That'll be me in 19 months Paul!! LOL!                                                                                                                                                                              

yeah baby me too! Im gonna get me a maggot! And then we can have a race for 10mins then stop for tea and have a rest!                                                                                                                                                                             

hey glad yu made it back julie x how'd it go!![ oops hijacked thread!]                                                                                                                                                                             

it was good  gonna do it again sometime!

In 10 mins time?                                                                                                                                                                             

Where did you get to Julie. Im still in the north. Armoy races on tomorrow                                                                                                                                                                             

did the south west corner, it was ace!                                                                                                                                                                             

Lovely if you get the weather                                                                                                                                                                             

Rusty Knight Buddy,i mean no offense here,but after reading a few of your posts,please consider a refresher course.I ride for the speed,excitement,freedom and a dozen other reasons but never,ever for the danger Hope this hasan't come over as patronising,am merely concerned for a fellow biker                                                                                                                                                                                      

yes good advice for all....get some training!                                                                                                                                                                             

back on thread for a mo. If a car is in front of me i like them to be aware of me behind them so no surprises when i pass , this is not possible all times as i'm not behind them very long , if its 3..4 cars i will indicate and keep the indicator on until i'm past the leading car checking speed and distance and mirror continuously , if i cant see whats behind me in the mirror i dont think looking over my shoulder is going to be of much help ..i prefer largish mirrors with a clear side/backview cos i hate diverting my eyes from ahead of me for too long , this is only my opinion and thankfully the only times i've come off NO other vehicles were involved . knock on wood

 Hmm,.. is the 'mirror signal move' thingy meant to be used by cars too? Just wondering, because today, just outside Hawes I got me boots polished in the grass by an 8yr old driving a 'typeR'? Honda. I gained on him, (not at Mach2) and put me right blinkie on about 30yds back when I saw over the wall a gap in the traffic coming the other way. When I got me nose end level with his seat belt, he moved his hand to the top of the wheel and gave it a good yank, without a blink or a mirror check.  I have a flip front lid, and it does come in very usefull for making people see the error of their ways, allthough at the time, using my armoured MX boots would have been more satisfying,......... think!  Has anyone else had trouble with tractors coming out onto roads today, usually with their bale tines/muck forks at head level?                                                                                                                                                                             

I always use a lifesaver, it's become a habit. Rather than mirror, signal, manoever I use the police system. That is Information,position, speed, gear, acceleration. More details of this can be found in " Roadcraft" the police riding manual.                                                                                                                                                                             

If you've read Roadcraft Tim and use the Police system, you'll know that the "system" recommends considering a lifesaver, not using one all the time.   The lifesaver has very important applications, such as changing lanes on a dual carriageway/motorway or setting off from the side of the road etc, in other words at any time that you need to check your blind spot.                                                                                                                                                                             

i pretty much always know whats behind me from mirror use, if things get a bit busy its always worth a quick look before doing any manouver                                                                                                                                                                             

  From a seasoned pillion's point of view I prefer the rider to be taking life-saver looks where necessary. Many riders don't and a few times I've had to get them to hold off, cos something was coming, to avoid a crash.   I've pillioned with timhall and would recommend him as a safe rider to anyone else who goes pillion with him.   I'd like to add that it's not just riders who need to be aware, but pillions too. Quite a lot of pillions have made comments that makes me realise they don't pay attention to the journey, and the traffic. If you're goina be sat on the back make yourself useful and keep a look out for any potential hazard or danger spot that the rider may not be aware of. 4 eyes are better than none.                                                                                                                                                                               

I agree with the pillion keeping an eye out, but I don't think the pillion should distract the rider too eagerly in case it puts the rider off.  All it takes is a few seconds (or less) to take your eyes off the road and it could be the difference between life and death.                                                                                                                                                                                 

i would not rely on a pillion, as there reaction time is going to be slower than the rider, the person at the controls is in charge, and i would not expect a pillion to warn me of anything really......its me that needs to be aware of all dangers on the road.

I agree 100% Ian                                                                                                                                                                              

    I'd rather 'put the rider off' than be squished Blue.   From my personal experience Ian the rider has been slower at reacting hence my comment about paying attention to the journey and as I said before not all riders do life savers and that's why I've had to warn them it's not safe to pull out etc