I was never brilliant at ignition stuff back then but…. for me, twin SU carbs and a plastic tube every time! 
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I was brought up setting points and timing on 2 strokes using a dial gauge. Only used a timing light on 4 strokes. This bike has 3 sets of points and 3 condensers and while it’s quite reliable it costs as much to replace them all as an electronic ignition system. I was setting up points on a friend’s old 750 Honda a short while ago and it was like stepping back in time. I loved it!
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Gosh, I remember those days, more vividly now, than of anything I did yesterday.
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I love stuff like that!
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[quote=“RichardFX, post:140, topic:148259”]
Thank goodness for fuel injection and electronic ignition!
[/quote]
Its great but it does take a lot of the fun away.
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My bedtime reading for the next few weeks was sorted by a couple of Xmas pressies from friends ;
Stuart Hicken’s excellent Dancing down the pit lane direct from Wideline, and
from Amazon Richard Williams’s in depth history of Le Mans 100 years of Le Mans.
I lost a few hours sleep last night re-awakening old memories and forgot about cold toes.
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My current bike, a BMW F800 GT. It’s a great all rounder, plenty fast enough and handles so sweetly.
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Nice. Looks comfortable. 
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Thanks, it is. I see you had an 1100 Pan. I test road one of those back in the day from Macgowans in George Street out to Banchory. What an amazingly capable and comfortable bike, even now I still think about getting one, but I know the weight would be an issue as I have a slight incline onto my drive and limited space to turn it.
Was it the weight which made you get rid of it?
You’ve had loads of great bikes. I’m away to read the whole thread, well done on starting it.
Yes i loved the Pan. We went across Europe on it and a few trips down south. Did home in Aberdeenshire to Brighton on the South Coast in one hit once in 13 hours. Very tiring but very satisfying. The weight was definitely an issue though, especially two up with luggage. I used to feel quite tense going from the garage, down the track to the road. Once on the road I was fine. And, as you say, manoeuvring was a chore. Also we bought our NC and that is our new Pan. We’re much happier and more relaxed in that and have decided to use that for any long journeys now. It’s the same experience as being on a bike in many ways and a lot more comfy. Just got the kettle now, which i’ve wanted for many years, for daily pleasure jaunts.
The day we set off for Europe from Aberdeenshire. Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and back to Netherlands. Fantastic trip and the bike didn’t miss a beat. 2500 miles in 2 weeks.
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Your Pan looked immaculate. As big as they are, of course the weight dissapears when on the move.
From Turriff to Brighton in one go is a hell of an achievement, and I guess that’s testament to the Pan, as well as yourself.
Your new bike looks amazing, I’m sure you’ll have great times with it.
The F800GT was a compromise. I had a ‘99 VFR 800. It was a great bike, lovely smooth V4, with an amazing bark from the exhaust, but just too uncomfortable for me. It was far more of a sports bike than a sports tourer, and I’ve no idea why it was ever marketed as such.
The BM is very comfortable, and I’ve added a windscreen deflector to make the motorway miles more comfortable. It actually likes to rev and has a decent punch above 5k.
I generally tour about Perthshire so don’t really need a full-on tourer. It’s pretty light and has a low centre of gravity as the tank is under the seat. Anyway, enjoying it at the moment and can’t really see myself getting anything heavier now.
The Pan had been very well looked after by the previous owner who had sadly passed away. I bought it from his widow. It was a year 2000 and only had 14k genuine miles plus a new full stainless exhaust system fitted. I sold it to my manager at work and he still has it now. The kettle is a heavy bike but feels like a lightweight after the Pan. I think, if I’d continued with a tourer, I would have tried a BMW.
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I’ve always fancied an RT, but like the Pan, it’s a big beast of a bike, and would be a handful for me at only 5’8”, hence the F800, which is a lightweight in comparison.