No doubt, some have never returned having been murdered as we now know but I think many young people tend to go in groups for support.
Australia is by and large a safe country to go to as a solo traveller. These sort of stories, whilst heartbreaking for the families concerned, are blown out of proportion in terms of risk. Especially for a man.
I wouldnât recommend a working holiday in El Salvador, but Oz is different. Murder statistics no different to Germany.
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It wasnât so much about murder as exploitation and poor conditions.
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Is Australia unique in that? Exploitation of young people happens everywhere.
(Jane mentioned people never returning as having been murdered)
Iâm sure - just that a report on problems in Australia stuck in my mind.
I have a bit of a bug bear about fear-mongering (as a generality, not you). Fear stops people doing things and can make situations worse. So children and young people get no experience of dealing with tricky situations, and canât handle the problems they will face in life.
It sells newspapers thoâ.
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This is a major concern I have for my student. He is a French national of Indian race and beautifully dark skinned. I would never wish him to end up racially abused in a foreign land.
Sadly that can happen anywhere though, and he canât be protected from all eventualities. Itâs better to prepare him by advising how to react in case it does happen.
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They are remarkable - our local âPosh Motorcycling Gentlemenâs Outfittersâ (Motolegends in Guildford) reckon that modern single layer Kevlar-woven jeans are actually twice as durable as leather if you happen to slide along the road in a crash!
Yes I rode around France last summer on my UK-spec Honda and had no issues with the headlight beam, nor did I need âbeam benderâ stickers.
@letsmile you may be thinking of the âA2â motorcycle licence category for riders with a minimum of 2 years experience on a category A1 machine, where there is also a limitation on the power to weight ratio.
Some bigger bikes are sold in an âA2 limitedâ form which can be de-restricted when the rider gets their A1 licence.
Itâs all much more complicated these days compared to when I was a learner and you rode a 250cc bike on L plates, then passed your test and could buy anything you liked!
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Back in school days we all had little bikes, Yamaha 125 twins, 180s 200s etc. We used to fall off al lot and we noted that if you ripped your jeans in the fall is was better than if they survived because you were left with ârasheredâ legs where you has slid down the road 
One of our pals seemed to fall off every Saturday on his way to whichever schoolmate was having a âfree houseâ (due to parental absence). New pair of Levis every week. I remember him bent sideways adjusting his carburettors when he missed the zigzag under a railway bridge one week. Happy days. Heâs still alive and well and I see him often, as I do a lot of my old school pals.
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I had one of those! I LOVED it. Such a nice little bike 
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Me too.
It was my lifeline. Especially growing up in the middle of nowhere.
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Had a 1955 Tiger Cub with swinging arm rear suspension and after seeing Easy Rider yearned to turn into a miniature version of Peter Fondaâs chopped Harley, but fortunately I grew up a bitâŠ
We live on a main road in a tourist area and Iâm continually surprised by how many touring Harleys go past every day, but locally we also have a surprisingly large number of recent Mustangs.
Curious, the French affection for certain aspects of traditional (dare I say it?) *iconic Americana. Though must admit to having a slightly irrational collection of Western belts that are never worn and really need framingâŠ
Back in 1998 my eight year old daughter and I accompanied a couple of my pals who were shopping for Harleys to the dealership. I spotted a yellow Dyna Wide Glide, which was the factory version of a chopper and in a moment of weakness bought it. A few days later when it was ready to be collected I realised I had forgotten to mention it to my wife, so on the way out the door I said Iâd bought a bike and blasĂ© as possible she said âOh I know, Jill told meâ 
I kept it for about ten years but it wasnât fun to ride, too heavy, clunky gearbox and a clutch that was hell in traffic. But the sound⊠
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I had a friend who kept two bikes of the same colour and his wife thought he only had one.
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That reminded me of a bike I purchased in 1988. I originally saw it in my friends american bike magazine, and hunted high and low until I finally found one at a small dealer in North London, as there were a limited number imported into the UK. I hadnât been working long so at the time it was a stretch. Dressed in my grey flannel suit and tie, I took the underground from work near Picadilly and picked up the bike. Dressed in my suit, I straddled the bike, the owner opened the little showroom doors and I emerged into drizzly weather with the biggest smile on my face 
The bike was hugely impractical, but looked great, and with the honda vf750 engine, it went well!
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Thats why my son in law loves HDâs. He buys a new one every year and currently belongs to two local chapters and has just had his third ride out upto Colorado last week. One chapter are mainly retirees and he is the youngest at 37 and the new group are his age. Here locally in the PO there is the longest existing chapter of Harley owners in France and an article in the paper last week all about them
Yes, you need wide roads and open spaces to really enjoy them. Iâve seen some lovely ones here but I wouldnât enjoy manoeuvring them around our tight country roads. Especially as many of the locals career around bends half on the wrong side of the road.
I still have a bike, this one which I bought in an another weak moment. Itâs somewhat less ambitious than the Harley was.
Your 2-wheelers are no use to me⊠I need stabilisers 
Had one of these in my mad-youth⊠and could do with it now 
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