Sharing the back seat driving

Apologies to regular visitors for disappearing from the internet for a couple of days over the recent weekend.

No sinister explanation for this, just a problem at the web-hosting server which couldn’t be corrected until after the weekend, so we may now be looking for an alternative home.

Meantime service will hopefully not be interrupted again either prior to or during any switch-over which may follow and the domain name of this and all associated sites will remain the same and there will be no need for viewers to change bookmarks or anything else on their computers.

Meanwhile I watched Drill Team Practice again on Sunday morning and here’s a picture of Trudi and Smitty doing their seat-swapping routine I mentioned in my Postcard from America article.  More pictures coming soon.

Selection on offer in Kissimmee

Yesterday was for hanging around, waiting for family to join us here in Central Florida from Gatwick, which fortunately was free from volcanic ash, albeit not entirely from its knock-on effects.  Fortunately their flight was delayed by only 3 hours but it did mean that a visit to Powersports of Kissimmee, a Honda, Can-Am and Suzuki Dealer, could be taken in without Grandmotherly impatience being provoked.

I’ve been under caution about visiting motorcycle dealers while on holiday in the US ever since I photographed Management alongside a new GoldWing colour a few years ago and emailed the picture home to a biker friend – who promptly posted it on the internet with the caption “Get the knobbly knees” or some such.  She was furious, so bikes only in the pictures this time.

This Dealer had four new (or at least un-registered) GL1800s in stock ranging from a 2010 model (which continues………

It's like Morris Dancing without the sticks and bells

Far be it from me to claim anything other than inspiration from the late great Alistair Cooke by adapting the title of his famous BBC radio reports from New York but I did used to enjoy his broadcasts when I was a lad and I am temporarily resident (or at least on vacation) in Florida, so it seems appropriate to send my Blog viewers something to read while I’m away from the UK GoldWing scene.

Management (as she’s known in our household) and I have been privileged to be staying with genuine Floridians (or rather one real-deal Southerner and his fully assimilated and acclimatised Yankee wife) and it’s been great to get off the tourist trail and spend time with the real people.

Out Host for our first three nights in Florida was Randy Rodriguez and his wife Cat.  We met them several years ago when I first saw a Drill Team in action, since when Randy has become the Captain and his Drill continues………

Two well known riders and a very conspicuous bike

The weather was really very generous to this year’s Thundersprint and Northwich in Cheshire, the Venue of this annual sprint racing event, enjoyed what would have been a very nice day indeed even in Summer.  Out came the Factor 50 and faces and balding pates were enthusiastically rubbed with it.

Special dispensation had been given by the Organisers, apparently with some hesitation, to allow us to arrive after the deadline for the road closure into the site – providing that we pushed our bikes for the 400 yards or so from the barrier to our display position.  In a fine example to our national Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians of the art of negotiation and compromise, we declined this invitation and suggested that mass GoldWings, at least in our hands, presented less of a hazard to pedestrians (and ourselves) being ridden rather than pushed.

Common sense prevailed and a Very Senior Organiser offered to walk in front of us to see us safely to our display area.  The walking pace was negotiated up to a brisk trot on his part and together with our continues………

John Measures, Solicitor, 0800 021 3065 or 0115 931 5167

I came across an interesting internet article  on this subject by John Measures, who is both an enthusiastic biker and a solicitor. Barratts, where he works, is a firm of East Midlands Solicitors who specialise in personal injury claims for motorcyclists.

A biker who was leading a small group of bikes was prosecuted for speeding, as were his riding mates.  They were all caught riding at speeds considerably in excess of the prevailing 60 mph limit, especially the following riders who were riding even faster that the leading bike.  In deciding the sentence to impose on the leading rider the Court took into account that as leader he was setting the pace for the group of bikes and by speeding himself when leading a group he had therefore aggravated his own speeding offence.  On this basis he was given stiffer punishment than he would otherwise have got.

In his Article John Measures considers the implications for other bikers who act as Group Ride Leaders, for both criminal prosecutions and civil liability.

John makes it clear that there is no need to be panicked into refusing to lead rides; ride leaders are not continues………