Just a point, I know its only a bit of fun but it's not very clever to take the piss out of the customers too much on your site (Pauls page). I bought a Speed Triple from Woods in Abergele because the staff in Bill Smiths in Chester were too busy posing and chatting to their tyre kicking mates than talk to me about the bike I wanted to buy for cash. They couldn't be bothered to answer my questions and basically their attitude was crap. This may not seem so insane until I tell you that I live in Chester about 10 minutes from the showroom. The guys in Woods were falling over themselves to sell me a machine and even fitted some after-market parts that I had bought for free before I picked it up. I never told the guys in Chester that I had the money on me, but I did, and they missed a sale because of their attitude. You may not care, but I just thought that if they couldn't be bothered to answer questions, what would be the attitude if I had a warranty claim!

Martin

Thanks for the reply,

I was pretty annoyed by the whole episode, as you can tell. I did actually find the pages quite interesting an amusing to be honest and it may just be an idea to state that it is done with customers permission. If it is, please accept my apologies, I didn't see it.

As for my explanation for "tyre Kickers", I went on a Bill Smiths track day a while back in Anglesea and recognised the guys that were chatting from there. Don't get me wrong, I like to go and look at the latest exotica myself but i was just frustrated that I couldn't spend my money that was burning a hole in my pocket so I went elsewhere.

Oh and by the way, I have been to your shop a few years ago. You sorted out a tyre for me when I had a spill and nipped the front tyre and needed to get home, so thanks for that!

The episode in Chester happened last year, I cant ride at the moment, someone kindly ran me over and fractured my femur and dislocated my shoulder in December so I've missed a whole 6 months riding so far. Hence why I have so much time to surf the net!

Martin

Hello mate,

Just been browsing the 'Paul's pages', they're pretty good. I think it's an excellent idea that you put a little humour and piss-taking in there. If I have any stories I can contribute, then I'll email them to you.

 Later

 Loz

Hi Again,

No problem with publishing my e-mail's and thanks for replying.

Maybe you would allow me the privilege of getting a message about safety on your website by printing this mail?
I just got back out of hospital after another op yesterday on my leg. This is the 6th operation since Christmas and my leg will never be the same. I told the surgeon that it needs to be good enough to get on a bike again so he is doing what he can. He rides a bike too which is pretty surprising for an ortho surgeon cos they see the results of some bad smashes.
I was actually run over crossing the road on a crossing in a 30 mph zone late at night over Christmas 2002. I never saw the car and he never saw me or my mate. He managed to collect both of us. Just a warning to everyone out there. He was supposedly inside the speed limit, i.e. 30 mph. I cannot comment as to my views on this as I am making a claim against the driver but the damage to my leg was unbelievable. My femur was smashed through my quads and my leg had an extra 90 degree bend with both ends of the bone showing. I would like you to put this on the website because I had a pair of jeans on and the impact ripped a massive piece of flesh off my leg. This is pretty much the same as if I had been on a bike or been dragged up the road. See the attached photos. My leg is pretty horrific and needed extensive skin grafts to patch it up. My point is this. If you come off a bike in jeans, or get rammed at a junction, the same could happen to anyone. With leathers on you would at least have a sporting chance of not being literally skinned alive. I know it's not always practical to chuck on leather pants when you go to town but I often see guys out riding pretty quick in jeans in the countryside. The people you see riding in shorts and T-Shirt should look hard at these pictures. If you come off at 30 and just slide down the road you will look like this all over your body if you are unlucky. It's never worth it. I certainly don't want to put anyone off but just want to point out that even if some people out there don't care, they should inform any pillion that safety comes before fashion, unless they intend to try to beat me in a pub "scar show for a beer" competition!

I hope to get back on the road this year on my Speed Triple and show a few people in jeans at the Ponderosa what a skin graft actually looks like. I think they may ride home a bit slower!


Martin

I am including links to Martins pictures rather than putting them directly on the page as they are not pretty and I feel I should warn you of this before you see them! Paul 

martins pics

11/05/2004

Hi Paul.

 Well, we made it back home from Betws on the day after you left us to head back home. The Fairy Glen is an INTERESTING hotel. A little quaint and stuck in a kind of 60s time warp! Friendly enough though. The XTZ ran like a train all the way home but I noticed that the rhs indicators had both blown, as had the tail and brake lights so I obviously followed you all the way from your house to Betws with no rear light. Oh well…. I am now trying to work out what to do about the tacho which packed up at the same time. A quick wiring check will be the first thing. Any ideas gratefully received.

 Thanks very much for all your help in getting the old bus back and working again. It really was way beyond the call of duty and immensely appreciated. And please thank Steve again for his generosity in donating his rectifier. This has caused me another problem now though, as I realised after listening to Steve’s bike running that mine sounds like a dustbin full of old nails so a check on the camchain and adjuster and then tappets will be the next thing on the agenda.

 I had a quick look at your page on your website and the story about the 250 twin with the petrol in the oil problem amused me as I almost had the same problem but for good fortune. I took the carbs off a couple of weeks ago after storing the bike all winter and I luckily decided against starting the bike up first and took the carbs off. As I lifted the carbs off the head stubs, petrol poured out of one carb and on checking, I realised what had happened. I hadn’t turned the petrol tap off properly and the needle valve in the float bowl wasn’t sealing properly. Consequently the petrol had leaked down the throat of the downdraft carb and into the engine. Luckily the valves were all closed so the petrol completely filled the inlet tract and carb up to the float bowl level. It took me ages to get all the petrol out again!

 I also have a piston which is much better than the one in your picture. I bought an XR600 Honda 3 years ago and rode it back from Wakefield to Cirencester. It seemed to run OK and didn’t smoke at all. All in all it seemed to be quite a good buy. The next day I took it out for a ride and after 10 miles it seized solid. When I checked, there was about a cup full of oil in the engine. The piston was obviously knackered when I bought the bike so the seller filled the engine with synthetic oil which doesn’t smoke! (bastard) Anyway the seizure ripped the front skirt off the piston and then smashed it around a few times before the engine stopped. All the aluminium from the skirt was ground to a mixture of dust and small pieces by the primary gears in the engine which completely knackered everything. Credit though to the conrod which didn’t even bend!!

 That is motorcycling for you. Never a dull moment.

 Cheers

Kevin and Di