Modern Vespa

The engine and transmission on this little Honda make my former ET4s and LX125 seem fairly agricultural by comparison, although, perhaps I'm on the wrong forum to be singing its praises.

The 2012 Vision with 110cc engine seems to be a good bike according to reports, but for some reason, Honda can't seem to put disc brakes on the rear. Too bad. Other than that, it looks like a winner.
Don't know if they'll show up over here.

I've heard this said before with Honda engines. However, having owned an SH125 and and SH300, both of those engines, although more powerful than the equivalent Vespa, are definitely less refined. They are noisier and their transmissions are less smooth.

Apparently i'm on P89 of Novembers Scootering Magazine......



Oh, and my ladies have a new home.....

My BT account has been hacked so please don't open any emails from me with bizzare random titles because I didn't send them.

Very annoyed after a 14 hour day.

Bill X

Nice shed Pepy.

So I shouldn't buy that Viagra you were trying to sell me?

Dear Bill (as private Eye might write) - get your own domain so *you* can control it and not be beholden to whatever your connectivity ISP is for email and other services you might want to be in charge of.

billdog.me.uk is cheap and readily available - billdog.me is available for only slightly more.

A man like you shouldn't need it and anyway it gives you a massive headache and removes all the sensitivity from your private parts be them aroused or not.
I read that in Readers Digest.

Seriously the email directs you to a really dodgy site so please just delete anything from me that comes from an email from the time being.

Wankers.

Dear Bill,

Don't knock Viagra. Very useful on occasion.

Regards,
Dennis

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2053698/Scooters-Your-indispensable-guide-buying-new-wheeled-friend.html

Pretty basic reviews.....

Nice pictures though.

Congrats, Pepy - are you the centrefold?

There must be a more amusing domain suffix out there for billdog than .me...

Bought it today......my GTV but my brothers mug.

Nice shed!

Changing the subject, I can't decide if this is really cool, or tacky shite!
http://dwell.co.uk/112423/Vespa-pizza-cutter/
It's too expensive, either way!

I'd vote for cool 8) probably useless, but I love the idea of driving a little scooter across my dinner.

Added to my Amazon wishlist, because my mum never does know what to get me for Christmas...

Well I had a rubbish day yesterday.

First Many of the people in my email address book got horrid spams from the wankers who hacked me. Wankers.

Second My new glasses broke so I put them down then forgot where I put them. Now lost.

Third I had a 13 hour day due to helping out with a promotional " Ladies Evening" at the VW dealership I sometimes work for.
Now I know why I'll never be a salesman.
They have hidden depths that I just couldn't plumb.


Bill X

Grr... I'm in the middle of fitting a Bitubo shock to the front of the Hornet (thanks Doug! ). What should have been a 15 minute job has dragged on for two hours so far. One of the top mounting plate nuts'bolts was too close to the old shock to be removed, so the whole front fork had to be dropped.

Now I've just got to 're-mantle' it, but have stopped for a pee, sandwich, coffee and ciggie to revive me. Beer will have to wait for this evening...

The good news is that the steering bearings look in very good nick, so no faffing around replacing those.

Still no news on the Ape - at this rate I'll be back in CA before it's delivered.

I'll add to the griping. Just walked between buildings at work and saw the friendly little orange cat that lives next door to where I work acting strange. On closer inspection it seems some asshat thought it would be funny to tape up its anus with packing tape and it looked to have been in place for a day or two. Would love to catch the person that did it as I am handy with duct tape.

What? WHAT!? God I'm ashamed to be human sometimes.

My problems today are minor by comparison: no bike, as the GT has returned to the shop to have the rest of its new water pump bits added and has decided to throw the rest of its toys out of the pram too, viz. a dodgy starter motor and a split fuel line.

Now playing with Q-Bond (wonderful stuff!) to repair a crack in the headset that had allowed one of the two tiny holding screw 'holes' to come adrift.

Buttoning up the Hornet can wait until tomorrow when daylight returns to cheer me up.

Sticky - if you find who did it hammer a champagne cork up their arse.

Alice - what is it with you and bikes?

Don't. Ask.

bugger the champagne cork (pun intended) - whoever did that deserves the whole bottle up there i hate people who are cruel to animals.

alice ... i think that GT of yours needs some kind of exorcism

ALICE hang in there and i'm sorry about the GT. I have a bottle of Holy Water if you need it. Hang in there.

Sounds like many of us are having a crappy week.

I lost my debt card today so I rang my bank and the nice ( English ) man on the end of the phone couldn't have been more helpful.
Cancelled the card and I'll have a new one with me next week.
He even thanked me for being so nice to him. Awwww.

Sorry about the scooter problems Jim and Alice.

Bill X

I'm having a a rather good week......

Anyone going to the Bike Show at the NEC at the end of the month?

Motorcycle Live 19-27 November

Whole bottle it is and I will secure it place with about 6 rolls of duct tape on all the hairy parts.

No, but I'm going to EICMA next week

Anyone who is going to the NEC, say hi to Bike Normandy for me - and if you're thinking of joining next year's trip, do go and have a chat and ask them questions.

hadn't planned to Pepy.

i'm off to Paris next week with a group of 40 students

Hmm. Good luck with that genie...

But Yay! The Hornet is all back together and on the road, and I can report that with the Bitubo front shock the wobble is completely eliminated - even with the top-box containing about 10kg of shopping and with City Grips all round. The ride feels much better too, even better than when I first took it off Bill's hands.

Dimples, the GTS300 'over there' has developed severe wobble too - so I'll be paying attention to that front shock when I get the chance. Ten days to go!

Glad you like the bitubo Jim! I'm off to North London tomorrow to pick up something new... Reminds me, have you got your Ape yet?

Genie is the Paris thing a yearly outing? I seem to remember this time last year being disabled by a dislocated elbow.

No CoC for the Ape has arrived yet I'm told. I'm going to need a plan B for the eventual delivery.

'Something new' eh? There's no stopping you!

Hell, I'll go and get it if all I have to do is go and get it.

Could be a good laugh.

Bill X

I remember you turning up at my door in a huge cast, just as i was frantically throwing items at my suitcase! yes, it's a yearly thing - we take a group of students and a posse of staff to a very large photography festival in Paris. it's great fun and usually involves lots of cheap wine and regrettable liasons.

We had a full day of Art today with a trip down to Dulwich to see an exhibition on the Group of 7 who were a prolific bunch of Canadian landscape artists infamous around the 1920's. Really impressive stuff especially the works by Lawren Harris whose abstract landscapes had me dribbling.
It was held in the plush halls of the Dulwich Picture Gallery but more about Dulwich later.
After being visually spoilt rotten we returned to London and walked to the Tate Modern to see Gerhard Richter's stunning work. It featured mostly huge canvasses with layers of oil paint scraped horizontally across them.
It doesn't sound much but I loved it and there was hall after hall of his works.
From what I gather he keeps churning them out day after day.

Anyway Dulwich - It feels like a town that is stuck in the 1950's
The roads are pretty empty and everyone looks well presented plus they keep really good care of their houses.
It has many attractive coffee shops with happy friendly staff who are pleased to serve but you can spot the one's who cater for the older patron.
It's a bit like an advert for people to move out of Central London, if of course you have half a million quid spare.
It just felt really twee. There were no loud stereos in cars, no spitting on the pavement and no graffiti and I have to say it made a refreshing change.
Oh hark at me with my middle class outlook others lifestyles.

A grand day out.

Bill X

Thanks to Genie your education is now complete. The Group of 7. Have had the great fortune to kayak/hike to the exact locations that many of their landscapes were painted from. Truly magical.

I live in an airpark and yesterday we had a second annual fly in. Pretty good turn out and some great pilots. I posted some pics and vids here NSR Private airshow in my back yard

Spoke too soon.......crappy weekend of feeling ill!
Lovely stomach bug.

Talking of eating Genie and I had an interesting afternoon at a friends of hers house.
We'd been invited around for Sunday lunch which was very tasty but after the first course the delightful host got up and started playing the piano - for no reason.
Now I like a bit of music while I wolf down what's in front of me but this was just a little odd. Entertaining but odd.
I wasn't sure if I should stop yakking and pay attention or just carry on as if nothing had happened, which I did.
It left us and the other guest talking as a 3 some but even this felt rude but eventually she stopped playing and re joined us as if nothing had happened.
There wasn't even a " I'm going to start playing the piano for no reason" announcement, she just got up from the table and played.
Much like stripper would after the bullshit "so where you from big fella " conversation.
Lovely afternoon but a little strange.

Bill X

I guess the mood to play just overwhelmed her.