Pedro

Is the price of a tire that much different if you order one online and then pay to have it fitted, compared to buying a tire at a proper tire shop and have them fit it?

Thanks guys! I’ll get the rest of the report done sharpish, might be another two or three nice pictures there too

A few days ago me and Sofia decided to go for a ride along the Douro river, following it all the way from Porto (where it reaches the Atlantic ocean) until the border with Spain a little north of Miranda do Douro where it enters Portugal. The Douro is the oldest demarcated wine making region in the world, the river and the weather make great grapes. The land is very steep and mountain like, so farmers have been making steps on hills to make use of every single square meter they can get a plant in, this practice makes for unique landscapes. The weather here varies from extreme heat in the summer to freezing cold in the winter, the soil is arid and rocky, which makes for a hard living if you're a farmer. The locals are used to tough conditions and are built like their houses, not big but resilient, they show a hard exterior but as soon as you say hello they're nothing but smiles and hospitality. Portugal is a tiny country, but the high Douro and Trás os Montes are a world apart when compared to the wide open south. Trás os Montes is the name of the region that is more or less the most northern eastern square of Portugal, it is translated to "Behind the Hills". The roads are amazing, I try to keep out of the main ones and if you ride an easy to ride bike you can't go wrong with that, having said that progress can be slow if you stop in a lot of scenic points like we did. On this trip it took us 3 days of leisurely touring to get to somewhere we could easily reach in one day on the same roads, but the point of this trip was to enjoy the region, the roads, the views, the food and wine, and stay in some amazing places taking everything in. This is my report of it, I'm sure Sofia will join in later with some pictures of her own. The day started early, by 09:00 we got the only 15km of motorway we would use for the week out of the way and quickly stopped for breakfast on a small bakery by the road, getting into the swing of things and the rhythm of our traveling. Some very nice bread, fresh orange juice and a nice expresso, couldn't resist a second expresso and a little sweet though. We are following the N108 from Porto until Peso da Régua, 5 minutes after breakfast I take us on a detour out of the main road and climb Serra da Boneca, 2 or 300 meters of gravel road lead to the first view point, this is 20 minutes away from busy Porto: Back on the road and crossing a village riding down the hill back to the N road, we stop by a beautiful old farm house: The little "levada" is a tiny irrigation channel built next to the wall all the way down, they carry water through tens of miles that way Next: DRAMA! A few kms later, and Sofia got a strange feeling of sliding from the back of the Triumph, and then approaching a roundabout it stopped! Looking at it fuel was flowing freely out from under the tank when you hit the starter but stopped with everything off. Clearly a fuel line had come off, but I couldn't see it. The tool kit had lost the allen key that you need to lift the tank and I only carry torx for my bike. It could be a disaster, but spirits were still high. I called a nearby shop and dealer, which I found on google maps being only 5km away, their pictures on google made me confident they were the right place to get anything going. Sofia went to work taking the luggage off. 20 minutes later and the Triumph's tow arrived, a little push got it over the ramp that is more used to dirt bikes and in a few minutes we were on the way. Once there the Speed Triple went straight in and they went to work with it. I made myself busy getting out of their face and made a photo report of the shop. It turned out to be a very interesting shop and dealer with some surprising bikes there. This is the heart of dirt bikes in Portugal, the dirt season is coming to an end with the summer dust, lots of quads in for repairs and rebuilds, let me take you on a tour of the place. The shop's garage, all sorts of quads in need of help: An old Sachs V5 with the forks being rebuilt, it's a common daily ride in this parts: Supermoto quad, they race these in karting tracks, some use plated ones to have fun on roundabouts too ... An old CBR600, with a nasty paint job and what must be an incredibly loud exhaust Xstreme Motorsport quad, it's for tiny kids but still smaller than it appears on the picture DT50 engine being built, it's not going to be a 50cc anymore ... Artwork A nicely rebuilt Sachs V5, 5 speeds in a 50cc made this a fast bike in Portugal back when in England you were riding big twins Up on the street level we went to have a look at the dealership part of the businesss, and it threw in a few surprises: Sofia trying out a tiny but impeccable DT50LC, the only pink bike a guy could have. One of the most sold bikes in Portugal over the years. They're here Mawsley, they're in Portugal! Mawsley? Offroad equipment section Kid's bike section, cuteness overload: Big bike section Pete would love this: And an extra big one: And now for special bikes, first a 2 stroke race bike for the local street races Something odd: And two really cool old Harleys A little later and the guilty part was found, the red clip doesn't clip into place anymore, and allows the thing to come out with pressure. They obviously had none in stock so reverted to a little improvisation and a couple of cleverly tightened zip ties now hold the clip from opening. Back on the road after a wash to get all the fuel stains off, which pleased Sofia as the bike was filthy from the previous day's rain getting north. Back on the road, the two hours delay was annoying but all turned into quite a fun experience. A quick stop for a snack and we're back to sightseeing, quick stop in Mesão Frio: We rode straight through Peso da Régua, it was quite busy with tourists and we wanted to make a little time. After Peso da Régua we got out of the N108 but continued on the north bank of the river, heading to Covelinhas and São Leonardo da Galafura via tiny roads. Sofia had been here last year but really hated it, she didn't feel confident after a car running into her in the morning, worn tires, and some other stuff, today with fresh Michelins on, handlebar risers helping the Speed Triple becoming friendlier on these slow speed roads, and what is a really fun tiny road was finally appreciated São Leonardo da Galafura is a high view point, it makes for an amazing stop if you bring your lunch with you as there is plenty of cool shade and a breeze. Between Pinhão and Porto, this is a mandatory stop for me: Heading to Pinhão from here you'll start getting proper twisties, some parts with worse surface and not really a place for riding fast on sports bikes, the ocasional gravel right on the middle of a corner making it a little interesting, but a true Douro landscape. We stopped at a famous vineyard to check it out for future trips: From there on we rode straight to the hotel I booked for the night. It was a proper posh place 5km after Pinhão, belonging to an old wine farm and with such amazing views as you roll into the property that we had to stop even though it was properly hot Roses react to mildew before vines do so they serve as an indicator and help treat vines before they're affected, which means that huge amounts of roses are planted all over the place. Someplaces smell amazing even on the bike when riding through. Picked a few of the few ripe cherries straight from the tree and ate them looking at the scenery before going in As I went to park the bikes after check in, this little dude crossed paths with me, he couldn't care less about me: Nothing like a dip in a swimming pool after a hot afternoon on the bike, more so with a view like this: After relaxation and cooling down, some cold wine was had, at sunset, before dinner. This was a great ending to a great day, not a lot of kms as one can easily reach where we got by 14:00 starting at 09:00, but that would mean no long scenic stops. Next chapter, still the Douro river, a little of the Tua river and it's amazing lookout places, and sleeping in an old stone village.

Haven’t sat at a desk since covid started, happy enough that way. I have plans for a home office though, but don’t really know what for

No worries, will try and post a ride report with some location names so you can check on google maps.

Huge ant

A majestic black vulture

Bush growing on a split rock by a chapel on top of a rocky viewpoint on the Douro

Two geckos on a metal door

I’m in the deep north of Portugal right now, will post a few google links for you next week. Today’s stop

How long do you plan on being in Portugal, then?

This is a pretty bike and I like it. Don't think I'm suited to a sports bike and the way they do corners, but I like this. 170hp also would mean my license would be gone in 2 weeks

Nice that you're having fun with the bigger bike. The original screen looks shorter and way better: The original seat also looks a lot cushier.

There’s plenty of space, I took the photo from where people usually walk.

You know summer is arriving in my parents’ town when this guy comes back from France to his hometown for a few weeks and parks his bike every morning by a café for breakfast

Look like kitchen cabinet handles to me, Ikea?

Does 4% older count for liking older women? At 77, I'm sure he likes anyone that calls him a "boy"

Love the wheels!

You're such a troll https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Honda/honda_crf 1000l africa twin 16.htm

Woke up to a thunderstorm and high winds and rain, braved some rain to go to my mechanic and change oils, there I saw an old Kawasaki and a pretty red bike. I like that Ducati, too , it's a 999S. It turned supper sunny and hot by end of morning, so rode home slowly with my helmet open through some lovely Porto streets, felt like having a nice snack somewhere but the place was crowded with tourists on terraces and I decided to skip catching covid and went home instead. Now with a bit of bother from my allergic sinus, so will stay cool and fresh inside until Costa wakes up and starts behind to go chase some bitches

Yes, also on top of the box, but 15cm to the middle instead of near the edge ...

The video I made previously using my own luggage wasn't clear enough ...

Looks great!

Damn right, not much altitude by the beach, is there?