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Milan to London

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hellkat
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PostPosted: 22:39 - 20 Apr 2019    Post subject: Milan to London Reply with quote

Sept 2015, if I remember correctly.
I'm posting this at Chickenystripgeezer's request.
So he can see, I really did go get that GSX750 myself Laughing

Not sure how many I've managed to upload, there are *supposed* to be 15.

The trip was motivated by a thread in the General Bikes forum, by a girl who wanted to know the forum's opinion of whether she should go to Milan and buy it unseen.

Long story short, the gentlemen of BCF basically talked her out of it, so I asked her Did she mind if I went for it instead.
She didn't mind, so off I went.

Emailed the owner, agreed a date, flew to Milan, bought the bike, and took two nights/three days of pootling, wearing only a pair of trackie bottoms, trainers and a t-shirt and cut off.

Stayed perfect weather for the whole time, until I got to a little place called Piney. Then I noticed a big black cloud. Had lunch (see last pic) and then caned it back to Calais in the dark and pissing down rain.
Was slightly nervous about migrant attacks, having heard horror stories from various friends, and due to being a single older woman, slightly bedraggled I was a bit nervous, but luckily the mad immigrant sliproad was blocked off by police and I sailed nervously over the flyover and straight to the ticket office at the port.

Blighty was freezing, impossible to stop straight out of Dover, took me 3/4 of an hour before I could find a place to pull over and get something warmer on.

Got home at 3am.
Tits not quite frozen off.
The Number 1 Chaperone had put on the electric blanket for me, bless.

Whole trip was vindicated when Gerry (Nowhere.Elysium) turned up a day or so later to view the result of my efforts, and proclaimed it to be a very tasty bike indeed Laughing

Cool
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 22:49 - 20 Apr 2019    Post subject: Re: Milan to London Reply with quote

hellkat wrote:

So he can see, I really did go get that GSX750 myself Laughing


I never doubted that you had. I doubted you would Laughing

Nah, it was clear you were going to once you said you would.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
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hellkat
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PostPosted: 23:26 - 20 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rule of Thumb:
When it comes to hellkat, expect the unexpected.
Laughing
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 23:29 - 20 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

I seem to remember being one of those who thought it wouldn't be worth the trip just for the bike, but it wasn't just for the bike for you, was it? The trip was just as important, if not more so. I didn't know you were that kind of spirit then.

GSX750ES. I couldn't remember which model it was you got.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!
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hellkat
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PostPosted: 00:42 - 21 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had to prove it could be done.
It was nothing to do with the bike. I had no idea what sort of bike it was until he sent me some pix.
Even then, I don't really have a clue about decent or classic bikes, I just wanted to do it for the adventure.
Main reason being, there were so many people negging the idea that I thought "Fuck it, if she doesn't attempt it, I will".

It wasn't even about "I am woman, hear me roar" - it was more about proving them wrong.

Even if a guy had posted the thread, and everybody had negged the idea, I probably still would have done it.

Had I failed, I would equally as happily admitted it.
(after having sat crying disconsolately at the roadside and begging someone to come and rescue me, of course Laughing )

Fortunately the bike was really comfortable, expertly tuned by its former owner and (except for one small incident which only lasted five minutes) it ran sweet as a nut all the way home Laughing

It was a proper grin-inducing hoon.
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 01:12 - 21 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

hellkat wrote:
I just wanted to do it for the adventure.


For the adventure was the best reason to do it - perhaps the only good reason Cool

GSX750s were always a decent enough bike, but they were somewhat eclipsed by the 1100s. Even the 1100s still come up for sale in decent nick in the UK. So they're not the kind of bikes you go to great lengths to secure, unless maybe you're suffering from a case of rose-tinted memory from previous ownership Laughing
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!
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hellkat
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PostPosted: 10:45 - 21 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd normally not contemplate anything over 1000cc anyway.
I'm usually content with something between 500 and 900, gets me where I'm going with reasonable efficiency.

The Sportster (at 1200cc) is the highest engine size I've ever owned.
And it hardly produces the equivalent power output of most things with the same size, so its not really about power or speed for me.

Don't really know what it *is* about for me.
I just ride whatever's going.

Perhaps its about the freedom, but none of us are truly free in this day and age.
It's certainly not about the solitude, when I want that I can just sit in a church on a weekday afternoon, gazing at stained glass windows or listening to the shuffle and murmur of a lunchtime Mass.

I think it must be about the wind in your face. Definitely a dog-thing. Laughing
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richie44
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PostPosted: 11:31 - 11 Jun 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

I owned Harley Davidson Fat Boy and it is tough for all terrains I visited so far for last 7 years including hill stations.
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