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Here I was thinking an Australian's not likely to "big up" an American any more than he's likely to flatter a Pommie. Sorry, it seems to be more American based: Clicky Here

Well you're ahead of most of your countrymen, at least you know where it is Bank of America employee

Only just realised who you are. Not sure if I rode with you in East Yorks as a youth, in the Army or both, but I know I've seen you round a few of the Shropshire/Mid Wales/Novogar trials over the past couple of years.

My point of view (which may be wrong) is that most of these jobs are poorly paid as a basic wage as tips are generally expected to be added on to that wage. I don't think it's a bad way of working as it is a decent method of paying for performance. If someone has done their job well then I'll tip, it might be slightly more if it's exceptional service. The only time I won't tip is if the service is bad. First time ever I left a tip after having what was generally bad service just last week. It was only Pizza Hut with the kids, but our one waitress seemed to be running around doing everything while the rest of the crew did bugger all. I left a tip and told the Manager why I had on the way out - "I left a tip because our waitress seems to be the only one doing anything in here, including you. I think you need to get your a*** in gear". I think he was stunned - not surprisingly I had to get my own balloons Maybe I'm a soft touch, but if all the staff had been the same as our one waitress, the place would have run like clockwork. I only do 10% unless it's exceptional though.

Tell 'em they've just got to let go Andy You've got to be in your 50's now? I know....I'll get me coat.

If he's everyone's manager I'd say he's making a right ar5e of things at the moment. He ain't my manager. We were forced to have words years ago when I was a kid. Since then we've steered clear of each other and I'm all the happier for it. You still didn't mention what you do for a living? Everyone's an engineer these days, very few are really engineers. Go on, give us a clue. I agree with the problem of engineers being pushed in to management. I've been there and guided myself back out of it. I really don't have the patience to manage people and I need to keep my hands dirty or I get bored, but I've had a nightmare trying to stay out of it. Managers don't seem to be able to understand that not everyone has a dream of wiping peoples ar5e5 and de-skilling themselves. They don't understand that not everybody wants to be like them. I think it's such a conceited view. For some engineers the money is the same as their managers anyway, and they're doing what they enjoy doing.

Interesting read Gizza 5. I wish I'd made more of an effort to get in to the trials scene when I joined up. Not sure from your memoirs whether you were actually Signals? REME maybe? I met Bill Buckley a few times and had the odd chat with him. During my recruit troop I got a call up for the Signals Enduro team at Catterick, but it turned up a bit clicky. Three 250 Maico's and a 500 Maico, they dumped me on the beast at 17 year old. Happy just to be there I had a go and managed a win down in Borden (can't remember name of the event). After that it all died down. There was a Major Cole in charge at that time (end of 86) who was really keen, but a sprog lieutenant took over and the money dried up. I got posted out to Germany primarily for the Enduro team out there, but it turned out to be more of a bike club where blokes took lasses out on the field for a spin - I was gutted. I did a few events on my own bike - I think that's when I met Bill (somewhere near Hull on a big vehicle training area - Driffield?). I destroyed my 301 Fantic there but thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm sure if I'd made enough of an effort to speak to the right people I could have managed to get more riding in, I wasn't aware there was as much going on as I later found out. Makes me jealous as hell when I see the Forces teams competing there but it really is great that they're still managing it.

Well this one's been a bit of fun by the look of it. Just out of interest Andy, what line of work are you in?

what is the resistor version for out of interest? Please nobody explain ohms law to me - I've been there :-)

There's a subtle difference anyway. And I won't get on my high horse about it, but I think it's worth mentioning: A joke such as the Irish potato patch joke uses a subject which is in some way similar to the current news. Perhaps unfortunate, but no direct link. The jokes about Colin McRae are directly about him and the accident. I received one by text. I cringed. I deleted it. I didn't respond. I forgot about it. I've definitely got a squaddie sense of humour, and agree that political correctness has gone mad, but most people will recognise the difference and recognise where the line is. Sometimes the line is grey with a 'squaddie' sense of humour, but I reckon this is a black and white one.

Yep, I remember as a youth it was always two and a half pounds in the rear with tubed tyres and security bolts done up with a 10 ft long bar That was all the way up to A class. I remember starting again 15 years later and trying 4 pounds, and thinking "These tyres must be softer" I got a feeling I may have put a few pound on So with my bulk, I normally run at around 6 or 7 pounds, and pump it up a pound or two during the summer for rocks. My lad on the other hand, who weighs the same as a Sainsbury's medium roast chicken, normally runs at about 3 pound on the rear. The only reason I know though is that I've let them down to what looks about right, then shoved a guage on for future reference. I really don't think about the front too much, maybe I should. I normally run about 6 or 7 pounds, which seems to stop the rim getting bashed, although I try to avoid hitting anything head on if possible, my arms can't take the strain I'm one of those people that changes a rear when it's well rounded, but the front lasts the lifetime of the bike I should probably take more notice of the front.

I've burnt mine out a couple of times since we spoke about it a couple of years ago. Seems to rejuvinate it fairly well. Now this isn't for the faint hearted, and I must put in a disclaimer here that if you want to burn your exhaust out you absolutely do it at your own risk, but here's what i did: Soaked the silencer in fuel, for an hour or two. Put the silencer in the middle of a large patio area, carefully at arms reach applied a blow torch to the end of it. Burns like wild fire for 20 or 30 seconds, then dies down to a small flame. At this point I blast it with a compressor to provide the oxygen, swapping ends now and then. It turns in to a blue flame and sounds like a jet engine. Kept this up as long as i could keep it burning for. I repeated the whole process MAKING SURE IT WAS ALL COOL BEFORE APPLYING MORE FUEL. (next day in my case). It's been clean as a whistle since. I know I said I've done this twice so it sounds like it's really temporary, but one of them was a second hand one off a 125 which was full of oil when i bought it (after I bent mine beyond easy repair).

Wow - second page gets down to the nitty gritty: " How to Shoot Out Clinker Rings and Balls"

This part has me slightly worried: "Both the gun and the ammunition provide superior power, accuracy and dependability, shot after shot, at distances up to 300 feet. Obstructions like eyebrows, rings, balls, overhangs and snowmen can be eliminated more effectively." Fairly au fait with the rest, but what's a snowman and how do i check if I've got one?

It sort of shows off my fat lad figure that I've never had to think about it, but my 11 year old can get his bike on our rack doing it this way. Feet down, use the clutch to lift the front wheel in to the rack under engine power. Kill the engine, and just dead lift the rear end in. Really does go in easy. Doesnt make sense to put the front in last? The back end pivots nicely around the front if the front's in first. On the ab front, it's not unknown for me to snap a decent belt under hefty lifting strain. I'm guessing that's bad right

I've found that ribs are the best bones to break. It doesn't feel like it at the time, but none of them do I suppose At least they mend without you doing anything.....usually. The worst thing you can get is a tickly cough while they're mending

Surely we've had a definitive answer on the operation of the switch by now? Advance retard seems plausible eh? There seems to be all sorts of fairy stories coming out? I reckon it just lets your tyres down a bit on the rain setting.

I just bought an 05 Sherco 80, used about 8 times. Looks like new for around the

Practice up hill Jack. Even on the flat though you really should be able to sit on the rear mudguard, slip the clutch a little and bring the front wheel up. Cover the rear brake with your right foot and you can dab it if you get up too far. Practicing up hill lets you get away with a lower point of balance because the hill slows your forward momentum. Also means your wheel drops quicker when you take the revs off.

then promptly retired, must have been a dream to ride You should have been an estate agent. Can see through that blarney "If you're happy to strip it every week you'll be fine". I know Dabster's gonna be right on my heels, but he wasn't their number one fan until the day he bought one either. edit: Achhhhhh - I wanted to wind them two up but don't want to detract from the thread itself, so honestly I think the Gasser is well over it's problem years (probably 4or5 years past them. If you want low maintenance, I think the Beta is likely to be tops. Gasser is likely to need much more, Sherco somewhere in between. All of the 125's ridable for the type of rider we're talking about. Scorpa 125 - I can't stand them, I think they're old fashioned, heavy and blah blah blah, but the owners seem to love them. I'm in a mid life crisis though, so in 10 years I'll be happy with one.

What age group we talking? It's not Kylie Minogue is it? Just wishful thinking. My lad is 11 year old and riding a Sherco 80. Apart from the forks being a little lighter, and I think the suspension being softer at the back, it's the same bike as the 125-290 (as far as I know). The spares all fit from my 290 anyway. The reason I mention this is my lad is about the same measurements (maybe a bit lighter) due to having legs like bambi and ribs you can play a tune on. How about a Sherco 125? GasGas125? if she's not limited by age group. I don't see many Beta 125's around so not sure whether to include, but others will pitch in with comments.

I really don't know what I think. It sort of annoys me to see people harping on about 2 minutes on remembrance Sunday to remember those who fell, when we're still losing soldiers due to lack of resources in the field. I'll be biting my tongue when Gordon Brown lays his wreath. I know everyone means well, but this one day seems to make everyone feel like they've done their bit to remember, when for the rest of the year there's a fair dose of neglect administered to our troops. Most of my mates who stayed in are feeling that things are getting worse for our forces, this topped up by the lack of support for them in a war (or wars) that much of the country are not so sure we should be involved with. Most of them are coming to the end of their service and wondering where things will go for the future of our forces. The numbers at the moment - 3 of them leave - 2 new recruits are taken on. What are we remembering? Those who died? The reason they died? Why we shouldn't let it happen again? Have we learnt any lessons? I dunno. It's one of the issues I find it hard to decide what my feelings are. Not intended to offend anyone with this and hopefully I've worded it well enough not to. I have great respect for the fallen and the serving, but I'm not sure that we remember for the right reasons sometimes. One of my more sombre posts I actually wouldn't be that disappointed if someone could convince that my negativity is ill founded.

just like a set of firm renthals!! I used to use Sugrical Spirts before world rounds and at the begining of the year. Not used them for a long time but have been and got another bottle ready for next Oct. Think i've heard the same story before but the coach told me it had to be someone elses urine. Think i'll stick with the surgical spirits Used to be a bit of a survival trick, pee in a bag and bathe the feet to get rid of blisters. Dunno what the theory behind it was. Never tried it, tinc benz (spell?) used to do the trick though. Is it still around or is it illegal these days

I definitely remember riding at Langley Park in the 80's. Can't picture it at the moment. Was it a sort of big open waste land with the sections on the opposite side to a sort of housing estate. Real vague memories of it. Who are ya baldy? Do I know ya? I used to be Gaz (Gareth) Hinton. Of course I'm not him any more, I'm much younger and far better looking. Other Venues I remember from the 70's 80's, how many are still going: Woodhouse Farm - Great Ayton Eston Hills (Lazenby) - had to keep an eye on the bikes when marking out Chop Gate (Cooks Farm was it?) Carlton Bank Swainby Sun Inn (and the venue over the road) - I broke my finger and my dad broke his ankle on the cricket pitch there (well I think it may have been riding over a wall, but over the years it moved 400yds to the cricket pitch for pi55 taking sake) Underbanks Iron Banks Holgate? Colgate? Rings a bell anyway Was that the one with 30 gates on the way to it? Croft Penn Hill - Loved it there - want my ashes spread there Steve/Mark Reynolds - still about? Charltons Birk Brow Obviously Low North Park Memory stops there

Sorry Billy,just re-read my post and thought I better just mention I wasn't having a pop, the bit about how many trials riders you met was retorical. I know you rode the Scott, you don't get there without a bit of history I think you took it the right way anyway but wanted to clarify. The only truth in the humour was that I AM interested in what you're saying, but I have to admit it's a long hard google slog to work out what it means From breakages, I know most of the bones, and I know a few of the popular muscles. Other than that I'm an ignoramus (which is probably in your leg somewhere) We can't expect you to write everything out twice for those that know what you mean and those like me, just thought I'd mention it though. I know sometimes I'm talking geek speak to people and suddenly realise that the eyes are looking through me and the head's nodding, but the brain has already set off home