Gerontious

its a Taiwanese brand.. very popular in the US, as a "Premium affordable". I would rather stick with "made in Germany" where possible. Brands like Wiha for screwdrivers in particular, or the slightly more affordable Wera which are made in the Czech Republic to German standards. Theres little need to look to the Far East for the best quality. The sort of tools that will last a lifetime. which are always preferable to me than a lifetime guarantee.. which really just means "you break it, we'll replace it" - I would rather spend a little more for something that just wont break at all, at usually the most inconvenient time.

Wiha

I see this all the time.. "The Tool set that come with the Africa Twin is a joke" My answer has consistently been... replace it. BUT (for your bikes sake) KEEP THE SCREWDRIVER!!!!

I use Wera. But NOT on the Honda (shudder)

I hope she makes a speedy recovery and its nothing serious.

That ended at the start of the year. Have a look at Outback Motortek.

As far as I’m concerned. And as far as THIS thread goes, there is nothing to lose. The Tunnel will at the very least allow a rebooking. As will the overnight at Ashford. Our hotel in Germany has never asked for a deposit. So nothing to lose there. As we go away every year (if allowed) it doesn’t matter if we need to rebook for 2022. Just means a few clicks on the websites to change dates and nothing to pay.

Indeed. Eurotunnel, which is the service we use was almost completely unaffected by the lockdowns of last year. They just reduced the number of trains carrying traffic as there were significantly fewer private vehicles crossing. normally there is a train every 20 minutes during the day. they knocked this back to one every 30 minutes., or one per hour during the worst times. Notably, the service never fully stopped as freight used it even when the ferry companies rolled back.. or in some instances completely ceased crossings. I expect this to be the case this year. If we assume Germany is open to tourists, then even if France is 'closed' it wont affect us as under EU law France cannot prevent travellers from transiting if the destination is a third country. If they were allowed to do that then all trade would cease. I fully expect the situation to be near normal by the time we go. But, I have to feel sorry for people who are.. or were expecting to travel at easter. I just can't see that happening. in any case we should have a clearer idea of how things will pan out by the start of the summer holidays I shall be booking my crossing within the next month or so.

This is why any new proposal for a law or change in current law is subject to debate in parliament. readings and amendments.

VAT is always the biggest charge. Duty isn't much by comparison.

There is a £135 threshold. £15 over and yes, it’s a case of bad luck if you get a bill.

An example. buy parts that cost $575 including shipping and insurance. Total additional costs will be £97. Which is VAT plus duty. According to an online calculator. no reputable company will consider reducing the value to escape or fiddle these costs as it’s against US federal law, with stiff penalties. Only way to get round that is for someone to buy the parts on your behalf in the US and then send them to you, with a false declaration.

we had it last night, but its started raining a bit this morning and set to be 9c later today, which will get rid of it.

Just been for a ride. to the far side of town where the thin men stalk the streets while the sane stay underground.. and while there I had my first vaccine dose. if I could I would throw a party!! but as thats out off the question... I might open a bottle of Glenmorangie. (as you do)

The stock aluminium panniers on the GSA are 1.5" wider than the handlebars. its not an issue.

my GS weighed 536Lbs wet and was my daily ride for 21 years.. It was often described to me as a lardy tractor.. though I often used the term myself too. But, compared with far more modern bikes, perhaps it wasnt so lardy after all. My current bike is heavier... though it feels much, much lighter. I took the GS off road a lot.. but the off roading I did was the type of off roading it was actually designed to cope with (im not an idiot) and it behaved impeccably. I never dropped it once.. that pastime seemed restricted to tarmac roads. (or my own driveway) I bought it in 1997 (the first one, Ive had two the same) because it fitted me... the first bike that did. (rather than the other way round... having to fold myself in 3 just to get aboard) It was very different. had ABS which I thought was a great idea. And.. over the years it was my sole transport, fun, commuting and touring Europe. a bit of everything. Used to amuse me no end the reaction it got at Matlock etc. Not just that.. but then the reaction I would get when other bikers realised it was mine.. a 35yr old riding a Beemer.... what? .

See this brand all the time on the US based Africa Twin forum.. they make good stuff. but the cost!!! just this item will cost you over £510 delivered by the cheapest method they offer. and that doesn't include any extra costs like VAT and import duty etc. They have no UK distributor.

5 nights in a row done and finishing this morning at 7. Excited to get an invite for the Covid-19 vaccination, but tried to book and it said no. Too young. Over 70s only. So.. there’s a number to call and I’ll try that on Monday.

Just to prove the old 'adage'; there's nothing new under the sun... again, once again, for the gazillionth time. I see people talking about "adventure bikes" especially modern ones and throwing the term 'off road' about.. like it actually means something in this context. It doesn't. It never has. especially in terms of the UK. where because of our wonderful climate "Off Road" nearly always means mud. A word the OP couldn't resist using. The modern "Adventure Bike" evolved from and are direct descendants of "Paris Dakar" Bikes.. The Africa Twin has that name for a reason. The bikes can cope with 'some' mud, but that was never what they were for. When you are talking "off-road" with these bikes what that really means and has always meant is "Off-Tarmac" What the Americans call "dirt roads" or "unpaved roads" They have a lot of them, so do the Australians. and these roads, where they exist at all.. are very common in the arid regions of the Paris Dakar, in the desert. In the UK.. this means that these bikes are brilliant on shit roads.. and we have an awful lot of them!! They are also perfect for narrow single lane roads.. which tend to usually be shit too. because you have a much better view ahead from the higher seat. damage to the tarmac doesn't matter.. you probably wont even notice it. nor do pot holes or other problems that you need to be wary of' or steer round on other bikes. BMW invented this style of bike, in 1980. and then went on to win the P-D in 1981,83,84 and 85. this made them hugely popular, especially in Europe and elsewhere.. but this popularity didn't happen here. except in a fairly minor way when the original Africa Twin appeared in 1988. Here they were oddities.. because this country was sports bike mad. sports bikes and road bikes with these others as fairly rare oddities that people either ignored or pointed and laughed at. Because by and large they just didn't get it. "Stupidly heavy for an off-roader" It amazes me that idea hasn't gone away even now.. all these years later. Anyway, In 1994 we got another one... the Triumph Tiger. I have the 1994 Triumph Brochure.. and Triumph capitalised on this joke status for these bikes... see photo below. And in their spiel, they say. "On paper it doesn't work. Powerful Superbike performance with rugged off-road styling seems an ill-matched blend of extremes. Until, that is, you actually ride a Tiger." Then nothing really happened. The Tiger, just as the GS and AT sold in relatively small numbers throughout the remainder of the decade until BMW decided to revamp the 1100. make it a bit bigger... more 'modern' looking. a cheap upgrade. not really much. aside from an up-specced, larger tanked GSA. Then some idiot at KTM made a bad decision. One of the biggest blunders in motorcycle history. BMW stepped in and the year that TV programme aired... the world went mad. A lot of eyes were opened to a style of bike that had really been under the radar. here were bikes that you could do anything on. all set to travel the world if you want. not that that was a new idea either. And now.. almost 20 years later. Adventure bikes are not what they once were. Every marque has got on the bandwagon and given them their own spin, now they are effectively sports bikes in different clothes. 130-160BHP ?? almost normal. The original 'new' Africa Twin was mocked by many as it was a little less than 100BHP.!! (The 'long way round' GSA produced a measly, by comparison 85 BHP) why do we need such power? its not to make the bikes more manageable in mud!!! someone said these bikes have morphed into tourers. no... they have not. they have always been tourers... with that edge of practicality that doesn't exist for 'proper', more traditional motorway munching tourers. I've never really got used to the word "Adventure" it seems just a smidge childish to me... Im going out for an "Adventure" is like something out of an Enid Blyton kiddies book. To me they have always been what they were originally. "Monster trailies" or "Dual Sports". nowadays the emphasis is really on that second, Sports. 1994 Tiger brochure photo. and.. if it's readable, the text from the brochure, which you might find interesting, written as it was almost 10 years before "adventure bikes"as we now know them.. were even thought of.

Well.. this begs a very obvious question. Why do YOU own one?

its being sold by a dealership.. it will always have a higher end price from such a vendor. dealer book price is always higher than private.

It’s been the case with practically every brand new model BMW going back to at least 1993, with only a very few exceptions that new models come with faults to the extent that new adopters are effectively “Beta testers”. For those with long experience of these bikes it’s well known that buying a brand new model is a mistake. Wait for at least a year until all early problems are ironed out with recalls... though bmw don’t call them that. Actual recalls are very rare. They call them ‘campaigns’ and are generally kept semi secret within the dealer networks. Once a problem is identified it’s graded on urgency and they are mostly repaired at service. Or occasionally the owner will receive a letter advising them to contact their dealership. BMW only do recalls. When forced to by the authorities.

Manchester Evening news disclosed his name and (lack of) address. Once you have his name he pops up on Facebook. Personal/business profiles.

He's definitely unemployed now. he's in jail. but before that he ran his own property maintenance business. looks like his wife threw him out as at sentencing his address was 'no fixed abode'