ColinWB

I got the best of the weather this morning on my short ride from Inverclyde to the St Mocha Coffee stop at Carbeth, beside where the now defunct Carbeth Inn was. I’m glad I was on the bike because the return journey would have been spoiled by roadworks in Inverclyde. 2 sets that are only about 100 yards long but queues on the approaches were at least a mile long. Thank goodness for lane splitting I got home just before the showers started. And I wore the North Face Windstopper that I forgot about at the back of my wardrobe until this morning. It lived up to its name

Just a standard CB125F seat. More likely I have a hard arse

I finished work at 4pm, fed and watered by 430pm and on the bike by 5pm. A wee trip up the banks of Loch Lomond to Tarbet then Arrochar, where I took the road towards Helensburgh. What a road, it was like a BMX track with constant humps and twisting chicanes. Some of the humps could easily result in accidentally getting airborne if you get the speed wrong . At the Finnart oil terminal it gave me a 1 in 6 hill to climb . All the way along the road the low sun was strobing through the trees, a little bit unsettling. Through Garelochhead and down the west shore of Gareloch to Kilcreggan, mostly 30mph limit but a stretch of 40mph and a quick blast of national speed limit. Coming back out of Kilcreggan my patience was tested at the roadworks. It felt like I waited 5 minutes for the green light on a road that must get 5 cars an hour max Anyway, that was the only frustration, so not bothered by it now. I rode back up to Garelochhead and then down the east shore through Helensburgh and on to Dumbarton then across the Erskine Bridge and headed back to Inverclyde via Bishopton, riding into the last of the setting sun. I didn’t stop on this trip so there are no photos. A nice 3.5 hours ride

I know the Old Largs Road very well, I'll admit quietly I used to pretend I was a rally driver on it after I passed my car license 43 years ago I often use it now to get around the many and almost constant roadworks in Inverclyde and North Ayrshire at the moment, but never on my motorbike.

Frustratingly, I cannot put my finger on where that is but it looks familiar.

@curlylegend that must be a bittersweet memory.

I took a ride down the Firth of Clyde coast after work this evening. Decided to go up the Haylie Brae road from Largs towards Kilbirnie but cut off that at Dalry junction, went through Dalry and on through Kilwinning to the A78 roundabout, which I did go round about and retraced my route to Largs. That was when I headed towards the setting sun, so I stoppedfitst to take a photo up the valley then at a private fishery where I asked if I could park up to take photos. They were pleasantly surprised I asked, but it’s private ground so a wee bit of goid manners was in order. The photos are the ones looking down the hill and over the estuary (as if you couldn’t work that out ). At the bottom of the hill I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Fairlie, where there’s a lovely car park with the views in the last three photos. Then a leisurely ride back home to Inverclyde. Lovely ride.

Another ride after work today on what I call the North Ayrshire circuit. Inverclyde down the coast to Largs then inland over the hill to Kilbirnie. Big well done to the driver who was about to turn right out the factory car park who stopped immediately behind the white lines when he saw me coming round the bend. I think it's about time I praised another driver’s good decision From Kilbirnie, I rode through Beith and Lochwinnoch before joining the A737 to go across the M8 then on to Bishopton. It started to get dark then and the gentle heat from the sun disappeared, so I got chilly. But only 15 or so miles to get home to Inverclyde and it was a pleasant ride into the darkness.

My helmet had Pinlock fitted when I bought it so I don’t know the difference of riding without it. I wear glasses and they mist up when stopped at lights etc, never the visor. So I open the visor to clear the glasses then close it to set off again. Not a big inconvenience. I wondered about riding at night with it fitted but it seemed fine last night.

Yes, I did the same because that brighter patch attracted my eyes, but the cats eyes got illuminated well outside that bright patch so I began looking ahead more on the bends. Now I wonder about potholes on an unfamiliar road at night, they’ll only be seen within the bright patch

I didn't manage to get out in the sunshine and warmth at the weekend but by some freak of nature, Inverclyde was clear, bright and dry when I finished work today, so I got the bike out for a wee trip to Paisley during rush hour. You're mad, I hear you say, and you are probably right, there is a fierce rivalry between Inverclyde and Paisley . Maybe that's why Mrs Buddie in Paisley decided that all she needed to do was indicate and move her car ever closer to me when she wanted to grab my road space. Frantic waving of my left hand and a big fat sweary word later she gave up. A minute later she pulled round behind me into the lane on my right, drew level and told me off for swearing I kid you not. Apart from that it was a nice ride, and I got my first proper taste of riding in the dark. In town it was fine, out of town the wee light on my 125 didn't really light up the road far enough ahead unless I used main beam, which I obviously couldn't do all the time. It was an interesting experience on a local road I know very well. I'm sure I'd have been crawling along an unfamiliar road.

Got my bike out for the first ride of the year, a wee trip down the Clyde to Largs then back through the roadworks that have caused gridlock in my home town this week. Thankfully some had been removed so the hold ups were not too bad. The bike behaved itself perfectly . Now I need to get my DAS sorted out but there's a new lady in my life and she's getting much more attention than the bike

I've got a decade on you . I'm growing old disgracefully doing the things I put off when I was younger and had a "sensible" head on.

This is the info I am looking for too. It answers the question I asked on another thread. Thanks all, especially @AstronautNinja for starting it.

Snap. Today's ride was the first for two weeks and all the more enjoyable for that. It was an overcast day but thankfully dry, so i took myself across the water to Argyll via Western Ferries and Dunoon, then up past Loch Eck to Strachur on Loch Fyne. On the way I passed The Coylet Inn and The Whistlefield Inn before passing The Creggans at Strachur. They are all places I keep meaning to stop at for a bite to eat, but neve have. I couldn't today because I had to get to Bishopton to watch a rugby match, of which the least said the better (you can google the result if you're interested ). Back to the ride - it was one of those days when everything went smoothly and it all clicked, no fuss, no drama, pure fun. Even going over the Rest and be Thankful the traffic lights were with me and there was only a short queue. One wee gripe though. My clothing is definitely not windproof, even through 4 layers I got cold once over the Rest and Be Thankful, not bitterly cold but colder than I expected. Any recommendations for draught excluders? I popped though Inverclyde and on down to Largs again after the rugby, it's becoming a bit of a habit. That took me to 2080 mile in total since I got my wee bike at the end of July.