Gerontious

A vanishingly small minority might (if they can afford the insurance), but these bikes aren't selling anymore in anything like the numbers of yesteryear. so.. the subject is largely irrelevant in 2022. The biggest selling bike last year above 125cc was a 1250cc Adventure bike. There wasn't a single 1000cc super bike in the top 10. I visit my local dealers fairly often and the supersports bikes just sit there, wheras the adventure bikes are selling faster than they can be imported. waiting lists are now commonplace. 2nd hand trade-ins might just last a week before being sold, but it has to be a slow week. The most talked about bikes (sub litre) are Indian made 350cc and 650cc Royal Enfields. which are massive sellers despite all their shortcomings. When I got my first GS in 1997, "Adventure Bikes" didn't exist.. super sport and sport bikes were the thing. so this topic was relevant then. not now. We're in a whole new reality.

buying knock-off shower gel is never a good idea.

OMG 12 days... tick tock. Just praying to the weather gods to give us a dry run down over the 2 days its going to take. then 10 days of fun and games. and taking another 4 days to wend our way home, via the Black Forest. Staying close to the Italian border (for much cheaper petrol) Black arrow. The red oval is the Dolomites, though its actually much larger, that's really just the heart of it. And the blue arrow points to the southern end of the Grossglockner high road. 25 miles from where we are staying. Ive changed the wallpaper on the Mac just to get me in the mood.

Indeed. which is why in addition to this fairly small set, I also got the two sockets my bike needs for the most likely job 'on-tour' that are only usually included in far bigger and increasingly expensive sets. And why, at the top of this thread I only bought two spanners, as they are all I need.

Im not entirely sure that would be a problem with the Goldwings 147litres of available luggage space. and 6 cylinder engine.

As far as Im aware, Honda uses a very ordinary mineral low spec oil in brand new engines to help with the bedding in process. especially the piston rings. So changing it for the proper spec is important at the first service. BMW used to do the same kind of thing. Not sure if they still do, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense.

My usual advice to anyone making this kind of leap is to have some advanced training. But, of course for many its just a pipe dream as the insurance for a brand new rider can be extortionate. But there are always exceptions. From what Ive seen over the years its not so much the power of the bike that catches new riders out. its the weight, with the damage being caused at a standstill.

Tested it yesterday on a dual carriageway and it works. Obviously its not a 'cruise control' as it doesn't maintain a set speed to account for hills.. so the bike will slow down going uphill and speed up going down. But.. as the throttle is not 'locked' only held by friction, its easy enough to adjust the throttle position to account for this. On the flat.. it works just fine. I went for this one because its a simple button press 'on' - 'off'. And the thumb-button action is very 'positive' not something you can do by accident. or release by accident either. The alternative means rolling a gadget at the bar-end, which looks a bit awkward to me. Though Im sure it works just fine. They are certainly very popular. Kaoko being the widely sold brand. - With that one you replace the standard bar-end weight with the gadget. which you may or may not like the idea of. It will just make for a more relaxing ride for the two mostly motorway/autobahn days coming up. There is an aftermarket cruise control available for my bike, but it costs £600 plus fitting. Or I could replace the bike with the latest model and increase my current debt by £6000. I don't think I would want to pay that for a feature that for me has very limited use. The only time I use motorways is when on tour. To get to and from the Tunnel and then to Neuerburg. Or as is coming up, down to Austria. I will likely take it off when we get back and just store it away until next time. As its not something I need for normal day to day. (I don't commute or use motorways at all - normally)

Well done, Ive always fancied one of them. (with all the plastic removed because im perverse) They don't half crack along. effortless. torque monster.

And final bit of prep. New front tyre fitted. Continental Trail Attack 3 tubeless. No freebies this time. (sigh) When I got a full set fitted in 2018 I was given this, Ortlieb 35L dry-bag. (which Ive never used!!)

its never bothered me in the slightest what other people choose to wear on their bikes. And I tend to disregard people when they try to tell me what to wear. Only one thing makes me shudder, and that's when I spot riders without gloves on. in summer. Its not like summer gloves are expensive. And Im endlessly amused by some people who seem to have rather perverse priorities. Happy enough to buy an imported aftermarket part, that they don't really need. (at great expense) For instance a £1000 end can. But will balk at the idea of buying a good quality waterproof jacket.. complaining about the premium that Goretex laminate adds to the price. (for example) each to their own.

I'll send you a postcard.

Added the throttle lock. Very simple.

Last 1/3rd of the final night of my long weekend at work, bit of R&R before I’m back Friday night. Throttle lock arriving tomorrow, new front tyre on Wednesday and then Friday (at work) marks the start of the final fortnight to plough through. 7 more night shifts before the start of my annual leave and holiday tour of western Austria and the Dolomites. glorious!!

according to google Cesare Rizzato was a frame builder and his name was added to bikes made by other manufacturers. kinda like Harris is here. Seems likely to me that the bike was made by one of the huge number of smaller lesser well known Italian manufactures that disappeared in the 50s-80s due to the Japanese invasion. Like this Atala. Cesare Rizzato

It’s very strange seeing all the skiing infrastructure around in the sun and the heat. But it’s a great region for riding, like nowhere else in the Alps. Just a bit of a trek to get there. We’ll do the ride down over 2 days and the return over 3 or 4.

Tonight marks the start of my working week. fri, sat, sun, mon. finish 8am Tuesday morning. Im ready for it, stayed up late (for me) last night and was up very early, then back to bed for 4hrs. just chilling out now. After this weekend, just 7 more shifts to do. 3 next weekend and 4 the weekend after, then off until 1st of July!! whoopee. In other news, my new credit card arrived today. I've got a Halifax Clarity. (as recommended by money saving expert) which I'll use sparingly each month.. but Ive got it mostly for touring. So, it's for buying fuel when on tour. My usual card adds a fee every time I use it abroad. Not much, but it just adds to the already high cost of fuel, unnecessarily. No fees and no interest if paid off in full, which I usually do anyway. So, as per usual for me, a weekend of working and sleeping.

Very unlikely. He just needs to be a tad careful not to attract the attention of the politi when out on the open road, like anywhere. Ive never heard of any border control at any European port demanding to see a driving license.. that's not their concern. its all about identity/purpose of visit. and passports. (or visa where required)

Hooligan.

use one of the accommodation websites like booking.com its perfectly normal to see the room on offer before you take it. (or not) choose a destination and go. I find it simpler to use the tunnel, but its getting pricey. (Tesco club card helps) or choose your ferry depending on where you're heading.

Trying to contain my excitement while watching how the spring thaw is progressing. https://valgardena.panomax.com/dantercepies

Theres no such thing as a "mutt battery" the manufacturer usually chooses a branded or unbranded battery.. whichever they can buy the cheapest by the 1000. Theres a whole list of parts like the battery that are usually known as consumables. These can all be replaced by parts made by different companies than was original to the bike without having any bad effect on value. in fact some can add value to a small extent. because the replacement parts are of a much higher quality than the originals.

Collecting their methadone prescriptions.

They are beautiful machines, but as with any Italian or European bike, do take some time to do some research. maybe pointless if you are going brand new, but worth the effort of you are going for one that's a few years old. look particularly for any issues that seem to be common.. and if/when these were fixed either by recall or by tweaking the design. MV doesn't have a huge dealer network. so that is definitely something worth thinking about. look up the reviews for your nearest dealership. Sadly they might be a bike I admire, but I could never own one as Im simply too tall. I say go with your gut feeling and perhaps consider advanced rider training as part of your future. so you can make the most of it. (and reduce your insurance, possibly)