What Have You Being Doing With Your Non-triumph Today?

The ZZR has been giving me the evil eye lately, having not turned a wheel since lay up and SORN in Nov.
I succumbed today and got her tested, ready for retax and a weekend jaunt. Just pulled the cover off, hit the start button and no dramas, thanks in part to my usual layup routine no doubt.

 

Finished the break-in mileage for my new V85TT. Since this picture was taken I added a small deflector at the top of the windscreen and a tail trunk. Picture was taken in Santa Fe, New Mexico by @Sandi T when I met her, her husband "Mr. Sandi" (Steve), and Russell there for a ride last month.
V85 by Marco Wikstrom, on Flickr

 

On Tuesday before my first night shift I just did a local ride of about 80 miles on the Blade, stopping at Shobdon Airfield for lunch. Perfect!

 

Not quite today but a couple of days ago I delivered it (1991 Suzuki DR 650 RSE) to the mechanic that is going to rebuild the mechanical side of things. This could take some time. Hopefully I’ll get it back before the end of the year!!!

 

That helmet of yours loves to get in them pictures need to be careful or it will go to your head

 

I am the epitome of sartorial elegance I will have you know, I have a different helmet for each bike because....why not? .

 

I can beat you on that partly due to the glasses issue I have bought a three in a larger size plus the dozen or so I already have I don't have one for each bike I have one for every outfit jeans and leather jacket jeans and textile jacket all leather or all textile short boots or long the variations go on and on

 

400four fettled,out for a wee run later .

 

This was two days ago, far too hot for this game but still enjoyable despite melting.

 

Out early on the Fireblade to meet up with a mate on his 2007 HRC Blade (IMHO the best paint scheme Honda have ever done for the CBR) at Garstang at 7:30.



Ended up heading over to Settle and Ribblehead before turning back for noon so as to avoid the hottest part of the day.

 

This weekend Helmut and I took our Ducatis to WSBK at Donington Park; we got tickets to the weekend in exchange for putting our bikes on the Ducati Owners’ Club display stand. We arrived on Friday morning, bright and early, set up our tent (in the outfield camping this year, the infield was sold out as I left it too late to book!). The outfield was actually very nice for camping and not too much of a walk into the circuit.















We had an absolutely excellent and extremely hot weekend, with some fabulous racing and entertainment in the paddock. Some British riders had some absolutely rotten luck, but some cracking results as well.











The only small negative was that something had been dragged past my bike on the stand I think as there was blue paint scraped across one of the panniers, but luckily no damage to the bike itself. I have to admit that we both had a little bit of anxiety about being so far away from our bikes, especially at night, but lots of people stayed at the stand camping all night so in reality they were probably safer than in the outfield camping.The photos were taken very early on - there were a huge amount of bikes on the stand by Sunday.

 

A little wander around Bawtry yesterday.

 

Out with a group of friends for a "gentle blast" around Central Scotland, north through Crieff, The Sma' Glen and Aberfeldy and back along Loch Tay to Killin then home. 148 miles of fun!

The Woodhouse for breakfast!
Ducati Monster, Honda CB1300, Triumph Bonneville T100, Honda CL500, BMW S1000R and BMW R12nineT at the Sma’ Glen.


One of a few coffee stops!

 

That CB 1300 has some real presence

 

Very nice always fancied one of those R12 nineT

 

CL500 and CB500F Hornet at rest after a morning coffee ride grew into a 134miles day ride around West Central Scotland!

 

Today I just had a nice little 77 mile whizz about on my Hyperstrada after I woke up from my night shift, with a stop at one of my very favourite cafes. I like my new tyres - Michelin Road 6s - which is a good job!! Before today, they had only gone to Donington which was mostly motorway.

 

I went seeking out more stamps for my Bike and Brew passport today, 213 miles done on my beautiful Blade flying about.....or crawling from Welshpool towards home with the sheer amount of traffic, all of it determined not to top 40mph it seemed .

 

Agreed, the wife hates my car driving when I get behind some dawdler.

Conversation usually goes...

If speed limits are to be so stringently enforced then why is this idiot doing 32 mph in a 60?



It really boils my blood that 80 mph in a 60, for example, is the crime of the century and must be controlled by any means.
However, when roads routinely fail to reach 90% of their posted limit then surely that is just as dangerous, or even more so for people who need to get somewhere, no?

Only yesterday we had a dawdler doing 28 FFS on a 60 mph country lane. On the first real opportunity all three cars following made a dash for it, the first was a really dodgy blind gamble, I was car two.

I've been driving over 40 years, and I'm sure we were told you HAD to make sufficient progress otherwise you would fail your test.

Rant over, what's your thoughts?

 

We have lots of twisty rural roads, Honda Jazz owners and garden centres round here, so it can be a frustrating and dangerous place to drive . Add the fact that indicators now (if used at all!) mean, "I am moving, it's up to you to take avoiding action" and driving is an activity which feels like a seriously hazardous occupation these days.

Going that slowly leads to people taking chances I think and increasing the risk because doing 35 - 40 mph for mile after mile on a NSL road in good weather, with good visibility, road conditions etc is so frustrating. All the idiots some way back in the queue also start to tailgate and it all just gets very fraught. You KNOW what the slow driver is saying to their passenger though "It's a speed limit, not a target" as they creep nervously on, slowing to 15mph for the gentlest of corners......