mike wilson

Gurgle is your friend http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lollygag

I did wonder about Condor but I couldn't find anything that looks like this. That dinky little toolbox on the back should be a stylistic giveaway but, again, no sign of anything like it so far. m

Weird. Twin exhausts, saddle tank, well rim tyres, drum brakes, slopnig engine and electric lights place it around 1930 but ungated gearlever is much earlier. Proprietary gearbox and engine. Could be one of thousands of manufacturers. I'll just take the wildest guess at Imperia, date 1929. Model is very odd, as it has "touring" accoutrements (wide tyres, decent mudguards) but an unsilenced exhaust. I'll plump for "sports" model.

It was still there??!! You were lucky.......

Do it by bank transfer, as suggested in the lower part of the first page. Keep a copy of the form your bank uses to transfer it and take that with you when you next visit. You may find difficulty getting a rental otherwise. mike

Historically, it's a woodworking term. http://www.workingwoodlands.info/bodgingintro.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodging

Some advice for you, Gil. http://mrbrown.blogs.com/blog/1998/08/advice_for_tour.html

Last time I checked (which was a few years ago) the ultimate lap record on most tracks was held by karts. I can only imagine that, with all the safety chicanes and such, that proportion has grown. m

Every bike I've ever owned bar the present one has either been stolen (some of them multiple times) or had an attempt on it. I don't think I would be able to restrain myself if I ever caught one. It would be an honour to serve the time for having rid society of such a blemish. m

Another Velocette starting story. Being profoundly in love with my black and gold mistress, I did not want any other little oik purloining her. So I devised the masterplan of folding a piece of paper over the spark plug and putting the cap back on. This was long before the days of useful locks and suchlike. Coming back to the beast, one only had to remember to remove the paper before trying to start it. You know you are in trouble when the bystanders are counting the kicks out loud, in unison.......... A variation was to do it on a damp night, when there was just enough leakage to allow it to start and run, until the paper dried out with the heat of the plug. My right thigh has a circumference noticably larger than my left. mike

Keep an eye out for WD auctions. Excellent supply of tools. I got a Britool torque screwdriver (well, actually, I got 20) for less than £1. Measures low torques - ideal for rocker boxes and other anal stuff. Was ex-RAf, from what I can gather. Sorry, the others are all gone. mike

For the betterment of mankind? Can we start a eugenics thread? mike 8-)

Go here: http://www.tec.nsk.com/switch.asp?pageID=eRadial and put 6205 in the "Search by NSK number" box. No du but there is a DDU, which has seals on both sides. Maybe DU is sealed on the outside only? mike

Not only that, there's a school of thought that the low friction bearings (don't forget, these are rolling element bearings where the majority of the friction comes from the seal) are not sealed well enough for outdoor applications. Especially ones that may have a dirty environment and may be subject to direct spray. I don't know how correct that postion is but it is logical enough for me to want to stay actively clear of low friction bearings for this duty. mike

Won't that (in this case) depend on the quality of the work? E.g. if the indicator fails due to an improperly strapped resistor wire breaking. Or if he really did burn a hole with his soldering iron. Just doing the job can't really be considered a bodge - it's a standard electronic procedure. We need pictures. m

And it appears that possibly the lorry driver doesn't even know that it happened.........

Seems to be more sniping than joking, though. For me, a person's sexual preference has as much relevance to motorcycling as their eye colour, glove size or diet. I feel like that poor bugger in "Life on Mars". m

Why do so many people here have such a wasp up their kilt about homosexuality? Methinks there is a trifle too much protesting going on. Real bad news: of the two homosexual motorcyclists I am aware of personally, both ride Guzzis. mike

I'm not sure thetre is _any_ sensible, one-size-fits-all answer to the insurance problem. But be aware that some companies allow you to transfer some (if not all) of your NCD to another machine. I was dead against it at first but I'm beginning to come around to the idea of "no-fault" insurance included in your excise licence. Just need to work out some method of retribution for plonkers and sociopaths. mike

Plenty of free parking and delineated places at the front of all traffic stops for two-wheelers on major routes. Some exclusive lanes. Against which: about a30% psycho/bimbo(both sexes) driver ratio, sodding miserable wet/cold winters, no dealer worth wasting breath on and far too much traffic for travelling enjoyment. mike

It's something arse shaped that is found on the other side of a female human. Sadly, used as an epithet. m

I can do you a nice Scottish curling team......

The shrouds only work in a so-so manner. The road surface was trialled up here. We have had some for about 8 years now. It's a bit unnerving at first, as it looks really greasy, but it works excellently. It also reduces road noise considerably. m

The roads up here are in shite order at the moment. We had about two weeks of cold and dry, so the roads were orange with rock salt. Then a damp and drizzly weekend. So now everyone has a black vehicle within five miles and the tarmac is as greasy as a rocker's comb. Very, very nasty. mike

Grease nipples and mudguards that work. There's a thought right out of the last century.