Our UK holidays this year pointed out what a daft situation we were in, with two sports cars, only one of which I could drive. In summer we took BOTH cars down to East Yorkshire so we could take everything we wanted to. Madness! When we went to Skye last month, we just about managed to pack everything into my MX-5, which we can both drive, but it was a real struggle.
Since the MX-5 is the newer car, and since I can't drive the RX-8, it is the latter that has to go. The RX isn't getting driven anyway, because Denise is away travelling so much, and it's a real shame that it's not getting used. So we decided to sell it and get something more practical that can carry Denise's bicycles, and that I can drive when we go on holiday. After a lot of research, we narrowed it down to two cars. A lot were excluded because of personal preferences: neither D nor I like Vauxhalls or Renaults; D doesn't like Fords, and we wanted a change, so that ruled out Mazdas, Peugeots, VWs and Citroens. That didn't leave a lot, so we narrowed our choices down to an Audi A3 or a ... Skoda Fabia VRS estate Well, the "salesman" at Edinburgh Audi put so many obstacles in the way of us buying an A3 that we decided that he thought we were not the sort of people that should be allowed to own an Audi! Round at the Skoda dealership we were treated like family. Decision made. After a test drive (which we didn't have to jump through hoops to arrange - just turned up and they got the demonstrator out for us), we ordered a brand new sporty Fabia VRS Estate for a fraction of the cost of the Audi, and it would arrive, with all our specified factory options, in about half the time that the Audi would have taken.
I just could not fathom the attitude of the Audi salesman: we were prepared to order a new car from him, and he just kept coming up with reasons why it would be difficult. In contrast, the Skoda guy just kept saying "yes" and "that's not a problem" to everything we asked, and not because they were desperate to all cars: they were selling them as fast as they could build them, whether Fabias, Octavias or Superbs.
For such reasonably priced car with such a tiny engine (1.4 Litres), it's very powerful (180 ps), has a nice clever auto gearbox, and a well sorted chassis. Oh, and it gets at least twice as many miles to the gallon as the RX-8! Should arrive end of Feb or early March. Looking forward to it.
27 November, 2010
23 November, 2010
Real bikers? (edited, twice)
I got my Bike magazine the other day (yes, I still read it and ooh and ahh over the latest models) and an old argument has cropped up again on the letters pages: what makes a "real" biker. This is a hoary old chestnut, and this time it comes in two forms. The magazine has been running a campaign to "claim back our track-days", and that is the cause of one of the arguments; but he other one is much more familiar: do you ride through winter or are you just a "fair-weather" biker?
The first argument centres around booking a day on a racing circuit so you can ride your bike fast, legally and in a relatively safe environment. Sports car drivers are known to do the same thing. What started off as an exercise in riding your bike to the circuit, adjusting your suspension and tyre pressures, and having a go, has evolved somewhat. There are now people that buy a separate bike to take to track-days, doing so in the back of vans kitted out like a MotoGP garage. The road-bike (and this type of rider will probably have more than one, given their evident wealth and arguable lack of sense about what to do with it) stays safely at home out of harm's way. This approach does make some sense, in all honesty, if you have the wherewithal to do it, but it has led to resentment on the part of the "twiddle the suspension and have a bash" contingent, mainly because their road-bikes are never going to be able to post a fastest lap time of the day against these, what are in essence, race-prepared machines, with their light-weight bodywork, trick suspension and non-road-legal super-sticky tyres. Hence Bike Magazine's campaign to have track days limited to those who ride their day-to-day road bikes to the circuit.
The other argument, about riding all year vs only riding as a leisure activity on warm dry days, obviously also has arguments for both sides. If you ride all winter, not only are you showing other bikers that you are a real hard nut, but you are developing and maintaining control skills by riding on slippery surfaces, which will stand you in good stead when the warmer weather comes around. It also means that you haven't had a break of several months from riding which inevitably causes a deterioration in your riding skills. You will find that you are rusty, and the first few weeks of riding again after a break will show up that deterioration: concentration, observation and decision-making skills all need to be sharpened again, and it is in the first few weeks after winter that the fair-weather bikers have their accidents.
This is all very well, but a modern motorbike is quite an investment, and apart from what the ravages of winter's salty roads will do to a shiny new sportsbike, what would just be a skid in a car usually ends up in a tumble on a bike, resulting in, at best, damage to the bike; at worst, injury to yourself. The other thing is that the leisure-only riders tend to be riding very new, low-mileage sportbikes, whereas the all-year-rounders are on older machinery, that is also more suitable to riding in winter: off-roaders or lighter and types of bike with less breakable bodywork and parts that are expensive to replace or repair. I once rode from Liverpool to Warrington in a blizzard on a little 100cc bike and I wouldn't like to repeat the experience even on that very small, lightweight bike with skinny wheels that could cut through the snow to the road beneath, let alone on a relatively heavy sportsbike with its big fat tyres designed to give maximum grip on a dry road.
So why the argument? It seems to me that in both cases there is an element of envy. Both the fair-weather rider and guy with his track-day special in the back of a van are ostentatiously displaying superior wealth over their detractors: not deliberately so, perhaps, but they are able to go about things in a way that the all-year rounder couldn't hope to afford. For some of the hardy types it is a matter of choice and principle, but probably formed around a time in their lives when they had no choice. Been there, done that; and been glad to be able to retreat to four wheels in winter when I could afford to run both car and bike. Of course the alternative is to buy a small, cheap, lightweight bike for winter that you wouldn't mind if it developed rust-spots and furry nuts and bolts. You'd still have to struggle into waterproofs and fleeces to go anywhere, though, and who has time these days?
The first argument centres around booking a day on a racing circuit so you can ride your bike fast, legally and in a relatively safe environment. Sports car drivers are known to do the same thing. What started off as an exercise in riding your bike to the circuit, adjusting your suspension and tyre pressures, and having a go, has evolved somewhat. There are now people that buy a separate bike to take to track-days, doing so in the back of vans kitted out like a MotoGP garage. The road-bike (and this type of rider will probably have more than one, given their evident wealth and arguable lack of sense about what to do with it) stays safely at home out of harm's way. This approach does make some sense, in all honesty, if you have the wherewithal to do it, but it has led to resentment on the part of the "twiddle the suspension and have a bash" contingent, mainly because their road-bikes are never going to be able to post a fastest lap time of the day against these, what are in essence, race-prepared machines, with their light-weight bodywork, trick suspension and non-road-legal super-sticky tyres. Hence Bike Magazine's campaign to have track days limited to those who ride their day-to-day road bikes to the circuit.
The other argument, about riding all year vs only riding as a leisure activity on warm dry days, obviously also has arguments for both sides. If you ride all winter, not only are you showing other bikers that you are a real hard nut, but you are developing and maintaining control skills by riding on slippery surfaces, which will stand you in good stead when the warmer weather comes around. It also means that you haven't had a break of several months from riding which inevitably causes a deterioration in your riding skills. You will find that you are rusty, and the first few weeks of riding again after a break will show up that deterioration: concentration, observation and decision-making skills all need to be sharpened again, and it is in the first few weeks after winter that the fair-weather bikers have their accidents.
This is all very well, but a modern motorbike is quite an investment, and apart from what the ravages of winter's salty roads will do to a shiny new sportsbike, what would just be a skid in a car usually ends up in a tumble on a bike, resulting in, at best, damage to the bike; at worst, injury to yourself. The other thing is that the leisure-only riders tend to be riding very new, low-mileage sportbikes, whereas the all-year-rounders are on older machinery, that is also more suitable to riding in winter: off-roaders or lighter and types of bike with less breakable bodywork and parts that are expensive to replace or repair. I once rode from Liverpool to Warrington in a blizzard on a little 100cc bike and I wouldn't like to repeat the experience even on that very small, lightweight bike with skinny wheels that could cut through the snow to the road beneath, let alone on a relatively heavy sportsbike with its big fat tyres designed to give maximum grip on a dry road.
So why the argument? It seems to me that in both cases there is an element of envy. Both the fair-weather rider and guy with his track-day special in the back of a van are ostentatiously displaying superior wealth over their detractors: not deliberately so, perhaps, but they are able to go about things in a way that the all-year rounder couldn't hope to afford. For some of the hardy types it is a matter of choice and principle, but probably formed around a time in their lives when they had no choice. Been there, done that; and been glad to be able to retreat to four wheels in winter when I could afford to run both car and bike. Of course the alternative is to buy a small, cheap, lightweight bike for winter that you wouldn't mind if it developed rust-spots and furry nuts and bolts. You'd still have to struggle into waterproofs and fleeces to go anywhere, though, and who has time these days?
18 November, 2010
We spent hours wandering around the Roman Forum
... trying to imagine what it was like during the time of the Empire. There were bits of ancient carved marble just lying around, being used as seats by us tired out tourists.
Trajan's Column and the Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano
The Church's name translates as "Church of the Holy Name of Mary at the Forum of Trajan", according to Google Translate. Bit of a mouthful.
Denise's favourite place in Rome - The Trevi Fountain
We came back to this several times: Denise is besotted with the sculpture on this fountain, and we were staying not far away. It's a good spot for restaurants and trattorias. We had an excellent meal not far from here.
Swiss Guards at St. Peter's
They don't look that fearsome, do they? They were originally hired because they were regarded as the best mercenaries that money could buy. You'd have to be tough to go out wearing this gear though. Imagine turning up like this in a Manchester pub, eh?
When guarding other parts of the Vatican City, they wear a plain dark blue uniform.
Michelangelo's Pieta in St Peter's
This stunning statue of Mary holding Christ's body really moved me. This is the statue that was attacked in 1972 by the mentally disturbed geologist named Laszlo Toth, who walked into the chapel and attacked the sculpture with a geologist's hammer while shouting "I am Jesus Christ", and "this is not my mother". It's been painstakingly restored, but sadly now has to be protected by bullet-proof glass. The folds of cloth have been carved so exquisitely that they look like they should be able to move and flow.
Another view of Trajan's Markets
Some of the upper storeys look as though they are occupied: note the glazed windows.
Trajan's markets
I love this building, with it's curved facade built in classic ancient Roman brick. The colour is fabulous in a setting sun.
Floor of the Colosseum
This picture shows the passages that were under the performance area at the Colosseum. These were used to move scenery, animals and fighting men to trap door lifts under the stage. Once in the lift, the item would be winched up onto the arena floor, so that quite complex scenarios could be played out. These Romans, they thought of everything!
Roman Forum from above
View of part of the Roman Forum from the top of the Flavian Palace on the Palatine Hill
Inside the Colosseum, Rome
I joined Denise in Rome for a long weekend, tagging it onto the end of her business trip there. I flew in on Thursday last week, and we stayed until the Monday. My flight out was a nightmare, my flight from Edinburgh to Heathrow being delayed by an hour because of high winds in the London area. I thought I was going to miss my connection to Rome's Fiumicino airport (in fact the ground staff at Heathrow originally told me that I had), but it was delayed as well, so I managed to get on it, luckily enough. Door to door from home to Denise's hotel took me 11 hours! The good news was that a meeting D thought she was going to have to have on Friday was cancelled, so we had the day to ourselves. We moved hotels, dumped our bags, and went exploring. Some of the best photos follow ...
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