Jacobyte

I’m heading down to Le Mans for the 24hr race in June and my mate and I are taking our bikes over to Amsterdam from Newcastle on the ferry. I’ve ridden in Europe a few times and have always been very well organised and known what are good routes and areas to play in because it’s been a “bike” holiday to the usual well known bike friendly areas. This time the journey is more about getting from A to B but I really don’t want to simply head down a motorway for 7.5hrs so I’m reaching out to see if anyone has any knowledge of an interesting route I could take, or place I should visit / ride through. I’m expecting one over night stop somewhere to split the journey and would consider two over nights if a farther-a-field detour was justified for some quality ride time. Anyone have any experience in the area or suggest some good websites that I could use for help with my planning?

Can I have #144 again please.

The Green Welly: Tyndrum, Crianlarich Timespan Museum: Helmsdale Vicky's Café: Ullapool Invergarry Castle: Invergarry Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition: Drumnadrochit Elgin Kart Raceway: Elgin The Old Fire Station Tea Room: Tomintoul

I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot with work and taken in many sights including Big Sur and Great Ocean Road and I lived in S.E.France at the bottom of the Alps for a couple of years, but frankly there’s nothing I can think of that’s better than the Bealach na Bà and the view down the valley as you come over from Applecross. Scotland wins at scenery. http://a65.tinypic.com/2hgbofs.jpg

No we don't yet but we saw a Sena in the shop the other day and I'm pretty sure we'll go down that road. They seem to have pretty decent reviews although I've not looked into it much to be fair. I know there'll likely be discussions threads on this topic somewhere on here and I'll get around to checking them out for sure before I buy. Are you asking from experience of having used? If yes, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks for the suggestions and inevitable piss taking. There's no way she'll ever get on a bike other than as pillion so CBT is out of the question, so it's a case of accepting what we've got and enjoy it for what it is, and that'll do just fine. She's never complained about the lack of view, we were just considering options to make it better.

My first ever entry. http://a67.tinypic.com/18c87t.jpg And my second at Bikers Cove in Queensferry... http://a64.tinypic.com/10gjsp5.jpg

After years of trying to convince her, wifey finally relented and agreed to join me 2-up on the bike, and discovered she loves it, but it’s not all good news... The long and the short of it (heh, see what I did there) is that I’m 6’3 and wifey is 4’10 and she really can’t see much other than sideways when she’s got my fat ass bulk in front of her. I ride a VFR1200x tourer which is very upright and great for 2-up touring but it’d be better if wifey could at least see a bit more than she does at the moment. I don’t even know where to start googling but I’m sure someone on here does, so I’m asking for some advice on what can be done to enhance the experience for her. Damn, I know this post is open to so much ridicule and I’m sure I’ll get a laugh but hopefully someone can suggest something that’ll help. Is there a safe pillion booster or something that’ll actually make a difference out there that I’ve just not been able to find?

Nothing breeds confidence like success. Reading your comment that you've "...come off a lot..." should maybe be what we're focussing on here. Why have you "come off a lot" ? I love your enthusiasm and the fact that you're not giving up (please don't), but I'd suggest you take it easy, ride within your capability, and take some further training to build up your confidence.

144 for me please and thank you.

Congrats !

Finally got wifey to agree to pillion and this is the perfect excuse to get her out and about. Can I have #14, please?

Gary Numan classic Are Friends Electric just popped up on my play list. Awesome... The I YouTube'd the video. Feck me, I was actually into that stuff back then... [emoji20] "> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I asked my wife what women really want and she said attentive lovers. Or maybe it was "a tent of lovers." I wasn't really sure, but was too worried to ask. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Trump Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

3 back operations and 1 leg operation means I really am too fragile. That and I'm 6'2 and 20st so would be unable to fall off in the graceful manner that you see so often on the TV. Never thought I'd admit to the following on a motorbike forum but I'm also a bit of a golf nut and I need to take prescribed painkillers and anti-inflammatory tabs before a game so as much as I'd love to do an enduro day (I really would), I don't think the back would stand up to it regardless of whether I had an off or not.

I'm not buying the "must fall off at some time" story. After 20 years of skiing accidents I'm too fragile to fall off a bike. If I fall, I'll break, and probably never be fit again to get back on. I'm a 48 year old newbie rider with less than a year under my arse on a bike (still managed nearly 7k miles though) and I have no intention (yeah like everyone before me) of falling off. I ride in shit scared mode through my daily commute to Edinburgh which brings fair and steady progress through the traffic for minimum risk. Weekends are reserved for fun rides with a couple of old blokes who unlike me have actually spent a lifetime on bikes and have IAM training. It's a pleasure to follow them - even although I can't keep up on the twisties and only reel them back in on the straights...

My wife's got a new job helping a one armed typist do capital letters. It's shift work.

Hope it works out for you. Saltire, a trustworthy bunch and always helpful. Got my bike from them too.

My Arai axces 2 has been relegated to the back shelf and the Shoei neotec will be the lid of choice from now on. Flip up riding through town at anything sub 40mph in dry weather is absolutely fine and frankly more enjoyable - especially in the recent warm weather. It's 100% down to what's comfortable for any specific individual but the Shoei is by far the best fitting I've tried. I love it..!! Also, all the pointers about riding flip up and face planting into some object or another can't be argued with. Flip up 'vs full face, well there's only going to be one winner there. However, I reckon that if riding thru town at 30mph is good enough for the lycra clad pedal pushers then anything I'm wearing is gonna be good enough for me. In unrelated news, what a freakin' great weekend in sunny Scotland. 650 miles over the Fri, Sat, Sun using Aviemore as a base and I was in biker heaven... If you've never done Applecross - go google it.

Thanks for the feedback. It's clearly not 'ride legal' in open mode, in fact there's a big bloody disclaimer on the inside of the chin strap saying DO NOT ride in open face mode. I was sure it wasn't ride legal when I bought it but that didn't stop me buying. The lid is the best fitting I've tried and riding open face in town will still be my default when the conditions allow. I wear glasses so the inevitable bug strikes are not a great concern at 30mph anyway.

Bought a Shoei Neotec flip-up today. First lid for me that's not been full face. Seems to be a lot of conflicting info online regarding whether it's legal to ride open face or not. I believe it's not legal, but can't find anyone who's ever been pulled and done for riding open face in town. Regardless, I've got mine now and was wondering if anyone else has, and if you ride with the flip face open or closed? I'll only ever ride in the city with it open so hardly ever likely to be much over 30mph, so wind resistance isn't an issue. I tried all of the other main brand offerings and the Shoei XL size was the only one that actually fits well. My full face Arai is great but I wanted something cooler for the commute through the city during the summer months. What's your experience, pros and cons..?

At 6'2 and 20st I don't think a full leather outfit will make me hot. But maybe I misunderstood your question. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The site doesn't go as far to suggest that discount is available despite claiming accreditation from various agencies, but for sure I'll chance my arm when it comes time for renewal and see if it's possible. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not having anywhere safe or dry to store my bike I searched around a bit for solutions and found the Asgard Motorbike shed. Lots of good reviews so after much deliberation, I decided to go for it. I spent a couple of weeks looking on eBay and Gumtree for someone selling 2nd hand but could only find one and the guy was looking for too much so I made the plunge and ordered myself the 9x5ft version direct from the manufacturers website. It’s expensive at £999, but hey so’s the bike, and I figure the shed will see me through for many a year to come. Incidentally you can get it for £949 if you look for the £50 off voucher on their website. So, the detail: Ordered online with no problems and was given a delivery date. I was actually looking for it a bit quicker than the 2wks they offered so I sent an email asking if they could improve and pretty quickly I received a reply. The reply was “no”, but they were on the ball and I wasn’t left hanging for days wondering if they’d read my email. A couple of days before delivery I received a call from the delivery driver to confirm he’d be at my place between 9am and 10am. Sure enough when the day arrived, so did he, and on time too. So far so good..! I’d read the assembly instructions and watched the video online from the link on their site and everything looked straight forward enough, but easy enough for me and my 82-year-old dad to build? The instructions received with the delivery were a bit basic (more on that in a bit). We followed them stage by stage, first laying the floor section and then rear and side panels. The build quality is really very good and the delivery guy told me, “if there’s a screw hole then you put a screw in it and that’s as hard as it gets”. Almost true, but not quite (more on that in a bit). 3 floor sections, 2 rear sections, 2x3 side sections, and 3 roof sections later (+about 200 screws) and we had a metal box that was really very sturdy and good looking. This is where I realised my first mistake. When I tried to hang the first of the two door panels it became obvious that we were out of line and after a quick check with a spirit level I could see that one corner was lower by about 20mm more than the other. Operator error on my behalf because the instructions did say, “make sure you’ve got a flat base” but it clearly was too subtle for my inexperienced self and I didn’t realise the significance. I really wish they’d had a big bold sentence pointing out that the doors wouldn’t hang properly unless the base was absolutely flat. Anyway, they do provide some spacers (packers) with the kit so we set about lifting a corner and packing it to fix the problem. Sheeze, what a pfaff but we got there in the end and the doors ended up opening and closing with no problem. Next was the roof shroud and joints and this is where I got really confused. Roof joints had two screw holes in the ends and I just couldn’t figure out how to screw them to the shed. All the 200 or so screws used so far were from the inside of the shed (for security reasons) and I was stumped on how to fix the joints so I had to get back on to the web chat app and ask for help because the instructions gave no clue. They gave me a customer service phone number and I called only to get a voicemail. Damn, Friday afternoon I guess that’s me scuppered but no, again another example of their good customer service because Neil called me back within 5 mins and after a quick chat he had me sorted. Seemingly the 2 roof joints are the only items with holes that don’t actually take screws – using the sealant that comes with the shed you simply stick it to the roof under the main shroud. So, that was me almost done. There’re a few additional panels that are fitted inside and are purely cosmetic to hide many of the screws from showing but it really adds a finishing touch. Overall I was impressed with the service from ordering to delivery, to assembly support and ultimately, I am really impressed with the build quality and security of the shed. There’s no way that someone will break in without making an absolute racket and frankly I think anyone other than a dedicated thief will just move on and go elsewhere. The locking mechanism can’t be easily tampered with from outside and the door hinges are secured in a way that it’s impossible to tap out the pins from the exterior. I went for the 9x5ft one and it’s big enough for my bike with room to spare. I’m 6ft2’ and can ride into the shed with my lid still on although I have to stoop a bit when getting off the bike. I really do like the shed – it’s exactly what I was looking for and I’d recommend it to anyone who was thinking about getting one. There’re several accessories available from hanging pegs to full-length shelves, although I didn’t bother with anything extra. PS. The manufacturer estimates about 90 mins assembly time and I have to say that I think that’s a stretch unless you really know what you’re doing before you start. I reckon we spent about 9hrs or so on it over the course of 2 days. The odd detour from the instructions probably accounted for a few wasted hours right enough… I’ve still got to sort out the entry area with a bit of packing and the paving slabs in the turning area but that’ll wait until spring when the weather gets a bit less raw but here are some before and afters: http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag32/Grimwell1/Bike%201_zpshkb2haxy.jpg http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag32/Grimwell1/Bike%202_zpsweknmev3.jpg http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag32/Grimwell1/Bike%203_zpsz687w6ps.jpg