Gerontious

think it over very carefully before buying a crash helmet with a peak. they can and often do have some unfortunate and unforeseen consequences. before you buy do read up on what other owners of your particular bike, have said. Personally.. Ive been riding this style of bike for 30 years and have never been tempted to buy one of these. And reading the experiences of other owners of my particular bike Im rather glad I haven't. Do bear in mind that this style of helmet was originally designed for off roaders, who tend to ride (off road) at very modest speeds. They were never intended for road use.. in fact in the early days they were illegal on the road. Now they are really just a fashion accessory. Though im sure there are some that might bridle at that description. They can and often do result in severe turbulence at higher speeds as the forward airflow is captured by the peak. Ive seen posts where people have (im not kidding) spent £100s trying to fix this. multiple £100s and for what? so they can look the part. while the vast majority couldn't care less. I wear a standard flip helmet. no peak.

We tend to stop at Eperney on the way back, from wherever. there is an epic kebab place in the town centre and there used to be a truly wonderful bar with the unlikely name of the blue fish. memories of @bonio weilding a very pointy knife while chopping up a rather large sausage. why have crisps to make you thirsty when you can have sausage!! sadly the bar is no more.

is smoking a fetish? I wouldn't know, and im not about to investigate as the sorts of sites that could possibly answer that kind of question are (im told) full of nasty malware that could ruin my day. I didn't enjoy the slapping.. I've never been much of a masochist, though I did own the same BMW bike for 20 years so some people might point at that. Actually people did point at it and laugh back in the day. it was a GS - long before Adventure bikes were a thing and it caused much confusion amongst some bikers who couldn't understand what it was for. and did I know that ABS was dangerous on bikes? Dangerous to my wallet. yes. it was an £800 option in 1997. Can you believe I didn't know that until after I bought it!! silly me. In other news the young lad I work with turned up on his silly little 125 last night and immediately started to complain about his bad back. I just looked at him in the sort of way one might slow down to look at a car crash on the other side of the motorway. He passed his full test last year and yet still.. there he is on that silly bike. folding himself in 3 to get on it and having to bend his arms in a totally unnatural way just to hold on. but its in Repsol colours so its cool. innit. sadly I didn't have enough time to say anything as he was called away to deal with one of the residents who needed help cutting a loaf. he's not allowed sharp knives (or pens). for reasons im not at liberty to divulge. A nice photo to take my mind off it.

Rukka trousers with the code number C3 are what I go for. And they have proven to be a worthy investment. Mine are now more than 10 years old. And still going strong. Just.. don’t mention that they use Goretex as this tends to overexcite the hoi polloi. im 6’7 in my boots and go for trousers with a 35” inside leg. And have found it a bit of a struggle finding gear to fit. sportsbikeshop allow you to search based on leg length with these being the results for “long leg”. https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_cat/317/(5;product_rating;DESC;0-0;all;157;131;421)

why have two when you can have three? though admittedly one of them is running Linux. And the other is only being kept alive to run a game from 1996 that runs in DOS and I enjoy the perversion of playing old DOS games on a Mac. That really upsets Apple fanboys. Trouble is I’ve turned into an Apple fanboy myself. But only because it gives me so little to fret about. And doesn’t sound like a jet that’s taxiing down a runway. Or act as a space heater.

This weekend I shall be fending off the attentions of rampaging schizophrenics and a new resident with a particularly interesting personality disorder and exciting behaviours and trying to resist buying a new Mac, no doubt successfully, now that I’ve paid off my new phone. apparently I’m risking death destruction and the end of the world as we know it by using a Mac that’s 11 years old. (They tell me) I did tax the bike today which caused a crisis. I was forced to lie down in a darkened room and listen to Enya (on repeat) to deal with the trauma. £111 the robbing swines!! It’s not easy. And it’s only Friday.

It’s always weather dependent. Main reason I always have a plan B ready to roll. I’ve too often seen people who pre-book everything and then do nothing but complain that it’s raining or there’s low cloud and they can’t see a thing - or both and they’re stuck. Or choose to be stuck. Saw that a lot this year. The horror of spending the best part of £1000 on a ferry and then a week of summer storms and trying to ignore the fact that the bad weather is only where you are. only exception for us is the yearly week in the Eifel, where we have been lucky year after year and have never lost a day to rain. Rain going. Sometimes. Rain returning, maybe. But never once a full day of rain there, bad enough to force a day off. lately the biggest problem seems to be heatstroke!!

you need to tell Yamaha. Email them asap.

Obviously there’s nothing wrong with a sailor liking rum. In fact I’m sure there are rules wherein it is written down in tiny letters that you must. Or risk being keelhawled. Or walk the plank. Or something equally exciting. shiver me err timbers.

do you mind. I’ve not eaten yet!! And you’ve put me right off my stroganoff!!

It’s a twicky one. A quick googly woogle says no. And that’s from a driving training school. TL;DR — A Fast Summary of Yellow Line Rules Double yellow lines = You should never park or wait there I’m always minded to say that what you do to pass the test isn’t the same thing as normal day to day riding. its also often the case that double yellows are there because it’s not safe. pass em by and pull over when there’s no complications

Just don’t get me started on water. My nerves can’t take it.

I was just thinking that while peeling potatoes. Born again I was when I made that leap into the great beyond and bought a Japanese bike for the first time since the Falklands War.

miss whitehouse in 1974 when I was caught smoking behind the gym. A mere slip of a lad at 12 years old. Fortunately I didn’t enjoy it so later in life I didn’t develop any odd fetishes. Or odd fancies. my one and only brush with corporal punishment. My mum wrote her a letter and from then on she never acknowledged my existence. Which was easy enough. She taught what was euphemistically called “home economics” she also had a moustache. funny old life.

I can’t abide him so I didn’t get more than a minute or two into the video. im not going to revisit it. Daimese use Goretex and I believe their own… or rather a suppliers version of the same thing called D-dry. there’s a reason why the Goretex garment is significantly more expensive than the copy and it’s not entirely the price they pay for the membrane or fabric. There are other factors that come into play. you make your decision based on your needs and available budget. I have no problem with that. As and when it comes time for me to buy a new (probably) pair of trousers. I’ll go for the Goretex laminate. Mine have lasted more than 10 years to this point - so this impending purchase may not happen any time soon. I’ve bought cheap in the past. And these cheap things never seemed to last. That goes for so many things many having nothing to do with my riding a bike. My mantra is “buy once - cry once” - the only exception are items that have a limited lifespan kinda factored in. I wouldn’t pay £100 for something with a life span of a year or two when I can pay £25 and get the same result.

I base my choices on my own experience. previous experience over many years. not on the opinion of a Canadian YT influencer. as and when my jacket.. or more likely my trousers (I made a mistake with them) wear out and begins to leak... I will be replacing it with the same again. Goretex laminate. My Jacket is donkeys years old now and thus far has been completely waterproof. My trousers are still waterproof but I know their life is somewhat limited. its been about 10 years since I bought them. They will likely fail at some point as (this was the mistake I made) they use a Goretex membrane rather than a laminate. But, at the time.. cash was a bit tight. hey ho, lesson learnt. 10 years though.. so im not about to complain. And they were bearable to wear in the excess heat of Italy earlier this year.. and the Eifel. where it was surprisingly warm too. in fact heat stroke was an issue. "Too Hot" - he said. "Too Hot". I remember when Hein Gericke brought in their first goretex laminate jacket.. not far off £400. a lot of money at the time.. and I just couldn't justify it (at the time) But.. life has this nasty habit of going by rather quickly. and the amount I might spend is less of a concern these days.. so long as I get the maximum use out of it. or I like the fit. (or both) Being an old fart I remember my trip to the first HG that opened in the UK. it was in York more than 30 years ago. an exciting ride out from Birmingham where I lived at the time but I was as tall then as I am now so it seemed worthwhile going up there to see if they had anything that might come close to fitting my inside leg. I bought Gericke. (not Hein Gericke) and they lasted a long time, in fact they live still as I gave them to a young lad I used to work with for his commute. And he wears them still.. though he still is stubbornly riding a 125. (I should slap him more often) Anyway, I really couldn't care less what other people think about my choices.. as they are my choices that fulfill my own priorities. Which are to be warm and dry in winter... and comfortable in early spring and summer. Though I am probably in higher need of a decent summer jacket now if this heat is to become the new normal. But will also carry my normal gear too as summer storms can be quite "exciting" in the alps. I do generally take a change of bike gear with me - because I can. Theres a reason I don't watch his videos. because after watching several, I realised he wasn't speaking to me, or rarely, because he's telling me something I already know and acting as though its some sort of amazing discovery. and I find his humour to be just a tad irritating.. in as much as I want to throw a shoe at him. one with a pointy heel. borrowed from her next door. will my 10 year old trousers last another year. probably. will my jacket? definitely. are they both GTX? yes. were they expensive? yes. Did I get my moneys worth? yes. I think thats a given. innit.

All Yamaha models from Model Year 1990 are compatible with E10. at most the bike would be 1998.

Im Irish by birth. Though in my family I’m the only one born there. My brothers and sisters were all born here. I don’t think of myself as Irish. I was born there and was brought here a month later. 206,000 Irishmen served during WW1. But because the Irish war of independence started almost immediately after WW1 ended. It’s became something of a hidden history. Brushed under the carpet and those who died were to an extent forgotten. Those who returned had a very bad time of it. So, it was best not talked about except within the family but often not even that. Saying you fought for king and country wasn’t really the done thing, except in the north. But for the dead. The grief had to be hidden during the early years and then came the second war. No way really could relatives travel to the cemeteries in France and Belgium for many years after and so these men have been forgotten. Speaking to relatives now. None of them knew about this man. But my mother’s sister knew all about him. I rang her and there was a stunned silence when I told her this man’s name and his parents name and where they lived. And then it all came out. My grandfather had talked about him, but not till he was reaching the end of his life. He died in 1980 and was 90 he was a policeman so didn’t sign up, but his younger brother did and never returned. His name was Fred.

Looks like it will actually be France next year. (at least to start with) Ive just discovered that a great uncle of mine is buried in a hospital cemetery after being wounded at the battle of the somme. bit of hidden family history as this happened just before the war of independence. And so he was basically forgotten. 23 years old. signed up in 1914. promoted to corporal and died November 1916. I had no idea. nor did many of my relatives. He wasn't the only one.. but the others returned. He was my grandfathers brother. Ive always been totally fascinated by, especially WW1 and to find out there is actually a family connection is really quite incredible. seems doubtful to me that any family member has ever visited him. so... off I go. Quite weird too, as when I last went to France, our final night was just a few miles away at Corbie. 88 miles from the tunnel.

you don’t need to. Just search for Goretex laminate as an outer shell material and you won’t go wrong if staying dry is your top priority. Further down the price scale are other “copy” laminates which might be worth a look at. I would definitely go for a laminate over a separate membrane wherever possible.

please tell me where in the service and warranty conditions - it says this. Because I don’t see either in the section titled - “To obtain a Warranty Service”. The language they use is plain and has no equivocation. No difference between year one or year two. And definitely no requirement to use the original dealership at any point during the warranty period.

Im not sure why a review should matter to you. I take it you live in Scotland and so will be using a more local dealership at least until the 2 year warranty expires. 300 miles? what was it - a demonstrator? or did someone buy it and realise it wasn't for them and traded it in immediately. that happens. also there are some weird people who don't get on with DCT. or rather, they don't give it a chance. This one is only £400 more. and is a 2022 with a 23 reg. As for the price. think about it. new bikes are about to arrive in dealerships in the next few months and dealers will be wanting to make space. they could sell them to a clearing house but that would mean an even bigger loss. £9000 will mean they will at the very least break even.. though its more likely they are going to make at least some money on it. better to price to sell than having it potentially sitting on the showroom floor for the next 5 months. Buy it, and if necessary - use the warranty. Personally, if Im spending that kind of money I would not want it delivered. I would be on a train there with my gear and helmet. And be demanding a test ride before signing my credit away.

Theres a funny story about Blue Label. it was invented in the 1980s and first appeared in 1992 for yuppies. remember them? Marketing executives saw a niche market among people with more money than sense and so a legend was born. And now its become iconic. but it remains a blend and really only suitable for mixing with coke. Though there will always be people who will wax lyrical about it and tell you that they can taste this 60 year old malt. or that 45 year old malt within the blend. When something turns out to be very expensive its just human nature for people to tell you how great it is. This is what marketing is all about. And who knows more about marketing than Guinness?

I do like a drink. though only occasionally, so buying a bottle of single malt isn't something I do any more. Ive moved over to Brandy and especially Armagnac which aren't as 'delicate'. Armagnac is completely stable so never goes off. In my cupboard I have 3 bottles of Asbach Brandy. one of which Ive had since my solo trip during the pandemic. I bought another 2 bottles from the Rewe in neuerburg in September. €12 a bottle. rainy days cometh. I also have a bottle of hazelnut schnapps. which is so nice Im having to ration it. My goal is to finish off the bottle the night before we head back to neuerburg next September.. and I'll buy 2 bottles of it next time. The bottle stays in the fridge and I bring a glass up to my office. and mull over it for an hour. If I head to France in June.. instead of Germany then one of my goals is to visit the Armagnac region and get busy. It might take me 6 months to work my way through a bottle of Armagnac. each glass takes hours to properly appreciate. I like a drink, but I'm not a drinker. This only changes when im on holiday and away from the madding crowds. and rampaging schizophrenics.

Not mentioned so far is one of my favourites, Highland Park which is lightly smoked and very nice. its also widely available. lightly smoked means its not so extreme as some of the islay malts. I can also recommend Caol ila But, if you want to try something different on him I can wholeheartedly recommend Old Pulteney. And.. Do wait until November as that Is BY FAR the best time to buy whiskey in supermarkets. They have a cunning plan see. depends on whether he is a whiskey drinker... or a drinker who prefers whiskey. there is a big difference. Ive actually stopped buying whiskey as it goes off long before there is any chance of me finishing the bottle. My vote... something different. Old Pulteney. which, as it happens is currently on offer at Asda £26 down from £36. send him down a different rabbit hole.