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The LynW moment:

I have not been out with my Spanish pals for a Saturday morning hoon for a while but decided I would meet the 9.00 a.m start time at the BP garage at the start of the Ronda Road today,(I was geven a push when seeing that Moto GP qualifying had been cancelled and so no need to stay home.

So I am heading west along the main street of Marbella and stop at some traffic lights. Two guys in their 50's pulled alongside me in a 4x4 type vehicle. They had the driver window down and I noticed the driver with an odd look on his face. We made eye contact and he said...(obviously in Spanish) "That's a lovely bike but it doesn't sound quite right!"...Cue Lyn! :wink: So before the lights changed a quick explanation of dry clutch and desmodronics was given! :lol: To nods of understanding.

The good:

I am not a slow rider, but had felt that I had backed off considerably since riding in Spain. I decided I was going to tag right along with the boys today. One guy that no-one I know or have ever known will ever keep up with Oscar,(Police Motorcyclist by profession!) and former 2nd placed in Andalucian Championships.....now that alone should indicate how good the top boys are! Oscar only came second in a regional competition and as I said he is absolutely awesome.....plus today he had a passenger on with him.(A bit like Mamola giving those rides on the two up Ducati)

The pace was rapid but not stupid, all the guys I was riding with are very experienced motorcyclists and all can ride fast. There was a reasonably tight group of us,(too tight maybe for the more nervous types) but due to the confidance in each other it was such a superb ride. We played and made the odd take over and on a road that in places is so technical it really was a total buzz.

I proved to myself that my upper limits of fast riding are still intact and raising to them I still feel very comfortable.

The Ugly:

Four of us decided to go for one extra little blast before splitting up to go home. This was to be along the Ojen Road which climbs and climbs directly inland from Marbella. Newly surfaced and a mix of fast straights, high speed sweepers and down hill and uphill 2nd or 3rd gear corners.

Well we all negotiated a safe brisk blast to the turn around point, stopped for a few minutes and then headed back down. Just a km or so back down we came across a rather ugly looking fall by a rider. Picture this:

A fast sweeping left hander which lasts for almost a kilometre but tightens for the last 300metres. Just after the start of the tightening section is a pull off area for people to stop to admire views etc. But cutting off the main road there is a small road that runs parallel to it on the right for you to drop down in to a village.

Well some guy on a Camel Honda rep had somehow managed to get it all wrong as the road began to tighten, he has careered off heading toward this smaller road, careered in to the armco which totally destroyed his bike with the impact catapulting the rider up in the air to eventually end up somewhere in amongst trees and bushes some 50 feet below! (Not too dissimilar to something I witnessed not too long ago)

We couldnt even see him but a friend of his was down with him shouting up to another guy. He was conscious but had a problem with one of his legs..what else I do not know.

The Hilarious:

After the little blast up the Ojen road I re-enetered Marbella heading home from the east. Approaching a set of lights that were on red I gently filtered down the middle of the two lanes of cars. Stopped right at the front of me now were 2 young lads, one on a 50cc Supermotard type bike and the other on the inevitable scooter.

Well due to the novelty of my new fruity sounding exhaust I am revving the bike as I make my final approach before stopping. The two lads are talking to each other and both catch me in the corner of their eyes. Their faces were a picture. From being totally impressed to complete puzzlement as they obviously had no knowledge of anything other than 50's!

They had no idea what this red thing was but I swear they both began drooling. I was trying not to laugh and on my left hand side caught the eye of a young attractive lady who was the rear seat passenger of a car. She was smiling also as she had seen the reaction of the two lads. I sort of nodded to her as if to say,"Have you seen these two?" She obviously had and was even more tickled by my reaction!

So the lights changed and the boys started off and peeled away at each side which I assume was to allow me to rocket through in between them. But maybe to everyone's surprise I simply moved off at so gentle a pace.

The hilarious bit was the lad on the scooter had wound his wrist so far round with the throttle and was really giving it all he had. His body language was a picture. I allowed him to stay in front of me all the way until I turned off.

I could just hear him retelling the story to his busddies how he blew away some big red sports bike! Brilliant! :)