This week-end past I took part in a great impromptu back-road bang. Maybe the best ever. And it's one thing to find a new dance partner. But it's a truly amazing thing to find two new ones.

New dance partner #1 would be the red NT650 Hawk from Honda pictured above. It belongs to Sam and he made the mistake of leaving it at the Old Post Office. Well, me and it have been talking for about 2 weeks now. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed any motor-bike more than this one. I owe him an oil and filter change, and a wash job. Fork rebuild. New tires. I'll teach him to leave his dang toys laying about......

New dance partner #2 would be the woman. I've always ridden solo, for a couple of reasons. My trusty GS500E is by no means a two-up machine. It's a scalpel, kind of like a 250 GP bike. Reason number 2 is that I've always ridden as though at the Isle of Man, every ride was to just see how quick it could be done, how hard a road could be ridden, point to point. In that respect I was only responsible for one ass, and that ass was mine. Over the past couple of years my pace has slowed somewhat. The woman is an excellent dance partner, she has many miles under her belt from riding with her Dad, and she rides on the pillion as though invisible. The identity of dance partner #2 shall remain nameless for lack of any real incriminating evidence at this point.

More to come.....

(click the pic for a larger view)