DRIVING

Talk about pernickety.

However, since my contributions to this thread back in June, I now listen to Radio X on my DAB Digital radio in my car. After thinking that it would distract me, it actually helps me focus more.

Plus, I got to know about Sam Fender.

It is funny that I've just had a notification about this thread as I'm currently having a meltdown about parking. My workplace is having some construction work done in the carpark that I usually park in and I'm no longer able to park in it due to not having a staff permit. 

I did apply for a staff permit to be able to hopefully use my blue badge as a disabled staff member, but I had problems with nobody being able to tell me where I could park even when I had it and it a meltdown I cancelled it. I waited about a month to get it.

The building works are going to last until next summer so there isn't even a way of just tolerating it short term. I feel like a pathetic weirdo for even finding this such a problem. Using public transport may be an option but it will significantly increase my commute time, and I'm really not great in the mornings to begin with and I have children that I take to the childminder before I make my way to work.

I just needed to get this off my chest. Not expecting a solution to be offered. 

FZ750 for the last twenty years. Fair turn of speed and "I'll always get you home, how fast would you like to get there?" handling...

I was so focused on the detail it helped the quality of my driving initially.   

I did have a gsx1100ef (the 1135 motor) and that went like a starship , but did have a z500 before it which i would love to have back now 

Kawasaki GPZ500s is a very nice and cheap UJM, with a fair turn of speed, quite comfortable, and really, really, good road holding. (Which surprised me greatly as most kwackers I experienced in the 80's were evidently designed for straight line speed only..)

I borrowed a 900 for one ride, and it damn near killed me then later bought an IMMACULATE restored Cb750 of the same model and sold it after a month (for a profit) because it felt "not right" in the handling department. 

Think I went to a 400/4 after that, which of course WAS right in the handling department.

Now I ride an ex-racer FZ750, which sticks to the road like, well, you know what sticks to a blanket & provides (apparently) substantially superior performance to a police motorcycle. (I didn't actually know it was a police bike, until the road conditions changed which required me to slow down, when he caught up with me for a roadside chat, apparently after chasing me for a couple of miles) 

I've had to take a few years off from the biking recently, due to skintness but I'm just fettling and servicing it, ready to return to the road ASAP, as I have a requirement to travel somewhere regularly where the access isn't wide enough for a car...  

lucky so  and so  i miss the adrenaline

I had the air cooled versions

yes, I got a RD400 after the Honda because I went to Germany and insurance was insane

RD250 was/is a brilliant bike, the first one i ever rode

this version

I had an RD250, did a mornings training then off, passed my test 4 months late and got a Honda CB900FB.  I think my20 year old Triumph 600 has more power than the Honda

Mantra said:

Driving and having my own car has meant everything to me. It has been my way to escape people and places at my own time. It has been worth the challenges and costs. It's my bubble where I can shout and scream, or just sit in silence while parked and the outside noises are hushed.

Absolutely what it is for me, having a car has saved my life on several occasions, I have stayed out in the woods in mine overnight because I couldn't bear to be in the house any longer. 

Plastic said:

knowing where you should be sat on the road at roundabouts etc

Hello Plastic, exactly! The instructor should have explained all that to them first before even navigating a roundbout on a vehicle they were learning to drive too, bad instructor.

we have RAF cadets where i live they are very successful way of getting into the RAF itself

Hello BJS, why are you not now?

I was in the RAF but as an engineer not pilot

That's interesting aidie because when I was 15 I went along to one of those career information days with the only one person in high school who I think was a friend as we both wanted to join the RAF!

yes i think ASD makes good drivers and pilots

JohnnyBeGood said:

Also, taking my driving instructors instructions literally almost caused an accident. 

This happened to my friend when they were doing thier CBT for a motorcycle, the instructor was behind them giving instructions through the earpiece, when they approached a roundabout the instructor told my friend to drive straight over at the the roundabout so they did, they drove over the roundabout, not around it, the instructor was going crazy apparently, while my friend was totally confused and rightly so with an instruction like that, I think I would have done exactly the same.

This put them off driving a motorcycle, but they found a great instructor to learn to drive a car and got through their test first time.

Its all down to the instructors how well you do, fortunately I had a fantastic instructor who took things a step at a time, spoke calmly and what really helped me massively was that he explained the reason for absolutely every move we made, when I'm given instructions I need to understand the 'why's', which he always explained.

Having an ASD I feel makes me an excellent driver as I notice absolutely everything that goes on in my environment so I'm always aware of what other drivers are doing, the negative is that it can get exhausting.