Martin Barrett

Theres 110kg (250lbs) distributed through my bars and pegs but mostly saddle Thats not kerb weight (helmet .boots and jacket extra) I think most of thats distributed around my middle, but I can nolonger see beneath it to check.

Becarefull brake pads convert energy to heat

How long is the ladder you have on a Pan?

Even have bicycles in London

Pulled my finger out and booked my ferry crossings today.

I've put a leave request in for the March dates. It doesn't look as good as it did last week. One of the ladies on my leave list has been on maternity leave and last week showed as that and therefore didn't count to the number of persons on leave. This week she's still off but now shown as annual leave and does. I'm argueing the toss that it should still count as her maternity leave as she hasn't actually returned to work. Watch this space Possibly find out by Wednesday If I can't make it then,perhaps if you're back in the Autum and not shipping your Tenni off to exotic climes. The other potential fly in the ointment is that my little lad is due to go in for a bit of surgery, would normaly only be day surgery but given his antecedance he is being booked in, so could scupper 2 days at least, at short notice over the next couple of months. Obviously this will take precedence. Hope it doesn't clash with any of my trips (hope that doesn't sound selfish)

Congratulations. A life changing experience will change your whole out look on life.

I went out Wednesday night to a leaving do and joined the group at one of the local night spots (nice description of the ambiance) Across the bar was the chrome tap head stand, listing 6 lagers and one bitter (John Smiths). I ask the barman "Do you have any stouts?" He replies " The closest we have is John Smiths (touches the pump head) and Guinness (points down the bar)" "I'll have a Guinness then" They seem to do a roaring trade of selling bottles with bits of lime in them. I only had the one as I was on the Guzzi

I used to have a pair of Blue Masked Lovebirds These aren't mine. Mine used to fight! not too much love going on in their cage. They ate my picture frames when out free flying and threw seed everywhere. Quite noisy also. There are times when I'd fancy another pair and then I come to my senses. I have kids they can do all the above damage and more

That's a Peach faced lovebird not a Norwegian Blue

I would think the American Civil war would count as a major war, being probably the first major industrialised war. One of my lasting memories is of a trip made as a 16 year old air cadet to the Inner German border. FDR had a concrete post. The DDR clear ground for 1KM, ploughed strips with mines, Fences, Dogs on Running wires and Guard Towers. I'm glad that these are no longer in place. Give the chance it would seem that people will always use sectarian differences and commit atrocities on each other. Be the basis be religious, ethnic or ideological. (Balkans, Rwanda, Cambodia - spring to mind) Slowly the world is becoming more civilised. At least in modern democracies there is some restraint on our leaders and hopefully we can prevent the true despots from taking control. No more Hitlers and Stalins. When I signed up for the RAF. I believed that any military action I found myself in would be for the right reasons. I still believe that to be true today, though some of the justifications may have become blurred. All nations will primarily act in their own interest. Being English historically "we love to hate the French" but I would see it as siblings. Each has its own opinions and character and we squabble . But you don't allow the other to be picked on and stand together when one is threatened. Thats enough of that, no more nastyness, there's still too much of it outside our front doors.

43mm From a UK dealers site, but I think it's a straight lift from the brochure I would think it's a typo, but its not unknown to be bits and bobs but normally with minor ancillaries. Edit - Definite TYPO on the US site.

I bounce around on the standard 43s Never adjusted them. Does me fine. I'm also a bit on the lardy side which probably doesn't help matters either , other than the sprung to unsprung ratio Sorry the finer things in life are wasted on me.

I was on nights over the weekend. It was a bit nippy(dropping to below freezing) especially coming home. One day I was almost tempted to scrounge a lift back home. But as my ride is about 1 mile to the motorway and then 2 miles across town at the other end the roads are normally gritted and reasonably clear. Though the doubts set in when the accidents start getting reported.

Thanks for the replies. I'd forgot that it had been written off . They now do various category write offs here but a vehicle examination is all that's normally require. The only exception would be if you used a new frame and then there would be questions that it was still the original vehicle and would either issue a new pate, a relevant aged plate or a "Q" plate

Stupid question time. In the UK vehicles are registered by a government agency(DVLA) and receive a number plate to identify the vehicle. The format &&**%%%. && will be two letters indicating the region where vehicle first registered. ** being two numerals indicating the six month period. Currently the first is either a 0 or a 5 indicating which half of the year and in ten years time will be a 1 or a 6 ....The second indicates the year still 5 till march when it becomes 6. There is a slight stagger to even out the demand for vehicles the old system used to change in September and created a demand then for the new plate. The %%% are random letters. Tell will sell number plates at a premium I think Petes got first dibs on TO55ERS for if he comes back to the UK given his views on personal plates. You can transfer a plate to a vehicle provided it doesn't make the vehicle look newer than it is. previous formats were &***%%% and before that %%%***& and before that %%%***. There is no insurance disc to display. There is no roadworthiness (MOT) disc to display But there is a road tax for which you have to have insurance and MOT if over 3 years old to obtain and that has to be displayed. The insurance and Mot are now on data base which is accessed via the Police National Computer link to the DVLA record. If you lost your number plate you just need to have a new one made. It now has to be done by an approved manufacturer and you have to produce the vehicles registration certificate. Though you can still get "show plates" Pointless legislation that isn't really enforced. always can put original plate back on for test if the tester is a bit keen. So whats the score with Californian plates?

Glad that you made it through alright.

Trunk should have been truck. I don't really think that the US get much brought in overland by elephant

that was because you'd declared for blue ride it back. How long to pick up day, the longer it is the cheaper an budget flight would be eg wed 8th feb flight 15 1130 depature from Luton to Edinburgh getting in just after mid day £23 it would cost you more in petrol driving back, even the expensive flights are only £60 and take 2 days to come back enjoy some twisty roads to break it in rather than the slab, unless you're going for the ride it hard method.

I suppose unless they came by trunk/rail/air from Canada or Mexico they would come from overseas

it even has Guzzi content now in my favorites for a longer look

You may have read elsewhere that I suffered my first puncture in over 18000 miles on the Guzzi. When I have my touring equipment on I have a CO2 and Mushroom repair kit with me. I've never used it. With my slow puncture today in my new tyre circa 500miles I was able to make it to an air line and then leapfrog to my local workshop where they then put pink goo (Ultra Seal) down the valve. This is normaly put in prior to the puncture. But has done the trick. I've never used it before. All my punctures have been towards the end of the life of the tyre so have allways replaced them. What say you?

I'm only 50miles (an hour) away. (Stevenage) My mothers "friend" lives in Fordham which is only 2 miles from Soham.

I got in at 3:45 having done around 100miles. I took me a good hour to warm up. Perhaps I should have had more on than my new V11lemans.com T shirt under my jacket. Leaving you with a picture of the Herts/Essex borders.