The Bugilow all packed and ready to go

Well the Bugilow is all packed ready to go to Oulton Park for round three of the BSB , at what for me is one of the best tracks we have , so a weekend of top class racing at a top venue , cant wait then we are going to have a couple of days chilling by the seaside at Southport where we will be able to tune in to Manx Radio bring it on

Well! I'd heard of Oulton Park, but had no idea where it was. Courtesy of Google Earth, I've been touring the track and the whole area around it and even off to the beach at Southport. Who needs to travel the world? You can see it all from your easy chair! Unhh... No, not really... but you get a taste!
Funny thing is that the Google Earth view of the track is during the 2010 BSB races and the bikes are just coming in at the end of the late afternoon session. The last bikes are rounding the final curve, the winner's circle is gathering, and the marshalls are out on the track sweeping up. According to Youtube, that was the race that Tommy Hill crashed and burned his bike and took out a half-dozen others.
Just as an aside, it always amazes me at the attendance in European bike races. More people at Oulton on that one day than all Canadian tracks gets in a year!

Oh yeah, and why Southport Eddie? It looks a fair distance away. Ahh... Wait. I think I understand... Tons of caravan parks, right?

The story with Southport is that over here in the UK a lot of councils will not allow Bugilows and Motorhomes to park over night and Southport was one that has gone the other way and encourage us , and its a place we have never been to much , but last year when the boss burnt the motor out on the dune buggy we bought her another new second hand one from Southport and the couple we bought it from was telling us that one of the main streets was designed by Napoleon and based on a street in Paris , we didn't have time to go and have a look that day so put it on the to do list now it is a little way off route but not that far as we could come the short motorway route over the pennines ( a range of hills , mountains to us mole hills to you lol) or come up the coast and over a more scenic rout that ads a little milage but not that much and we get to see something and have a couple of days chill out for very little out lay , will try and get some photos as am having a play with a posh camera , well posh to me a Cannon 400d , havent a clue how to drive the thing but looking forward to having a play , Oh you allso at South port there are loads of nature reserves for bird watching and I like that WHEN I get the chance

Sounds like fun...

Still struggling with getting the last few things done on the house, so I can start the move-in.  Managed to take a nice break this weekend for the wife's birthday, so not all work and no play!

Weather has been superb, but bikes aren't really on the agenda for the next couple of weeks, as the "Love Bug" twice-yearly plague is just starting.

I think I've explained them at length back in the old FS days, but you really don't want to be on a bike when they are bad.

So far, it's looking like a light year.  Finger's crossed that they will be gone sooner rather than later.

Mountains?  Hills?  What are those?  

Just kidding, I've visited a few, so have some awareness, but not much here locally...

Sorry for the delay been busy but here goes
Hey up who does she think she is Guy Martin ?

and away she goes on the racing line trying for record lap

oh now what's this this will confuse her ! how many bends ??

Oh hey up getting a bit of a drift on going the long way round Shell

and racing for the finish line she goes

not sure if this clip will work but if it does this is where I spent my weekend marshaling and that car is the pace car

should have previewed this the one should have been this one

and the last one should have been a vid clip and cant seam to get it to work
will try again latter

I like the "McLaren" Orange. Can't see the video, but there is a still pic of the view...

ye sorry about the vid clip it was just a short 360 view of our position , will have another go later am busy trying to get the garden tidied up and watch the North West 200 on the BBC Northhern Ireland live streaming web page , a place I have never been but would love to go to , one of these days , never say never they say don't they ??

.

Yeah, I'd like to go to that myself.  Short-term events are kind of tough from an international travel standpoint, though.  Have to arrange some sort of bike tour or whatnot to make it worth the long flight.

The logistics of the NW200 looks kind of tough for a foreigner without "bugilow".  But, the TT was tough initially as well.

Want to do one or the other of the Goodwoods too, but in reality, if I ever do get over there again, it will probably be for the TT or "vintage" TT.  

I'm missing it a lot.  It'll be 5 years since I've been there this TT.

Nice to know SOMEbody gets to go play every once in a while!. I've been working 'til the blood dribbles... Beginning to seriously contemplate retirement of some sort. SWMBO doesn't want me hanging around the house, so I'll have to keep some sort of 'outside' (paying) activity going.
We'll see what the summer brings.
Speaking of which, it almost got here last week. Temperature almost broke into the 20's (70F) and I think I've got the license on the bike renewed.
Ninja is listed on Kijiji and the nutters are all coming out of the woodwork asking if I want to trade their brother's Nintendo game for it..



Brand new Michelins too!

I KNOW I'm going to regret selling it, but I don't want it to rust away, unused.

Where's next Eddy?

I'll feel better when I get the KLR dirty for the first time! Maybe next week! There is STILL snow in the parking lot at work! Absolutely amazing for the 24th of May weekend!

Not sure you could stand the pace of retirement JP , as for were next well it should have been to Donnington this weekend for the WSB meeting but had to cancel , I put the Pan back on the road at the beginning of the month and as I have said before was finding the old girl a bit on the heavy side and with not been out on her fore over a year now I was like a three year old wobbling about on his first bike but am happy to say that after putting a few miles on the clock I am getting back in to it again but on the second or third ride out the clutch stated to play up so it was panic stations , ( did I mention what the next outing was ?? better not say you may stop speaking to me ) but when I got it home and stripped it out it was the slave cylinder sticking and just wanted a good clean up grease up new fluid bleeding through and all appears well so now ready for the next outing ( did I mention that I am going to , oops oh ye not telling ) next Thursday to the unmentionable Oh well if you must know I am going to the Isle of Man some sort of bike thing going on over there , I am going on the bike with a couple of mates on what the Steam Racket call the -- Taster out on Thursday in time for the Pre --Classic then we will catch the first -- practice sessions and return home the following Thursday , Anne doesn't want to go this time ,for us to be able to afford to go with the Bugilow it takes three and a half weeks and she finds that to be too long she gets home sick , so just me on the bike , we will go to the Southern 100 this year that doesn't take as long and is cheaper on the ferries any way , I had a ride out this week on the BMW F650 that I have chance of , a nice enough bike but the seat to footpeg to handlebar configuration was not for me it would be fine for short trips but I allready have the little DT stinker for that so if I do decide to change the old girl ( and a week at the unmentionable should sort that out one way or the other ) what ever I go for will have to be comfortable and will be well road tested to make sure , Oh by the way did I mention I am going to the ISLE OF MAN next week for a full week on the BIKE

sorry JP , well ok no I am not sorry I am going to the TT , I am going to the TT , I am going to the TT , I am going to the TT , I am going to the TT SO THERE

I heard they put a 50 MPH speed limit on the course this year... Mostly Lambrettas competing. Guy will be driving a tour bus for the whole 2 weeks.
THAT'S why I'm not going!

Did I mention... ??

They put a 50 mph limit on our response car one year with a tracker on so they could check up on us , then second time out they wanted us to go to a point 15 miles away in 10 mins so we replied sorry 15 miles cant be done in 10 with a 50 .ph limit , do we take it you are scrapping the limit , this was on the radio the reply was we will ring you seconds later we got a phone call just get on with it but be safe we laughed our heads off the peddle had hit the metal from the shout soon as we knew how far we had to go lol
By the way did I mention my next outing was to THE ISLE of MAN on THE BIKE , some things just HAVE to be done lol

Only 4 days to go , did I mention I am GOING TO THE iSLE of MAN ???

Yeah, got to watch the NW200 on "Bikes!" thanks to my complex connection to the UK.  Watched three shows and enjoyed great racing leading up to the big finale... Which never happened!

Oh well, rider safety is more important, but was a little disappointed.

The last "redo" (floor re-replace) work is finally taking place on the house, and with a little luck, I should be moving back in soon.

I will be plenty broke, however, so don't know when I'll get a trip back over to the TT... I'll work on it, though.

Oh I nearly forgot did I mention only three days to go a d I am going to the IoM on my Bike

Had to go back and re-read to get the "going on the bike" part. Cool beans!

Happy to say I went on a bike every year I went so far. Although this last time, I had a bike waiting and flew in, so that probably doesn't count.

Should be a great trip... Have fun!

you can count it for me , if your there and on a bike it's good enough for me , I did mention I am going to be there and on my BIKE TT 2015 bring it on

I've been watching Bushy's Live Cam, and reading the results on NW200 and the flap on the TT web-site. You get your thrills where you can! I've not hooked up any live view to watch the races live. The last attempt ended in me getting an unpleasant virus, so I'm a little shy on doing any more experimenting that way.
Several years ago when we had actually planned the trip, we found a cheap flight in via Iceland that left from Halifax. It would save us a good 12 hours of travel time and a fair amount of $$$. We were going to book a homestay out in the boonies somewhere around St.Judes (not far from Sulby straight) and rent a car.
SWMBO wanted to see farms and pubs and whatnot and has very little interest in the bikes.
When it all fell apart, I started re-considering. Now the long term plan is similar, but we might only go for practice week, and then skedaddle over to Ireland for a week before heading home. I can only put up with a limited amount of belligerent and drunken Germans fans  before I start looking for a gun...
Depending on booking prices, I would rather do the Manx in the fall.. OOps... Sorry, the 'Classic'...
Now... Which bank to rob???? Hmmmm...

I used to do the MGP and loved it but the new Classic doesn't float my boat the racing is not my cup of tea , it isnt competitive racing when it is a run what you brung anything goes if the colour of your money is right or you have a big enough name , and then you have the genuine bikes ridden by people well past it getting in the way of young guns that are being payed to put on a show , then you run a two hr race and have to spend three hrs picking up broken down bikes , and during the race because of the amount of break downs you end up with large amounts of time sat looking at an empty track, very exciting I am sure , the best day at the Classic MGP call it what you will is the Jurby day on the middle Sunday that is a great day all the iconic bikes that have been brought over been run round the track half a dozen times and because it is all in one place you can watch them firing up warming up , right up close love it , so am thinking of next year going on a day return foot passenger trip it works out a long day but worth the effort I feel , but back to this year , TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW I AM GOING TO THE iom tt ON MY BIKE tomorrow

Be careful out there! And give us an update when you can...

OK! Some of the sting has gone away... one bike back on the road this morning. Have to admit, the first 1/4 mile had me wondering if I wasn't a little too early. Dawn on the coast road was still a little 'brisk'.
The day quickly evolved at the weatherman said it would, and we went from early spring to mid-summer in about 2 hours. Warm and sunny on the ride home. Didn't need the liner in the jacket.

Interesting bets going around the shop though. Witness the last remaining mound of snow and garbage left in the parking lot at Home Depot. This is shrunk down from a 30' high mound about 200' long. All the gravel is left-over anti-skid ice traction. We're betting it will make it to June! Unheard of in years!

I am happy to report that I AM ON THE ROCK THE ISLEof MAN and it is just as beautiful as ever it was even if it is a little on the damp side , come on over you know you want to

Good to know you survived the crossing! I was worried there wouldn't be enough boats! News from this side is that the weather is good. You should get our weather in about 2 days, so stand by! Just in time for Monday practice. Our last little bit of snow didn't make it to June. We were kinda hoping we'd set a record, but I might have to go off to the deep dark woods to find any snow now. The parking lot snow evaporated late last night. Tried digging around in the left over gravel this afternoon, but there was none to be found...

What am I saying ??  



That gravel is like riding on marbles!