Just passed my test yesterday after having 3 goes at it over the last couple of months. 1st time I made an arse of the emergency stop, back end skidded etc. 2nd time I had no minor faults but the examiner failed me because he "didn't see me use my back brake" during the emergency stop!!!! - I was struggling to keep my cool about that, especially as I had used it, albeit sparingly after the skid in the first test, and stoppped perfectly too. Obviously the cost of £51 + bike hire + insurance is bad enough to be paying out repeatedly, what's worse though is having to wait 3 weeks between tests, sometimes even longer as tests were cancelled due to examiners taking holidays and snow conditions. It was a case of 3rd time lucky yesterday and I was delighted to be able to take my Tiger for a spin at long last! I'd bought it down in London about 6 weeks ago, brought it up the road on a trailer and stashed it in a workmates garage and, untill yesterday, hadn't even been up to look at it as Id just have been torturing myself!
Anyway, I'm absolutely delighted with it! I had her out for a run to Edinburgh yesterday afternoon and couldn't have had a better day for it as the sun was splitting the sky. Of course now I have to work dayshift all weekend which is driving me round the bend as I just want to go out and play! Oh well, there's always a wee hour or two when I finish.
I've been doing a bit of lurking on here for the last few months so I've read nearly all the posts but I'm sure there'll be some info or advice I'll be looking to nip your heads with in the near future!
Yours etc,
Chuffed :D
:D/ Welcome and Congratulations!!!
:D
Congrats! Seems like a tough row to hoe but I bet the UK's system results in lower mtorcycle deaths per capita. :?: Anyway you're on the road in time for England's long, glorious sunny summer!
Cheers folks, thanks for the welcome to the Tiger gang! I'm actually from central Scotland, although I'm pretty sure I'll be down England-shire way in the near future. First up is a mini tour of Ireland starting next Friday - a friends wedding south of Dublin over the weekend then round the coast and back to Scotland via the ferry from Belfast. I can't wait - bike fun during the day topped off with "real" Guiness in the evening!
It's a black '99 by the way.
Congratulations on passing the test and your choice of motorcycle, welcome JBM.
Sounds like you'll be clocking up the miles this summer. I did northwest Scotland last summer and the roads and scenery blew my mind away - and you've got all that in your back yard, lucky man! Enjoy.
Cheers Chris. Read your report on your website about your tour of Scotland and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've driven many of the same roads myself in my old Porsche 924 which has been great fun, although I'm sure riding them on the Tiger will be even more enjoyable (I hope my old car doesn't get too jealous of all the attention I'll be lavishing on the bike over the summer - she does like to play up now and then and give me a bit of a maintenance headache and it seems to be worse since I started the bike lessons!). I've stayed in the same hotel in Ullapool which you described down to a tee - it was the music over breakfast that amused me the most! I'm planning to go to the Hebridean Folk Music Festival on the Isle of Lewis in mid July so I'm sure I'll enjoy the west coast roads then, maybe a little tour round Lewis and Harris too while I'm there. When you described your tour round the North coast I was hoping you'd have stopped at Durness on your way.....it's probably one of the most beautiful, cove beaches I've ever spent any time at. I only dicovered it by going there to watch an annular eclipse a couple of years ago, and I'm planning to return soon for a spot of camping. Probably the dearest fuel in Britain though! Looking forward to reading more about your trips on your website.
JBM...Big, big congratulations mate. You will love Ireland, and you couldn't have bought a better bike.
>Congrats! Seems like a tough row to hoe
>but I bet the UK's system results in
I couldn't believe the US testing requirements when I got here:
1. Show up sober
2. Be semi-literate
3. Be able to turn a corner and stop without crashing
Fabulous. No wonder the standard of driving here in Massachusetts is legendary.
JBM - Thanks for your comments - I've sent you a PM
Tried to send you a PM back but I'm not sure if it was successful -you may recieve the same message twice!