John Metcalfe

I'm running on Bridgestone Battleax's on my BMW K1100LT. Got BT45 on rear and BT46 on front and so far done best part of 8000 miles of which 90% has been fully loaded with the "boss" as pillion and the rear still has plenty of life left in it and shows no signs of squaring off given at least 50% of the mileage was done on French & Italian motorways while riding over here to Tunisia last November. We also did over 2000 miles in May this year round Italy and even had the pleasure of getting caught in a thunderstorm and still found that the Bridgestones had plenty of grip. My view on tyres is go for the ones you feel offer you the best for the bike and your riding style and use. It's pointless paying a fortune for super sticky sports tyres that don't last if all you are doing is commuting etc. What tyre suits one rider won't suit another it's all down to personal preference and what you feel comfortable and safest with

Me & the missus have RST jackets & trousers plus I have a pair of RST touring gloves all of which we bought from MSG BikeGear who we have dealt with for a number of years. We have never had an issue with quality or fit with any of our clothing etc and giving this we tend to stick with RST. Also if the "boss" is happy with the quality and price then it's a winner on all fronts.

My jacket is labelled as a UK 48 chest and the trousers are 38 waist. My normal clothing sizes are 42/44 and 36 but I got them a size bigger to allow for wearing base layer and to give a bit of room for movement etc. They are really comfortable and with the liner fitted I've found that other than a long sleeved base layer shirt I don't have to wear any additional layers. With the liner out they are still warm if it is a bit chilly but also have enough ventilation to allow enough air flow through to keep cool. We bought ours online from MSG BikeGear after visiting numerous shops and trying on different combo's etc. The missus is normally around a size 18/20 jacket in womens clothes and she got a jacket to fit, granted it's a mens jacket because she doesn't like the fitting of womens bike jackets, she says they are too tight and don't let you move easily. She also got trousers to fit even with here short legs again these are mens and she says they are comfy, so if the wife is pleased then they can't be all that bad and she didn't moan at the cost either so double bonus. Ours arrived in about 3 working days from placing and paying for them so service is pretty good also.

Both me and the missus wear RST Atlas textile jackets & trousers. So far they have proved 100% waterproof including getting caught in a major thunderstorm while touring in Italy earlier this year. RST gear isn't overly expensive but isn't in the cheap and nasty bracket it is however comfortable and the fit is good. Both of us wear "leggings" under the trousers either with or without the liner and they provide plenty of room without being too baggy allowing room for swinging a leg over. The jackets have plenty of ventilation for hotter days with the liner removed but still keeping the waterproofing and warmth if it becomes cooler. With the liner removed from the jackets we wear long sleeved "t" shirts as a base layer which is adequate giving us the ability to refit the liner if needed. We paid around £300 for each full suit to which I added a pair of RST touring gloves at £49. We've had these nearly 2 years and they are still standing up to the hammer we give them.

Both me and the wife each have a Monzo and Starling debit cards. They are accepted anywhere that the Mastercard symbol is displayed. the main advantage we've found is that you get the exchange rate at time of purchase plus you can use them to withdraw cash from ATM's again with the exchange rate as at time of withdrawl. along with no rip-off fees we've found that they cover all bases while we've been riding round/through Italy and France, along with here in Tunisia. The advantage of having a card each means we can keep track off spending regardless of card used via the app for each card.

Hi We live in Tunisia but "nip" over to Italy on a regular basis as it's only a 10hr ferry ride to Sicily or max 24hrs to the mainland direct. We were over in May for 12 days and did around 2000 miles on our 1994 K1100LT which didn't miss a beat, until I dropped her doing about 2mph right in front of 2 Carabinieri, who unlike UK police were really helpful and were more interested in whether we were injured or not. We traveled from Civitavecchia ferry port north towards Rimini before heading back down the Adriatic coast to San Salvo before heading back across country to Pompei. This was followed by the mandatory ride along the Amalfi Coast to Salerno before heading down to Villa San Giovanni for the ferry to Sicily before the return ferry from Palermo to Tunis. Below are the hotels we used for the whole trip. 1. P&P Assisi Camere in Bastia Umbra. Free off road private parking. 2. Waldorf Palace Hotel in Cattolica. Private underground garage €6 per day. Free parking for motorbikes available to front of hotel in full view of reception and covered by CCTV. 3. The Grand Hotel Montesilvano. Free off road private parking. 4. My Angels B&B in Pompei. Free off road private parking within gated courtyard. 5.Villa Sethere Salerno. Free off road private parking within gated courtyard. 6. Hotel Posidonia Sapri. Free off road parking within gated yard. CCTV covered 7. La Casa di Caso Villa San Giovanni. Free off road parking within gated yard 8. ll Gelso Bianco Montebianco near Catania Sicily. Free off road private parking. CCTV protected. 9. 55 Aira Hotel Palermo Sicily. Free on street parking to front of hotel in clear view of hotel reception and covered by CCTV. Also opposite main railway station with Police station also opposite. If you like a good steak then I can highly recommend the Hotel Posidonia in Sapri and they are very biker friendly. Also My Angels B&B in Pompei can be highly recommended also as Melisa can't do enough to make your stay great. Also it is located a 5 minute ride to the Pompei ruins or if you don't to use the bike then you can either catch the bus 5min ride or take a nice steady walk.

Id been without "a proper mode of transport" (bike) for a number of years before I realised the error of my ways and got back onto 2 wheels. I went through Bikesure via their online form but contacted them directly on the phone and had no issues with arranging cover. I've been with them now nearly 6yrs and had no problems, so much so that before moving over here to Tunisia lock stock n barrel I contacted them and informed them that at some point the bike would be moving here also. I was informed both on the phone and via email that so long as the bike was still UK registered and was not out of the UK/EU a maximum of 180 consecutive days a years then I would be covered. All this for an extra £10 on my yearly premium, a 20 minute phone call and a couple of follow up emails. It actually makes a whole world of difference and easier to explain things one to one on the phone, lot better than the now common automated forms and computer generated answers on the now common automated phone systems.

This is also in the section regarding CBT & training. When you do not need to take CBT You do not have to take CBT if you: want to ride a moped (up to 50cc) and you passed your car driving test before 1 February 2001 want to ride a motorcycle and have a full moped licence from passing a moped test since 1 December 1990 have a full motorcycle licence for one category and want to upgrade to another So if you fall into any of the above categories then you don't need to do CBT to even ride a 125

When did you pass your car test?. Because if you have a look on the Gov.UK website regarding licenses it says if you passed your car test before Feb 2001 you are automatically granted the AM element on your license and can ride a moped, upto 50cc without L plates or the need for a CBT. Anything larger than 50cc then a CBT is required. You can ride a moped (up to 50cc) without L plates. You do not need to take a CBT course or take the full moped test. You must take CBT if you want to ride anything larger than a 50cc moped. This was taken from the above website. As you can see it makes no reference as to whether restricted or not just that the capacity must not exceed 50cc. Hope this helps John

Until moving over to Tunisia we actually had 2 cars, and 3 bikes if you include the K1100 project and the same model donor bike. When project finished it was down to 2+2 with the BM and an ST1100 Honda which I was using as an NHS responder/blood bike during the C19 lockdown. The ST was sold before we moved as the decision was taken that the K would be more suited and comfortable for the ride through France & Italy. We now have just the K and a 4x4 over here, the latter being a "toy" for the desert trips in the spring

Here are some before and after pics along with the donor bike

I can see where you're coming from with regards cost of recommissioning against what you would get selling as a "project" bike. I bought a 1994 BMW K1100LT of that well know auction site. The bike had been stored for the best part of 10 years when it went up for sale. After sending the seller a couple of questions regarding condition etc I put in a "daft" bid and hey ho come then auction end it was mine for the princely sum of £400, that added to the transport costs from London to Yorkshire put the total cost at £550 for a 1 owner BMW that had only done 60,000 from new complete with the full BMW service history it seemed a bargain. First job was to drain all the fluids out and replace along with new spark plugs and fuel filter. Put in new fuel coupled up the new battery, and after watching a video on YT by Chris Harris who specialises in older K bikes and other older BM's. In this video he put 10cc of engine oil into each cylinder refit spark plugs and hit the started button and hey presto fired into life. She smoked a bit until the oil had burnt off in the cylinders after this she ran like a dream. Yes it needed the brakes sorting, discs, master cylinders and calipers etc. I went down the road of a "donor" bike for these parts again bought off e**y. This bike had 6months MOT so I rode it until MOT expired and the stripped off all the parts I needed plus a few extras that weren't on the "project" bike. The total value as per Motorworks website for the parts I was fitting came to just over £900, given I had paid for both bikes £950 even the wife seemed pleased with the costs. This whole project took me from date of purchase to passing the MOT, with no advisories, exactly 3yrs. Yes I bought this as a true project and it took time but it's all been worth it in the end. After a few ride outs in the UK to give it a good old shake down to find any issues, of which nothing major appeared, given it's a 28yr old bike that had been stood nearly half it's life and no major problems rearing up it worked out rather well. Then the "big" trip came along, the ride over to Tunisia, via France and into Italy for the ferry across to Tunisia. A total of around 1500 miles in 3 days, all on French and Italian motorways with speeds averaging 75-80 mph with stops only for fuel and short breaks for drinks etc she did it without missing a beat. There was more chance of me and the wife breaking down before the bike. It's been over here now for nearly 12 months and has been back over to Italy for a 12 day trip up to Rimini and down the Adriatic coast then across to Pompei and the Amalfi Coast before riding down the Med coast and onto Sicily before returning home to Hammamet, again another trip of in excess of 2000 miles, two up & fully loaded without missing a beat. So in answer to do you keep or do you sell personally speaking I'd try and keep it and get some fun and enjoyment from it knowing that you had done all the work and reaping the fruits of your labours by riding it.

It's all that military training coming through again. Ensuring that when it's hot you take on plenty of fluids

Temp here just nudging 40C so decided to walk down to mates beach bar for some grub and beers

Have you thought about the military combat boots style. Me and wife each have a pair high leg combat boots. They have a fully sealed tongue and are waterproof to a reasonable extent, obviously not to the point of a deluge but for summer riding, especially over here they are perfect. They are also very comfortable for walking around in when not on the bike. We got ours from a military surplus website in the uk about 3yrs ago and they cost about £25 a pair. Prior to these I'd always worn the Magnum combat boot in the summer which are super comfy straight from the box given I'd always worn these when in the RAF I knew what I was getting, but at around £150 a pair and getting them was becoming a problem, we opted for the surplus route.

You need to see them over here. Helmets are supposed to be compulsory but nobody wears them and when they do they either don't fit properly, not fastened or wearing something under them or all of the above. Shorts t-shirts/vests and "protective" flip flops are a common site also and then they wonder why when the going sliding down the tarmac their skin gets left behind along with other various body parts. We won't even go to town, less than 1km without helmets, jackets, riding jeans, short boots & gloves. The best thing over here if there's a bad accident which results in a fatality the police don't close the road off or even cover the bodies. We asked a friend of ours who's a bike cop and he said it's to try and deter people from driving like fools. They even leave the wrecked vehicles on display outside the police station for everyone to see. The number of cars and bikes we've seen smashed to pieces with bit of skin, flesh and blood splattered all over would make most of the uk public run for cover screaming. We're part of a MCC here called VIP Motards who based at a bike shop in Tunis and they organise regular ride outs, tours and rallys, but before you can join one of the rides you have to have both your bike inspected along with your riding gear to ensure it meets minimum safety standards. Meaning, not right kit or bike unsafe/unfit then no join in regardless. It's a pity not everyone who rides 2 wheels over here follows these protocols etc

There's an update for Google maps that gives you the option to plan the route for motorbikes. I've found that if you use the route option for cars it gives you a different route to bikes in some cases. I also keep the avoid motorways/highways and toll roads option ticked.

Just wait until she gets to, in her opinion, is old enough to go pillion then you've got serious issues. My 2 little "darlings" are bike mad, especially the eldest. Before we moved out here Sundays were always out on the bike with grand dad regardless of mum n dads plans. 200 miles in the day was nothing for her as long as we made the ritual stops at Seaways Fridaythorpe for breakfast then finished at Squires Sherburn for tea, which is where we would meet the rest of the family, who had to travel by car. The eldest is turning into a "proper biker chick" according to her mum, her reply was "yeah and get used to it", my fault of course. Even had to buy her a leather waistcoat complete with patches, not gone down well with other nanna though.

Too hot for the bike isn't the problem, it's the living being sat on it who suffers the most in the high temps. Over here we're averaging 40+ at the moment and even though helmets are "compulsory" most of the locals on scooters don't wear them or any other form of protective gear at anytime, then wonder why, when they hit the tarmac and slide about 20mtrs they've got no skin left. When we go out we either leave early before it gets too hot or later in the afternoon as it starts to cool down, because even when wearing light weight jackets and riding jeans coupled with a helmet and gloves it feels like you're in a sauna, good for the weight loss mind. Plus having a bike with a fairing the size of a small car(see below) lol doesn't help with the airflow for cooling

I'm so glad that I've retired and got the hell out of dodge (UK) and moved to Tunisia. It used to cost me £35 to fill the K1100 from the fuel coming on. That coupled with fueling the wife's Nissan Juke £50, as and when it needed it, which when left to me wasn't too often as I used bike for both work and pleasure. Over here it costs about £10 to fill the bike up from fuel light on, at the minute we've not got a car but even if we do get one it's still going to cost far less to run both than to run either in the UK. Over here if the govt put prices up and the people don't like the increase they protest to the max and hey ho the price comes down until the people are happy with it. Pity people in UK don't do this, then maybe the govt would think twice before screwing everyone over with the massive taxes etc.

Me and the wife visited the WW1 memorial in Soissons France while we were riding over here back in November last year. I had always promised myself that I would visit as my great uncle is named on it as he was one of 3987 officers & men killed there in 1918 and their bodies never recovered. It's a sobering thought when you see a family member on one of these knowing that they gave everything and never came home to their family.

I had both at the same time and to quote "she who shall be obeyed", better known as the wife. The ST was for playing out on, ie more sporty and the K was for long distances in comfort due to the seat being like an armchair and the top box complete with backrest etc . However after we moved to Tunisia and could only bring one bike over and the ride was going to be the best part of 2000 miles in 3 days from Pontefract West Yorkshire to Genoa Italy to get the ferry over to Tunisia the beemer won the day so the ST was sold and the beemer now lives here in the sunshine.

I've had the "pleasure" of my grand daughter as a pillion since she was 7yrs old, she is now 10 and as her mum puts it "a proper little biker chick" to which her response is "yep, so get over it". When she first started as pillion we bought her some decent gear off Ebay, for 2 reason mainly, 1 to be sure she liked it and 2 the fact she was already taller than the average 7yr old and growing fast. Since her first ride round the block she hasn't looked back, in fact she took to it like a duck to water and before we moved over to Tunisia every Sunday was her day out on the bike with grand dad regardless of what mum n dad had planned. Doing 200 miles in the day was nothing to her so long as we finished the day at Squires near Sherburn. Her first pillion was on my 1st K1100LT until I bought an ST1100 and then finally another K1100LT. The ST was her favourite due to it's comfy seat and sporty style for a large tourer. The more she got accustomed to leaning into bends etc the faster she wanted to go to the point where I had to take on a lap of Olivers Mount at Scarborough which is all hairpins for bends. The down side is if you want to ride out for peace and quiet then you can forget it if she likes it, and don't make the mistake I did and put intercoms in the helmets. defo no peace and quiet then

We've currently got the opposite end of the weather spectrum over here coz it's too foooookin hot average 35C, if there can be such weather. Even though 99% of the locals ride their death trap scooters/mopeds and in some cases proper bikes with no helmets or any other form of protective gear, and then wonder why they get mashed when the y fall off. I for one will not ride without helmet, protective jacket, jeans, boots and gloves. These can be replaced body parts can't.

I carry on the K11 one of those puncture kits with the "bacon strips" in ti along with the reamer and insertion tool. This coupled with the compressor I took from the wife's car when it was written of by scummy joy riders has so far on the 2 occasions when we've had a rear wheel puncture not needed recovery. The compressor isn't the smallest but this and the kit fit perfectly in a fishing reel case and then gets put in the top case, tank bag or one of the panniers depending on how much gear we have with us. Normally it's in the top case with the lock, tool kit and the 1st aid kit.