Trigger Happy

With the new season about to begin, I asked the rest of the club if they could share three things they had learned in 2016 while scootering. Here’s what we now know...

JORDAN

I avoided anything alcohol related, as I knew there would be no shortage of lessons learnt from my fellow comrades. 1: Carry a spare carb rubber. Mine split on the way home from the Isle of Mull on the M6. Fortunately it was three miles downhill till Tebay Services, and I managed to coast all the way! Which I imagine was quite sight, especially since I was two up! There I bought gaffer tape and did a temporary repair. Thankfully, I managed to get a few miles from my parents’ house, where my dad met me with a spare. I can’t imagine I would be so fortunate next time...

2: Sat-navs are handy. I’ve always liked to navigate without one, it’s more fun, it’s more adventurous. However, on the Venlo trip it was obvious we could have done with one. My handwritten notes were good and got us close to our destinations, but finding a campsite on the edge of cities like Cologne isn’t easy! In the end we had to resort to Lydia holding her phone in front of me to make final bits of navigation possible. I will be investing in one before Italy for sure!

3: Good brakes are handy. Again, on the Venlo trip, it really made me realise standard drum brakes aren’t good enough for two-up and lots of luggage. Too many times did me and Lydia go flying through reds lights! So with that in mind I have invested in an LTH set up for 2017.

SCALLY

One of our resident Scotsmen shares his own lessons learnt. I would imagine they are quite typical of a scooter-riding youth north of the wall. 1: Always make sure your phone is charged. I broke down and had to ask a nice lady if I could charge my phone in her house to phone recovery.

2: Always carry a spare T-shirt. Turning up to a petrol station with one stinking of puke and booze isn’t good.

3: Supplies. Bucky is kinda hard to get down south so I take more than I need, just in case.

ALEX

Our early YGSC member has learnt some valuable lessons after his self-induced hiatus from the club.

1:

Just do it. It is possible to ride a 23 hour round trip with very little experience.rience Just go for it. I might have a slow scooter, if I can manage being overtaken by lorries while having hallucinations... anyone can.

2: Not a good idea. Silent disco at 5am on a Sunday morning sounds fun at the time. But it’s not.

3: Accuracy. Get a digital speedo to avoid speeding fines. Thankfully not me, however it was enough to convince me after watching Big Shaun get snapped by a camera. Ironically, he had turned round to check on me while it happened.

LYDIA

Lesson number two really does crack me up, particularly as her use of the luggage space is a primary reason I’ve had to go for a disc!

1: Self-preservation. Always ride in front of youry boyfriend. Otherwise he won’t notice whenw you end up in a heap on the tarmac and will just carry on without you.

2: Don’t over pack. The chances of you riding, drinking, sleeping and coming home in the same clothes you went in are very high – don’t waste the pannier space.

3: More care. Don’t drink random combinations of drinks for an entire day in a small Welsh town. You will end up having to pull over on the hard shoulder of the M6 to vomit over the barrier.

An extra one for the ladies in the club: Don’t let your boyfriend convince you he NEEDS a five-speed gearbox. He’s lying.

The chances of you riding, drinking, sleeping and coming home in the same clothes you went in are very high – don’t waste the pannier space.