Not ridden a motorbike for a good few years now. But I had a few big bikes

Daytona 600 (Ex) It had a fight with a lady in a mondeo & Lost
" sorry mate did not see you "

theaudiostandard.net/thread/801/motorcycles

Deja vu.

Always had vintage BSA motorbikes, however i would never ever get on another bike even if they paid me.

Many years ago I had myself a Honda Dream. Twin 400

I loved it until I looked after a Honda CX500 for a couple of weeks while my mate Nigel was on hols
What a bike. Same sort of acceleration and speed but effortless and so smooth

I had to smile.  I am pretty sure I have given up bikes for good (neck whiplash, injured right eye, serious accident on a Harley for close friends, Joe and Anne, who were experienced bikers - 8 weeks in a coma for Anne).  Last bike I owned was a Ducati Pantah, and before that a Mk1 Guzzi LeMans.

However, in my youff - I borrowed a mates Honda 400:4 on medium term loan(then purple - with a 4 into 1). He recently sold it to James May.  However, my memory was lusting after "Anita" in the purchase ledger department in a client in Southend who had a Suzuki 185 trials.  We met in Southend, I lusted and got nowhere, and set off home, only to see in my rear view a cloud of fast approaching scooters and parkas.  Somehow speed limits seemed inappropriate at that time.

To be followed by the "legend" of how I got together with my first wife (Virginia).  The legend had it I threw her boyfriends motorbike at him and hospitalised him, and like legends on another forum the more you deny them on the grounds they are just not true, the more entrenched and sure of their wisdom and insight the legends followers become.  Actually, her then boyfriend was drunk, and horsing around jumped onto the boot of another friends Vauxhall Cavalier just as he pulled away, and thus jumped onto nothing and cracked his head on the road (moral 1 - always wear a bash-hat walking back from the restaurant).  He was duly hospitalised for a couple of weeks.  We were in the Belgian Ardennes.  I was without a bike, since I had pillioned Joes Laverda Jota, and was "relief rider" on Annes Guzzi V50 (with linked brakes, and low clip-ons ) as she had only just passed her test, and wasnt sure how she would cope with a long ride.  The friend in hospital had a CX500 (maggot) which has high bars, and he had just fitted metal brake hoses.  Virginia hitched a spare pillion back, and I agreed to ride the maggot back laden with spare luggage.  From low slung italian with linked braking, to situp and beg Jap, with hard brake hoses and excess luggage, on a mountain bend I grabbed too much brake and went under the front of a VW golf Gti.  So the boyfriend came back from 2 weeks in hospital, and had to take a pickup truck to collect the remains of his bike.  And Virginia dumped him, and started going out with me.

Of such incidents are legends born.

That ST was slagged at the time for its looks. I always thought it looked terrific. Saw one the other day and felt it was way ahead of its time like the 999. Our weather has been pretty poor this summer-yet to have a ride without some rain.

Sat in the queue at the Gourock ferry terminal on Saturday looking across a the highlands-spotted heavy rain and aborted the mission. Still got soaked riding back from my folks in Largs but not drenched at least.