Welcome To Bikes And Travels...
...It's about bikes... and travels... mostly on bikes!
Spring has sprung, now we have a few months of warm pleasant rain to enjoy after the cold and miserable rain of winter.
What excitement and adventures will this year bring?
What's New?
Bikes Are Faster Than Cars?
When you appear to be going faster than all the cars around you - does that mean cars are slow? Well it's a little more complicated than that.
A Dull Day Here Is Better Than Home
The surroundings are great, the riding is fun, the town is lovely. This isn't the best day of the trip so far but Ren is just a miserable fool.
Ponderings
Sharon has a shiny new motorcycle! The thing is she's rather non-plussed about the whole affair really. Still, it's a good place to start.
Tea Is Tea, Even If It's Poor Tea
The morning is all about the desperate search for real tea. The afternoon would have been fine if Ren's wallet hadn't been opened so vigorously.
Could Etna Be Any Better?
Save for a very minor ticketing issue Upt' and Er'Indoors remain blessed with sunshine, idyllic scenery, delightful food and fabulous roads. Some folks have all the luck eh?
Let The Chaos Commence
After the where's and why's it's time for a long ride from The Midlands to Belgium. It doesn't all go according to plan but relative to this lot's usual mayhem - it's a good start.
Bogger's Et Al's Polish Adventure
Title page for Bogger's trip to Poland. There's small bikes, big miles and "adults" who out to know better.
Dams And Delights
As the Dynamic Muppets start their return leg Portugal has more scenic delights in store. Ren is still facing going cold turkey without tea - poor poor Ren.
Etsuko
Sharon is enjoying her Z400 on a fulfilling and exciting level. Things don't always go the way you might hope though.
Excellence In Its Own Way
More Mountains! The Serra da Estrela provides a wiggly squiggly experience that's similar yet different to many other mountainous regions. The Dynamic Muppets get to ride and relish around.
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Latest Posts
Ponderings
Sharon said :-
Thanks to you all for saying the Z500 looks good. Even you said so Ian, and I know this type of bike is not your thing, so I appreciate that you are made the effort to encourage me to like the new bike a bit more.
The personal/injury/ bike gear/bike accessories part of the claim is still ongoing. I rejected the first pred medical offer so we shall see in time if that was a good or bad decision.
I have been out on the bike you will be glad to hear. I will update in a future blog. But for now once again thanks for the encouragement.
06/03/2025 18:41:45 UTC
Bikes Are Faster Than Cars?
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I can imagine the Tesla driver was having a nicer moment. Climate control set at 21c and Greatest Hits Radio adorning the interior. Plus 4 lovely big tyres to grip and grip and grip.
But it cost him a lot more than you Ed to cover that same distance. Have you seen the price of tyres for them things?
I don't think I would get much of a thrill from driving an electric vehicle such as the 2 second wonder you mention. Aren't they a one trick pony, initial shove and then a bland delivery of electrons. Dunno, enlighten me. Plus.....Musk! I'll say nowt, where's me chainsaw.
But who is quicker, down to the driver/rider innit.
Upt.
06/03/2025 14:35:40 UTC
Bikes Are Faster Than Cars?
Ian Soady¹ said :-
One of Guy Martin's TV programmes looked at this - comparing a (slightly old) F1 car witha BMW Tyco superbike. The car was faster in most instances. Both Ren (motorcyclists tend to be faster) and Rod are of course correct on the road. There's a short version of the Martin programme here:
https://youtu.be/6njgZ_7yLQc?feature=shared...
06/03/2025 14:21:49 UTC
Bikes Are Faster Than Cars?
ROD¹ said :-
Bikes in general have a better power to weight ratio. Cars will corner much faster than bikes when the driver has the skills to drive them.
When it comes to driving/riding at high speed the car benefits from better shape to reduce drag, and of course if we look at F1 the use of downforce.
06/03/2025 11:35:00 UTC
Z250SL Tappet Check And Adjust
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Which hose, which image are you talking of Bartosz?
05/03/2025 18:13:50 UTC
Z250SL Tappet Check And Adjust
Bartosz said :-
I can see that you put breathing hose over the frame part. Don’t do that! It needs to go under! In my bike was like that and it destroyed fuel pump outlet.
05/03/2025 05:01:56 UTC
A Dull Day Here Is Better Than Home
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Upt' - Sharon always says "So, by your reasoning Ren we should live somewhere REALLY awful, like dilapidated tower blocks, industrial units, constant traffic, violence on the streets... Just so we can appreciate more the places we visit". I know she's right and where I live ain't the best but it sure as hell ain't the worst.
Now we are all quite different and I think I'd personally would find Wooler just a tad too remote for my own taste. Mind you I've not been there, perhaps I should go and have a look for myself. You can't hide forever Upt'...
03/03/2025 13:12:30 UTC
A Dull Day Here Is Better Than Home
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ren'ster, you ask a very interesting question, if I may be so bold I will answer part 2 first.
No. The majesty of the Dolomites, The solitude of the Picos, The Alps in all their splendour. Even the odd impressive town or city, they are still a welcome change to the norm.
Part 1 is a yes and no. Of course the view becomes the norm, whilst sitting here writing this nonsense I am looking over towards Doddington Moor in the North, there are fields and Turvelaws Farm, then the Moor itself. Neolithic man roamed the Moor and left their marks, it's a good view, but I've looked at it over lunch around 4000 times, so yes it's become the norm.
It's a good norm though and I don't take it for granted. Whenever we travel away from the village for either a few hours or days the views of The Cheviots and Glendale rarely disappoint. It's not unusual for a wow to be heard. Returning from Alnwick upon the Aln last week The Cheviot and Cheviots had fresh snow on them and only yesterday we saw 2 red squirrels whilst walking near Humbleton Hill, it's a beautiful place to live and I'm thankful that that is what we do.
The 20 mile drive to a supermarket or the 100 mile return journey to a hospital is something you get used to and with a Deli, two convenience stores, 5 pubs, butchers and a couple of restaurants we don't need to go anywhere really, although local prices bring out the, "how much"!
I think you'd enjoy it Ed, and if you fancy a ride in the country you don't have to travel to get there.
You can even buy tea bags, proper monkey tea too!
Upt.
03/03/2025 12:50:14 UTC
A Dull Day Here Is Better Than Home
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
The viewing platform made Sharon a tad nervous. As I value my health and wellbeing I find it best not to trouble her - she might be small but I gotta sleep at some point.
We were of the opinion it would, when filled with water, be some kind of decorative waterway. It formed various geometric shapes through the park rather than a logical storm drain. Check out the satellite view on Google maps
https://maps.app.goo.gl/y1fk7vWhJQPHuhV68...
03/03/2025 11:49:11 UTC
A Dull Day Here Is Better Than Home
nab301 said :-
Ren , it all looks good to me ! Did you try jumping up and down on the viewing platform just to see how well it was secured..
Is that "dry" waterway a storm drain?
Nigel
03/03/2025 11:08:54 UTC
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Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Cheers Ian. I'd never really thought about the kind of paints used on what I might term as "old" machinery. There's an amazing amount of stuff available which I wouldn't know about if it weren't for the tinterweb.
21/02/2025 08:50:11 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Oh, the paint is Paragon black enamel. Even though it's from a years-old tin it still goes on well - if a lttle thick - and gives a good durable gloss.
https://www.stationaryengineparts.com/Paragon-Paint-Products/...
19/02/2025 16:57:30 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Thanks both. I'm afraid I'm fully occupied making my own bits so am not really up to doing stuff for other people - but I would encourage them to buy a cheap lathe and have a go. Like this.....
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176854329305...
19/02/2025 10:10:18 UTC
Glyn said :-
Nice job Ian. The spacers are, as per your comment, used to align the clip on bars. The pin locates in the handlebar on the top and the top yoke underneath. My latest job involves stripping and painting the tank. The finish is actually very good but there’s various rust tracking under the paint. It’s easier to see in the white than the red.
18/02/2025 15:21:03 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Looking good that Ian - can we contact you if we need something machining up then? And what did you use to paint the stand? I've had "sturdy and long lasting" finishes with Hammerite but not necessarily "good looking" finishes. It's probably due to my lack of care and attention to detail though.
18/02/2025 14:10:48 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I have a small (3.5") far eastern lathe in my shed that I bought second hand for around £250. It replaced an antique Granville - probably pre (second world) war machine that was OK for the odd spacer but no good for anything like precision. The one I have now is surprisingly accurate and precise and is let down by my lack of skill rather than its own inadequacies. The pic shows spacers I turned up for the Electra's centre stand out of a fiver's worth of mild steel. I could buy the top hat ones for about £8 each but the central one is unobtainable. Plus I could make them to the dimensions on my bike rather than some theoretical "correct" one.
If you weren't too bothered about original look you might be able to knock something like your spacers up on a simple lathe. It often pays to think about alternatives for this sort of thing - for example with your spacers I suspect the extended part locates the bars so they don't rotate. They probably don't actually need to be integral to the spacers....
I'd love a miller but have no space and to be truthful probably couldn't either use it effectively or justify its cost.
16/02/2025 12:54:53 UTC
Glyn said :-
So nice to know that there’s still guys in sheds being clever. Even more impressive that they’re moving with technology and machining up pieces like these (unobtainable) handlebar spacers for the TZR. A lathe would be welcome in my shed but a CAD machine well I can’t even imagine.
16/02/2025 10:50:11 UTC
Glyn said :-
You are reliably correct again Ed. After a little more research I find that it is a 125cc registered with a P prefix on the number plate that makes it 1997 ish. It’s a little along the style lines of the Yamaha 125 Dragstar which was probably the competition at the time.
12/02/2025 13:20:57 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Looking at the image again I might be seeing the remnants of an "L" plate behind the front mudguard? If so it will obviously be the 125 version.
12/02/2025 09:34:37 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
That, my friend, is a Honda CMX250 Rebel (or possibly the 125 version).
233cc (or 124) parallel twin with a 360 degree crank (pistons go up and down together, even firing sequence, bad balance). Based on the CD200 Benly motor which is a very strong motor. Single carburettor with a manifold. AND AND AND it's a 4 - FOUR stroke.
It is a WONDERFUL machine. After my little crash I couldn't bend my knee much so this was my first bike after the smash. I loved it dearly and would have another in a heartbeat... if I had the room.
12/02/2025 09:32:29 UTC
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Upt'North ¹ said :-
Nice pictures KJ.
The engine bars on K1100LT's will touch the road but only after the pegs have folded up. It wasn't a problem because like everything else on the K's they were rubber mounted. I think?
Upt.
06/03/2025 14:41:43 UTC
KiwiJeff said :-
Found a better holiday snap to make you realise how lucky you are with your light snowfalls! The diggers were working all day to keep the roads open this picture shows how deep the snow really was! Everybody cheered up now?
06/03/2025 05:06:02 UTC
KiwiJeff said :-
On another topic I've been out sliding around on the local gravel roads for a couple of hours great fun. However on the last corner of our street which is smooth tarmac something grounded on the bike which gave me a moment. The below picture tells the story, it's not the side stand or the centre stand it's the rather large engine protector bars! While I'm a big fan of not damaging bits of the bike when I fall off I'm definitely not interested in sliding down the road due to the low protector bar fitted! Application of a hacksaw is tomorrow's job before the bike is ridden again! Anyone else had this happen? Must admit I hadn't considered this as a problem up to now.
06/03/2025 04:24:57 UTC
KiwiJeff said :-
While you do have a bit of snow to put up with Japan had 6.00 metres in the area we were skiing so the below photo is of the carpark and the snow shaped like cars is cars they just have half a metre of overnight snow on them. No motorcycles were observed although there were plenty in and around Tokyo.The photo isn't the best but I'm too tight to upgrade my 8 year old phone!
06/03/2025 04:12:35 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Sunshine? In Ireland? I don't believe it! Looks lovely nab301.
03/03/2025 13:00:35 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Nice pictures Nidger, glad you've been out bog hoppin.
Upt and happy.
03/03/2025 12:09:06 UTC
nab301 said :-
And then on Sunday 02/03/25 my first longish trip of 2025, Hook head lighthouse in co Wexford,
Nigel
03/03/2025 11:47:41 UTC
nab301 said :-
Upt , despite -3°c overnight It was bright and sunny and I went in search of genuine 100% proof 2025 sunshine on the 28th , Laragh co Wicklow , the things we do to keep you happy.
Nigel
03/03/2025 11:44:45 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I'm so far behind...I'm ahead
02/03/2025 19:30:47 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our esteemed leader.....yes you Ed......your devotion to duty is inspiring Ed.
I see you have posted the "Spring Heading" already.
Wow.
Respect.
You're welcome.
Upt.
02/03/2025 18:37:39 UTC
Random Link - North Wales Bed and Breakfast 2008 - Llanberis Pass and The Great Orme