Hola from Spain

[El Pirata]

Hello All. I am a british expat living in southern Spain. I have returned to biking after a 30 year lay off, I am 59. I have lived here for 4 years and have resisted the temptation to get a bike up till now. Riding in Spain is a high risk activity, most of the roads are like glass, and when wet downright dangerous. Other road users are the main enemy, you have to watch them like a hawk, but despite all this I took the plunge and bought a new GZ250 last September. The thought of being able to ride in the brilliant weather that we have here most of the year, and on some great country and mountain roads got the better of me, and I LOVE IT. I was tempted to get a much larger bike, but common sense prevailed, I am after all learning roadcraft over again, but I am delighted with the Suzy, and equally delighted to have found this site.

[BadMojo]

Welcome, Spain, I was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Rota for about a year and a half, circa 1980. I have many fond memories of Spain. I sure would have enjoyed a bike then. Once again welcome. P.S. Post pictures of your road trips. :)

[Badbob]

Welcome to the board.

I've seen some photos of beautiful roads in Spain. You have some great places to ride there. I'm looking forward to hearing about your rides.

[alantf]

Hi, El Pirata,
I was just idly browsing through the "intro" posts, when I came across your letter. I hope that you're still riding, because I haven't seen your name before, on any of the recent posts.
I'm also an expat, but on Tenerife, not peninsula. I fully agree with what you say about riding in Spain - kamikaze pilots had nothing on Spanish drivers. Add to that the cobbled streets in our village, & all the other surrounding villages, & mix it with the rain that we get up here in the mountains, & we have roads that are slippier than the icy winter roads in England.
Incidentally, where abouts in England are you from? I am an Englishman by birth, & a Yorkshireman by the grace of God.

[El Pirata]

Hi alantf, sorry mate but i am a dodgy southerner (according to girlfriend originally from Leeds)! Born and bred in High Wycombe, Bucks. Lived in Gloucestershire for 15 years before moving out to Spain 4 1/2 years ago. Know what you mean about the village streets, in fact most of the roads around here are like glass, and roundabouts always have diesel on them, so much that you can smell it as you approach them, which isn´t a bad thing!! Still riding, only use the car when I have to, normally for work. I make a living as a drummer so obviously have to go in the cage for that. I get to go to plenty of bike meets and ride outs with the Spanish bikers around here, they all have Harleys but accept me as a fellow biker regardless of the bike I ride. What is it like in your neck of the woods? Recently invited to the Malaga Hells Angels clubhouse, scary looking dudes, but pussycats when you get to know them. I guess you are a bit warmer than me, it is 10 degrees C today so have to wrap up a bit on the bike, but better than jolly ol Blighty!! :2tup:

[alantf]

Hey Pirate,
I've just checked the thermometer on the terrace & it's 18 degrees here. When you think of Tenerife you probably think of the south where it's hot & dry. We live up in the north, where they say that it's "springtime all the year round". It does get hot in the summer, but up in the mountains where we live it's mostly covered in cloud, & from our terrace we can see Mount Teide (the volcano) Right now the top is covered in snow. In the evenings we have to have the gas fire on (bottled gas) & the electric blanket on for an hour before we go to bed.
If your girlfriend is a yorkshire lass, she'll know where I'm from. I spent my childhood in Sheffield, where I was born, then moved to Maltby (near Rotherham) then moved to Doncaster for a couple of years before coming to Tenerife in January '03.
The bike scene over here is two extremes :- Kiddies on scooters (total no brainers) & Total no brainers on big sports bikes. I think the problem is that the kiddies don't take any sort of test, & the big bikers are tested on "disused airfields" if you understand what I mean, so they don't come into contact with real traffic until they're on their own & can't quite understand that when they're doing 120 km/h in a 50km/h zone, on the wrong side of the road, overtaking everything in sight,they might, just might, meet a lorry head on.
http://www.postimage.org/aV1SGws0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV1SGws0)
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[5th_bike]

Hi El Pirata, Welcome to the forum !!
Gloucestershire
Don't you guys pronounce that as "Gloster"? (Thought I read that somewhere.)
I grew up in The Netherlands, where (especially in the cities) cutting people off is a sign of bravery, manhood and dominance.

[alantf]

Yes, Gloucester (the town) is pronounced Gloster. Gloucestershire (the county) is pronounced Glostersher. I know that English pronunciations can sound funny to you Americans (you are American not Dutch, aren't you?) but that's just the fun of the English language. You'll also notice that a lot of my spelling,in the other posts, is different to American spelling. Plus, if you heard me speak, you'd see that I spoke with a Yorkshire (Yorksher!) accent. Thats like comparing a Texas drawl to a New York accent.