Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

I'll look into that. I think I could manage to repair a puncture roadside with a few tools now but I might end up riding to the nearest air line to get the job finished.

Took the bike out in C. London this afternoon. Not relaxing but nice to do after a year away from it.

Ride carefully. It’s that dangerous time of the year. Two deaths here in two days. Not good. And I heard a few bikes out today - and you know from the sound they’re flying - and the roads madly greasy today. It does end in tears.

Yes, barely over 30mph. Crowded from Fulham up the embankment, turn up to Sloane Square and back down the Kings Road. Not a time to be going mad but a (gentle) reminder about how switched on you need to be to ride in C. London anyway.

Not sure what to do with the old tyres. Quietly in the tip or take somewhere for recycling?

I have been there a long time ago at a wedding in the registry office - town hall. Chelsea won the FA cup during the ceremony - it was an unreal experience.
Anyways, take care on two wheels - bloody car drivers see less and less every year - that is one thing which is stopping me buying. I drive an A6 and people can’t see it so what chance would I have on a bike.

Sod C. London! South Circular in peak was bad enough in December.

Agreed roads are greasy, but mostly inattentive car drivers. Had a near-miss (or three) every day in town traffic in Swindon the past week.

Putting on the dirt wheelset forces me to give triple the following distance and reconsider that naughty manoeuvre.

Seen lots of guys out on sunday bikes today and yesterday. Hope they don’t make any mistakes.

Was thinking about that earlier today. Not a good time to end up in A&E because you've run out of talent racing around on a sports bike.

Sod C. London!

Welcome to my daily commute.
There's something to be said about year round riding, it switches you the fuck on and makes you paranoid of everything.

Weekend crew was out today and some of the maneuvers you see people pulling, put you on edge.

Yes 100% this. You can normally tell a year-round rider vs weekend warrior by how many times the latter has you wince within 30 seconds.

Have had this issue, tube type rims, tube type tyre, destroyed tyre so just got whatever local place had (somewhere in north of england) which was a tubeless tyre, 1st time ever I wrecked a tube getting it on as was just the wrong bead for the job.

Heidanau make tube type tyres for loads of uses, don't expect a Michelin ps4/ps5 competitor, more like oldschool classic bike tyres. Life much easier with the right ones if you can get them.
If you like the bike and never really use it offroad, get a wheel builder to swap out rims for something tubeless specific, they don't cost that much to get done (rim is £90-200 for something branded, spokes around £40-50 and labour around £50-75 per wheel is about right I think).

Another warning - three motorcyclists killed here in four days. Stay safe folks

Couple hours on the slippery stuff. Slowly increasing length and difficulty. Felt great to survive a few more technical sections (not pictured)

6 Attachments

Jesus. Where? That’s awful.

Limavady yesterday. Ballyclare on Friday. Bally castle on Wednesday

Looks fun, where is this?

Near Uffcott toward the Ridgeway, couple miles from Swindon. Even on satellite you can see all the ruts!

2 Attachments

Those rutted tracks look like hell

Give it a week on the DRZ and you’ll be searching them out

It's not an off-roader per-se. It's a 40yr old BMW R80 and I've been maintaining it for almost 18 years so I guess I must like something about it :) There were a few other wheel types made for the twin suspension model but the snowflakes are my favourite.

Having seen the setup I might try to go tubeless and find the best way to change to a valve in the rim, either drill the current one or find the specialised smaller valve.

1 Attachment

Oh man do I miss riding a dirt bike...

Make it so.

Those rutted tracks look like hell

Took the even more scenic route today.

4 Attachments

Looks great - any single track around there?

There are a few but I haven’t found them yet. I met a couple young lads on L-plated enduros who were talking about a ‘secret’ track nearby, but by their demeanour it was probably an illegal track.

There are some very narrow enduro-ish parts on the byways, but as BOATS are open to 4x4’s, nothing all that single-tracky.

Horse riders usually get the singletracks to themselves.

Still bucking up the courage for this hill climb. The other side is rutted and rooted. This nearside has three ramps and a lot of chunky exposed roots.

1 Attachment