Bike-wise, the worst mistake I ever made was investing a significant chunk of my redundancy money on a Yamaha XS 500 in 1981. I posted the following on another website last year;
'Whoever coined the phrase "Any bike is better than no bike" had never owned an XS 500.
Despite constant attention from several repair shops, my one-year-old model never ran consistently for more than three consecutive weeks. It drank petrol like a hole in the sand and vibrated far more than its balance shaft should have allowed. There are no words to describe how I felt - and still feel - about the XS 500, but think "vile" or "putrid" and you'd be heading in the right direction.
I eventually replaced it with a well-worn Honda - nine-year-old CB 500/4 engine in a CB 550 frame - which was infinitely better in every way.
Reputedly, the workshop manuals Yamaha sent to (European) dealers for the XS 250 contained incorrect information, causing them to be set up wrongly from new. The XS 500 had no such excuse; it was simply a terrible, over-complex and totally unreliable machine. Anyone (like me) who bought one under the impression they were getting a smaller but more technologically-advanced version of the XS 650 soon recognised the enormous error they had made. Usually within three weeks.
To date, I've never owned a newer bike or (taking inflation into account) shelled out a higher purchase price for a motorcycle, and yet the XS 500 was the worst I've ever owned - or even ridden (including a BSA C15, CZ 175, Honda CB 500T and Neval Minsk).
Last year, I saw an XS 500 at Rivington Barn near Horwich (in Lancashire) and I felt physically sick. Literally. The memories are that bad.
The irony is that I'm now the owner of another Japanese 500 cc four-stroke vertical twin - the Kawasaki ER-5. It was a bit of a panic buy, but it's proved to be wonderfully reliable.'
YUP guilty as charged I did the most stoopid thing ever last night I had a drag of a dirty ciggy after not touching one for 8 weeks now and it was rancid bad nasty horrible and I almost choked to death after just one drag I wonder how in gods name did I ever smoke over 40 a day , I wouldn't touch another one thanks they're nasty things
I often do things that are very stoopid but it usually gives others a good giggle so I don't mind some times i can take being laughed at and shouted at and called names
arrrgh got to say this one ive had another dirty ciggy most stooped thing ever ive not touched one for almost 2 months now but I had some over the weekend and again today, it seems im ok until I get a lager or vodka in my hand ????????????????????????
yup yup yup I did the most stoopid thing ever yesterday I cut the plug off the airbed too far down so I cannot re attatch the cable for home use for guests lol its now just my camp / rally bed ermm maybe I did it on purpose without realising it
There was a feature on BBC Radio Four’s The Now Show where a member of the audience told of how he met Charles de Gaulle at an Oxbridge dinner and thought he was Albert Tatlock. “I had difficulty understanding him,” he said, “but I just put it down to his old age.”
This delusion apparently remained with him for five years, until he went to the cinema with his wife to see Day of the Jackal and was puzzled as to why the O.A.S. was so keen to assassinate Albert Tatlock.
I was doing a bit of Decorating last week and knocked a 2ltr Tin of gloss white paint off the steps thanks to Kev for his assistance in the speed painting part of the day
Washed my jeans today as got covered in mud, unfortunately forgetting to remove my mobile phone from the pocket. Not sure if it's terminal or not till it dries out.
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