OT: Apropos of absolutely nothing at all...

[Guest greenvanman]

...I passed my bike test. Whoo hoo! Anybody got a cheap Honda Helix they want to sell?

[Mr Lobster]

Congratulations!

[Father Ted]

Well done - its much better than driving isnt it?

[MrRegieRitmo]

Well done - its much better than driving isnt it?

Is it not still a form of driving? Congrats GVM!

[Father Ted]

By driving I mean sitting in a car listening to that gob shite Chris Moyles whilst travelling at 3mph down the car park known locally as the M6 northbound.

 

Riding on the otherhand (down the exclusive motorcycle lane lovingly marked out with some broken white lines) whilst listening to my mental jukebox (currently stuck on the Vandervalk theme by the Simon Park Orchestra) at anything at all faster than the surrounding cars is bloody wonderful. Its what driving used to be back in the 40's.

 

Untill it rains.

[Milford Cubicle]

I didn't realise listening to Radio 1 was mandatory while driving a car.

[Father Ted]

You would think not wouldnt you.Yet yesterday i had the misfortune to be sat next to some Gilbert in a Rover Streetwise at some lights, who had Radio Bloody Chris Moyles blairing out so loud that I could hear whay he was saying through his wound up window and my own. EDIT - whats worse is aforementioned gilbert creature appeared to be laughing at Moyles characters joke too Anyway I digress and once again go hideously off topic - well done again GVM and if you find a set of waterproofs that keep your crotch dry in the monsoon that is the British summer please tell me what they are....

[r.welfare]

whilst listening to my mental jukebox

Mine's currently stuck on "In The Army Now" by Status Quo, and I can't seem to change it...

[Spottedlaurel]

On a similarly OT vein, Scrapman has joined the league of AS fathers and become a dad today! Congrat's to Chris, Lilla and young baby Robert.Well done to you too GVM!

[Guest greenvanman]

...if you find a set of waterproofs that keep your crotch dry in the monsoon that is the British summer please tell me what they are....

Funny you should say that, it hasn't been a problem all the while I've been riding scooters since my re-entry into the world of two wheels. It was only when I was on the riding school's EN125 that I remembered what an effective device the motorcycle petrol tank is for funneling any and all available rainwater straight into your groin, finally arriving in your Y-fronts about 30 seconds later. So it turns out my gear isn't as waterproof as I thought either...Anyway, on to the fun part - it's time to look for some new wheels and the world is my oyster. As long as the oyster hasn't got more than 33BHP of course

[Father Ted]

Anyway, on to the fun part - it's time to look for some new wheels and the world is my oyster. As long as the oyster hasn't got more than 33BHP of course

I can highly recommend one of these - 33BHP with the limiters in place (and wont rev above 6K) but still capable of a ton. Also very very easy to maintain.

 

Or perhaps this is more to sirs taste...

[Guest greenvanman]

Or perhaps this is more to sirs taste...

Yes, I saw that one on the bay, very nice. It went for about £620 IIRC which seems about right. I didn't fancy bidding without checking it out in the flesh though and there just wasn't time

[r.welfare]

On a similarly OT vein, Scrapman has joined the league of AS fathers and become a dad today! Congrat's to Chris, Lilla and young baby Robert.Well done to you too GVM!

Well done Scrapman, value your sleep while you can - I speak as a first-time father of 8 weeks' experience...Good result GVM, I was going to take an intensive bike test at 21, never got round to it and that's scarily 10 years ago now.

[Guest greenvanman]

Good result GVM, I was going to take an intensive bike test at 21, never got round to it and that's scarily 10 years ago now.

Oh you've got plenty of time Mr W, I'll be 43 next birthday!

[r.welfare]

Hmm...one day. Do test, pick up a CB250N, job done.

[Richard]

Congratulations Scrapman. Before long you'll be wondering what you did with all your time and money before.Well done GVM. I wouldn't like to go through a test now, it seems like a hideously complicated process. I did my bike test in 1991 and I think I would have been one of the last to go through the traditional route of buying a sub-125cc bike and riding it on L plates before doing my test.

[andrew e]

That changed on December the 1st 1990.... how do I know? Because it was my fffing Birthday 4 days later Why couldn't they have made it January 1991

[Richard]

Because I'd passed my car test before 1990 I didn't have to do my CBT to get on the road with L plates, although I did need it to get my full bike licence.I think the CBT is partly to blame for the rise in casualties among young drivers. If a 16 or 17 year old wanted to get around it had to be on 2 wheels until they'd passed their driving test. There's much more incentive to learn roadcraft when even a minor mistake hurts. With the introduction of CBT the 2 wheel stage is usually bypassed by teenagers.