From: rwert@well.sf.ca.us (Bob Wert)
Subject: London Pub Ride, Part 2 (LONG!)
Summary: An April in London Pub Ride
Keywords: London, Pub, fun
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 16:29:33 GMT

Here is part 2 of the report on my trip to England last April...

*PART II*

THE CAST:
Bob	     me, Bob Wert, DoD#0302, 'murican Ninja rider, Fremont, CA
Tom the Mad  Tom 'Mad Hatter' Yates, DoD, late of IC, now MIT, FJ1200
Charles      Charles Stannett, DoD, Ogri in Suffolk organiser, Ipswich
Ken	     Ken 'Edible Dormouse' Zetie, DoD, consummate juggler, Oxford
PJ	     PJ, IC Bike Club Secretary, Publisher of OILEAKS(tm), London
Martin	     Martin Hardacker, DoD, IC Bike Club member, my pilot, London


THE LONDON RIDE:
PJ, Martin and I met again at lunchtime on Friday, put PJ's bike back 
together (the GSX400F was having it's petrol tank painted - the flat black 
looked really nice against the gloss black and chrome of the rest of the 
bike, PJ!).  Martin rolled up on his white Honda Revere (very similar to the
Hawk GT, but it has a shaft-drive:  I could go for something like that!).  
I was given a borrowed lid (I think from Hairy Angelos since it was so 
big!), and we rode through London's Friday afternoon traffic to Richmond.  
It started raining on the way, but not much so we hardly slowed down.  
I tried  to get a good feel for the way driving is done on the left, and 
I was doing pretty good until we came to the dreaded.....ROUNDABOUTS!!!  
They work remarkably well, but you've GOT to know what you're about or you
won't survive.  Plus, there seems to be a rather constant hazard of diesel 
oil spills on them.  Can you say, OH SHITTTTTT!!  I knew you could.  (I have 
it on very good authority that getting diesel oil stains and smell out of 
jeans is not easy, notwithstanding the World Superbike sponsor's claims.)

We arrived in Richmond along with many other bikers, so we had to go far 
afield looking for a place to park the bikes.  Richmond has designated 
moto-parking spaces, and one *doesn't* park one's moto in the car spaces.  
Ah well, it made for a nice walk through the backstreets of town, looking in
shop windows, dodging errant brollys, getting slightly scared expressions 
from people I smiled greetings at...  Of course, it didn't help that PJ was 
wearing his PLO Tea Cloth(tm) - a white and red chequered scarf (which looks 
quite like a PLO pattern!).  With his swarthy looks and dark curly hair, 
it's real interesting, to say the least.  PJ says he wears it to keep his 
neck warm, but I dunno, crowds always part to let him pass by, and there was 
a certain glint in his eye...

THE PUB:
Eventually made it down to the pub, which sets right on the banks of
Olde Father Thames.  Apparently, the Thames recently rose up on an extremely
high tide and flooded the ground floor of the pub - they just swabbed it out
and carried on.  Martin ordered a "bitter shandy" so I did the same, not 
really knowing what I was doing.  Turns out it is half bitter, half 
lemonade.  Sounds a mite disgusting, but even on a rainy day it was quite 
refreshing.  On a hot, sunny day, it would be God's Own Drink.  We took our 
glasses upstairs, selected a table to sit at amongst the suited office 
workers, then went downstairs again to order some food.  I had a ploughman's
lunch (hey, so I was a tourist):  a small loaf of bread, some Red Leicester 
cheese and a small lettuce and vegetable salad.  I'm afraid I embarrassed PJ
by stating to the lady that I wanted Red "LIE-ster" cheese;  he quickly 
informed me that it is "LESS-ter" cheese, and ran for the stairs mumbling 
something about bloody Americans...  :-)

We spent a really nice afternoon talking about all sorts of stuff, playing 
the old standby "What do you call this thing or that thing over here?" and 
discussing the various bikes available for hire.  Most are 500cc shafties by
Honda and Kawasaki, but PJ later sent me the info for hiring a Zephyr 1100 
or a GPz900!  I couldn't believe that was possible!  I also saw a place 
where you can hire CBR1000's and Concourses^H^H Concoursi^H Concoursies 
oh the hell with it:  *Connies*!

Just prior to leaving, PJ wound the PLO Tea Cloth(tm) around his head and 
face, leaving only his flashing dark eyes visible.  For some reason, most of
our fellow patrons all decided that they had been away from work quite long 
enough, thank you, and fairly flew down the stairs in their haste.  High 
work ethics, these British, eh wot?  We decided it was time to get back 
also, so we thanked the barkeep and the other nice folks in the pub and left.
Ol' dummy me forgot to get the name of the place, and Martin and PJ know it 
only by its location!

It was raining pretty good when we left the pub, and traffic was getting 
pretty jammed up too, so I just let Martin do the piloting while I enjoyed 
the ride and watched the cars, bikes and people.  At many crosswalks, er, uh 
Zebra crossings (sorry), there are a set of poles on each side of the street 
with flashing round globes on top.  This means you stop for ANY pedestrians.
No one appeared to force the issue, but I'm told that the police view *not* 
stopping VERY dimly.  Speaking of the law, on this ride and after walking 
about, I noticed that there are quite a few different police cars and motos
around London - different markings and many different models of cars, from 
the old standby Ford Sierras, to the Rovers, to some I wasn't familiar with
(don't want to show that I know *too* much about cages! :-).  I think it 
would be difficult to spot all the various machinery whilst driving at 
supralimit speeds...

Anyway, pretty soon, we came up to this rather large roundabout.  Martin 
turns back to me and says "This is the worst roundabout in London - 
collisions occur regularly."  Boy, did I keep a sharp eye on the cages!  You 
know it is The Roundabout From Hell when you have to stop before going in, 
as well as once you get in the *middle* of it.  We did follow some dispatch 
rider through and so only had to wait a short time at each spot.  Whew!

Ah, London's dispatch riders.  The cowboys and pony express riders of our 
time.  Most ride ratbikes with all sorts of contraptions wired and bungeed 
on their bikes.  But some, *SOME* are more than mere mortals, some ride with
the Gods aboard their shiny motos - I saw green, blue and white ZX-7s, blue 
and white or purple and black GSX-Rs, and other decidedly sporting steeds.  
These can accelerate and weave and dodge and feint and ride through traffic 
for more trips per day than most.  They are a wonder to watch.  There is 
even an annual competition amongst the elite for a title of "Best"...

After arriving back on High Street Ken, we talked a bit more while standing 
in the rain (we were wet already :-) and I took a couple of photos of PJ and
Martin with their bikes.  Of course, with my luck, the best one of PJ didn't
come out, but I have a couple of Martin with PJ in the background.  PJ 
promises to send me one of the GSX when he gets the petrol tank's paint job 
finished - he showed me the drawings, and it will be super!

We said our goodbyes, hopefully to meet again in East Anglia in a week's 
time, that was not to be:  a work emergency called me back to California the
Friday before the Ogri in Suffolk outing.  But the next time I'm over, I 
might just hire me a GPz900!  (BTW, it's not Gee-Pee-zee, it's Gee-Pee-zed:
rhymes with Jed Clampett  :-)                        ^^^               ^^^ 
            ^^^

THE EMOTIONAL BLATHER:  (just for you, Bill   ;-)
If you have a chance to visit London, grab it.  There is just something 
about being in London, and it was amplified for me by being on a moto.  
I guess that wherever you go on a bike the experience is heightened, but 
even with this being my 4th visit to London, the experience was so much more 
than I had any right to expect.  Meeting fellow bikers who welcome you like 
a long-time friend, and doing everyday things in a foreign land - that is 
something I hope everyone has a chance to experience.  Anyway, *I* feel 
quite lucky to have had this opportunity.

My thanks to Tom the Mad for the introductions, the advice and for helping 
me get off the stick and get this write-up finished and posted.
PJ and Martin - enormous thanks to you as well - for the company, the ride, 
the sharing of your lives for a few days.
Charles and Ken - next time, I'm *NOT* calling work until AFTER I see 
Suffolk, Bury St. Edmunds and Oxford!
***
-- 
 Bob Wert	rmw@genie.gene.com	rwert@well.sf.ca.us
 DoD#0302	AMA#510680	'90 Ninja 750R	    '89 Mustang LX 5.0L
  ...Seven turns on the highway, Seven rivers to cross,
	Sometimes you feel like you can fly away, Sometimes you get lost...