Gerontious

apparently any problem can be fixed with nothing more than a margarine lid. Plus some fruity language due to abandonment and missing out on schnitzel. omg it’s almost Tuesday and we cross on Sunday - too exciting for words. Been a while… last time I was there on my lonesome while paranoia ruled and Covid was rampaging. But… I managed to find a new castle in the next valley. Ham castle and not a slice of cheese to be seen.

Shell. say no morer. fuel down the road is £1.43.7 nearest Shell is £1.52.9 I don't go to Shell.

Here is a route map for Luxembourg.. with some of the best roads. though its difficult to find any road that aren't great. Unless cities are your thing, keep a wide berth of the capital. It seems that 90% of the entire population work there, maybe that's an exaggeration. but hey ho. During the day Northern Luxembourg is very quiet. with traffic suddenly appearing (as if by magic) from about 4:30pm as everyone heads home. We will have 5 full days at neuerburg and its become something of a tradition to spend a full day in Luxembourg. to the point, I'm sure there would be howls of protest if we did not. Luxembourg.pdf

Our favourite stop-off for coffee and cake is at Esch-sur-Sûre. not only is it a beautiful spot, almost any route there is stunning. in the heart of Northern Luxembourg. As per the photo, turn right just before the entrance to the tunnel.. and park your bike anywhere on the right. You can't miss the cafe, which is up some steps and has an outside area. coffee and cake and take in the view.

Share with people Open the Find My app and select the People tab. Tap the Add button . Select Share My Location. Enter the name or phone number of the person you want to share your location with. Select Send. Choose to share your location for One Hour, Until End of Day or Share Indefinitely.

Exhausting. I remembered to pick up a bottle of shower gel today which wore me out. I would have a lie down but I have to work. Rampaging schizophrenics await, one of whom is in the throes of paranoid delusions, which are quite distressing but I secretly find highly amusing - I love his periscope. Too much. There’s something ingenious about a home made periscope. Blue Peter has a lot to answer for. it’s Saturday isn’t it. Tonight. Sunday and Monday then Thursday. Shits getting real as someone is apt to say.

Dasburg has always been a very popular stopping off spot for us, using the Q8 petrol station on the Luxembourg side has become something of a tradition. because we are there during a normal working week (mon to fri) we don't ever have any problems. Its quite different at the weekend though. especially on a Sunday. Nothing major just something to be aware of. The B410 is a very popular route to the eastern eifel and Nurburgring. and at weekends in particular is a favourite place for speed traps set up by the Polizei. so just be aware of this and keep an eye on your speed is all. They tend towards setting up near the final approach to the border, its a stunning stretch of road. anywhere between the border and Daleiden a fairly short stretch, but you will see why its targeted when you are there.

wow... This is my spare. the luggage key is kept with my house keys. and only used when the luggage is mounted (obviously) when on the bike all I ever have is the ignition key. same at home. no security apart from secrecy has some advantages. one luggage key locks both panniers and top box to the frames and locks the boxes.

In a fit of enthusiasm Ive booked the bike in for new tyres. something different as I haven't been overly impressed with the Trail Attacks. Going for Pirelli's this time. So, they will be fitted in the nick of time, next Friday morning. I have 5 more shifts to plough through, finishing 7am Friday Morning. so no rushing home to bed. and then Im not due back until Thursday 14th. Just one more week. endless.

I've never seen one in the flesh.. not here. not in Italy. The Italians dont seem to be all that fussed about Italian bikes. aside from Guzzis and pre-chinese Benelli. What they are absolutely crazy about. oddly. are Triumphs. Hinkley and Meriden. Any Italian bike. (aside from a Guzzi) parked up will be studiously ignored. A Man riding a Monster is viewed with some suspicion. it is a womans bike. (I was told with much nods of agreement) A Triumph parked up will attract a crowd.

google found this. google is quite good at finding fings The Italian manufacturer’s first stab at the cruiser market was as outlandish as expected, though few anticipated its brilliance. Universally lauded by the world’s press, the Diavel uses a similar 1200cc motor to the Multistrada, so it’s certainly no slouch. Neutral, easy handling defies a huge rear tyre and raked out forks. It’s kind of a cross between a traditional cruiser and a big naked, and it’s no exaggeration to call this bike a ‘game changer’ — one that works brilliantly for taller riders who want performance, handling and looks that will always receive admiring glances. Kudos to the Bolognese brand, the Diavel rocks.

If it’s a 2022 then at most it’s 20 months old. That works out at 612 miles a month. Every month since new. Not likely. it’s already got a fault. A missing decimal point. don’t bother. Plenty of bikes out there and more appearing all the time as the financial crisis increases. Mortgage payment or a valuable toy that’s not going to be used all winter - this is the choice a lot of people are facing.

Read your documents. I have, and nowhere is the colour mentioned. And Im not even sure that was a question asked. But. this is just one insurer and underwriter of many. I would check. and if you are still in any doubt. call them. I have read that some insurers regard a change of colour as a modification which may effect the risk profile. less or more desirable to thieves. also it could affect the payout in case of damage to repainted areas.

As for flashing cameras. I was flashed 3 times.. much to the hilarity of my happy little follower. so far nothing and its been 8 weeks. however I wouldn't be at all surprised if the demands turn up.. perhaps as a welcome home gift after I get back from Germany on the 10th. Fines DO follow you home. but it depends on the country involved how quickly it happens. France is ponderously slow. If any vehicles coming towards you flash their lights... or bikers do a thumbs down. SLOW DOWN.

My best advice for France is to use a credit card for all petrol purchases. Worst case. if you use a debit card and (for example) buy petrol everyday. you could easily find that your balance has dropped by over £400 after 3 days. Everytime you use an unmanned station the fuel company will take between £100 and £130. and keep hold of this until the transaction is finalised. This can soo add up. might trigger your overdraft or even worse, refuse your card due to a (temporary) lack of funds. This happened to @smallfrowne last year. he wanted €30 of petrol. had €70 on his card and he was refused.

you don’t need them for riding through. Only if you intend staying there or parking there.

these are for helmets bought in France only. Irrelevant to visitors

Penultimate stage completed last night, bought travel insurance from Navigator. All that remains now is to get some euros. Two weeks to go!!!

As I mentioned earlier. If I were to suggest staying somewhere else in the Eifel there would be uproar. I’ve stayed at the Schloss 14 times. And never had a bad experience. It’s totally bike friendly. I’ve never used the garage. The bikes are parked across the road in full view of the rooms/balconies. On a quiet side road at the rear of the hotel proper. We stay in the guest house which is a separate building. There have been some changes over the years most notably the restaurant is now closed Sunday and Monday evenings - but there is a great kebab/pizza place a 10 minute walk away in the village. There are also 3 supermarkets at the far end of the village. I would describe the food as “home style” - ask for Schnitzel if you get the chance!! English is quite limited there with only the wife speaking it well. The husband isn’t too bad at English. But, it’s a very German hotel and they don’t get many English guests. Aside from us. take your own toiletries as these are not supplied. planning rides is much easier now that street view is starting to appear. Over the years we’ve seen a lot of the region and know it well.. but in reality we have still only scratched the surface. it’d the perfect place to go for a week. Easy to get to. And I reckon has the best riding south of Yorkshire and north of the Massif. It’s a hidden gem that people tend to pass by heading for the Rhine or the Nurburgring.. which is in the eastern Eifel. Very little police presence outside the holiday season. A vast network of roads of all kinds. Lots of history. Scene of the Battle of the Bulge so lots of American flags, especially over the borders in Belgium. Low mountains. Winding river valleys. Signs of volcanism everywhere… especially in the appropriately named Vulkaneifel. Touristy without the crowds especially away from the banks of the Mosel and Rhine. you can do a lot of touristy stuff if you want.. or treat it as we do and go purely for the riding. An alternative hotel I’ve heard great things about is Hotel Daytona in Dasburg. Right on the border with Luxembourg just off the B410. Dutch owned and very good. Apparently.

Can you guess what colour (or colours) my bike is according to the V5C?

There are 5 of us going to the Eifel - crossing via the tunnel Sunday morning, 3rd September and returning the following Saturday afternoon. so 5 weekdays spent there. normal working week, kids back at school. Lovely. We are staying at our normal hotel. (there would be uproar if I suggested anywhere else) which is this place. https://www.schlosshotel-neuerburg.de/en/ It is relatively close to the Luxembourg border and about 250 miles from calais. You are more than welcome to join us if you want. have someone to talk to of an evening if you don't want to ride with us at the very least. We do the journey to and fro at the weekend to avoid any workday rush hour or commuter traffic. Ride dow to Ashford on the Saturday afternoon. overnight at a Premier Inn or Travelodge. then ride out at 8am Sunday morning, just 12 miles to the Tunnel. I generally create my own routes using a mixture of Google Maps and Basecamp. And often use this (PDF below) as a start point for said creations. Im not overly keen on copying other peoples routes as they can often be quite boring.. I like to mix up the road types. B. L and K. This year will be the normal plan.. we will spend 4 days exploring the Eifel and Hunsruck. and have a full day almost exclusively inside Luxembourg, as its a firm favourite and something of a tradition. Ive done all the routes for this trip.. and each day the route will be chosen on a whim. we tend to avoid tourist traps and places rammed with tourists. stopping for lunch at some random place in some random village. when it feels 'right'. eifel.pdf

According to the rules any bike built before mid 2000 and any other vehicle built before 1997 is banned. Think about that for a moment.

Theres actually a very nasty side to the Crit Air. very nasty.

from you if you ride your bike in London?

you make my point perfectly. But the confusion about these things goes further. A lot further than a basic misunderstanding of which places require them and which do not.