yeehaa! that felt good.......

[minimax]

just renewed my ins on the mini after a short gap (2 weeks), nothing to do so 2pm today I hops in & drops clutch for the open road. Now, I don't mean to make you non-north easterners feel jealous, but I only encountered 2 gatso's, no tw@ts (sorry, traffic cops) and no mobile traps. This is NORMAL! all the way from stocksfield to bellingham (look it up) and joyful all the way. after reading PH this morning I felt I could do with getting it out of my system, and it really gave me a good feeling.... I seriously recommend this route, must do 30 through the villages (don't be an asshole) but boy the looks you get when you drop to 2nd just past the derestricted sign!
Just thought I'd share my fun with you

[robp]

Hexam to Wark is a good road. I seem to remember thrashing through those twisty bends many a time!

[CB-Dave]

The country roads up by ponteland, heading towards stamfordham are good too - esp the jedburgh road out of pont. (apart from the roadworks!)

If you turn off the jedburgh road towards stamfordham, you've got single lane roads, some nice tight 90 degree corners and some damn quick stretches of road (not that anyone does over 60 officer!)

[minimax]

CB-Dave said: The country roads up by ponteland, heading towards stamfordham are good too - esp the jedburgh road out of pont. (apart from the roadworks!)

If you turn off the jedburgh road towards stamfordham, you've got single lane roads, some nice tight 90 degree corners and some damn quick stretches of road (not that anyone does over 60 officer!)

definitely! try the road from westerhope to pont then through to the military road - very... erm.... testing? shall we say? I also like the A697 and the A68 - they don't know what they're missing, these southern chaps (I am one myself) I haven't seen any law around these parts for a long time, unless you count the squad car at hexham roundabout (rather restricts taking it at 70mph!)

edited to add:touch wood

>> Edited by minimax on Friday 14th February 00:48

[CB-Dave]

The back end of dinnington is good for a laugh too, ok they're pretty straight and boring but there's a couple twisties and feeling the back end going light at 90 (umm... km/h!) is always guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

My favourite route tho has to be the one that runs parallel to hadrians wall, you get the straights, you get some insane blind hills and you get the excellent twisties by simply taking any turn off!

That reminds me, I'm heading to stamfordham on saturday... mmm... hatching evil plan of giving the car some stick hehe!

[minimax]

hmmm maybe I could find myself round there as well.... could be interesting?

[robp]

CB-DAVE - do you mean the military road?

Bloody lethal that one, all the bends are on the crest of hills!
:wishiknewthatbeforeidrovedownit:

[CB-Dave]

rob - the old roman road... it is lethal yeah but ohhhh so much fun

[robp]

Oh yes! Have to watch for the occasional tourist dawdling along but otherwise some good roads. If you are feeling adventurous how about the old toll road through keilder?
Best £1 I ever spent!

[minimax]

you mean you actually paid the quid? or did you tell that to the forestry officer at the bike shop just to make you feel good (safe in the knowledge you were going to cut up his customers after you'd finished your pie) hohohohoho!

[robp]

Did I say I was in a car?

"the fastest bike in the world is a hire bike"!

[minimax]

1st question to bloke in bike shop: which one has the tightest rear brakes?

2nd question: which route has the most 90 degree bends with a hill one side & a dangerous cliff the other?

3rd what's your policy on tyres?

[robp]

4th question: Can you place a "Hertz" sticker on the back?

5th question: Can you fit a speedo?

[CB-Dave]

Never done the kielder road - I do remember when I was about mmm... 14 riding across the dam with my cousin in the pouring rain! my uncle dropped us off on one side, took the van across to the other and said "cmon - you've got to ride across now!"

That was brilliant - I hated it then but looking back it was great!

[robp]

Probably one of my favourite places is Keilder. Quiet, good scenery, emtpy roads, good pubs en-route etc.

[wedg1e]

Woohoo! The A696, early morning, late autumn or spring. En route to Aberdeen. Also returning from same late at night/ early AM. Splendid bit of road. Shame the damn Scots plastered it with Gatsos. Last time I was up that road I only saw one on the English side, just outside Newcastle (and it was on a junction so fair do's). Keep meaning to have an early morning run to Carter Bar in the TVR just for the hell of it...

Ian

[david_h]

Mini what's your name.

U got carbs on that mini then? I don't think anything can really beat the sound of them. Got throttle bodies on my car. Even though it's a 4 cylinder it sounds like armagedon above 5000rpm.

Better than no stereo, and the torque.

BTW are you one of the people with a mad fast mini that goes to Santa Pod?

[Tony Hall]

Well, thats those roads out of bounds for a while, will be well patrolled for the next few months.
Actually, police often patrol during summer months particularly Bellingham/Alston sort of areas looking for hooning bikers so beware. now if we were to all say we go mad on say the A690 in Durham, it might get them over there and out of our way.... Only jokin'

[minimax]

david_h said: Mini what's your name.

U got carbs on that mini then? I don't think anything can really beat the sound of them. Got throttle bodies on my car. Even though it's a 4 cylinder it sounds like armagedon above 5000rpm.

Better than no stereo, and the torque.

BTW are you one of the people with a mad fast mini that goes to Santa Pod?

Tom, i've got twin 1.5" SU carbs with a K&N cone filter, and a Maniflow LCB manifold going to a straight through single box 3" pipe. It's MUCH louder than standard! It never fails to put a smile on my face when I start it.
no, I don't go to santa pod, it's only got 100 ponies at the moment, but come 6 weeks or so it'll have either a fettled metro turbo engine (120 bhp) or a 1380 (128 bhp). I get all the work done at Green & White & he's been to santa pod a few times I think - he races a grasstrack with 170 at the crank!
edited to add: I ditched the stereo as conversation is impossible above 30!
LOVE IT!!!

>> Edited by minimax on Friday 14th February 10:58

[david_h]

It may only have 100bhp, but it's all about power to weight. Soo many people forget this. That mini must weigh nothing.

I too have had no stereo in the car since the engine conversion. Absolutely no point, the engine is my current soundtrack. Car is no way as loud as yours though as I opted not to go for a straight through exhaust, I got something nice and quiet, well relatively quiet.