Welcome To Bikes And Travels...
...It's about bikes... and travels... mostly on bikes!
What's New?
An Easy Day Around The Pyrenees
Andy is taking it easy today. Just a casual bimble around The Pyrenees, across mountains and valleys, you know, the sort of easy ride we all do on a lazy day. Ever more delightful images too.
The Excuse This Time Is 2 Deaths
They're off back to Wales. The reasons this time are unusual and some might say quite sad. Fear not, Ren's prudence will make a mockery out of respect.
Odd Reasons To Be In Wales
Title page for a short trip to mid Wales that has some purpose.
The Kelpies - Again
It's Deja-Vu time for Ren and Sharon. It's traffic and town riding too. Sharon manages to find some lovely green stuff to brighten the day.
Into The Pyrenees
With improving weather Andy is still heading south. It's all terribly positive, even the diversions are opportunities to explore. The Pyrenees continue to impress.
Perfect Weather And Parking Problems
The weather is wonderful, the scenery is great, the bikes are behaving. Fear not Ren will always find something to moan about and a reason to be narky.
Smiling In The Rain
It's a soggy wet day through France for Andy, but that won't dampen his spirits. He stumbles upon 2CVs and climbing walls, straight roads and twisties.
A Day Out From Marlborough
Another easy rest day for the not so dynamic muppets. Sharon's happy with trees, Ren's happily mansplaining locks, and there's Curry for tea. What's not to like?
A long Ride to Gien
Big miles already on Andy's first day on the road. He's just getting settled into the ride and making his way south through France.
To The Southern Tip Of Europe
Title page for Andy Gray's Facebook posts following his trip across France and Spain - and back.
See More What's New
Latest Posts
Ayside, The Lake District 2012 - Going Home
Darshan Singh said :-
Aicon Weighing Scales are manufacturers and exporters of weighing scales Equipments ranges from 300 gm capacity to 200 mt capacity. RCC Truck Weighing Scales, Concrete Truck Weighing Scales, Truck Weighing RCC / Concrete, Steel Truck Weighing Scales, Weighing Scales, Pit Type Truck Weighing Scales, Truck Weighing Scales with Pit, Truck Weighing Scale Pit Type, Pit Less Type Truck Weighing Scales, Truck Weighing Scales with Pit Less, Truck Weighing Scale Pit Less Type, Portable Truck Weighing Scales, Movable Truck Weighing Scales, Truck Weighing Portable, Truck Dharm Kanta, Dharm Kanta, Truck Weight Machine, Truck Scales, Heavy Duty Truck Weigh Scale, Truck Weigh Scale, Truck Kanda, Truck Weigh Machine, Steel Truck Weighing Scale, Bench Weighing Scales, Counter Weighing Scales, Platform Weighing Scales, Jewellery Weighing Scales, Table Top Weighing Scales, Concrete Weigh Bridge, Portable Weigh Bridge, truck weigh bridge, heavy weight weigh bridge, heavy vehicle weight machine, dharamkanta, dharam kanta weigh scales, steel weigh bridge, Pitless Weighing Scales, Portable Mobile Truck Weighing Scales, RCC Concrete Weighing Scales, Crane weigh scales, Water Proof Weigh scales etc. in the following states of india: Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Punjab, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Mizoram, Uttaranchal, Nagaland, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Visakhapatnam, Secunderabad, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Agra, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Coimbatore, Allahabad, Ambala, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bhadohi, Bhopal, Anand, Ankleshwar, Bhubaneswar, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Erode, Faridabad, Hyderabad, Indore, Gandhidham, Goa, Gurgaon, Hosur, Jaipur, Jamnagar, Jamshedpur, Kanpur, Karur, Kochi, Kolkata, Panipat, Patna, Pune, Rajkot, Ranchi, Saharanpur, Salem, Surat, Thane, Thrissur, Trichy, Trivandrum, Tuticorin, Vadodara, Vapi, Varanasi +91-9815672517 +91-7504000101 https://www.aiconweighingscales.com
https://youtu.be/9McOhTTefuE...
12/11/2025 11:25:53 UTC
An Easy Day Around The Pyrenees
nab301 said :-
Some more lovely photos and weather (although have had 16°c to 18°c in Dublin in the first week of November...)
Nigel
11/11/2025 13:57:38 UTC
An Easy Day Around The Pyrenees
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Gotta love mountains.
Gotta dislike big beefy sheep dogs. Unless you're a sheep.
Upt.
11/11/2025 13:05:07 UTC
The Excuse This Time Is 2 Deaths
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I think it's been easier for me because my mother dying has always been part of the natural process... if that makes sense? For Sharon her sister was only 58 when she died, only 3 years older than Sharon which is scary and her sister wasn't "old". I can only imagine for your father - I bet he doesn't feel old and he didn't think your mum was old and it won't feel natural at all.
I suppose we all feel it differently, handle it differently, and not all of us will ever come to terms with a loss. Complex things us human peoples.
07/11/2025 08:13:42 UTC
The Excuse This Time Is 2 Deaths
Glyn said :-
I lost my Mum just over a year ago. I was there in the room when she departed this life. I saw her go and fully understood that she had gone. It was very sad at the time but I was surprised that I seemed to get over it fairly quickly, although I do think of her almost every day. She was 89 when she died. Her wishes were for her ashes to be buried in a cemetery next to where she had lived as a child. My father (90 yrs) cannot come to terms with his loss and keeps the ashes at home refusing to comply with her wishes. I’m thinking that Mrs Glyn and I will be dealing with two urns at some time in the future but tents or motorcycles will not be involved. My thoughts are with you both for your losses.
06/11/2025 20:03:10 UTC
The Excuse This Time Is 2 Deaths
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Stop being nice folks... it's just plain weird.
05/11/2025 19:28:13 UTC
The Excuse This Time Is 2 Deaths
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Upt' has nailed it as far as I'm concerned. My thoughts are with Sharon.
05/11/2025 09:54:52 UTC
The Excuse This Time Is 2 Deaths
Upt'North ¹ said :-
It sounds as though you both needed a break. It's life innit, until it isn't.
Your thoughts are mine Ed, the soul (religious or otherwise) has departed all that is left is the receptacle of that soul. You didn't love your mum for her left leg or her right ear, you loved her for her soul. It's that which will allow your love to continue forever, the memories, the laughter, the pain, the soul of your loved one.
Upt.
04/11/2025 16:35:11 UTC
The Kelpies - Again
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Ahhh the benefits on local knowledge Scot-in-exile. We didn't make it to Fintry but I've just had a look on Google street view and it looks like a lovely little village in the hills.
04/11/2025 09:36:54 UTC
The Kelpies - Again
Scot-in-exile said :-
The Kelpies are much better viewed after the sun goes down but not ideal when you have a long ride home afterwards. The route around the Carron Valley was a frequent ride out from my younger days.
Had you turned right, instead of left, at the end of the B818, you could have visited Fintry, a very upmarket village, where there are a few excellent cafes to be found.
03/11/2025 19:26:13 UTC
See More Comments
Latest Repair-Chat
Go To Repair-Chat
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I had to duckduckgo that (other search engines are apparently available). I msuppose I'm not surprised you're a Viz aficonado Ren....
11/11/2025 09:43:19 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It's a good job Finbarr Saunders isn't reading this! Fnarr fnarr yik yik...
10/11/2025 20:53:16 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
One of the speedos - the one in the cluster I bought - had a tiny Phillips screw buried inside the knob - this came out easily enough so half way there. The one on the speedo I want to fit has nothing similar. I don't mind if the knob breaks as I may want to extend the shaft anyway, but I don't want to damage the inside workings.
10/11/2025 13:33:53 UTC
Glyn said :-
Sadly, that is not the case for my TZR speedo. The only way to get it off was a heavy hand that broke it. On closer examination it was only an interference fit but there was no way it would just slide off. I had to file off one side of the knob shaft to remove the bit left behind. Now I’m making a shaft to connect the shaft and the knob. Good luck Ian.
09/11/2025 21:37:44 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Thanks Rod, will have a look tomorrow. It's often these daft little things that throw you.
09/11/2025 16:44:33 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
On the older Japanese bikes with the trip knob to the side of the Speedo, ( as opposed to on top of the Speedo ) there used to be a small hole underneath the Speedo in line with the trip reset knob. I can't remember if this was for a screwdriver or an Allen key, but this hole gives access to a small grub screw which needs to be loosened to remove the trip knob.
Hope this helps. Sorry if I haven't made myself clear. If you still have problems a picture may be of use.
09/11/2025 16:23:35 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Trip knobs.
No this is not a rude post about idiots on tour.... I need to remove the trip reset knobs from 2 speedometers (modern-ish Japanese) but can't for the life of me see how to do it. Any useful tips?
09/11/2025 15:22:16 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
DOH!!!
30/10/2025 10:46:28 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Don't bite Ed, oh you already have...hook, line and sinker.
30/10/2025 10:16:24 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Wait a minute...hang on....!!!!!
"This is why you keep having to buy new ones...."
Right. OK. So. The current "68" plate CB500X was purchased in 2019 which means I've owned it for 6 years and put 60,000 miles on it (including 2 quiet years due to Covid). Before that I owned the '16 plate CB500X for 3 years and put 39,000 miles on it (traded in against the 68 plate). I also owned the CBF125 for 10 years and put 100,000 miles on it.
It's hardly like I'm having to swap bikes annually. It's not like each bike doesn't hardly get used. Oooooh the cheek and impudence of some folks!!!
29/10/2025 13:20:11 UTC
Latest Chit-Chat
Go To Chit-Chat
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Thanks nab301, good to know.
Marine application? From that which I can glean it appears to be a crank for a large 4 piston engine (or possibly a V8). Heavily built but with a relatively short throw. My guess would be it's a piece of art, the dimensions are unfamiliar.
11/11/2025 19:14:29 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ditto to that Ian...
@Ren , It's an engineering shop in the south east (Tullow Co Carlow)on the N81 that I pass by occasionally , I just took the photo out of interest , he last time I took a photo over 10 yrs ago and posted it online I was told the crankshaft was probably out of a marine application?
Nigel
11/11/2025 14:17:45 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
This forum is the best crank place I know of......
10/11/2025 09:47:41 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
What's the crank place you were at nab301?
09/11/2025 12:28:13 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
You might need a wider fairing.
07/11/2025 16:34:23 UTC
nab301 said :-
Leaving my bike in for a new crankshaft!
Nigel
07/11/2025 14:52:02 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ren , safety in numbers , you need to mobilise all the lurking BAT members and descend (or should that be head up to) and arrive en masse unannounced demanding Tea and biscuits , I'm sure Upts' vegetable patch isn't that big (assuming more than 2 turn up ...)
Nigel
07/11/2025 14:49:59 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I warn you (and myself), if you visit you may never leave. It happens, look at us.
The last visitors didn't leave either but the mounds in the veggie patch will flatten down over the winter.
06/11/2025 08:46:17 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I really must get myself up to Wooler - Upt' has gotten away with it for far too long.
06/11/2025 08:12:01 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Damn spell checker.
04/11/2025 16:23:41 UTC
Random Link - France Day 12 - It's Gloomy Inside And Out