fastbob

I did get back safe and well . I rode the B 7076 / A7 that runs parallel to the M74 all the way back to Carlisle . I was hitting standing water a lot of the time but at least it had some tree cover to shield me from the wind ( I didn't know Wind Turbines could spin that fast ! ) Then there was nothing else for it but to hit the M6 and hope for the best . Thankfully all the other drivers were behaving according to the conditions so I just hung on in there . The spray wasn't too bad because it was going sideways ! The Harley took it all rather well to be fair and I got to wondering how a fully laden " Adventure Bike would have coped especially with those bloody great filing cabinets they stick on the back . Once I got past the Lakes it brightened up and the rest of the trip was uneventful .

Yeah , If the riding is no fun there's no point in going to Scotland . I hadn't even got to the M8 which is a nerve racking experience in the dry . The thought of Loch Lomond , Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe in driving rain was too horrible to contemplate . I've just battled my way back down to Carlisle in fierce crosswinds and then onto the M6 which was worse . Shap Fell was bloody awful so I just got behind a lorry and matched it's pace at a safe distance for a ...f**k me ! A branch just fell out of a tree and landed on my picnic table ! ... hundred miles and then the rain stopped . So here I am back at Sandbach Services Steeling myself for the final push .

Well it's funny you should say that . It was a lovely sunny morning here in Crawford. Then it started to rain and it hasn't stopped. Flicking through the various weather forecasts for Scotland it appears to be raining everywhere for the week ahead .So I have reached a decision. F**k it ! I'm coming home . There really is no point to this .

Well it's that time of year folks . A perfect journey so far . Avoided the showers , no stoppages . I decided to stick to the M6 this year and I'm glad I did . Once I got past Lancaster the traffic suddenly vanished and the Lake District section was absolutely stunning in the evening sunshine . It's actually a shame you can't stop and take pictures . I'm at Tebay Services at the moment . Think I'll just keep going all the way into Scotland as it's such a beautiful evening .

For goodness sake . I think we're getting our wires crossed here . My main pot has a heat exchanger welded to the base . I've never thought of it as excessively bulky and it does a marvelous job in rapidly bringing water to the boil .

Heat exchanger .

Similar to what I use . I assume the base of the large pot is a heat exchanger . I can knock up a cup of coffee in under two minutes .

Off up there myself next week . New tyres , new clutch, bike running really well . Just need the weather to cooperate . Covid has given me a taste for free camping so I'm just setting off and playing it by ear . Have a great trip .

How can an electric bike be a 125 cc ?

Is there a point to this ?

Well since you ask I've been fixated on this oddly named Stones out take for months now . Still a work in progress so don't worry about the lyrics . Love the piano playing by Ian Stewart and the wonderful Charlie Watts seemingly doing nothing much but actually giving it such a great swing . So frustrating that there's a fade-out just as the thing was really getting going . Every time I listen I hear something different .

I know exactly what you mean . This is particularly true of the world of Harley Davidson where even the most mundane technical video has to be heralded by a nerve jangling barrage of " New Metal " accompanied by the obligatory flames and skulls graphic . Not my cup of tea .

Did you go to the Mermaid Chippy and the hot Donuts and Ice-cream stall ?

That's unfortunate , but as you say , it dug into the earth with predictable consequences . The intended purpose of a crash bung is to erode away as it slides along the tarmack without creating too much friction .

I would strongly recommend R&G Crash Bungs because they don't compromise . No matter how unsightly or how awkward they might be to fit , and that can involve cutting a large hole in the bodywork, R&G bungs will always be designed specifically for the bike they are to be fitted to with the express purpose of hitting the ground before anything else does . ( I used to sell them )

A map of Scotland .

Manchester is down from Abington surely ?

If the one I went to last year was anything to judge by this should be great . Bike Night , Wednesday 16 / 6 / 22 6:30 onwards , Morton in Marsh . Lots of coffee shops and restaurants including the chippy staying open late . Loads of parking all in the main street . https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064337552483

A flask ! That's something I could really do with when I'm touring . It would save the hassle of getting the Jet Boil out to brew up .

Good result , scored an entire clutch pack with 4000 miles on it for £90 . That's a big advantage of having a Harley , people take off good parts to upgrade to aftermarket * . Now I haven't got to worry about my clutch for at least another 20,000 miles . * I can explain in more detail but not now if anyone's that interested .

If you've got to fill up , you've got to fill up . What can you do about it ? Well I suppose you could follow Mr Clarkson's advice and hijack a tanker . After all , according to Gezza , the driver has nothing to defend himself besides a rolled up Porn Mag . Once you have disabled the tracker , the next challenge would be hiding it . Well I've given it some thought and decided that driving it into a pre dug rectangular pit and covering it over with turf would work . It would be a bit of a faff using a bucket on a rope whenever you need some petrol so some affordable hand cranked pump could be installed and disguised as a shrub .

I forgot about the Daventry show . Do you know where I could park where I wouldn't have to walk too far to see the majority of it ?

I'm just going to trundle aimlessly around on the bike to make up for last weekend . I couldn't go to the big Sportster day because I was struck down with a wicked bout of Sciatica . F*****g agony it was . I'm a lot better now and I've just had new tyres put on the Harley so off we go . I find the roads are by far the quietest on Saturday evening , probably because everyone has had a drink or two , that's my theory.

If the weather is like today you won't even notice them . Just be prepared to move indoors as soon as the wind drops . Some friends have been in Skye all this week and it's been sunshine and total visibility every day . They actually saw the Cullin Hills ! What route are you doing?