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Found some old photos. 2004 1984 2003

Yep the deaths that have happened and the hospital workers are all lying, it’s just flu, its all a scam. FFS.

Are they sure they weren't shits before and the peace of lockdown didn't just highlight how wankery they are? nb wankery, thats new, I like it. I'm emailing Oxford English Dictionary as we speak

Thank you for the welcome. Glad to hear I am not the oldest I do sing in a male voice choir and I am not the oldest there either. I did like the look of an Orange Interceptor in the showroom when I got my Himalayan. Not really what I was looking for but very nice all the same. I wanted something practical to commute on and have the odd bimble here and there. My work is 32 miles away so I thought a Himalayan would fit the bill for that. 10 miles back roads and the rest along the A30 dual carriageway. I am quite happy to sit at 60 mph for the most part as I work nights most rides to work will be in. the dark. I am quite pleased with the bikes headlight it is much better than I thought it would be. Sorry I digress, thank you for the welcome.

Does anyone else see the mossy bird creature? ….. or have I been outside too long

I headed across country to the rally about lunchtime on Friday, my mate was riding from further away as the crow flies (61/63 miles respectively) on his new to him Triumph Tiger 800, but there seems to be no direct route east to west for me, so my journey was 90 miles, his was only 80. I had a new tent I bought in 2020 when no one was allowed out and I hadn't even opened the bag, let alone put it up. This proved to be a mistake. I did my zig zag journey in very windy conditions, the sort of blustery stuff that shakes your head about rather than pushing the bike across the road if you know what I mean and I arrived about 2pm. I stopped my bike next to the signing in tent where there was a long queue which didn't appear to be moving. I stood at the end for a few minutes, looking back at my bike I could see the stand had sunk enough to make me worry about it tipping over properly, so I left the queue and moved it a few feet onto slightly firmer mud. When I rejoined my queue I heard my name called and realised that a couple I knew were ahead of me. Jackie and Shaun told me to just ride in and put my tent up and sign in later, so I got my bike and followed their directions to find out where they were camped. I parked up and the field was full of sheep shit, it was everywhere. The words 'it's a working farm' came back to me from the rally info sheet. By now the wind had really picked up so the first thing I did was get the ground sheet out of my tent bag and peg one end down so it wouldn't blow away. Then I removed the Kyham tent which was a taller version of a type I'd had two of over the last 20 years, so it shouldn't have presented any problems. BUT, with the wind fighting my every move it was hard work and one of the folding poles just seemed to be in a knot and until I could get that sorted the thing had no structural integrity and the wind was sending it back and forth. Out of nowhere a few blokes came and asked if I needed help. I suggested holding on to my ankles would be a good idea. Then Jackie turned up as well and 4 of us fought the tent some more. We were still having trouble with a single folding pole and one of my saviours spotted that it had been assembled incorrectly. He managed to disconnect it and rethread it properly and we finally got the thing to stand up and I pegged it down quickly. I pinched one of the guy lines from the non windy side and doubled up on the gale side and it seemed okay. A few feet away there was a collapsed tent with about 5 Givi panniers sitting on top of it. It turned out that tent belonged to someone I know called Noddy. He and other members of his bike club dressed in foil suits when the bands were on that night and he had what looked like a head band over spiky hair. This turned out to be a hat which he whipped off to show us. I made him do it again for the camera as you can see.

I was wondering how long it would be before you started talking about your inside leg to strangers

5'8" but the XS750 needs a 32 inside leg mine is 29. Heavy bike for tip toes.

I know the bloody clients turned into wankers since covid. One more thing that made me have to get out form the boat hire thing. I originally put it down to me getting older but everyone I'e spoken to agrees that it IS the clients that have become shits. I have actually spoken to 2 people in the businees who have ceased hiring out boats and now just run a Marina and repair service, because they couldn't deal with the shits any more.

The headlight and the side stand are a couple of issues they had which are fixed on later models. My headlight is about 1-2 candles in brightness, a torch would be better I don’t have any problem getting the Himalayan over 80mph (on closed private roads ) I stopped pushing it when I hit 86mph because although the rev counter said it was alright the sound said otherwise but there’s plenty there if you want it.. and aren’t too impatient for it I think it would be great for commuting. I rode it in the capital of a very hectic country and it pushes through traffic well, probably because it’s trustworthy so you feel confident to push but it would also be good as a commuter because its a relaxing not a wearing bike to ride which when you’re working night shifts you’d appreciate.

Yeh.....but it prompted you to make a major lifestyle change that was obviously well planned out Bob! You didn't go batshit crazy and then do something like buy a Harley and run off with a Pole Dancer did you?

I was working for the first few months when it started and thought "fuck this" and that's when we formulated our plan to move to France! During those few months we went onto the weekly companywide Zoom meetings and were told how wonderfully brave us engineers were, working on the analysers that were testing blood samples of those infected, but the thanks never made it as far as any kind of monetary benefit, much like all the NHS workers and others who worked through the early stages of the pandemic! So, in answer to your initial question, Pete, yes, my perspective changed even though I wasn't directly affected by the virus at that time and decided to make a substantial change to my life!

Funnily enough I'm not......I'm fucking working all the time. But I just checked so I'm up to speed and it seems you've posted there intermittently so far this year. Looks to me as if you're keeping your options open just in case you can't hack it here anymore! What you reckon @Clive, @Swagman, @Slowlycatchymonkey, @Richzx6r? The sad reality of all this is that they don't want you back there cos you're bad for business!

Microsoft.

As I said it goes where you’re dumbass looks no problem.

No fucker wanted to meet up with you before covid anyway, now they just have a better excuse than washing the cat.

Is that a personal observation mate?

I had a TS185 and TS250, also DT175 as well, I did quite a lot of off roading back in the day also. My farmers son, mate had a Bultaco 360, I ruined several bikes in his company. You can see why the Royal Enfield soft roader attracted me. I am 57 and still working, don't know if I will retire until forced, I like working. Also my youngest is only 14 so still quite expensive to look after.

I always enjoyed dramatically jumping up to swing the kickstarter like a hero or so I thought then. Wasn't such a hero when my foot slipped off the kickstarter and it went up the inside of my waterproof legging, that were me dads and huge. I followed that by slowly tipping over as I couldn't put my foot down. I was young to . I was always a bit shy of wheelies after I flipped my ER 185 in the local cafe car park in front of everyone.

In ways I wish I could expirience it... Just to get my owne though about it.. You have to remember Pete you're no longer a spring chicken... With age sometimes things don't work like their suppose to.... What are your thoughts on the vacine.... You were vaccinated and you still caught it?

It is more than that......I've had bad flu, none of them were as bad as Covid!

Are you talking about the nutters who drive their car alone... Wearing a mask..

I returned to the queue, probably an hour after the last attempt and this time my mate had arrived and was a few places ahead of me. I signed in and received a little marked up bag with a sheet of info, a badge, a bin liner and a voucher for a free coffee inside. I walked back to my tent and watched my mate fighting with his tent in the wind. I told him I’d had no trouble, but as he was I’d give him a hand. Eventually order was restored and we went and had a few drinks. The wind dropped now and the sun was quite warm. I filled up my water container at a tap and saw a bloke who looked like Phil the Spill, a character from rallies in the 80s and 90s. I knew he lived in the wilds of Scotland and no longer rode a bike so was sure it couldn’t be him. Later that night when the first band were on I asked him if it was him and it was. His photos are on Facebook and cover a time period of just under 30 years of rally attendance, not bad for a man who doesn’t actually drink alcohol. The pictures are like a time machine, hair styles, clothing, tent types and bikes, you can watch them change over the years. I mentioned I had spoken to him when they had strippers at a BMF rally in 2000 which was unusual at that time and he proceeded to whip a tablet out of some inner pocket and he had all his photographs on it, including those. They were ruder than I remembered. I went to bed a bit wobbly, the wind had calmed so much it was silent apart from everyone talking, snoring or farting around the field. It was bloody cold and at one point I got up, dug out my jacket inner liner and put that on top of all the other stuff I was wearing. Next day I persuaded my mate to follow me to the Silverstone Race track museum. Spent an hour or so in there, the 3D film at the end is worth the entry fee all on its own, although it did make me feel a bit sick. When you exit it you can watch the cars flying round the track, there was a Ford Ka and a Mk 1 Cortina rushing around as well as more modern stuff. We stopped for lunch in a flash boatmans’ pub by a canal afterwards and lowered the tone of the place. Riding back to the rally I heard a siren somewhere behind me as we rode through a small pretty village. I hugged the kerb but kept moving and looking in my mirror I saw my mate had done the same and a fire engine flew past us. A few miles later we caught up with it. There was a car, a few people, firemen, some motorbikes and a line of cones blocking off a country lane junction, obviously an accident close to the rally site. I found out later it was a motorcyclist who died not long after crashing. He was nothing to do with the rally, just passing by, but one of the passing female rallyists held his hand as he died apparently. https://www.mkfm.com/news/local-news/police-appeal-after-motorcyclist-dies-in-collision-in-milton-keynes/?fbclid=IwAR1sR0dDxr4EsaV1thizTGo1aaKCDXdw73VdaYAcn529Q1pcd53EYOMLhQ4 We were waved on around the cones by a fireman and returned to the site. The bands were very good on Saturday night, the only fly in the ointment was that the bar ran out of my preferred drink and I never managed to get the same drink twice in a row afterwards as other stuff ran out too. I spent another cold night and woke up to see my mate had set his collapsible kettle up on an ancient gas stove. I packed all my stuff inside the tent up, made myself a cup of coffee on my own stove, then walked across the site for a pre home journey dump in the portaloos. I returned from that and his kettle still hadn’t boiled. I talked to him for another 15 minutes before steam started coming out of it. I reckon it took about 45 minutes all told. I packed my tent up, it now taking up twice as much room as before and packed my panniers. One refused to lock, the key wouldn’t turn. I bunged a bungee on it and decided to sort it out when I got home. I said my goodbyes to various people and headed home using the back roads rather than motorways. I was doing well until I passed through Bishops Stortford. When I went to cross the M11 roundabout to carry on home it was all coned off and being in a narrow one way road I was forced onto a northbound M11 along with other cars full if annoyed looking people. I had to do 35 miles to get back the same roundabout on the other side. I heard today that some other people I know got caught out the same way. So it was 90 miles there and a 126 home. I fixed my pannier lock after unpacking, a ball bearing inside the lock had jammed, bad design if you ask me.

Inspired by Pete's and Moon's ride reports this afternoon i thought, i'll have some of that shit and went out for an evenings ride on the big black girl, there's a few reservoirs about 30 minutes from me, i picked the ones running from Pontsticill to Talybont On Usk as i haven't ridden that road in quite some time. Took the A470 to Merthyr the bike feels really smooth and quick after riding the smaller bikes so it wasn't long before i was at Pontsticill res the weather is a cool 14c overcast and dull At Pontsticill dam the water levels are still low even though we've had quite a lot of rain these last two weeks that big round thing with the railings around it is where the water overflows to when the res is full. This is looking up the res last time i was here you wouldn't have had this view as there were trees everywhere Onward towards Talybont res, the weather has brightened up and there's some great cloud formation overhead the views are spectacular, i see buzzards hovering and squirrels running as i ride, the roads are quiet and i'm throuraly enjoying where i live what mad bastard would want to leave this place LOL I pulled onto the gravel track above to have a look at these waterfalls i'm on my way back out there, pity the trees are blocking the top one you could see it better with the eye Heading down to the valley Talybont res is in bike looks a bit weird because its a pano At the start of the res (the filling end) this is what it usually looks like taken from google street view This is it today just as low as Pontsticill At the dam From here it was through the village of Talybont on Usk and i decided to follow the road that runs alongside the Brecon canal which opened over 200 years ago if your on the canal you have to duck down going through the tunnel here. A little further along at Llangynidr there are five locks to navigate which are a pain because when we were on the canal a few years ago the wife couldn't operate them so i had to drive the barge in and out of them and open and close the locks After here it was a right at Crickhowell and up a very steep winding road onto the road past Llangattock Quarry looking down over clydach gorge The Sun is on its way down now and its feeling alot colder even though the temperature is still the same Looking the other way you can the see the Blorenge where i rode yesterday I moved on thinking i would get a good sunset going over the ridgeway road from Tredegar to Bedwellty but not as good as i was hoping for Last photo was where they are planting another one of those eyesores, it was a blast home from here before it got too cold a great evening out i hadn't planned on doing a bit cold when i got in winter is on its way.

Get my booster on Friday.

Wearing tight socks can cause heart problems.

Zzzzak will be along shortly to “educate” you with the “real facts”.

I got some tank pads from there, seem quite good quality and came when they said. Have yet to fit them to the bike so still a bit of an unknown really. I imagine returns would not be easy or even possible in reality.

I had a TS185.......flipped that many times offroad. I was early 20's then.....I doubt I'd bounce so well at 68! Are you retired? Cos quite a few of them here are......I'm still working and always will be!

I'm another former SP370 owner.....I loved mine! Brilliant for wheelies off the throttle in first gear! I was young then!

Just fancied one really, I wanted a simple single. I remember having a Suzuki SP370 donkeys years ago and wanted something similar but new with a guarantee. I have been thinking about it for a year or more and did nothing, but watch Itchy Boots videos. Anyway I took my boy (18) to get a twist and go 125 for work and they had a showroom full of Royal Enfields. The rest just happened really but as I said I had been contemplating for awhile. I did look at a BMW 310, which looked too much like an insect to me, and a CB500X, but I have ducks disease and had difficulty getting my leg over it. Price was a factor also, although I didn't have to buy new just fancied it. Another thing was i wanted something a bit retro with clocks rather than a screen.

Its early days and the only real issues I have had so far have been user error. You know not checking the kill switch and leaving it in gear with the side stand down. I have changed out the relays to Bosch ones as a preventative measure as I was getting the odd cut when the fuel pump stopped without explanation. Not happened since i swopped out the relay. I have put on some genuine Royal Enfield hand guards. Also thinking of some Givi engine bars. Perhaps even a tank bag.

Hi Saul......passed your test in 84? That's a lot later than most of us here so you're unlikely to be old by our standards. There were 3 Himalayans here......but now there's only one! @Slowlycatchymonkey She's forever doing something with hers......including dragging it out of gravel traps!

@Saul Welcome you'll fit in well with the daft questions don't expect any sensible answers though

one of my kids said she wants a dog for Christmas. We normally have a turkey but if it'll make her happy...