u/SpiralArchitect_

I'm in the process of getting my full bike licence (UK), in fact I should have got it today, but my test got cancelled :(

My dream bike, I think, is a Bonneville. There was a dry docked one in my back garden as I grew up (my late Grandad's) and I always thought they epitomised what a motorcycle should be.

I've been bumming around on a Honda CB125F for the past year or so and was looking forward to getting a classic, unpretentious mid range bike c600ish size for my first 'big' bike, something like an SV650 or one of the new Royal Enfields... However, there is a black Bonneville 865 for about £3k in my hometown... that's about a grand more than I wanted to spend, but it's like getting a dream bike straight away.

Can I ask if you think this is suitable for a first bike? My main concern is always reliability and cost. I've heard the handling is great on them. Or should I be patient and stick with my modest intentions in the meantime?

Cheers

To make a proposed new access onto the highway (for a new dwelling), satisfactory visibility splays must be achievable. If these splays partially lie within highway verge but on third party land, can the applicant legally cut back the vegetation to maintain to achieve the splays, should the council be doing it, or should the landowner be doing it?

There are various sections of the Highways Act 1980 that indicate a conflict of who the onus is on to do this. S154 suggests the third party landowner should cut back the vegetation that encroaches highway. S142 suggests an adjacent landowner should maintain it. S171 seems to imply the applicant could do it themselves with a licence.

Looking at various Highway Authority guidance and even appeals, it seems implied, if not stated, that visibility splays drawn through highway land would be acceptable, however, in terms of the immediate highway safety concern, how the maintenance of the splays be assured? Amazingly, I can't seem to find a definitive answer anywhere

I'm a bass player and Skynyrd is one of my favourite bands. I've been a bit short on inspirational lately and, following on from a recent Strawberry Alarm Clock deep dive, am now doing the annual Skynyrd rounds. Sometimes I just like to put on a classic album like Pronounced and jam along. This album was one of the first I had, before I even had a bass, and I always remembered how great those bass parts were. I couldn't play them properly for years. So I've been learning them note for note this past week, just really grooving on it, and appreciating the genius of Ed King, who I always thought was the coolest guy in the band.

Ed's general musical proficiency and knack for songwriting is well and rightly celebrated, but as a bassist, I just can't believe how good he is - he's one of my favourites for sure. I love Leon Wilkeson too but there's something about how the bass rolls on that first album that just lights me up, it's right on the button, but it grooves and slides between the guitars and drums, compliments everything else perfectly, but makes a point on its own, and sounds simple enough to jam along to but when you analyse it, is highly intelligent playing, the work of a true craftsman. I've been playing for years now and though I can pick this stuff up easily enough, writing it is another story. I guess they rehearsed as an ensemble daily.

But the story about Ronnie sitting him down and wanting him in the band, but as a guitarist "because you're the worst bass player I've ever played with in my life" is surely just lip service to Leon? It just seems like a ridiculous accusation because he's so obviously a great bass player, too. He also did bass back in the Alarm Clock on a couple of records.

I've heard stories saying that he basically just learned Leon's parts, but I'm not sure this can be the case as there is the story about Leon coming down to rehearsals after the album was mostly done and playing Simple Man, and Ed said he realised that's how bass is meant to be played in Skynyrd and directly took from it to record. And to be fair, that's the best bassline on the whole album.

And I know Al Kooper did Tuesdays Gone, which is also fabulous bass playing.

Anyway, big up Ed King, what an excellent bass player.