

When I opened the window you could see this greenish miasma streaming out and leaving a trail behind us.

I don't think my lungs have recovered.

4 hours ago, RideWithStyles said:

when were ALL forced to EVs next.

Oh to hell with that !   I'll soon show them, I'll commit hari krishna by dowsing myself in leaded four star petrol and light up a spliff.....whatever that is ?

23 hours ago, S-Westerly said:

Can't recollect too many rides where prayers were an integral part of them

There was always a church service at the York Rally, wasn't there ?  Just for the followers of the Cult of the Corpse though, don't remember ever going to a synagogue or a mosque. 

Although I was encouraged to go to some decidedly dodgy bars that were apparently hang-outs for devil worshippers.

And wasn't there a memorial church service around October for cyclists who'd fallen in the wars ?

10 hours ago, Trooper74 said:

And i'm also a long term member of the Cyclists Touring Club ...

Good god, you're not a vegan are you ?

I'm not being discriminatory, I don't care what planet you come from.

I just wouldn't want to offend you.