Motobiker

we definitely need more "Swedish chef" gifs on this forum.

Yes. (ish)

Send them here... just imagine how many you can fit into a van!!

I’m not a fan of these new full colour displays. Fella with a 2020 Africa twin had his fail, saved only by his warranty. £2,400 to replace it plus labour. They’re in fashion right now, my own bike was mocked in 2018 for not having it, I’m rather glad about that. But it’s certainly put the wind up a few owners. The cost if it goes wrong.

Just watched the video.. which took me back. Hard to believe Phil Lynott died 35yrs ago. he would be 72 now had he survived the effects of his heroin dependency. such a tragic loss.

One thing about people with learning difficulties - they give no thought to what is inappropriate. A card for the manager who is from Zimbabwe. Apparently he was overjoyed. (Ish)

The latest Brexit benefit... another example of no downsides only upsides... It's because Visa is increasing transaction rates now the EU cap no longer applies (post Brexit). real pain in the neck for me as I use the card for larger purchases and that gives me two months to pay it off without interest. (I hate paying interest) also buyer protection - gone. (going) I expect other will follow, or add charges to offset the charges. (sigh)

One trip definite June/July and another possible early September. Though that’s more likely solo. So that’s over 3 weeks taken and spare days left over will be for other things.

I agree... looks horrid.

My kind of place...

Not really a joke, but a description of our glorious leader as a third prize entry in a “let’s build a Winston Churchill from marshmallows competition”. For some reason that had me laughing at 4am this morning to the extent I had to leave the room in case I woke up the agency worker!!

I know it’s fake, but it made me titter.

I wear a caberg - mostly because it fits me well, it’s noisy at speed but that hardly matters as I wear plugs. It’s 1/4 the price of a schuberth and does the job. It’s highly rated too. (Safety) the thing about the high end Japanese brands is they are, for want of a better word, fashion lead. Hence the new yearly paint schemes. Last years colours become rapidly “so last season”. Which is exactly what they want. There will be people who change helmets yearly,, or at most, every two years.

I don't really care about 'brands' where gear is concerned.. its whats they use in manufacturing that matters. I insist on goretex and the little know fact about gortex is that they insist on a very high standard in QC from the manufacturers they supply. so, if you buy something that uses goretex then you can be guaranteed it is well made and, most importantly guaranteed to be waterproof long after the original warranty expires. just contact Gore and they will refund you. Im also fairly limited as I have to go for gear that have a longer leg option. Helmets are all about fit, so the brand is pretty much an irrelevance. a helmet that doesn't fit is worse than useless, doesn't matter if it cost you £600+ I managed to pick up an ortleib bag at a whopping discount and its lasted me for years.. I only use it for camping to keep all my gear together in one place. Lomo is good, but is really just a discounted copy. the devil is in the detail. My mate jack has a lomo copy of my bag and the differences, though small, add up. I tend to go for stuff made in Germany, where possible. Ive never had a problem with anything from there.. brands like SW-Motech. for those small but essential items of farkle. Ive been very happy with my Honda.. first Honda Ive ever owned and it hasn't disappointed me. thus far, On paper it was only a relatively minor upgrade from my GS.. but in reality its worlds apart. the differences between a bike designed in the late 90s and 2018. remarkable. its also quite unique with the DCT, which continues to delight. I guess the only brand.. that I really do stick with, since trying it (almost by accident) back in 2011 has nothing to do with bikes. but its a brand Im going to stick with come what may. and that's Apple. I love my Mac Mini and my 13 pro max phone. And couldn't care less what anyone thinks about that.

This is what "adventure" is all about. and without the expense and heartache of a BMW. you clever little monkey.

I do like that part of the world, pre Covid it was kinda a yearly ritual, heading down the Fosse for lunch at the Red lion in Avebury.

He's half Greek. Though, nobody talks about that. (obviously)

Last Wednesday of the month is generally a half day off.. one doesn't want to completely exhaust the domestics. To think, you had that little fracas in 1776 just so you could do your own shopping and housework... most odd. And then you imported all those Italians and didn't put them to good use. its passes all understanding!!

I wouldn’t try what he is doing (age thing) but what I frequently do is mount the bike from the opposite side to the side stand. Makes it much easier when the bikes loaded with luggage. Feels a bit dodgy the first couple of times, but once you get the body positioning right, it becomes “learnt” and natural. It’s about using your right foot to mount and then getting your body mass slightly to the other side of the bike as you mount and the bike starts to lift off the side stand. If that makes sense. Found a video.

Definitely, yes. Though it would have to be second hand as production of my particular model halted in 2019. But.. the upside would be I could get the Silver version.. which looks great. Obviously buying second hand would allow me to be fussy about add-ons and upgrades done to the bike. There are a few that are essential for me. Better seat. luggage. tubeless wheels. Main reason is I'm really quite limited by my height for bikes I can live with over the long term, im 6'7 in my boots. So, I need a tall bike and this is a very tall bike, one reason why it was eventually discontinued. And the competition don't appeal to me, the risks involved with an 'out of warranty BMW, Ive never really been a fan of KTM and what else is there?

You're maybe right. But the lack of a driveshaft didn't put me off buying my Africa Twin, which is heavily biased towards touring (compared to the standard bike) especially as I had come from BMW ownership. since 1997. Its actually surprised me how little this really matters. It felt like a big deal at the time, but now? not so much. My guess is that they did consider adding a driveshaft, but that may well have eroded its competitive price point and put it amongst an already large group of bikes where it might have struggled to compete. Its just over £1000 cheaper than the absolute base model Africa Twin.. and comes with a few (usually expensive) extras as standard. It's a complete off the shelf package. You can buy one and immediately tour on it without any further expense, unless you can't live without a top case. I guess Honda will have done their research and decided there was going to be a market for a bike like this. There may be a shaft version in a couple of years if feedback suggests it will increase sales. That wouldn't surprise me at all.

Yes. 8 years.

9/11 was during my very short bikeless phase. I had just bought my house so cash was tight. I was using the bus to get to work. The news had already filtered through to us.. as a 'shocked kind of rumour'. no more than that. I got off the bus in town, the stop was very close to an Australian themed sports bar, it had TVs in the window and I will never forget the sight. A fairy large crowd of people standing in total silence transfixed by the visuals. But, the black day that will always remain with me was rather different. A black day for the nation, but one of the best days I have ever had. The day of Dianas funeral. I was living in Manchester. at the time and couldn't bear the idea of wall to wall doom and gloom on the TV. so I went out on the bike, up through Bowland and then over to the lakes. And it is no exaggeration to say it was like the scene from '28 days later'. for hours on end I never saw a car, vehicle of any kind. person. Nothing. Places that are normally mental with tourists.. deserted. Windermere, Ambleside, Keswick. you name it. Nobody out. I called in at a petrol station to be greeted by a red eyed assistant in floods of tears. Coming back I came down the M6 for some of the way.. and only saw a few trucks. stopped at Lancaster south. deserted aside from staff and a few truckers. was bizarre to be parked up in an empty car park on the motorway. Its a day I'll never ever forget. absolutely wonderful. (though extremely weird)

I only talk about the bore because people quote him and then I get to see what he has to say and am reminded just what a tedious, predictable and repetitive bore he is. like I need reminding. Of course if people never quoted him.... hint hint.