Pedro

Bloody hell, it's not worth going through that unless you're escaping war in search of a better life.

Thought of this report after Bob's weekend camping in a muddy field one. December 2019, although the weather is shit, I've just spent a week jonesing for riding my bike, so although the weather promises to be shity, I go out maintaining my ritual of going out for lunch on the bike on saturdays when I'm home. I usually ride in jeans, but needed to test the suit pants to see how they still fit so the bad weather gave me the perfect reason to. No pictures on the road, cause it was wet and I didn't feel like taking gloves off in the rain. I know it doesn't compare to Bob's weekend camping in a muddy field, but I have standards to have a good time. Above is my usual sport for going for coffee on the bike, I'm all alone today, below is how it usually looks: After that, went to lunch on my favorite hilltop restaurant, had some nice typical scrambled eggs (too difficult to explain what's special about them) while the weather turned to shit outside. Made my way back closer to home, and stopped by my other favorite place: Stopped by the supermarket for some dinner supplies, as I had friends for dinner that evening, but when I got home I came across this filthy bike from wet country roads, this is farm country so there's lots of muck on the road: Pants straight to the washer! Time to get a fire on, and cook a nice simple dinner, a puttanesca with added spinach for health Bike was washed the week after, as it pestered my thoughts daily

I have a nice comfy dry car for going places under those conditions. Comfort isn't a bad thing, otherwise we'd all be riding in shitty suspensionless chinese bikes. I do enjoy a passing rain storm while on a trip, but I wouldn't go on a trip in mid december when I would find is nasty weather.

That's some serious Blair Witch stuff going outside that tent, congrats for you guys enjoying camping in a muddy field in the middle of a storm!

Welcome, that's a cool bike. There are a couple of places that fly gliders in Portugal, but as far as I know only a couple. In the south, the small airfield with light aircrafts thing is quite popular, although I suppose you burn money on them.

Proper fright I caught, I wasn't used to dogs and was left to fend off two huge Rottweilers while holding a mug of tea! Bless her, 14 is quite a nice age. Mine probably won't live as long.

I don't suppose you remember, but on July 2012 I posted a report in which, riding the XR in the woods, I found an abandoned puppy and took him home. He was barely one month old, very sick and had a serious case of scabies, left to die in a heatwave. This is him after a couple of weeks at home: And this is him now, spoiled and 8 years old, having survived serious liver surgery last year: He's the man! ?

so, you're just a tease!

Suspension looking nice and fresh, congrats. I bet you get a lot more trouble from those bearing in the UK than we do here in drier countries.

I think it was hurricane Leslie, but might be mistaken

No idea what you mean. I don't know what you lot are on about chicken and onions not mixing, almost caramelized onions mix with every kind of meat or vegetable. Anyway, I had no complaints, so there!

Kidney stones are a bitch. Once, after a night of regional white wine I woke up thinking I was going for a quiet early morning piss and then back to bed, and half an hour later I was at the hospital's door on my knees, puking and crying like a little girl. Drugs felt great 20 minutes later, though. Can't imagine how it must hurt if the stones are too big.

I do love the concept and idea of a chopper, but isn't a 400 kind of small for one?

I have been on the bike often, can't seem to spend a day in Azambuja without getting on the bike to go to the hills for a coffee. It's not a long ride but settles my head and calms me. Pictures of these roads to come, soon enough as I'm bored out of mind.

Offroad reports from the UK always seem so cold and wet and unpleasant. Good on you for not letting it get to you, I'm more of a warm weather offroader, people here don't like it because of the dust but since I ride alone it doesn't really bother me.

Well, @XTreme, it´s not going to ride itself

So, July last year and it's hot in Ribatejo, I didn't feel like going for a long ride so decided to test the R1200 off-road properly. Took the windshield off, and went for a bimble around some of the local sandy dirt roads and farm tracks I had gotten to explore already on the XR. With the Heidenaus on it's quite a capable bike, although it doesn't like sand nor mud. Between the two I prefer sand, and there is really not much chance of mud in July here. Passing through a local farm with horses, they got scared so I didn't stop next to them. Using my old phone for pictures here, it struggled with light, dark, dust, basically everything Us Late lunch snack by the Tejo river The beast, back home, I love it Now for something different, I had company over for dinner, and started to cook early. Hope this isn't too Martha Stewart for you, but a man should cook something. Had some chicken bit marinating on olive oil and spices, and proceeded to put some heat into them. A couple of onions, thickly cut As soon as the onions soften a bit, throw some white wine and water on it, Let it boil for a bit, then close and put heat on minimum After a while, stir it a little, and let it on low heat till it reduces more. About 45 minutes later, job jobbed, enjoy. Boom:

When they do allow you to enjoy your hollidays, if you're able to rent a bike in Portimão you can enjoy some really nice roads and views nearby

Hope this isn't becoming tiring, but the weather is amazing now, the bike is clean and ready to go in the garage, and I have nowhere to go and nothing else to do. So, October 2018 and there was a big storm here, lots of damage all over the coast. After a few weeks without touching the bike, it's now a Friday, I'm about to go from Porto (North) to Azambuja (Center/South) to go home for the weekend, with a brief stop to visit a client halfway through. I get on the road, brief stop to check some emails and client calls me to cancel my meeting. Day is already lost and I'm suddenly on the road with nothing to do, so instead of taking the 2 hour motorway ride home I take the coastal road less traveled, it's a part of the country I'm rarely on. If you feel like checking it out on a map, this covers the coast about 20kms south of Aveiro to around Nazaré. First storm damage, this is a pristine tarmac road I am on: Although all the branches and wet leaves are quite slippery, we are only about 3 or 4 km from the beach so I decide to carry on and ride through, only to come to this: Well, guess it's time to turn back... Another route ... Few more kms and I finally get to the shore Not one to take the good road Arriving at Figueira da Foz, where I'll stop for a spot of lunch (spot of lunch! sounding british here) Meal was not worthy of picture, but the place was nice Going inland after lunch, and I come across some more storm damage, there's miles and miles of this Eventually I get away from the coast, and start to head for the hills, and explore some hills that I always checked from the motorway but never really been at Porto de Mós, it's got a lovely castle / palace with green roofs Here's a nice Passat with the castle behind it I am then going through the valley on the right of this picture, on the other side of the town Looking back at it Then things took a little turn, as I ventured off-road the track proved to be too steep and slippery, and as I was turning back I dropped the bike with the wheels up the trail and the bars down the trail, had to pivot it on the engine to pick it up and turn it back. Since I hit a rock with my shin, I decided to take a little rest. It's a pretty place, Serra d'Aire e Candeeiros: Heading home: I'll post another report about another ride to the same place, only with better pictures, I think. Trying to see where the dirt road that i crashed in led to.

Thank you @Catteeclan, nothing has ever been the same, she was my better half by far. Next time you come by, ask where to go and I'll send you on some nice roads, or just follow the same rules as everywhere else, go for the places marked on free on maps and use white and yellow roads ?

Scott, welcome buddy!

Also @XTreme, are my eyes playing tricks on me or are you indeed taking that bike on dirt roads? I am Bruce on this, I live up north and even though there are some amazing roads here, but eyes need big horizons to stretch their focus and breathe, here I never seem to just go out for a ride.

Sad to see, an abandoned place like that. I like emptiness as much as anyone, but fields should be worked on, and there's nothing wrong with a cafe with some tables outside.

I never use the center stand on a casual stop off-road, great chance of it getting away from you getting it off because of different ground softness in each foot. Love the bike, though, I test rode one and loved the engine and smoothness of it. Also there's something about a Yamaha shaft drive that is very reassuring over all other shafts, to me at least.

So, almost to the day one year ago and I wasn't stuck at home, was enjoying a lovely weekend at home and feeling like riding the bike, got on google maps and found a random spot with a lake of sorts, with not many main roads around, so went for it. Eventually found that I couldn't get to it via tarmac, which made it fun. Last km or so to get to the lake was like this, which didn't make me happy at all as it was wet under the trees and these aren't really good tires for off-roading. But it was worth it Going away, this is my kind of off-roading, dry and easy going: Continued to Lavre, where I stopped briefly to look at my navigation Brief stop at what looked like an abandoned hotel, but turns out it was just half abandoned, lovely place full of character, though. Heading to Montemor o Novo, starting to get a little glimpse of Alentejo's open views I was cruising along this road, just enjoying myself, and something weird caught my eye, but surely it couldn't be... So I stopped, turned back, can you see it? It's a fucking Zebra Turns out I was going past some sort of petting farm / zoo Enjoying some nice riding, and a short stop getting a few meters away from the tarmac for privacy Stopped for lunch, looking for some nice typical local food but the result was a very disappointing codfish with cream, wasn't even worth a picture, and I do love my food pictures. After lunch, before heading back home, stopped by a small dam Mora is a lovely town, one of my favorite stops for a coffee when heading out Before arriving home, stopped on my favorite place just a couple of kms from home, for some refreshing ice cold beer and some green beans tempura. Overal a great 250 or something km roundtrip of relaxing slow rolling roads. Finito!