Pedro

It was quite the moment

They’re highway pegs, everyone on that side of the Atlantic has to stretch their legs forward on the motorway. They remind me of those footpegs BMX bikes have fitted on their axles for tricks, that kids used to want to carry a passenger standing on the back wheel when I was young.

That old BMW helmet is cool, though, back when german helmets looked so dorky they were cool. I’ve got 3 or 4 at home that belonged to Maria, her dad having eorked for the Portuguese BMW importer in the 90s, all kinds of funky colours. They were great quality, but that stuff has an expiration date. One of my favourite pictures ever, of a little Moroccan girl trying one out. At the end of the trip it was falling apart.

Welcome Saul

That helmet’s insides will crumble when you start to wear it, slowly disappearing with every time you take it off.

Leggings? What, is he Robin Hood?

Plus, how would you know if it’s taken photoshop of any kind or not? You don’t know.

I say yes. Tuning a picture is part of the picture taking thing now, annoys me I don’t know how to do it properly and the times I tried I ended up with something resembling a cartoon.

Just the bike for me, just a few days ago I was thinking I was feeling the need for a little more downforce on the GS

I don't have a big aquarium, you can still take a shit in any of the outhouses you visit anytime you get on the bike.

You and Barry Sheene

You miss shitting on an outhouse in the freezing cold with freezing rain and hail on the outside, I miss a big aquarium with lots of tiny fish

Suzuki has a special place on their museum for the both of you.

I wouldn't, I don't like sweetwater fish

Aquarium, a big aquarium.

I'm on the other side of that, I think it's me that has gotten fed up with putting a polite face to deal with the same shit as before. You go through a life changing experience, and suddenly you don't put up with the same amount of crap as you did before.

over there?

You’re aware there’s a minimum speed on mainland Europe’s motorways, @Slowlycatchymonkey, and that there are uphills on some of them…

I find red haired women sexy! Are they ginger? It won't change my fancy, but just wondering ... Also, although my hair was always dark brown, my beard is slightly red depending on sunlight and season

Is ginger just that weird carrot color, or all red haired people?

Yes. There's grapes in wine, too!

I have hope for Honda, they did ok with the Africa Twin, plus there’s no shortage of brands showing them what a good idea it is, Yamaha with the T7, Aprilia with the Tuareg, Ducati with the whatsitsname, all after BMW’s 800, 750, 850 name mess, so they might just pick up on it. There’s nothing like a nice Honda, though. Even Suzuki is like a coma guy twitching a finger with their naughty VStrom talk

Try and put that tankbag on the bike, with all the rear stuff in place, then next time you get on and off it with your riding gear remember my words, BIG CLUMSY MESS!

I like camping, haven't done it in ages though, nothing against it and I do know that quietly waking up in a tent is a nice way to start the day. However, I hate carrying a big mess, like yours, on a bike. I'd much rather have a lightly loaded big bike than a loaded light bike. Regarding going wherever you feel, that's what I do except I find a place to sleep at the end of the day. Sometimes it doesn't work well but most of the time it does. What kind of adventure are you going if you stress about stuff like that? Worst comes and I'll either have to sleep in a crappier place than I'd want, a more expensive place than I'd want, ride till later, or sit down and just sleep with no tent. I've never been in a place where I couldn't find a place to sleep anywhere in Europe, slept a couple of nights in a car in Sweden and Norway but that's pretty much it. I do enjoy being able to have a nice shower at the end of a hot riding day, and then cold wine feeling all fresh and clean. Not to mention swimming pools. My opinion on this isn't of an experienced traveller though, on a motorcycle I've only been a few times to Morocco and apart from that never went big distances outside of Portugal.