Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Undo the strap, one at a time, use the strap to move the helmet away from that ear and give the cable a light tug. Repeat.

Why that low? Mini twin or superstock 400 is cheaper and you can just ride the bike there on a "daytime MOT"
Also, why race, just hit up the track no? MSVT has decent stuff for about 150 of your hard earnt dubloons

Where about are you anyway??

Bit of a stoopid question but were they Italian?

Have known lots of british drivers in Italy drive like that and lots of forin people in the UK.

As I have said not a moment of pride.

Castlecombe was my first ever track outing, oddly enough. Don't know if they've altered the layout but it used to be fast and bumpy.

Know of a few people who have done track days and behave the same way on the ride home. Evening sessions at brands seem to have that rep.

I can’t afford to crash a road bike, which is a high possibility on proper track. I have a real itch to ride joke-sized bikes. £150 for a day on the real thing equals months of time on toy sized tracks.

Mostly, I don’t want to risk being stranded if I trash a bike and cannot risk riding home once knackered.

A small bike just seems ideal. Lower costs all round and guaranteed a laugh. None of the speed or risk of the real thing but still hella fun.

Swindon based so Castle Coombe is closest real track. A few gokart places nearby.

Sorry yes, I was referring specifically to my time spent in Abruzzo. All locals/natives.

behave the same way on the ride home

High risk this would be me.

Am a great kart fan of the Campbell Circuit at polegate. They had mini motos, then stopped as people were getting injured alot.

How about scooter racing, 50cc or 80cc that was fun as it all on the riders talent and size ;)

Know/fear it can be me. Hence using a van and going with mates that are all about technique. Getting lines right and learning brake points. Learning how tiring that concentration level can be at first.

No judgement, just a different experience from every day Tuscany in the 90s.

Going by my experience of British drivers, well, they are as bad or worse only sober.

I think my big track days are over. It's so expensive. $300 bucks entry, fuel and pretty much a set of tyres for a litre bike if you're pushing on. Also not a fan of the local CA tracks - Buttonwillow is boring, flat and far. Willow Springs is dusty, too often baking hot and has one SCARY fast corner with poor runoff. Laguna Seca would be a dream but is heavily restricted on noise and freaking miles away.

UK>>>US when it comes to race tracks. And cheap track bikes too.

The UK has an awesome variety of racetracks all within a couple of hours of each other. Brands and Cadwell are just sublime, the new Snetterton looks fab. Even Mallory is pretty damn good, the hairpin / bus stop are a bit mickey mouse but the run down the hill to Gerrards is mega.

This is entirely not the point I wanted to make but was on the first page of searching 'Race Bike' on UK ebay... Hubba hubba....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234482740191?hash=item369842abdf:g:-QwAAOSwtWxiP1Aq

This looks the tits. Cheap.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255453147029?hash=item3b7a31af95:g:bmUAAOSwGIViPMdn#vi-desc-maincntr

You are cruising to be blocked as you are around the weak willed ;)

That looks interesting. Do you remember the guy who ran OW01s in the KRC endurance series? This was in 2001 or so, when the GSXR1000K1 was the thing to have. He had about ten OW01s or something, and I think he beat the litre bikes one year. But I've forgotten all the important details.

My friends Andy and Tim did the KRC Endurance series in 98 or thereabouts, on a bright yellow CBR600! I don't remember an OW01 specifically - I vaguely recall there was a giant fat guy that had one and raced some of the regular KRC and Bemsee meets, I think his had an FZR1000 motor? Love those bikes.

I do remember a dude having a VERY expensive accident at Corams on an 888 in one of those KRC rounds.

Aah, Corams. Scene of my only crash at Snetterton. But I wasn't on a Ducati. Don't remember the yellow CBR. Was it a team of 2 riders with just an estate car and no pit crew? Don't remember the fat bloke. It's all a bit of a blur. I do remember an endurance race at Snetterton on the day that Princess Di's death was announced, and nobody mentioned it once. And another one at Snetterton when it rained non stop and I couldn't see a thing on the long straight because of the spray. I don't think anyone else could. Everyone did the usual speed on the straight, 170 or something, and decided when to brake by listening to the bikes ahead. Which seemed to work. That was when I got my one and only trophy! Definitely one of the highlights of my life. I rode back to London in wet leathers and tried to drink the pub dry.

Nah, would have been either a rented Luton or a seriously scraggy matt black transit. Corams, is a rough place to crash! great corner but super fast. Another mate ground his scaphoid away falling off there. I've crashed at the Bombhole (also not good!) and gone off at the end of the straight. Mind you, everyone has gone off the end of the straight.

One of the funniest not quite crashes I've seen was at Snet - two guys in practice must have bumped into each other and missed braking for the tight right before the back straight and went straight on into the field. You could just see two holes in the corn or whatever it was growing - the bikes were way inside, stuck and still upright.

My crash wasn't so bad because it was raining (again). So a bit slower, with soft mud to slide into. All racing should be in the rain. It's a great leveller. More crashes, more breakdowns. I was never quick enough to get a trophy in the dry.

Bike wouldn't start again this morning, something different to the last one as the fuel pump doesn't prime.

I think I might have dislodged a cable when I cleaned it the weekend, i remember seeing something dangling in front of the rear shock.

Might be a strong defence in my " do not clean" ethos.

Edit: amateur hour here. Killswitch FML

A long shot - but are any of these freebies of use to anyone here? Am in Hitchin, Hertfordshire and occasionally in Highbury and Islington for work.

Helmet is a S/M, fairly full can of ACF50 and boots labelled as size 8/42 but fit me fine and I typically wear a size 9 shoe.

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I put it up on fb marketplace now. Overpriced it at £2.5k, but will take actual normal realistic offers. Woke up today and decided it is the sensible decision right now. I’ve joined the >130mph club and still have my limbs and license.

Another 90mph wheelie and I might not.

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I am glad I have a tall, upright bike.
It is capable of covering vast distances in short time, but the natural riding position puts you in a sensible* mindset.

*Accidental triple figures are not difficult, mind. 3rd gear can take you from 0-80 without thinking. there are still 3 more gear too.

(all this is when the fucker will start)