Driving France

[ClassiChimi]

YES,,,,,,hahahahah, are you sitting on my shoulder Graham,, 4am I left the place,,, just me Manu/ Rebecca and the bar owner and his friends,, a blond woman kept smiling at us three, eventually came over,, Irish girl,,, told us we looked like lovely people,,, more kissing and sexy cuddles, I'm sure she squeezed my arse but maybe I dreamed that

Just had lunch at a locals cafe,, lovely,,,I have to get this out my system,,
The waitress, about my age I guess,,, a combination of Tina Turner ( big hair with blond hi-lights) and a Brazilian beauty,,,
Curves that are like the Tvr, not a straight line on her, brown as a Berry and heaving perfect breasts,,,,, no bra and a see through top,, full of confidence and pure beauty,, I think she could tell I was in love with her I've been there a number of times and they seem to like me,, well,,,,,,,,,,,,
I order dinner after a few glasses of water to clear my head,, she's full of conversation and was looking at me with those dark come to bed eyes the girls all seem to have,, I'm happy as a Sam boy,,, anyway she brings me my Beof de ,,,,can't spell it so won't even try,, I'm say at the table,, she's playing games with me,, I'd been bending down to scratch my ankle so hadn't seen her arrive at my table,, puts the food down and almost pushed these huge nipples in My face,,,,mm away,,,
Mama Mia, I appologise as I feel it's my fault,, she just said enjoy,,,,,do what, stone the crows, that was twenty minutes ago,, I'm still shaking hahahah,,, this woman looks firm fit and very strong but still very feminine,,, shed fk me to death man,,, I almost ran out scared as a cat!
Suffice to say the hangover has gone and I'm feeling really good.
I've been trying to ignore the women,, but how can you,,, they love compliments and I told her she was as beautiful a woman as I've ever seen,,, more kisses as I left and I felt like sucking the tongue out if her mouth,, errrr, to much information,,,, it's this perfect weather it does things to people.

Right that's that done with, I can't resist so shorts and T shirt,,,I'm off to find a secluded beach and do some snorkelling

[ClassiChimi]

Nah,,,she must have men or a husband somewhere,, to beautiful not too!
I can't be doing with a holiday romance,, got the T shirt and all that.

I need to stay focused on my life.
I'm getting that sinking feeling of the holidays nearly over and still have so much to see and do.
I've got to stop writing on here as I waste all my time trying to entertain you boys,,,,,,

If I don't respond much now it's hopefully because I'm sharing more great experiences and not falling off my bike!
Don't tempt fate Al so I'll say knowmore.
Manu wants to meet me for drinks again,, I've made my excuses as getting pissed is t really my idea of fun but riding my funkie sounding bike is
I'll take pics and post them but I just want to suck in all this life joy because it will likely stop abruptly when I get home as I face more bills. I'm spending money now like it's going out of fashion,, payed the bill last night,, 200 bucks
Divvy !!!!!!

[ClassiChimi]

F
The mountain roads,,,D93,,,there's a lovely windmill only a few hundred yards up the road!
Peter I've got a huge smile on my face,,
What job, I don't have one!




That's about as straight as it gets,, heaven,, I tried counting the corners,got to 83 and lost count,,,that's at about a third the way!




You wouldn't want to fall down there !




This is the beach cafe I met my musical friend at.
Plage du herculle,,, spelling?
I went there again today and swam for a few hours,, warm sea and a gentle breeze to cool you,
Bit choppy so didn't snorkel
I'm enjoying everything in my eye sight now,,
The trees and huge grasses and paradise plants,,,
What you don't get is the silence up on those mountains,, it's so peaceful and relaxing,,,
Some of the connected corners I'd like to take shots of but there's not often a good place to pull over.

Some if the riding on this bike,, it's so like the Tvr,, loud roar as you blast up hills for a few gear changes,, popping and banging as you shut off and down change as you brake,,,look for the apex,, stay away from the inside line right now, after rain there's often sand sitting there and I had a nasty moment the other day as I didn't see about four ft of sand at the deepest part of the turn,,front end went and I slammed my foot down to help correct it, bks ,,,
I've taken to dragging my foot in the floor when I'm not sure of grip levels,,gives me a feel for the grip available and it's a big big help.
Your riding in hot weather so sometimes it's warm and nice on the skin then your into tree sections with the shadows and it's all really great great fun,,,
After so many years denying myself this pleasure it's such emotional stuff for me,, dabbing the brakes, one finger braking and blipping the throttle,, slinging the bike from side to side, slingshot ting out of the burm corners, tight tight hairpins that go on for ages,, never flat, down into a corner or up into them, just amazing to be honest,,,
I'm really riding well now,, carefull but still using all those skills to manipulate the bike,,,
The trees roots pushing the Tarmac up so it's also like motocross as you get out the seat to allow the bike to jump about and buck around,,,I really enjoy those bits,,, I remember being fking good on a bike now, and it fills me with deep pride at my ability,
You don't need to be on it,, it still feels just as good,, I've got my braking sorted, you must give yourself sometime to stop,, I'm a bad lad for going in to hard and having to hold my breath to sort it out,, that seems over with,, thank god it's not a good feeling at all.
I kept thinking I need to go off for miles to find these roads,,,, no there everywhere and only minutes away from camp,,,
All I can say is it would feel and provoke the same feelings of pure freedom and joy in the Tvr,,,
It's strange but I've got a bike that's just the same,,,this thing feels quick on these twisties, accelerates as hard as you'd want and stops really well.

I felt bad about putting Manu off earlier so I'm meeting him tonight around 10 ish in St Tropez for a beer,,,I don't like the place but it's fantastic at night with all the boats, the lights, the people, the smell of food and sound of the rigging,,, I really love the artists and stuff like that,,
Happy people with an access of money spending it,,, if you've got it flaunt it I say
I wasn't going to write anymore,,,,
I usually walk around with my head up my arse, not really taking things in but now everytime I see something wonderful I think of this thread and I remember stuff!

There's lots if other things I've not covered which are all worth a mention but where do I stop!

Michael Palin,, I enjoy his travelloges and it is a fab thing to do for sure,
I did think of taking a one and paper today to write notes but I was already on my way!

Finally a word about last night which filled me with joy,,,,,
The chippy cousin of Manu,, talked about Guy Martin,, I feel a warmth towards Guy like I do Barry Sheene,,,(let out a big sad sigh)
Well Antwon and me laughed for ages over Guy,,,he loves him too,,,,
What a boy,,,in my Guy Martin voice,,, he's a fking comedian that lad and as hardcore as they come,,,,
Reminds me of me,,,,hahahahah yeah in my dreams

Thanks a million to all who posted on here and took the time to read my stories of should I say essays!

Edited by ClassiChimi on Saturday 19th September 01:35

[ClassiChimi]

Look at those leathers,,,forget the ugly bloke,,,
Mean mean look when on my glorious bike.

You can't fail to get noticed,,,other riders are my favourate,,, they really appreciate the effort I've put in
Thanks Alun

Edited by ClassiChimi on Saturday 19th September 01:37

[ClassiChimi]

What a bike that is,,,you've had some of the best by the looks of it Peter
I've nick named my new muso friend Simmo,,, big hair reminds me of another fantastic rider who sadly lost his life,, it's a serious business riding these bikes.



Glamour !




One from the The Ferrari stable,,,my bike looks better though



This girls real hot,,, see what she can do in a mo,,,,,,,,,



Wait for it, wait for it,,,

Edited by ClassiChimi on Saturday 19th September 01:38

[ClassiChimi]

That's a bit impressive,,

So just to recall,, nice evening in St Tropez,, the usual stuff but as if by magic when I arrived and parked the bike I hear Brazilian drums,,, it's my favourate syle of drumming,, highly technical and the most enjoyable to play,,
They call it the music of life,,, it's to do with the timing,, a pick up note before the major note,,,
Liken it to the heart beat of a human being,,,your heart doesn't beat 1-2 1-2
It beats a split second before 1 ?
In drumming you often use 1e and a 2e and a and so on,,,so if you want to put a beat in before 1 you go a1,,, a3 a5a7 then back to a1 again there 16th notes if anyone cares,,,
That's how Brazilian music timing often works,,,
So when you do it in practice you are now playing like the beat of a heart,,,,
Learn that and you can get inside peoples bodies and take control of their minds,,,,
Santana early stuff from the late 1960's early 1970's is a perfect example,,,
The music of life itself,,, the back beat I'm talking about,, if you listen to his guitar playing he often plays notes that seem off beat,, really hard to catch it and play in time with him,, he's just doing the first note what seems like a split second before the major note or beat 1
Christ were did that come from,,,,anyway
I arrive and soon as my helmets off I can here this sound and look over to see these three playing a big Conga and tamberines etc,,, one of them doing an Olger Corbit down the st, gambolling and huge spins in the air like a gymnast,,,
The beautiful people in the restaurants clapping and whooping,,,joining in the with the beat,,,
You know me I ain't missing this chance,,,when they stop for a moment to take the applause I walk over to them,,,still leatherd up,,,put my helmet on the floor and ask if I can play with them,,,
No Brazilian will say no so moments later I'm jamming with true Brazilians speaking and singing in Portugese,,,
Oh that stuff about the timing it's the essence of the Samba,,,,
So I'm ripping out a samba with the Conga player,,,then just to take the mickey because they can't quite believe I can do it I then grap one of their tambourines and shake and hit the skin of that too,,,
I'm boring you now but I'd just like to say try playing a tambourine in time,,,you'll find to get the little bells to be in time you have to do it a half note early so the bells react and hit the side at the correct moment,,,it's basically the same as the notation I mention above,, it's a real ski that takes months to perfect,,

After 10 minutes we stop to huge applause,,
Little white kid from England grooving with these cool suckers,,
Quite a shock to some maybe!
I enjoyed every second and as with must thjngs that's happened here I can't quite believe these guys are here let alone me go and Jamm with them,,,I've wanted to do that with the real deal Brazilians for many many years,, even thought if going to the Reo festival just to have a go,,, amazing experience for me this was.

We all laughed and I personally felt like I was glowing with all these super cool sexy beautiful people watching us,,,
It's something when a bloke off one of those huge boats looks at you with envy,,,
I might be poor but I'm richer than most inside some days,,
I promise with all my soul all that is absolutely true,, you can't make it up I tell ya!

Anyway Manu turns up with his girl,, we have drinks in the bar above the st which you won't get into without loads of mash (cash) or local knowledge and friends who know you,,,

We have a walk around,,, they have to go back to Paris tomorrow so I could see they were a bit sad, after more kissing and shaking of hands I leave them to sit on the rocks looking over the harbour to enjoy a romantic moment together.

It's all a form of bliss

I go off kind of relieved I've left these two young people to eachother and go for more of a walk which is when I see the girl playing with fire.

I've got to tell you this story,,
Years ago I did a gig,,,,I organised a support act,, couldn't get a band that sounded any good so we new this hippy freak of a guy who had talent,,,or so we thought,,,
Harry the fire eater,,,,
Big hippy beard,, never wore shoes and always looked like he was sleeping rough,
He smashes glass and lies down on it and you walk allover the prat,,,
He was a very funny and intelligent guy infact!
Ok I'll get to the punch line,, so he goes on stage to huge applause,,
It's not often things like this go on at 2am in a night club,,the croud are loving it,,,then,,,,,,
He gets out his fire stick things,,,puts to much petrol on them, light them up and holy hell the club goes bright white and the flames are ten foot high,,,sets the fking place on fire,,,
Fire engines the lot,, we didn't play that night, hahahahahah I'd had to talk the club owner into it in the first place,,,
The fire wasn't that bad really and it was out long before the fire engines arrived,, my vintage drum kit is wood isn't it,, I was on that stage in a flash getting them out the way,,
What a bloody dick that guy was,, he was off his head on drugs and ruined the night but I still laugh at it,,,,
Life's about memories and that's one I treasure to be honest,,
The band went home in the van rather upset,, no wages that night,,,,
When we practiced the following week we all laughed our sides out at it,,,
Great great memories of my younger life in a brilliant band that did have a big following.
This was all long before the internet so I sadly don't have much stuff from back then,,,not even the videos we did,, I found a demo tape once but it was behond repair.

Hers my new Brazilian buddies,, I'll never meet them again but we were like brothers for awhile tonight.

It sort of tops off all this music nonsense Manu has talked me into!
Great fun or what,, music is a higher level of conscience and when you reach it it's a special thing,,,,,
Just like driving our cars fast,, your above what you normally do in life





I'm no David Bailey so you'll have to excuse the poor quality!

After a that I had a cold but enjoyable slow ride around the coast road back to camp,,,
If I hadn't got this bike I'd never have done any of this,,,riding gives me a false sense of invincibility and a passion for life I'd almost forgot I once had.. If your gonna do something do it and be a winner.
Alun

[ClassiChimi]

Oh lads, what kind words,, if I hadn't had the odd reply I'd have stopped days ago, it's your replies that's inspired me to do it.

For all these experiences,,which are bloody amazing I've been very emotional the whole time, sometimes really difficult to lift myself up and go out on that bike,,,whatever I've said I don't trust myself on the barking mad thing and so my nerves are constantly on edge,, sometimes that's a life changing feeling but it's also full of big danger!

All those other things that keep happening are nothing compared to riding the bike,
That's a massive challenge, going off on my own on roads I have no idea about,, stomach tight as a drum..(bum bum)
And my brain saying this is a step to far,, it's only because I'm on my own with it,,,
Sometimes I'm thinking things like,, if I go off here and disappear into the canopy below I'll never be found again, shocking!

I think it's why I make light of all these other situations, stops me freaking and hiding in a corner.
I'm honestly stting myself every time I climb aboard,, I don't actually think like that when I'm doing it but it's always there in the back of my mind!

It sounds like I hang with the stars but I've met Henry cole a few times now,,
Last year at the bike show at the NEC it was late in the day on the trade day (less people)
I met the lad who travels with him when he does those
Best rides around the world shows,, I've watched loads of them and that was my inspiration to get back in the saddle,,,,
Well Henry comes over and my friend and I spend a good few hours with him,,,
Cool bloke that Henry Cole,, really interesting and very down to earth,,
I talk about his drug habit when he's younger and we get very personal,,
He's also an emotional soul and I tell him about my history with bikes and how I'm still in two minds as to what to do about it,,
He's no speed king and just tells me about his life,, his bike business and how he came to do these great rides, he was very honest and you can't kid a kidda,, I've watched him, he ain't no Valentino
It was his attitude and sense of self preservation that helped me take the plunge..
Biking changed his life from being a heroin addict to someone who has a great life/wife and children,,,
Showed me pics of his favourate bikes and his lovely home in Oxfordshire,,
I have to thank him and then 200M for giving me the confidence to take this journey of discovery on,,,,
My hearts pounding and I'm having to hold it in,,,, fksake!
So fking emotional and I can't understand why,,,
All those years I wouldn't ride,, both my sons did,, I let them for a few years as young boys and my youngest son could ride a little thump bike like a pro,,,at ten years old I just said we can't afford it and got them into less dangerous sports,, my nerves couldn't take watching him do massive jumps and falling off,, he was really quick on the poxy things.

I might sell the bike because riding in the uk doesn't really appeal to me,, going to cafés with loads of other bikes around is great fun but other than that I'm struggling to see what the point is,,,
I dohave a great Tvr
Thinking about it now I remember thinking what can I buy that will give me the thrill the bikes did all those years ago
I bought a Tvr !!!! See where this has all come from,,,
The Tvr was a way to remind me of glorious fast machinery that tests me,, no car has ever frightened me and I wanted to feel alive again,,the Tvr does that for me in spades, I'm not as emotional over it and thank god for that because this bike and having this road trip has pushed my emotional state to the edge.

Anyway sorry to hark on about how I'm feeling,
A line from the Blues brothers film,,,,
We've got a full tank of gas,,,were wearing shades ,,,,let's go,,,( screeching if tyres and I'm about to burn off into the sunset because the truth is from the moment i start rolling non of that gets to me and I just become one with the bike and she makes me feel just fine.

I think I'm a butty short of a picnic some days,,,,
I once felt invincible,, that's a long time ago and now I'm well aware of my frailties

Maybe that's just what it is,, I ride exactly the same but feel scared!
Don't reply feeling sorry for me, I don't want that,,,
Give me confidence maybe but I never want sympathy

Oh do I go on,,,

A day at the local beach today doing nothing but swimming and sun bathing,,
My nuts are burnt hahahaha,,,,get my drift

I have a few of those great sayings too
Your a long time dead
Live for today because tomorrow may never come
Your here for a good time not a long time
It's better to have loved and lost than never love at all.

Indeed to come home because I miss my family really bad.
Tyre tread,,,I was on the beach today and invested some money on the stock market,, I did contemplate staying here I can tell you.
Manu's friend the chippy,, I really liked him, he's a work aholic and needs a bloke like me to help his business,,,mainly decking contracts etc,, piece of piss,,,I could work with him easy but I can't stay away from my family for long without feeling lost.

I'm sitting here,, it's Saturday night and all I can hear is Harley's, bikes galour rumbling about but I'm going to chill,,,,,,maybe????!!!!

For gordsake the chippy has just sent me a text asking for my email,,,,fate, coincidence,,,it's just getting stupid now!
Alun

[ClassiChimi]

Graham,,,great great great great, wonderful. Stop you'll make me emotional again !!!!!!!!!
So last night,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I went to bed! I'd been writing my last post at Mc Donald's as it's cheap and chearful and on the little ring road near camp, I've been there a few times now As I can hear the sportscars and bikes blasting off the lights towards St Tropez,, it reminds me I'm not the only nutter out there.
I find it's writing these posts that bring my emotions to the surface,,,I've never writen in my life, I'm not a learnid man,,, don't read many books and it's probably something to do with my boring life at home which does not contain much fun at all,,
I've always been a people person and so being in a part of the world with all these wonderful women and loads of blokes who aren't shy in coming forward to tell me they enjoy my bike has took me back to when I was someone.

I don't socialise much at home,, I've become depressed as hell because nothing inspires me anymore, I can't get up for anything,,,this has pulled it all up and out of me,,
I went to bed at 8.30 pm last night Saturday night!!!!
I'm like a baby,,,,just over tired.
A place like this, it's a reminder that anythings possible,,,people are working hard and playing hard here and that's an inspiration in it's own right.
I'm not like this at home,, I have an anger in me that's never far from the surface,, that's just all this power I have not being tapped into and so my direction goes pear shaped. I like to help people but it often feels like no one appreciates it so I get upset.
My family are welsh, it's a nightmare being this emotional sometimes but it also installed bravery and a hard nosed attitude into me from a young age,,
6 years ago my life took a really bad turn,, ex missus took me for tens of thousands using my credit cards,, I might not have much of an education but over the years I'd come to understand how to use these credit facilities to create an illusion of wealth,, I had like nine bank accounts and tonnes of credit cards,,,
For years I'd use them to bounce money around,,,, the same money would just go from account to account.
Put simply if you say use a grand and put it through a number of accounts in dribs and drabs say four times a month each account looks like your banking pretty serious money, playing banks off eachother,
Now I did this for a few years and my credit rating become sky high,,,so then your offered better deals and more credit cards and higher and higher credit facilities,,,
I kept my eye on the money and never used it to buy junk just keep moving the same money around.
That's where my ex comes in, I had a physical job that was also very dangerous, I used to out glass in tall buildings for a living, long hours in London mostly and then long travelling times home for the weekend etc,,,, it was burning me out so I slowly let this bh of a woman take over,,,she was a con artist,, I'd met her and for the first time since my kids mum did I thought I might marry her,,, trusted her,,, as time went on I bought a few cheap houses to rent out and give me another excuse to fool the banks and create another income stream,,,,
I also had this girl who slowly I realised was a lazy st and I got fed up with her,,,,
She sussed me and so took the piss out my credit cards,, it had got to the point where she'd took over a lot of the banking duties,, oh if you want to do stuff like that with banks it has to be cash moved around or they also suss out what your game is,, I had three houses that I pretended were multi let,, upto 7 rooms a property etc etc , when the banks would ask me where all this money came from I'd say my job, private jobs and the houses,, before the crash in 07/08 they all wanted my business so wouldn't question it much,,,,sounds really dodgy I know but in fact it was a banker who taught me, the banks move money about in an hourly basis looking for a point here and there in interest,, if your doing that with millions it's big profits for doing little!!!!
I'd bought shares and stuff like that so it all worked very successfully,,,
The key here is not to spend the tens of thousands of pounds of credit on cars or stuff,, you've still got to pay for it,,
So my ex was good at the day to day and kept on top of it for about 3 years and solely I stopped checking some of these accounts,,,
Long story short the stupid cow could see I was loosing faith in her,, she started spending and drawing cash from credit cards which is horrendously expensive in interest payments,
I was getting older and I couldn't keep up with all these things because I loved my job and that was always important to me,,
I'd come home and check the accounts at weekends until she had fooled me into thinking everything's going well,, I trusted her and that was my only real mistake.
Any fking way she ripped at least 80k from my accounts right under my nose,,,
I've been skint ever since.
Police were useless and after doing g my own investigations found she's turned over her ex husband etc,,
It all sounds rather pathetic but she was a beautiful woman and I just came to trust her with all this finance until is not check the accounts much,,sometimes she'd get upset because us want to check,, she did love me that's a fact so me feeling bad just slowly stopped checking,, that's when she struck,,,,,
She gone, left our house I'd bought for us and I've never gotton hold of her since,,,
Its a good job because I would and I mean would have strangled her.

What a fked up situation, after all I'd done in life and gone through it crushed me,,I've still not mentally recovered and I've not had a serious relationship since,,

I don't work on the windows anymore because it's massively physical and I'm only a light weight, my shoulder and neck carnt handle it either so I'm just trying to find a way that I'm happy with?!!!
That's where the car came in,, that's also been a piece of st but she's coming good now!
The bike was this final piece in my personal jigsaw that fullfills me and gives me some confidence in life again.
I raced so I learnt how to be very very aggressive as a kid,,this was a power that helped me succeed in life after but now it's a hinderunce because I get pissed off easy and go off the handle,,,
I'm getting g better slowly,,,

This trip has caught me out,, I never thought I'd write all this in a million years
I just wanted to ride the bike,, have a break to re focus and get better,,,
It bought I'd ride it here then sit on a beach,, the Gorge Graham,,,changed all that!!!!


Go the the war graves and pay your respects and I two will be on your shoulder paying my respects,, I've been to Belgium with the band years ago and we all went,,, we owe our freedom to those lost souls,,,
I hope you enjoy the ride
Thanks so much for helping me in France,,
Many regards Alun

[ClassiChimi]

These flaming iPhones, I'm sure I write the correct words but it always seems to do something else!

I'm going to regret wearing my heart on my sleeve on a public forum but owning the same car as you boys has me acting like were all brothers in the same battle so it all comes out?

I think I'm actually a sad guy who's lost his way in life, my eldest son has stuck by me,, he's now my focus,,,him and my grandson, I've had my chance in life and now I want to help them have a better life.

8.30 in bed,,,, been awake since 2am

I feel better now I've got that crap off my chest,,
This trip has been more than I coud of ever dreamed of,,,
Some sort of quest to re find myself,,, didn't know it when I booked the ferry so I hope you can all forgive me for wasting so much time writing all this personal stuff.

I don't want to disappoint but I can't see myself riding much now,,
I've took huge risks, chances, had a ball,, been really happy most of the time and talked to anyone who enjoyed my company,,I've met like minded people and lovely couples trying to make it in their lives,, these people saw something in me that I thought had died,,
Then there's you guys,,someone who's been a real gent to me over the last few years .......
Anthony (Qbee) he's been something of an inspiration too,, he's a clever chap with world knowledge,,,
Loads of you infact,,
Were just faceless people who share the passion for Tvr
He's been a real friend when I have nothing to offer in return,, it's just how he is,,,

I don't like singling people out but he's always so generous in his comments on this forum to many people it's a breath of fresh air.
My brain hurts,,, more sleep required.
Finally the emotions of this trip have aged me 10 years
I need a holiday
Anyone wanna do Italy???!!!!!!!! ;)
Please don't reply to that last remark,, I'll be skint again as soon as I'm home!

[ClassiChimi]

I've slept well,, a that outpouring of emotion,,,,,all bks, feeling sorry for myself,
Right what to do with my last few days,,,
Not a lot to be frank.
I'm going to check the weather and maybe save some energy for the trip home and make it a beauty,,
Menton up to somewhere and just decide as I go,,,,
What do you chaps think?
Just to clarify something I said,, investing In the stock market???!!!

I had a heads up whilst on the beach, I've said I'm interested but won't be deciding until tomorrow,,

James Brown
I feel good, new that I would now
I feeeeeel good, I new that I would now
So good, so good and so on



When your in love with a beautiful woman
You know it's hard, you know it's hard
Everyone wants her, everyone tells her she's the one for them
When your in Love with a beautiful Triumph you know it's hard.

I need some ideas as to which way to come home,,,
Bring it on boys,,, I'm quite safe,, honest!

[ClassiChimi]

Just keep on keeping on big man,,,I can't change even if I wanted to,,,
It's why I'm self employed,,,I'm unemployable

My friends at the campsite are a great bunch,, just had breakfast and is now the second time they spoil me and won't take a dime off me.
Suns shinning, deep blue skies and as it's Sunday,everything's closed which is a good thing,,,peaceful and makes you relax

I might ride to some villages and just experience the French at home,,
Enjoy the roads at a steady speed and re invigorate myself.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it but my bike is BRILLIANT

I want to brush her down and give her words of love,,, the French kiss the bloody tank and things, maybe I should give her a hug too,
I'm sure a few of you will be feeling the same about your Chimaera's so do it with pride, passion and as much love as you can muster,,,it'll do you good.

My French friend who's always pissed,,, he's a wreck of a man and I can't be bothered to drink with him which upsets him but he's a nice guy really,,,I might try getting him to eat something,,,
He's killing himself slowly,,,,,the French are also a sad lot,,,,some of them,,,,

He needs a friend so before I leave I'll maybe do something with him,,,,maybe not as I havnt got much time left now,,

I've got mixed feelings, want to come home for my kids but I could stay here just as easily !
Antwon the chippy,,,, he's on my mind,,,,I'd go and meet up with him but I might make stupid decisions !!!!!
It's probably best to leave it alone.
Oppertunity knocks your door sometimes in life,,,it's wether you take them or not!
Al

[ClassiChimi]

Alley bell mouth and K&N it's got then induction roar which we all love,,don't accelerate that quick but it's so noisy it fools the mind;)




See that coming at you you get out the way
With my cool leathers and helmet,,,the women think Jonny Depp's turned up and the blokes think Steve McQueen has come back to haunt them,,,,




Look at the shape of that,,,it's like sci fi movie from the 1950's






And when I look down I see this,, it evokes some increadable feelings as you ride,
At night with the dim lights eluminatinf the clocks it's fantastic,,,
That and the bulging hand grips and vibrations it's behond reproach.
I think it's why my right thumb hurts so much,, the grips are so fat when your braking it's only my thumb holding on,,
A little pain is more than ok when it feels this good.

Can you see from these pictures why I get so involved,,
I've actually added quite a few things to finish it off,, Made in England stickers, all the stone guards and bits and bobs but really this is all Norman Hides work,,,,it was taken to him at 9 months Jan 2010 and all the fairing work and jetting etc done.
High class job indeed.
I must have miss read my clock???!!!! 8100 miles I wrote, dunno where I got that from,,,
The time clock I also added,,it's a bit nasty but it's better than a plastic nut!
I left in on England time,,

What a flipping bike,,,did my routine maintenance this morning and everything's tight and exactly as it was before I came here and put 1500 odd miles on her so far,,

It's nice to buy something someone else has put such an effort into,,,
I waste tonnes of money on motors doing this stuff,,,

Happy days,,, I bought this modern chain lube,,,warm the chain up, spray it onto the chain, leave it overnight and it doesn't flick up,,, good stuff,,,it disappears so looks like the chains dry but it's tough stuff,,,good buy that was too.;)

This darn bike has been the reason I've met people, smiled and waved at strangers, turned girls on,,,

I owe it a huge amount. Je taime moi Cherrri,,,
Anthony can you correct that bit for me,,,, hahahah,, your like a father figure to me,,, hahahah,
Oh I do laugh a lot sometimes.
It's hot but I'm putting proper riding gear on and having a gentle ride,, showing my stead I do care,,,,
An I a complete tit or what boys,,,couldn't care less cos I've got a beauty here

[ClassiChimi]

That's ok Richard, we all have our own lives to lead
CAN ANYONE confirm the weather report for tue 22nd,,I'm seeing rain from mid France and north onwards

I had another fantastic days riding yesterday (Sunday) and I'll post up the results when I get 5 hours spare !!!!!!!
Hot spot is a tenner a day,,,,ram that!
Oh my lord,,,I've read some of these posts,,,
Terrible,,,my moods been going up and down more often than a wes knickers,,,,

[ClassiChimi]

Thanks mate,,,that's what my phone says too !!!!wet bike, you gotta be kidding , I'm staying here if I can keep my room!
Like your pic,, I've just watched the sun rising from the east

Is that the square in Brussels,,,if it is I did a really cool gig there about 30 years ago,, seems like yesterday

I don't sleep well here, something to do with insects eating me alive and I wake up freaking and hide under the covers, I've got anti septic etc but I have a headache every morning, it's bugging me,, doh.

I've missed a trick here,, I'm sitting in the cafe by the super market opposite camp,,,watching real French people wake up and off to work, builders and stuff,,, very fresh first thing but I like early mornings,,





Thanks so much for your help and support,, your a gent.

[ClassiChimi]

So yesterday's antics,
Rode to la plan de la tour after visiting Grimaud again,, then onto the end of the road that then goes back towards St Maxime ,, sod that so turned around and did the mountain road again ,
It's riding nirvana.
Had a glorious lunch at la tour watching Morris dancing and chatting with locals,,,
Yannick the chef,,,,half Scottish and his lovely partner, they own the place,
He came out and had a good chat about old blighty,,, he's never going back ,,,,,,either.
As Richard says,, if I didn't have family I'd be a free spirit. Spoke with my kids and grandson yesterday,,,
Very very happy so it filled me with warmth and off I went.
Total bliss on that bike, riding well. I've lost my fear now,, I'm totally at home on the wrong side of the road,, traffic the lot,,,

Yannick,, I have some great shots of yesterday but the time it takes posting is sending me bonkers,,






The taste combination on that plate,,,
Alun

[ClassiChimi]

That's what my phone says too so I'll go see the management shortly and see if I can stay until Thursday
I'm addicted to riding this bike and the roads,,,it's tranquility personified,,,
The idea of coming home to the dark seems madness.
The local couple yesterday,, says oct/nov, are the best months of the year,, probably all these annoying foriegners gone!
They didn't want me to leave the chap Eric looked like Harry the fire eater I'd mentioned earlier ,,, told him the name of my bike,, insisted I drive by when I left,,,pulled over for him to touch it,, he thought it was the best machine bed ever seen. oh it's just a barrol of laughs every single day,,,
I ride off with British pride and joy for my bike and this life style every single time,,,
Increadable really the way the French adore our Britishness.
Anyone dislikes the French, ignorance and no imagination, I've never felt so good for as long as I can remember!
Thank you France it's people and traditions.

[ClassiChimi]

The hairpin Anthony,,,that's the only corner I can think of that's like everyone I'm riding here
If I'm back I'll defo come over,,,Matts racing I presume?
That hairpins slow,,,,don't feel like it as you barrel towards it,, just like here,, and I still get banked right over,,,
I've been looking at the locals tyres,,,about the same lean angle I'd suggest,,
It's ok as long as you've got the correct entry speed,, just like any driving really.
I'd love to get a shot of me playing in the bends,,,,my head could get even bigger
Have a good day,,, your the nutter by the way, I've seen your car with attitude old bean

[ClassiChimi]

Grimaud and boys loving their bikes









Hippy French couple and he's a split of Harry the fire eater,,,his feet so much hard skin you could nicks segs into them and use em as boots,,,,,lovely friendly and mad as hatters,,,we got on well



Home from home!

The road out of la tour



Main roads, smooth and fast! I stay off em???



Back on the roads I enjoy the best,,,smooth and tighter than a Jewish man selling diamonds






Positive cambers,,,careful on the way in, even more careful as you get on the power and out,,,good chance it can spit you off!


And if you do go off this is what your last memory would be,,,



And finally you find this,,,,,melting Tarmac and sand,,,don't look to bad does it,,,,try holding the front of a bike through here,,,
I grass tracked (like speedway but much faster and rougher) I like the back wheel out at angles and leaning off but this,,, frighten you out of your skin but I've sussed it,,,no trees to cool the Tarmac and that sand is always where a dirt track meets the road or an entrance to property,,,or just where the hills fall and there's no wher for the sand to go after rain.
It's just best to stay within yourself and be steady as you approach, I go hard at it then brake 20 metres before you really have to and you can stand the bike up with no trouble.



And my private pool
The campsites almost closed so it's lovely and quiet at this time,,,I've had a few early swims and it's lovely and warm!
There's loads of facilities and it's a cool place,,,
20 odd quid a day,,,,,that really is cheap for around here,,,

I hope these pics give you some idea of my fun and games,,,
I've taken to telling folk I'm posting this lot to thousands of people,,,,hahahah
Well about 6 of us anyway,,,,,
If you can't dazzle em with diamonds
Baffle em with bullst.
No I'm very honest so there!
Stephan one of my new German friends emailed me,,,,nice,,,,
Alun

[ClassiChimi]

Ok Anthony,,,,I've tried to get you to blow up your PC Peter,,,
I'm so pleased for you,,,sometimes we have to make a good idea reality before we pop our clogs,,,
It I'll be amazing for sure,,,your cars a power house of a thing,,,better get some trackdays in for practice,,
See what I mean, you have a great missus,,,
Anthony, pack her off with the kids and do whatever you like!
It's a bit weird and sometimes lonely but ,,,,,,,bks who needs a whinging woman wanting to shop,,,,!!!!
Big sigh of joy and excitement at another fine summers day,,,
I've been sat at the pool now for an hour or more,,,warm as toast.
Ttfn.

[ClassiChimi]

Depends on what time of day I'm coming past but yes.
I should have got a big road map,,,,
It's such an adventure when you just go where your brain takes you,, freedom, I felt like I've been breaking through the frontier like an explorer,,,, you can see why people sailed to the States hundreds of years ago,,,pity they ruined the place
I'm I off over to the office to book a few more days!