General Chat

Lovely sunny day up here in Yorkshire, so me and the old man hopped on the bike for a lovely ride up the A1 to our local bikers cafe. Egg, bacon, beans, fried bread, ect and a lovely cup of coffee. Wander round looking at all the bikes and they at ours. Lazing in the sun.......wonderful. Then the ride back home again, came across a dipstick in his car who pulled out in front of us with out looking and almost ran us off the road....hey oh, and he didnt even realize what he had almost done and carried on gaily up the road. But never mind we had a lovely day, and looking forward to doing it again soon. Maggie

sounds fab wat bike u got we r getting one again now the kids r grown up and are able to get their own transport we had a harley sportster but will probably get an old motor guzzi lou

You guys ought to get over here to the Isle of Man for the TT races. Practice week started on Friday.. Mad Sunday is on 6th June and the races proper start at the end of the week If not try for next year. If you haven't been before let me just say. It's fab. Thousand upon thousand of people and bikes from all over the world. Maureen

Margaret/ Maureen Would that be Sherburn milk bar Margaret? (now at what was the New Inn) I am only a few miles away. Haven't got a bike any more but used to be a TT regular (went first in 75). Bikers do get a bad name but I have had some great times and made lifelong friends. Your making me jealous! Bob

Hi Margaret sounds like you had a good time, apart from the wally driver, i'm sure if you ride a bike and then a car your more aware of bikes in the road. Boyfriend has a Harley, but i've only been on it pillion a couple of times and i love it. happy biking sandra

Aw I'm sorry Bob....It's still a great time. I am fortunate enough to live here although i'm not manx . Will be down to the tent tomorrow night and have a pint for you....lol.....can't go tonight..I'm on nights Maureen

Lou, we have a Virago, I like my comfort, would hate to sit on pillion on one of those triangular shaped seats they have on sporty bikes. Is much nicer sitting back and chilling out, instead of hanging on for grim life. Robert, we go to Sherburn quite a lot, but today we went up to Premier as I havnt been on the bike for quite a while and didnt want to go too far 1st time back on it. We will prob be up there next weekend. (Sherburn that is) We are hoping to go to a few of the rally's this year I know we are definatly going to the tail ender in september at Peterbourgh, not too sure about any others thou' I would love to get to the farmyard if we get the chance. Maggie

margaret the Harley was very comfy ..hubby says its a cruiser... it wasnt so comfy though wen he put a rigid rear end on it..but that didnt stay too long...he liked to customise it

When I first met my husband in 1964 he had an ES2 Norton. What a beautiful bike that was! Although he loved that bike, he must have loved me more, because he sold it to buy my engagement ring :o)) We used to frequent the cafe at the bottom of Box Hill after a burn up around the 'Mickeys'. (Mickleham bends on the A24 before they blocked half the road off!) We were bikeless for many years whilst the kids were growing up (although still Rockers at heart!) until he bought a 1959 Triumph 3TA in 1990 and rebuilt it. We travelled many happy miles on it until some idiot decided to pull out of a parking space on the wrong side of the road. It was a straight road, houses down one side, shops down the other, 40 mph limit & husband was slowing down approaching traffic lights. Car hit my husband's left leg, which wrote off the car (Rover 214). Husband's leg very badly smashed up, only the skill of the ambulancemen and a wonderful ex-army surgeon saved husband's life and leg from amputation. Bike was fine, apart from a bent footrest, a dent in the tank and scratched handlebars! Husband now registered disabled, unable to walk without crutches and in constant pain. He hasn't worked since the accident in May 1995. Driver admitted driving without due care etc but was only fined £200 as "his girlfriend had a baby that he was supporting". Never mind the fact that we had 4 kids ranging from 23 to 10 and very little money coming in. Elder son had to give up university and get a job to help pay the household bills. Despite all this, husband still loves bikes, although isn't able either physically or mentally to ride one now. So this is a plea to all you car/lorry drivers out there. Please look and look again before pulling out, check there is no bike there first! Thanks Sue x

I have very happy memories of motorcycling. My husband had Sunbeam S8 and I had a Sun 98cc, not a Sunbeam, just Sun. In the 60s he traded that in and bought a Vincent Black Shadow which we used for many years, sometimes with a Stieb single seater sidecar. In 1967 he had an argument with a very large lorry going around Kennington Oval, and nearly lost his leg too. He has some hideous scars to prove it. He did recover and we kept the bike for many years until it was sold to provide a deposit for our first house. (He bought the Vincent for £100 and sold it years later for £3000!!! Not a bad investment.) He keeps threatening to buy one for his second childhood, but I think there is too much traffic now.

All those lovely familiar names of bikes and places. Hubby and I met at a 'Youth' club for bikers in Hammersmith when we were 15 and 16. He had just bought a bike (BSA) for which he had saved up for ages. I remember lovingly helping him spend weekends cleaning - I did all the spokes on the wheels and other chrome bits whilst he did all the mechanical bits. We too went to Box Hill and also a little cafe on one side of Chelsea Bridge. Bike was eventually swapped for a black and white Austin Cambridge when baby no. 1 came along. He still yearns for another bike. 2 friends still have them, 1 of whom recently rode his Harley along Route 66. Jacky :-)

I commute 40 miles each way by bike from mid Essex to London W1. My wife, son and daughter all ride as well. The only time I get a cold is when I have to use the train. My bikes are only Honda CD250-U but do 90mpg, 75mph and the pair of them cost me £1,100 and costs £110 per year to insure. Had a nasty shock when the petrol tank on one sprang a leak recently and I was quoted £246 for a new tank, though! Having the pair of them I was able to swap tanks between them and get the dodgy one welded for £30. Car drivers have blind spot for bikes. I have been knocked off a couple of times when standing still !

nudge

Another lovely day here in Yorkshire, so yet again we leaped onto the bike for another jaunt up the road. This time we did go to Squires Cafe at Sherburn. Loads and loads of bikes, busiest Ive seen the place for a long time. And boy there was some beautiful bikes parked up there. Yet another lovely greasy fry up and a large milky coffee. No near misses this time, car drivers looking at where they are going. Didnt bother going up the A1 but went the pretty senic route, a bit further but hey ho who's in a rush. Maggie

AHHHHHH but the long open roads here in Oz sure beat the short hops you have to do in the UK ..I ride a 2000 model harley ultra classic and just eat the miles and sunshine as often as possible,cheers to all u pommy bike riders and stay safe and upright

hubby and daughter went for a test ride on a new harley today....no intention of buying it but had good fun anyway he prefers ones like the sportster he had hes thinking bout getting a motor guzzi though that a mates selling hope he does

please be careful all you bikers My husband who ha ridden bikes all his adult life and raced in thI.O.M Manx Grand Prix 5 times(finishing every time ) Had a very serious accident last July up Scotland on a quiet road when a motorist stopped for no good reason and Hubby met a Horsebox wagon almost head on and his right arm and leg came off very much the worse, he is still on crutches after having had an ilizoroff frame on the lower leg and a bone craft 6 weks ago in his thigh. He still can't put weight on it. He was on a yamaha phazer (he had only had it for a few weeks, so he was rather upset that it was written off. He was only doing twenty odd miles an hour when it happened, so like I said PLEASE be careful all you bikers