Remy

OMG just hope Matron doesn't see it

I have been busy polishing out the scratches on the exhaust and GO ME you can barely see them now . Only got to replace the clutch lever and I'm back to a lovely new shiny bike (till the next time .... )

Flipping heck Throttled think you will need another holiday to recover

He should do a duet with Donnie Brasco!! PMSL

Some have been posted in the Gallery

Home safe after an awesome weekend, huge thanks to everyone, old and new, who made it what it was - some people had travelled quite amazing distances and I think they all thought it was worth it! Hope you all got back safely in the winds!

Just got home too - after dropping the bloody bike!!!! . Stopped off in a garage so Ricky could fill up, the bike for some reason wouldn't go into neutral so I was rocking it back and forward to try and disengage it. Took the side stand off so I could move it about - yes you guessed it, got off the bike without putting it down again . It wasn't as if I knew it was going so could try and lower it gently either! Apart from a broken clutch lever and a few scratches it got off quite lightly considering how hard it went down. Am kicking myself really, really hard ANYWAY apart from that had a fab time, great to see old faces and lovely to meet new ones - thanks for everyone who helped organise it and all those who came to make it another successful rally (even the gatecrashers lol). It was a very good venue, scenic location, reasonably priced food and the Sam the landlady was very laid back about the times we finished. Now to sort out the pics ....

I'm off to meet Ricky soon, can't decide between leather and waterproofs or textiles lol. Just went to strap my bag on the bike and could not find where I had put all the bungees!! Thankfully had a few flat ones - talk about leaving it till the last minute ...

That's the route we're going - hopefully start out before you

Good grief what are you lot bringing??? oh forgot I'm in a room Well I haven't even put anything on the bike yet, but did check it started . Hope we don't get any more downpours like today's!

oh yay...twisty and slippery... possibly in the rain, on a supersports loaded to hell...and very little touchdown...cant wait I also just love slippy places!!!

I'm not lending Alan a costume again!!

I had similar experience on my CBT, I had been on a bike before but 20 years previously and not for long so had forgotten most things. The guy with me had been riding a scooter regularly for the last 2 years and was just renewing his CBT. The trainer said, well you are both experienced so won't dwell on the basic stuff, we can go out on the road asap - well I was not happy! Plus it was pouring with rain. Thankfully I managed to get through it all and got my CBT somehow, had to ride home in torrential rain but to say I had the skimpiest of training is an understatement

Ignore it, his reaction must have been pretty much as you expected! Some people can't be happy for others, only see the negative side of things . He will no doubt be waiting for the occasion to say 'I told you so'. You won't be able to win so not a lot you can do - perhaps over time when nothing has happened he may mellow a bit!

I suppose it depends how determined you are. It's always a shock to have any accident and even just dropping the bike can be a gutting feeling - but I dropped mine so many times it was a case of wondering if the next ride would be a drop-free one . I have to say though every time I dropped it (and a few times it landed on me) my first thought was how much damage I'd done to the bike, second was did anyone see, third was how am I going to get this thing up - never once did I worry about myself. Well, except for last year when I broke my leg - but my first thought was still the gutting feeling of seeing a bit of broken fairing and a dent on the frame! And yes I'm still riding

I'm 5'3" with a 28.25" (the .25 is v. important ), and the only bikes I have ever flat footed on were custom built bobbers/choppers! I think it's fair to say at your height you won't find anything you can flat foot on, but it's how balanced you can be on tiptoes (or if you're lucky balls of feet). When I was deciding whether or not to do the DAS I tried the school bike, a lowered ER5 but it was so heavy and I still couldn't flat foot it was not worth me even trying and I took the test on my 125 - but that was in the days when you didn't have to take a further test to ride a bigger bike. Both my bigger bikes have had to be lowered, the first was a Suzuki Gladius and I now have a Moto Guzzi V7 (both considered 'low' bikes to start with). The Gladius was an easy to ride bike but is top heavy and I did drop it several times! A lot of schools use them as learner bikes. There are other bikes with lower seat heights such as Ducati Monster 696 and Triumph Bonneville, but again in stock form would probably be too high for you. There are many bikes that can be restricted for the A2 test here I have Daytona Ladystars which do give me an extra bit of height, but as they are thicker in the sole they can take a bit of getting used to and you can lose 'feel' when learning - but if you decided to give them a try it's worth giving them a go with your current bike to see how you get on. They give you about 2.5cm at the heel and a bit less at the toe, but as Cat has said aren't cheap - you can sometimes pick them up off eBay though. The best thing to do is to have a look round training schools local to you and have a sit on their bikes, to give you some idea!

That is a huge shame, but can totally understand the blow to her confidence! It is a big step up from 125 to 650, I dropped my 650 at home before I had even passed my test! It was gutting but made me aware of just how much extra power it had (was riding it on my yard and slipped on some moss). Has she 100% made her mind up or would she perhaps consider carrying on with a less powerful bike? There is no shame to taking a test on a smaller engined bike. Anyway hope she enjoys it whatever she decides

Loads of great roads in Shropshire and heading into Wales - I expect you have been to the Ponderosa Cafe nr Llangollen, if not it might be a bit of a trek depending on where you are but worth it for the roads and views Ponderosa

I thought I had my perfect bike in my Suzuki Gladius, my first big bike and it was pretty much perfect for me in all ways apart from it's weight, which to my short frame and arthritic hands was always a bit of a struggle and prime candidate for dropping (which I did more times than I care to mention ). Anyway Gladis always survived without much of a scratch apart from several broken brake levers and her exhaust as megawatt will testify . But she did not look after me quite so well either - last year while crossing a very slippery ford she decided she would go off on a course of her own depositing me on a rock and falling onto my leg for good measure, breaking both bones. Mind you I did get a ride to hospital in an Air Ambulance flown by a rather dishy pilot! It also resulted in Gladis being written off and me not being able to walk properly for about 6 months. I was not put off riding though and used this time to decide what bike I would get next. I limped into several showrooms via my crutches wondering when and if I would ever be able to support the weight of a bike with my right leg, looked at loads of bikes but nothing really took my fancy, until I saw a picture of a V7 Stone. I've never been one for classics/retros but I absolutely loved the look of this one, and went off to A&D Denbigh to have a look at one in the flesh. It was even better than in the pic and the fact that my feet were about 4 ins off the floor and I couldn't even get it off the side stand did not deter me! I was told that it could be lowered via the shocks and that the (very wide) seat could be sculpted, but the dealers wouldn't be moved on price. It was rather more than I wanted to pay but at home I saw a Guzzi dealer in Yorkshire had them on offer for £633 less, an offer I decided I couldn't refuse so I impulsively put a deposit down without even a test ride. I figured if I really hated it and wanted to resell I wouldn't be too much out of pocket with the discount. The bike arrived in November 2013 and had new lower shocks put on and the seat half it's foam cut away which doesn't make it the most comfortable, but I could at least tiptoe! It wasn't registered till March 2014 as I wasn't fit enough to ride over winter (and wouldn't anyway). Come March I made my first very tentative journey on it, and to say it is a very different beastie is an understatement! The thing about Guzzis (not that I know much about any bikes but assume it's peculiar to them due to their configuration of transverse cylinder heads) is that they vibrate a bit. Well, a lot. This was something I was not sure I would cope with or whether my arthritic fingers would be made worse by this phenomenon. I decided I would give it a season to see if I ended up loving or hating it. Update after first service (600m). There were a few niggling things initially such as stickiness from 1st to 2nd gear and a bit of an erratic ride at slow speeds. I went on the Bike4Life rideout in April and had to do loads of very slow riding, I was fighting with it a lot of the time and had awful backache the next day - but think this was more due to being tense, as I've not had backache since. The gear changes have improved but the lurching is probably due to recent EU emissions regulations along with the fly-by-wire throttle being very sensitive. I may invest in a fuel compensator for this. I've got more used to the vibey ride although on my last ride out my left foot was a bit numb! I will have to look into whether I can find some different footpegs or something to absorb the vibrations. It feels lighter than the Gladius (because it is) and is very stable and agile around bends. It has loads of torque and I'm beginning to quite enjoy the agricultural feel of it, the slight twisting when you start the engine makes it feel almost alive and you really know you are riding a bike - this certainly wouldn't be to everyone's tastes but it gives the bike an unmistakeable character that modern Jap bikes don't have. I love the sound of the engine but love v-twins anyway. I do feel I'm looking for some extra HP every now and again but tbh it goes as fast as I want it to with my normal riding and I'm not one to fly around the countryside at warp speed, I like to enjoy the scenery! It has a huge 22 litre tank which gives a good range, fuel consumption is approx 60mpg. I'll have more of an idea whether it's going to stay or not at the end of the season, but let's say at the moment it's growing on me http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/greydales/Motorbikes/P1020513_zpsaf03f7b0.jpg

Sounds a bit like you are the one foaming at the mouth here - you are probably the kind of person who roars up to a horse at warp speed then rev your nuts off because it has made you slow down, and then tar all people with the same brush due to angry responses you get. Yes I do ride horses but certainly don't intend to get into any kind of 'debate' with someone of the above views, which by the way I take great exception to and is an IGNORANT statement by which I mean RUDE

Good I won't bother to demean myself by commenting on your ignorant ranting

If people want to ride at breakneck speed on country lanes they must expect to meet rural road users such as tractors, horses, sometimes cows & sheep, deposits from said animals, mud etc. I think all those things were there before bikes ..

Jesus Christ not this again, so horse shit presents a bigger hazard than anything else - are horse riders supposed to carry a binbag around with them for the few times their horses might leave a deposit on the road?? Out of choice 99% of riders would choose not to be on the roads because of idiot drivers. So how on earth do you cope with wet leaves/mud/gravel/potholes??

I'm def in too, just got had my two nights confirmed

BTW Sam said she only has some old caravans that people can use if they bring bedding etc. Best to talk to her direct