[johnnyrvf]

Hi Tom, I understand the bit about not giving up the bikes, I'm diabetic, I started off as type 2 but now am on insulin, the main motivation for controlling the condition is so I can keep on riding until I literally die of old age, the Medical system over here is much better than the UK and I am checked for all sorts of things, a French citizen has the right to a full FREE medical check-up every 5 years after the age of 45, something the NHS could'nt afford, not with it's parasitical free market economy ethos that has been evolved by various political administrations; although Sarkosi the new president might try to employ Thatcher type fiscal restrictions on the system; having said that any real degradation would result in riots in the streets, something the British will never do.......I still find it difficult to accept the snobbery of the British, motorcycling has never lost it's poor mans transport image from immediate post war Britain in the U.K. and is seen as something undignified and therefore undesirable, the press have never really tried to fundamentally change the image and it's only people like McKewan, Boorman? and Saunders who are capturing the publics imagination but I doubt if it will ever be embraced as it is on mainland Europe. As to the *rse who was responsible for the accident, I had several incidents of complete idiots driving into me over the years, 5 times whilst stopped at traffic lights and many more in all sorts of stupid situations I got used to hearing I did'nt see you as an excuse, however I was fortunate that I was driving large goods vehicles at the time ( up to 44 tonnes), they often looked very upset as they climbed out of the wrekage, me I was as sarcastic and uncaring as possible, simply because if they had'nt been been driving into me, they could have been driving into someone far more vunerable. Johhny.