John Metcalfe

It's getting a bit hot round here now so not much riding done at minute coz feels like been in a sauna by time got to end of our road. So it's time for trip to beach for a chill with some food and the obligatory beers

saw this on the counter at WRS in Cattolica Italy. It might not be made out of Meccano but its a GS. It's actually made from Lego Technic and is available to buy at a rather steep £137 on Amazon In the same shop also on display were a number of other bikes including Cal Crutchlows Moto GP bike

I've suffered with wind noise etc on numerous bikes and wearing different types of helmets. Currently me and the wife are wearing GMac Glide Evo's. With her been pillion she doesn't suffer too much wind noise but I get a small amount even with the screen and barn door fairing on the K1100. I've tried different ear plugs including a set I had issued during my time in the RAF all of which worked to differing levels, however I now use the silicone type ones which I bought on the off chance from our local Home Bargains before we set of on the trip over here to Tunisia. During this 1200 mile trip I wore the Home Bargains ear plugs and suffered almost no wind noise and could still hear the missus through the headset even at motorway speeds (130Kmh). The plugs cost £1.99 for a pack of 14 and you mould them between your finger and thumb before fitting them into your ear and holding in place with your thumb for a few seconds until they form the "seal" in your ear. They are comfortable also even with headset earpieces in close proximity. For £1.99 they work out pretty good value especially compared to the custom made ones which can be uncomfortable.

I'd quite like an adventure bike like the GS or Tiger for playing in the desert sands over here in Tunisia but I think I'll stick with the 2up comfort of my 1994 K1100LT. The comfort bit keeps the missus happy when we go on our little jaunts around Tunisia of further afield into Italy and France

Just to throw a curve ball into the mixer, me and the missus have just done the best part of 2000 miles in 12 days round Italy on our 1994 BMW K1100LT with no issues with regards to comfort for the "boss" on the back and we were fully loaded.

After a 12 day near 2000 mile trip round Italy with the wife on the pillion and full luggage the K11 has just had a well deserved service, including all fluids and a complete strip down and clean of the front and rear brakes complete with new pads all round. A new YSS shocker was fitted while in Italy which was the excuse for the trip in the first place. But main thing is "she who must be obeyed" enjoyed the trip especially after the new shocker was fitted, which took less time to do than it takes to boil the kettle for a cuppa.

Over here in Tunisia helmets are "a legal requirement" but very rarely enforced by the police unless that is they are having a purge when they enforce it with vigor and enforce on the spot "fines". On the flip side we are members of a group/club that is based at a motorcycle shop in Tunis. Regular ride outs and rally's are arranged where it a requirement that ALL riders and passengers wear the correct clothing etc which is inspected before you are allowed to take part in the ride/rally. Bikes are also checked over to ensure that they are up to the required standard. Then and only then will you be allowed register/sign in and receive a number which is then fixed to your bike before you can to take part in the ride.

Try and get a copy of the book Roadcraft. It shows how the police ride and their methods and techniques for both novices and experienced riders alike. You will be suprised at how much more confident you will become after a bit of practice

Me and missus have freedconn headsets/intercoms and have been using these for about 4yrs with no problems. We have them fitted in a pair of GMAC Glide Evo flip front helmets. We get about 10hrs talk time from them when used in "free talk" mode. They have the facility to be paired with other units of the same type which is a simple process. They can also be paired with mobile phones and sat navs with bluetooth capability. The pair we have cost less than £100 for the pair.

There's a chateau about 15 minutes from us that do their own wines that you can buy on site and the missus loves it. And if I'm honest it not too bad and I'm not a wine drinker either. The local supermarket in town has an alcohol section that sells just about very form of alcoholic drink you can buy including imported ones. Not bad for a Muslim country lol And people ask why we decided come and live here.

It may be a Muslim country but they don't ram it down your throat like they do in certain places in the UK. In fact one of the biggest Catholic Cathedrals outside of Rome is in Tunis. Plus when it comes to priorities football definitely comes before religion

So sorry for the lack of grey skies and crap weather, we do get rain and clouds every no and then. With regards to grit and mud etc we do have access to that large sand mass called the Sahara desert which is about 6hrs from us so there's plenty of scope to "play" if you get my drift

When were you here and where about's in Hammamet? We been coming since 2008 and had house here for 6 years living here for the last 3 and had no trouble at all. It fact it's the complete opposite of what you're saying where we are. Locals can't do enough for the British, obviously no matter where you go in the world you will get the customary "dickhead" who spoils it for everyone else and gets remembered for their actions. At least here the police do act straight away and deal with the problem, unlike the UK where they sit with their thumbs up their arses and protect the criminal and not the victim, unless you happen to be riding a motorbike then they screw you at every opportunity they get with the fixed penalty ticket. Plus over here just about everybody has scooter or bike as their mode of transport and bike are given priority over cars at junctions etc.

Yesterday the wife and I decided it might be a good idea to go for a short ride out. This short ride turned into a trip around the Cap Bon Peninsular here in Tunisia. A total of almost 250 kilometres After breakfast we left our hometown of Hammamet and headed out towards the town of Grombalia about 20k from Hammamet and onto Mornag. We then turned North and headed towards Soliman and on out towards Korbouson the coast overlooking the Bay of Tunis, on a good clear day Tunis can be seen along with the port of La Goulette. After about an hours break we set off North again along the coastal road towards El Haouria, the most northerly point of the peninsular before heading South towards Kerkouane and onto Kelibia for a lunch stop. After this stop we headed on towards Korba and Nabeul before reaching Hammamet and home for tea.

I use the household cleaning fluid "elbow grease" that comes in the spray bottle along with an old 1" paint brush to get in all the nooks and crannies. After leaving it for about 10 minutes to soak into the grime I give it another scrub with the brush and if necessary a kitchen pan scrubber, the type with foam on one side and a scrubbing pad on the other, then wash it of with warm soapy water followed by clean water.

I've been using Bikesure now for the last 5-6 yrs for all my bikes and found them very competitive when it comes to cost and inclusions etc. Just had renewal through for the 1994 K1100LT including riding over here in Tunisia and through Europe backwards and forwards to UK every 3-4 months and it's come in at £107 with no add-ons for breakdown etc. So won't be changing anytime soon

What gets me with all this crap is that those numpties in lycra have to be given at least 2m clearance when WE go past them but they dont give 2 hoots about that when they squeeze down the inside at traffic lights and other areas where normal road users are and either scratch the side of cars and or knock wing mirrors off and then cap it all off by riding straight through red lights. My missus thinks that as motorcyclists we should be allowed to whack em on the back of the head when we go past just to let them know that they don't own the road. Wouldn't be too bad if they had insurance to cover them for all the damage they do. They should also be made to pay road tax like every other vehicle that uses the roads has to

Already done

I must be one of the fortunate granddads because my 9 year old granddaughter is turning out to be a proper biker chick, which obviously is "my" fault. Down to that given the choice she would rather be on a bike than in a car regardless of the weather. Obviously the weather over here in Tunisia helps with the all year round riding which she loves when she comes over to visit with ride outs to the Star Wars set etc.

A bit cold and misty this morning so decided to change the brake pads in K1100LT, especially after the trip over from England to Tunisia via France and Italy a trip of almost 1500 miles in 3 days. Took her for a "test" ride accompanied by the grand daughter who has been over for Xmas and New Year. Had a drinks break and a chill out along the sea front before returning home for tea.

Me and the missus recently rose our 27yr old k1100 over from Yorkshire to here in Tunisia. We rode down to the channel tunnel with one stop after about 120 miles. Once over in France we did another 250 with a stop after about 150 before the overnight stop. We then did about 300 to 350 per day to the ferry in Genoa stopping around every 100 to 150 miles for a food and drink rest of about 1hr with 15 minute stops as we felt we needed. These stops we tried to coincide with a fuel stop. These mileages we did easily with no major issues regarding comfort or aches and pains

I had Bridgestones fitted on the K11 with a BT 023 on the front and a BT45 on the rear, in April of this year before riding her over here to Tunisia at the end of October. Including UK mileage and the ride through France and Italy and around here we've done about 8500 and they still look like new given all mileage is done with the missus on the back and then fully loaded on the trip over here. I've never had issues with Bridgestones even had them on the ST1100 and got mega mileage from them too

Just been got back from a ride into town for a coffee and general chill out after putting xmas tree up for the arrival of grand kids on Monday

The headlight on the K11 not much better on low beam with slight improvement on full. Mounted a pair of LED spots onto crash bars and hey ho massive improvement, can actually see the road ahead. Standard tail & brake light not much better either so fitted LED bulb in each along with high level brake light on top case, again massive improvement so at least reduced chance of getting rear ended But given standard of some of the driving over here its more like a wing and a prayer at times

I had a habit if I had the route printed off and in the clear pocket in the top of the tank bag to either write KEEP RIGHT or to draw an arrow to the right on the relevant sheet. Over here in Tunisia though it can sometimes be a case of driving in the lane with the least amount of traffic in it because you find that a 3 lane carriageway can suddenly become 5 or 6 lanes including the Tunisian version of the hard shoulder being used as a lane to drive in. For the newcomers driving here it can be a little bit arse twitching when you see a scooter/moped heading straight towards you on the wrong side of the road, but this is common practice for scooter/moped riders here and without lights at night also