Gerontious

Working, as per usual. Was hoping to get the call that my new rear tyre had arrived, but nothing - so should be next Saturday its fitted. Part service booked for the 24th (oil/filters and brake fluid). Buying euros on Monday. ready for setting off in 3 weeks time to Euroland.

I have something similar. A hugely useful bag/pouch that hangs between the handlebars - perfect for the phone documents wallet, anything I need close to hand that I don’t want to waste time searching pockets for.

125s are a very small market, 150cc is a much bigger deal for the Japanese, worldwide outside of Europe. even within Europe 125s are a very small market as every country aside from the UK demands a full license to ride one. its a restricted license, but still requires the owner to do the full test. because of all these factors the Japanese keep the model ranges fairly small and concentrate their efforts on larger bikes that are where the earnings come from. The Chinese have none of these worries.. they can churn out bikes like nobody else and are quick to latch on to trends and can react almost instantly. They also have no worries about copyright or licensing. so they can make smaller copies of bigger, very popular Japanese and European bikes and flood the market with impunity. The Japanese steer a steady course producing (small capacity/learner) bikes aimed at the key markets. road bikes. race bikes. cruisers and off-road adventure style. aimed at the UK and EU knowing full well that for the vast majority of buyers these are purely a stepping stone.

Luxembourg remains closed to UK visitors, the situation is up for review on September 30th. You can pass through the country.. but you cannot stop-over. stay in a hotel or campsite. This is made clear on the Lu. Embassy website. see below.

We are going to Ireland in 3 weeks time as the rules are VERY simple and much less likely to change at short notice than France, for example. No testing or quarantine required at all for the fully vaccinated. .

His mother must be so proud. a little gold star on his photo on the mantlepiece, in pride of place amongst the Capodimonte. well you would, wouldn't you.

Thats alright then, but to be honest I can't be doing with the hassle just to get into or back from the eu. so, we're going to the eu but without any tests at all. incognito - like. disguised as bikers on a mission.

That will help offset the cost of the tests you will require. test before you leave and then prior to your return and after you are back. 3 tests in total I believe and all assuming you are double vaccinated.

They look more like the support struts you might find on something that insists on too much chrome, to support the bike within its shipping crate. while en route from the factory to the dealership. They should have been removed but, never were. possibly due to the mistaken belief they really were crash bars.

That is Aldi taking advantage of the British Culture, which, doesn't really care much about quality. or food in general. makes perfect business sense to them. Compare an Aldi in the UK with one in any other European country and the differences, when you look closely and at everything is truly stunning. I used to temp at a Bakery and have seen first hand the way these companies operate. just one example. Asda "smart price" scones are exactly the same as Marks & Spencer "Fat Free" - the one being triple the price of the other and both coming off the exact same production line.

2008 and still hasn't made it to the UK. I wonder what the tyre manufacturers make of their tyres being heated to 120c during this process.

A memory, but a very nice one. A lay-by on the road to Cortina d'Ampezzo. one for @bonio to dwell upon, thinking about next year. with @Snod Blatter pointing the way

we're at the same stage as we were 'back in the day' when people looked at Mobile phones and said: "They'll never catch on." The change will come when electric bikes become mainstream, when your local dealership has them on display. when you walk into any motorcycle dealership from any brand and they have them and are all fighting over who has the greatest range with the shortest possible recharge time and lightest weight. When a brand like Triumph (for example) has several on sale aimed at all the various market segments. we're not there yet.. but its coming. Unless events take over and we have a lot more to worry about than things like this. .

and a third.. a GT variant. Sold it because I realised it would definitely lose me my license.

I tend to keep bikes for years, aside from one that I owned for 9 months. My first brand new bike a 1994 Triumph Trident 750. I took it into the dealership for its first proper service and in the showroom they had a Speed Triple 900. The original. I couldn’t take my eyes of it. This was noticed. Salesman descended upon me and like a fool I asked about the trade in value of the 750. The answer came and the deal was done. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the 750 but of all the bikes I’ve owned it was the one I was happy to part with in exchange for one of these.

Any new shock absorber will always feel better than a tired original. If the bike is fairly new, a new spring might be all you need. This is the route a lot of new owners go down to counter the “I’m heavier than Mr Average Yamasuzusakida.” Problem. Most after market manufacturers are specialists and tend to know what they’re doing. I tend to look for certain keywords like - fully rebuildable. An emphasis on premium materials that won’t begin to corrode after 5 minutes. Etc. last shock I bought was made to measure Wilbers. But… it’s a German brand which has suddenly become rather expensive for some reason….

Its a tourist trap... in every sense of the word. So, bikers love to ride it. But, so does everyone else. Not just holiday makers on a road holiday or using a hire car. but also coaches, buses, campervans. and on and on. plus all the traffic supplying all the businesses up there. The worst part is the holiday makers, unused to driving in the mountains and too busy 'oohing and aahing' at the scenery to bother much about the long queue of traffic behind. You have to be so very 'on the ball' as they misjudge the corners with alarming regularity. Oblivious to vehicles, especially motorbikes coming the other way.. or gaggles of cyclists. "incidents" are frequent. But... I doubt we will have the time, we will be heading for the Grossglockner and after a day on there, we'll use the Felbertauern Tunnel and get down to Cortina d'Ampezzo. I think. But, if we were dawdling, then I would much rather the guys see the Timmelsjoch. Because, not only is it a lovely pass.. but the ride up the Oetz valley is really quite stunning. and there is also a short diversion to the second highest paved road in Europe. Or, if we are really Dawdling, a day on the Silvretta. But, ideally. Zell am See is (avoiding tolls) 700 miles from the tunnel, So, it all depends on how keen the guys are. How much of an effort they are willing to put in over our first weekend. Can we manage it, leaving the tunnel Saturday morning and arriving at Zell, Sunday? Or.. at worst Monday. Tuesday on the Glockner and then its just 110 miles to Cortina. 4/5 days there and then 5 days to return to the Tunnel in a much more relaxed fashion, via the Black Forest.

Still got a few to set up.. but, theres only so many hours in the day.

This photo was taken on the 4th of August last year, in Italy.

try it with petrol in the glass.

I guess you need to be of a certain age to remember this type of ad campaign.. some things never change.

Im quite blasé about others not wearing gear.. its not my skin. But gloves.. thats a whole different order of pain. I have had plastic surgery on my hand. (not due to coming off) and i would not wish that on anyone. you never recover fully and spend the rest of your life having to compensate. I cannot tolerate the cold, not even close to cold hands. The pain is excruciating. After plastic surgery your nerves rebuild.. but are kinda permanently short circuited and the blood supply to the skin is much the same. put those two together and the result is suffering. unending. localised and acute.

It’s normal and the majority. If you count all the deliveroo type riders out there on scooters and 125s, who now seem to outnumber “traditional” bikers by a large margin, especially as they are for the most part “year round” But.. in line with that 2 photos, not particularly gory. but they do hammer home the inherent problems with not wearing gear. doesnt have to be fully armoured.. just enough to protect you in a short slide. As well as the problem with open faced helmets at speed. I do spend a lot of time with my flip 'up' but only at very low speeds when the airflow is so low as to be come uncomfortable. so under 30. or at a standstill.

@Bungleaio Unless its the case that you cannot justify taking two weeks to come away with us, then you should reconsider. You're independent enough to do your own thing when we have our day on the Grossglockner at 2,500m. everything else is considerably lower than that. And it will be no hindrance at all to make allowances for you. Of course... as is per usual there will be a 'Plan B' if the weather on the north side of the Alps is bad then we will dash south and go to Tuscany/Liguria or east into Slovenia Or if the reverse is true.. spend some time in the Black Forest and then wander down to the Algau. Which is very picturesque without the elevation. Obviously where we go and what we do can only be estimated. it will all depend on the weather at the time as we will definitely be following the Sun.

One thing you will need to prepare for, and you have a year to do that. Is the ride down. If we are to make the most of it, then I want to get down to the Allgau in 2 days. Once we are there then everything is on the doorstep and we can wander hither and yon to our hearts content, we can 'do' the Black Forest as part of a much more leisurely return. Early crossing on the Saturday morning. get to France about 9. (local) so that will definitely mean an overnight at Ashford. From the tunnel to the Allgau. Im thinking Füssen. Is 580 miles avoiding french tolls, So a relatively easy 290 miles per day. Though I would prefer to do more on the Saturday so the Sunday can be lazier. After that a morning off on the Monday, and then a ride in the afternoon. Along the Plansee and to Oberammergau. The start of the L255 is just 13 miles away from where I hope we will be staying. And that road is sublime. So, a little bit of effort at the start and then more time, there. dib dib dib. This will be the third attempt at going as a group to this part of the world. defeated so far by bad weather and then the virus. No guarantees we wont be defeated again.. but, you know me, the eternal optimist. We'll start sorting out the details once the winter blues set in and it becomes important to have something to look forward to. And with that.. this thread and this years trip is over. sad to say.