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Ah well, what's that old maxim, 'if you can't beat them, join them' ? So here's my submission for this month...........................

Well you looked pretty good in cut off shorts then.

When did you transition anyway?

Just found a video of Gary fooling about that day god i must be bored

@skyrider has missed out. I was going to vote for his bike ..........................

So he'll learn how to bin it pulling away from a French hotel?

There you have it , as soon as he got to the off-road section he binned it. You road riders are crap, send him over to @Sir Fallsalot for some tuition

Unlike some of you who seem to bin your bikes relentlessly......I've had a clean sheet since Feb 78. The carnage I was involved in from 71-73 isn't relevant to this discussion. However, my DNA has today been involved in the act of "Binning it".......courtesy of my 20 month old grandson in Poland. But he got back on as if nothing happened.......didn't faze him one bit!

My vote is in......for @Mawsley! And I don't switch! Oddly, it seems I've had a vote as well........probably somebody Trolling me again!

So I am a little excited and just wanted to share something from Grasshopper's Path. I have been busy revitalising my photography passion and I now have a new shop and website where I share my love for all things nature. This is the first time I have done such a thing with my photos, so I am nervous and excited at the same time. Stop by if you have a minute and let me know what you think. Fine Art Photographic Prints & Cards from the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Relaxing Nature Videos & Tales from the Path, a little something for everyone. A Little Nature Goes A Long Way! https://www.grasshopperspath.ca/

Even Tym is trolling me now!

It certainly looks very similar to me......but I've got no recollection of that. Having said that, I've not got much recollection of anything from those days.

A) They are ugly as sin (Past versions more than current ones) B) I don't want a touring bike C) A friend had one. He loved it. I rode it. Did NOT love it. While I am a Ducati fan boy, that does not mean I love all Ducatis.

Well @skyrider could astound us all and actually submit a photo of his own bike

Fuckmine, he probably abandoned that with the hope of getting a new one. What a scabby piece of crap

TL;DR version - At this point it's probably as much experience/familiarity as anything else. 30+ years ago when I was first getting into bikes, I wanted a Honda. Then I went down to Daytona to help out a friend who was racing there and saw someone racing a Ducati F1. That was it, I was hooked. The sound, the rawness of it. And they were the underdog, a small company going up against the Japanese brands. When the time came to buy something, I went against everyone's advice and bought a Ducati as my first bike. Soon after that someone saw the bike and asked if I was a machinist, or an engineer, as if those were the only choices. I told him I was an engineer, why? He said those were the only two types of people who bought those things. Back then there was some truth to that, most owners were rather mechanical. Insert jokes of "making mechanics out of riders since 1949" here. Anyway I have always been pretty mechanically inclined so I fit in. The Japanese companies make great bikes, but there is something generic about them. They feel like they were designed by comittee or something. Take all the branding off a new Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki and Ducati. The Ducati will be obvious just by sitting on it, without looking at the engine. The others? I'd be lost trying to tell you which was which. I dunno. They just feel right to me and I like the history of the company. Honda and Ducati started building bikes at roughly the same time. The same year Ducati announced they had built their one millionth bike, Honda built their 300 Millionth bike. Every Ducati I've ever owned was built in the same facility, from the '66 160 Monza Jr to the 2015 Monster. (Yes, I've been there, a few times). Bikes are an emotional purchase so I never put much effort into trying to rationalize why I like one more than another. I just go with the one that I keep thinking about. I bought a Hypermotard over an Aprilia whatever even though the reviews all said to buy the Aprilia. I liked the Hypermotard, sold it to buy a Monster 1200S which I REALLY liked. None of the enjoyment I've had riding Ducatis over the years has been lessened by someone pointing out the Japanese whatever is cheaper and makes 10 more HP. So what? They are emotional choices. Buy the one that makes you smile. Newsflash - the bike has never been the limiting factor when I'm out on a ride. Well, aside from the 160 Monza. I'm slow on everything, I don't ride because I'm fast - I'm not. I ride because I like bikes. I once read something along the lines of "if you don't stop and look back at your bike after a ride once in a while, you bought the wrong bike". I'd agree with that. PS - one of my absolute favorite bikes ever is a Honda RC-30. I searched for one once but bought a new 996 instead. Kinda wish I had continued looking for the Honda even though the 996 is the one Ducati I regret selling. Actually I found one, but the dealer still wanted MSRP for it even though it had been sitting on display for years. I passed. Oops, today it'd be worth a lot more than he was asking. But then a long time ago I also delayed calling about a '74 Ducati 750 Super Sport because it needed work and when I finally did call it was already sold. They wanted $700 for it IIRC. In good shape that's a $100k bike today. EDIT: 2003, I'm in Italy with my sister and brother in law. We're standing outside and I tell him there's a Ducati coming. He looks around, there's no traffic. "Where?" Oh just wait, it's coming. Yep, down the street a bike appears and as it goes by he reads "Ducati" on the tank. "Really?" dude... You doubted me??? And yes, I did name one of my dogs "Desmo".

You didn't bang your head when you went down did you Caroline?

I was just having a quick look on FaceButt......purely as an escape to get a break from all the fucking Trolls on here! And I saw one of those posts that goes on about how we grew up as youngsters..... "WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK. A generation that went to school and walked back. A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street." Usual sort of nostalgic drivel sort of thing......but what caught my eye was the photo that they posted! Take a close look at this...... Now compare it to this......

did you finger her ?

Wife says it's not me cos the guy's nose is too small!

I was talking to the Motorcyclists.......not the Van Boy!

Same thing happens with the Nurburgring, green parties are trying to shut it for years, and the majority of the locals aren't keen on it either, they don't really like noisy cars going by their street on the way to the track on sunday mornings. But, the fact is a big part of the area's income comes straight from the track, close it and use it for bycicle races and other nonsense and suddenly 70% of the area's income goes to shit. Me? I don't take out of the catalyst on my bike because it helps me have a clearer conscience, but I also won't stop riding unless I'm forbidden to, and I think all this crap is pointless, we'll all go to shit and the planet will pick itself up in less than a century.

Not sure if this has been posted before but this is the future i like reading about because i think it is sustainable unlike EV's https://www.visordown.com/news/industry/kawasaki-and-yamaha-begin-hydrogen-engine-research-project

Damn it storm Arwen This bloody storm has knocked my garden waste bin over, God only knows what would have happened if it had something in it I had to walk all the way out there to set it upright Better not be another one next year

sounds like it , with no helmet on.

this girl is bang on for TOTY , mistaking a gravel trap for a slip road...it was nailed on, and now this" Mawsley has for the first time made me consider a scooter" unless she's down mr slowlys fine whisky on her own, although not really an excuse , the thought was still there .

yeah, I seem to remember when I took the picture I thouht about taking the box off but decided that " It's my bke, it's my ride, on my terms. I take a picture during the ride, I'm not an artist, or even a photographer trying to projetct some message or image. This is me, this is my bike, in this place, at this time. " I really don' care if others think it would be better somehow else, ( and besides, I couldn't be arsed)

Someone we know has just got home to Cheshire from their holiday home in Greece, to find that they've got no power! They're dead pleased about that!

Just on our way back from a Black Friday sale!

Yes.....it's time for vote-switching once again! And this month we have 9 entries to choose from! You get one vote, and you are able to change it if you want because it keeps the suspense going! So here are the entries.....and the poll closes on Tuesday 30th November 8PM GMT! Pedro: MooN: Buckster: Mawsley: XTreme: Grasshopper's Ride: Sir Fallsalot: Tango: boboneleg:

any way , thought the twat got rid of the scooter.

I'm not a Vespa fan......but the pic itself is a cracker! And he was actually riding it as well!

She looks a bit tidier than most of the munters I knew back then! And of course the photo can't show whether she stunk of fish or not.

pity that

Why not a Multistrada if you're really into Ducati? They should be great touring bikes

Been windy here, i should buy a windmill, the odds the winds stops after that are? lol

I like the kids speed, resilience and I particularly like the little look at the bike like it betrayed him! Plus Id like a bobble hat like that.. any chance?

Yeh.....his reaction is great!

I love the way he looks at it, like "who put that kerb there?" picks it up and gets on with it.

I can’t help it if they decide West Country folk are the only right minded ones now can I?

I never fell off a bike, and have no plans to do otherwise Off tarmac doesn't count, obviously...