Gerontious

I gave it a wash and rather than faff about I’ve taken it out to blow dry proper like.. currently down by the Trent and it’s rather pleasant for 8:25 on a Sunday evening. Little 10 mile round on one of my favourite local routes thru some very posh villages. I think its dry now.

I agree. It’s a favourite day out of mine. Lunch at Avebury. A wander round the circle then home again.

Depends where your arthritis is most acute, but it could be that a step-thru and/or automatic might suit you best. Though this might not become obvious until you take that first step.

The Bloody passport office. why is renewing a passport so complicated? Looking at the website they make it seem so easy. 2 options. either go to a post office or do it online. So, I chose to do it online, thinking it would be quick and simple. its turned out to be neither. Of course it meant having to go to the post office anyway to get the photos done, I should have done the whole thing there and then. but I had left my old passport at home.. and have you seen the queue? So... photo done and back home and it all went smoothly. though imagine my shock to discover that Ive got to go back to the bloody post office again to return the old passport!! something they do not mention until you are well into the process!! the application cannot be completed until they receive the old passport. Bugger. Get to the payment and as per usual it transferred me to my bank where as usual I confirmed that it was me and transferred back. And the website stuck. would not progress past the 'confirm with your bank' page. So, phoned them up and they told me that my application was not on their system because it did not finalise. meanwhile I have this payment stuck in 'pending' until it times out.. and that can take up to 7 days. They warned me not to do it again or pay again until the pending payment times out. A complete waste of time. so all I can do is be patient and wait for the payment to vanish and then go back to the post office and do the whole thing there.

10 miles round Hoveringham and back and done. I forgot to mention. After a ride the rear wheel is much easier to spin as the grease in the bearings is also nice and warm.

I do it the old fashioned way.., which is actually what the manufacturers tell you - if you read the box. Paraffin to clean and EP90 (Gear oil) to lube. The reason to do it to a warm chain is it allows the oil to penetrate. In between the sliding plates. This helps prevent stiff links. And also keep water out. And so corrosion at bay. We call it lubing. But with modern sealed chains that’s not the actual purpose - it’s about rust prevention more than anything else. Which is important ti me as the bike lives outside. So when we are in Germany you will see me at least once oil the chain as soon as we get back to the hotel. It takes just a couple of minutes. Do it when the chain is hot and it’s easier.

So exciting. Cleaning the chain the old fashioned way. Paraffin and a brush. And I’m still not missing the shaft drive. It’s quite satisfying to be honest. Just a shame it’s not one of those glittery gold ones. But we can’t have everything - can we. I’ll leave it an hour and then go for a ride and oil it when I get back - when it’s nice and warm.

I do like it when the zumo just says “road” - it can turn out, occasionally, to be quite exciting especially when we have different ideas on what actually constitutes a road.

If it’s a well built shed you want and you’re willing to pay a little bit more for something that will last decades. Have a look at Beastsheds. They have loads of different designs and various tweaks available too. But just be sure to choose wisely with an eye to the future. That’s paramount. https://www.beastsheds.co.uk/beast-sheds

I'm pretty sure there would be a rebellion if I were to suggest a different hotel. to be honest the Schloss has so much in its favour, being on the edge of what is effectively a small town with all the amenities you might need virtually on the doorstep. but still tucked out of the way. so there are no concerns about security or noise. Aside for what passes as a morning rush hour its very quiet. And the guest house we stay in is hidden away behind the main hotel. just about visible in this street view image - between the buildings, on the left. Anyway, its strange to think that this thread was started 21 weeks in advance and here we are, just 9 weeks to go, on Saturday. for the ride south to Ashford. Almost everything is now done and we're counting down the days. My bike was serviced on Monday - just an annual and thankfully with no nasty surprises turning up. its good to go. So payday this week and that leaves two more before the off to put some money aside, mostly so I can pay off all or most of the credit card bill when I get home. Also buy some euros so I have some cash to hand for minor purchases where a card isn't appropriate. Time to get busy sorting out the daily routes/rides. including our traditional full day in Northern Luxembourg. its just non-stop.

I did wonder how you got on there. What you thought of the place.

Funny you should mention Cars, Cars are definitely not my thing, Ive never even had a lesson. The only car Ive ever liked was a Morgan. and even then only because it had a lovely JAP engine stuck to the front. it was quite old. Anyway Ive just been to Vertu Honda and while they were busily fettling, I had a walk round to J&S to waste some time pointing and laughing. A favourite hobby of mine in that dreadful store. And walking past the line of rather glamorous showrooms I spot this and have to admit, painful as it is, that it looks like a lot of fun. I have no idea what it is.. but the car next to it cost £379,000 and was very red. it was also very old. 1972. anyway.. from the rear it looks like a boat.. but, I didn't take a photo as the reflections were even worse. I wouldn't attempt to go into a place like this as they are apt to call the police when someone like me turns up. Like Im apt to try and stuff a Maserati in my pocket and sneak it out. I should add that it is a brand new 3 wheeler and the card next to it listed the available options. I can almost see myself in one of these.. heading down to the Côte d'Azur for fish and chips and a stick of rock. and then wending my way along the coast to Cannes for a can of special brew. by the seaside. Thinking how posh I am. mutton dressed as mutton.

I had to laugh. Plonker who thought he could bully his way through at lights. He saw me indicating right and decided to floor it to get through before I could complete. Thing is, it’s not one you can cross the line at until you get a green light. So I couldn’t turn anyway!! He didn’t time it right and got flashed. He must’ve seen the flash - his eyes were like saucers. so funny.

I’ll never forget the pain and ultimately the infection I got on the heel of my right hand after coming off a bicycle at very low speed. The nurse remarked that if the damage was any greater it would have meant skin grafts I was just a few mm away from that point. This was from going over the handlebars at not much more than walking pace. Multiply that by whatever at any kind of normal motorbike speed. It doesn’t bear thinking about. i wear summer vented gloves on both bikes now. Motor and pedal. Without fail. In extreme heat an easy fix is to spray them with water and that really helps. Though probably not appropriate for full leather vented. Mine are mostly textile.

when I had the K1200GT I did that once. Bimbleing along the A46 up by Newark one sunny weekday, early evening. And I happened to glance at the Speedo and what I saw scared the living bejesus out of me. Cocooned as I was in a bubble of still air. I was doing almost double the speed limit. I sold the bike a week later thinking it was a licence loser. Far too much for me. No regrets. Almost double the speed limit and it wasn’t even working particularly hard. No thanks. A lost license. Big fine. Perhaps even prison. no thanks.

Its my backyard so to speak and to be honest cameras are not an issue as long as you keep away from the faster A roads, which are worth avoiding as these tend to be the main through-routes. the most obvious one to avoid being the A6. Sundays in particular are a favourite day for the police to lay traps. But they don't bother with the B roads and have different priorities during the week, especially if its a normal work week. Anyway its an area to go to and concentrate on the B roads as its here that the Derbyshire peaks really shine.

This is very true. Though it’s not a dead end road (except for one side road) The Grossglockner is well worth treating like this. First time I went over it, I was actually riding it for a full day - did end to end non-stop. Then again. But stopping frequently to take in the views. Photos. Or just to take it all in, watch the world go by. Some glamorous vehicles always on that route. Stop for a coffee. Or a bite to eat. A souvenir badge. Then ended the day doing the “Southern triangle” and then back over the Glockner to the base near Zell am see. Really got my moneys worth that day. There are plenty of other dead ends in the Alps (and elsewhere) that are worth riding, some that are bucket list roads. Like the Otz glacier road, which is the highest paved road in Europe - outside of Spain. Though it’s an anticlimax if you don’t have a sat nav and see the altitude. There’s no sign to tell you. I can think of so many more - but in every case you get a very different view coming down as you did going up and that’s what makes it worth the diversion.

If you can justify the price of the latest and greatest then go for it. it will not upset the handling at all. in general as tyres progress its in baby steps

it’s a zoom. I took another before he joined me. I think he was doing a bit of secret mountaineering. To pass the time. This is the wider view. We got there following a valley road and you can see the same valley to the left. That was a fantastic ride. We needed petrol so we had to sort that first and so didn’t ride it again. Sadly.

You have a talent for understatement. It’s not so much the summit that’s amazing. It really is. It’s the road up. I think it’s very likely one of the most dangerous roads I’ve ever ridden. Only one other that I can think of was more scary. I was kinda expecting this so we arrived quite late in the day to avoid other traffic. It worked. For the entire climb we didn’t encounter another vehicle. I can’t express in words just how grateful I was. The ride back to base was “interesting” - mountain passes on a moonless night. A tunnel that almost killed me. Or could very easily have killed me I mean and squeezing past the biggest dead deer I’ve ever seen in my life. It took up more than half the road and was surrounded by very happy looking Italian police - who I think were more interested in venison than anything else.

When we went up the Mangart. That was a dead end road and I have to say one of the most thrilling rides I’ve ever done. With @smallfrowne a few years ago. Quite the experience.

Working this weekend Friday till 7am Tuesday morning. And the countdown has now begun to 16 days off - so this weekend and then next Thursday and Friday and done until July 8th. I had 6 days (3 shifts) off in March so this is my first proper break since the Eifel last September. No self pity as I really enjoy my job. But a proper escape is long overdue. I should be excited about a tour. But that was cancelled ages ago and it looks like I’ve dodged a bullet. The weather here hasn’t been very good - it’s been far, far worse over huge swathes of southern Europe. So, no great loss.

It seems likely to me that she will soon discover that this bike isn’t an ideal choice for the roads in Morocco. I’ve seen pictures. She has bought this bike purely on a whim. First I knew about it was the photo arriving in my in-box. I asked her if she had tried lifting it off its side stand. She replied yes. It’s a bit heavy. A bit heavy.

My experience of travelling alone have generally been positive. The biggest difference seems to be you become far more approachable. Other bikers will come over for a natter, often a quick glance at the number plate and a chance to practice their English. Camping. (Which I continue to enjoy) I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked if I want to share a meal. And I quickly learnt that it’s always a good idea to say yes. As I’ve never been offered something I didn’t enjoy and almost always there will be wine and occasionally beer. People seem far more reticent when you’re part of a group and that’s understandable, but alone it’s completely different people are generally interested even when you don’t share a common language. One of the best times ever was a cheap campsite near Venice. And a family - none of whom spoke a word of English. And yet - it was great. Such generosity. It was because of them that I got my taste for home distilled Grappa. They were more than a little impressed at the way I knocked em back.