Highflyingclive

i think factory workers gets paid literally peanuts

No, only monkeys work for peanuts.

Conditions in Chinese factories improve day by day - everytime I go on factory inspections I see big improvements in working conditions and standard of living. Their salaries are low by western standards - but so is their cost of living.

The monkey in this thread is the guy who designed the caseback. The workers (or, as I prefer to call them, nimble-fingered Chinese maidens) just screw them on. They would be happy to fit the correct caseback, for no extra salary.

The factory workers are clowns and the owners tend to be blind about everything besides money...

Gunnar - you are only 50% correct.

June to September?

That's taking "gentleman's hours" to the limit!

Have a great vacation.

Clive

As far as I know there are NO reps of this available, if there is where? cos I want one!

Sorry to contradict you, Edge, but a low-end Chinese rep of the 098 is (or at least, has been) available. It is easily identified - the GMT display has little stars between the numerals.

Another pointless squabble.

Don't feed the troll.

If you want to book the upstairs room, (very comfortable) you will need to move quickly.

I'm not sure that the bar downstairs will be suitable. Having never been there on a Saturday, I don't know how busy it gets. During the week, it is heaving.

How many members intend coming? We could have held the first RWG meet in a phone booth - I hope that we will see a few more people this time.

bump

Yes - the attentions of the great unwashed can be troublesome.

I remenber a sunny Sunday when I took my lady off through the Buckinghamshire lanes on my Royal Enfield Continental GT... eventually we stopped at a country pub for lunch.. naturally I parked the pretty 250 in the sunshine so all could admire her at her best.

There were families in the pub garden.. of course, some snotty kid dragged his dad over to my bike so he could have a closer look.

"Royal Enfield" said his dad, "That's where the Queen keeps her chickens"

I let him live...

Veni - have you decided on the venue, yet?

One for Admin... I just changed my password and now the site does not "remember me" . I have to log in properly, every time.

Why, oh why, oh why?

You bloody Vikings never could hold your beer...

Nonetheless, a great improvement on the ghastly metal bracelet.

I think that I'll have to try this on my Colamariner.

You might as well ask "What's the big deal with Panerai? Why are they repped? Are the reps any good?"

MB hold mid-to-high end position in the fountain pen market. Not right up the top, perhaps... but pretty damn good. They started as a pen company, only relatively recently becoming a jeweller and watchmaker.

The reps vary, just like panerai reps. I have seen banana shaped MB pens in Chinese markets... and have seen others that would look good alongside the real thing.

...Btw, that's typical Ameraican way to do business...

Yes... it happened to a friend of mine. His US importer/agent registered my friend's trademark in the US... then tried to sell it back to him.

Luckily, my US attorney has a friend who is a leading patent attorney...

Business ethics... from the people who brought you "friendly fire".

Run! Run away now!

Just in case anybody is interested now, this is the address were u can find the real deal:

http://www.paneristi.com/straps/dirk/index.html

engineer

Thanks for the link! Saved to favourites...

Just teasing, Les,

I soon discovered that scooters and corners don't mix... swapped my ankle-hangers for drainpipes and became a greaser.

Current collection:

1947 BSA M21.

1960 Triumph Trophy TR6. Pre-unit, duplex frame "off-road" bike. Basicly a single-carb Bonnie , factory fitted with [censored]bly tyres and high-level siamese exhaust. My, they had a sense of humour in the Triumph factory in those days...:-)

1964 Royal Enfield Continental GT (the bike I wanted when I was sixteen... I got one, but I had to wait until I was thirty-six).

1980 Truiumph T140 "Harris" Bonneville.

... and a Honda VT500 that I rarely discuss...

I smell fish.

I don't really need a new strap at the moment, but I think I'll order a geniune Dirk next week... just to show solidarity.

[censored]tard?

That is too good for the E-hole.

Highflyingclive...

Here's smile for you. Sorry about the quality... (photography had only just been invented - hahaha)

(Yes, the old geezer above and the young dude here are both me, a little less hair and a little more middle!)

Devon 1962 - BSA 250

Les

Sorry, Les,

That a girl's bike.

It has teles on the front... can't see the back but I suspect the worst... bet it has (gasp...) plungers.

I have a 1947 BSA M21... girder forks and solid rear end. Like this 1949 model, only in black... and in much scruffier condition. One previous owner from new!

All the links in this thread appear to be dead. Has someone been sweeping up ?

Is she about to shave her eyebrows?

I have seen the original and hated it. But when I saw Josh's pic, I have to admit that I was tempted.

That's just me. I won't be ordering it - but I am sure that Jos will sell shedloads of these B&R "Instruments".

...u made me laugh once again picking on my run on sentences...

I wasn't joking.

i read the "unabomber manifesto" word by word

You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din. I just do not have the patience, or stamina, to read Joe's posts.

Nobody mentioned ABP in Paris, yet.

They have a site which is both awesome (choice of leathers) and bloody irritating (build your own strap order sequence).

Link to ABP: http://www.abp-paris.com/

Has anyone ever done business with ABP ?

I saw Banda mentioned. I have bought a lot of "exotic" straps from Banda... www.banda.com Their service and communication is first class. They will build a strap to your specifications... even if it is non-standard... they made a lovely 24/20 genuine brown alligator for my Pam 147. And their prices are more than reasonable.

Same again, Pam 147 on brown alligator, but joined by burgundy genuine crocodile on a VCDT. Both straps from Banda.