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found the real reason for the move.

Rumour has it that Kawasaki and Yamaha are closing many of their plants due to declining bike sales. Apparently, the Baby-Boomers all have motorcycles, and Generation X is only buying a very few, and the next generation, the Millennials, aren’t buying any at all. A recent study was conducted to find out why. Here are the reasons why Millennials don't ride motorcycles and why sales are down: 1. Pants won't pull up far enough for them to straddle the seat. 2. Can't get their phone to their ear with a helmet on. 3. Can't use 2 hands to eat while driving. 4. They don't get a trophy and a recognition plaque just for buying one. 5. Don't have enough muscle to hold the bike up when stopped. 6 Might have a bug hit them in the face and then they would need emergency care. 7. Motorcycles don't have air conditioning. 8. They can't afford one because they spent 12 years in college trying to get a degree in Humanities, Social Studies or Gender Studies for which no jobs are available. 9. They are allergic to fresh air. 10. Their pajamas get caught on the exhaust pipes. 11. They might get their hands dirty checking the oil. 12. The handle bars have buttons and levers and cannot be controlled by touch-screen. 13. You have to shift manually and use something called a clutch. 14. It's too hard to take selfies while riding. 15. They don't come with training wheels like their bicycles did. 16. Motorcycles don't have power steering or power brakes. 17. Their nose ring interferes with the visor. 18. They would have to use leg muscle to back up. 19. When they stop, a light breeze might blow exhaust in their face. 20 It could rain on them and expose them to non-soft water. 21. It might scare their therapy dog, and then the dog would need therapy. 22. Their man bun wont fit under a helmet.

And wet summers too

Hadn't been out for two weeks so I had to give the bike a run today. Unfortunately it was pretty bleak, a bit cold, and quite windy. But I did about 50kms to make sure it was well warmed up to clear any condensation, dampness etc.

Despite the first flights of cranes already heading back north, it' still defininately winter here. The sun was out yesterday afternoon and the temps were nearly up to double figures ( but not quite) so I donned all the thermal gear and went for a ride. I didn't get moving unill nearly 3pm so the sun was well past it's already low winter zenith and as I hate riding with the sun in my eyes I rode NW for a while keepin the sun on my left cheek, the idea being that as it sank lower I would turn NE to have it behind me and then ride South as it dropped below the tree line and so end up back at my departure point... "ish" As the sun was low there was very low the pics are all taken facing NW-ish and with looong shadows. by the time I got home at around 5,30pm the temperature had dropped to around 3c and I'd had the heated grips on for an hour already. still very bare trees I did manage to find an abandoned house for @XTreme, No I didn't go and explore it cos I couldn't be arsed. there were also one or two little lanes that lured me away from the chosen direction, mostly ending in a field or farm yard but otherwise I just follow them through and pick up my original heading at the next opportunity.

Scott has wanted us to go there for some time......then last week he was talking about coming back to Spain just because we're old and fucked. We can't let him throw away his future (he's on a 6 figure salary there in IT) so we've had to take this step. Wife really wants to go anyway.......and I'm fine with the idea too. Though it wouldn't bother me if I stayed here forever either. You met the boys when you came here 16 years ago......they've changed a bit since then. Steve 34 (Poland) with youngest grandson Julian. Scott (31) Netherlands with girlfriend Erinn.....they're getting married this year.

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The sun has been around this weekend so we took the opportunity to try out our new 23Zero Awning. We spoiled ourselves and got the add on walls. WOW!!! So nice, so much space.......LOVE IT!!!! . It will make for a nice set up if we decide to stay somewhere for a few days. This is not fully set up, didn't stake it in, but it just makes the 4Runner disappear......cool camouflage!

Nice pic Pete, snowing here today, so i went out to see the new flag.

I'll take old photos with me though. And when they find out I've increased the ginger population by 5 more I'll be worshipped as a ginger breeding machine!

Caught short , busting for a shite ..

about it still being winter it was almost like a spring afternoon today, 13 deg c, clear skies...loverly, so I went riding again. Obviously within about half an hour of leaving home the skies began to cloud over and the wind picked up but it remained warm and I probably could have done without the thermal liners. 2 1/2 hours riding, south ish then west ish then North-east ish. think I found where the local biker gang hang out This forest road was open and looked inviting, if steep to begin with, but as I took the photo my brain (or what little there is left of it) reminded my that a gated forest road, supposed to be reserved for permit holders, on a Sunday, during hunting season was probably not the best idea I'd ever had... so I bottled it and went back to the public roads. can't decide whether the road or the rail way is more minor... Then I thought of you lot and remembered a tradition that has been lost

I had a great ride up to the pub a few miles from Betws-y-Coed yesterday, its about 150 miles one way from my home which doesn't sound a lot but its 150 miles of roads with tight bends dips and humps with some of them quite narrow and covered in crap from farm vehicles and bad weather. I was waiting for the frost to lift but at 11am my car was still frozen solid so had to just leave otherwise i would be putting my tent up in the dark. I took the A470 to Brecon not the nicest of roads to start but its just a bit you have to do to get north fast. The temperature was just above 3°c the bike was running so smooth with the more road biased tyre on the back and sounding nice again, I had my bar muffs fitted with heated grips and heated jacket on, with a grin on my face i didn't have a care in the world then bugger i forgot my ear plugs something i never used in the past but i am trying to use now as my ears tend to ring a bit after a long ride but no chance of going back so i press onto the upper chapel road (B4520) from Brecon to Builth Wells, a great road for any bike. From here it's back on the A470 to Rhayader stopped for fuel, cash and to check the bike over to see if the load is still good That's the latest thing in tent urinals on the top of my bag Out of Rhayader i took a right off the A470 onto the B4518 to Llanidloes and past Clywedog Reservoir Have to use google for images here https://www.google.com/maps/@52.4847135,-3.5955438,3a,75y,208.11h,80.61t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sgXdvNRGi2coZ0fEfA5bhkg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DgXdvNRGi2coZ0fEfA5bhkg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D206.62186%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192 before i get to Llanbrynmair i hang another right onto an unclassified road now i'm on the roads i really like Next stop was to check on the fence where @boboneleg tried to reenact Steve McQueens great escape and unlike Steve McQueen Bob did get over the fence to freedom but his bike didn't make it only one post still leaning and the fencing vertical wires are still where the DR pushed them to This road took me to the Llangadfan where i then picked up the B4395 to the B4393 around Lake Vyrnwy Google to the rescue again https://www.google.com/maps/@52.778067,-3.4932284,3a,75y,356.18h,72.62t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNFHzCZWdndfOaYtnlWVYgHY5xusSDhN_UiIYhE!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNFHzCZWdndfOaYtnlWVYgHY5xusSDhN_UiIYhE%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-10-ya40-ro0-fo100!7i8192!8i4096 At the end of the res there's two unclassified roads that go over to east and west sides of Bala Lake i normally ride the west side from Dinas Mawddwy but decided to ride the east side today here's a few photos of the road up and over the pass Got to the pub just after 3pm and had to work out how to put the tent up its been so long since the last time i done it trying out a light weight camp bed i bought many years ago but never got round to using it got to say i had a good nights sleep but woke up to a malfunction with the in tent urinal I think this was the cause of the urinal malfunction packed up this morning by 08:30 all dry with no hangover and all ready for the Dragon campsite felling great. Went in for breakfast and while i was in there the heavens opened and it pissed it down i thought there's no way i'm sticking the tent back up in that so i thought fuck it and headed home. i found a pair of ear pugs in jacket pocket so had a quiet ride home LOL, The rain wasn't too bad but the wind was blowing me about like a flag and on the narrow mountain roads it was bloody dangerous and i started feeling a bit queasy so stuck to the main roads home the bike ran faultlessly

whoa.........Ya, no piss spraying in my tent......NO SIR!

Plenty of room for @Sir Fallsalot to throw his piss around!

Drop off more losers and then bring on more big hitters Fred! It's not about working more hours.....it's about making the hours you work more profitable!

One for @XTreme

One for @Clive

That is absolutely feckin awful............

Moving to another country in the EU isn't as easy as it used to be.....so I've been studying the Dutch interpretation of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement on their Immigration site. And it appears that I've found a potentially small window of opportunity that only exists until the end of September this year. I'm going to make some enquiries tomorrow so I'll keep you posted.

Went to the beach with my dog looking for bitches

to me this sounds like a shit plan.... shit weather ,you moan when it rains where you are now , what you going to be like when your cloggs are letting in water, work harder !! why would you want to work harder for fuck sake, sit your mrs down and talk to her , plonk a six pack of Stella on the table in front of her, she'll know she could be getting a slap then. just go and visit your family or get them to come to you for holidays .

fuck would i know.... you soon to be Clogg wearing Twat

you hero

You and @Sir Fallsalot sharing a tent would be the Perfect Storm Yen!

Not if you have to prove your ginger cos the only way you can is to drop your pants and that will have half the population laughing themselves to death and the other half spewing

True!! Its lovely to eat overlooking the sea!

Last time i checked there are only 7 days in a week and your working all of them now so how you going to do that

My mum found out she had a secret sibling somewhere in the UK. She told me she remembers her mum going away on a long holiday at the end of the war, so probably an American soldier was involved. She also found out she had a Greek step brother in Cyprus when her parents wills were sorted out after they died out there a few years ago.

More like unstopable.

Paper says 37f today for water temps, HVaC control says air temps are 30f.

Fixed that for you .............

Yes I know Bob......I'll just have to work a bit harder!

Yeh.....that would be too upmarket for Fred! And if he'd gone he'd only have ended up throwing his piss over them.

I don't do facebook but judging by some of the links people have sent me you dodged a bullet @Sir Fallsalot Apparently the site was just a field , there was no marquee , no bar and no firewood. Oh ! and the band played out of the back of a horsebox so you had to stand in the rain to watch them

They won’t take you with white hair though, you’re still a ginger to all that know you but no ginger to your own kind. Sad story…

I really like your countryside and those seemingly lost roads you take pictures off. Makes me want to go for a french ride over there, stopping for the night at a small inn with a warm plate of country food and a bottle of red wine, like a musketeer

Think I've mentioned before there's more than one father in our family and my oldest brother has hinted he knows who he is. Told him more than once that my Dad brought me up.

'course it's f'kin wet Tym, most of the country is under water... or would be if they weren't pumping it out all the time. freaking cold winters too, I know some guys who worked a coule of seasons in Lemmer on the hire fleets and they had really really cold winters.

I was then adopted at the age of 2 months so have no biological history at all, hence the reference to "bloodlines" in my earlier post. I could tell you the history of my adopted family back 3 or 4 generations but is that relevent? ( there's a philosophical question in there somewhere about biological and physiological history and a discussion on whether blood is really thicker than water, and what makes a perseon who they are, but this is probably not the ideal time or place )

Dutch was my first language and i had a 16 year old dutch au pair too. Here is me and the boys outstanding on a Dutch Dyke. Should you move there, i have no freaken clue. the boys seem to dreess like girls after looking at that pic.... Looks wet all the time too. Let s try another manly dutch shot. My best guess if you like pusssies you;ll move to NL. Thats New London over here btw.

You will be back to wet winters then.

That would probably be even easier to spill