Do we ever learn?

As I,m off work till the 4th Jan I,ve been reading through all the different sections and it seems we are still having a lot of "OFFS" me included
Luckily nobody is badly hurt,so far! We all know the consequences,or the more "mature",be it age or experience, should do by now
A bit of oil,diesel, crud, ice or greasy surface its all there but we still insist on riding or bikes why?why?why?
Are we,each individual,the words best rider or it will not happen to me,somebody else maybe but not me I don,t know the answer
If you have to ride be very careful, otherwise I think that leaving the bike layed up is sounding like a good idea,but having just written that I
know I won,t do it First bit of sunshine and I,ll be out there again

AM I/WE COMPLETELY BONKERS OR WHAT??????????????????
Whats your excuse?

Originally Posted by justmacsv650

AM I/WE COMPLETELY BONKERS OR WHAT??????????????????

Probably

Originally Posted by justmacsv650

Whats your excuse?

Until (not when) I have my first off, I don't need one

I have to get into Central London so taking London Transport is something I hate doing, the trains and buses can be filthy and it can get so busy at peak times that I feel claustrophobic and have to get off. It’s also not cheap and so the bike wins for me even after 2 offs since getting the SV on the 2nd of December, unless I can’t ride in due to bad weather, injuries etc., which has only been about 5 days so far. I do take it very carefully though at the moment and never rush, I find that always helps.

Jabba,don,t tempt fate!!!!!!! I would have written exactly the same for
nearly forty years till a fortnight ago
In all honesty I have never or can,t recall the roads being so greasy,I,m even slowing down on four wheels they are so bad

Originally Posted by justmacsv650

Jabba,don,t tempt fate!!!!!!! I would have written exactly the same for nearly forty years till a fortnight ago

I know what you mean. It's just that if I tell myself often enough that I will have an "off" at some point (anything, even a minor "drop") then I won't be surprised or shocked and will just shrug my shoulders and get back on again.

I'm riding very conservatively at the moment, especially first thing in the morning. So far so good

Originally Posted by justmacsv650

tmacsv650"]In all honesty I have never or can,t recall the roads being so greasy,I,m even slowing down on four wheels they are so bad

I've been meaning to make enquiries of our local highways chaps to see if the salt/grit formulation has altered in the last couple of years. Not only are the roads a bit greasier than normal (could it be the relative lack of rain recently?), but my car and bike get absolutely filthy even over a few miles - to me, the grime seems blacker than it used to do.

i think the bonkers part describes it all.

i mean the best bits of biking beat the low bits by far.

the roads have been extremely greasy - and they seem to be getting worse day by day.
i thought it was just me for some reason.

I've been meaning to make enquiries of our local highways chaps to see if the salt/grit formulation has altered in the last couple of years.

Haven't I read somewhere recently that they are trialling salt mixed with sugar which allows the salt to "stick" longer to the road surface?
Whichever way, it sounds like they haven't consulted two wheel users, which is the same story when it comes to planning the placement of "road furniture" (manhole covers etc)

[northwind]

For me it's purely neccesity, I have a 3 hour commute round trip on the bus vs a 40 minute round trip on the nike (around an hour by car) I'd sooner drive in wet weather if I a) had a car and b) could drive, but those 2 minor obstacles mean that instead I have c) heated grips and d) cordura gear

Originally Posted by northwind

I'd sooner drive in wet weather if I a) had a car and b) could drive, but those 2 minor obstacles mean that instead I have c) heated grips d) cordura gear and e) a spare bike that I've been building bit-by-bit care of eBay

Why does an old Jonny Cash song come to mind?

"I built it one piece at a time, and it didn't cost me a dime......."




[Only joking Nrthwnd ]

Well - having had a brush with death (illness variety) last year, my first reaction was - Im not going to ride anymore as I feel so lucky to be alive I dont want to spoil it !

But after a few weeks and feeling less vunerable I soon changed my mind until I couldnt wait to get back on the bike.

My philosophy now is - you could fall down the stairs at home and kill yourself, so if you number is up its up. You could sit indoors for ever more and never set foot outside in case you get run over!!

Life is for living and if you enjoy motorcycling with a passion (as I think we all do!) then you must do it - albeit as carefully as possible.

And yes I think we are probably all barking