Leaderboard

Well, elections, closed restaurants, winter (what passes for winter in Southern California), made it time to get the heck out of Kommiefornia. Nevada was a little more "open", so it was off to Pahrump for the weekend. The destination was never really the important thing, it was about the ride. Isnt it always? The route was based on the twistiest roads we could find between here and there (Pahrump). In the middle of the desert, on old Hwy 66 - the Mother Road, you find the remnants of a roadside motel. These always bring back memories of my youth, as i was an Air Force brat and we travelled a lot in the 60s and 70s. Also in the middle of the desert, was Kelso Junction. Once a busting railway station, back when train travel was more popular. I would love it if the railways had special cars that you could drive your bike or car on and travel longer distances before hopping off. Of course, only when vacation time is short. Pahrump was nice, great food and drink. But, it was just a stop and nothing special was planned there. Plus, the brothels are still closed.... The return route took us through Death Valley: Dante's View Well, in all fairness, they do have to haul fuel a long distance to get here. After Death Valley, we headed out thru Trona and Randsburg. There just happened to be a peaceful demonstration going on, so we were able to get food in Kommiefornia. Saturday's lunch was at a little farmer's market in 29 Palms.

150km of Autoroute to Dijon in the pouring rain and apalling side wind, to be there for 14h00 so's to be home again before curfew at 18h00. It's like being back at bloody school, report back in by 6 and lights out at 8... Not a big fan of the autoroute by bike, especially in the rian when the speed limit drops to 110kph rather than 130, which means that you pay to go not that much quicker than on the normal roads, but when you're on a tight schedule they are effective. Even more so now I have a badge that means I don't even have to stop at the barrier and faff about getting wallet and ticket and such like. Chez Triumph the weather was a bit calmer by the time they's finished and I reckoned I had enough time to get home without using the autoroute. I made it with 7 minutes to spare . I have, over the years, ridden in my fair share of shitty weather, but for probably the first time i actually have gear that will cope with it. I did 300km is today in really wet conditions with temps around 10c and at no point was I cold or wet. The more I use this bike the better I like it. ?

Bagheera was in the tent (garage) for the beginning of January, but we did manage to get out on a few sunny days. ?

I rode to work and back this morning, it was like summer, warm enough to wear thin gloves and one less layer under my jacket, no need for heated grips. It was also overcast and windy but you can't have everything. Snow forecast over the weekend though, warmth is a temporary condition. Two nutters followed me along a closed road asking me questions today about the site we were on. Either there are more about than usual or they are deliberately seeking me out. I think one was telling me he loved council workers, his diction wasn't great so I'm not sure. This was right by the Watch House built in the 1800s to stop people stealing bodies from the grave yard and selling them to the anatomists at the local teaching hospital, proving that there is a long and fine tradition of thievery in the area. “A watch-house stands at the corner of the churchyard. Body-snatching reached its peak during the 1820s and most London graveyards have, or had, watch-houses dating from that period. The Anatomy Act of 1832 put body-snatchers out of business. before that doctors could legally have only corpses of criminals for dissection.”

I like to give them a hearty welcome.

A pink bike and full of shit! The only way from there is up!

at the dealers for a service today

Mum says you can wear it around the house... and she wants a pic of you with it on. I think she's bored i;ll get her another cup of coffee.

Did a pic in honor of Neil Peart

We send a big bubble out to retrieve that member and they are brought back to be beaten with wet noodles.

Marketplace is the only reason I use Facebook. No matter how shit the item, there's always some gullible chump willing to give me money for it. To me that pretty solidly proves the "Facebook users are all gullible chumps" idea. The wife loves it.

I bought a new bike jacket in September, I've worn it once

Tym says stirring cunt you fuck shit.

I have always preferred the forum format to FB and was only dragged kicking and screaming into FB when max bikes dies and was reincarnated into an FBgroup which was stillborn. I have said before that I am an asocial person, perfectly happy to just do my own thing and feel no "need" to frequent other people or groups of people. I have tried, and have, over the years, signed up to a myriad of forums and FB groups at one time or another but I always unsubscribe within a few weeks for one reason or another. the only exceptions to that have been Max bikes ( and now here) and Les Motards Bourguignon which again started as a forum and transmogrified more or less successfully onto FB. Why? it's beyond me, On max bikes there was always that indefinable something that made me feel comfortable, so I stayed. it is, by definition "indefinable", though I think a large part of it is the lack of judgementalism ( piss taking and so on sure, but not seriously judgemental) which probably goes along with the average age of the inmates and the policy of no politics or religion which means that despite having to automoderate sometimes, there are few inflammatory posts or subjects that people are not capable of walking away from and ignoring.

Meanwhile on Social Media........

Took my KLR on it it was perfect, my KLR loves 45mph....

You have, however, gotten a ticket for passing in a no passing zone... or have you forgotten about the little meeting with the Tennessee Valley Authority a bunch of years back? Jeep Cherokee blocking the bridge on the straight after the twisties through the wooded section? Had a cop riding with us so they knocked it down from reckless driving? $75 and never went on my record in Indiana since it was the TVA and not a state cop if I recall correctly. That's the only ticket I've gotten on a bike. Got pulled over once and asked where I was going in such a hurry. I just said "I dunno" and then he asked why my plate was zip tied on. Got into the story of just moving here, plates were different sizes, frames are hard to get for these fancy Dewcahtees etc etc. Let me go with a warning. Had lights flashed at me a few times and at least once the guy just ignored me as I came at him at 80mph on the wrong side of the double yellow while passing bicycles that were out in the road. That was on the Blueridge Parkway, I think the limit is 30mph along there? I was on a bright yellow 996, I'm pretty sure he saw me. The first speeding ticket I ever got was in a diesel Rabbit (VW Golf). 63 in a 55 on the interstate. Fucker threatened to arrest me if I didn't pay it right then and there. I was 100 miles from home, coming back from visiting my girlfriend who was off at college, I had $1.50 with me, no credit cards, no check book and it was before cell phones. I told him let's go then and he backed off. Turns out you can pay by mail too. Prick.

I'll admit it - I ride like my hair is on fire and my ass is catchin'. Rarely do less than 85 / 90 mph on motorways and 10-15 mph over on other roads. Yet, I have never had a speeding ticket on a motorcycle in over 400,000 miles or so of riding. Dunno why, just dumb luck, I guess. Got pulled for 61 mph in a 55 zone last summer - no ticket, just talked to the Trooper for a bit.....

And here's the leathers I rode on it...and you call me a twat...

All in a days work here

Good to see you Sofia!

It was amazing ham!!

it is indeed

You are really trying hard to get an outright ban there aren't you Rich? Rich on another forum.......

73 and the twat rides a ZX10 or his MT 10.

I am on Facebook WAY too much, but prefer forums. With all the political bullshit that's been going on here lately I've wanted to leave FB (My wife did years ago) but the one thing that keeps me there is the 3D printer groups, or one group in particular. I also use FB Marketplace to sell things rather than Craigslist these days but that's secondary. I much prefer forums over Facebook due to the lack of ads and infuriating opions from complete fucking idiots who should know better. And, things get lost in FB. Have you ever tried to go back to a post on FB? Once you leave the page and come back everything's different. Drives me fooking nuts when I'm looking for info I know I saw there. So I'd leave Facebook if there was a forum for my particular printer that had the same people on it, but for now the user group there is a great way to get quick contact with the guys who write the firmware and know about mods, etc. I have also started using Discord for that but the Facebook group is more user friendly. And, of course, goes without saying, but Facebook is one more place I can stalk Earache. ?

Yeah feels that way Ex, bet the post count has gone up.

You could always ask @Clive to start a thread there requesting it. Providing he hasn't been kyboshed of course! In fact he can add me into it as well! I can't leave you unaccompanied can I?

You didn't know Fred was a Twat then Bob? Not even his photos with a Mullet gave you any clue?

Same here in terms of longevity Bob......but we're not cliquey in any way. That's something I'm always very aware of.....because once a forum gets an insular attitude these days, it's the Kiss of Death!

It's more cliquey than XRV, those that are on there have all known each other for years . That's not a critisism, just the way it is.

Big Trailie is pretty dead as well, I don't go there much at all now.

So it would seem the twats have stopped me from using the other forum.....

@Bruce can confirm......but it was something along the lines of how I'd excelled myself in finding someone as fucking stupid as you!

Wernt russian hookers big business for a time.

Perimetral lockdown back again......fortunately the town limits do go out into the really remote areas so I can get about a bit. We had this from mid Oct to early December then they lifted it. At which point the weather turned to shit so I couldn't go anywhere. So strictly speaking this is the same restriction that I've had for 3 and a half months. The bike mileage (kph) tells the tale.....Oct 1200, November 300, December 100, January 40. I'm now officially a.......

Devil's doorbell!?

1 in 5 Americans have a STD now, i think we need another lockdown.

Doing a 15 year stretch I'd imagine!

I enjoyed bookface when I first signed up. Got to talk to my brother which doesn't happen, he only lives round the corner. In fact I kept in touch with all my family on there. I knocked it on the head when I'd had my fill of ads and and bogus warnings of scams my family kept sending. I've always been on forums, for bikes and info nothing else. Met some good people along the way too.

I forgot about that - and it was like 25 years ago. I was on a '93 or a '95 CBR900RR. BRP is pretty much 45 all along the whole thing. Way too low for the quality of the road if ya ask me.

Well OF COURSE it got updated this year. I bought a 2020 after all so it's a given the 2021 would be updated. Aside from the tubeless wheels I'm not all that upset. I do like the 100th anniversary colors but from what I hear they're limited availability, one per dealer so chances are I wouldn' thave been able to get that anyway.

Fast forward 5 years... no sign of pink now...

It wasn't pink Bruce...it was Magenta..

I've got to admit, I use Facebutt a lot... I'm ashamed to admit it.. But i have 2 daughters and a wife who use it more than me, and we use it as a communication tool when we aren't together. Fuck all to do with bikes, but I am active in several forums to keep in touch with bikey stuff, invaluable for advice on matters mechanical, a great source of resources when you want parts, and a place to hang out for banter with deranged weirdos who share the same strange sense of humour. Thanks to Pete for setting this up after Maxbikes shut down.. it's good to bounce off old friends.. guys and gals we never meet in person , and guys and gals we do.

I use Facebook for the bike side of things like what events are coming up and dedicated groups for a particular bike for information, but even sticking to those groups i have to come away from there to take a breath because i cant take the crap on there it's so hard to scroll past and not read it The only forum i visit other than this one is the XRV one but i found it very clicky. when in its prime i could answer someones question and the guy asking it would thank someone giving the same answer 3 posts down and not even acknowledge me and this happened all the time so i gave up on it, now its dead I've tried but still the same and I've been active on there for 13 years. Enjoying this place at the moment, but as its growing i'm finding it more and more difficult to keep up with everything and starting to miss posts as i don't have the time to sit and read everything, the good thing with the forum is its easy to pick up where you left off where on Facebook its lost forever after a day

Dislike? Thick brits who post entire book chapters using no punctuation, makes my head hurt. Like? The brotherhood of people I've known for a lot of years, without actually having to meet every week. also like? Getting to know cool people like @Grasshopper's Ride and @Lone Amigo