I used to have a Honda CBR 1000, what a machine, it was like a Ferrari sat in between my legs, the power was breathtaking, the colour was in charcoal and dark blue.
My first one was a Honda MT50, then a Yamaha DT 125 liquid cooled two stroke, to a DT 175.
Later a red Kawasaki 500, then when living in Fort Lauderdale i had a Kenny Robert’s colours Yamaha RZ 350 Yamaha power valve system, liquid cooled , two stroke ,and I shipped it back to the UK.
I always wanted the Yamaha FZR 750 or the FZR 1000, the design on that machine was way ahead of its time.
The Yamaha Tenere, the fuel tank was too high for me as I heard that a rider had his private tackle shorn off in the family jewels department in an accident ,but to circumnavigate the whole of Africa,Asia or South America, this is the perfect machine for the job as utilised by the actor Ewan McGregor and his travelling companion Charley Boorman in the tv series of Long Way Down and Long Way Round.
David Beckham was unrecognisable in a similar tv programme when he rode for long distances throughout Brazil, with his helmet on, nobody knew it was him.
Not quite Tobes. They used Beemers. They originally wanted to use KTM’s but KTM had concerns about how their bikes would fare. From an advertising POV this was a massive gift horse for BMW as they then became THE bike to be on.
I don’t the KTM’s would have been robust and durable to withstand the pounding on unpaved roads, they would have certainly got a good bashing on foreign roads.
There is a regular bike ride out and meet at harbour side in Poole in Dorset, I saw the Honda Africa, what a beast of a machine, it could quite easily do the UK to Kathmandu and back.
How much would it cost to put one in a shipping container from the UK or Europe to be sent to Australia?
I know the shipping rates have gone up dramatically since the ship getting stuck in the Suez Canal, with the Ever Given and that cost trillions in worldwide revenue and trade losses globally.
It was not that long ago that one from the USA to the UK would cost £1200, now we are looking at £15,000 or more.
In the RAF we had long delays and additional costs for quarantine to move heavy machinery and equipment from Afghanistan and Iraq back to the UK via Brize Norton ,in the two conflicts there as there was a prevalence for more diseases in the mud and dirt in the chassis, wheels and tyres to bring in viruses and diseases not normally found in the UK.
Being an island continent has isolated us from many nasty diseases etcetera.
Trump may well carry on about us not letting in yank beef, but we have no foot and mouth disease. Importing meat from any country with the disease, is opening a door to it.
On the border security type shows at our airports, so many Asians “have nothing to declare”, but when their bags are searched, they have wholesale amounts of illegal, organic ■■■■; insects, invasive seeds bird nest and the like. They get fined $300, a mere slap on the wrist, they should be denied entry.
When the cows were being killed and burned in the fields then buried in mass pits because of mad cow disease, the French banned all meat imports from the UK to France.
Loads containing any wording of those products were told to get on the next ferry back to England including Pot Noodles with the beef flavouring.
I have seen the tv documentaries about Australian customs who pull rotten and stinking fish which is delicately in Africa for passengers to get fined.
The Chinese with birds nest, made from the bird spit.
You obviously missed the old story I posted about my actual role in the Iranian embassy siege.IE invited in masquerading as a plumber there to fix a blocked bog.Required weapons were in my tool bag.Then upset everyone with some dodgy SAS style kill em all let god sort em out tactics.
As for Costa Concordia something got lost in the translation of turning Port v Starboard and when that failed Left v Right.
As for the Herald I preferred the onboard shopping on Stena/Sealink in the day and always thought those German tubs were a bit top heavy even with their bow doors closed.
A meat industry based on an animal that turns grass into top quality protein in a country with second to none grass meadows, says let’s feed em sheep guts instead of grass.Bonus points if we can flog knackered old dairy cows at a premium Hereford beef price.
You seemed quick enough to jump to the 1100’s defence when I called it, among the others in that line up, 4 cylinder junk, not classics.
Or was it just because I personally said it.
We attempted to trace the address for the plumbers van and only came up with Bodie and Doyle and Sons Ltd as the registered keeper, we knocked on the knocking shop next door and the boss of that business, Gordon Jackson had not seen the van in the morning.
