Pedro

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.

Just stick to small roads then, and it's fine, unless on motorways I can ride for days not going over 65mph

I agree, old bikes looks lovely, and should in theory be a lot more reliable. I'm sure mine just had a rough life before I got it.

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!

I've seen a couple of those around here, are they ok in wide open roads as well?

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!

That's fancy, @XTreme

When was that, Tym?

Fucking XT, embarrassing moments. I now hand over the XR every time I have the chance just to see people go through the same as me back then. Thanks, guys. Thanks for the welcome.

Welcome, Ian me old mate.

Shit, I just realized you're Bruce! Hello Bruce!

I still have the XR400, it has been taken apart, painted and put back together. Runs great and has had the suspension adjusted slightly for less bouncy riding. I hardly ever ride it though, but since it costs me hardly anything, looks great now, and will probably be the last bike to roam the earth once the zombies take over, I'll keep it unless I have nowhere to put it. Looking great on a scorching hot summer ride: I had an R1150GS for two years before I got the 1200, loved it's handling and looks, even the lazy torquey engine. It had been imported from Hong Kong, probably had a billion miles, and although looking great was very troublesome. Here I am, proudly posing next to it about to board a Ferry to Morocco, feeling like Indiana Jones: And here it is, still looking great about half an hour before breaking down in the middle of Morocco: Broken down, waiting for a two truck for 6 hours, having a good time: And this is what a sunset looks like, in the Atlas, when you're stranded by the side of the road:

Moon!

Your yellow R1150GS was the first BMW I ever rode, and that made me think of my previous very unreliable R1150GS, which made me buy this one. They simply are on another level when it come to handling rough roads with a passenger. I've got a new set of shocks ready to go on this one, waiting for my mechanic to be open.

Y've known me for ages, dude. I took Maria out on the R1150GS I had a few years after the Transalp, to Morocco. Then got this current bike and went to Morocco as well, twice, where I proposed to her. It's one of the reasons riding this bike means a lot, taking either short rides or longer one is just something that feel like home, and sort of normal. Thanks for the wishes, though, I still feel sad most of the time but there is no way around that really.

Carrying on, coming back home, left Faro on a late morning, and headed north on N2, quickly got out of the main national road (which is by itself not a main road), and found that in the Algarve you can point your bike anywhere you feel like on the hills and find good riding roads: A brief stop on the front steps of a church for lunch, the usual tuna with crackers and fruit (I've been on a diet), but with a view: Heading back north, I took very few pictures, rode amazing roads, some of the same, and went to meet a friend in Estremoz for some dinner and overnight stay. Brief stop for a sip of water and a text announcing my arrival time, close to sunset the light was so pretty I couldn't help but enjoy it for a few minutes: My spot for the night: And some amazing (if expensive) portuguese black pig presunto: This was now new year's eve. I left early from Estremoz and headed back to home to Azambuja, it was a really cold but crisp day, brief stop exploring Avis, near Portalegre: Heading into the freezing mist, it was about 6 or 7º in the sunshine, a lot less in the fog: After this, I was half freezing, and didn't feel like stopping for pictures, the last 60 or 80km are boring anyway, so just rode home for a hot shower. Arrived early enough to have lunch at home, and spend a quiet afternoon waiting for the year to pass.

The previous day, arriving at Faro, went for dinner at a friend's restaurant, and got properly drunk. Got home late and slept like a stone, just what I needed. The day after I woke up refreshed, and decided to go and see something new, got out of Faro via some great twisties, and made my way to Almodovar where I got out of the N2, Portugal's most famous road (and overhyped like all most famous things) and made my way West via some more interesting roads: I pondered crossing this, but visions of being stranded on a riverbed and a burned clutch, made me not do it: Instead, I made my way to Monchique using small tarmac roads, and was lucky to find the restaurant with the best view ever, some great food for a hungover stomach, and a free table outside: Monchique hilltop is 900m high, with a straight view to the ocean. Makes for an amazing view, amazing experience, and if you are into it, amazing biking roads: In the distance you have Sarges, the most south-eastern spot in mainland Europe As always, had a coffee, nothing else to do and carried on back to the seaside, heading to Lagos: And then back to Faro on the motorway. Took me 3 hours on small roads and dirt roads to get to lunch, and 45 minutes riding fast on a motorway to get back. The next day I was really tired, so took to washing the bike, and taking a short ride to Vilamoura, to dry the bike and a spot of lunch: As always, sunset on the beach, this time with a friend before some great sushi: