Modern Vespa

That's typical Brit workmanship for you... if you need it doing properly do it yourself is the only answer.

Evening all, just enjoying the Rite of Spring in the Proms. Sadly no ballet dancing to accompany it:

excellent i was just thinking today that i've got to do some prom-planning.

Listening, watching as we post... and enjoying.

Had to return the GTS to Scootech today as some fluid has leaked out onto the footplate from the backside of the legshield and it's damaged the laquer on the right hand side as it's run.
It's not coolant for sure.

Arse.

Bill X

That'll be brake fluid then. So much for bubble wrap.

Time to get a new one.

Yeah that was my 2nd thought after hoping it WAS coolant.
It was the wrong colour and melted the laquer as it ran down towards my feet.
I'm just a little bit pissed off about and it much as I like them I did have to straighten out the steering after the fork went in and yesterday a tech bounced a screwdriver off the top half of the legshield trying to remove the coolant filler cap.
Taking it back for an investigation as soon as possible.
Arse.

Bill X

Bill, either you tightened the coolant filer cap too much or they did. Use a screwdriver? Madness!

Pardon me . It was the knee pad cover they were trying to undo not the coolant cap.
As an addition I made a small squealing sound as the tech rubbed the fluid out of the footplate with his finger which probably scratched it if any grit had become stuck to the oil and then yelped as the screwdriver bounced off the legshield.
I had to leave the oil there as proof of it actually happening rather than wipe it off and then say what oil ?

I'm very precious about my scooters as you can tell.

Edit - A nice ride home from Hackney this evening with only one case of road rage and one race from a guy in a Ford Fiesta. Oh please.
I know you are trying to impress your girlfriend but please don't bother.
No more oil dripping from the legshield so fingers crossed it's not going to happen again.
My stickers from Judy have arrived so I'm happier.

Bill X

So glad to read it got sorted properly.

Still think you're in for a new scoot.

I'll decide in April as to what I'm going to do with it. Until then I'll continue to point at things I really want to own then talk myself out of it soon after.

Bill X

A very exquisite technique that I also use to insure that I remain within my economic boundaries.

Yesterday I went out on my new toy for a quick 140 mile blast.....

Jacks Hill near Towcester to meet an old friend then a nice ride about the countryside (could be looking at 3 more points due to sneaky patrol car trap but that's another story). Amazing bike.....love it, love it, love it.

Here's a few pictures at Jacks Hill. I think there must have been some kind of VW or Classic car meet somewhere as I saw loads of VW Camper Vans, Beetles and more E Type Jags than you could shake a rather large stick at......

Hi, I've just got back from 3 weeks work in the heat of Qatar. It was so hot you couldn't go outside. 45C. So I fancied a jaunt on my silver machine to blow the cobwebs away. I planned to go to Northern Spain along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compestela, via Portsmouth Santander. However I've left it too late to secure a ticket and berth with Brittany ferries. So change of plan. I'm now doing a shorter 5 night tour of Brittany. The route, Portsmouth- St Malo, then Poligny somewhere in the centre, south to Vannes, then near Morbihan Gulf, Rennes, and a night in St Malo. It wont be as heroic as Cantabria and Galicia, but if the weather holds it should be pleasant. It's high season and quite difficult getting cheap hotels, They are averaging about 40 -45 euros per night. I prefer in town places, so I can park up and wander around at night. I'm looking forward to some seafood, cider and muscadet. Anyone done this area? Motorways ok in August? Do you pay on the Peage? Petrol easy to find? What's a good beach and a must see?. The 2 towns en route I'll visit are Quimper and Dinar, for a bit of a lunch. Trying out my new roll bag from the states as my carrier. Do I leave it on the scoot at night or take it with me? I'm not planning on any more than 100 miles per day on average, so will have time for sauntering. cheers gass silver machine gts 250

Brittany's lovely!

In my limited experience:
yes, you do pay on the peage - make sure you go to the Cash booths and check what you're being charged.
Personally I wouldn't leave a bag on my bike overnight but I don't worry about it during the day as a rule - one sees many unattended bikes with helmets dangling from the bars.
I had no problem finding petrol - the GPS helps - and far more places accept UK credit cards than in the past.

gass, that sounds like a lovely ride you've got planned. ... and i'm very jealous of the 45C in Quatar - does it beat weeks of 16C and rain over here? hmm

new laser printer has just arrived - turned up at 8 in the evening, delivered by a bloke in a blue hatchback, sporting a camouflage t-shirt and a lot of gold teeth - delivery companies are getting pretty low-fi, it seems

anyway, i'm off to see if it works.

so my new printer comes with two different power plugs, a toner cartridge included .... everything except a USB cable, which has to be purchased separately.

daft

dont think any of them have a usb cable with them ....... none of mine have ........... do agree its stupid .. like getting a dvd player without a scart cable

So I brought the GT home yesterday , Howard having brung it back from the Loire for me.

Its long-awaited appearance in my road has been short-lived, as the tax and MOT had expired and it was returned to me with defective LH indicators. So this morning it has gone off to Dave Wilkins' in Penge to be cured and MOTed.

Howard says he enjoyed riding it very much: "I really like your bike! It's great!". He will have to have another go in the future, as the garage told him to ride 'doucement' so he did most of the journey at 50.

Yay! Well done Howard - I'm glad he's had an extended run on the GT and has now experienced the fun they can be.

I trust you've pointed Dave to the wiring diagram, he'll have that switch sorted in no time.

Ed's been alerted to the garaging of the GTS.

I should be returning the GTS on Thursday if all goes according to plan.

Got a text from Dave at lunchtime to say everything was sorted, including the MOT!

So recently a customer of ours had his cambelt break on his 300,000 mile Passat 1.9 TDI.
The engine is totalled and the car is barely worth £500 but he's having a new one fitted at the cost of around £4000.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Bill X

Isn't that supposed to replaced every 80,000 miles? That is what the VW dealer told my wife in reference to her New Beetle TDI. I think it was about an $800.00 job...she is now passing 150,000 miles so I need to determine if it is worth it to do it at 160.

Yeah between 60 - 80k is usual for a cambelt change.
I'd have it done even if you are going to sell it because when they go they really go.
I know this because I've destroyed a Ford 1.8 TDI with the aid of a broken cambelt.
Better safe than sorry.

Bill X

Thanks Bill. And I am encouraging my wife to keep it for at least another 80,000. The car has new glow plugs and still looks very new. Just the regular things like loosened window switches and a broken glove box latch mechanism (that I re-manufactured at home). I hear that if properly maintained those engines will get 300,000 miles or more.

Yeah that's about average for a well maintained VW block.
Granted some just fail for no reason but keep the booked stamped up and those TDI units should last forever.

Bill X

Shame that the axial fuel pumps on the tdi weren't up to the job. Now where have I heard that one before?

The Viggen passed its MOT, with an advisory on the rear brake (quoth the MOT guy: they're all like that). Quoth Mr Wilkins: it rides lovely.

I feel like its proud mum.

The rear brakes on the GT's are strange aren't they. The lever feels like there's air in there, but it still does its job just fine. Apparently braided hoses help a bit, but some 'strange fee'l still remains I'm told.

Exactly that! Dave reckoned give it another few hundred miles then change the pads for something superior to the cheap ones currently in residence.

It won't make any difference, promise! It's a known quirk of the GT.

Scootech's Aussie mechanic, Clint (sounds like a porn star) told me that their remedy for the brake feel on the GT was to take the pads out and reverse their positions. Don't know the reason, but apparently it works.

The Dent Man weaved his magic over my "melted by hydraulic oil" footplate today and now it shines again.
Trouble is because I have no patience at all any evidence that a leaking hydraulic pipe bled all over it has gone so I can't really make a claim under warranty, unless it happens again........

He remarked that the laquer is exceptionally soft. Bugger.

So this morning AppleWorks's spellchecker decided I should correct 'brainbox' to 'bra inbox'. The mind boggles.

i bought a hilarious book of autocorrect errors at the weekend and literally wept with laughter over some of them ... will pass it on

my old Sony Ericsson phone used to autocorrect 'Hackney' to 'gablody'

"I bought" in Auto Correct means "I bought you" a book I believe.

Bill x

Dropped off Jim's GTS last night - fingers crossed my own steed doesn't see this as a green light to break down.

Kate was kind enough to give me a backie home afterwards; the journey was without incident apart from some schoolboys in Jim's road who shouted "GAY!" at us.

Obviously I was hugely flattered to be taken for Kate's partner

who wouldn't be?

i'm having a lovely time filling in the '50 reasons why you shouldn't make me redundant' form circulated by our HR department. We've got to lose a significant number of staff in order to meet the University's 'financial challenge' and as it would be unthinkable to let go, or reduce the bloated salaries of, anyone on the senior management team, they have targeted teaching staff.

so i'm keeping myself busy looking up my records on everything i've ever taught, and writing page after page of self-aggrandizing prose. the panic attacks will commence once the form is submitted

Thanks for the GTS return Alice - and reassuring that there's no report of the house burnt down or anything.

Over here we're planning a two-week 2,500 mile trip to the San Juan Islands (north-west of Seattle), setting off in ten days time. My rear tyre looks like it's only got 1,500 miles left on it, so I'm getting an MP3 front wheel fitted with a rear MCG as our swap-around extra, and my rear for the trip. This'll make tyre changes so much easier logistically, and allow tyres to be used to the real end of their lives rather than changed 'in case'.