Monkey Run

Get bikes and go, Agonda beach of course the lushest in South Goa 7km away. We're off and thankfully the bike's horns work Ok,nothing else matters . Take Dave through a spot where I nearly got a bovine assassination last year,later a rickshaw driver says "Yes this is Cow Corner!". The ride up to Agonda is top, sweeping corners, breathtaking green hills, temples in the jungle. A monkey skims across the road, everyday stuff like..Drop into the beach eat the biggest Tuna sandwich ,chips & salad ever (1 pound) get back and curry again no KFs.I look at my Pulsar -its my bike from last year. Sari guard an all case I get lucky.Under rear no. plate is says "Lonely Without U" this proves prophetic as Dave is already declared Capt. Slow. Fill up with petrol from the snack shop up road (70p a litre) ready for big ride 2mrw.

Delayed Kick Off

The holiday itinerary gets complicated by Inter v Man U ko at 1.30 am . We warm up with a few Kingfishers (KFs from now on) over at Palolem -next beach more lively.Meet interesting,lively lass from Brum at ace bar with footy highlights on -turns into Thatcherite loon after 4 beers so engage the Italian gearbox... Go eat but Dave keeps ordering large KFs. Get back to Patnem and blag a seat in bar with footy on, crap match only enlivened by maniacs piling in with info on their current chemical state. Been offered stuff twice already here, Patnem's got a little less innocent. However we have bikes,mine Pulsar 180 sports bike Dave has Avenger 200 lowrider .Bajaj of India's Bad Boys!

Planes Trains and Auto-rickshaws

Petrol Head Overload.Car to Nottm.Coach to Heathrow.Big Iron Bird to Mumbai.Taxi across Mumbai.Smaller Jet to Goa.Small Minibus to Patnem Beach South Goa, Our base for next 10 days.
Arrive more tired than Last of the Summer Wine. Celebrate with Goa's Kingfisher truly the King of Beers -roll in at 2 am. Wake foggy headed to the slow realisation I haven't got lashed up in the shed but am in a beach hut in India.Oh.

Why Are These Bikes Picking On Me?

They say after a while the owner starts to resemble the dog.These petrol pets of mine are driving me nuts.Why have most of my bikes got issues? Is it in reverse and they are reflecting their owners eccentricities? What drove a Fantic carb that worked Ok on a sick engine refuse to play ball on the rebuilt one?With astonishing perversity the pilot jet I could blow AND see through, once replaced resulted in 1st kick starting.Maybe its cos I made it stand in the corner for 2 years..
My red Ts185 became a non-runner whilst IN MY SHED.Was it bored? I stripped it and found only one ring, so the top one's abducted by aliens,right? My Bultaco broke down startline of my 1st event, for that jilted-at-the-altar feel .How does my Ts185 racer start with another's kick but not mine? Is it personal?