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It was quite a pleasant morning, if a bit windy, so it seemed a shame not to get out on the bike. I packed a sandwich and a flask of coffee and decided to head for Pic de Nore, in the Black Mountains. Looking across at them there was a bit of cloud hovering over them, but it didn't look like it would be a problem. I stuck my winter jacket and gloves on.....just in case! Manoeuvring my bike out of the garage I managed to drop it against Mandy's bike! Fortunately there was no damage to either of them, but I was a bit annoyed, which isn't normally a good mindset to get into before going out on the bike! Anyway, I set off and stopped at our local supermarket to top up the tank. I went around the Narbonne northern ring road and came off it at the Carcassonne road. Traffic was fairly light, so it wasn't too bad. I carried on that road until La Redourte and turned northbound through the town and up towards Villeneuve Minervois. From there I headed up through Cabrespine, climbing into the mountains. There was a lot of low cloud covering the top of some of the peaks there, but I pressed on in the hopes that the wind would break up the cloud cover. It was a vain hope, as I started running into banks of mist. The road was getting pretty wet and the temperature was really starting to drop. I stopped for a minute, considering whether it was worth pressing on, but I was only 8km from the peak, so I decided to keep going. It was getting pretty foggy and wet, with a hint that some of the wet was slightly more solid than I would have liked. Regular signposts warning of road ice didn't help my confidence! Bear in mind that the road was climbing into the mountains, so it was pretty twisty with regular hairpin bends (switchbacks) and some pretty impressive drops from the unguarded roadside. I was now riding with my visor up, because I couldn't see a thing through it, not that I could see much even so. Eventually I reached the summit and the radio communication station, not that I could see much of it! I'm sure that the views from up there are great, but today it was difficult to see my hand in front of my face! It was blowing a hoolie up there too! Thoughts of having a coffee from my flask soon evaporated when I took my gloves off and my hands nearly froze! If certainly felt like it was around freezing, which, at 1200m, is probably not surprising. Time to find my way back down! I found a sheltered picnic spot just above Cabrespine and stopped for a coffee and my sandwich. It still wasn't fantastically warm there, but it was a damned sight warmer and drier than at the peak! Dropping down the mountain the temperature was rising nicely and, without the cloud cover at the lower altitude, the sun was drying my jeans and gloves quite nicely. I followed the same route back, but then carried on through Argeliers and to Capestang, where I then headed back down through the lanes to Coursan and back home. 190km in about 3.5hrs. And I've nearly thawed out again now!

I'll see your snow on the hills 100 miles away and raise you some dirt and water touching the tyres LOL

It's 11 weeks since the op......and I waited 9 months to have it! So it's taken a year for me to get back to having a normal size groin again! Word of advice to you lot.....don't take normal size groins for granted! Look after them! They can be taken away from you! Just to add......pics of the aforementioned normal size groin are available if required!

Well the good news for all of you is that I'm still here although sometimes I feel a bit like this chap.

So it's the shell suit of forums then

Mines never gone down to what it should be.

It's a shame those fog pictures where you get the sun in the distance never show how pretty they look in real life.

Err, yes it was Pete! And bloody cold too!

A couple of photos from a short trip today. North from Mazarron and across the Sierra Espuna towards Pliego and Mula. From there, east towards Archena and finally north along the Ricote Valley to Blanca. Fantastic scenery, great roads and no traffic. No dramas and home in time for tea and medals.

I can't fault what I had done! It feels like I never had a Hernia now. And what has surprised me is I haven't lost any of my flexibility.......which as you know was considerably more than most men of any age.

As far as bike reviews go, I'd put more faith in something that is reviewed by proper bike reviewers. My favourites are: Nathan the Postman, Ian @ Big Rock Moto and Ben @ Dork on the Road. They put bikes through their paces and don't hold back! Big Rock Moto and Dork on the Road have both bought 750 Transalps and have been modifying them for more off-road ability. Both admit that the standard bike is a long way from serious off-road capable, but is a good platform to start from. I'm interested in seeing their modifications and ongoing reviews of the bike.

Had some great rides in the fog over the years.....especially when you arrive @ your destination, get off the bike & proceed to shed a layer of ice off the leathers.

Photoshop!

Bear in mind that stock chains on most bikes are now of very poor quality compared to before or aftermarket brands. I like that you pump the thing before riding. Scottoiler is a smart thing but depends on the oil's fluidity to adjust flow. It´ll flow a lot more in summer if you don't adjust it. I learned that when fitting a scottoiler to my Transalp and stashing the reservoir nice and out of sight under the seat. As soon as it got up in temperature from the engine heat on a longer ride it emptied all of the oil in 10 minutes and flung it all over the back of the bike, the back of my jeans and jacket. Cool stuff!

Well a year and a bit later I got around to fitting my Loobman. It went on easy enough and seems to work as intended but I suppose only time will tell as to how effective it is. I managed to tuck it away so it’s not very visible. The idea is you press down the plunger on the oil reservoir before you ride for 10 seconds and that releases a measure of oil the drips onto the sprocket and eventually the chain while you ride. It was developed by three guys working as despatch riders. Apparently. I like the idea of it better than the Scottoiler which is bloody expensive and either has to be wired in or connected to the engine induction vacuum. I don’t want to spend £250 to £300 for that. I quite liked the idea of the Tutoro chain oilers which are simple and only release oil when the bike is moving and the suspension is moving. Still a bit dearer at around £100 but they look good to me I may buy one in the future, depending on how I get along with the Loobman. Reservoir under the back seat.

It was a close run thing, Bob!

Just been in Riders to get some belts for a 848. One for @Buckster ……

For the 1st 10 years that we lived here we had no mould anywhere in the bungalow ,then around 2 years ago it just exploded everywhere.

He is here now, it's gonna keep him busy treating the mould for a couple of hours, the place is like a swamp.

Iam sat waiting for mould eradication team to come and do their thing.......should have been here at 8am.....10.30 and no sign of them........i could have stayed in bed.

Exploring some trails today...almost got stuck .

Got the bike out wanting to take some scenery pictures, ended up at the Dainese store buying a Summer Jacket I still took some pictures, but at the door at my house

Wellies get a bit uncomfortable on a 6 mile walk, to be honest I slipped into a puddle that was deeper than it looked Lucky I didn't fall on my arse.

Normally those mould things last for a good few years!

Does that keep happening all the time Clive?

I never said either of them flounced! Bruce left cos Buck and Tym called him names (Flouncing Bloater I think it was).....and last I heard Slowly had family issues. But she hasn't posted for 3 months now......so I'm not sure if she will be back.

Let it go man ...you got banned , get over it for fuck sake

I really feel for all of you in England at the moment with al that cold wet freezing weather, here in Spain we have had some gorgeous weather lately I personally feel that temperatures in the low 20s are the perfect riding conditions LOL. So last Tuesday evening I got a message asking if I fancied a little ride the next day. I said yes of course. The following morning I set off for Castalla met up with a few friends and off we went around the mountains of Alicante and into the Valencia region. We stopped off for a coffee on the way and eventually we found ourselves not too far from where I live and we rode through the devastated landscape of what is left after the massive wild fire from last year. The fire that got so close to my village we were put on standby to evacuate the neighbouring village and already been emptied. I was amazed at how much land had gone up in flames we rode for miles and it was burnt trees all t he way. We eventually stopped for a lunch just outside Pego and headed for the coast and some sunny twisties.

No I have looked around and to be honest I don't see anything I like, I don't want too many electronic gadgets. as an ex electronic engineer I cant think of a worse place to put electronics than on a bike LOL and at the monet all the manufacturers seem obsessed with making bikes lower shorter and more compact while I'm getting bigger LOL so think I will stick with the Yam for now

The sun was shining and the cold wind from the last few days had gone, so I decided that a little bimble was in order. I topped the tank at our local supermarket and headed up to Coursan. Then across to the Narbonne northern bypass and peeled off north towards Ginestas. The traffic was pretty light, so it was easy going. A guy on a T100 Bonneville caught up with me just before Saint- Marcel - sur- Aude. We tried having a conversation at a set of lights, but engine noise and language barrier put paid to that! He turned off shortly after anyway. I carried on North and eventually crossed the Argeliers - Trebes road. This is where the ride starts getting a bit more interesting, as the road was then heading into the Corbieres hills. After a bit, I turned off this road to head towards the medieval town of Minerve. This road follows the hillside on one side of the valley of the river Cesse, so it twists and turns around rocky outcrops. French drivers have the mindset that nothing should be coming the other way on blind bends, so extra care is needed to not meet one of them on your side of the road when coming around these bends. I stopped just before the town to get some photos. The town is perched on a rocky point where two rivers meet and have carved two valleys/canyons through the rocky landscape. I rode through the town and headed up to the carpark that overlooks it. There's not much of a view of the town from there, so I decided to carry on up the single track road into the hills for a bit. There didn't seem to be too much more up in that direction, but there were some nice views towards the Pyrénées. It was a bit hazy, so the snow on the peaks was barely visible. I headed back down to the town and set sail for home. I stopped once more to take some pictures of a village, sitting between a low cliff and the river, which has no water in it at the moment. I took a slightly different route back. Going through Argeliers and Capestang, before peeling off towards the south again, through Montels and Nissan- les-Enserune and back to home. Not a huge ride, probably around 100-110km, but nice to get out on the bike for a while.