The bikes, both my Blade and my OH’s BladeFighter, looked stunning! Mine more so of course, not that I’m biased or anything but she is MY baby.  My OH was tasked with moving the bikes round to the required positions for the photographer, a task he accomplished beautifully (please note: NOT being sarcastic or nuffin!!!) while I made tea, and did other general helpful stuff

I was seriously impressed with how good the photos looked on the camera, my Fireblade looked like she was taking part in a Honda promotional photoshoot, and once that issue of Practical Sportsbikes comes out I’m gonna see if I can get copies of the photos.  It would be great to have one of them to frame and put up on the wall somewhere at home..

Needless to say I’m also going to invest in a few copies of the magazine as well for posterity

It’s been a busy week for my OH as his bike was apart having some upgrades done on it and he’s had to rebuild it so it’s ready, whereas I’ve just had to give mine a bloody good clean and polish.  Yesterday was spent washing, cleaning and waxing and today I rode her down to where the shoot is taking place.  A quick going over to get rid of the little bit of dirt she picked up on the way down and she’s good to go

My baby sure does scrub up well

1995 Urban Tiger

I really can’t wait for tomorrow to come now

Hopefully it’s too wet out there for them to settle at the moment but, and it’s a big BUT, we are supposed to be having below zero temperatures tonight which means not only will we have icy conditions to deal with first thing, the snow shower which is forecast for 6am will probably settle on top of ice

We’ve been VERY lucky here in Oxfordshire as far as snow goes up until now, but things look like they could be taking a definate turn for the worse on Saturday!  This could make the Christmas shopping I’ve got planned a bit interesting

No doubt people will all be affected by the snow again, work days will be lost, roads will be blocked, cars will be abandoned, and we will once again descend into chaos.  People will start to complain about roads not being cleared and will point fingers at those who’s job it is, the councils and the Government, just like they did a few weeks ago.. Which I’ll readily admit, makes me laugh

I probably shouldn’t say this (but it’s my blog and I can say what I want!!) but how dumb are some of the people who complain?  I get the part about how councils should try to keep the roads clear but for goodness sake, the snow ploughs and gritters are driven by people!!! They’re not automated machines!! What the hell are the councils supposed to do if the gritter and snow plough drivers themselves can’t get to work?  Magic some out of thin air? It’s not like you can just get ‘anyone’ to drive one of the lorries, they need an HGV licence which the majority people don’t have.  Also it’s been so cold in parts of Scotland that the road salt isn’t melting the ice as the temperature is too low, and the snow plough blades are being broken by the ice.  I’d love to know how people think this should be dealt with, maybe the complainers should get their thinking caps on and come up with a solution for the benefit of us all instead of sitting there whinging.

My other gripe with people and the snow is that, inspite of the severe weather warnings saying “Don’t drive unless it’s an emergency”, people will still try and then complain like hell that it takes them 6 hours to get anywhere.  The dumbest example of this in the recent snow were the drivers, in some parts of the country, who tried to drive even though they had been told THE ROADS WERE CLOSED!!! Come on, how dumb can you be?  Talk about asking for trouble!

No doubt we will see more of this over the coming days on the news reports and I, for one, will sit and wonder about the intelligence of some people!

These on the face of it seem to be  a damn good idea!  They’re heated liners (obviously) which go inside your existing gloves and according to the bumf will keep your pinkys lovely and warm, while the world around you freezes it’s bits off.

Here’s a bit more info from Heated Motorcycle Clothing, a site which appears to be dedicated to keeping freezing riders warm

Heats 4 fingers directly. Ambient heat surrounds the Gloveliner, warms the thumb, fills the glove.

Main Features:

* Wear your own SKI, BIKE, RIDING etc. gloves on top*.
* Washable – because heat-element is separate from fabric.
* 3.7V Rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries – choice of two types: with and without on/off switch.
* Flexible heat-element slides in and out of finger-pockets.
* Super-elasticated fabric – three sizes available (M,L,XL).
* Batteries last 3 to 4 hours used continuously.
* Safe to use.
* Modular design so you can replace all the bits separately (see further below).
* One colour: black.
* Initial charging time around 4-8 hrs, then 5 hours.

So far so good, you can wear them inside your existing gloves, you can recharge them overnight and they should last 3-4 hours when used continually.  Perfect for most commutes in to work for most people

Here’s a bit more information about whats included in the price..

Your Order will include:

* 1 pair of black Gloveliners.
* 2 rechargeable batteries.
* One pair of windproof, waterproof General Purpose Gloves.
* 2 flexible heat elements, cable, jacks.
* 1 battery charger with 2 jacks.

This next bit is kinda important, unless you don’t mind having smelly hands

Wash Easily – It is important to be able to wash fabric properly without fear of damaging electrical circuitry – let’s face it – textiles get smelly next to the skin and most gloveliners we’ve seen (and previously sold) have elements contained within the fabric. Not now. Ours are completely separate. (cool wash by hand recommended and leave to dry).

And some extra information about accessories you can also buy to go with them.

At time of purchase you can add accessories as back-up. For example you may wish to buy extra batteries to charge up and carry with you on a long journey. Or a couple of spare heating elements in case the dog chews one. How about 2 extra pairs of liners so you always have a clean pair available? Or simply return to the site later and buy any bit separately (see next products).

And they post all over the place

Delivery to: UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark. France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

and the price for these….. £98.99!

Not that bad really, not when you consider how much a pair of heated gloves costs or how cold your hands and fingers can get without any way to warm your hands over the winter.  There’s nothing worse than hands so cold that they feel like they’re burning, and hands so cold that you’re incapable of doing anything for almost half an hour when you get to work while you ‘defrost’ them.  Been there, got the t-shirt and don’t want to do it again

Here are their contact details,

Hein Gericke Oxford, Eynsham Roundabout, Eynsham, Oxford. OX29 4EN

TEL. 01865 883307

E.mail oxford@hg-shop.com

Being located where it is, it has brilliant access and apparently has excellent parking facilities.  I shall have to pop down there sometime soon and have a nose round

Here’s an online copy of their latest catalogue, just in case you fancy a nose.. (well, Christmas is just round the corner!!!)

Oh and talking of Christmas, they even do a Christmas Wish List you can print off and give to those closest to you

A crisis hitting the number of people taking the motorcycle test is even deeper than previously feared, latest figures show.

Eighteen months after a new Europe-wide test was introduced, the number of people taking it was still barely half the former level.

When bookings dropped drastically following the changeover last year, the Driving Standards Agency said it was temporary and demand would “settle at usual levels again in 2010/11”.

But new DSA figures point to a long-term decline.

In the 16 months leading up to the introduction of the new exam in April 2009, 130,498 people took the old test, a rate of 8156 a month.

But in the 18 months following the changeover, only 73,508 people completed the new test, 4083 a month and almost half the earlier rate.

The Government is conducting a review of the test, which was originally intended to reach conclusions by autumn.

Roads minister Mike Penning said: “The review of the motorcycle test is a top priority for me because I want to make sure that we have a test which prepares bikers properly for the road.

“We have been working with the motorcycle training industry and others to make sure that we are taking all views into account and we will report on findings as soon as possible.”

My problem is in the way these figures are being presented (sorry MCN).

As a lot of you know, the new test was originally scheduled to start in September 2008 but, because of bungling incompetance, so few of the new test centres were ready for use, the implementation of the test was put back about 6 months.  In the lead up to September 2008 thousands upon thousands of people decided to get their bike licence under the old test regime and so booked lessons and their test.  I should know,  I was one of them!!!  I took one look at the new test and thought “S*d that!!!”

During 2008, riding schools all over the country were inundated with trainees learning to ride, which definately skews the figures somewhat, as in a normal riding year fewer people would be taking their test.  Then the test was put back 6 months so that more of the new test centres could be made ready, and those who thought they had missed the original deadline were given a life line and once again the riding schools were booked solid, even though it was winter

According to the DSA  some 130,498 people took their test in the 18 months leading up to the change of test.  I’m pretty damn certain a sizeable number of those were riders who wanted to take the old style test and not the new one.

Now, since the new test started 18 months ago the DSA say that just 73,508 people have taken it, a drop of almost 50% on the previous figures.

BUT…… Seeing as the figures from September 2007 until April 2009 are hardly indicative of the number of people taking their bike test during a ‘normal’ 16 month period, I don’t see how they can be reliably compared with those from May 2009 up until late 2010.

Unless of course you’re attempting to make things look worse than they are

Here I am on the Ninja

As you can see I was able to totally flat foot on both sides when sitting on it.  I found it felt quite slim as well!  All well and good when you’re only 5′ 3″ tall!!!

Next up is me on the CBR600.  Sat on this one I was only able to get the balls of both feet on the floor which quite surprised me considering how I felt on the Fireblade!

Here I am on the Fireblade   I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I could get both feet flat on the floor on the Blade.  I wasn’t expecting it to be as small as it is, gawd knows how big blokes manage to ride it comfortable. I felt like it fitted me like a glove!

After the Urban Tiger colour scheme I personally think the HRC colours are the next best.  I just loved that bike and after riding my ’95 Fireblade it felt so tiny.  I may just have to look out for one ina  few years time

The photo which makes me giggle the most is the next one!  I’m only little ( 5′ 3″!!!) and have said for almost 2 years that I’d love a crosser of some sort but being as little as I am I reckon I’ll have a few issues!  Yer I know that riding crossers off road is different than riding on the street but you still have to stop sometime without falling over, and therein lies my problem.  The crossers I saw at the show seemed to have seat heights that were mostly about the level of my waist

Until we found this one

Finally one I can fit on!!!

While quite  afew of them aren’t quite ‘my cup of tea’, you can’t fail to appreciate the workmanship which has gone into them!  They are beautiful.