Bugsy

My view, if you choose to live in another country, you should conform to their ways and customs. Western societies have always placed great store on 'face to face' communication. (Remember the Army ad where the soldier removes his sunglasses to talk to some hostiles.) Why should we change that ? I laughed about the case of the woman teacher, who initially had my support, until it was revealed that she did not wear her veil for the interview, dispite the fact that men were present. That killed it for me as it has clearly become yet another political attack on the British way of life. And lets keep it in perspective. I was in the UK last year on my bike and when filling up with fuel, I was refused it until I removed my helmet. Try walking into a bank with your face covered. I was thinking of sending my next passport photo in with me in my crash helmet, what are my chances........................... Ducking down ready.................................

We bank with Credit Agrigole and have a Mastercard Debit card. Ryanair always make a charge for using this card dispite the fact that it is a Debit and not a credit card. I've written twice but have had no joy at all. Any suggestions.........................

Chris is right, leave them alone and they will leave you alone. Hornets, as opposed to wasps have a high degree of intelligence and will, if provoked organise an attack on you. Their sting is severe and can result in death to some people with medical problems. I'm pretty sure that they are also capable of multi-stinging. We also have a large nest in an old tree in our wood that now seems to be calming down. You can stand quietly nearby and watch them, with no fear of an attack, but don't take your dog with you. When we first came to France, I will admit that I had an intense fear of hornets brought about by tales of fearful attacks and other such stuff. Reality shows that they, like most other creatures will leave you alone if you leave them alone. As I get older I find myself dispairing more and more of the 'oh, I don't like that, lets kill it' mentality. what arrogance some people have in regard to other creatures that live on this planet with us. That's me done, hard-hat on, waiting for the incoming...........................................

It's very difficult to diagnose without seeing the vehicle but in addition to what 'steve' says I would look at, Drive shafts, engine mountings, all suspension bushes, etc. A cheap initial check that I would try is to have the wheels swopped round, front to back. Warped discs are unlikely to cause vibration unless you are actually braking. Does it only occur at 80 k, i.e. does it disappear if you go faster or slower, does it disappear if you brake, does it stop when you are going around corners ? Hope this helps................................

Agree totally.................................

Does anyone have an old motorcycle or two tucked away in the corner of their barn ? I'm looking for something 'interesting' to restore over the winter. Would prefer English, French or German,  but not Japanese. Sensible price please, thank you.

I've just read through all this thread with interest and feel it time to add my five-penneth. The motorcycle limit of power in France is100bhp. This is extended to allow a margin of error to a max of 106bhp. Anyone found riding a French registered bike that exceeds this limit risks having their bike taken off them and destroyed. Insurance will be deemed invalid and you will generally find yourself in a situation you'd rather not be in. How do I know this, from a very good French friend, who lives in Paris and happens to be one of the top officials in a national French Motorcycle Association. Any motorcycle dealer in France also has an obligation to advise you on what you can and cannot legally ride. A final point, that affected me personally was that, certainly in the case of Triumph, the Kilometre part of your speedo must be the main part and not the supplimentary (inner). If you choose to ignore or fiddle your way round this, don't say you weren,t told. Ride safe.............................and Legal..........................

Try this, it really works. If you have a push-button type key fob and you've locked it inside your car you can, providing you have a spare fob at home, use your mobile phone to unlock the car. Ring home and ask whoever to get the spare key-fob for the car, ask them to press the 'open' button whilst holding the fob near to their phone, you have to hold your phone near to the activator on your car at the same time. you will be amazed at this but your car should open.. Try it, before you lock yourself out, of course.  

Initial impressions...................... Very informative Interesting Threads Sensible moderators Easy to use And much better than -n---i--- [kiss][kiss]

Yes indeed Chris, from that 'other'place. Trust you are keeping well ?

Do you live in (86), or near. Fancy a ride-out to various places of interest. We've already got a few riders but would welcome more. I know it's now getting a bit on the cold side but if you are interested in joining a friendly group of bikers, let me know.

Just found this site and must say how refreshing it is compared to some of the others.