Spies Jumps Before Pushed?

Odd one that! don't often see a factory rider leap out of one of the hottest and most coveted seats in Moto GP, I know he has his detractors after this years performance but the guy is a class act and if he hadn't had bad luck this year he wouldn't have had any at all! 

Will Ben's decision finally pave the way for the return of the Doctor? lets hope so, sooner he throws that red shed in a skip the better, I disliked Ducatis before Valentino joined them and they have done nothing to change my mind since then.

So come on Vale join Yamaha and lets see you back at the sharp end for the last couple of years of your fantastic career.

Hein Gericke

Sorry to hear that Hein Gericke has gone into administration. The chain has 47 branches including three in Scotland and employs around 200 people, and its the staff I feel sorry for as the majority of them will be bikers. I read in the newspaper the administrators plan to keep trading until a buyer is found  and I hope that that's the case.
I like Hein Gericke kit, I have a pair of their textile trousers and their the best fitting trouser I could find at a reasonable price. 
In my opinion all this talk of recession puts the fear into people to stop them spending their hard earned, if we had a bit more positivity coming from the powers that be and less doom an gloom I reckon folks would start spending again or is that too simple?
Remember folks you can't take it with you so enjoy it whilst you have it!
 

Sand Racing at Kirkcaldy

Kirkcaldy & District   motor club is going to celebrate its 9oth anniversary on the 11th of August by holding sand racing on the beach at Kirkcaldy, there will be around 30-40 bikes taking part some modern and some classic machinery from around 2.30pm until around 6pm.
Sand racing began sometime in the 1920's and continued up until the 2nd world war, the last race was held in 1954. It is hoped that if enough interest can be generated it will become an annual or biannual event.
Fingers crossed its a success, bloody typical I'm working that Saturday!

The Gods Must be Smiling On Me!

A few weeks back Alan an I were discussing how lousy this summer has been and how much it as now costing us too go for a good run out for a day when he announced he was chopping the Fazer for something smaller to cut costs and to be fair I was thinking the same thing with the Bandit. Now don't get me wrong the bandit is a lovely bike and you would be hard pressed to find another anywhere near as clean but I just didn't have any emotional attachment to it at all, it was fine too ride and did everything asked off it but it just left me feeling cold and I just wasn't getting any pleasure from owning it really. So to cut a long story short we thought about getting a pair of z750's and ripping it up like a pair of loons but when we had a close look the newer ones look the biz but the early ones just didn't do it for me and I hate them pressed steel Kawasaki swingarms, there a bloody nightmare trying to adjust your chain properly, so Alan decided he was going to buy a versy and I decided to wait and save my pennies for what I really want and that was a Triumph Bonneville. That's when fate intervened a few weeks later, for we had one in stock at work but it was well out of my league but we had a bit of good fortune and ended up with some spare pennies, now to get the Bonnie at work was going to rely on another piece of good fortune because even with the extra pennies it was still way out of my budget but fortunately my boss did me a cracking deal and it took me right to the limit of my savings but I got her, a one owner from new 2010 mag wheel Bonneville with less than 3k on the clock
Now I had a meridian Bonny years ago and I regret selling it to this day but I have fancied one of the Hinckley ones since they first came out when I saw them in Jack Machin's window in Lincoln years ago, to say I'm stoked with it is an understatement, I could just stand and look at her all day an never get bored so here she is.

 

One For Allan?

I know Allan has been looking for something a bit different and this would certainly get them talking down the welly!
How many plugs sir??????

Enjoying My Job, Cursing The Weather

Really settling in well to the new job, computer system is the main change since I last worked in a Bike shop, almost all the ordering and warranty stuff is done on line these days, no more microfiche reader all the fiches are stored electronically so much simpler. Talking of electronics one of the first thing I have learnt is that fault code 069 on an R1 is the front wheel is travelling slower than the rear!!! so put it back on the road and stopping hoisting wheelies!

I don't know about you but when are we getting one of those Indian summers we keep getting promised? every year we get told this is going to be a long hot summer, and if like me you think loads of hot sticky tarmac to look forward to then it really pisses you off when every day it seams you are greeted by rain!Speedways been cancelled more times than I can count, how many wet race meetings have we had this year? I just wished we could get a couple of weeks settled weather, still here's hoping..........

New Job

I have a new job, I shall now be working part time in the parts department in a local Bike dealership, funny how things come around it was 21 years ago that I worked in a Kawasaki dealership. Let the good times roll.............