Modern Vespa

Yes - take a break then go for a nice gentle ride and rediscover how good it feels!

One bad experience can make you chicken about that particular set of circumstances for a long time - witness my avoidance of mud on country lanes - but the great moments more than make up for the horrific ones in my book.

I'm pootling about getting ready to ride to sunny Scotland tomorrow - at least it should be sunny after we've battled through the bits of the country that have severe weather warnings! So full wets for the 455 mile journey up.

But with luck the forecast as it stands will hold good and we'll have decent weather up there!

So from tomorrow morning I'll probably be off-line until Thursday night, so play gently!

Oh dear (Kam and Alice). Seems like I've had a good day, when I take your experiences into consideration.

(And I would have done the same as you, too, Alice, except that I don't know any tough people covered in tattoos, so I would have been COMPLETELY pathetic. Glad your bike's back with you, though. There's always a welcoming cider round at ours, if you're feeling stressed.)

[Hill St Blues mode] be careful out there people [/HSB]

It was a real stroke of luck that it happened outside my karate class! Stupid kids. (Hmm, I think I am feeling a little stressed, now you come to mention it...)

Hey dudes:

On June 20th I will be joining more than 200 other motorcyclists of the Royal British Legion Riders Branch for RBLR 1000: one thousand miles in 24 hours.

(I'll be doing it on the GP800, yes.)

The ride will raise money for the Poppy Appeal and raise awareness of the Riders Branch. Successful completion will also qualify riders as members of the Iron Butt Association.

Here's a handy button if you would like to sponsor me:

Kam, Benelli Boy, Alice: Congratulations for prevailing against the Forces of Idiocy. I'm glad you & your scoots are all OK.

Don't forget to breathe.

--Deborah

So last night I went to see the new Terminator and it's not a patch on Star Trek. I mean great gritty action squences with everything being blown to shit or about to be blown to shit but it all starts to fall apart towards the end with a really cheesy redemption of the lead character which is enough to make you wonder was it worth it ? The best bits are the chases and explosions and stuff being totalled. Great cinemaphotography with alot of sepia tones and bleached out landscapes and a real acrid feel to it but some of the night shots look like a bad episode of The A Team.
Christian Bale looks really good and bloody Helena Bonham Carter turns up as some AI construct then to top it all Arnie turns up to give a nostalgic touch but it's not really Arnie. Have I spoilt it for you yet ? Go see it and don't take my word for it. Geat for 3/4's of it but then it all falls apart and it lines you up for the Hollywood ending which is a shame because I'd like it a bit more bleak thanks.

So today it was naked hoovering to start with then sheets changing then bath and sink scrubbing then two loads of washing and a dust.
After that the VW Fox got it's wash and polish, it's tyres shined and all the glass polished then I rolled out the Hornet and that got the same treatment well apart from the tyre shine and the glass polish.
A great day to open a new bottle of Autoglym.
After that it was a swift 3 mile walk into town to get provisions for next weeks Le Mans then an even swifter walk back to meet up with Nik who is coming with me. After much tea drinking and stroking of beards we parted and both admitted to being very excited about next weekends jaunt.
It's my 21st time in a row and each year I go I say that this will be the last but come February I seem to start booking the hotels and tunnel.
I'm trying to attend 4 24 races this year - The 24hrs of Daytona, Le Mans, Spa and a return to Spa for the 2CV race which is a sweet one and you are all invited.
A fresh Donkei Skok sticker is being made up for the boot of the Fox but this time in white and in the font of our logo. A photo will be taken.

More in bit x

We are taking the Tunnel to Calais then it's Abbevile lunch at Rouen then down to Alencon to Mayenne (where I usually stay ) then onto the Hotel Ibis at Laval where we will stay for 3 days.

I always try to eat at the Buffalo Grill at Rouen which is a weird mish mash of an American Diner serving American type food but in French in France.
There are thousands of these Resturants all over the place and each has a huge windmill out front that you can see from space.

Anyway the Peugeots will be fast but the Audis will win Le Mans again because it's what they do.

Bill X

that's a very busy day billy ... i can almost top that:

boyf and i went to the cinema in islington at 10am to see Star Trek. I am never going to the movies in the evening ever again ever. there were three other people in the cinema, we were out by 12 (having agreed that Star Trek was the dogz and there Simply Must Be Loads of Sequels) and walked back to Hackney from Islington stopping by a couple of farmer's markets, the fancy butcher's in Islington, and the new chavtastic Iceland in Hackney where i am ashamed to admit that I actually bought something.

I was also amazed to discover that they have an entire aisle of frozen pizza but do not sell very handy frozen pizza dough. so we'll carry on making it from scratch.

then it was back home to dig up a corner of the garden that's been taken over by weeds and needs re-seeing. it took a bit longer than we expected because we discovered that a load of rubble had been dumped there at some point which probably explains why the grass has never grown properly. it's all sorted now and ready for flattening and seeding tomorrow and we are both very grubby and enjoying a glass of wine while the pork chops marinate.

kam, alice ... well done both of you for holding onto your scooters despite the best efforts of assorted feckwits to part you from them.

Well, of course the Audis will win. Take pix! What a fabulous trip-- and an impressive 2-decade attendance record--

I do think you might find some fine Norman cuisine in Rouen, though! I lived nearby in Caen as a student, and loved the cheese, butter, calvados....
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g187191-Rouen_Haute_Normandie_Normandy.html

xo, Deborah

well, after a few days of shopping for a car to replace my vespa (possibilities included fiat 500, saab convertible, bmw 325, mazda mx5, honda civic type r) i've come to the realisation that i can't bear to part with my scooter and i don't want the hassle and expense of running an additional vehicle.

instead i've decided to avoid the elevated stretch of the A40 during morning rush hours for a while. i nearly came a cropper there last week and have seen 2 fatalities on that stretch in the last year. i also know of 2 others that happened there recently. i think too many people drive way too fast and way too carelessly because they are late for work in the mornings. i'm sticking to a gentle pootle through notting hill from now on.

may even go the whole hog and stop for a coffee en route to slow myself down even further.

i quite like that elevated stretch of the A40 at quiet times of day but i can see how it would be a bit of a 'mare at rush hour. i've seen people going at really silly speeds there, and the wind doesn't help. changing your route and stopping for a cappucino on the way to work is sooooo much better an idea than selling the GTS! very glad you're not leaving the ranks

I changed my route through the infinitely horrible swiss cottage intersection after my accident in December. just for a laugh i tried the original route last week and thought 'nah, i hate it'. i'm now looking for a route that bypasses swiss cottage all together - there's no way through that junction that doesn't involve five lanes of traffic merging/crossing at high speed and with limited visibility. it's definitely the low point of my commute.

swiss cottage can be nasty at the best of times. it's perfectly normal to avoid certain junctions on a bicycle but seems to require more of a shift to do so on a scooter.

i like the A40 too, but early-morning psychos who try to run me down tend to ruin my day

did a bit of maintenance today. tlc for my poor nearly-rejected vespa.

noticed my oil was low and my exhaust had lost a clamp - i found it rusted and the nut part was wedged tight between the pipe and the frame. i think this has been causing a bit of extra vibration for some time.

can't wait for a good ride tomorrow

Rolling with the car theme I really don't know what to in November do I

1 Sell the VW Fox and with the proceeds buy a new Ford Ka and keep the Hornet.

2 Sell the Fox then sell the Hornet and buy a 300 Super in red but then lease an Audi A3 through the dealership I work for for a year or

3 Sell the Fox but keep the 4000k Hornet and lease the Audi.

4 like no 1 but buy a Fiat 500 instead.

Oh I don't know.

Bill X

i like the idea of option 1, but maybe with a 500 instead of a ka for economy but obviously prefer option 2 for its glam-factor.

i need your advice on cars bill.

following our chat in belgium (and now that i've decided not to buy a second car) i'm due to change my main car (05 honda accord 2.0 sport) this year.

i'm thinking of a new audi a4 this time but wonder whether there are any deals going on at the moment. i quite fancy an a4 1.8t 160 se saloon in black with mustang brown leather.

i'd also consider an immaculate nearly-new car, which i believe is your area of speciality.

any thoughts?

I'm relying on your selling the Hornet to me in November! You won't mind if I get it resprayed in orange, will you?

My mum did let me drive her car after all, and she said afterwards that she didn't have a single qualm and I was going to be a really good driver. HA!

I also gave Howard a pillion ride to pick up his poorly Fireblade and spent Sunday morning assembling bookcases in my mum's shed. I'd better kick some puppies today or my reputation will be shot.

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone.

??Anyone see this Donkey ****king travel report in the weekend papers??: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/destinations/france/article6437937.ece

I didn't know you had to check their Skoks for sores

That's what the French say they're doing.

Oh, I see. Today's Blunt Tool Award goes to....er...me.

Huskyteer If you want to buy the Hornet in November from me I'm not going to stop you because I am man of my word.

Kam yes we are doing silly deals on A4's right now but the interior you mentioned would probably be a factory order on a new car.
The new shape A4's as used cars aren't selling that well so I have 3 or 4 of those on the front that we could do with getting rid of.
To get the best return I'd suggest you sell the Honda either on Ebay or on the Autotrader just because you'd get more money for it.
We have plenty of Demo's available that you can drive and possibly buy.
If you want to come down at any time I'll make sure that you get the best deal possible with the best salesman possible.
Just ask mate because I'd be more than happy to help you out.
I really need to know your budget which you are happy to pm me.

Love and Rockets

Bill X

cheers bill.

pm sent

option 1: a KA? no no no no it was a KA that hit me in December. besides you only have to add one letter and it spells KAK. no no no. also it will leave alice hornetless.

option 2 would turn you into an unstoppable chick magnet on two wheels or four.

option 3 will result in a disappointed Alice.

option 4. ditto

so really bill you leave yourself only one option - i hope you are ready to deal with the consequences.

very well thought through genie

Voice of dissent here:

#3: the man is constantly broke. He could use the cash-cushion. Just sayin.'

i think it's billy's polishing habit that's draining his bank account. maybe it's time to stage an intervention. if we can get him down below a gallon of AutoGlym a week, his wallet will thank us although he'll have to find another use for his polishing arm

No comment. I was actually thinking it was the umpty-thousand Euro-trips he schedules, but I imagine it's really an all-of-the-above sitch. Someone impound his account and take all his vehicles away already. It's roller-skate time for Billy. And not the sexy roller-blades but the creaky 1950s all-metal ones you strap on to your regular shoes (it's the retro-factor doncha know, and it would take significantly less AutoGlym to keep those sparkley).

Any of the Skoks fancy a trip? I am thinking about going. Its August Bank Holiday if anyone is interested. https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic47495

Having read the above advice I think I'm going to sell the Fox in November and lease the Audi 3 and then if Alice is still interested sell the Hornet to her but only on the condition that shes doesn't spray it orange.
The Vintage Green paint is so highly polished it will probably slide off anyway.
Then in the Spring 2010 buy a 300 Super and by that time they will have probably got the build quality problems sorted out.

Alice the screen will be removed from the Hornet if that's OK with you.

Me a Babe Magnet ? Don't be silly.

Love and Rockets

Bill X

Creth is right though, maybe if I stopped going off to Europe every month maybe I'd have more money left.

I'm looking at Tailor Marks offer for the Isle of White though.

Just looking mind.

Bill X

Poor bugger just can't help himself. So so sad.

I'm sorry but I'm still laughing at the Chick Magnet prediction.

Who the hell would want to date me with my reputation?

Billy

Knowing Bills aversion to all things camping (well tent like camping anyway ) if any of you's lot are contemplating the IOW scooter rally you'd better be quick with the accomodation plans cos I doubt you'll find any available hotels or B+B's left. They all get booked up pretty early.

Its worth a visit at least once IMHO and do it properly ie, under canvas. Its a laugh the first few times but for me the novelty wore off very quickly.
















to many bloody Mods

But Bill, I can't ride a green scooter (No offence to Genie who suits green very nicely.)

Honestly, though - if you do end up selling the 200 I should be a ready market, but don't alter your plans on my account as anything could happen between now and November (the ET4 might get nicked, I might buy a car instead, etc).

Friday?

genie (and others) still up for RIotP?

Yes please! As it's Friday I may even be able to sneak away before 6 - it depends if the other reprobates have drinking plans of their own. Somewhere in darkest Soho?

Yes, Soho is the place to be. Which street do you work in?

Then I can make a choice as to the nearest hostellry. All pubs in Soho are alike to me.

I'm in Greek Street - they're all rammed on a Friday (and most other nights). I'd suggest the Crown & 2 Chairmen, but anywhere will do except the Three Greyhounds (unless you're particularly keen to meet my colleagues, as that's the regular Friday hangout).

The Three Greyhounds is bleurgh, shitty beer! The only place when I have handed a pint back undrunk and told them to keep it!

I hang at either the Nellie Dean, Toucan (too small to unwrap cartoon) or the Dog and Duck.

Dog & Duck please - I liked it very much the last time we met there, yet have unaccountably failed to go back since. Sixish?