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?
She Made Me Walk
Poor poor Ren is being made to exercise against his will. After this tragedy there's disappointment too. Still, it could be worse, he could be working.
Bad Vibes Maaaaaan!
Sharon's pickup bad vibrations, they ain't given her excitations, we know a song about that. With just a little help from Ren the genius of Her Ladyship may yet prevail.
It's A Good Start
After justifying why he's mean to Sharon The Dynamic Muppets take on an arduous and testing journey to deepest darkest Derbyshire. This is a true tale of epic adventure through the harshest conditions... ish.
A Successful Winter's Break
Title page for a brief and fortunately pleasant winter break on two wheels to Ashbourne in Derbyshire
Home And Epilogue
There's very little to say about the final leg home so Ren lets us know what he thought about the trip. Did you know that from Liverpool to Potes is about the same saddle time as Liverpool to Fort William?
Days Of Luxury In The Final Summary
Oh my how the other half live! In contrast to Bogger's chaos and Ren's miserly way Upt' shows us that travel can be comfortable and luxurious. This is the final leg - the only question is will the weather and the chain hold out?
Chillin' At The Bruce Pollard Rally
A few notes from what ought to be an easy couple of nights in North Wales. It's Ren though innit, making the easy seem hard is his thing.
The Rest Of The Misery
The miserable crossing of The Bay Of Biscay continues for longer than expected or desired. The Dynamic Muppets keep their calm and even manage to keep their breakfast down too.
Old Men Crossing Rivers
I'm getting rather concerned for Bogger. Not much beer, early to bed, no-one lost, and no mechanical tomfoolery. There's a catch, surely there's a catch
Honda V Kwakker Headlight
Are Ren's eyes failing him? Are LED headlights just plain poop? Maybe Sharon's new Z5 can bring some illumination to Ren's world.
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Latest Posts
She Made Me Walk
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I like a nice stroll. I'll take an hour's gentle meander around my locale, enjoy the delights of the new housing estate being built, dodge the doggy doings through the park, and question my life choices through the rough estate. Walking is a most excellent exercise as - oddly - it appears the human body was designed to walk!
I shall not be doing the West Highland Way nor any other great walks though. An hour, possibly 2 is fine, pleasurable even, but a whole day? I could manage it if there was accommodation and a cafe every 5 or 6 miles.
15/05/2025 07:59:49 UTC
She Made Me Walk
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Rod,
It was.
I think with the walk to accommodations etc it would be a total of just around 200 miles. The longest day was 32 miles from memory. It was completed in two legs, Glasgee up to Fort William and at a later time Fort William to Inverness. The West Highland Way can be exceptional if you get the weather, especially from Crianlarich north.
Sweet memories.
Should the Batties do it again, "Batties go Walking", it'd be fun to watch Eds feet explode.
Although we would have to insist that Shazza, our very own Madame Soleil, kept er ankles wrapped in very thick woolly socks.
Upt.
14/05/2025 23:26:16 UTC
She Made Me Walk
ROD¹ said :-
Upt' I recon that walk was over 150 miles. Ren would think twice about riding his bike that distance, let alone walk it.
14/05/2025 21:53:05 UTC
She Made Me Walk
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Sorry! I mean careful.....
Pffffffftttttt.
14/05/2025 17:53:27 UTC
She Made Me Walk
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Oh I do like a good walk, I've probably waxed lyrical before on this here wonderful interwebthingymabob forum of like minded fools about my desire for a good walk.
High level walking is always splendiferous if the weather plays ball but some of the longer walks are entertaining when you leave the mainstream behind for a while. You know, no car, motorsiccle, mobile signal etc. The longest walks I've been on are the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way, which basically means you walk from Glasgee to Inverness via Fort William.
But bad feet wouldn't be good.
Nice piccies Ed and I'm glad you showed restraint on the ankle reveal and you didn't disappoint with your tight arrised ways.
You're a good boy.
Upt.
14/05/2025 17:51:58 UTC
KLX 250 The Little Bike That Could
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I believe the 250 market is FAR more vibrant in that region - when Sharon had the Z250SL (same engine) we could not get luggage here and the model was discontinued after only a few years. We could however find all kinds of accoutrements and aftermarket kit from Thailand and Malaysia etc etc on the internet. We're far too hung up on big capacity here to appreciate the delights of a machine that doesn't weigh 200kg plus and still goes like stink.
13/05/2025 13:11:33 UTC
Test Ride Review of the Yamaha XJ6 Diversion - By Ren Withnell
K.a. said :-
Oh man. I’ve a bit of a connection with this bike. I rode a yellow seca/diversion in the early 90’s (it was my 1st 4 inline after riding twin cruisers) and my dad own the modern one for awhile (pic attached) when i was shopping for a ducati. And riding this version (this was when R1 was the flagship brand model and before they debuted the MT09) and its a reaffirmation of how good yamaha at making bikes. Mid range product but still felt premium. Still looks and feel sharp even as yamaha’s plain vanilla offering. And if its anything like the 90s version its super comfy for both rider and pillion for long distance. An under appreciated bike in its market segment that gets lost in the range of maker and style these days, deserves more praise (I’m doing my part) .
13/05/2025 09:02:50 UTC
Review Of The Kawasaki ER6-F - By Mark Tomlinson
K.a. said :-
Had the N version as a commuter for awhile. Its a no frill do it all if you manage your expectation. In the secondary market within its price range an xj600 would have a revvier engine and a 690 duke more fun - but cost a bit more/a dealbreaker if your on a budget. But i really had no complaints or issues for the 2-3 years i used it for town riding and some weekend trip to the hills/beach. Unexciting, but unfussy and reliable. A good beginner ‘big’ bike thats not intimidating for the new rider.
13/05/2025 08:40:40 UTC
KLX 250 The Little Bike That Could
K.a. said :-
Malaysia :) klx has quite a following in this region (evident from thai and indonesian riders)
13/05/2025 08:21:18 UTC
KLX 250 The Little Bike That Could
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Glad you're liking the DTracker K.a. Where abouts are you from - that reg plate could be a classis British plate transferred to a new bike... or another country?
13/05/2025 07:58:45 UTC
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Glyn said :-
I’ve been a gullible fool several times, I’ve bought many things that I shouldn’t have but then EBay (etc) carries that risk. I’ve won more times than I’ve lost to be fair.
09/05/2025 20:35:34 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
My improvised tool wasn't making much impression so I took a chance on a pair of sliders on ebay. They arrived today and the brake side one (the one I need) was fine - the other side was a bit iffy like the one I have. So I now have a complete set of forks that will work. Now to find some gullible fool who'll buy the surplus parts off me.....
09/05/2025 16:26:06 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Spoke a bit too soon - on checking the forks over one side slides very nicely, the other hangs up after a few inches of movement. I can see some rust inside the fork leg which I think is the problem.
I've devised a tool to clean it up with a length of dowel rod with a longitudinal slit holding a strip of emery, the whole lot turned by a cordless drill. Hopefully this will do the trick!
05/05/2025 12:09:35 UTC
Glyn said :-
Sadly not Nigel, I didn’t get the carb with the engine. I do have several pallets and straps. Perhaps I could do as you say with the pallet and straps and spray brake cleaner directly into the intake port, I do have a kill switch. The engines a bit odd as the kick start goes forwards not backwards. I’ve been able to get a spark just spinning it over on the bench so there’s a good chance it will run. The owner is pretty keen to get it back so it’ll be weeks rather than months. The only oil I have is fully synthetic and I’m not sure it’s compatible.
04/05/2025 18:33:13 UTC
nab301 said :-
Glyn , can you not just strap the fantic engine to a pallet and run it there, assuming you have the carb , we can't wait for months !!
Nigel
04/05/2025 16:12:08 UTC
Glyn said :-
Great to see some progress Ian. After my little diversion with the Fantic it will be time to restart the TZR resto. I understand your dislike of metric bolts etc on a British bike but I have always been happy with preinsulated electrical connectors. Maybe this is because I used them extensively in my marine electronics days. However, I do have a pretty expensive crimping took and not the usual pair of weak scissors thingy that most home DIYers use. You need to post us some pictures of progress when you have a moment.
03/05/2025 17:05:44 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
C11 progress...
I bought a set of forks from ebay as the existing ones are from an entirely different bike and they arrived today. They're pretty good - the stanchions are very rusty at the top but reasonable further down, and the oil seal holders came off fairly readily with a strap wrench. And of course I now have the correct fork for the bike with the brake abutment etc, all in fairly good order.
I have a couple of spacers which the previous owner used to make the spindle "fit" the original forks which I now believe to be C15 or relative.
As I delve deeper it's clear that this bike has had at least 2 attempts to return it to health. One lot of work is quite good with properly fitted parts, Cycle thread nuts and bolts etc; the other is a bodge job including two of my pet hates - metric nuts and bolts (and even worse allthread studding) instead of the proper fasteners, and pre-insulated crimped electrical connectors.
Having said all that, most of the basics are there and in decent condition. My current plan is to assemble it all as is, take the cylinder head and barrel off to check them, clean everything and see if it runs and how well. Depending on this I will either strip it again and look at the cosmetics as well as fixing mechanical and electrical parts as required, or maybe run around on it for the summer before doing the cpsmetics in the winter.
I have to say it's a well designed little machine and I'm getting very fond of it!
03/05/2025 12:35:41 UTC
Glyn said :-
Yes Flyn was a typo, further proof that my fingers might be a little wider than they should be. You should not trouble yourself Ren, I will certainly be receiving a video of the little perisher running ( if it does) and will make it available to our interested readers. However, there’s a lot to be said for suspense. I’ve no idea when the engine will be collected or returned to the frame, I’ve had it at least 8 months. It normally resides overseas.
02/05/2025 11:48:17 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I don't like this Flyn character, I want the choccy munchin Glyn back.
Thank you.
Don't worry Ren, I hear the frame is in Rawtenstall! Now wouldn't that be funny!
You're welcome.
Upt.
02/05/2025 08:02:43 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Hey Flyn! I am guessing you're Glyn but with a typo.
You're telling me we never get to find out who the murderer is? You're telling me we don't get to see the resolution of this saga? It's kinda like the TV show has been cancelled halfway through that is. We shall never know if the motor ring-a-ding-dinged happily ever after or if the conrod made an appearance like the Alien exploding from that guy's stomach...
02/05/2025 07:57:29 UTC
Latest Chit-Chat
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Upt'North ¹ said :-
Pffffffftttttt.
17/05/2025 12:32:54 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I'm really really wishing I was on holiday now. Snot fairy
17/05/2025 07:24:47 UTC
Rev. Mick! said :-
16/05/2025 12:28:08 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
flowers...
15/05/2025 16:41:04 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Nice wild flower meadow. These were in the Massif Central a few years ago.
15/05/2025 16:40:36 UTC
Rev. Mick! said :-
15/05/2025 14:45:54 UTC
Rev. Mick! said :-
Extremadura.
We came back into Spain. This remote rural Spain. Let me tell you English speakers very rare here.
Bit of rain today and snow on tops.
15/05/2025 14:43:25 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
"Trujillo is a town in western Spain. The Castillo, a medieval stone fortress, sits atop a hill overlooking the town center. The Coria Museum has displays on the regional links between Spain and Latin America. The life of conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who conquered the Inca empire, is traced at the Casa Museo de Pizarro, his former home. An equestrian statue dedicated to him stands in Plaza Mayor".
You're welcome.
Pffffffftttttt.
15/05/2025 14:42:15 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It look magnificent Rev.Mick! Someone was complaining that Spain we suffering a lot of rain on FaceAche this morning so I figure you're in the best place.
I can't find a "Trujillo" in Portugal? Where's that place?
15/05/2025 13:06:51 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Gotta love a Swift.
So that's where the blue sky went!
Just sea fret upt'north.
Pffffffftttttti'ttttty Pffffffftttttt.
15/05/2025 09:49:38 UTC
Random Link - False Hope Part One