Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

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Soul
I survived my trip down to Cahors and back... just.

It pissed it down from the first mile to ~650 miles out of 700 on the way down. Turns out my goretex suit / gloves are not 100% waterproof as claimed. I guess the high wind pressure for such a long time lets it in eventually.

The way back was mostly fine but it rained for another 150 odd miles in the middle.

Things that were good:
1. My arse is fine so the seat is good
2. The French drivers are awesome (this i already knew)
3. The roads when i got down there, are incredible
Things that were bad:
1. A 2 cylinder at ~8k rpm for 10 hours is horrible on your hands / wrists - they still feel "dead" today
2. It's a fucking long way - i wouldn't do it again on a naked bike. ever.
Apart from that, it was lovely. This is a picture of my parents "new" place:

It's in a pretty amazing 17th century village nestled in a valley, in a national park:

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EB in reply to @Soul

why not naked bike again? I ask because I'm planning a long trip on a naked

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Soul in reply to @EB

It's just too tiring at motorway speeds.
100 or 200 miles at 50 mph or less is lovely.
700 miles at 70-100 mph destroys your neck, back, wrists, ear drums & loads more.

Then there's luggage, weather protection & passenger comfort (not that my wife came with me this time...).

If (or more likely, when) I do this trip again, i'll use a bike more suitable for touring. I'm already having a sneaky look around Autotrader...
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adroit in reply to @EB

The difference with a good fairing is extraordinary. I have a BMW with a "sports" fairing. It keeps so much wind pressure off it makes long rides a breeze. Sometimes it is hard to tell it's actually raining.
I would never consider an unfaired bike unless it was just for round town stuff, but then I have a bicycle for that!

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