Modern Vespa

Do you have TD Creations phone number ? I'm going to ask for their postcode and burn the building down.
Billy-no-kittens

Are we on page 6 yet ?

wrong again. i'm sorry sir, if you're not going to play by house rules we're going to have to ask you to stand over there by the cigarette machine...

aaaagggghhhh!!! you beat me by one pointless, yarnless post!!!!

ladies and gentlemen, i give you the new president of Donkie Skok SC:

mr. Billy No-Scoot!!!

Page 6 Yes ! I have lost the battle but I think I won the war.
Billy-No6-Scoot

Thank you Thank you I love you all.

Where's my bloody fez ?

i'll start crocheting it tonight

My intention this morning was to recce the ride on the way to and from my brother's new palace house in Hawkhurst. A combination of waking tardily and then getting a flurry of phone-calls from distressed Tiscali and Talk-Talk users (why do they always do it, even though I tell them I will *not* support users of those hopeless ISPs?) made me late, so instead of a good ride around the twisties I had to hack it down the M25 and A21, mind-numbingly boring. Spotted a new top speed on the GPS though, and no I'm not telling, public forums are not the place to announce these things. Even though it was obviously a private road... Better than spec though.

Deity that GP800 can be fun at times, and when you have a destination in mind rather than a journey it is a very good Transporter. Very good. Doubled on purpose...

And another miserable day today. I really ought to tidy up round here - nah, much easier just to stay in the armchair. Might get up to put the kettle on though...

I've had a great day Jim. I might well be going back to Florida for the 9th time to the Daytona Raceway for the 5th time to see the 24 hours of Daytona for the 3rd time with my Sister who I love. She lives in Sarasota you see. I just wanted to share the love.
Billy-no-scoot.

I have an idea with regard to the numbers of us meeting and eating at the pub on the 15th. Because the pub want us to confirm the numbers on the day why don't those people who are going (after they have checked the weather forecast) email me at williamvillage@aol.com or text me on my mobile - number on request so we can all sit on a table fit for a king/queen.

Florida - jealous.

Pub, yes we'll all check very near the time. Three scenarios - the weather will be known to be kind, or it will be 'iffy' or it will be deemed a downpour. I wouldn't believe any of them of course...

So you'll know in advance as to who and what and when and as self-designated pub-contactor can pass the news on.

Did you notice I had to follow-up to myself above (very bad form) just to keep this thread on the front page? Pull your socks up chaps!

sorry. we're all pouting now that bill is king donkieskok and gets to wear the knitted fez

Bill is King in that realm I've no doubt - I couldn't possibly be, especially on a cold wet night.

I quite like the idea of the stickers - as long as they aren't too huge. Pink they may be, but they should be discreet. Those who shout loudest etc...

I agree, small and understated but I quite like pink. We'll have a pow wow on the 15th to agree on our logo.
I'm getting very excited by all this.
Regards King Billy-no-scoot

no sticker for me, thanks.

i'm getting very fed up of having to expalin what things mean to my 7 year old daughter who enjoys reading everything she sees out loud.

the other day she read out 'i f*cked sharon last night' because someone had written it in the dirt on the back of a white van

i'm up for sunday lunch though as i'm now going to brighton the week after

Saturday Lunch ? The 15th being a Saturday .
Billy-no-scoot

i don't remember this, but my parents tell me that i did something similar at the age of 5, in the middle of a dinner party. I'd read a new word in a magazine, and apparently i piped up during the main course, 'daddy, what does f-e-l-l-a-t-i-o mean?'

Wasn't Manual Fellatio and Italian racing driver ?
Billy-no-scoot

Proof reader anyone - an Italian racing driver.
Dyslexic Bill

i thought manual fellatio was an oxymoron

It's a musical term, apparently.

Softly, with fellatio

Once more with feeling boys and girls.......
Biily-no-scoot

OK thats the final Harley Wax (100% Carnuba) final polish all done and it's looking pretty grand
I really should get around to riding this thing you know.
Billy-no-scoot

pictures !

Just taken the GT200 for it's very first ride with me and yes it's above and beyond the ET4 on so many levels. It's so much more nimble and powerful but seems to be so much more refined. I'm loving the retro dash and the seat is very comfortable indeed. It's also very quite and the transmission is as smooth as the ET4's so I think I've done a very good thing in buying it.
Yes it does have that slow speed wobble that everyone told me about plus the brakes are spongy and it does vibrate through the grips but overall it's excellent to ride. I havn't had it on the motorway yet but 70 mph seemed really easy on the A roads. There is only one problem which puzzled me and that's the handlebars are pissed in relation to the front wheel. I think the previous owner has dropped it and not noticed just how far out of wack it is. I even thought about cutting my ride short because it was so horrid to ride like that/this. I'm going to try and get it sorted either tomorrow or Friday ready for the ride out. Apart from that it's a little gem.
Pics will follow I promise.
Billy-no-scoot

You REALLY can sort it out by gently banging the steering against the end stops.

Or wedge the front wheel up against a kerb, block the other side with your foot and pull or push on the bars.

The bars are designed to move under high torque or in an accident, so that when someone tries to break the steering lock it doesn't. It also doesn't impale you in a shunt!

Genie, Jim and I are relatively expert at this as we had to do it once on our last ride out, when you left early.

Thanks for that Doug. So if I'm gentle and loving with the front end I can move the bars back where they should be ie 90 degrees to the front wheel without damaging anything. You see coming from a bike background I was making the assumption that to to this you'd have to loosen at least one thing off. I'm stunned that the previous owner didn't know that the bars were so misaligned.He must have had an awful sense of balance or one arm longer than the other. It really spoiled the ride if I'm honest because one arm was outstretched and the other bent.
Thinking back my buddies GT250 was exactly the same when I rode it and no it's not me being stupid because the cowling didn't line up evenly on the headstock/body type front end thing.
Thank you Doug for being such a sport even if I did leave early when it was blowing a gale and pissing down with rain.
I can sleep now - alone again.
Billy-no-scoot

Genie you aren't really knitting a fez are you ? Holds breath.
If the hat fits.
Billy-no-hat

guys I have a feeling the "before it gets cold and 'orrible" is long gone, don't see it being sunny and dry next weekend...
sure hope it is though!!!!

I took Shirley to be adjusted yesterday, back brakes etc, she's fit as an athlete!
8)

well, BBC weather sez it's going to be nice after monday ... so let's keep fingers crossed.

bill - my knitting skills are strictly one-directional, i'm afraid. the best i can do is a really long woolly scarf for you to wind around your head in a fez-like fashion.

It was a great riding day today, went out with a group of LAM members to near Lewes for lunch. If it's like that next w/e I'll be happy.

Next week the weather will be dry, sunny but a little cold. I've decided.
Good news about the knitting Genie but even if you did stretch to a scarf I don't want to end up looking like Tom Baker.(I wouldn't expect you to by the way) Jelly Baby anyone ?
On the GT200 front I've tried to budge the forks around a bit but I'm afraid I'm going to damage something in the process so I'm going to get the local bike shop to do it and also line the wheels up against a straight edge just to ensure both my wheels are pointing in the right direction then I'll be able to sleep at night. If I'm honest the Vespa feels unengaging and inert right now. I'm guessing it's because it's very new to me but it really hasn't connected with me yet. I'm sure when the bars are 90 degrees to the front wheel I'll have more confidence but right now it feels so wrong I don't want to ride it.
How anyone could have piloted this scoot without knowing something was out of wack I'll never know. It's fallen on it's side at some point, the wheel has moved and never been corrected. Arse.
I'm looking forward to seeing you all gain on Saturday and hopefully meeting some new faces.
Big Love Billy-no-scoot

Hi Bill.... reference your pissed handlebars, I had a GTS 250 earlier in the year ,(carlosGTS as I was then, could hardly go with that handle and not even have a vespa, sacralidge I know) anyhow..... when i took delivery of machine
the bars were straight.............. some 300 miles later they weren't. The bike was never dropped or mis treated, never even left it out in the cold !!!!
But i do remember going thru one of the UK's finest fuckin great potholes enough to knock the front wheel out of alignment, i was holding on like f*** whilst my front disappeared in to the tarmac casm... took it to the bike shop from whence bought and feet either side of front wheel and a tug on the bars had it straight but just to be sure they removed the little fairing plastic on the front...2 min job and check tightened the only thing holding it on.....gurt great big pinch bolt...so do not be alarmed that your fine new steed has been sent skidding down the road , dropped or neglected. i put a thread out on this at the time and it's not uncommon, in fact they are not that tight as a safety that if you do ever have the misfortune of going down hard they will move so you don't end up getting punctured by the impact of bar ends on flesh.

As for saturday.. I am coming to this gathering of the UKMVers' or maybe in future.... Don Kies Kok Scooter club of GB BUT where the heck is the meet can someone give me a post code I think for me it's going to be about 250 mile round trip so the company better be worth it.

Best Regards

Border with his nexus called Rocket...

Doesn';t have the same name ring as Billy - no - scoot but i'm trying.

Border Thank you for all your advice. When I get home to my gaff this evening I'll thank you even more. As for Saturday's meet look back in this thread and you'll see that the very helpful Jim has planned the route,times and everything. There is also a handy map. I'll find the address and postcose of the Halfway House at Brenchley later this evening. I'll be there at around 12.30 - 1.
I'll also take this chance to ask people on Thursday or Friday if they could confirm numbers so I can book the table in the name of Donkieskok.
Regards Billy-no-scoot

Definitely both this morning. Jacket was a nice light green colour when I set out, after half an hour on the road it was the shade of a dark forest.

Ew. It had better be nicer than that on Sat.

Must have been nicer down in Sussex than it was around London! I had to schlep to Staines for a karate grading yesterday and got thoroughly rained on both ways.

But I'm now a brown belt third kyu

Wow

this soup i'm eating / drinking (can decide if you eat or drink soup ) is bloody lovely. Its made by the catering students and its butternut squash and it only cost me £1 (with a roll)

nicest soup ive had for a very long time.


Just saying

i've just had a very nice cup of tea.

... as i stare out the window at rain pelting down so hard i can't even see down to the bottom of the garden. there is a very soggy squirrel hanging upside down off the bird feeder, gnawing greedily on the suet ball as all the sensible birds are off somewhere taking shelter from the elements.

All of the sparrows of London have nicked off to Marrakech. They spend their time cheeping "oi" at each other and eating olives in the sun.

It's bad, bad, wet kecks day out there. Am I the only idiot wheeling about today?

today is a 'work from home' day.

which loosely translated means: stay in bed reading until ten, get up, make coffee, procrastinate for several hours, write a few lines, castigate self for not doing enough work, have lunch, contemplate collecting dry cleaning in pissing rain, annoy the cat, write a few lines, delete lines just written, text people randomly out of boredom. etc.

congratulations on your belt alice!

Thank you!

I had to collect a parcel from Dartford before going to work this morning, so I was on the road for a couple of hours in total, all in the rain. A couple of soggy patches on my legs when I got in - I really need to make sure all my Velcro bits are closed properly.