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Not unless you live locally to me, riding bikes is actually about riding them for me, not stopping every five hundred feet to arse around with one of those magic picture box things.

Bloody great thing's cracked the floor.

Damn Harley dealer tricked me into buying new boots.

I was expecting to be looking at a pair of wellies what with the agricultural machinery you ride bucky

world peace..small puppy dogs and pressing wild flowers..

Mawsley seconds before posting the above...

My buddy, Matt took one for a test ride in Ohio. There are rumors it had the front wheel leave the ground (he is the friend on my KTM in Baja that has a hard time keeping it on two wheels). I need to find the video of him in Mongolia, during the GS Trophy competition. They have a long shot of the group transiting a stage across the desert, when one bike rares back on the rear wheel at about 60 and rides off

This is a wacky 80's pic, its ok cause the 80's were weirdly like the 70's anyways, thats Abby btw sitting on the dog house.

thought the same , this is the other one...

so, probably should go in Second Weekend in May thread, but i did mention checking out the new Harley Pan America here. Couldnt wait any longer, as the local dealer got two on Thursday. Friday, took a long lunch to go drool over new bikes (even if they are HDs) The first one in was a black Special Edition (includes ride modes, center stand, and other things i forget for now). That bike had a deposit, but the dealer never got an answer from the deposit holder, so as of yesterday (Saturday) it was available to anyone. Salesman took me and my buddy in the shop and showed us their demo, the orange and white one. In pics, those colors never looked appealing. In person, everything changes. The front doesnt looks a wonky and the orange is a great color! Went back yesterday (saturday) and got a quick pavement only ride on the demo. Very impressive effort, considering this being a entirely new genre for HD (ignoring Buell for the moment). They should be proud of their efforts. Motor is good and i'm looking forward to riding it again in two weeks, in sport mode. Initial thoughts: Cracking up on the HD labeled Anakee Adventure tires. Like that the wheels are same size as on the GS, so tire options are plenty. Engine noise is throaty and pleasing. Lots of buttons on the handgrips, will take a while to learn them all. Fonts on digital display are a little small, but you can use of the buttons to scroll thru the info, with is showing in the center of the display with each push. Quality seems really good. Handle bars remind me of a KTM - narrow than a GS. It feels lighter than a GS, especially when sitting on it and rocking it back and forth. Suspension felt soft, but i wasnt allowed to mess with many settings. I'm sure the Sport setting is nice and firm. The auto-lowering suspension was interesting and a great feature for height challenged. Dealer staff seem out of their element in trying to sell it. (Understandable, and not a complaint). We spent more time educating the salesman about why some features are on it. HD will use Revit gear, which looks really good. This is another point where the salesman was lost. During training on the bikes, gear and accessories, he was shocked about the price of the adventure gear. He is used to selling $200 -$300 jackets, and whatever assless chaps go for. I assured him that us Power Rangers generally dont have a problem spending $1500 to $2000 on good, safe riding gear (pants and jackets). overall, i would say the Pan America is 90% of a GS. That could change after the factory ride in two weeks.

The North, The Center and The South, in the quest for the perfect tour!! No rush to arrive, in the company of Poets, majestic scenery and nostalgia, Together with soul warming food and wine Adventuring into unknown places through ribbons laid down on mountains Over rivers, lakes and dry land End to end country visit, from Seaside to Countryside, Up to dizzying heights of the North and down to the undulating landscape of the South Variety a plenty, real lives being lived, not your typical tourists!! Emotionally I was not in the right place to do this trip, but sometimes not giving in to disillusion turns out the best results! . Lots of anxiety for 3 weeks prior to departure left me frazzled and also the fact I had not ridden the bike for over 3 month didn't help my lack of confidence in myself and my abilities. Plus I hadn´t planned anything like I normally do,which left me in a territory of unknowns and a certain uneasiness. My own lack of planning due to all the said anxiety did make matters worse. But I am not one to give up and have always lived by the moto Audaces Fortuna Juvat. The point was to do a reconnaissance for the moto tours and this would turn out to be one of the most challenging journeys of my life, pushing me over fears, pain and mental blocks, dragging me out of my comfort zone and forcing me to face and beat ( albeit slowly!) the insecurities and worries in my head. I have to thank Pedro for, first taking me to these places/roads where I would have not gone alone, hence pushing me to go further out of what I knew I could do and allowing me to experience/see the most incredible scenery. Second, I have to thank him for his patience and care at the expense of his own amusement and enjoyment plus all the explanations and attempts to teach me to ride better. And without further ado, let's report!! The North We started in Espinho, Pedro´s home town and a place I really quite like. Its a Seaside town just South of Oporto and with gorgeous leafy neighborhoods ideal to take Costa the dog for a stroll before departure. The first day was going to be a long one, with over 7 hours riding and a few breaks for “pic-nicing” and coffee, plus admiring the views. And what views there are around the Douro Valley, called the Gold Valley due to the production of some of the best wines known to men and also how the Autumn Sun makes it seem like molten gold when it hits the vineyards at the end of another season in September and October. This was the first formally demarcated wine region in the World and is now a World Heritage Site, with history that spans over 2000 years and with very friendly and hardworking people, anyone that visits will want to come back many times. The Douro itself is over 900 kms long, starting in Spain and crossing into Portugal through the Douro International Natural Park, that would be the final destination of this 1st day. For you Celtics out there, the name actually comes from Dubro, given by the Celts that inhabited the Northern part of the Peninsula before the Romans. Pedro took us on smaller and smaller roads till we were on single track lanes with passing places, high up on the slopes carved by many centuries of hard working hands to plant more and more vines for more and more wine production, using every single inch conquered from the harsh terrain. The combination of this soil, the dry climate and the exposure of the slopes, makes this terroir impossible to replicate anywhere in the World and the Port Wine is unique to exactly here!! This valley is truly romantic! Narrow winding roads twisting up and down the steep hills always with spectacular views is definitely a point on a bucket list for every nature-loving traveler. We visited one of the most beautiful and romantic of them all, São Leonardo da Galafura! From the top of its 640 meters, the landscape that can be seen here triggers a mixture of reactions: the tranquility of a river that meanders serenely through the valley and the emotion of a superb landscape that we do not seem to know how to fully enjoy. One of Miguel Torga’s favorite places, the poet described the Douro seen from São Leonardo da Galafura as “A geological poem. Absolute beauty ”. Miguel Torga is one of my favourite Portuguese writers and we will encounter him further down our journey in other very remote villages he visited while doing his job as the countryside doctor for the people in those isolated hamlets. A special person he was! Moving on we descended to Pinhão, an important river port in the Douro where wine barrels were loaded on Rabelo Boats destined for Oporto and commerce to the rest of the World. From there we got on the N222, the famous Douro Road you find in all tourist brochures. Because this is no oversold tourist tour., we chose to do the other side of the River for more romantic views and more authenticity and less traffic, plus we rode past all the best Wine Vineyards which was also part of the plan! Now we got on it and climbed up the Douro Vinhateiro, moving away from the River but still climbing between slopes and a changing landscape that would eventually take us to the Douro Natural Park and the The Archaeological Park of the Côa Valley with its Prehistoric Rock-Art Site, is an open-air Paleolithic archaeological site near the border with Spain. In the early 1990s rock engravings were discovered in Vila Nova de Foz Côa during the construction of a dam in the Côa River valley. They include thousands of engraved rock drawings of horses, bovines and other animals, human and abstract figures, dated from 22,000 to 10,000 years B.C. The sites were reviewed by archaeologists and other specialists of UNESCO and other agencies. We didnt see any engravings because we were now past 18.30 and still had to ride a very tiny road Pedro had found and was seriously determined to show me! I will admite right here, right now, when I saw where we were going I was not amused and was a lot keener on going via the main road to get to the hotel faster. So a civilized ding-dong ensued, fueled by my anxiety and tiredness, plus I started the day with an accident, so by then I was *really* digging deep trying to muster all my resources and telling myself, “Who dares wins” ! Pedro was right, it turned out to be my FAVOURiTE road of the trip. Like so many times in life, its small size and unkept state was hiding the most beautiful, peaceful, soul stirring place. Pure Nature all around, without any evidence of the presence of Men other than the small road itself, the feeling of adventure and freedom was right there to be taken with us. I totally fell in love with that place. As for Pedro, in my helmet I thought how content I was he pushed us to go further into a road that looked like the service road of a dam, with overgrown vegetation all around and seemingly abandoned, soon to be reclaimed by Nature and my heart loved him a little bit more! Arrival was past 19.00, making it a 9 hours biking day, and was followed by a bath in a bathtub fit for the Hulk ( boy I needed that relaxing bath! ) and a great diner! 2 kms away is a viewpoint the bares my family name, Durão. Its full name, Penedo Durão.It's a phenomenal place that shows you two countries, divided by a beautiful flowing river Douro, at the bottom of a 500m high canyon. For 112 kilometres the Douro forms the border between Portugal and Spain. This is an isolated area, dominated by two national parks: the International Douro Natural Park (on the Portuguese side) and the Arribes del Duero Natural Park (on the Zamoran margin). Surrounding the rivers are the schist mountains, covered in all kinds of green. Here and there you’ll find small and amazing roads, making their way to the other side. You’ll notice it’s an isolated area, dominated by nature. It’s the home of various animals, of which you might see the griffon vulture and the golden eagle if you’re lucky. It is a delight to me, making my head considerably bigger, that such a magnificent spot has my name on it!!! A part of me likes to pretend I am a 13th Century Queen commanding the land and kicking the Spanish ass from my high position!!! Anyway, we moved on descending via another tiny road that hugged the mountain while descending at over 10% incline, making it into a mini, mini Stelvio!! And there we joined the N221 and 8 kms of fast flowing corners with great tarmac followed to my great pleasure. Pedro very patiently followed me and gave some tips I tried to follow but failed miserably! On this way we continued, past Barca d´Álva direction South-East with yet more amazing corners and tarmac until we left the N221 and cut into the deep countryside, always close to the border, but staying on the right side of it! Eventually we reached a gorgeous little place, that for some reason made its way into my silly romantic being and asked me to linger, seating under a tree overlooking the medieval bridge and making me dream of Templar Knights out on their Conquests with Lusitano horses for transport instead of motorbikes!! Being on the border with our oldest enemy many scenes of chavelary played out in this and other villages, now reduced to almost nothing in significance and size, but still carrying their history with pride. Saying that, our next stop is neither small or insignificant! The Fortaleza de Almeida is the fortress that stands on the site of a medieval castle that saw many wars between neighbors and that was finally declared Portuguese in 1407. The current fortress was completed in 1641, it is a 12 pointed-star shaped built in a Vaubanesque style, a famous military style developed in the 17th Century by a Frenchman commonly referred to as Vauban , a military engineer generally considered the greatest engineer of his time, and one of the most important in Western military history. It was our second visit to this place. My first visit was declared a “total rubbish” by Pedro that then proceeded to show me round the castle walls and the fortress interior. In fairness I was a lot more educated by the end of this 2nd visit! We had a lovely pic-nic in the garden of Almeida and then a coffee in a sunny terrace to top it off! In Almeida, 2 executive decisions happened: fill up the 2 bikes together to my utter amusement because mine could go 287 kms and the white mamut announced an autonomy of 638 kms!! The other thing that happened was also amusing, Pedro putting on his gigantic waterproof trousers! The skies opened up after the lunch break, heavy and continuous rain fall took me back to some of my trips around northern Europe cannot say I prefer it to nice sunny weather, but somehow it gives me a warm feeling inside! The Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa 2 held on very well even when we got up to 120 kmh on little bit of open road. We meandered down the interior of this region and after a couple of hours the larges mountain in Continental Portugal loomed closer and we started climbing, passing one of my ancestors seat, Sabugal, with its Castle overlooking the menacing neighbors and then the loveliest of villages, Sortelha, with yet another Castle and cute cottages perched on the hills. At this point I was desperate to eat a sandwich with the traditional cheese of this area, made from ewe's milk, curdled with thistle and intensely rich and creamy. It was not to be found anywhere, many places chose to not open and take advantage of the compensation from the Government for staying closed and eventually a kind cafe owner made us a sandwich with the cheese he had bought for himself to take home. Not the real deal, but almost!! With this new fuel ( lets not try to count the calories on found in a cheese with a fat content above 40%...) and feeling ready for the challenge of hitting the top at 1993 m, under the rain and maximum temperature of 5C. By now we had been riding for 7 hours and were about to face switchbacks with cold temperatures and water. Still, we are tough cookies and the bikes were happy. As we reached the top, there was still snow on the side of the road and it was a highlight of the whole trip. Pedro's happy face running for a snow bath! Unfortunately the cloud came over the top and got stuck, the mountain pulling the mist further and further up as if covering it self with a fluffy blanket for the night. For us, the descent was done inside this thick blanket of cloud and there was nothing else to do but to put the hazards on and very steadily go down, down, down until our night stop, Seia. The landscape in Serra da Estrela is almost otherworldly, always imprinting on the visitor a sense of majesty, the realization of our real size and importance. Compared with the rock formations, the Glacier, the vegetation that have been there for millennia, we Humans are like a mere speck in the continuum of time and space. I have been here a few times, Pedro many more because this was his regular weekend trip a few years back, so both of us know it, understand its moods and for sure forgave the harsh conditions presented to us pretty quick. In a couple of hours we were at the hotel, very wet outside but totally dry inside. Hurray for good gear! Such an improvement on days gone by! Dinner was a traditional affair of this region, some of you would struggle! Either with the famous black pudding produced here, the very smoky chouriço, the bird sausage made to look like a chouriço by Jews pretending to be Christians and trying to avoid the inquisition ( one day I will explain….), the ewe's milk cheese with its intense smell or maybe, just maybe, the octopus rice!!! The wine was delicious, from a farm we had passed in the morning and production of a friend of Pedro´s brother, amazing!!! Complementary schnapps to wash down the coffee, to which Pedro made good use of!! Next, The Center of Portugal!!

We have been having some strange weather here, one day of sunshine then two days of rain and then three or four miserable overcast days. I was in shorts and tee shirts last year by the beginning of March...oh well last Wednesday 5th May the sun shone bright the temperature hit 32 degrees in the mountains and I must remember to find my Summer riding jacket. A couple of weeks back I had one of those days you try to forget but the wife wouldn't let me so for my birthday she bought me a new Go-pro, so last Wednesday was a good time to try it out, Got to learn a whole new stack of settings LOL. Getting fed up with You-Tube they have now decreed that my sampled bit of music that I have been using one way or another for some time is now covered by the copyright laws all 7 seconds of it and they even stuck a ban on one of my vids as the camera picked up a bit of music from a parked vans radio grrrr. There must be free alternatives somewhere out there. Anyway another 300kms was clocked up last week the video is from the first part of the trip as I only had a 32g memory card in it at the time.

we're looking into wankers redundancy, but the French employment laws are atrocious for trying to get rid of somebody, costs huge amounts of money unless you can prove professional misdeeds.

@MooN this one was suggested reading today. Its well reviewed and I think it might be up your street, only £3.60 and you can get a sample to ty before you buy. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07M9B6Q9G/?coliid=I19YVKKMME94QY&colid=14JWWHWX4FQ9O&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it_im

I'm just wondering how much Harley dealers charge to take a photo of the stuff they sell you and was it extra to post it on line

Based on this list: You took the whole tab dude, and that was for 10 people!

They look like Orthopaedic Shoes to me!

My pops played bass for him for a bit, not long cos he couldn’t stand him “.... nasty piece of work... odious cu*t..” Treated everyone like shit. He was proper fucked up.

Another great way to end the day, with a happy dog, and a great way to start the following one! #blessings #greatful

Rocking that fairy outfit like a superstar @Slowlycatchymonkey!

Made mum a lemon cake, its nice i still can.

The film Looper is good.

Not yet!! Soon

If your dad was as good as some that followed him then I'm impressed too.

Yeah, sorry, there are no pictures in the book. I can see it being made into a drama though.

oooh thanks, I might have to try that. I have followed the various adventures of Colebatch riding that part of the world which has only served to fuel my desire to go there one day.

Dunno, try searching for Fred Coleman the Author

yes that's one worth keeping an eye on

Heres one I prepared the other day

Erm.....nah she can fend for herself

I didn’t use the Moco vignette so no extra charge.

Can we expect to see these Orthopaedic shoes in action soon in terms of motorcycle riding?

You would know.

Was he in the band in 78......cos that's when I saw him in Swansea Top Rank?

Oh hahaha didnt read the beginning of the post being a bit dumb..

@XTreme I choose my sound stuff by the number of watts. Generally the higher the watts the better the quality of sound. Even if you dont want to listen to things cranked to the max the overall sound quality is better from a more powerful unit because the kit has to be able to handle the output without blowing the speakers. If the watts are measured in PMPO (peak music power output) its a sign of shite equipment, the loudest noise a speaker can kick out at its peak is not a good measure so your looking for the highest RMS watts you can find within the budget you set. Can’t remember what RMS stands for but its power output measured over time to give a mean which produces lower numbers that manufacturers dont like to reveal if the gear is crap so they hide behind PMPO. Its very hard to recommend a particular brand as most are completely inconsistent in what they produce. Sony for example generally gives you very little power for your money but occasionally produces something good. The size of the speakers and the RMS watts are your friends when trying to sort the wheat from the chaff. The bigger the better has always been my experience especially for bass sounds. If the watts are not listed or hidden in tiny print avoid. If you already know this stuff my apologies. edit- looked it up RMS is ‘route mean squared.’

Mini bikes.

Gorgeous. I wouldn’t have given that wood a second look, you really have a great eye.

OMG a flounce from six??? Come on man toughen up. You and extreme suit each other. Not in a bad way, in a comedy gold type of way. Dont be silly. If you hang around for the banter Ill show you my tits. Sorry I’m so lying but you get the sentiment.

Went for another drive this morning for the dog walk. This could become a habit. Learning more about my 4x4 all the time, which is good. Even though I live in the forest with endless land around me, it is really nice to see different trails and trees some days. Lucy also seems to be enjoying the new smells she finds on the fresh trails. A happy dog makes me happy!

She made it to Charleston SC, that means something in my book!

Brilliant. Thanks for posting this even though it means I have to go on facebook and find out how to follow someone?! Got tickets for Overlander but dunno if im gonna be here cos its also the Eiffel trip date. She sounds like a character and a half! What a find, someone like that turning up is like finding buried treasure!

xtreme ... thats all he banged on about on other forum , Labour this , Corbyn that ... Diane Abbot is a breath of fresh air ..blah blah blah

Whether it's political or not you're bang on Dave, i'd like to know what sort of moron votes for her

Had fun editing these, going for the old faded photo look, if that is a thing.....

Charlotte in the Spring I have really been enjoying my new bike this Spring. Having the two worlds, gravel and street, has made it so I am on a motorcycle several times a week now. Charlotte, my 2020 Honda CB500F has been all over the Sunshine Coast now and April just flew by. Here are a few highlights of our Spring rides.

Well, I was going to write I am happily drinking myself to sleep when I read that @MooN is having real health and work problems ... so now I´m feeling guilty... hang in there Chris, just know that you are appreciated, at least here. I know you push yourself and appreciate your job but if you are unable to move you won't be of use to yourself or be able to enjoy being off work. Pace yourself! So, I have just finished drinking this very unassuming and simple white grown 20km away, bought today from a lady that owns a wine farm that has pet sheep, got to love that.