IN THE SUMMER TIME WHEN THE WEATHER IS.........CRAP!

Speed along the lane do a ton or ton and twenty five

When the sun goes down you can make it ,

make it good in a lay by.

 Mungo Jerry

Early Thursday 29th
I,m sitting in a heated room called the pitstop in glenlough campground on the Isle of Man.It's still raining, but the "outdoors" main dining area I'm looking at through the window is full of Poms and Euro types seemingly immune to crap weather. I have a theory that this isnt any sort of toughness - they just have never seen good weather! If you ask when it's gonna fine up they look confused and offer the fact that its not as wet as yesterday.....which is good...yeah!

Home sweet........puddle! 

Getting here yesterday was pretty ordinary.
It tipped it down from the Hotel all the way to Liverpool docks. We had five hours to burn while waiting for the ferry so went the Beatles museum which was pretty cool but has us stomping around  in wet clobber amongst civilised dry people. We joined the line up of wet motorcycles, offered up our now paper mache internet tickets and IOM here we come!  Whe're ya from - South Africa....nup.....Austria......nup......New Zealand......nup.....Wales........what? From Australia mate.....oh I have a sister in Salibury Park.....erm no dont know her.....oh dear

Ok lads remember, first in last out....last in will erm probably be first out if not crushed and run down! 

You been in long? Nah bout free owers....nyou?

Liverpool weather -why the Beatles chose music instead of concreting 

Ron Story
We were about to leave the Beatles museum and Ron pulls up next to me at the lights telling me he has a problem with his front brake.A casual glance down reveals his front brake caliper falling off hanging by one loose bolt (and who put in new pads before he left?). "Mate dont use the front brake till we get round the corner........get your fingers off the BL!@#$Y (darn) lever.We pull up and I'm figuring where to score a longish 12mm  bolt when Ron pipes up "I think I chucked some bolts in my bag before I left. Huh?  He rummages for 30 seconds, pulls out an appropriate length old allen bolt from who knows where (left off a previous job?) and finger tightens it. "lend me your allen heads tomorrow and I'll nip it up". Erm " what the" and then, "yeh i heard that noise before we got to the hotel yesterday" !!!!! Like I said on the opening page, makes lack of maintenance an asset - which gives me the shits!  


Its almost summer, and I can almost feel that sweet sunshine pourin out this heart of miiiine

Billy Thorpe

VrrrrrrbapVrrrrrrRRRbapVrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEeeowwwwwrrrrr

Racing BMW on the straight between Union Mills and Glenlough Farm

HOW GOOD IS THIS?

I`m sitting outside "The Mitre" pub at Kirk Michael. The sun is shining (the poms are confused!) and I've got my second cider half finished. I'm thinking seriously about fish and chips and the 6pm to 9pm practice has just started. Unidentifiable bikes are flying past at  mental speeds the thrill of which photos just don't capture.  I've spent the last day and half doing a couple of laps of the track and a loop down round the bottom  of the island. On our first lap as we punted the poor old DRs up the mountain suddenly everyone just goes mental and we are being passed at crazy speeds! We stop on the top and have a coffee and find that the mountain is all one way and open speed limits at all times when practice isn't on. W!!@#$T!@#F!@#^ (goodness what a surprise!). Straight back out and the DR is tapped and floating badly at 140k........and we are still getting passed at mental speeds......I want my fire blaaaaaade...sniff. (If you noticed my preferred writing font has mysteriously disappeared and reappeared......who knows why, I certainly dont!!!)

On top of the mountain.......about to resume some more wobbling

dddderddddderddddddddd135ishwobblewobble(DR650 speak)

Ere yoo fink we should turn around - Naaah dicing at 240kph in the main street aint worf it. 

Our man Cam's new ride

Hi Doll um......I aint as happy as you think......really

This is for my workmate Graham who likes these things....and CB450's apparently

Wide angle shot of Aussies in pub at left who are only
 there to truly appreciate the view through the thoughtfully
placed bar window.  

DR's in an unnatural environment....experimentally  ordering full strength beers
 didnt help the wobbling!

EVEN BETTER

Its Saturday night the 31st. I've just spent the day in Ramsey watching the six lap superbike race and the sidecars. We left the campsite 9ish in absolute perfect sunshine and head in a loop south then up the coast to Ramsay with almost no traffic on perfect motorbike roads. We lob  into Ramsay and blend in near the pub. As mr Dunlop carves up the opposition aboard his BMW I'm kicking back having a bit of a watch, a beer and then a bit of a nap on the grass on Ramsey main street metres from the action.  (I know I know but I get bored easy) before I repeat the cycle. Ron gets more excited than me at this stuff and zooms around like a 130kg fly all day sweating, shedding clothing, trying different vantage points and lapping up the action while looking confused at his camera. When the roads reopen we mount up (I'm a bit stiff...bloody grass) and wind back to Douglas grabbing dinner in the setting sun at a little diner before heading to bed (and this !@#$ keyboard).

PS. I havent included the usual boring pictures of out of focus random racing bikes going past......because thats what they are....and yep I tried!

Tomorrow Mad Sunday!

REALITY CHECK
Crap weather returns tomorrow!.......B!@#$r (blast it)