Gerontious

I had an 1100 oil head for 21 years. I also had an F800. I would wholeheartedly recommend the F. The 1100 - not so much. It was a money pit. Servicing was cheap but when it went wrong it wasn’t even remotely cheap. I hate to think just how much money it cost me over those years. I now have a Honda. im sure there’s a moral to this story.

they still make this exact same goggle. It’s a Mark 8. Now available I polished chrome no less. https://classicpartsltd.com/halcyon-mark-8-deluxe-goggles-black.html

Cant remember exactly when, but it was probably mid 1980s at the Bike Show. I was hovering round the Davida helmets stall. Thinking how cool it would be to have one on my Meriden Trumpet. And I bought a raffle ticket. And actually won!! Not a helmet though (sigh) but this. And almost 40 years later it turns up while I’m rooting around for some black paint. Box and instructions are very old looking. But the Goggles are as new. Just looked and they’re still being made here in England!! And look exactly the same. If a tad pricey. I’ve never worn them, I’m not even sure why I’ve held onto them for so long. Because I won them I suppose. Or, just forgot about them. (More likely)

No paint and I can’t be bothered with it today. So instant cure. painted it with gear oil. In the nick of time too. It’s just starting to rain. Rain spots on my shiny bike. It’s just one thing after another. Anyway the rust is cunningly disguised until I can be motivated.

Wash and brush up and some time with the cover off. Once the breeze has dried it off I’ll give the chain a light coating of oil as it’s not going to move for another 3 weeks. But. Woe. Trauma. Rust on the exhaust hanger!! I’m not sure if I need to go and lie down in a darkened room. Fall to the floor and foam at the mouth. Or break out the brandy. maybe all three. the horror. It’s a Scorpion part. So there’s that. But… even so. It’s ruined my day. Sigh.

I looked at that before I bought my Africa Twin. It didn’t give me any hint of the possibility that one day I might fall off the bike by just trying to get on it. That’s a huge fail in my book. I’m still suffering from the trauma.

Ive yet to meet an owner who doesnt like the bike, it used to get some bad 'press' usually from people who wouldn't buy it anyway. I came within a whisker of getting one back in 2018, I sat on one but due to my unlikely height and inside leg, it wasn't really the right choice for me. Also.. though my bike is a bit different, I didn't bother going down the 'perfect screen' rabbit hole. I settled the matter by going short. and added a sports screen, which is much shorter than the standard. no turbulence whatsoever. Did you get the Standard or the DCT?

well, now here's the thing. Its got a very different vibe going on. it doesn't sound like a CD player. the only giveaway is the total silence at the start of and between the tracks. It sounds more like a very good record player. none of that 'digital/dry' sound. its warm and still has all the clarity that CD is known for. Im very pleased. It's actually more than I hoped for. Ive never owned anything that uses valves before.. normally well out of my league. But second hand.. its 11 months old. affordable - just. it had 19 watchers on eBay. He was happy to answer questions and while I was absorbing his replies he followed up with a reduced price offer - and at that point it became irresistible. Its why the bike is off the road for another 4 weeks. 20th April.. tick tock.

I didn’t go for it. The seller wouldn’t allow collection and I didn’t like the idea of their chosen delivery co. So I passed it up. Knocked it off the watch list and forgot about it. Then this appeared on eBay and, as if by magic… it’s on my sideboard.

I’ve just discovered that a way of telling I’m an old fart is by looking at the back of a CD I bought new and seeing that it was made in West Germany. (It actually says “Western Germany”) Oh dear. Good Moaning.

no tester has paid the slightest notice to my exhaust. but it does have the baffle in which makes it road legal. and it wasn't marketed as 'not for road use'. it's a Scorpion. but it could as easily have been any brand that comes with a removable baffle. if its one that's designed from the outset to be very loud, like one of those stubby-short cans, then you might have a problem. its purely subjective on the part of the tester.

It’s a bike that was only produced for a year, I think. And that 8 years ago or so. As with any bike of that kind of age - condition is everything. It’s not the type of bike that will have been abused. And it’s definitely the kind of bike that will have been serviced religiously and to the letter. Any issues fixed years ago. They were built with customisation specifically in mind so any ergonomic issues should be easy enough to fix. The trick is finding one - especially one that you can test ride and is reasonably standard. You might have to travel outside your area. I’ve studiously avoided them for fear that a test ride would convince me it’s a must-have. I’ve been caught out by BMW that way before.

Ortlieb are the originals and Lomo are effectively copies, though significantly cheaper which is the primary reason they are so popular. But when you put them side by side there really is no comparison.

Spoken English has evolved in the UK, whereas in America it hasn't so much in the past 400 years. what seems odd to us would have been completely normal in the 1600s Its been said that modern English is just French with a funny accent. The word Route is a perfect example of this. we use the French pronunciation. The Americans do not. I think there's only a few words that have kept the old pronunciation for example - Blouse. If that had followed the way of Route, we would be saying "Blooze". In many ways the Americans speak a very similar form of English to the original settlers, many of whom injected their own dialects into the language and these apparent oddities are a result of that. Our language has been corrupted. And then we think its the Americans who are in the wrong. most odd.

It will at the very least be picturesque - but also very cold. The road is normally open by the 1st of May - dug out by snow ploughs. Its a hike to get there though and not something to be done in a day. fastest route is a little over 700 miles from the tunnel. One of the great things about the road is you can look at the live webcams and make a decision on whether to go up. you can also look back in time and get an idea of what it might be like at various times of the year. Here for example is an image that was taken by the webcam on Friday 5th May 2023 at 16:30. air temperature was 6.9c and, incidentally that was one of only a couple of days where a view like this was even possible due to low cloud. (aka heavy fog) To be honest I don't really think its a good idea to go there with just a week to play with, the main problem being you could arrive there and not want to go up because of low cloud, or heavy rain or even late snow or sleet. Its always a good idea to have a few days nearby and then choose the best. either a blue sky day or very high cloud. And dont even think about doing it at the weekend as its always absolutely rammed with tourists. I would head for another Alpine region, if the Mountains are what you want. or a region Ive never visited before. chase the sun and the warmth moving north from the Med.

Before Forums and back in the day when the GS was a very rare bike and 'adventure' as a word was more associated with Enid Blyton than motorbikes I joined a BMW-GS group that was based in America. I was the only UK member. (I think) This would have been around 1997/98 - probably. I lasted about two months before being banned. The reason given was as a result of my response to a discussion about riding history. How long have I been riding and what bikes Ive owned and so on. I got such a shocking response to that post it went absolutely ballistic and I was called all sorts. I can remember almost verbatim what I wrote. "Started riding on my 18th birthday on a jap 250. then after I passed my test moved on to Brit Triumphs. a T160 then a T140TSS followed by 3 modern Triumphs and now on a R1100GS - which was lent to me as a curtesy bike and I just had to buy one." Thats what I wrote and that is what caused all the problems which soon escalated out of hand.. I made just one reply in the ensuing mayhem, but it was completely drowned out and I got kicked off. No great loss.

There is only one reason I would claim (in this kind of situation) and that's if the bike has gone.

4 nights from tonight with the rampaging schizophrenics. finish Tuesday morning. deep joy. in theory Im on holiday from the 17th. in theory.

that’s of no import. De-catting a bike is quite normal. Not part of the MOT and nobodies business but your own.

Don’t tell em. Specs should tell you if it’s road legal.

Tucked it up for a couple of months. Priorities can be tough. (Especially self imposed ones) MOT expired yesterday. Too bad. So sad. insurance expires next week. Ditto.

They were expensive at the time. But, exclusively produced in this country and it was another 7 years before Triumph made a profit. In 2020 manufacturing ended at Hinckley - aside from assembly of factory specials and prototypes. One factory in 1993. Six in 2024. The more bikes you can produce the lower the cost. Is almost £12,000 actually high for a 750cc Bike made in the UK? It’s impossible to know. Because none are.

It’s a risk. But the only way a copper will pull you is if you have a cop car behind you. And the ANPR flags you up. Other than that a mobile roadside ANPR camera spots you. (Unlikely at an early hour) and be careful not to have an accident!! if it was me then I would do what you’re planning. But then I’m a risk taker and sometimes - needs must.