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Issue 181 August 2013 WWW.THERIDERSDIGEST.CO.UK Back to Contents Page Contents... 4. From the editor… 33. A View from the Group 96. Men and the Art of 159. Motorcycle Girl Racer Heated discussions W Bench Motorcycle Maintenance Strange goings on at about what to wear in A German jaunt A quartet of classic bikes Stonehenge hot weather on a weekend trip to Spa 35. THAT phone call – a 163. Book Review 7. Rider’s Lives parent’s perspective 121. Never too old to lean – or – Riding on two wheels Vs Straight talking from the Dad’s dilema don’t give up Standing your ground man behind the Something exotic to Bike Shed MC 41. The Clever Girls and pep up the retirement Boys’ Club 8. Image of the Month The 3rd IJMS Conference 130. Are we our own worst Barnstorming Britten comes to London enemies? Digging our own grave? 10. Six & the City 68. Juke Box Jury Bringing back Blinky Martin does a little 136. Ask a Policeman investigative journalism The Barton Bike Meet 12. Paddy’s Perspective Chinese charmer 86. Bloodrunner 145. Seriously Super Motard An old Digest favourite The KTM SMT restores 29. The Boy Biker returns to make some Paul’s sense of purpose All fun and games… crucial deliveries 31. Nuts & Bolts It’s all about the engine Editor Contributors Cartoons Contacts Dave Gurman Tinks, Paddy Tyson, George Smith, Rod Young, Simon Kewer Editorial Assistant editor Ian Dunmore, Nick Lojik, Dave Gurman, Martin Haskell, Dave Gurman Peter Martin Antony Loveless, Neil Waugh, Wyn Edwards, Wizzard, +44 (0) 20 8707 0655 Design Graham Pierce, Paul Browne, Jonathan Boorstein +44 (0) 7948 897093 Simon Gardner Photographs [email protected] Web site Dave Gurman, Paul Blezard, Paddy Tyson, Nick Lojik, Advertising Andy Cadney Martin Haskell, The Busy Bee MCC, Antony Loveless, The opinions and comments of contributors Peter Martin Neil Waugh, Wyn Edwards, Hal, the FMMC, within this magazine do not necessarily reflect +44 (0) 7973 818579 Graham Pierce, Paul Browne the opinions of the editor. [email protected] 2 WWW.THERIDERSDIGEST.CO.UK ISSUE 181 August 2013 Back to Contents Page 3 his dripping red face before turning to me and saying, “Surely that’s not safe?” From the editor... “Well” I replied, “I guess It’s been the same thing have shrunk into a protective by the grace of your god, it’s that’s a matter of opinion.” every summer for as long kernel just thinking about it) not going to happen to you; So, as all the Armour Nazis as I can remember but the and it takes forever to heal and I can entirely understand seem to have absolutely din seems to be getting because it needs air to get where you’re coming from. no qualms about sharing exponentially louder year on better but you have to keep What I don’t understand is their opinion, here’s mine: year; in fact sometimes I get the wounds covered to keep why the same people are as far as I am concerned the distinct impression that infection out and stop them so often the first to point the most important thing a large chunk of the Internet sticking to your clothes… out the danger of riding when I’m riding a bike is spending every minute Ultimately though in ‘unsuitably dressed’ and to is that I am comfortable it isn’t wasting playing 99% of cases that’s all it is – post photographs of other and at ease. I struggle to pointless social media very painful. Skin might well motorcyclists with horrific correct protection factor advanced motorcyclist, who envisage a situation whereby games or spreading random be the largest organ in the injuries to their skin? I can’t sunscreen (well you can’t be has internalised just about riding without protective unsubstantiated bullshit, tut- body (or should that be on help thinking how they would too careful with your skin), everything there is to know gear would actually cause tutting about one thing or the body?) but by the same feel if they were constantly you could hardly blame him if about safe riding but just somebody to have an another, whether it’s riding a token that means there’s a lot assaulted by pictures of when he got off of his bike, he doesn’t happen to subscribe accident, whereas it’s not bike in the first place, riding it of it and it’s spread all over suitably dressed but stone turned and raised his middle to the prevailing view of what difficult to imagine how heat too fast, or – apparently worst so unless someone boils you dead motorcyclists; broken digit to all the haters. OK, say constitutes a minimum level exhaustion and dehydration of all in the current climate (i.e in oil (and you really should bodies laying in pools of dark he continues to ride the same of protection before you can might have a profound effect heatwave hot) – riding while try to avoid people who are fluid with limbs in horrifically way throughout the summer ride a bike? on a rider’s abilities. inappropriately dressed! likely to do that sort of thing) unnatural positions, posted whenever the weather A few weeks ago as I’m much too lazy to try It’s easy to understand you’re unlikely to destroy all by well meaning non-bikers dictates (and he continues the wife and I fought our to organise a major web why someone who has of it at once. Your internals bemoaning the terrible to wear sunscreen) and he way through heavy traffic campaign but it would be never thrown a leg over however, are another thing dangers that we all face? still doesn’t get creamed on our way home after interesting to see what would a bike might get vexed altogether; if you should OK let me run a scenario by marauding motorists; a lovely afternoon spent happen if I could persuade about anyone daring to pay be unfortunate enough to by you: at the height of the when he finally covers his wandering around the lake masses of people to point at such scant regard to such find yourself hitting a solid heatwave I was reading half a suntanned limbs with a and (imported) Roman ruins motorcyclists and laugh at outrageous danger; but the object at any sort of serious dozen comments a day from leather jacket in the early in Virginia Water, we pulled them for being so ridiculous overwhelming majority of speed, if the impact doesn’t apoplectic motorcyclists who Autumn is he allowed to feel up at a set of traffic lights whenever they saw them the real ‘Armour Nazis’ are kill you outright, the sudden had been appalled to witness a little bit smug? and as we were facing a wearing full leathers in motorcyclists themselves, deceleration is likely to an absolute idiot/cretin/ Obviously I know the long sequence before we’d scorching heat because in my which always makes me rupture one or more of the tosser/dickhead* riding his conventional answer or I get to go again I killed the experience there’s nothing wonder if they really organs that you rely on to R1/Blade/Gixxer/Ninja* on the wouldn’t be asking: he’s Burgervan’s engine because like a bit of peer pressure to understand the potential keep body and soul together M1/M2/M3/M4567* in shorts, dead lucky but that doesn’t the temperature gauge was prevent people making up hazards they face every – and if that organ happens trainers and a t-shirt (*delete detract in any way from the showing a worrying four bars. their own minds. time they take a bike onto a to be your brain, it won’t as appropriate). But let’s take hopelessness of his decision A GS1200 pulled up alongside Enjoy your summer public road? matter if you’ve got over a look at this; let’s say this making. Which is all very with a pilot in full leathers. He wearing whatever suits you So do all you belt and five hundred quid’s worth of supposedly brainless chap is well and I know that our in- looked at us in that superior best and why don’t you try braces and back protector Arai protecting it, it’ll still be actually a very capable rider house PC would be the first way that most ‘real bikers’ making an effort to leave wearers (that’s ATGATT for spread across the inside of and he manages to arrive at to endorse that position, but look at a couple riding a others people to do exactly the the sake of our American your skull. his destination without any he also said last month that scooter in light clothing same in their own sweet way. cousins) honestly believe that I hope I haven’t upset dramas (as most of us usually the police only deal with and – in the pillion’s case – Dave Gurman you are safe as long as you’ve anyone by being so graphic do in spite of the madness collisions because there is flip-flops. I’m sure he would got all the correct safety kit about the potential dangers that we see all around us no such thing as an accident have liked to have offered on? Road rash is a terrible we all face, I know that on the average motorway – – and if that is the case, then us a sneer but the horrible thing indeed, I learnt most of many of you prefer not to check out Dermot’s exchange surely luck doesn’t really truth was he couldn’t quite what there is to know about talk about that sort of thing with PC Graham below last come into it.

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