A lack of concentration

[DominicBest]

It does seem to be a French thing but it is linked to the fact that most car drivers are very bike aware and are keen to make life as easy as possible for bikers. I was told it’s because most French drivers have used motorcycles in their youth even if that was only a Mobliette or Solex. It’s also very obvious that motorcyclists are treated as being equal to other drivers when it comes to stopping in hotels, restaurants and the like. Unfortunately they are still, too often, treated a second class citizens in the U.K. The owners of the camp site I stayed on said that when they toured in the U.K. they got used to phoning ahead to book accommodation because turning up on the doorstep in bike gear often resulted in them being told that no rooms were available. The Parador we stayed in in Spain asked if we would like to put our bikes in their garage. (I suppose it might have been because they didn’t want them to lower the tone but I’m sure it was for our convenience).
One funny incident that highlights the camaraderie amongst bikers was when we spent an evening with a French biker whose bike had broken down. He’d been stuck at the hotel for four days waiting for clutch parts to be delivered to a nearby dealer. We had a great evening together despite him speaking no English and my friend John speaking no French. At the end of the evening Yannick thanked us for the company and said that it had been easy because he and John spoke the same language (motorcycles) even if they used different words.

[Lori]

Ah, a good place to pose my question maybe! A group of 5 or 6 bikers passed me last week, on my way to work near Excideuil in N Dordogne.

You were only 15 miles from our house.

[Spectrum]

After overtaking someone who had made an effort to make it a bit easier I used just give a quick left right indicator, but yes we have found that most bikers stick their leg out as of acknowledgement of you being aware of them, to old to get the leg over now

[L Austin France]

Talk of sticking foot out on m'bikes reminds me of when I took my test yonks ago.
I passed but in the test office afterwards talking to a desolate lad who'd just failed I asked him why?
In those days one had to dismount & push the 'bike from one side of the road to the other, (don't ask 'cos I don't know why).
Apparently his trouser turn up got caught in the foot peg & he fell over with his bike on top of him. The examiner had to lift it off.

[Nomoss]

My wife and I, with my Honda CB750, stayed in a very nice hotel in Mallorca, where they had no hesitation in allowing me to put the bike in their storeroom, although it was not designed as a garage.

When travelling west through eastern Turkey in 1963 I stayed overnight in a roadside tea house where I had stopped on the way east.
The owner recognised me and insisted I put my BSA 650 inside for the night, moved tables and chairs out of the way, opened the double entrance doors, one of which had obviously not been opened for years, and helped me lift the bike up a couple of steps and down into the room.
In the morning he refused to accept payment for my stay.

[Liz]

Another good bike museum is Muséee Baster, ar Riom north of Clermont Ferrand
http://museebaster.fr
Second Sunday of the month they have a bike jumble/sale.