When/Where/Pics was the last time you rode your bike ?

[ZRX61]

Regarding older pics: I found out on Sunday that the bloke that owns the Lancia 037 also owns that Group B Audi Quattro... & apparently has more toys like those... The fucker.

[mangocrazy]

Regarding older pics: I found out on Sunday that the bloke that owns the Lancia 037 also owns that Group B Audi Quattro... & apparently has more toys like those... The fucker.

If he also has a Lancia Stratos in his collection I could really get to dislike him...

[ZRX61]

If you want to wake up a Z13 you bore it out a smidgeon & drop GPz750 pistons in the holes. Owing to the longer stroke you end up with a Z1500 & they go like absolute stink.

[Whysub]

Rode up to the Motorcycle Museum in Valle de Gaudalest, 15 minutes north-west of Benidorm. Seemed rude not to seeing as the weather was sunny and warm (17°c), and the roads from my place are really good.

Museum is small, but excellent, with some great bikes, some like the very rare French Japauto CB1000, built to avoid the import duties on Japanese bikes back in the 70's. Ugly.

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Also had a fan cooled Ducati two stroke, which is the same model that was the first geared motorbike I rode aged around 12.

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Nice to see lots of Bultacos, Montesas and Ossa trial and motocross bikes in there too.

[The Spin Doctor]

Great find, that Japauto.

I'm pretty sure they were still being raced at the French endurance rounds when I first went to the Bol d'Or in 79.

Pinched the following from the blurb for an Amazon e-book - the development and racing history, and it explains Whysub's 'import duty' reference, which puzzled me. Re the shape - I seem to recall that the bike might have been windtunnel tested, though that's a near-fifty year old memory so quite likely wrong.

"...the first 1000cc four-cylinder Japanese motorcycle, the 970cc Japauto Honda endurance racer fitted with a big-bore kit for the 736cc CB750 that was developed and sold by France’s largest Honda dealer.

The Japauto Honda first came to prominence as the winner of the 1969 Bol d'Or 24 Hours race and the team won again in 1972, this time using a CB750 motor in a British-built Dresda frame.

In 1973, there came a third Japauto win in the French classic. This time with the bike tested in this feature and then in the hands of Gerard Debrock and Thierry Tchernine. Two years later a Japauto was classed as the runner-up in the highly controversial 1975 FIM Endurance series, even after scoring more points than the eventual Kawasaki champions!

Alan Cathcart tested this significant racer in company with Thierry Tchernine, who gave tips on riding the bike he used to race and also confirmed the authenticity of this re-creation of it, even to the ultra distinctive Japauto bodywork that is so effective in giving protection, but which doesn’t impede riding the bike hard.

This edition also features the full Japauto racing history, including the achievement of Japauto patron Christian Vilaséca and his riders, Michel Rougerie and Daniel Urdich in scoring the first win for a four-cylinder Honda outside Japan at the 1969 Bol d’Or, some half a year before Dick Mann's perhaps more famous win in the Daytona 200.

In addition, there is a detailed technical description, including the modifications made to the air-cooled CB750 engine to enable it to produce a claimed 100 bhp at 8500 rpm.

Finally, as an interesting footnote to the story, 250 examples of Japauto's 1000VX streetbike were made as a replica of this Bol d’Or winner and of these 72 were imported to Spain as French-built motorcycles in order to circumvent ban on Japanese imports imposed as a protectionist measure for the fragile Spanish economy in the era of Generalissimo Franco."

Kindle download here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/HONDA-JAPAUTO- ... B015528K4U it's only 2.99...

[Horse]

Today.

I've not ridden since 2013, with the intervening years having all of my neck and balance issues, culminating with to skull/neck operation in 2020 and a year so of regaining strength.

I'm never going to be able to ride on-road again (balance is buggered and, due to the screws and rods, my neck would literally be at risk). However, today I had the opportunity to ride a trials bike.

Can still do it But, officially, the last time I rode a bike

[Count Steer]

Looking cool Hoss.

That must have felt so good and so frustrating in equal parts.

[Bustaspoke]

Last week I finally took early retirement, & this afternoon I managed to get out on the SV650 for a local spin.A nice day for mid Feb,but the roads aren't looking at their best Hopefully I'll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the better weather over the next few months

[Skub]

Happy retirement @Bustaspoke After not very much time you'll wonder when you ever had the time for that work thing.

The roads were washed of the salty gunk here,so I thought I'd give the bike a half hour run. Nearly 2 hours later I was home! The roads were pretty good,aside from gravel and potholes,but at least they were mostly dry and grippy enough to have a bit of fun.

I removed the small Puig sports screen,as it was making my lid quite noisy and did the square root of FA as far as protection goes. So the Zed is back to being a proper naked as mister K intended.

[Horse]

Looking cool Hoss.

That must have felt so good and so frustrating in equal parts.

Ta

It was a bit scary, setting off knowing that worst case was landing on soft Yorkshire turf.

It 'scratched an itch', now knowing what my limits are and confirming what, really, I already knew.

When much younger, I used to say that "I'll only ever stop riding when a doctor tells me to". As it happened, I'd already made that decision before. Today helped coming to terms with it.

Fuck me, that sounds melodramatic and self-centred

[Count Steer]

Looking cool Hoss.

That must have felt so good and so frustrating in equal parts.

Ta

It was a bit scary, setting off knowing that worst case was landing on soft Yorkshire turf.

It 'scratched an itch', now knowing what my limits are and confirming what, really, I already knew.

When much younger, I used to say that "I'll only ever stop riding when a doctor tells me to". As it happened, I'd already made that decision before. Today helped coming to terms with it.

Fuck me, that sounds melodramatic and self-centred

Mate, if you can't centre on yourself, who are you going to choose?

[Horse]

PS it was a day of using Paul's toys

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[KungFooBob]

I bet the buggy is a bit quick with that motor in it!

[Horse]

I bet the buggy is a bit quick with that motor in it!

well spotted

I only got into third but ran out of field

[tricol]

Well I got out for a few hours yesterday but didn't take any photos. Over to J&S in Oakmere and then back on some new roads, to me. About 80 miles in total. Would have stayed out longer but I was getting cold despite all my layers and heated gloves.

Starting to feel my way with the new bike. Roads were okay, mostly dry, but still lots of loose crap on them and leftover salt.

[Wossname]

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Sennen in the sun...

[tricol]

The great thing about where I live now is that in about half an hour I'm up on the hills. Went out this lunchtime for a ride. Roads are a salty mess. Think I'll wait until after it has been washed away before going out again. I'm a bit too nervous on it.

My Yamaha MT09SP by Colin, on Flickr

[ZRX61]

Our monthly "Third Sunday" meet is the 19th...

Forecast is snow... Fuck that, last time I rode in cold weather (last month) it took three goddamn days to get over it.

On the upside, I have 6 free tickets to see The Gilmour Project on Sunday evening... so will be out in the ST.

[Skub]

A small window of opportunity today and although the roads were salt free,the conditions weren't ideal for a hoon. Lost interest after an hour.

[Gregor]

A quick ride around the block on stinky pinky turned into a couple of hours greenlaning