Phew.

So, on my way home from Heathrow last night. I'm rather pissed off for
one reason and another. On K1100.

It's about 8 to 8:30 and traffic is moderately heavy. I'm 'making
progress' which in my case means 90-110, moving between lanes, trying to
avoid using lane 2a where possible (often it isn't) not giving a damn
which side I take people on. Probably get flashed half a dozen times by
drivers on a journey like this (about 100 miles.)

Coming past Reading East and the traffic's eased a little. There's this
big blue Vauxhall (about Omega sized) two cars in front in the outside
lane. The road's clear in front of him.

Dive past the car I was behind on the inside and am now directly behind
the Big Blue Car. Move over to the outside to show I want to overtake;
there's room for him to pull over. He doesn't.

Drop back a few feet and then close the gap to 'remind' him I want to
pass. He doesn't move. However... he does something...

Suddenly a word appears on the rear window of the car in red letters
"SLOW".. and then another appears above it "POLICE".

****.

Slow down, pull over to lane two; notice the petrol station looming in a
mile. Slow down some more then exit for fuel.

Car didn't seem to give me a second glance, still I suppose I got the
message.

 

Thu, 9 Oct 2008 07:47:13

Hmm. Warning SLOW POLICE AHEAD. I rather like that.

 

I'm always wary of dark coloured Omegas ever since one pulled me over
about 15 years ago. Was it actually an Omega? Do they still use them?

 

Probably a variation on the theme of the rolling roadblock.
Usually means that plod are picking up debris from the carriageway a few
miles ahead.

 

Doubt it. Much more like Plod using the sign as an electronic version
of the wagging finger. I rather like it.

Ah, that reminds me, Burnt: K1100 idle speed. How do you set it? I
think I asked this before, but I've forgotten. Mine is a tad low, the
manual says to adjust it to about 1000-1100rpm, but can I find an
adjuster anywhere? Can I feck.

 

It comes to something when plod has to resort to stealing its pursuit
vehicles.

--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

lane discipline is a dead language in this country. even driving instructors
hog the middle or outside lane when the lanes to their left are empty for
miles ahead.

 

Youre breaking the law.

On K1100.

Youre breaking the law

Quite right.

Did you? I knocked one of your brethern off his bike when he illegally
overtook me on Tuesday. When he picked himself up and said "Thanks mate", I
replied "Im not your mate and when you call the cops ask them for a copy of
the highway code".

He duelly caled the cops and he refused to accept that he was in the wrong
even though TWO officers were telling him this. He's since called the
company and now wants to put in an insurance claim. He'll get **** all.

Do you think this tit and others will learn not to overtake on the edges of
an occupaied lane? I doubt it. Next time I hope I kill the bastard.

Hawk Aye The Noo.

 

Oh, that is superb. True Wallace & Gromit stuff.

 

Along that section of the M4 there are several dark blue Vauxhalls in
use. Very well disguised they are too. On the front bumper (and rear
IIRC) at either side there are two small bumps hiding the strobe blues.
Other than that, very hard to tell.

 

I remember putting my beetle off the road & upside down in a field due
to the first rain after about a month of dry, and when the plod turned
up they came off the road close behind but kept it the right way up and
not so far into the field.

After checking my tyres "as they're handy just now" they called my
friendly mechanic to come & collect it then drove off.

When the works bus stopped so they could all laugh and make helpful
remarks I got on and went to work (Scunthorpe Steelworks).

 

When my parents lived in Wittersham (Kent, midway between Rye and
Tenterden), the local copper was based in Tenterden. PC Pluckett, his
name was.

Anyway, in those days (early-mid 1970s) he didn't have a Panda car,
but a moped. And on Saturday nights, if nothing was happening
elsewhere, he'd do his rounds to check the local pubs had shut on
time. I think the nearest boozer to him was the William Caxton, in
Tenterden, and they would *always* make sure the lights were off and
the curtains drawn, if they were having a lock-in. Pluckett would putt-
putt up (I think he had a Honda Novio, but that may just be me
dreaming it), rattle the doorknob, shine his torch at the windows, and
putt-putt off at a breakneck 25mph to check the next pub.

The Caxton would call the next pub, in Rolvenden. And they'd kill the
lights, hide under the tables, etc. And after he'd passed, they'd call
the next boozer (which was ours, the Ewe & Lamb). Rod, the guvnor,
would take the call. "Pluckett's on his way, lads...."

Every single pub on Pluckett's beat was in on this system and it
worked a treat, because you had plenty of warning time. And then he
got a Panda car and it all went pear-shaped.

 

Our local bobby had a Honda Benly. I had a PC50[1] that had never been
registered so I stuck my old CG125 plate on and went for a whizz round
the village. The bobby tried to give chase but I managed to outrun him
by darting down a couple of alleys on the new estate that his bike's
panniers wouldnt fit through.

[1] Bought off the council for a tenner. It had been bought with a load
of others to train schoolkids road safety, but never used. A mate of
ours worked in the council department that was selling them off and we
all tendered bids of a tenner each. We were only allowed one each. None
of us ever registered them, but we sometimes held impromptu moped races
round Bedford town centre on them, with plates from other bikes like
GPZ1100s and GS1000s slapped on.

 

On Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:47:13 +0100, deadmail wrote:

Coming donw the toll road on the way back from anither quick jaunt to
Camberley on the XJ900 yesterday.

Just before the toll booths, 2 plod on bridge with speed gun.

I was doing 90ish

As I dipped under the bridge I glanced back, neither was bothering to
check my reg.

2 unmarked cars ahead were occupied.

I think I got away with it.

 

I remember getting pulled on the A12 in 1976 on an XT 500 for 86 in a
70 by an old Granada, they used exactly the same system of blinds and
string then.

 

A few weeks back I had cause to visit Newbury, and noticed a metallic blue
Vectra which had pulled a CBR600 over between Reading and Newbury.

I presume it was the 3.2 litre version, as it had twin exit exhausts.

 

That's right! Some Plod used them as Noddy bikes.

 

Urgh! I had one of those briefly when I was 16.

Horrid thing - it kept blowing the bulb in the rear light, so a 12v ones was
put in place instead.

The only moped I've ever ridden where you had to chip in and pedal on
steeper hills.

 

Berkshire traffic use the 2.8 turbo, I think.

While I was waiting to be let in the back entrance of the local cop
shop a couple of years ago I noticed that the only badge left on the
Vectra I'd just had a free ride in said 'turbo'. I asked if the car was
a bit quick and the copper with whom I was becoming rather well
acquainted told me he'd had it up to about 140. I just managed to bite
my tongue before blurting out something (completely inappropriate given
the circumstances at the time) about that not being very fast at all
really.

 

If somebody now pops up and says they saw a cop car with a bead
curtain arrangement, my happiness will be complete.