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A cracking few hours out today with the gents from Crixus Motorsport. Not bad for December eh? Have a good Christmas everyone and here’s to a better 2021.........couldn’t be much worse than this year! ?

The weather was still holding out for the moment so I decided to head north and then west to head around the perimeter path . I had real trouble finding my way in until I relised that a housing estate had been built on the byway Thanks for putting that sign up mate but I think you'd have trouble seeing that from the road I rattled along up the path, a lot of the top surface had been worn away by all the rain we've had and there were some big holes here and there to keep you on your toes. On a smaller bike I would be on the left hand track but today I was sticking firmly on the right side as the wet chalk, mud and some of those puddles would not have been a good idea ......... The o/e tyres on the T700 are fine on the gravel but had I attempted to ride the other track on them I would definitely have ended up on my arse This was a handy stop, I was dying to go so I stopped for a while. You can see one of the mock villages in the background that the army boys like to play in................. Then the heavens opened and it's bit exposed up there so I headed to my exit as quick as I could.......... What do you do if it's chucking it down and you want to stop somewhere to eat your sandwiches in the dry ? You find a nice uninhabited bus shelter It rained all the way back home but my gear kept me dry inside and it's good to ride in the wet from time to time and it improves your riding skills ?

I had a free day today so I decided to take a ride down to the Stonehenge byways as English heritage is threatening to close them again. The weather was decent when I set off but the roads were still soaking from last night so I took it steady on some of the back roads. Once I got down to Tilshead I turned left to get onto the byway that runs around the back of Westdown Camp , everything was open on Salisbury Plain as there is no live firing for the next couple of weeks. I use this site to check the status before visiting....... https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/salisbury-plain-training-area-spta-firing-times You can see Westdown Camp in the background here................ the byways on the Plain are well marked, this is how it should be done I dropped off the byway by the Great Bustard Inn and rode down to Airman's Corner. From there I took the A303 to get to the Stonehenge byways and sure enough the whole stretch of the A303 had bollards all the way along and the gates were shut across the byways. No photos I'm afraid as it was impossible to stop. At this point there was a lot of muttering inside my helmet but I set off for the Woodhenge turning to see if I could get in that way....... That'll be a NO then ? I carried on down to Larkhill and got the same result........... On the post here there was a copy of the TRO (traffic regulation order) so I took a while to read it. It seems that the byways (and some roads) were shut for the winter solstice and to be fair I had seen quite a lot of 'travellers' vehicles parked up nearby. I think the authorities were worried that some might use the solstice as an excuse to park up on the byways and then stay there. But I shall definitely keeping an eye on the situation as I have a feeling that English heritage will use any excuse to get their way and close them permanently.

senility probably

Tym would have gotten my vote a few years ago, but he somehow became a cooler guy. Hanging lit up mopeds in trees or racing harley dressers in a moped are efforts you do have to respect though. Voting for Moon would just be bad Karma, he dislocated a shoulder putting a bike on a center stand while on an advanced riding course and that is indeed a fail, but voting for that is just asking to dislocate a disc while having a shit, the universe does that kind of payback. I also don't think he is a cunt. Busboy has a boat, but that is just his cross to bear, he tries to be a twat but his efforts are betrayed by being a nice guy. In the end, I'll vote for Buckster. There is nobody even close to making such a constant effort to be a twat, he just puts in the work! A few years ago I thought he was one of Pete's alter egos for trolling, and indeed there was a moment when this forum was created when it felt like he would stop being a bot, but that probably goes against his internet persona too much.

I voted for Busboy, I have not really had the opportunity to get to know him better... I'm sure he is a nice guy and all, butt.........?

The fact that Bruce is still here, and still contributing, is a testament to the man's mentality. As far back as I can remember on maxbikes we've had members who didn't yet have bikes, or were between bikes for whatever reason and I've always thought that "biker" has more to do with mentality or "mind set" than anything else. He is also a scholar and a gentleman ( but don't tell him I said so) and has reached out numerous helping hands to a number of us, me included, both metaphorically and physically over the years. Top Man. ( if you quote me on any of this I will, of course, deny evrything)

Look, I’m enjoying the prospect so don’t ruin it Pete! I’m not used to such kindness ???

Ha ha I wasn’t thinking ‘cute’ with regards to the hats so just to ruin the impact here goes.......??? Merry Christmas to you too Michelle.

Some great photos! ? Your sandwich on the other hand looks...... well squashed..... Hope no one ever gets shot in that outhouse, looks like it is right on the boarder line of the range......?

Tools @MooN considers belonging to any good computer shop for fixing a laptop:

Not what I meant, I meant sit down when going slow and in turns, stand up when going over bumps as it'll be smoother on the bike and yourself mainly. If it's very bumpy stand up to cope with it, but there is no reason to stand up otherwise if you're only getting tired from it.

Whats good for me is usually bad for everyone else, its a burden i just live with.

I'm on the fence with this one at the moment on making the call between Bruce and Buck! The only difference I can see between them is at least Bruce has a Camera!

Kill a Welshman? You can't even put a bike on a centrestand without ending up in Hospital!

Love those dirt roads, I am surprised to see such a big distance of easy non tarmac that I would be happy to go on the big gs in the UK. Seems like entities in charge of stuff always try to take more things away from the people than they should.

You will have to wait until France re-opens its boarders and we are out of Tier 4 lockdown and then i'm going into hiding

So what you saying is Bruce touched you when you were younger ?

We’ve been so lucky so far mate, normally a bit cooler than this. Ain’t complaining though! ?

My sandwich was definitely squashed but strangely it seemed to taste better .

That's too bad everything was closed. Looks like a nice ride still. The low dull light makes the blue on your bike look very sharp! ? So at least you are looking good getting nowhere.....?

That's right......how could I forget The Leg!

I voted for Bruce, anyone who gives up a bike for free to someone he's never met before is pretty cool in my book. If I hadn't gone for Bruce then Michelle would have got my vote for being a really cool crazy person.

Cheers mate, the XT is extremely tidy and that was my mate’s first off road jaunt on it. No problem for him as back in the early 2000’s he used to race supermotos at national level and even entered the big supermoto race in Mettet, Belgium .......some talent!!!

is that a good or bad omen, I can't decide...

that works if you're going fast enough to fly the bumps Pedro, I don't ride fast enough for that and unfortunately my N0 1 problem is my back so protectig that comes first. I'll just keep going slow and steady and little by little till the knee gets good enough to do longer sessions. I'm not in a rush. Specially as my boss accidentally let slip that we'll now not be going back to work on 4th Jan as originally planned...

What you mean one of my alter egos? I only had Beemer Bummer and that was for winding DA up!

@BusBoy has done something amazing, which is to put his money where his mouth is. However, I do get where he is coming from, and if you have love for a machine you just want to see it treated right, he is a very strong runner up. However, my vote will either go to @boboneleg or @Grasshopper's Ride, Bob because he is a motorcycling star while being a great human as well, plus he likes my food pictures unlike most of you cavemen, Michelle because she is way cool and I love her videos, she always enjoys your perviness and handles it with grace. I'll have a nap over it and vote later

Another vote for Bruce from me! The worrying aspect though is if Bruce is The Man of the Year on a bike forum.....but doesn't even have a bike......how useless are the rest of us?

Bruce cause he let Clive fix up that bike he was using as a mooring for his boat.

Why? Cause he said my copper tailpipe wouldnt last...lol..Pure 100%

Maybe it's just my strange and wonderful corner of the country.....? ....or maybe it's all in my head....?

That’s @XTreme Mucho Macho, in another life, but I bet that doesn’t surprise you!

I agree, too much of the forward view was blocked. Missed all the traffic I passed too, so made me look less of an hero Thing is, the most you can position a camera to the rear, that's how you get a nice feeling of speed on the video, maybe when I have luggage on I'll try and get it at that same point rearward but more outside so more of the road ahead is shown.

Good video ? but I found myself trying to look around you and the bike like a passenger to see whats coming, i think i would like to see the camera mounted up front where i can see the front wheel and suspension working

it has an aura? so atomic kitten?

Damn, you boys are fast, I go out for a ride, come back and the fun is over.....?

And it looks like this could be number one over Xmas!

PEARL JAM! Not " the fall", but "Rolling stones." and Soundgarden

I was thinking it seemed odd that they were climbing around an igloo

that's something that really takes an hardcore rider

Smashing Pumpkins

Guns and Roses

The gravel roads on the Plain would be perfect for your GS, firing and bombing permitting

Thompson Twins, Radiohead, Alice in Chains, The Police, Oasis, T Rex.

@Skippy looking cute?

Excellent Bob.......can't say I'm too keen on that weather though.

Just in time for my birthday,...