S-Westerly

An alleged sport that has never appealed to me.

Yeah but Coventry is strange.

Sadly this is so, when we get ripped off at one end by trying to do the right thing with ridiculously high prices or ripped off by buying something cheap that's a rip off. On the plus side i have bought a couple of things made in China that have not necessarily been that cheap because they've been well made and used quality materials. They can make decent stuff when they want to.

The trouble with China is that many of the people there are incredibly status conscious and the most desirable possessions are often western. They can't afford to buy them so unscrupulous companies basically make rip-off copies which are sold only in China. It's the same with high-end watches etc. The Chinese government (as crooked as they come) actively encourages it as all the money spent stays in China. Yet another reason why I try and avoid buying stuff made there.

Gave up listening to stories when I was about 5 when I learned to read myself and I read a lot. As to music while riding it's not really my thing. As I wear ear plugs anyway I'd not hear much and if I had the volume cranked up that much my already fragile hearing would be well shot in short order.

I have on occasion been accused of having a big mouth but even at my finest I can't see myself managing to get my jaws around a Bap and a pie at the same time. It will end in tears, or at least gravy all over my shirt.

Right up there with a chip butty. Utterly pointless in my opinion.

Obviously a bit of thread drift but my wife gave me a Rolex chronometer when we got engaged 40 plus years ago. It's my only watch and I wear it everyday. So not really obsessed with watches. Fishing rods now, that's another question!

You could say anyone who has a motorbike suffers from having a weird obsession. My wife certainly thinks so.

You're not getting a trike are you? Seems to be what the really old farts go for. Your not much older than me so this could be worrying!

Isn't there some kind of moped challenge "race" going on at the moment? Seem to remember reading a headline somewhere.

There's a few entertaining vids of folks trying just that! Obviously they end in tears but hugely funny if you're not the poor sod on the receiving end.

Lucky you. I'm basically on an open ended one now as it all depends where we are when I'm due off. So many places are still off limits. Company wide we have over 300 men and women who are well overdue relief. It sucks. Now lucky as I am going home, but how it is in cruise industry I don’t know if I will get back on board. Fingers crossed. This is the first time I would be happy to extend and stay few weeks more That's the problem isn't it? The lack of certainty for the future. I know where you are coming from with the cruise industry. I can't see it ever going back to what it was or at least not for a year or so depending on how the plague works out. Even the Hurtigurten guys in Norway have cancelled everything until next year. Even on tankers it's dodgy - the ships will probably keep going and freight rates are okay ish but when / where we can change out is ever changing and liable to turn literally on a whim. We've had guys fly out to Singapore and get sent home again for a random change in the rules.

Given the price of a decent tyre I'll give it a miss.

I'd have thought most trucks hand books give the weight rating for the tail gate so you don't risk overloading it when putting stuff in. As long as you don't exceed that you should be good. Most of the weight of the bike would be where the engine is so away from the gate. Whether it's legal in the UK I've no idea.

Just 12 days to go Lucky you. I'm basically on an open ended one now as it all depends where we are when I'm due off. So many places are still off limits. Company wide we have over 300 men and women who are well overdue relief. It sucks.

Makes me wish I was home .

Can't speak for the Yamaha but when I changed the end can only on my Multistrada it had absolutely zero effect on fuel consumption. At the end of the day what was on was a clear pipe with no restrictions and a single bend. What replaced it was the same just considerably more attractive (imo). No reason for it to affect fuel consumption.

The latest variant of Covid; it effects the brain.

There are a few outfits who specialise is setting up bike suspension. Might be worth trying one of them. I know a guy on the Multistrada forum had his done, cost less than a hundred quid and he reckoned it transformed his bike.

Probably the worst time to be speeding! He was in his boat to be fair. Sadly no, it was the A1 just north of Alnwick and about 11pm, I was heading to Aberdeen to catch a morning flight to the Faeroe Islands. I'd been delayed by family issues hence the haste.

I once got flashed at night in a really torrential rain with spray everywhere. Pretty sure it wasn't a readable pic. Other than that I don't think they are easily confused. I believe shooting them works but the powers that be take a really dim view of that; almost as bad as meeting in a group of 7.

I use Spotify and you can download stuff and save it to a device (phone) and play back as you like. The highest quality is recommended for over wi-fi but if via phone signal you use the less good quality it's okay, especially if you're playing it on a phone. Not exactly the greatest sound reproduction equipment.

Just left Durban, South Africa. Heading west "for orders". Hoping it's Brazil but most likely Nigeria. A place I absolutely effing hate and would happily consign to the lower levels of hell. Or at least it's officials. Thieving bast*rds the lot of them.

Trying to get photos of uncooperative humpback whales having a whale of a time. Whale giving the finger