Slowlycatchymonkey

Twats.

Well I'm not saying that's the deciding factor on having fun but.....

Yer absolutely. It's definitely not that a bunch of bitter pack animals chased off a decent person. Oh NO He definitely displayed some form of deviance or weakness at some point so it's their fault.... Pete in his own way embraced difference. He may not of absolutely carried it out cleanly but he was clear about equality.

Nice.

I dunno Saul I'd say there's a fairly strong inference that it's a posers bike in that post. I don't own a white scarf but scarves don't just belong to the genuine vintage car or bike owner do they? But then I don't mind posers. They're just people having a bit of fun. Personally I like Billy Connolly's take on posing - "I've been a poser for fucking years. I say, pose your arse off. You know, have a laugh"

Hmm now we need someone who knows your bike history

Is it a long time desire or a recent fancy?

I guess someone should rub it in on Pete's behalf?

Not sure why you're hung up on the idea it's for posing. It has to do with whether you like the look of it or not, it's something you have to please yourself not others. Bet you don't sit there with a cup of tea lovingly gazing at the Hornet, bet you would with a retro bike. If you didn't get that notion you wouldn't be looking at the Continental. All the time you've been on here that I'm aware of you've been hankering after a retro styled bike but at the price point your looking at they're not going to be comparable in any way to a Honda. Price wise I think it's cheap. It's closer in quality and finishing to a Trumpet than it is an Enfield but I suppose at least it's galvanised support for Royal Enfield amongst the band wagon jumping Goldstar bashers. We have both the continental and the goldstar, the goldstar is quality wise way better. Satisfyingly solid in comparison. I'm not sure why the Goldstar is getting such a hiding from everyone, it's almost like it's daring to be pretty so it's gonna get a pasting. Oh and yes it's indian It is a very pleasant sunny sunday afternoon ride, expecting more from it is unrealistic. Having said that I have done a long journey on it and it was good, not brilliant because for me over distance power matters but I enjoyed the ride and arrived smiling so that counts for something. I often ride it to Bristol and find it good in traffic, it's easy to manoeuvre and has enough go to get out in front at roundabouts n lights. But I find pleasure in pushing a lower powered bike to its limits, almost as much pleasure as having more power than my Kermit's can handle. Not quite though, ultimately the higher bhp bikes come out of the garage most.

Sounds like an interesting time. Yer when I looked at the chances of being shot or murdered country by country the US is right up there! Started to put together a trip to America, probably not til next September now due to family crap but I did think I'd better make sure I know where not to go!

I'm not surprised. I always assumed you were at some point part of one of the more violent military services or just raised with a violent crowd so became useful to hire, you have an unusual extremeness

Pete's son (the one that's married to the Polish woman) must have access mustn't he cos they started off the business together?

You're also one scary looking fucker so it's not really surprising you've had no bother.

Men are far more likely to be on the receiving end of unprovoked violence than women so I reckon you're right to consider it sketchy. She'd been through Mexico, Peru and Columbia among others places with no problems, she came unstuck because she took duff advice from the locals who probably thought they were telling her the truth. Were you riding there?

Maybe over the coming week or so everyone might like to ride somewhere abandoned and raise a mug to Pete? Take a pic and post it on here perhaps? Just feels weird not being part of saying goodbye.

I'll put in the request as soon as see their murderous eyes.

I might ride to some deserted hell hole or train station and take the flask n have a cup of tea for Pete.

Hmm dunno never counted. Personally I know of a lot more solo women riders than I do men but I would wouldn't I Women ADV riders does a lot of articles and writing for solo women riders and that site does well for itself. Of the 24 women I went to the Himalayas with at least half are solo riders. I like riding solo too, I recently rode to the Pyrenees on my tod and enjoyed it a lot. But if I was in Bolivia like that other woman who was nearly beaten to death I would rather do it with someone else.

I’ve been trying to think of what I want to say but the words don’t seem to want to form so forgive the mishmash of thoughts, if I leave it any longer I won’t say anything and that just doesn’t seem right. He was as everyone’s pointed out already a good guy. He went out of his way to help people and not in some sort of desperate way where he wanted the accolades, in a behind the scenes way. Not just impractical “there there” type help either, genuinely helpful in real ways. When I first came to Spain he gave me invaluable advice and that is something I’ll forever appreciate. We shared the same sort of politics and I followed him here from the other place because I enjoyed that and his piss taking sense of humour. He had a large personality and never tried to make himself small to fit in with other peoples expectations and that boldness of character is something I admire. You know you’d never see him kowtowing to anyone even when he was administering his balm to bonkers folk. I also appreciated that he didn’t mind saying if he didn’t know something which a lot of peoples egos prevent them from doing, many people would rather make something up than say “I don’t know” and for that reason he was a reliable person to ask about a lot things, apart from bike maintenance His fears that I would do my own often led him to tell me to leave it to the experts. Sometimes I found that frustrating but I knew it came from a place of real care. He had a kind and turns out faulty heart and while he enjoyed a bit of shit stirring he always smoothed things over when things got fractious in a way so skilled that I’ve rarely seen it in anyone else. I’m sure if they’d put him on a UN peace keeping force the war between the Ukraine and Russia would have finished with a nice cup of tea by now, he probably had enough teabags to make the entire population a cup. Some rare people look for the good things, the things to like in another person, he was one of those. I’m surprised by just how miserable this has made me, because I think perhaps when your friends with people on the internet you put them in a separate box to the one where real life friends exist but this really has already shown me that friendship with people as good as Pete matter just as much.

or maybe go off on one like Timmy did where I suddenly in his mind become some sort of slut

I keep logging on expecting him to be here.

My Pops shows them up on his scooter

There are lots of solo female travellers and so far as I know only one of them ended up in a ditch quite close to being carrion. They robbed her, raped her and beat the shit out of her, then left her for dead but somehow she survived. Edit: she freely admits pitching her tent (on her tod) where she pitched it wasn't wise but the locals had told her it was a safe area and she'd be fine there.

Too tall for my short arse self!