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Hi all
I dont know why, but ive never had any affection or been able to relate to MM like i do with some of the other riders.
Huge amount of respect for what he's done in FP2 after that crash in FP1 though
Best
Jon
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In reply to Post #168
Agree with all of that mate, Ireland has certainly changed from when I first went there over fifty years ago, its a shame but then again its across the globe maccy d's etc....are everywhere now, in saying that I was in Copenhagen a few months ago and don't remember seeing a single chicken house and rarely saw any overweight people, did notice the women are stunning so they must be doing something right over there 
Going back to bikes though Ireland has got fantastic roads for touring but the modern world has cameras everywhere so you have to watch your speed wherever you go, also its all about population and we're far too over populated here in the south east of England to enjoy the freedom of the open road these days, i'm sure France is still great in parts and somewhere i always wanted to tour by bike but never managed to is central Spain, judging by the bits ive seen by going to a few Moto GP races at Valencia and Catalunya the roads are fantastic
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In reply to Post #163
I was living in southern Ireland from 90 to 95 as I have said on here before I was a service engineer in the silicon chip and pharmaceutical industry. Intel built it European manufacturing base just outside Dublin in a place called leixlip. Traveled all over Ireland while living there and went back many times to support the maintenance team we had trained but from 90 to 2000 eu money helped changed Ireland and created a massive boom in house building and new roads ect but a lot of the character and charm of the country was lost. When I first went there were no McDonald's, kentucky or dominoes etc. In 95 when I returned I still had a yam fz750 and 95 was also the year the 600 bandit was launched but the roads and Ireland were already changing rapidly.
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In reply to Post #166
Fine by me mate, as is a pint of proper Guinness or three 
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In reply to Post #165
Do it mate, its stunning over there, but if you do it on a bike I'd keep it to the summer months as it can get a bit rough weather wise at this time of year, i'm over there later on this month, driving over in a car though...if the weather gets bad there's always the pubs! Only thing i'm not looking forward to is the ferry crossings if its rough
Apologies to those for the thread going a bit off track by the way
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In reply to Post #163
Fancied a holiday there myself, a drive around , but predominantly down the Atlantic coast, either by bike or car
Or even motor home
I have a fishing pal, fluff chucker, who goes over there regular, tells me some amazing stories about watching fish coming out of the sea up the rivers. Would like a look myself
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In reply to Post #162
when we drove down to the south of france , a couple of my mates had Hyabusa's and we were sling shotting each other at 140 and riding at 100 after a while felt like walking pace...utter madness really and like you say we had to stop for fuel every 80 to 100 miles, I think we re-traced the Fast Bikes video Colin Schiller did with Shakey Byrne and Frosty called Carnage-Calais to Cannes, if you ever get a chance to watch it, they were all a right bunch of nutters!
I never forget pulling into St Tropez all on bikes with loud pipes, parking up and sitting in a café on the front drinking coffee watching the so called 'beautiful people' walking past...we definitely attracted some attention....like I say I miss it a lot!
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In reply to Post #159
Ha ha ha that's funny cos I remember going to Ireland on my Bandit long before the roads were as good as they are now, rode over to Connemarra and spent a lot of the time riding on the pegs as it was a nightmare sitting down with the state the roads were in back then, I used to think all the Paddy road workers were over here and there own roads were shyte….no longer the case as I drive over twice a year these days and the roads are great...all with our money on the EU! 
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Mates and I have been all over Europe and in the past it was always sports bikes but we were younger then and too daft to realise it would be more enjoyable on tourers and stopping every 90 to 100 miles for fuel adds huge amounts of time to journeys. Modern adventure bikes are as comfortable as tourers and with 150+ hp they are capable of keeping up with most sports bike riders over distance.
Some of the guys we ride with are in their seventies and been riding all their lives and are still capable of riding at a good pace for eight to ten hours a day so long as there a shower, a good meal and a few beers at the end of the day.
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In reply to Post #160
Really sorry to hear that pal. I get your point though, dizzy spells and bikes are not ideal.
TBH l love bikes with a passion but they can be bloody dangerous, couple this with idiot car drivers and you are safer without one really 
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In reply to Post #157
Im hitting 52 this year Chris and live with with serious tinnitus no thanks to meningitis in my early 30s..I tried getting back on my Moto x bikes after coming out of hospital but it was no good..me mother told me sell or she would smash them up..after dark I even walk like I'm drunk..did think about a road legal quad bike but thought best not..going to treat myself to the quater race in march..the ball and chain has even agreed to come along..
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In reply to Post #158
Nice one pal
A lad who I work with now has just bought a blackbird in red, it’s is MINT too, stunning for the year.
Another one has just been round Ireland on his 600 bandit about 3 months ago, bullet proof, uses it for track days at Caldwell too 
Same lad also has a 1200 bandit with a turbo on, home made jobby, mental lol 
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In reply to Post #157
I rode to Switzerland on a 600 Bandit years ago, god knows what I was thinking but great memories none the less, got snowed in for three days in a place called Lauenen near Gstaad
Also rode a Blackbird down to the South of France, we went down on the A75, stunning rd in parts apart from it was while they were building the Millau viaduct so on that part the traffic was horrendous...even on a bike, other parts were like a race track and another obstacle were the nutty French yoofs in their zooped up motors wanting to race anything fast down the mountain parts of the roads, we were warned about them before we went and it was bang on, the temptation to race with them was strong though
I remember riding back up from Nice to Troyes about 420 miles in one day and thinking nothing of it back then but I bought another Blackbird in 2008 and went to Silverstone for the Moto GP race and on the ride home to south east London my knees were shot and that was only 120 miles, that was when I realised that my days of riding anything near to a sportsbike were well and truly over...sadly, i still miss those sort of trips to this day
A work colleague has bought himself a BMW GS and loves it but they're not cheap, especially if its kitted out, i was tempted but cant get it down my side alley to the back of the house and don't really want twelve grands worth of bike sitting out the front....poxy cylinder heads! 
Oh and i meant to add that i was one of the fizzy brigade, mine was a purple version crashed it after spunking my wages in a bookies! luckily i saw sense and that life is long in the past now...the dangers of gambling hey!. And back then another mate had an RD 250 which you could ride with L plates on a provisional licence....can you believe it?!!!!
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In reply to Post #156
The right bike you could do it mate easily
Some do it on sports bikes, absolutely crackers. I know a lad who I used to knock around with, passed away now bless him, he used to go to Spain on his with some of his mates
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I spoke to several English guys who had rode from the uk to Italy for the Misano race. they said they had a right good ride down..would love to do it but sadly I cant ride roads.. bit to old and the ol balance isn't to good..
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NON Carp stuff