Hi all,

Lydia & me are doing the Race for life again this year... it's on Sunday & we
are doing well with sponsors but nowhere near the £700 mark that you all helped
me raise last year.

Cancer research is a great charity to support so if you can please donate to
http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/lydiaandjus

Thanks to those who have already sponsored us..

Jus x

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Largest All British Team in WSB Score Points For Both Riders At
Silverstone Round

European SuperStock 600 Championship

Despite the luxury of only having to drive 1.5 hours to Silverstone
rather than 16.5 hours it had taken to get to Valencia everyone was
getting rather nervous as the weekend got closer. Perhaps the
pressure was starting to show or maybe it was torrential rain that
was forecast or maybe the fact that neither rider had even seen the
International circuit we were to race on. Bizarrely most track days
use the GP circuit and most club races use the National
configuration. Unless you are already a BSB rider, or have raced in
WSB previously, the International circuit will be all new. Rather an
odd feeling when you realise that most of the field had raced at the
WSB round in 2005 so had the advantage over the guys who should have
had the local knowledge!

The previous two rounds at Valencia and Monza had been interesting
and we had recognised that the lack of track time and limited
qualifying experience had left us with a lot of work to do.
Fortunately both riders were taking on board the direction and
targets set by the Team Manager for each session and were coming on
leaps and bounds with every round. With two very different riding
styles as well as different approaches to learning each circuit Chris
and Matt were facing an uphill struggle. Fortunately Kenny Pryde at
SuperBike magazine was on hand having been offered a wild card slot
in the European GSXR Cup. Instead of joining in with the most of the
UK magazines with the "my already proven nominated racer is faster
than yours" Kenny had taken the brave decision to give Chris the
opportunity of both more track time and the chance to ride a bigger
bike for the first time. Hopefully the GSXR750K6 machines will be
similar to the GSXR600K6 bikes the team were using albeit with more
power all round.

Prior to the round both bikes had been serviced and the team had
taken advantage of fitting the thinner head gasket allowed under the
rules to boost the power of the bikes. When we first had ran the
bikes in they both made 100 hp. The Arrow race exhaust had increased
that to a respectable 107 hp and now, having loosened up the motor
over the first couple of meetings and with the new gasket fitted, the
bikes were making 110 hp. Hopefully the new found power should make
itself felt over the weekend. Many thanks to team supporter Steve
Jordan Motorcycles for doing the work so quickly.

Thursday saw the team arrive at Silverstone and despite starting to
set up next to the same SuperStock 1000 team we had pitted alongside
at Monza were soon moved on and positioned about as far from the pits
as humanly possible. In fact it turned out we were in fact at the
back of the P6 car park, way behind the motor homes and reliant on an
erratic generator and no running water. That'll teach us to get ideas
above our station ;-) Once scrutineering was over and the bikes
prepared there was nothing to do but walk the track and wait for Free
Practice on Friday lunch time. The day started out wet and we were
sure that it would dry in time for practice but luck wasn't on our
side. Although it didn't actually rain during the session the track
was wet enough to give everyone the opportunity to get some damp
practice although some confusion over suspension settings meant both
riders had to be cautious and take the time to learn the track.

Having suggested Chris and Matt take a more structured approach to
the practice and qualifying sessions the team were fairly pleased to
find themselves able to run with a few of the faster riders who were
obviously having a few troubles of their own. Matt ended up in 23rd
place with a lap time of 1'47.687 and Chris in 30th with 1'51.273 -
Quite positive given the rapidly drying conditions and providing a
good talking point for the debriefing session compared with the lines
and reference points from the track walk the previous night. With the
track now totally dry and the suspension back to the settings we had
used at Monza the first qualifying session was next. Silverstone was
one of only three rounds where we get to race on the Sunday so we had
plenty of time to work on the track and the bikes which made a
pleasant change.

With strict instructions to build the pace slowly whilst working on a
couple of key sections of track both riders rode very sensible
sessions making gradual improvements in lap times throughout the half
hour period. Without the benefit of anyone to really chase during the
session everyone was pleased to see Matt qualify in 23rd again with a
1'37.502 and Chris earn 29th with a 1'38.741 - A good result given
that a 1 second improvement would move them up 8 - 10 places on the
grid! Having ridden for a hard thirty minute sessions Chris had no
time to rest as he was out next for a further forty minutes on the
GSXR750 machine. The team decided that Chris should run two 15 minute
sessions with a break in the middle to allow him to get his breath
back and also think about the session and areas he needed to work on.

Chris ran a well deserved 11th until his break finding the 750 easier
to ride than his 600. The biggest benefit was he finally had
something to compare his 600 against and was able to give some very
useful feedback on the suspension set up that we could use to improve
things for Saturday on the smaller bike. After the ten minute break
Chris went out again with some suggestions on how to tackle Becketts
and Ireland bends and instructions to relax and concentrate on being
consistent rather than all out. Despite fading towards the end of the
session he was able to almost match his earlier best time but could
string it together lap after lap. The team were convinced that the
extra track time was crucial, particularly as there was no
expectation and therefore no pressure on him to perform. Something at
least two of the other SuperStock 600 riders had the benefit of every
meeting with permanent rider in the GSXRP Cup in addition to their
600 class. With the rest of the field having had time to catch up
with the early promise shown by Chris whilst running in 11th place he
finished the session in 21st place with a 1'36.140 - A whole 2.5
seconds quicker than his 600 qualifying session despite the
exhaustion from being on a bike for over an hour!

Another track walk on Friday night meant that Chris and Matt had a
better understanding of the lines they ought to be taking and were
eager to get out on Saturday for the second qualifying session. The
weather proved to be a bit of a challenge with conditions similar to
those that had required the BSB round at Mondello the previous
weekend to be cancelled. Team suspension expert Steve Jordan was on
hand for the session and was able to build on the now correctly set
up suspension settings during the qualifying period. Did I mention
that Steve Jordan Motorcycles won the Suzuki New Dealer of the Year
in 2005? With a better wet set up the riders pressed on and were much
more comfortable, able to keep with some of the vastly more
experienced riders who were usually much further up the grid. Matt
finished in 27th place with a 2'01.579 and Chris in 30th position
with 2'02.804 - Now obviously slower due to the weather the times
from the first qualifying session would count for the race on Sunday.

The final qualifying session for the GSXR Cup was at the end of the
day so Chris had a bit of time to prepare the 750 and update it with
the improved suspension settings from the 600. As it hadn't rained
for a while the track was drying but wasn't yet dry so tyre choice
was a bit of a gamble. Half of the field seemed to be on wets and the
rest on drys. Silverstone always used to be quite treacherous in
those conditions so we opted for wets in the hope it wouldn't dry out
too quickly. The first few laps showed Chris hadn't lost any of his
confidence in the 750 and he was soon running in around 9th place.
Towards the end of the session a few of the faster riders on dry
tyres went quicker but he still finished the session in 14th place
overall. Sadly the times were slower than those from Friday so it
didn't make any difference to his qualifying position.

Race day dawned bright and sunny which was a relief for everybody and
the prospect of having dry shoes at the end of the day made a welcome
change for the team. Having fitted a new Yoshimura ECU to Matt's
Suzuki the team were finally able to spend some time in the morning
working with Arrow to set the system up. Without being sure of the
impact everyone was cautious about blowing around 900 quid on each
bike but the new found power, and perhaps more importantly, the new
found drive out of the turns was well worth it despite only showing a
further 2 hp increase on the dyno. Not a bad way to spend some of the
team's meagre resources especially as we had now gained 5 hp since
the start of the season thanks to the engine loosening up over time,
the thinner gasket, a PiperCross air filter and the new ECU.

The GSXR Cup was due to be between the two SuperBike races with the
SuperStock 600 class run after the second SuperBike race. Due to
delays in the first race the GSXR Cup race was the victim of tight TV
schedules and was postponed until after the 600 race so no rest for
Chris between the two. Both riders made an excellent start with Chris
almost getting the better of Matt in to the first turn. Will Gruy did
his best to take Matt out at the first bend but came off worse when
he lost the front after hitting the back of Matt's bike. By the end
of the first lap they were up to 17th and 18th, having started from
23rd and 29th respectively. Everyone on the pit wall was getting
nervous was both riders were nose to tail for the first six laps and
gradually moving up through the field. At the end of lap seven three
bikes went down on the same corner and the race was red flagged
bringing a short but frustrating end to to the MIST Suzuki charge.

A ten minute break before the restart allowed the team to inspect the
bikes and correct the wheel alignment on Matt's bike where it had
been hit on the way in to the first turn. The race was destined to be
run in two parts with the aggregate times deciding the final
positions. At least the new grid was able to form up based on the
finishing positions from part one. Another blinding start from both
riders saw them running 12th and 14th respectively at the end of the
laps and with Matt improving to 11th on the second lap before
dropping back as a couple of the faster riders came through having
recovered from their poor starts. A nail biting few laps saw the guys
getting regular TV coverage as they were close enough to the front
runners to appear in shot. A couple of mistakes saw Chris drop back
for a lap or two before he got his head down to catch Matt who had
been held up by another rider. Once again nose to tail Matt and Chris
crossed the line in 14th and 15th place with Matt holding 13th for a
few seconds until another rider came through putting his aggregate
time a tiny fraction quicker than Matt.

Confusion reigned in getting Chris out for this GSXR Cup race as not
only did the officials move the parc ferme after the race so Chris
was unable to get the planned lift to collect the other bike and then
a mix up with security meant it took much arguing to get out on the
grid to put the tyre warmers on. To add insult to injury, or maybe
just comedy effect, security hadn't allowed another team member to
bring the stands in to the pit lane so Chris didn't quite get the
planned opportunity to relax before the race and set out on to the
warm up lap having got his breath back and collected his thoughts.
Having effectively come straight in from competing in two races (if
you count the restart) this would be the third race in a row and even
the fittest racer would be tiring by the end.

A good start saw Chris in the points and he ran in 14th position for
much of the race. By half distance he was clearly starting to get
tired and the extra weight through the bars was causing the front to
chatter in some of the faster corners. With the gap closing to the
two riders behind Chris was in danger of being overrun and with just
two laps to go he was demoted to 16th place. With just a lap to go
Chris was running 2 seconds a lap slower than the next rider and once
passed was unable to make up the difference due to sheer exhaustion.
Finishing 17th in the class was almost a disappointment after the
success of the 600 race but having been on the bike for over 100
kilometres he should be pleased with the results from the two
classes. Thanks again to Kenny at SuperBike magazine and Steve Booth
at Suzuki for giving Chris the opportunity - Despite all the hard
work I think the extra track time really paid off and the team are
most grateful.

Both riders in the points at round three? Who could have foreseen
that at the start of the weekend, yet alone the start of the season.
The team is now comfortable with both the suspension and the power
set up for the bikes and both riders are maturing and improving every
time they get on the bike. Chris earned his first ever point and Matt
added a further two to his tally from Valencia giving him 4 points
from the season so far. Race times of 1'35.865 and 1'35.675 show they
both have the pace (down from 1'37.502 and 1'38.741 in qualifying
respectively) and with a bit more track time the team are confident
that they can improve on their qualifying positions allowing both
riders to run in the top fifteen from the start of the race rather
than having to overcome their qualifying position to get up to the
competition.

The next round is at Misano and for once we may be able to get some
time to go testing rather than repairing the bike or carrying out
service or other set up work. Fingers crossed!

Mike Edwards
Team Manager - MIST Suzuki
www.mistsuzuki.com

Would like to thank main sponsors www.givemethekeys.com and Steve
Jordan Motorcycles for their never ending support and the help given
to the team from B & C Express, Dyna Pro, Pipercross, RaceDays.net,
S&B Commercials and Silkolene.

Largest All British Team in WSB Survive War Of Attrition At Monza Round

European SuperStock 600 Championship

Not being able to find the circuit was more of a concern at first
than not having any idea of the layout of the track when we first
arrived in Monza. After a successful Valencia debut for Matt and a
clutch problem at the start for Chris both riders were keen to make
the most of the first Italian round of the series.

Not realising that the circuit was 3.6 miles long the team set out to
walk the track to get an idea of lines and reference points for
morning practice on Friday. With just three half hour sessions before
the race this was going to be an uphill task but after advice from
the Team Manager, and a lot of walking, the riders were eager to put
the theory in to practice. The circuit is incredible with two
chicanes and the Ascari complex linking some very long straights with
a couple of very fast corners, such as the famous Parabolica, it
would take a lot of practice, and perhaps a good tow from other
riders, to get the best from the 107 hp GSXR600K6 machines.

With the engines still completely standard the team was expecting to
be outgunned on the straights as the rules allow thinner base
gaskets, higher specification engine management units and various
other opportunities for teams with bigger budgets and more
experience. The biggest all British team in WSB wasn't going to let
something that minor stand in their way and were confident that they
could salvage some pride in preparation for the home round at
Silverstone later in the month.

The half hour free practice session was warm and dry and fortunately
without major incident as both riders took the opportunity to learn
the art of slipstreaming to get the best from the track. Simply
following another bike down the start finish straight can be enough
to see an additional 20 kph through the speed trap before the first
chicane. With four such straights it would be very easy to miss out
on a couple of seconds per lap if the rider made a mistake. Chris
struggled initially but soon settled in to a rhythm once he
remembered to relax. Every lap he improved, clocking a best of
2'05.703 towards the end of the session with the benefit of a tow on
a couple of the straights. Matt found his feet fairly quickly with a
2'01.674 lap fairly early on but had to work on being consistent and
was eventually able to post 2'02.xx or 2'03.xx laps without the help
of other bikes to follow.

After the initial success things took a turn for the worst in first
qualifying when it started to rain. It was fairly light at first but
soon became heavy enough to need full wets. I'm not sure whether this
is symptomatic of the class being made up entirely of teenagers but
it was hard keeping track of who was crashing where at one point.
Matt was going well in the first couple of laps and was in the top
ten on the leader board when the first chicane got the better of him.
With no warning he found himself sliding along the track as the bike
bounced off in to the gravel. The damage wasn't severe but he did
miss out on vital track time, particularly as the rain began to ease
off towards the end of the session. Chris had started slower although
his session wasn't without excitement as on the very last lap he
found himself sliding alongside the bike having been highsided out of
the seat. Not one to give up he had managed to keep hold of the
handlebars and somehow managed to climb aboard and ride back to the
pits. Chris had managed to gradually improve his times and qualified
last in 32nd position with a 2'23.517 - Matt wasn't so lucky and
having crashed out so early his 2'26.185 wasn't good enough to
qualify at all.

Another opportunity to walk the track that evening and aside from
changing the suggested turn in point to the left hander leading in to
the Ascari complex the team were happy with the lines and reference
points they had selected the previous evening. Spending time
considering the best lines to make the most from a tow from any
unsuspecting riders was a useful exercise along with planning the
implications of getting a tow in the run up to the Parabolica and the
start finish straight so the rider didn't do all the hard work and
have someone just pip them at the line. With Matt's bike repaired and
having made some adjustments to the riding position for Chris to make
it easier to move around the bike, he had landed painfully in his
crash with the gear selector putting a nasty scrape down his thigh,
the riders went out for their remaining qualifying session.
Fortunately the weather was dry although not as sunny as the previous
day.

Without having been able to fully test his gearing choice in the
previous sessions Matt was left unable to make the most of the time
once again when his rev counter needle fell off on the first lap
after a small wheelie on the way out of the chicane. The clocks had
taken a bit of a bashing when he fell in qualifying at Valencia and
had finally decided enough was enough. Although still needing some
valuable track time to gain some much needed consistency Matt managed
a best time of 2'01.750 and spent much of the session running in the
2'01.xx and 2'02.xx bracket. The crash had cost him dearly as he
still hadn't managed to better his 4th lap in free practice despite
another dozen or so laps but had at least qualified in 29th place.
Chris on the other hand was much more relaxed and was soon lapping at
a similar pace to Matt. A good tow on one lap saw an extra 9 kph
through the speed trap and a best lap of 2'01.980 to take 31st place
on the grid. The session was cut short by a red flag incident and the
restart was a non event after having to pull in when a circlip came
off his rear sets leaving him without a gear change lever.

Everyone was apprehensive about the race with 33 riders having almost
a kilometre before piling in to the first chicane and their concern
was well founded when one rider lost the front on the brakes and
skittled another half dozen bikes on the way in. Suddenly without a
large number of front runners it appeared that MIST Suzuki could be
up for points from both riders until we noticed that Chris was also
missing from the pack. We could see from the timing screens that he
hadn't been caught up in the first corner excitement and about a
minute later he appeared down the start/finish straight having had
his front wheel taken out by another unhelpful rider on the way
through the Parabolica. The joy at seeing him still running despite
the crash was marred by the red flags coming out after another bike
blew it's engine around the back of the circuit and medical attention
required by one of the earlier fallers.

It was at this point we had a mad ten minutes in the pit lane trying
to repair the bent levers, clip on, foot pegs, front fairing frame,
etc. on the bike. Even the R&G crash bobbin had bent backwards which,
as luck would have it, was still able to offer just enough protection
so that only the paint on the engine casing was scuffed. Without it
the race would have been over with a large whole in the engine but
after emptying half of the gravel trap from the belly pan, replacing
the foot peg and a bit of duct tape to cover the worst of the fairing
damage we were almost ready to go. Only problem was one of the
paddock stand bobbins had gone missing and broken the mounting point
from the swing arm so we were unable to get the bike on the stand to
get the tyre warmers back on for the restart.

With cold tyres Chris was going to have to take it easy for the first
couple of laps. Oh to be the works Xerox Ducati team or the Alstare
Corona bike where you could just nip in to the garage used by your
colleagues in the SuperBike class and make the most of their
facilities, mechanics, tyre warmers, etc. At least one rider from
each of those teams had fallen but things were quickly repaired and
out on the grid for the restart. Oh well, there go our easy points
(if there is such a thing as easy points at a WSB round).

Both riders made a good start and both made it through the first
chicane in one piece. Chris had to endure watching the pack he was
with pull away, along with Matt who was doing some dramatic braking
and overtaking of his own a bit further ahead. With his tyres up to
temperature Chris had a good fight with the group around him for
several laps although the physical exertions of his highside the
previous day and his 100 mph crash just twenty minutes earlier meant
he was unable to match his qualifying performance. He still rode an
excellent, albeit lonely, race to finish 22nd overall. A best lap of
2'02.782 was hard won but consistency was the key with every other
lap in the low 2'03.xx bracket.

Matt was having a good battle with the group contesting 8th to 15th
places with riders gaining, or losing, two or three positions each
lap depending on who was getting the best tow of the group. Sitting
in a comfortable 13th place Matt started to suffer from overheating
brakes, a problem that cost him a couple of places towards the end of
the Valencia race. He held 15th position for the last couple of laps
after resorting to using the rear brake to help slow down before that
too overheated and he was overtaken by two riders on the very last
lap. Despite planning ahead and using the advice on making the most
of the slipstream on the straights the yellow flags on the way in to
the last corner put paid to any chance of getting the place back.
Having to settle for 17th place was disheartening after having run in
the points for almost the whole race and it was small consolation
that his fastest lap was down to 2'00.481, the target we set at the
start of the weekend.

Both riders had a lot to overcome when they arrived at the circuit
yet the weather and various crashed made things much, much harder.
The lack of track time due to incidents had affected both riders but
they have proved that both can run with their much more experienced,
and better financed, competition. At the start of the season, just
two meetings ago, we would have been pleased with a top 20 finish yet
already not scoring points is almost a disappointment. On reflection,
a small British team that can regularly fight for points against the
best young riders Europe has to offer is pretty amazing, especially
when the majority of them have been in this class for several years
and know the bikes and circuits already.

Roll on WSB round at Silverstone later this month.

Mike Edwards
Team Manager - MIST Suzuki
www.mistsuzuki.com

Would like to thank main sponsors www.givemethekeys.com and Steve
Jordan Motorcycles for their never ending support and the help given
to the team from B & C Express, Dyna Pro, RaceDays.net, S&B
Commercials and Silkolene.

Well done Mike and your riders.
Graham.
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Mike Edwards
   To: Motorcycle Folly
   Sent: Friday, April 28, 2006 5:01 PM
   Subject: [mccf] All British Team Earn Points At Valencia WSB


   Largest All British Team in WSB Earn Points At Valencia Round

   European SuperStock 600 Championship

   After a couple of days testing thanks to Gerry Bryce at Racedays.net
   and Jeremy McWilliams the two MIST Suzuki riders were able to take
   some time to learn the Valencia circuit and ride their 2006 Suzuki
   GSXR600K6 bikes for the first time. The riders would be contesting
   the European SuperStock 600 series, a support class at all European
   rounds of the World SuperBike Championship.

   For Matt Bond, the 2005 MRO MiniTwins Champion, this was his first
   time on a 600 after moving up from the 72 hp SV650 he rode last year.
   Chris Northover, started 2005 in the MRO MiniTwins before gaining a
   wildcard ride in the SuperStock class on an R6.

   Having made some good improvements learning both the circuit and the
   bikes both riders made some significant improvements in terms of both
   their riding and their ability to think about what they are doing
   whilst on the circuit.

   With only one half hour practice and two half hour qualifying
   sessions before the race it was going to be a gamble as to when to
   use the three sets of tyres we had available (the series limits us to
   just 3 sets of tyres with no choice on compound or model, in our case
   Pirelli Diablo Corsa tyres).

   After a very hot first practice on Friday lunch time (Matt in 27th
   with 1'47.113 and Chris in 29th with 1'47.308, both in front of some
   experienced and very fast guys who rode in the series last year) both
   riders struggled with their tyres overheating so we took the gamble
   of using a fresh set for first qualifying in the late afternoon as
   the cooler conditions should help get the most from them.

   Both riders improved over their previous testing times having started
   to get used to the new tyres (a combination of the profile from the
   Diablo tyre combined with a dual compound rear to give greater grip).
   Matt took advantage of a tow from one of the faster riders to post a
   1'45.620 and qualify in 20th place. Chris had a few problems and was
   trying to override the bike yet still managed to lap in 1'47.373,
   putting him in 33rd place overall.

   Whilst Chris concentrated on getting his head together I walked the
   track with Matt and suggested some different lines and potential
   reference points to help him improve for the following day.

   For a short while on Saturday morning it looked like our tyre
   strategy had paid off as it rained first thing and the track was very
   wet. Just our luck that it dried out just in time for second
   qualifying and was much cooler than the previous day. Everyone was
   bound to go faster and we were only left with the half worn tyres
   from the previous day if we were to save a new set for the race.

   The long conversation with Chris the previous evening about his
   riding position and some suggestions on how to smooth out his
   approach to the circuit helped and he declared the session as probaby
   the best riding he had done since he started racing. He beat his
   previous best with a 1'47.089 which was encouraging as he was on very
   worn tyres and felt very relaxed and happy that he could improve in
   the race. Dropping to 35th position after qualifying wasn't a problem
   as his new found consistency, and positive approach, meant he should
   be able to make up quite a few places come the race.

   Matt had his session shortened dramatically when he lost the front
   after going off line in to turn 4. He was unhurt but the bike would
   need some work before the race later in the afternoon. Prior to
   jumping off Matt had posted his fastest ever time of 1'45.604 - All
   without the benefit of a tow, in fact his top speed was down 5 km an
   hour down the straight over the previous session so he was obviously
   getting to grips with the bike and making up the time in the corners.

   The race was a bit of a last minute rush as having confirmed that
   5:40 pm was the time we needed to be on the grid it turned out that
   5:40 pm was the time for the race start and we needed to be on the
   grid at least 15 minutes before then. We weren't the last on the grid
   though and both riders had time to settle themselves before the warm
   up lap and the start.

   Chris complained of a slipping clutch after warm up and with only
   time to adjust the lever before the grid was cleared he made a great
   start to overtake the row in front. Unfortunately by the time he got
   in to third gear the bike was revving freely but not going anywhere.
   He toured round behind the safety car and had to retire at the end of
   the lap with a very burnt out clutch.

   Matt also made a good start from 26th place, positioned on the
   outside being preferable to the inside position from the 20th place
   he held after first quaifying. He made up a several places around the
   outside of the first corner and was ideally positioned to make up
   another three in to turn two. As he turned the corner several riders
   went down in front of him as another rider collected a couple of
   others on the way out of the turn.

   Having survived the drama, passing another couple in to the next
   corner to find himself in 14th place, he soon caught a group ahead
   posting his best lap of 1'45.112 in the process. These guys were
   clearly holding him up as his lap times dropped. It was only after
   another rider made an unhelpful block pass under a yellow flag that
   Matt lost the tow and his overheating front tyre made another
   challenge unlikely.

   Matt was caught towards the end of the race by a much more
   experienced rider who pushed him back another place to 16th. With
   enough of a gap to the guys behind Matt rode well to maintain his
   position and was rewarded when the rider who had overtaken under the
   yellow flag ran wide on the last lap and Matt was able to retake the
   place putting him back in a points scoring position.

   At the same time one of the front runners had a minor gravel
   excursion and, although he rejoined, Matt was able to catch and pass
   him in the last sector to move up to 14th at the flag.

   Points from our first race? A top twenty was more than we could
   possiby hope for from our first meeting but despite just 1.5 days
   testing since moving up from his 72 hp MiniTwins bike we had exceeded
   all expectations.

   More importantly both riders had improved dramatically in their
   approach and maturity in their riding which has everybody excited for
   Monza in two weeks time.

   Mike Edwards
   Team Manager - MIST Suzuki

   Would like to thank main sponsors www.givemethekeys.com and Steve
   Jordan Motorcycles for their never ending support and the help given
   to the team from B & C Express, Dyna Pro, RaceDays.net, S&B
   Commercials and Silkolene.



   These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
   Check out the web page
   http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.



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      mccf-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well done, good luck for Monza..

----- Original Message -----
   From: Mike Edwards
   To: Motorcycle Folly
   Sent: Friday, April 28, 2006 5:01 PM
   Subject: [mccf] All British Team Earn Points At Valencia WSB


   Largest All British Team in WSB Earn Points At Valencia Round

   European SuperStock 600 Championship

   After a couple of days testing thanks to Gerry Bryce at Racedays.net
   and Jeremy McWilliams the two MIST Suzuki riders were able to take
   some time to learn the Valencia circuit and ride their 2006 Suzuki
   GSXR600K6 bikes for the first time. The riders would be contesting
   the European SuperStock 600 series, a support class at all European
   rounds of the World SuperBike Championship.

   For Matt Bond, the 2005 MRO MiniTwins Champion, this was his first
   time on a 600 after moving up from the 72 hp SV650 he rode last year.
   Chris Northover, started 2005 in the MRO MiniTwins before gaining a
   wildcard ride in the SuperStock class on an R6.

   Having made some good improvements learning both the circuit and the
   bikes both riders made some significant improvements in terms of both
   their riding and their ability to think about what they are doing
   whilst on the circuit.

   With only one half hour practice and two half hour qualifying
   sessions before the race it was going to be a gamble as to when to
   use the three sets of tyres we had available (the series limits us to
   just 3 sets of tyres with no choice on compound or model, in our case
   Pirelli Diablo Corsa tyres).

   After a very hot first practice on Friday lunch time (Matt in 27th
   with 1'47.113 and Chris in 29th with 1'47.308, both in front of some
   experienced and very fast guys who rode in the series last year) both
   riders struggled with their tyres overheating so we took the gamble
   of using a fresh set for first qualifying in the late afternoon as
   the cooler conditions should help get the most from them.

   Both riders improved over their previous testing times having started
   to get used to the new tyres (a combination of the profile from the
   Diablo tyre combined with a dual compound rear to give greater grip).
   Matt took advantage of a tow from one of the faster riders to post a
   1'45.620 and qualify in 20th place. Chris had a few problems and was
   trying to override the bike yet still managed to lap in 1'47.373,
   putting him in 33rd place overall.

   Whilst Chris concentrated on getting his head together I walked the
   track with Matt and suggested some different lines and potential
   reference points to help him improve for the following day.

   For a short while on Saturday morning it looked like our tyre
   strategy had paid off as it rained first thing and the track was very
   wet. Just our luck that it dried out just in time for second
   qualifying and was much cooler than the previous day. Everyone was
   bound to go faster and we were only left with the half worn tyres
   from the previous day if we were to save a new set for the race.

   The long conversation with Chris the previous evening about his
   riding position and some suggestions on how to smooth out his
   approach to the circuit helped and he declared the session as probaby
   the best riding he had done since he started racing. He beat his
   previous best with a 1'47.089 which was encouraging as he was on very
   worn tyres and felt very relaxed and happy that he could improve in
   the race. Dropping to 35th position after qualifying wasn't a problem
   as his new found consistency, and positive approach, meant he should
   be able to make up quite a few places come the race.

   Matt had his session shortened dramatically when he lost the front
   after going off line in to turn 4. He was unhurt but the bike would
   need some work before the race later in the afternoon. Prior to
   jumping off Matt had posted his fastest ever time of 1'45.604 - All
   without the benefit of a tow, in fact his top speed was down 5 km an
   hour down the straight over the previous session so he was obviously
   getting to grips with the bike and making up the time in the corners.

   The race was a bit of a last minute rush as having confirmed that
   5:40 pm was the time we needed to be on the grid it turned out that
   5:40 pm was the time for the race start and we needed to be on the
   grid at least 15 minutes before then. We weren't the last on the grid
   though and both riders had time to settle themselves before the warm
   up lap and the start.

   Chris complained of a slipping clutch after warm up and with only
   time to adjust the lever before the grid was cleared he made a great
   start to overtake the row in front. Unfortunately by the time he got
   in to third gear the bike was revving freely but not going anywhere.
   He toured round behind the safety car and had to retire at the end of
   the lap with a very burnt out clutch.

   Matt also made a good start from 26th place, positioned on the
   outside being preferable to the inside position from the 20th place
   he held after first quaifying. He made up a several places around the
   outside of the first corner and was ideally positioned to make up
   another three in to turn two. As he turned the corner several riders
   went down in front of him as another rider collected a couple of
   others on the way out of the turn.

   Having survived the drama, passing another couple in to the next
   corner to find himself in 14th place, he soon caught a group ahead
   posting his best lap of 1'45.112 in the process. These guys were
   clearly holding him up as his lap times dropped. It was only after
   another rider made an unhelpful block pass under a yellow flag that
   Matt lost the tow and his overheating front tyre made another
   challenge unlikely.

   Matt was caught towards the end of the race by a much more
   experienced rider who pushed him back another place to 16th. With
   enough of a gap to the guys behind Matt rode well to maintain his
   position and was rewarded when the rider who had overtaken under the
   yellow flag ran wide on the last lap and Matt was able to retake the
   place putting him back in a points scoring position.

   At the same time one of the front runners had a minor gravel
   excursion and, although he rejoined, Matt was able to catch and pass
   him in the last sector to move up to 14th at the flag.

   Points from our first race? A top twenty was more than we could
   possiby hope for from our first meeting but despite just 1.5 days
   testing since moving up from his 72 hp MiniTwins bike we had exceeded
   all expectations.

   More importantly both riders had improved dramatically in their
   approach and maturity in their riding which has everybody excited for
   Monza in two weeks time.

   Mike Edwards
   Team Manager - MIST Suzuki

   Would like to thank main sponsors www.givemethekeys.com and Steve
   Jordan Motorcycles for their never ending support and the help given
   to the team from B & C Express, Dyna Pro, RaceDays.net, S&B
   Commercials and Silkolene.



   These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
   Check out the web page
   http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Respec'


TC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Largest All British Team in WSB Earn Points At Valencia Round

European SuperStock 600 Championship

After a couple of days testing thanks to Gerry Bryce at Racedays.net
and Jeremy McWilliams the two MIST Suzuki riders were able to take
some time to learn the Valencia circuit and ride their 2006 Suzuki
GSXR600K6 bikes for the first time. The riders would be contesting
the European SuperStock 600 series, a support class at all European
rounds of the World SuperBike Championship.

For Matt Bond, the 2005 MRO MiniTwins Champion, this was his first
time on a 600 after moving up from the 72 hp SV650 he rode last year.
Chris Northover, started 2005 in the MRO MiniTwins before gaining a
wildcard ride in the SuperStock class on an R6.

Having made some good improvements learning both the circuit and the
bikes both riders made some significant improvements in terms of both
their riding and their ability to think about what they are doing
whilst on the circuit.

With only one half hour practice and two half hour qualifying
sessions before the race it was going to be a gamble as to when to
use the three sets of tyres we had available (the series limits us to
just 3 sets of tyres with no choice on compound or model, in our case
Pirelli Diablo Corsa tyres).

After a very hot first practice on Friday lunch time (Matt in 27th
with 1'47.113 and Chris in 29th with 1'47.308, both in front of some
experienced and very fast guys who rode in the series last year) both
riders struggled with their tyres overheating so we took the gamble
of using a fresh set for first qualifying in the late afternoon as
the cooler conditions should help get the most from them.

Both riders improved over their previous testing times having started
to get used to the new tyres (a combination of the profile from the
Diablo tyre combined with a dual compound rear to give greater grip).
Matt took advantage of a tow from one of the faster riders to post a
1'45.620 and qualify in 20th place. Chris had a few problems and was
trying to override the bike yet still managed to lap in 1'47.373,
putting him in 33rd place overall.

Whilst Chris concentrated on getting his head together I walked the
track with Matt and suggested some different lines and potential
reference points to help him improve for the following day.

For a short while on Saturday morning it looked like our tyre
strategy had paid off as it rained first thing and the track was very
wet. Just our luck that it dried out just in time for second
qualifying and was much cooler than the previous day. Everyone was
bound to go faster and we were only left with the half worn tyres
from the previous day if we were to save a new set for the race.

The long conversation with Chris the previous evening about his
riding position and some suggestions on how to smooth out his
approach to the circuit helped and he declared the session as probaby
the best riding he had done since he started racing. He beat his
previous best with a 1'47.089 which was encouraging as he was on very
worn tyres and felt very relaxed and happy that he could improve in
the race. Dropping to 35th position after qualifying wasn't a problem
as his new found consistency, and positive approach, meant he should
be able to make up quite a few places come the race.

Matt had his session shortened dramatically when he lost the front
after going off line in to turn 4. He was unhurt but the bike would
need some work before the race later in the afternoon. Prior to
jumping off Matt had posted his fastest ever time of 1'45.604 - All
without the benefit of a tow, in fact his top speed was down 5 km an
hour down the straight over the previous session so he was obviously
getting to grips with the bike and making up the time in the corners.

The race was a bit of a last minute rush as having confirmed that
5:40 pm was the time we needed to be on the grid it turned out that
5:40 pm was the time for the race start and we needed to be on the
grid at least 15 minutes before then. We weren't the last on the grid
though and both riders had time to settle themselves before the warm
up lap and the start.

Chris complained of a slipping clutch after warm up and with only
time to adjust the lever before the grid was cleared he made a great
start to overtake the row in front. Unfortunately by the time he got
in to third gear the bike was revving freely but not going anywhere.
He toured round behind the safety car and had to retire at the end of
the lap with a very burnt out clutch.

Matt also made a good start from 26th place, positioned on the
outside being preferable to the inside position from the 20th place
he held after first quaifying. He made up a several places around the
outside of the first corner and was ideally positioned to make up
another three in to turn two. As he turned the corner several riders
went down in front of him as another rider collected a couple of
others on the way out of the turn.

Having survived the drama, passing another couple in to the next
corner to find himself in 14th place, he soon caught a group ahead
posting his best lap of 1'45.112 in the process. These guys were
clearly holding him up as his lap times dropped. It was only after
another rider made an unhelpful block pass under a yellow flag that
Matt lost the tow and his overheating front tyre made another
challenge unlikely.

Matt was caught towards the end of the race by a much more
experienced rider who pushed him back another place to 16th. With
enough of a gap to the guys behind Matt rode well to maintain his
position and was rewarded when the rider who had overtaken under the
yellow flag ran wide on the last lap and Matt was able to retake the
place putting him back in a points scoring position.

At the same time one of the front runners had a minor gravel
excursion and, although he rejoined, Matt was able to catch and pass
him in the last sector to move up to 14th at the flag.

Points from our first race? A top twenty was more than we could
possiby hope for from our first meeting but despite just 1.5 days
testing since moving up from his 72 hp MiniTwins bike we had exceeded
all expectations.

More importantly both riders had improved dramatically in their
approach and maturity in their riding which has everybody excited for
Monza in two weeks time.

Mike Edwards
Team Manager - MIST Suzuki

Would like to thank main sponsors www.givemethekeys.com and Steve
Jordan Motorcycles for their never ending support and the help given
to the team from B & C Express, Dyna Pro, RaceDays.net, S&B
Commercials and Silkolene.

Not personally interested but I have circulated the members of my firm.

David Daws
INGRAM WINTER GREEN
Direct Line: 020 7845 7449
E-mail:  daviddaws@...
www.iwg.co.uk

Ingram Winter Green
Solicitors
Bedford House,
21A John Street,
London WC1N 2BL
Tel:  020 7845 7400
Fax:  020 7845 7401

Partners:  N D Green, D J Ingram, C D Winter, P S Sheeter, M A Compton, D P
Daws, S E Woolf, D V Popat, D Ginsbury

Consultants:  G Paletz, M A Gordon

Information in this message is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is
intended solely for the person to whom it is addressed. If you are not the
intended recipient, please notify the sender and please delete the message from
your system immediately.
The location of our offices is available on our website at
www.iwg.co.uk/findus.htm <http://www.iwg.co.uk/findus.htm.


-----Original Message-----
From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Ian
Fox
Sent: 08 March 2006 08:10
To: Onelist
Subject: [mccf] New email address


Broadband has arrived so I have a new email address ian@...

Following my on line reorganisation I have a spare PC. Its a desk top AMD Athlon
1700+ processor; 256 RAM; 40Gb hard disc; with video card and speakers; 17"
screen and a 15" if wanted; keyboard; mouse and running Windows XP.

Although the bees knees when new about 2 years ago, its probably well out of
date for you hi tech people but for those with young children £75 will buy them
all that.

Regards
Ian

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
Check out the web page
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
Yahoo! Groups Links

Ian,

If the computer is still available then can I put my name on it. If memory
serves me correctly you are based near Leicester and im in Colchester so
maybe a courier or can it wait a couple of weekends.

Simon.

-----Original Message-----
From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Ian
Fox
Sent: 08 March 2006 08:10
To: Onelist
Subject: [mccf] New email address

Broadband has arrived so I have a new email address
ian@...

Following my on line reorganisation I have a spare PC. Its a desk top AMD
Athlon 1700+ processor; 256 RAM; 40Gb hard disc; with video card and
speakers; 17" screen and a 15" if wanted; keyboard; mouse and running
Windows XP.

Although the bees knees when new about 2 years ago, its probably well out of
date for you hi tech people but for those with young children £75 will buy
them all that.

Regards
Ian

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
Check out the web page
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
Yahoo! Groups Links

Broadband has arrived so I have a new email address ian@...

Following my on line reorganisation I have a spare PC. Its a desk top AMD Athlon
1700+ processor; 256 RAM; 40Gb hard disc; with video card and speakers; 17"
screen and a 15" if wanted; keyboard; mouse and running Windows XP.

Although the bees knees when new about 2 years ago, its probably well out of
date for you hi tech people but for those with young children £75 will buy them
all that.

Regards
Ian

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The recent chart success of the Arctic Monkeys has caused me to
wonder whether their name has any derivation in the apocryphal brass
monkeys; which then got me thinking about winter motorcycling (not
something I do unless I have to) and the suggestions from certain
pessimists that as far as winter is concerned—we ain't seen nothing
yet.

Being an incurable optimist myself I can't help noticing that the
days are getting longer and that it's no longer pitch dark when I
get up in the mornings which brings me to the more pleasant
consideration that winter is always succeeded by summer and that for
most of us that means pleasant biking and track days. It's then but
a short neural leap to thoughts of Castle Combe and seeing you lot
again…….. ah well you can't have everything I suppose.

It also makes me feel virtuous as a few days ago I received a big
parcel from Corsa Italiana containing all the bits I need to service
the big black Guzzi for the new season—including a new steering
damper for the eyewatering price of £127 plus vat and p&p. For
heaven's sake it's only a hydraulic damper of the sort of quality
that normally prevents the tailgate on my Alfa opening properly in
the cold and causes me to hit my head on it. Anyway parts rage apart
I'm feeling virtuous because despite intending to do it every
October I don't normally get around to ordering the bits I need
until late March and it's a panic to get them affixed in time for a
MOT and at least a few road miles to loosen those ageing muscles
before Castle Combe.

So Castle Combe—well as usual we start the season there after the
traditional reunion the night before at a suitable local hostelry.
This year it's Monday 24th April and we hope to all meet up for
supper at the Crown on the Sunday evening. The Crown we know will
not have sufficient room for all to stay the night but we believe
the Jolly Huntsman has suitably local sleeping accommodation for
those who just want a bed and breakfast and can make it along to the
Crown for the evening. If you're staying or just eating at the Crown
please tell them that you wish to dine with the Folly so that they
can lay a suitably huge table.

Full details and booking form (and contact info for the Crown and
Jolly Huntsman) are on the website at
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk

Don't forget that there are strict noise limits at Castle Combe so
swap those after market cans back to originals. Bear in mind also
that we believe we are unique in offering four groups at Castle
Combe (so 15 mins on track every hour) and that most other bike days
run there do six group so 10 mins per hour. I don't think the Guzzi
would be warmed through in only ten minutes!

Now at this point each year I would normally list another five
events for the year but things are a bit odd this year and we've not
been able to get all the days we wanted at prices that we thought
you lot would want to pay so currently all I can give you are the
ones we've managed to arrange so far, as follows:

Castle Combe 24th April £130
Mallory Park   18th May  £105
Oulton Park    26th July  £155

With the right prices from the circuits and sufficient support from
you we hope to do a full complement of days in 2006. We will ensure
that you get at least four weeks notice of any days—we are not into
mass mailing on Monday to tell you we have Brands on Friday for only
£145 but we are hoping to arrange something like that and we do have
a Donington noisy day on offer as well. Watch this space.

We have also finally given in to your pleading and are arranging to
go to Spain in November. We've teamed up with Track Sense (a long
established purveyor of biking activities that we've known for some
years) and are hoping to arrange a big Folly contingent to go to
Almeria for one of their two/three day sessions on the last weekend
in November. This sounds like fun. You can see details of them and
Almeria on their website at http://www.tracksense.co.uk Stick it in
your diary now, we'll provide more detail over the next couple of
months.

Mallory of course is going to be very interesting this year with its
new chicane complex at the end of Gerrards—possibly a shame
destroying what was a real institution and the place where most
track day riders finally lose their knee down virginity but Mallory
is certainly becoming a more technically demanding venue. I think
the Aprilia 250s will really clean up now.

Fortunately these days you are all on e-mail so we will be able to
advise you of other days as soon as we secure them but for now (and
I know you get bored with this) I really do recommend early booking
because we may end up with less days than we would like for 2006 and
there could be competition for places. In particular I would suggest
that if you want to ride novice at Castle Combe you book now. Some
of you may remember Triumph rider Hilary Thompson (the one all the
instructors wanted to marry). She works at Three Cross Motorcycles
near Bournemouth and has been instrumental in selling virtually
every place in novice to members of the RATS (Triumph riders). We
may have to run two novice groups but if you want a novice place at
Castle Combe book now. A booking form is on the website. A further
result of this is that we will as previously be running two novice
groups, and two intermediate groups (slower and faster). There will
be no pure advanced group at Castle Combe. So what else is new? Not
much but we agreed the following at our annual planning meeting in
October:

* You liked the raffle with a trackday as prize so we'll try to do
it again.

* Some of you would love us to accept credit cards and we'd love to
accept them but are still having problems in doing so.

* Your favourite instructors Darren (Moggy), Tim Jones and Sarah
Jordan are to be asked to help again. Mike Edwards continues as
Chief Instructor.

* A slight change to first session ducks in a row—anyone turning up
late will not be allowed to join the ducks but will have to wait
until free for all starts.

* Grip and Rip should attend as many days as they can manage—if you
want to pre-order tyres phone them on 07808 943458 or 07831 342851.

*Steve Jordan (Mr Suspension set up) should also attend as many days
as possible.

We are also very happy to report that we managed a small operating
surplus (if we weren't a not for profit organisation you would call
it a profit) last year. As usual it goes into the circuit deposit
pot. Although you gave us a couple of worrying moments we would like
to thank you all for your support last year. We hope you enjoyed
yourselves as much as we did.

As always we will rely on your support again this year. We are
small, (but perfectly formed) and we don't have lots of money to
spend on advertising. We rely on you lot to bring your mates and
persuade everyone you can to come to a Folly day with you. Once
they've been once they are likely to come again—unless you are so
much better than them and it really p………s them off.

The following (I don't apologise for reproducing it) may help:

MOTORCYCLE FOLLY—UNIQUE?

The Motorcycle Folly is these days a unique phenomenon amongst
trackday organisers—a not for profit organisation run for the
benefit of those who attend its days, not for the benefit of its
owners. Those attending a Folly day for the first time usually
express their amazement at the differences from a commercial day.
Less riders so less hustle and hassle; real instructors who actually
want to help; sensible riders, many of them regulars so with
consideration for others on circuit; a friendly, clubby atmosphere;
but most of all fantastic organisation with things clearly explained
and happening on time and in the right order.

When it started up in the late 80s it was just a bunch of mates and
anyone else they could get to come along to share the cost of
circuit hire. You can't operate like that now so they have had to
get professional with written procedures, briefings and bracelets,
insurance, official photographer and so on but the bunch of mates
ethos remains—they even send out a written report to all
their "members" after each date saying who did what and who fell off
and what was funny.

Riders do fall off of course—wouldn't be a bike trackday otherwise,
but they like to keep below the industry average of one in ten
riders and serious injury is very rare. Worst injury in 15 years has
been a broken arm. Trackday tramps say that the incidence
of "headbangers" at Folly days is remarkably low. The Folly
themselves say that headbangers do attend from time to time but they
soon get the message and either adapt to Folly style or go back to
Deathwish Trackdays Inc.

Fast riders can stretch themselves in the Advanced Group. With
20mins on track every hour and minimum stoppages (less loonies
around) they believe they get more track miles in with the Folly
than with other organisers.

The Folly ethos extends to novices too. They get their own briefing
at the beginning of the day, are shown around the track and get a
debrief after their first session. Novices are encouraged to have
one to one sessions with instructors during the day. There is even
a "Novice Guide to Trackday Riding" handed out to all to reinforce
the message—no pressure, no fear, take the bike home in the same
condition in which it arrived.

They only do six or seven days a year and advertise rarely so most
people find out about the Folly by word of mouth. It's not
exclusive, anyone can attend, just use the booking form on the
website at www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk. Whilst doing so check out
their "what our members say" section. The Folly say and believe that
they are "probably the best trackday organiser in the world". We
can't comment but they may well be the best kept trackday secret.

Finally, Ian and I have been thinking about our ages recently and
are becoming concerned that we risk becoming seen as old boys trying
to tell the young bloods how to do things. Last year someone on
Visordown described me as the "old duffer that does the briefing"
and I'm still smarting. In fact after ten years at the helm of the
Folly we think its time that we became bumblers who wander around
the paddock mumbling about how things used to be and occasionally
going out and wobbling around the circuit. (What is it about words
used to describe the incidents of near senility that means they all
have to have the letters bl in them?). Anyway we are looking for
someone or someones to step into our shoes and either carry on where
we are and what we are or move it up a gear and turn it into
something bigger and better (and probably for profit in those
circumstances). We would be happy to stay around to help (in fact
you try and get rid of us—I've got at least ten years bike blagging
in me) as would the other officers. If anyone is interested in
knowing more just email me at oldboy@....

Geoff.

Any comments on this newsletter (not bookings),
noisygeoff@....

Erm, turn left at Dijon if you want to visit the Voges-sorry.

Geoff.

-----Original Message-----
From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
iancardy100
Sent: 17 January 2006 13:48
To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [mccf] Re: Touring en France


Thanks for the advice Geoff. Le Puy and the Massif Central have become
popular
suggestions to me, so well worth a visit.

The Viamichelin site reckons it is only about 6 hours from Le Havre to
Lyon - I guess roads
and bikes have improved vastly in the past 30 years!

By the way, has anyone done the Millau Viaduct yet? Looks fab - but don't
look down eh?!

  --- In mccf@yahoogroups.com, "Geoffrey Sturgess" <gsturgess@m...> wrote:
>
> Certainly when we used to do it we took two days to get to Lyons, but that
> was 30 years ago and we were on Triumphs, Nortons and BSAs (We used to
stop
> the night in Paris).  Once in Lyon turn right up into the Massif Central,
> StEtienne, Le Puy, Rodez, Aurillac and you're in the Haut
Dordogne--fabulous
> country. Then head due North across Le Plateau De Millevaches (I kid you
> not) and you will see extinct volcanos too (promise) and you're all set
for
> a return ride to Paris via Orleans.
>
> I reckon that's two days to Lyons, at least a day touring the Massif (two
> would be more realistic) and two days back--quite a long weekend.
>
> Slightly shorter would be motorway as far as Dijon, turn right, ride
through
> the Voges mountains to Strasbourg and then return by motorway via
Luxembourg
> and Charlois. Too much motorway for not enough Voges though.
>
> I am very jealous.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
> David Daws
> Sent: 16 January 2006 10:50
> To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [mccf] Touring en France
>
>
> Don't know why you are going to Cherbourg if you want to get to Lyon.
> There's a motorway all the way from Calais to Lyon avoiding Paris.  It's
> quite a long way (I guess about 600 miles, possibly more, from Calais) and
> don't forget that you lose an hour on the crossing i.e. France is an hour
> ahead of us.  Will you be going over night and getting to Cherbourg early
in
> the morning?  I have done Nimes to London in a day but it was a hard slog
up
> the motorways.
>
> Avoid Paris if you can.
>
> My advice is
>
> avoid the motorways where you can and don't worry too much where you fetch
> up - best to get south of the Loire (Tours) if you can (the weather tends
to
> be warmer and the scenery more.....scenic) - on a 600 cc machine I
wouldn't
> try to do more than 500-600 miles a day or it may become a bit of a slog.
> Put your mind set into relax mode.  Take it EASY and calmly and enjoy the
> ambiance, the freedom, the joi de vivre - you can always go back again;
>
> make sure you take a current E111 (that is CURRENT get a new one even if
you
> already have one) - French hospitals are great but very expensive if you
> don't have an E111 and they get very picky about it being absolutely all
in
> order (just what you don't need if you're rolling around in pain) - also
> check your travel insurance covers you for motorcycle riding (should do);
>
> make sure you get recovery assistance (RAC or AA with an English speaking
> call centre you can call);
>
> beware cobbled streets (they can suddenly appear from nowhere), especially
> in the rain;
>
> take a foot pump and some chain lube, check your tyres (cold) and lube
your
> chain every day (don't forget to wipe any excess off your tyre).  Take
care
> of your tyres and make sure that they are up to the trip before you go -
Oh
> and a good water proof over suit, and Gore-Tex socks if you have leather
> type racing boots (life is bad if you get wet);
>
> Check your mobile phone is enabled to work on the continent (and call home
> regularly - well once a day, don't want to over do it) and check also that
> your bank/visa won't stop your cards when unusual transactions start
> appearing (ring them before you go (if you don't travel abroad regularly)
> because that can be an absolute s#d as its quite difficult to get them to
> re-enable them long distance) - so long as your cards work you don't need
to
> take a lot of cash and the exchange rate you get is better than if you
take
> loads of Euro and then have to convert them back again to pounds; and
>
> avoid Paris if you can (have I said that).
>
> PS the French are lovely people generally but it helps (a lot) if you try
to
> speak a little French to them even if its total boll#cks.  Get a phrase
book
> and give it a bash - it's a laugh.  Oh and the French tend to like their
> meat very rare so if that's not your thing ask for Bien cui (beeang kwee)
or
> tres bien cui (Tray beeang kwee) or you'll get something that looks like
> road kill (mmmmm tasty).
>
> Have fun.  I'm off to Nogaro in February for four days on track but am
> transporting the bike and then flying down to meet it.
>
> David Daws
> INGRAM WINTER GREEN
> Direct Line: 020 7845 7449
> E-mail:  daviddaws@i...
> www.iwg.co.uk
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
> iancardy100
> Sent: 15 January 2006 11:15
> To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [mccf] Touring en France
>
>
> Ladies & Gentleman,
>
> After a bit of advice really.
>
> A friend and I (he on GSXF600 teapot and me on Blackbird) are planning a
> long weekend to
> France in May. Since me mate hasn't ridden abroad or for any great length
of
> time at once
> before, we are being conservative as to how far down the country we go -
> hence the (current
> and sketchy) plan is to catch overnight ferry to Cherbourg on the
Thursday,
> ride down to the
> area around Lyon on the Friday (easy 7 to 8 eight hours of riding with all
> day to do it in), find
> some fab roads around the area to remove the chicken strips with on
Saturday
> and Sunday,
> and ride back to catch late ferry from Cherbourg to Poole on Monday.
>
> So, question is; does anyone know of any great roads for chicken strip
> removal near Lyon
> (would a trip over toward the Alps be worthwhile?!)?
>
> Or, does anyone have any other suggestions for places to base a weekend's
> worth of riding
> around, in France, that is within 6 to 8 hours of steady riding from
> Cherbourg?
>
> Regards...
>
>
>
>
>
> These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
> Check out the web page
> http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
> Check out the web page
> http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>






These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
Check out the web page
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
Yahoo! Groups Links

I can't afford a wallet.................
Impoverished of Stafford
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Mike Edwards
   To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 5:11 PM
   Subject: Re: [mccf] And The Largest British Team At Wsbk Is...


   >> Don't  you need to start off with a large pile of cash in order to
   >> do that?
   >
   > I thought team managers spent the sponsors cash

   I like that idea. Oi Alcock, get yer wallet out! :-)


   These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
   Check out the web page
   http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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     a..  Visit your group "mccf" on the web.

     b..  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
      mccf-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>> Don't  you need to start off with a large pile of cash in order to
>> do that?
>
> I thought team managers spent the sponsors cash

I like that idea. Oi Alcock, get yer wallet out! :-)

In a message dated 17/01/2006 16:23:40 GMT Standard Time,
mike.edwards@... writes:

Don't  you need to start off with a large pile of cash in order to do
that?



I thought team managers spent the sponsors cash


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> Just remember us when you are running a major MGP team  !!!!!!!!!

Don't you need to start off with a large pile of cash in order to do
that?

Just remember us when you are running a major MGP team  !!!!!!!!!


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks for the advice Geoff. Le Puy and the Massif Central have become popular
suggestions to me, so well worth a visit.

The Viamichelin site reckons it is only about 6 hours from Le Havre to Lyon - I
guess roads
and bikes have improved vastly in the past 30 years!

By the way, has anyone done the Millau Viaduct yet? Looks fab - but don't look
down eh?!

  --- In mccf@yahoogroups.com, "Geoffrey Sturgess" <gsturgess@m...> wrote:
>
> Certainly when we used to do it we took two days to get to Lyons, but that
> was 30 years ago and we were on Triumphs, Nortons and BSAs (We used to stop
> the night in Paris).  Once in Lyon turn right up into the Massif Central,
> StEtienne, Le Puy, Rodez, Aurillac and you're in the Haut Dordogne--fabulous
> country. Then head due North across Le Plateau De Millevaches (I kid you
> not) and you will see extinct volcanos too (promise) and you're all set for
> a return ride to Paris via Orleans.
>
> I reckon that's two days to Lyons, at least a day touring the Massif (two
> would be more realistic) and two days back--quite a long weekend.
>
> Slightly shorter would be motorway as far as Dijon, turn right, ride through
> the Voges mountains to Strasbourg and then return by motorway via Luxembourg
> and Charlois. Too much motorway for not enough Voges though.
>
> I am very jealous.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
> David Daws
> Sent: 16 January 2006 10:50
> To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [mccf] Touring en France
>
>
> Don't know why you are going to Cherbourg if you want to get to Lyon.
> There's a motorway all the way from Calais to Lyon avoiding Paris.  It's
> quite a long way (I guess about 600 miles, possibly more, from Calais) and
> don't forget that you lose an hour on the crossing i.e. France is an hour
> ahead of us.  Will you be going over night and getting to Cherbourg early in
> the morning?  I have done Nimes to London in a day but it was a hard slog up
> the motorways.
>
> Avoid Paris if you can.
>
> My advice is
>
> avoid the motorways where you can and don't worry too much where you fetch
> up - best to get south of the Loire (Tours) if you can (the weather tends to
> be warmer and the scenery more.....scenic) - on a 600 cc machine I wouldn't
> try to do more than 500-600 miles a day or it may become a bit of a slog.
> Put your mind set into relax mode.  Take it EASY and calmly and enjoy the
> ambiance, the freedom, the joi de vivre - you can always go back again;
>
> make sure you take a current E111 (that is CURRENT get a new one even if you
> already have one) - French hospitals are great but very expensive if you
> don't have an E111 and they get very picky about it being absolutely all in
> order (just what you don't need if you're rolling around in pain) - also
> check your travel insurance covers you for motorcycle riding (should do);
>
> make sure you get recovery assistance (RAC or AA with an English speaking
> call centre you can call);
>
> beware cobbled streets (they can suddenly appear from nowhere), especially
> in the rain;
>
> take a foot pump and some chain lube, check your tyres (cold) and lube your
> chain every day (don't forget to wipe any excess off your tyre).  Take care
> of your tyres and make sure that they are up to the trip before you go - Oh
> and a good water proof over suit, and Gore-Tex socks if you have leather
> type racing boots (life is bad if you get wet);
>
> Check your mobile phone is enabled to work on the continent (and call home
> regularly - well once a day, don't want to over do it) and check also that
> your bank/visa won't stop your cards when unusual transactions start
> appearing (ring them before you go (if you don't travel abroad regularly)
> because that can be an absolute s#d as its quite difficult to get them to
> re-enable them long distance) - so long as your cards work you don't need to
> take a lot of cash and the exchange rate you get is better than if you take
> loads of Euro and then have to convert them back again to pounds; and
>
> avoid Paris if you can (have I said that).
>
> PS the French are lovely people generally but it helps (a lot) if you try to
> speak a little French to them even if its total boll#cks.  Get a phrase book
> and give it a bash - it's a laugh.  Oh and the French tend to like their
> meat very rare so if that's not your thing ask for Bien cui (beeang kwee) or
> tres bien cui (Tray beeang kwee) or you'll get something that looks like
> road kill (mmmmm tasty).
>
> Have fun.  I'm off to Nogaro in February for four days on track but am
> transporting the bike and then flying down to meet it.
>
> David Daws
> INGRAM WINTER GREEN
> Direct Line: 020 7845 7449
> E-mail:  daviddaws@i...
> www.iwg.co.uk
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
> iancardy100
> Sent: 15 January 2006 11:15
> To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [mccf] Touring en France
>
>
> Ladies & Gentleman,
>
> After a bit of advice really.
>
> A friend and I (he on GSXF600 teapot and me on Blackbird) are planning a
> long weekend to
> France in May. Since me mate hasn't ridden abroad or for any great length of
> time at once
> before, we are being conservative as to how far down the country we go -
> hence the (current
> and sketchy) plan is to catch overnight ferry to Cherbourg on the Thursday,
> ride down to the
> area around Lyon on the Friday (easy 7 to 8 eight hours of riding with all
> day to do it in), find
> some fab roads around the area to remove the chicken strips with on Saturday
> and Sunday,
> and ride back to catch late ferry from Cherbourg to Poole on Monday.
>
> So, question is; does anyone know of any great roads for chicken strip
> removal near Lyon
> (would a trip over toward the Alps be worthwhile?!)?
>
> Or, does anyone have any other suggestions for places to base a weekend's
> worth of riding
> around, in France, that is within 6 to 8 hours of steady riding from
> Cherbourg?
>
> Regards...
>
>
>
>
>
> These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
> Check out the web page
> http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
> Check out the web page
> http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>

Mais naturellement!

(I'm a Brighton Seagulls supporter so bleu et blanc c'est la coleur really)...

--- In mccf@yahoogroups.com, tctom1955@a... wrote:
>
> Le football?
>
> BLEU C'EST LA COLEUR!
>
> TC
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Erm, Us!

Okay, so we are in a support class rather than the main event but as
a British team with two British riders I guess we qualify!

Team is MIST Suzuki and we'll be running Matt Bond and Chris
Northover in the European SuperStock 600 Championship. The team will
be at all ten European rounds of the World SuperBike Championship!

If you would like to support us we have a competition running to give
away a MiniTwins race bike, tyres and entries. Tickets are 20 quid
and all profits go towards supporting the team. See http://
www.givemethekeys.com/minitwins/ for more details.

Its hard to ride a bike whilst giving a gallic.......shrug!

David Daws
INGRAM WINTER GREEN
Direct Line: 020 7845 7449
E-mail:  daviddaws@...
www.iwg.co.uk

Ingram Winter Green
Solicitors
Bedford House,
21A John Street,
London WC1N 2BL
Tel:  020 7845 7400
Fax:  020 7845 7401

Partners:  N D Green, D J Ingram, C D Winter, P S Sheeter, M A Compton, D P
Daws, S E Woolf, D V Popat, D Ginsbury

Consultants:  G Paletz, M A Gordon

Information in this message is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is
intended solely for the person to whom it is addressed. If you are not the
intended recipient, please notify the sender and please delete the message from
your system immediately.
The location of our offices is available on our website at
www.iwg.co.uk/findus.htm <http://www.iwg.co.uk/findus.htm.


-----Original Message-----
From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
tctom1955@...
Sent: 16 January 2006 18:26
To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [mccf] Re: Touring en France


Le football?

BLEU C'EST LA COLEUR!

TC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
Check out the web page
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
Yahoo! Groups Links

Certainly when we used to do it we took two days to get to Lyons, but that
was 30 years ago and we were on Triumphs, Nortons and BSAs (We used to stop
the night in Paris).  Once in Lyon turn right up into the Massif Central,
StEtienne, Le Puy, Rodez, Aurillac and you're in the Haut Dordogne--fabulous
country. Then head due North across Le Plateau De Millevaches (I kid you
not) and you will see extinct volcanos too (promise) and you're all set for
a return ride to Paris via Orleans.

I reckon that's two days to Lyons, at least a day touring the Massif (two
would be more realistic) and two days back--quite a long weekend.

Slightly shorter would be motorway as far as Dijon, turn right, ride through
the Voges mountains to Strasbourg and then return by motorway via Luxembourg
and Charlois. Too much motorway for not enough Voges though.

I am very jealous.

-----Original Message-----
From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
David Daws
Sent: 16 January 2006 10:50
To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [mccf] Touring en France


Don't know why you are going to Cherbourg if you want to get to Lyon.
There's a motorway all the way from Calais to Lyon avoiding Paris.  It's
quite a long way (I guess about 600 miles, possibly more, from Calais) and
don't forget that you lose an hour on the crossing i.e. France is an hour
ahead of us.  Will you be going over night and getting to Cherbourg early in
the morning?  I have done Nimes to London in a day but it was a hard slog up
the motorways.

Avoid Paris if you can.

My advice is

avoid the motorways where you can and don't worry too much where you fetch
up - best to get south of the Loire (Tours) if you can (the weather tends to
be warmer and the scenery more.....scenic) - on a 600 cc machine I wouldn't
try to do more than 500-600 miles a day or it may become a bit of a slog.
Put your mind set into relax mode.  Take it EASY and calmly and enjoy the
ambiance, the freedom, the joi de vivre - you can always go back again;

make sure you take a current E111 (that is CURRENT get a new one even if you
already have one) - French hospitals are great but very expensive if you
don't have an E111 and they get very picky about it being absolutely all in
order (just what you don't need if you're rolling around in pain) - also
check your travel insurance covers you for motorcycle riding (should do);

make sure you get recovery assistance (RAC or AA with an English speaking
call centre you can call);

beware cobbled streets (they can suddenly appear from nowhere), especially
in the rain;

take a foot pump and some chain lube, check your tyres (cold) and lube your
chain every day (don't forget to wipe any excess off your tyre).  Take care
of your tyres and make sure that they are up to the trip before you go - Oh
and a good water proof over suit, and Gore-Tex socks if you have leather
type racing boots (life is bad if you get wet);

Check your mobile phone is enabled to work on the continent (and call home
regularly - well once a day, don't want to over do it) and check also that
your bank/visa won't stop your cards when unusual transactions start
appearing (ring them before you go (if you don't travel abroad regularly)
because that can be an absolute s#d as its quite difficult to get them to
re-enable them long distance) - so long as your cards work you don't need to
take a lot of cash and the exchange rate you get is better than if you take
loads of Euro and then have to convert them back again to pounds; and

avoid Paris if you can (have I said that).

PS the French are lovely people generally but it helps (a lot) if you try to
speak a little French to them even if its total boll#cks.  Get a phrase book
and give it a bash - it's a laugh.  Oh and the French tend to like their
meat very rare so if that's not your thing ask for Bien cui (beeang kwee) or
tres bien cui (Tray beeang kwee) or you'll get something that looks like
road kill (mmmmm tasty).

Have fun.  I'm off to Nogaro in February for four days on track but am
transporting the bike and then flying down to meet it.

David Daws
INGRAM WINTER GREEN
Direct Line: 020 7845 7449
E-mail:  daviddaws@...
www.iwg.co.uk



-----Original Message-----
From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
iancardy100
Sent: 15 January 2006 11:15
To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [mccf] Touring en France


Ladies & Gentleman,

After a bit of advice really.

A friend and I (he on GSXF600 teapot and me on Blackbird) are planning a
long weekend to
France in May. Since me mate hasn't ridden abroad or for any great length of
time at once
before, we are being conservative as to how far down the country we go -
hence the (current
and sketchy) plan is to catch overnight ferry to Cherbourg on the Thursday,
ride down to the
area around Lyon on the Friday (easy 7 to 8 eight hours of riding with all
day to do it in), find
some fab roads around the area to remove the chicken strips with on Saturday
and Sunday,
and ride back to catch late ferry from Cherbourg to Poole on Monday.

So, question is; does anyone know of any great roads for chicken strip
removal near Lyon
(would a trip over toward the Alps be worthwhile?!)?

Or, does anyone have any other suggestions for places to base a weekend's
worth of riding
around, in France, that is within 6 to 8 hours of steady riding from
Cherbourg?

Regards...





These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
Check out the web page
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
Yahoo! Groups Links









These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
Check out the web page
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
Yahoo! Groups Links

Le football?

BLEU C'EST LA COLEUR!

TC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I'm a bit paranoid about tyres so a small Halfords footpump is always with me on
a trip (together with a separate pressure guage - the one's on foot pumps are
notoriosly inaccurate as are the ones in garage forecourts.  They don't cost
much and they don't take up much room.  Que est que c'est le football?

David Daws
INGRAM WINTER GREEN
Direct Line: 020 7845 7449
E-mail:  daviddaws@...
www.iwg.co.uk

Ingram Winter Green
Solicitors
Bedford House,
21A John Street,
London WC1N 2BL
Tel:  020 7845 7400
Fax:  020 7845 7401

Partners:  N D Green, D J Ingram, C D Winter, P S Sheeter, M A Compton, D P
Daws, S E Woolf, D V Popat, D Ginsbury

Consultants:  G Paletz, M A Gordon

Information in this message is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is
intended solely for the person to whom it is addressed. If you are not the
intended recipient, please notify the sender and please delete the message from
your system immediately.
The location of our offices is available on our website at
www.iwg.co.uk/findus.htm <http://www.iwg.co.uk/findus.htm.


-----Original Message-----
From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
iancardy100
Sent: 16 January 2006 17:02
To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [mccf] Re: Touring en France


Thanks for the advice. Since I live in Dorset, the Poole - Cherbourg crossing is
the easiest -
hence not starting our trip in Calais (as getting to Folkestone from here is
awful!). As it is,
we're going from Portsmouth to Le Havre now, but hey.

I've done a few trips abroad en France (although my riding buddy is a virgin to
the joi de vivre
of French riding - why can't British car drivers be as nice to us?!) so the
essentials list was a
useful aide memoire (although I've never taken a foot pump - would that be for
le football?!).

Useful note re keeping the range to 600 miles a day - especiall yon the teapot.
I can mile
munch on the Blackbird no problem, but my buddy may tire a bit quicker.

We've now narrowed down our trip to two possible locations for our base for the
weekend -
near Geneva and near Puy (thanks Richard for that hint). Any recommendations for
sojourns
nearby these two locations would be most welcome.

Regards





These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
Check out the web page
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
Yahoo! Groups Links

Thanks for the advice. Since I live in Dorset, the Poole - Cherbourg crossing is
the easiest -
hence not starting our trip in Calais (as getting to Folkestone from here is
awful!). As it is,
we're going from Portsmouth to Le Havre now, but hey.

I've done a few trips abroad en France (although my riding buddy is a virgin to
the joi de vivre
of French riding - why can't British car drivers be as nice to us?!) so the
essentials list was a
useful aide memoire (although I've never taken a foot pump - would that be for
le football?!).

Useful note re keeping the range to 600 miles a day - especiall yon the teapot.
I can mile
munch on the Blackbird no problem, but my buddy may tire a bit quicker.

We've now narrowed down our trip to two possible locations for our base for the
weekend -
near Geneva and near Puy (thanks Richard for that hint). Any recommendations for
sojourns
nearby these two locations would be most welcome.

Regards

An I thought Arsenal were boring.....

David Daws
INGRAM WINTER GREEN
Direct Line: 020 7845 7449
E-mail:  daviddaws@...
www.iwg.co.uk

-----Original Message-----
From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
tctom1955@...
Sent: 15 January 2006 19:32
To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [mccf] Footie


Probably has something to do with the fact that he's only just got back  from
Canada and is still jet-lagged.

Tom

PS: Chelsea won again

PPS: ski-ing 21-28 Jan. Is there an Ally Pally trip this  year?


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
Check out the web page
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
Yahoo! Groups Links

Don't know why you are going to Cherbourg if you want to get to Lyon.  There's a
motorway all the way from Calais to Lyon avoiding Paris.  It's quite a long way
(I guess about 600 miles, possibly more, from Calais) and don't forget that you
lose an hour on the crossing i.e. France is an hour ahead of us.  Will you be
going over night and getting to Cherbourg early in the morning?  I have done
Nimes to London in a day but it was a hard slog up the motorways.

Avoid Paris if you can.

My advice is

avoid the motorways where you can and don't worry too much where you fetch up -
best to get south of the Loire (Tours) if you can (the weather tends to be
warmer and the scenery more.....scenic) - on a 600 cc machine I wouldn't try to
do more than 500-600 miles a day or it may become a bit of a slog.  Put your
mind set into relax mode.  Take it EASY and calmly and enjoy the ambiance, the
freedom, the joi de vivre - you can always go back again;

make sure you take a current E111 (that is CURRENT get a new one even if you
already have one) - French hospitals are great but very expensive if you don't
have an E111 and they get very picky about it being absolutely all in order
(just what you don't need if you're rolling around in pain) - also check your
travel insurance covers you for motorcycle riding (should do);

make sure you get recovery assistance (RAC or AA with an English speaking call
centre you can call);

beware cobbled streets (they can suddenly appear from nowhere), especially in
the rain;

take a foot pump and some chain lube, check your tyres (cold) and lube your
chain every day (don't forget to wipe any excess off your tyre).  Take care of
your tyres and make sure that they are up to the trip before you go - Oh and a
good water proof over suit, and Gore-Tex socks if you have leather type racing
boots (life is bad if you get wet);

Check your mobile phone is enabled to work on the continent (and call home
regularly - well once a day, don't want to over do it) and check also that your
bank/visa won't stop your cards when unusual transactions start appearing (ring
them before you go (if you don't travel abroad regularly) because that can be an
absolute s#d as its quite difficult to get them to re-enable them long distance)
- so long as your cards work you don't need to take a lot of cash and the
exchange rate you get is better than if you take loads of Euro and then have to
convert them back again to pounds; and

avoid Paris if you can (have I said that).

PS the French are lovely people generally but it helps (a lot) if you try to
speak a little French to them even if its total boll#cks.  Get a phrase book and
give it a bash - it's a laugh.  Oh and the French tend to like their meat very
rare so if that's not your thing ask for Bien cui (beeang kwee) or tres bien cui
(Tray beeang kwee) or you'll get something that looks like road kill (mmmmm
tasty).

Have fun.  I'm off to Nogaro in February for four days on track but am
transporting the bike and then flying down to meet it.

David Daws
INGRAM WINTER GREEN
Direct Line: 020 7845 7449
E-mail:  daviddaws@...
www.iwg.co.uk



-----Original Message-----
From: mccf@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mccf@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
iancardy100
Sent: 15 January 2006 11:15
To: mccf@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [mccf] Touring en France


Ladies & Gentleman,

After a bit of advice really.

A friend and I (he on GSXF600 teapot and me on Blackbird) are planning a long
weekend to
France in May. Since me mate hasn't ridden abroad or for any great length of
time at once
before, we are being conservative as to how far down the country we go - hence
the (current
and sketchy) plan is to catch overnight ferry to Cherbourg on the Thursday, ride
down to the
area around Lyon on the Friday (easy 7 to 8 eight hours of riding with all day
to do it in), find
some fab roads around the area to remove the chicken strips with on Saturday and
Sunday,
and ride back to catch late ferry from Cherbourg to Poole on Monday.

So, question is; does anyone know of any great roads for chicken strip removal
near Lyon
(would a trip over toward the Alps be worthwhile?!)?

Or, does anyone have any other suggestions for places to base a weekend's worth
of riding
around, in France, that is within 6 to 8 hours of steady riding from Cherbourg?

Regards...





These opinions are those of the poster not the list owner or the club.
Check out the web page
http://www.motorcyclefolly.co.uk , what a way to spend a day.
Yahoo! Groups Links

Probably has something to do with the fact that he's only just got back  from
Canada and is still jet-lagged.

Tom

PS: Chelsea won again

PPS: ski-ing 21-28 Jan. Is there an Ally Pally trip this  year?


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In a message dated 15/01/2006 16:30:10 GMT Standard Time,
graham@... writes:

How come  there hasn't been a thread posted by a certain Mr Hendon


I wondered that too - perhaps he's suffering shock??????????
Ian


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

How come there hasn't been a thread posted by a certain Mr Hendon telling all
about his teams wonderful victory over those that he despises from the other end
of town ! Is the man not well...............
Graham.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]