fastbob

I met a bloke in Scotland this year who had done thousands of miles on a 125 Varadero including trips to Europe . He wasn't a learner , in fact he'd had every kind of bike . He just did it because he felt like it and he wasn't in any hurry . So just take your time , don't feel that you need to thrash the bike because you don't seem to be making progress and enjoy the adventure . Oh yeah , stay hydrated , which actually means stay off the coffee and drink water . If this is your first long trip you don't want to end up with a blinding headache .

We had a gaggle of bigger Harleys tagging along Including an Ultraglide .

A brilliant evening last night . I went on a mass ride out with the Sportster Sickness Black Country and Warwickshire groups . Started south of Birmingham and took a roundabout route to Evesham , stopped at Callie's Lounge bike meet then headed to Stratford via Broadway . Great people and a great experience.

They weren't all men .

Here you go . I couldn't hear what he was saying until they all went . https://youtu.be/5qD3zWRx4mA

It's about time I wrote up this year's trip to Scotland . In order to cut out the really shitty part I set off from Coventry and headed north into Staffordshire via Lichfield and Uttoxeter then across to the M6 near Stone . Traffic was lighter than expected so I just droned on up past Manchester and Lancaster as far as Carnforth before peeling off to find the A6 . I stuck to the A6 right up through Kendal and Shap as far as Penrith . This was a beautiful section of road through gorgeous open countryside with hardly any traffic at all . At Penrith I nipped back onto the remainder of the M6 to get beyond Carlisle then came off again at Gretna to pick up the B7076 / B7078 . For those who don't know , this road is largely made up of remnants of the old A74 and runs parallel to the M74 all the way to Glasgow . It is not unusual to ride this entire road and only see half a dozen other vehicles . Great fun and really relaxing to ride . I made camp at my secret location between Crawford and Abington where I had a very peaceful nights sleep . Up in the morning and off again . I joined the M74 at Lesmahagow , flew through Glasgow , across the Erskine Bridge and up Loch Lomond to Tarbet where there is a great picnic area and cafe with a wide view down the Loch . Onwards to Fort William over Rannoch Moor and through Glen Coe , in the dry ! I deliberately got petrol before Fort William so that I could ride straight through without stopping at this loathsome place . I took the Road to the Isles out to Mallaig , got more petrol and doubled back to the silver sands of the Morar Estuary where I enjoyed another great night of free camping next to the beach . Day three , back to Fort William because I hadn't booked the ferry , up to Loch Ness and then another brilliant ride from Invergary to the Kyle of Lochalsh then up around Lochcarron where I enjoyed a lovely cream tea at the local golf course . The weather was absolutely glorious so I carried on over the mountains to the turn off for the notorious Bealach Na Ba pass . I wasn't going to do this but the sun was shining and the clouds were high up so I went for it . The Harley took the whole thing in its stride as if it was built for it . I pulled over into the viewing area at the summit where there was a group of bikers who seemed to be in a great hurry to leave . As soon as they had all roared off I found out why . There was a drunken Scotsman bellowing vile abuse at me . At first I thought he was having a laugh but it quickly turned really nasty . " f**k off back te England ye fat c**t and tak yer faggot bike wi ye , go awn , f**k right off noo , ye have no right coming here every f**kin' year ye bast*rds ye ! " Etc etc . Well what was I going to do ? Here I was alone at 2,000 feet with a raving lunatic . Who knows what weaponry he had in his van ? I decided to leave him to his ranting and headed down into Applecross . To be continued ......

After all that effort it comes down to one kick in another penalty shootout . I've never been much into Football but this is just bollox .

It's a Brit bike beating an Italian bike . Come on .

Not long to go ..

I might have been inclined to agree but I have been a member of the UK Sportster Sickness FB group , whose membership now tops 10,000 ,for three years now . Maybe it is a bit of an echo chamber but I believe the majority will fiercely reject any attempt by HD to market another bike and call it a Sportster . It's not the bike , it's the use of the name . Since 1957 the Sportster has been redesigned many times but it has always retained its original character . This new machine is a quantum leap in technology though and for that reason it just needs to be called something else , that's all , anything but a Sportster . In the eyes of a Sportster fanatic it looks like this .

No , I'm not saying that . It will appeal to first time buyers or anyone who just wants to buy into the HD brand . But it will not appeal to anyone who appreciates the existing Sportster with all its character and shortcomings .

I , and many other Sportster owners , are getting a bit tired of this nonsense . While we wish Harley Davidson every success with this new bike , it will have absolutely no appeal to the majority of existing "Real " Sportster owners who have bought their bikes for entirely different reasons . So HD can call it whatever they like but it will only appeal to those who want to buy into the brand and not the bike .

Any old layby .

Who's noticed what the picture is on the July page of the MBF Calendar ? Luckily there are perforations so I can look at my bike all year .

I must check out the Touchdown . I keep forgetting it's there .

Maybe it's stopped because there's nothing left in it . If you do find a radiator leak , let me know because I know an effective temporary fix .

Wouldn't it be a simple matter of replacing the switch ?

Is it Canbus ?

A nice long run today to the Norfolk HD Club Sportster day . I took the A14 which is one of the most boring roads imaginable so I came back on the A47 for the sake of variety . Not too many Sportsters there but it was a very pleasant afternoon . I even won a rosette for the exceptional condition of my bike .

You wouldn't have said that at the A14 Services . A very large contingent of well known 1% ers were on the move .

I'm going to this tomorrow . It'll be all new to me because I've never felt inclined to travel much further east than Bedfordshire . A14 all the way .

Ha ha , if you will buy a ( Loosely ) Harley inspired bike , you will get Harley based switch gear . You'll get used to it .

Without a shadow of doubt , the most comfortable grips I've ever had on a bike are these Builtwell Recoil grips . Don't be put off by the way that they are aimed towards the custom and Harley market . These things are brilliant . OK , admittedly I've got the 1" version on the Harley but I'm confident that they will transform any bike . I actually had something of a very similar shape on both my GSXR's and I could ride all day in complete comfort . ( To my hands anyway ) https://customizedchoppers.com/products/biltwell-recoil-rubber-7-8-inch-handlebar-grips-pair-black?variant=11717943951402&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic

They're good but they are not hugely fat .

I'm on my way back from Scotland now . I had beautiful weather for five days with little more than a sprinkling of rain .I went up as far as Lochinver by the long route . The Harley took everything in its stride including the Applecross Pass .I'll do a full report when I get back .