Modern Vespa

Today I have mostly been eating another Full English,Ice Cream and Doughnuts.

Nice

Bill X

You're gonna end up with a figure like mine if you're not carefull......

...

Genie it's what I aspire to. You can see the future can't you.

Bill

I'm off for a week in sunny Menorca in a bit......... 8)

good morning all. today i can look forward to waiting for a delivery, and doing a close reading of a lengthy article considering the manner in which theories of prelinguistic affect are understood and more often denied within psychoanalytic discourse. if somebody could drop by around 2 and pour a glass of cold water over my head, that would be great.

peter have your donks turned up yet?

Enjoy!

I had a nice full English and natter with Bill and Nik on Sunday. The misc. sportsbiketeers, Harley boys and BMW tourists looked right through our scooters when we rolled up, but one chap was subsequently spotted through the cafe window eyeing up the Hornet.

Then I carried on down the A20 to Dover to pick up another Round Britain Rally landmark (the closing date is nigh!), returning on the A2/M2.

Five minutes after Bill and I parted company I realised he hadn't brought that Double Decker he owes me

SH being collected by the insurance company tomorrow.

Anyone know how I can check if the frame is bent before they collect it? I'd like to form an opinion myself instead of relying on them. I can't rely on the Vespa techniques of looking for creases in the monocoque, as I've got plastic-fantastic panels.

Obviously it needs to be written-off if the frame is bent, so I'd like to know if they're telling me porkies to save the expense.

This looks like a reasonable method.

That looks quite sensible. However if the forks are bent/distorted this will make it harder to see if the frame itself has been damaged.

With the time take to get parts and effect repair, together with labour costs and the costs of a hire bike, I can't see how it can't be a write-off.

Thanks, Jim. I thought it might be useful to look for a lateral offset having done (visual) correction for the fork twist and slant. That's my guess, too, but at least I've learned something from the experience.

I read an interesting accident report this morning. I wish I'd known some more of those statistics before last week.

It turns out that more experienced car drivers are more likely to "look but not see", and that failing to spot a motorcycle that's closer than 20m is also very common.

I was also very surprised to learn that most junction accidents involving a car are the car driver's fault (80%). Again, I'd assumed that blame would be more evenly distributed.

I'd always assumed I'd get knocked off while doing something "naughty" (excess speed, filtering through narrow gaps, overtaking stopped traffic) - not going along at 25mph thinking "I've made good time up the motorway, I can take it easy now".

Thanks for reminding me of that report. You may be interested in this one on SMIDSY collisions:
http://www.network.mag-uk.org/smidsy/How%20Close%20is%20Too%20Close.pdf

Thanks, Jim. I knew about (and do) the lateral-movement weave, but I hadn't heard about the "point chin towards exit route" strategy. I think I'll start practising that one, as I remember looking straight head until impact last week.

Mid-air collisions are the highest-risk factor for glider pilots, and look-out is the primary safety skill for glider pilots. It was interesting to see the report you linked to draws parallels with aviation.

The main difference is that in aviation, if you don't see someone, you usually get away with it. The aircraft I fly typically fly between 2000 and 5000 feet above ground, and not many small planes are more than 10 feet tall.

The most recent report I read on the types of skills pilots should have was here, but the focus in aviation is really on spotting "distant" unmoving specks before they bloom at the last minute to fill the canopy. One thing I've found very helpful in flight is to move my head from side-to-side to avoid specks of dirt on the screen, but unfortunately the screen is fixed to my head on the bike.

Cheers,

David

Will there be a team (3 or 4) Donkei Skok riders for the 2010 Greek Rally to take some trophies back to London and points nearby?

Sorry to hear about your mishap, David. Lots of parallels about "see and be seen" between flying and riding, aren't there.

Hope to be able to meet all you folks during my next trip to the UK (date not yet published)

Al

you can count on me for the next MVGISR - has the date been decided yet?

and keep us updated when you finalize your plans to visit the UK - wining, dining, and a rideout are definitely in order

Count me in for that. Going round a pre-arranged circuit to a fixed timescale reminds me a lot of one of these, and I'm a competitive sod. There are. Especially between gliders and motorcycles, which both seem to be pretty much invisible.

I am in though not a competitor I suspect. My role is more of a smoking behind the bikesheds and general goofateer.

While on Naxos, I looked at Moto-Power's fleet. Then did the same the next day at Ride. We definitely don't want to do an end of season rally, and both companies agree. Too many scoots needing attention. They will spend the winter putting the scoots back into top notch condition, and, of course add new ones.

Therefore (and you heard it first on the Daily Donk) dates will be 24 May to 4 Jun. Will update the web site once we are sure who the travel agent is and the price - about 10 days or so.

That gives us a sound, new and/or well serviced fleet to rent from.

Haven't heard when the next Board meeting is at Cambridge, but as soon as I do, we'll plan some fun. It's usually on a Saturday, and alternates between Cam and London. The next one should be London, but the Institute can be a bit unpredictable.

Al

What a story a set of photos can tell. I've just downloaded the photos from my camera and find this little tale:

Passing my test



Thanking my test bike



First ride on a Vespa



Looks a bit bent



Oh dear



Not worried about the cosmetic damage now, are we?

You got a black SHitty. I HATE you!

Sorry about the bump... hope it gets sorted soon...

For those of you who know me, I don't have those chicken strips on my rear tyre.. I know, quite unbelievable, as I ride like your granny

PS @ Al,
I wanna go to the Greek Islands Rally. Desperately

Yours

Dan. xx

Then join the forum (Yahoo Group) from the web site www.scootergiro.com

Or is this desperation that must go unfulfilled?

Al

No, it's just that I think I am course convenor on a major bit of a curriculum at that time. 'Snot in my diary yet as the dates are currently a movable feast.



Better start saving anyway.

I'd probably sell it... now. One careful, but unlucky owner. I know - I hadn't even broken it in yet, hence no hooliganism or quick cornering.

Swap ya! Actually I don't think you'd want Bournemouth Beige metallic..... and breaking in? Whazzat? 8)

PS You look like a terrorist in Pic 3

Just kidding

I know where you live.

(in best North Irish accent)

Oh I know you do. There is a black beret waiting here for yez, so there is. In best Norn Iron accent.

PMSL

Me too...

International Terrorism Scooter Club

If we don't like your scooter we blow it up.

Maybe you'd get a new one that way...

Check the small print in your policy first.

Actually they do exist, they live on an estate near where I live and steal scooters to set them alight.

Hurry up and move....

We're on it!

Found a nice area for garden and a kitty and no fucking drunk violent bastards around. The locals are either titted on wine or weed. I can live with that.

Its also much cheaper than north of the river.

<snigger>

Yes Sorry Alice I totally forgot about the Double Decker and I've even forgotten what the bet was over.

I always honour my bets so the next time we meet I promise I'll bring one.

Niks great isn't he. Have you any idea where he put that breakfast ?

It was huge !

I thought the 800 looked like the Mother Ship and the Hornet looked like the Shuttle Craft.

Bill X

There's Micks everywhere.

Chicken Strips on my tyres ? Erm I don't think so.

My sidestand to remain intact by the end of the year ? Erm I don't think so.

Bill X

all but three episodes of the original battlestar galactica series, watched one after the other over the past three evenings. i'm absolutely shattered. three more episodes to go and then i get to watch the final epic, where they land on the earth and it's 1980. now find my curling iron and brown eyeshadow ...

Yeah thanks for ruining any chance of enjoying the last episode for me.

Spare box set of BSG going cheap anyone ?

Bill X

Hee! When I go on holiday next week with Howard and his Fireblade it'll be more like the locomotive and the luggage van...