FEEDBACK

Here is the next installment of Feedback. This is what you have said to me! One of the really great things, for me, to have come out of doing this web-site is the fantastic response it has brought from all you readers out there! I really appreciate your emails, and it's great to be able to share your comments with other readers through this page.

The page runs from the first comments at the top, to the most recent ones at the bottom. So, as the year progresses you'll have to do a bit of scrolling to get to the latest entries. Sorry, but it kind of needs to work that way. Oh well, it doesn't take too much to get there.

You'll notice that, for convenience (it's easier for you to find where to scroll to!) I've divided the page into separate months. I've also split the year into two - one page covers January to June, while the other July to December.

For the previous feedback page, just click the button down the bottom of the page.

JUNE 2012

And we thought it was only car drivers and work-van drivers who used their phones to text while driving. Nope, riders do it too! Ivor sent me a link to stories that featured these two photos.

Click here to go to the front page. Click your BACK button to return to the previous page.

Click here to go to the previous Feedback page.

The first photo here appeared in a recent edition of TeamMoto’s on-line newsletter. (I had actually seen the same newsletter and was going to put it on my Blog page). It was being used as an example (and a very extreme one at that!) of not paying attention.

What also got me was the total lack of any appropriate motorcycle clothing! What an idiot!!

(Click here to go to the  newsletter).

This one was said to have been taken by the passenger on a bus in Sydney and sent to a Sydney radio station, who broke the story. The woman bus passenger who took the photo estimated the bike to be travelling at about 80kph.

This guy has slightly – but only slightly – more appropriate motorcycling apparel – he’s at least wearing a helmet!

Click here to go to the news story about it.

What total stupidity this is! It’s stupid – and dangerous to other road-users, as well as to the idiot performing the deed – in a car, but on a bike, well, I can’t fathom the mentality of someone doing this!

Rod sent me a link to the RTA’s (NSW’s traffic authority) intentions for speed cameras. For those of you outside NSW, the RTA has mobile speed-cameras operated by independent people – not police officers. They don’t interact with motorists, they just check speed and book anyone exceeding the limit. It’s a very long, but interesting read! Of course the RTA see speed cameras as the answer to road crashes. (Probably an answer for falling revenue too!). They argue long and hard to justify it, but I still say there's no better alternative to a real police officer, patrolling in a car, checking the speed and, as they usually do, assessing the driver's / rider's general attitude and driving / riding standard. Seems we will need to be on the lookout for more Ford Territories!

Rick sent me this link to this fund-raising effort. Jock Adams is a good mate of his, and he’s attempting to be the fastest Postie bike across Australia. (Who wants to bet he’s quick than Australia Post!!). Anyway, it’s all to support the Royal Flying Doctor Service, so a worthwhile cause indeed! Check it out. (And my apologies to Rick for the delay in getting this on the site, it got lost in the system somewhere for a while!). Anyway, as I said, check it out.

JULY 2012.

Just as I was writing the item in my Blog about bargain bikes, Paul wrote to say he had just done the deal on a last-year model Yamaha. “I just put a deposit on a new (2011) Yamaha FZ8S Fazer (run out sale). Bought it from Bikebiz Parramatta. Just getting some options added to her, centre stand, oggy knobs, radiator guard. Can’t wait to ride it!” I reckon! Great bike (from all accounts, I haven’t ridden one), and as I said in that item, buying old-new stock bikes like this can be a wise choice – especially if you intend keeping the bike for a while. Enjoy it, Paul!

Rod sent me this link to a YouTube video clip of a bike doing a claimed 299kph through highway traffic. The idiot is even lane-splitting at very high speed! I couldn’t see the digital speedo on the monitor I was watching it on, so can’t verify the claimed top speed, but it is stupidly fast! Watch and wonder!

AUGUST 2012

Peter has been looking to trade in his Yamaha TDM850 (click here to read the story of that) on something else. He likes cruisers and was thinking along those lines, but then decided on a scooter instead; a maxi-scooter, like the Suzuki Burgman or Honda Majesty. One day he set off for Brisbane and the Gold Coast to look at the bike shops. He was surprised to find that not many shops had the maxi-scoots in store – especially ones that were available for test-ride. I thought that was surprising, but then thought of the shops in my local area and they are actually much the same. Peter said he found plenty of smaller models (yep, my local shops have a few of the smaller models too), but hardly any of the larger ones. Considering the popularity of scooters, and, as Peter said, the practicalities of these larger scooters for older people wanting to keep riding but who have trouble handling a big bike, it’s surprising there aren’t more in the shops. Eventually he found a 2nd-hand (very new) Honda Silverwing 400, which he test-rode and was very impressed with. And he ended up buying that. (Click here to read his story of his new scoot).

Craig wrote to give us all a warning about Matilda fuel. He wrote, “I normally use Caltex fuel in my XJ900, 1995 model. Anyway, I was low on fuel and stopped off at a Matilda station. I put a tank of their so-called Premium in, and it ran like a two stroke! Never, never again will I use Matilda fuel again!” Yes, I’m very wary of these alternate-brand fuels; I won’t use them. There’s been a history of bad fuel in cheap outlets, so Craig’s experience isn’t a one-off. At one time Woolworths fuel was giving lots of problems. It was, I was told, all imported from some not-so-reputable place and, for some reason, not subject to the quality checks and regulations of the big brands. So I stayed away! My daughter was a victim of their rubbish fuel. These days though they are all Caltex and the fuel comes from the same tank as the regular Caltex servos. (I know this because I’ve spoken to a tanker driver who delivers to them!). One day while in the car I was running very low on fuel and stopped at a no-name servo. (It was a case of do that or probably run out before I got to more acceptable brand servos). It was the only time I’ve ever used one of these el-cheapo fuels that I can recall. I asked what the fuel was and I’m pretty sure, thinking back on it now, it was Matilda. The lady operating the servo said all the locals loved it. I had no problems with it. But I still wouldn’t use it by choice! I don’t trust these brands. To be fair, the problem often lies with the actual servo, where they “water-down” the fuel with other chemicals to get more of it – and hence make more profit.

Ivor had a comment on fuels in response to Craig’s warning. He said he avoids these cheap-brand fuels too, but made the point that reputable brands aren’t always good either. “I’ve heard people talk about having problems with Shell, and read advice about not using it in bikes. There are different additives or something that apparently make it not suitable for bikes. So just thought I’d pass that one on too, while we’re on the subject.” Yes, I’ve heard the same thing. My understanding is that the fuel is actually more dense than other brands. In cars (and very late-model bikes) this isn’t a problem because the engine is able to “read” the fuel and adjust the mixture etc accordingly. Most bikes, however, not having such sophisticated electronics controlling the fuel (and that applies even more so with carbies), can’t do this and the result is they run too rich. Like Craig, I use Caltex. I use Mobil in the car (because it’s the only local servo still selling regular 91 octane unleaded) and have no problem with it. I haven’t heard any bad reports about it for bikes either. I think BP is okay for bikes too.

Paul sent in this photo of his V-Strom relaxing by the water at Wellington Point, Qld. He said it was a good ride there and he enjoyed relaxing, and just  “Watching the world go by”.

Looks like a great spot! He said, “It just goes to show you can ride a V-Strom from the Bush to the Beach!” Yes, they are a great bike!

As I’ve mentioned previously, a reader (and friend), Noel, has been taking part in a charity ride, called The Black Dog Ride, raising funds, and awareness, for depression and similar related mental conditions. It’s a great cause! The ride was to end up in the “Red Centre”, Alice Springs. You might have seen a couple of photos I published in my Blog from Noel on the trip. Well, I’ve just heard that he has completed his trip. Noel covered a total of 3,080km in 6 days – that’s a lot of riding! (And now he’s got to come back!). They are to have a street parade and dinner for the riders in Alice Springs, then it’s back home for everyone. Noel is going to ride down to Ayres Rock for a couple of days and do a bit of sight-seeing on his return. Well done, Noel! Congratulations on taking part in this great ride, and supporting a very deserving cause!

Brad and Sharon are currently on holidays in Hawaii. They both own scooters at home, so hiring a scooter was a logical way of getting around and seeing the sights.

Sharon said, "Most people aren't wearing helmets here but there's a lot of traffic (and they're all on the wrong side of the road!) so we chose to have them. This is what they gave us!" No, I don't think the old "pudding-bowl" hats would be legal here, would they!

SEPTEMBER 2012.

Rick sent in this story. It is a story that was originally published by the Speedfreak web-site. It’s a very graphic reminder of what can happen when people get on a bike without the full protective gear. By the way, this is a Word document, so you need a reasonably late version of Word (you can download a free viewer if you haven’t got a late version of Word) to read it. Thanks, Rick. I’ve seen a lot of people riding around who could benefit from reading this!

Rod recently acted as lead-rider at a Triumph RAT Raid weekend. In doing so he was supplied with a variety of test-bikes to ride. Here are some very brief comments he had about each of the bikes he rode.

Tiger 1050: He was impressed by this one. He described it as, “A very good ride!”

Speedmaster: He liked this too. He said, “Quite good for a cruiser.”

Tiger XC: “Even though it is a more expensive bike I didn’t like it as much as the 1050.” The XC is more off-road focused than the 1050, so I think the 1050 would have wider appeal. When I test-rode the 800 I chose the more road-orientated version, for that reason.

Sprint 1050: This was strange, because Rod found it, “Very disappointing.” He said, “It felt like it was running on half inflated tyres.” (Which it wasn’t). Strange! I’ve always found the Sprint to be a great handling bike! And I’ve ridden a few over the years. Of the bikes he rode it was the only one that had a more sports-style riding-position, so you might be thinking that could be the reason he didn’t like it, but it wasn’t that – Rod is much more experienced than that! Hard to figure that one; must’ve been something wrong with it, I reckon.

Thunderbird: “Quite comfortable bike which was set up for touring.” I mentioned to Rod how I found it very heavy when I sat on it in the showroom, to which he replied that the weight seemed to reduce as soon as it got moving and was never a problem. I've read that in tests of the bike too. My worry would be getting it out of the driveway without dropping the thing!

Tiger Explorer 1200: Rod was greatly impressed with this. “I’d buy one tomorrow. An exceptional motorcycle in my opinion.”

Another riding friend and regular reader, Michael, had the role of tail-end rider for the test-rides. For him, the pick was the Storm. “What a bike!” He exclaimed. He loved the extra power over the standard Thunderbird and said it handled great, tipping into corners with extreme ease. 

Pino wrote in with a link to a web-site that he thought might be interesting, in light of the article on The Introverted Rider. It’s called “Contemplative Motorcycling”. It’s a blog to, as the writer describes, “publish my essays on motorcycling, of a lyrical philosophical nature.”

Ivor had this comment in response to the article on The Introverted Rider. “Another reason to avoid some group riding is the choice of route they take. I don’t ride with my local Ulysses club, although I am a member, mainly because of where they go and how they get there. Their rides are often very long (we are old people, remember, we’re not all capable of long rides), and when they go somewhere they go along every back-road they can find and avoid highways like the plague. I understand the appeal of back-roads, but some of the roads they take are pretty rough and not pleasant to ride. They describe highways as boring, but I don’t mind a bit of a cruise along a highway; and the bike loves it too! So I enjoy riding alone, or with a mate or two who have similar riding tastes to me.” Yes, I know what you mean. I don’t ride with my local Ulysses Club either, partly for that reason. Back-roads are enjoyable and more interesting, both from a riding point of view and usually a scenic point of view too, so I prefer back-roads to highways (at least when they aren’t too rough!). But I also don’t mind cruising along the highways; for a while at least. Ivor added, “I don’t consider any of this to be the result of being introverted though; I wouldn’t class myself as an introvert. It all comes down to choice of where to ride.”

Rod sent me a link to this story on a Yamaha FJR Owner’s site. An incredible tale of survival after being hit head-on by a car; a survival which the rider puts down to the style of bike he was riding. The car was a Toyota Corolla that came around a corner going sideways – not easy in a front-wheel-drive, especially in the dry, on a gentle corner! I can only assume that the driver braked hard while rounding the bend. Anyway, take a look at the story.

I’ve mentioned Noel in my Blog, in particular his having taken part in the Black Dog Ride to Alice Springs. What a ride, and what an adventure it must’ve been! (Could we have a story of the ride, please, Noel?). Here are some more photos taken around Ayers Rock (or Uluru as it should now be called).

Susan wrote in response to the article on The Introverted Rider, which of course was mostly about the pros and cons of riding alone compared to riding in a group. She wrote, “I too can identify with the benefits of riding alone. When I first started riding bikes I desperately wanted to ride with other people, and the Ulyssians were good company. However the closest near accidents I ever had came from other riders, not cars. One rider lane splitting and blocking me in behind a turning vehicle nearly ended my bike riding there and then. Another overtaking on a four lane road and changing her mind half way round nearly caused a rear ender. She did the same thing a few months later and put her husband in hospital, wrecking his bike in the process. Then there was the time about a dozen riders in front of me and two others behind rounded a bend and they suddenly braked to stop at an historical site, which caused a domino effect. We all stayed upright miraculously. Then as you have said, you always end up going where someone else wants to go and stopping where they want to stop. On one trip I became really light-headed as I had joined the ride 100kms in so when they stopped for morning tea I wasn't hungry. They didn't then have lunch till 4pm by which time I was ready to fall off the bike. So now my husband and I ride together, although he does send me in front every time, I think so I hit the roos first! It's far more enjoyable. We also ride at much the same speed.” Thanks, Susan. Wow, a 4pm lunch! No wonder you were hungry! I sometimes have lunch at crazy times, but not that crazy! That's a good comment about potential accidents coming from other bikes, not cars. There are often dangers in groups – mostly because of idiots riding in the group. I've ridden in certain groups where I’ve experienced this. I remember going to a car / bike show, with a group of other riders. As I rode in and stopped at the gate to pay my donation / admittance, a few bikes (not from our group) rode in behind and were of the opinion that they were above mere trivialities such as paying to go in, so tried to ride straight in. Having nowhere to go, because of the group of bikes gathered at the entrance, one ran into the back of my bike. Just tyre-to-tyre contact and not too hard, so no damage done. But it made me more wary of being in large groups of bikes. I now don't participate in a local toy-run, but travel to a different one instead, because when riding with the local one, I often end up in a big bunch of other riders seemingly jostling for position. It feels dangerous. So, as I said, a good point about the dangers coming from other riders! I'm sure you find it much more pleasant riding with your husband, where you both ride at the same speed and are considerate of each other's needs. Oh, I like the idea of him sending you in front to knock the ‘roos out of the way!

Still on the subject of the article on “The Introverted Rider”, Peter wrote, “I never looked at it as being introverted, that kind of puts a different angle on it.” He says that he used to ride with his Ulysses friends when he lived in Brisbane, but since moving to the country he doesn’t ride with the club as much. Health issues result in him having to take regular stops, which isn’t always possible when riding with a group. He writes, “Out on my own if I just want to keep riding, I can, and at my pace. If I want to stop and look at something, I can. So I find riding alone is far more enjoyable.” He says that he has enjoyed riding with big groups, but makes the same point as Susan, above. “However you have to be on the alert far more, watching that you do not collide with another rider. I have found that in some charity rides there are always the ones who have to speed through the rest and even do wheel-stands etc. It is all show by them but if they come off they would take a load more with them and that can be a little frightening. So I go along with the Introverted riding, but just never thought of it that way before.”

After reading Ivor’s comments above, Peter added, “I go along with what the bloke said about the article this month.” He said that he has raised the issue of always going the longest way along back roads and avoiding highways at Ulysses club meetings and “been howled down.” He says that a new group he has joined is heading the same way. “What started off as fun now is a major effort. Yes all the back roads one can find and they think nothing of doing a 500km ride in a day and some of us are just not up for that sort of ride anymore.” Yes, I’d be one of those people like you, Peter; these days 500km is further than my old bones can handle on a day-ride!

Peter wrote in response to the terrifying crash we saw in the link Rod sent in above. He wrote, “That took me back in years to my old Triumph 350 Speed Twin Bathtub, back in the 60s. That bike was great except that it had been set-up for a sidecar, plus been bored out to 500cc. That bike took me all around the UK in all kinds of weather but it had a habit of going straight ahead instead of turning, especially on a right hand corner. So I flew through the air on many occasion basically because I tried to go around a corner but the bike didn't. But back then I was young and capable of hitting the road. Mind you we did not have the safety riding clothes of today. Back then I was usually rugged up and always wore my old flying jacket which I bought in an Army Surplus Store. We used to have those stores here during the 60s/70s, I wonder what happened to them? That jacket was thick leather and full of sheep's wool so made a hard landing on the bitumen quite soft really.” I remember the old Army Surplus stores; yes, I wonder why they aren’t around these days?

I’ve had several readers write in about the proposed legislation in Victoria to force riders to wear “high visibility” clothing. Most have sent links to a petition (which I have signed) encouraging support to oppose this. I haven’t said a lot about this on the site, but having received another email today I thought I probably should mention it again. Firstly, I’ve looked at some of the submissions and it seems unclear just what they are recommending. The common interpretation is that they want us to wear flouro vests, but one version I read seemed to be referring to brightly coloured clothing in general – such as jackets, pants and helmets. In any case, as you'd expect, I don't agree with the proposals! I'm all for making ourselves visible on the roads, and I used to ride with the headlight on long before it was mandatory to do so or have them hard-wired to be on all the time. But wearing a flouro vest? I reckon if they don't see the bike or the headlight I reckon a flouro vest isn't going to make a whole lot of difference! I must admit that, living in NSW I tend to think, "That's in Victoria, it won't happen here!" In fact I don’t think it will happen in Victoria either. Like most outrageous proposals, I can’t see it getting through parliament because there are too many people (voters!) against it. But that's probably being naive, because we’ve all witnessed the ever-increasing march of “nanny-state” mentality in legislation. (Although most of it seems to be driven by creating opportunities for revenue-raising rather than any well-considered attempt at reducing crashes!). As for it not happening elsewhere, well, once things like this get in, they soon spread across the country. The latest email I got was from a reader in Queensland, so he’s on the ball with this and willing to do his bit to ensure it doesn’t become law.

Aussie sent this in. Yep, that’s a Harley– with twin wheels at the front and a semi-trailer at the rear!

Not much to say about this is there – except if you see it coming it’s probably a good idea to get out of its way!

OCTOBER 2012.

Grant sent in this link to a video clip about the café-racer culture. It’s an interesting look at the British scene that mad places like the Ace Café so famous.

And here’s another one from Grant. It’s the story of a bloke who was a former multi-millionaire, but who lost it all and decided to live on a BMW R1150GS. Yes, I said “live” on it. And ride around the world. These clips are from a series called Downshift. When you go to either of these you’ll see links to other episodes on the right.

Now for something a little less serious. Thanks to Peter for putting me on to this one. Now, would you like to be a motorcycle saleman? Click here.   

Rod sent in this link to an article in the Telegraph. A “hard-hitting” (as described by the Tele) journalist writes about speed-limits and speed cameras etc. It makes interesting reading. I like the approach suggested by the former RTA engineer, very sensible! His claim that a highway-patrol car and officer is “almost self-funding” would seem to make it the logical way to go to create better safety on our roads. Sadly, he probably won't be listened to. (Mostly, I suppose, because it is self-funding, not huge profit-making!).

Rod joined a ride of about 300km, a fair part of which was along some deserted roads. When they were on the return journey, having just rode into a major town, one of the bikes ran out of fuel. The rider flicked it to reserve (it was one that had an actual reserve tap), but it wouldn’t start. This resulted in Rod having to help push the bike across three lanes of traffic into a side-street to get it going. Once started the bike found a servo and replenished the supply. “Every bike sold should have a fuel range of at least 300km in my opinion.” Said Rod. I have generally not complained about fuel-range on bikes because I reckon you'd have to stop anyway, long before you run out of fuel. But really that isn't the issue. If you have to go looking for fuel on, say, a 250km ride (as you do with some bikes) then it is inconvenient. So, I agree; a 300km range is a practical distance. If you're going further than that then a stop somewhere for fuel is quite reasonable. But it can be more than just an inconvenience too. As Rod says, “My theory behind bikes having a good fuel range is that in Australia you can quite often be some distance from service-stations, which would require to you to carry a reserve.” Good point.

Thanks to Peter for this photo. I just had to put this one up!

NOVEMBER 2012

Steve wanted me to pass on the message that the Nowendoc General Store on Thunderbolts Way in northern NSW is now closed. So there's no petrol available there. I've never been there, but I've heard a lot about it and apparently it was a good place - and a good petrol-stop for people traveling that way.

Another photo from Peter. How stupid is this! Imagine the injuries if they were to crash! Oh, and that sheet or whatever it is that's hanging down could easily get caught in the wheel. Hang on - they've got a baby (with no helmet, of course) wedged between them!!

Phil gave us this link to a story on Casey Stoner and the reasons why he retired. Yes, yes, you’ve read articles on that already, but this is a good one! It describes the man without fear or favour; an insightful look into the enigma that is Casey Stoner. After reading this you understand a little more why he is how he is, and why he decided to retire. It doesn’t put him on a pedestal, nor does it put him down, it just tries to explain the enigma; and I think it does that very well.

DECEMBER 2012.

Sharon sent in a story about a car. What is a story about a car doing on this bike web-site? Well, I thought you might be interested; especially if you are of a mechanically-minded nature. Here is her story.

“On the 3rd June 2008 my Dad set off from Nowra for Central Australia with two visiting English friends, in his 1982 XJ6 Jaguar. They had only gone as far as Fitzroy Falls (about 40km) when his friends, Mike and Jean, asked to stop so they could take a few photos. (I’ll be getting back to this point in the trip later). They continued on their long journey without event, reaching Alice Springs some days later. It was then that they struck a problem. The Jag had started to overheat. After trying, unsuccessfully, to find someone with the know-how (and / or inclination) to try to fix whatever the Jag’s problem was, they had no choice but to organise for the transportation of the Jag back to Nowra by truck, and hire a car for their return trip.

“One month after Mike and Jean went back to England, Mike rang me. He had been looking through his photos of the trip and made an interesting discovery. He told me to take a look at the photo he had taken at Fitzroy Falls at the very beginning of their trip. Mike takes thousands of photos, and he had taken one of Dad with the bonnet up on the Jag.

(He had given me copies of all the photos, so I had the photo he was referring to). He told me to zoom in on the motor. (I've cropped the original photo. Elwyn).

Take a look at the photo and you should be able to see that one of the head bolts is sticking up way higher than all the rest. (Look in between the centre pair of plug-leads. Elwyn). Due to corrosion it had snapped off at the bottom.

My dad had driven the Jag another 4,000 plus kilometres after this photo was taken before the car started to overheat!

Sharon said that the photo on the left was taken in Port Pirie, quite some time later. The significance of this is that, as Sharon explains, “The Jag has never actually been fixed. He replaced the broken head bolt with a $2 welch plug and has done many kilometres since, including a number of trips to Orange. Now he proudly tells people how far a Jag can go under these conditions!”

Thanks for the story, Sharon. Amazing it’s still going strong with one head bolt missing!

FIRST BIKE. A few responses to the question I posed on the XJR Owner’s Forum on what people’s first bike was (for the article "You Never Forget Your First Bike"), came in (or I got to them) just after the article had been published on the web-site. So I have included them here.

The photo on the left is of Lampy’s Garelli, which was mentioned in the article.

Lampy points out that, while these mopeds had pedals, some of them were there really only to satisfy the legal requirements of being less than 50cc and having pedals to be entitled to be registered as a moped – thus being cheaper and available for younger riders.

Razaor wrote, “Old fella taught me to ride on a BSA 850. I think he only wanted me to kick-start the bugger and warm it up for him! I bought my first bike, a Harley 125 – never heard the engine run, what a con! Over to west gate hill, an RD200, thank you very much!” 

Pablo had a similar experience. “My old man did the same to me with a 750 Norton Atlas. We lived in a rented farmhouse near Willingale in Essex when I was 13-14 and there was still the remains of the WWII airfield and runways at the end of the lane. I had great fun on that old tank steaming along straight stretches of bumpy concrete. Needless to say I didn't get much practice at turning corners!”

Gothmog’s first on-road bike was, “A 1982 Yamaha DT50MX. 25mph flat out. Had it 7 days then traded it for a Suzuki TS50ER. 39mph flat out seemed fantastic at the time but then I was only 16.”

Matty had a blue 1999 Honda Hornet. “After passing direct access, the thing felt like a missile after the CB500 I learnt on. I missed out on riding a stroker on the roads.”

DX408’s first bike was a, “GP100 in red, the drum braked version. (Ended up with a 125 top end, 125 disk valve and carb, microns and an A100 rear sprocket to keep the front end on the ground). 3 months and 3 piston later sold it. 2 holed, 1 cracked skirt, never did get the carbs set right, but great fun. Was clocked at 92MPH on a flat road. Honest!”

Sherrif started, illegally on a Triumph Tiger Cub. “Legal a while later, on a  GP100U.”

Thanks, guys, and sorry you missed the article.

Paul wrote in response to the article on first bikes too. “I have just taken one of the best trips down memory lane that I have had in a long time, reading about other readers first bike, all the bikes we first owned and rode (even the ones that never quite made it legally to the road).” Thanks Paul. I enjoyed reading what people had to say too! There were some fascinating machines in that history.

Bill wanted to know why his was the only photo with himself and the bike? Good point, he was the only rider-and-bike photo! Maybe everyone else was too embarrassed? I had one of my first bike with me in it, but it was taken from a distance and isn’t a very good one of the bike, so I used the one with just the bike.

But just to rectify that, here is me on my first bike. As I said, it was taken from too far away to be a good one of the bike. (I've cropped it to bring it closer). But it shows how I looked on the bike.

My lanky frame made the little Suzie look even smaller! If I remember correctly, this was taken on the day I got my Ls.

Note the riding-gear – track-suit top, slacks, and normal shoes. And I thought I was dressed for the road!

Paul (a different Paul to the one above) suggested a future topic for the web-site. “How about the strangest things that happen to us on a ride? For example, car windscreen washers in your face, or riding behind a truck load of cows etc.” I like it! I reckon we’d get some stories from that! Thanks Paul, let’s do it!

Dave wrote in response to the test of the Honda NC700. He wrote, “Great review on a great bike that I have been sorely tempted to buy. It harks back to a time when bikes were for fun and the performance race was not the only thing we  (or the magazines) talked about.” He said that in his opinion modern bikes are too complicated (doing even simple maintenance on them is very difficult),  and too powerful. He wrote, “Why do we need bikes that are capable of speeds over 200kmh? The cops will lock you up if you get caught doing more than 40 over the posted limit. These smaller but capable bikes like the NC-700 will give you just as much fun and a great sense of speed at a much lower rate of knots.” Yes, very true. Another bike from the Honda stable, the CB400, fits that concept perfectly well; providing a lot of fun without breaking the bank or the speed-limit.