Welcome To Bikes And Travels...
...It's about bikes... and travels... mostly on bikes!
What's New?
Poland To Czech With Nitwits
After a night in Poland the British Buffoons head into The Czech Republic. They're tired and reading between the lines getting a little grumpy, but there's booze and food so they'll be fine.
Bungling To The Bungalow
The first day of the South West Scotland Adventure is a total washout. Ren is moist and Sharon is leaking - and yet it's not all bad at the end of the day.
The Z500 Mods Continue
Sharon's conversion from Z500 naked sports bike to Z500 touring motorcycle continues. MO' money, MO' problems is what dey say innit? Ain't nuffink eezee.
5 Fools For Kilmarnock - Prologue
The tales of mishap and trepidation leading up to this adventure is not for the faint hearted. Gird your loins we're only at the planning stage so far...
5 Fools In South West Scotland
Title page for The BATties Ayrshire expedition.
Soft Brake Fix Weirdness
Ah the old trick of zip tying the brake lever to get a good brake. It seems to work but does anyone know why?
Escape From Colditz To Poland
The lads take a brief look around Colditz before making a dash for Poland. There's a handful of shenanigans and guess what - beer.
An Easy Day Out Going Round In Circles
How can you get lost in the days of Satellite Navigation? Turn the Sat-Nav off. Now you can ride around in ever decreasing circles - which oddly enough seems to be just fine with Ren these days.
Chaos Towards Colditz
More mayhem from a bunch of blokes old enough to know better. Brits used to try and get out of Colditz, these lads are struggling to get in. Fear not - there is beer.
The Perpetual Summer Problem
Ren is typically annoyed that other people are allowed to use his personal race track. If it weren't for those pesky people life would be slightly less miserable for Mr Curmudgeonly.
See More What's New
Latest Posts
An Easy Day Out Going Round In Circles
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, that looks like it. I was coming towards the camers - the picnic bench is just this side of the footbridge.
Yes, I remember directing you through that ford. It could be entertaining as well.....
18/07/2025 14:51:21 UTC
An Easy Day Out Going Round In Circles
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Is this the place Ian? See link...
If it is then I can see it has a concrete section. I presume the use of concrete is due to it's strength, resistance to erosion, and possibly because some concretes can be laid actually in water, even running water. The problem with concrete is it is particularly prone to slippery algae, as I've experienced myself.
There is a ford near where you used to live - I went through it on my way home from my visit to traumatise you.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Peopleton,+Pershore/@52.1600229,-2.0607729,3a,...
18/07/2025 13:46:23 UTC
An Easy Day Out Going Round In Circles
Ian Soady¹ said :-
As Arthur said, good call on the ford.
The only time I've dropped a bike in the last dozen years or so was an innocuous looking ford in Worcestershire. I was on my V-Strom 650 and entered the ford - which was only a few inches deep - at walking speed. Half way across the front wheel just slid sideways and I ended up on the deck. The surface was covered with slimy algae and I struggled to get up. A bloke who was sitting at a picnic table nearby saw my predicament and came across to help me right the bike.
To my well hidden amusement -- and his companion's obvious disgust - he also ended up sitting in water ruining his sensible trousers. No real damage to the Suzuki other than the ball end broken off the clutch lever and a graze on the fairing.
Here is the offending ford:
18/07/2025 11:38:44 UTC
An Easy Day Out Going Round In Circles
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Thanks arthur - I suspect most folks would just call me a wimp!
18/07/2025 11:13:38 UTC
An Easy Day Out Going Round In Circles
arthur said :-
Smart choice avoiding that river! Safety first.
18/07/2025 10:54:40 UTC
Poland To Czech With Nitwits
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I understood that a lock knife was a synonym for flick knife - ie one where the blade pops out when you press a button then stays in the open position. Although Claude seems to disagree.
18/07/2025 09:59:55 UTC
Poland To Czech With Nitwits
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Oh lordy we're into a whole world of weird now ain't we. I seem to recall that here in blighty you can't even own a lock knife? My understanding of lock knife is kinda like a penknife that opens up but when it's in the open position some kind of mechanism prevents is from being closed? Rather than a firm push against a spring as you'd find with a regular penknife. Well my Leatherman copy does not "lock" it just has a spring as per a penknife.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse - but sometimes the law is so ridiculously finnicky a regular person has no chance of knowing all the details. And knowing ALL the details when you enter another country is frankly not possible.
I think a Leatherman style too might be more easily confused with a butterfly knife?
18/07/2025 07:37:31 UTC
Poland To Czech With Nitwits
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I think your Leatherman remark is an interesting one Ed me lad. If it's anything like mine I wonder if it could even be regarded as a lock knife, which is naughty anyway.
Upt.
18/07/2025 07:07:24 UTC
Poland To Czech With Nitwits
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I mean... how far do you go with this knives thing? I have a small Leatherman el-cheapo copy tool with a knife - ought I declare that? Will they confiscate it? I also have 2 plastic knives (no, really, thin wobbly knife shaped plastic things - you could barely spread butter) as part of my cooking kit. Do they go into Campervans and confiscate the bread knife, the steak knives and the butter knife?
I feel as though it's a "catch all". You're nice to us, we find your knife "oh, that's OK crack on", you're rude to us we find your knife "you're nicked and you're not getting on this boat, coming into our country, etc etc etc".
Oh, "Got any explosives?" Well I have 17 litres of liquid high explosives in the tank, 2 bottles of high pressure explosives in my campingaz bottles?
17/07/2025 08:10:49 UTC
Poland To Czech With Nitwits
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I had a similar experience at Portsmouth, he asked to look in the tank bag and top box. It was only a few days later that I realised I had a small Swiss Army jobby in the bottom of the tank bag.
16/07/2025 23:15:03 UTC
See More Comments
Latest Repair-Chat
Go To Repair-Chat
Ian Soady¹ said :-
There are only 3 of them to drive a 400cc twin so need to be substantial. I can do a write up on how it works (now I've worked it all out) if you're interested. One of the several weak points is the lack of backfire protection which I suspect has been the issue on one or two occasions.
18/07/2025 16:53:31 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You will have to furnish us with an image of the pawls installed Ian so I can understand why such large pawls are being used. I was expecting something akin to the pawls in a bicycle freewheel.
18/07/2025 13:48:24 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
They are indeed about 2cm long (or 1.125" to be precise).
As I say I was surprised not to find someone local although I'm sure there will be a bloke in a draughty shed somewhere. I have a copy of Kelly's Directory for Birmingham dating back to the 1950s and it includes a comprehensive listing of all businesses by type. Yell / checkatrade etc are useless in comparison, and search engines only work if the company has a website which many of these people don't.
18/07/2025 10:03:47 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
We can still make things up north Ian - because we're too darn tight to buy them! I'm struggling for scale here Ian - the pawls look massive on that vice? Like almost 2cm long? Is it a tiny vice or are these pawls big pawls?
18/07/2025 07:42:03 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
And this is the finished job. Hopefully they will be back with me in a couple of days. I did try very hard to find someone local to do the job but drew a blank - unusual as there are many trades in Redditch. Although not the thousand of Birmingham in its heyday.
17/07/2025 10:13:44 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
This is them built up, and with one tidied up:
17/07/2025 10:12:19 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
My trouble when buying bikes is that I've convinced myself before I've evn seen it. Rose tinted goggles indeed. However, I've never bought one that I haven't managed to get to a decent standard.
For those of you havinbg sleepless nights with my non-electric starting Norton, I discovered that after breaking one of the piddly little pins that bring the pawls into engagement with the rathchet, one pawl had been quite badly damaged. Of course there are absoltely non available.
I asked a question on a model engineering forum re better pins and had some excellent advice. What's more, one of the contributors, a retired gunsmith up in Ren's neck of the woods, offered to reface the pawls with hard material. As I'm in the last chance saloon I took him up on his offer.
These are the damaged pawls - the worst one circled top left:
17/07/2025 10:09:58 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Here we go Tony. Eee by eck worrisit wi you folks? I have Bogger on the phone the other day trying to upload text to a website by copy-pasting a word file into the text box.
There is no hope...
17/07/2025 08:16:34 UTC
Glyn said :-
Well done Tony. There’s nothing worse than spending time and money on a rebuild/renovation/ tart up, only to find it a disappointing ride. It’s hard to keep going at that point. I’m having some poor running issues on the TZR and almost cant face taking the carbs off once again. I have to admit that I bought the Suzuki online and even picked it up (120 miles from home), put it in the van, and only started the engine when I got it home. It runs perfectly but I’m amazed I took such a lack of care in the purchase, Rose tinted glasses I guess. Great to hear you’ve got what you expected after changing the sprockets.
17/07/2025 07:48:55 UTC
Occasional Lurker said :-
Hello again folks, I recall someone asked that I "keep you all posted", regards my left-hand drive CB250 Nighthawk...
I actually bought it without a test ride, because I remember with fondness, the happy times I had with a very similar Honda CD250U back in 1989 to 1990... When the Nighthawk was delivered, I knew I had give it some care and TLC ... First on the list was a new chain ... and sprockets... BUT, that meant ordering a centre-stand prior to commencement of work. So, whilst waiting for Blackpool Honda to come up with the goods, It had an oil change, lubrication to everything that moved, including cables... and a deep clean into every nook and cranny .... Somebody please wake up Ren, I fear he's switched off at this point ...
So, with the bike serviced, and shining like a new pin, the first time out was upon me ... Oh my God, what a "let-down"... I have never ridden a bike so "low-geared" ... The front sprocket was a 14 tooth job, ( factory standard), and the rear sprocket was also standard, (33 tooth)... I had only replaced like for like ... and this was like driving a wagon stuck in "low-range" ...
A quick look on-line, soon had me slamming the lap-top closed, and perusing just what I could do to make this little beauty, more "long-legged" ... I even thought of having the rear wheel re-rimmed and spoked, to increase it from 16 inch, to 17 inch, but that would risk fouling the bodywork under the seat, along with a new tyre as well ... So, sprockets were deemed to be the only way to go ...
The choice of sprockets, for it's 520 chain, seemed to be the only alternative... These were, 1 tooth more, (15), for the front, and 3 teeth less, at the rear... These were delivered today, and duly fitted ...
OH WOW..!! It worked ..!! I haven't turned it into a Motorway blasting "mile-muncher"... It's still a lightweight 250cc "tiddler, with 20 horses straining at the reigns ... All of it's power is right where you want it, in the real world of 30 to 50 mph speed limits ... It's Bloody Lovely..!! I reckon we're going to get along just fine ... Now, to try posting a picture ... Regards, Tony .... No joy ..!! I shall ask Ren to Magic it from my phone to his site ... I promise to get some IT lessons from a tech-savvy friend ...
16/07/2025 21:38:46 UTC
Latest Chit-Chat
Go To Chit-Chat
nab301 said :-
I've been having similar problems, I had a zip on bib with an old Hein Gericke set up but this has let me down recently , however with the help of Ian I found a local shop which seems to stock such items if I can pluck up the courage to call in and actually try on a pair!
@ UPt , that is excellent customer service from Oxford.
Nigel
04/07/2025 12:56:19 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I did consider braces but...
I didn't. I'm a belt guy I spose.
As for fishermen's troosers.....behave ya'self.
Upt.
01/07/2025 16:29:03 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
In the long ago days when I rode in all weathers I used to have braces on my overtrousers which were much more comfortable. In fact latterly I used Helly Hansen bib & brace heavy duty PVC items designed for deep sea fishermen and the like. Easy to get on & off, reasonably cheap and totally waterproof. I may even have a pair stashed away somewhere.
https://workweargurus.com/collections/helly-hansen-bib-and-brace/products/helly-...
01/07/2025 14:48:07 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Weise Hydra troosers update.
All's good except....
1. They fit too low, it's fashion innit? Now at the local upholsterers for belt loops to be attached and a new Levi bovine leather belt acquired at the right price. Should be sorted.
2. Took the drop liner out before taking them to the upholsterers and found the lining puckered where some errant seam tape had been carelessly attached onto the rear. Pffffffftttttt.
3. Contact Weise UK on their online form, pffffffftttttt, email the next day from Fowlers of Bristol asking for piccies. "New lining is in the post sir". Now arrived. Great customer service from Weise and their UK agent.
Picture of tape below which seems just about impossible to budge, which is probably why they use it as seam tape.
Upt.
01/07/2025 11:38:04 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
The weather was fine until the ride home.....33 of your c's was a tad on the uncomfortable side when dealing with traffic and slow movers. But better than blummin wet.
23/06/2025 12:32:10 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Very nice Upt'. Looks like the weather was on your side too.
23/06/2025 08:49:16 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
It is Ian, I'd never seen the programme and can't envisage I ever will but it's a lovely ride over the tops. Anything to avoid the masses of Whitbyites.
Pffffffftttttt.
22/06/2025 17:09:24 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Very nice too. Is that Goathland ("Heartbeat" country)?
22/06/2025 14:17:49 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
22/06/2025 13:57:34 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
22/06/2025 13:56:28 UTC
Random Link - Travelling Light