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...It's about bikes... and travels... mostly on bikes!
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The Hot Water And Cooking Problem
Cooking ought to be easy, even when on a motorcycle camping trip. Ren seems to find only the cons and none of the pros to various concise cooking equipment.
More Rain, No Butane, Close To Insane
Hey guess what? Ren is having a bad day, alas it's not as bad as most readers will hope. Most of his issues are entirely self inflicted but that won't stop him from blaming Bogger. Don't worry he'll be fine, Sharon is hiding the utensils.
Blood And Rain, Finger Pain, Improving Terrain
A short and simple if a little wet ride up to Callander is followed by a (not very) long and tiresome walk into Callander. No pain no gain Ren! There's new friends too.
The Surprising River Seine
The River Seine is not at all that which Ren expected, which is a good thing for once. Save for the exceedingly hot weather and questionable pricing it all turns out rather well.
No Rain, Hip Pain, A Train, Rice Grain, Heavy Rain
The Batties are off to Skye! Today though they barely make it to Scotland. Ren expands his culinary expertise, forgets something, and looks happy as always.
A Honda C90 Weekend
Bogger is up to his usual antics. That means miles, food, booze, breakdowns, and chaos in all it's forms. This time The New Forest endures his presence when the whole place is already on fire.
Hot And Simple Normandy
Sharon is in her element, Ren is at risk of melting as a heat wave hits Normandy. There's a little motorcycling and a lot of pool time, plus some sweating.
Prologue - Skye AKA Bogger's Curse
Excuses and complaining... that is all Ren has to offer. A truncated trip, the risk of bad weather, and bad timing. Awww poor poor Ren.
Skye AKA Bogger's Curse
Title page for a hit-n-miss trip to Skye
Walking, Eating, Drinking, And Riding (The Next Day)
Covering 2 days Bogger manages a little walk, an inordinate amount of dining, some alcohol, and a long ride (once sober). Contrary to Bogger's modus operandi all this is achieved without any disasters. Go figure.
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More Rain, No Butane, Close To Insane
Richard B said :-
Hi Ren, yes Luss campsite was very good. Really clean, modern shower blocks etc, nice flat pitches and at a great price. Petrol pumps just around the corner and a great little "hole in the wall" hot food cafe.
13/10/2026 20:15:04 UTC
The Hot Water And Cooking Problem
ROD¹ said :-
Oh, and with the pasta meal cook the sauce first, it can go cold while the pasta cooks, then just pour it in with the pasta after it has been drained to heat it up.
13/10/2026 15:47:58 UTC
The Hot Water And Cooking Problem
ROD¹ said :-
The trick with cooking pasta is put in a flask with water and let it sit there while you are riding. This does not cook the pasta, but it softens it so it will cook more quickly.
You can run an inverter for the 12v 240v.
I think you may have a problem with the microwave wattage Vs the alternator output rather than the 12v.
13/10/2026 15:43:44 UTC
The Hot Water And Cooking Problem
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You raise an interesting point ROD. Later in the Skye trip we cook a simple pasta meal. Now I know the DIY stove can cook pasta as I've done it at home. But after cooking the pasta - without 2 stoves we then have to cook the meat and simmer the sauce while the pasta is inevitably cooling. Even with a Campingaz stove by the time the meat-n-sauce is cooked and simmered the pasta was "cool". With an alcohol stove the pasta might be cold by the time the meat-n-sauce is ready.
It's not a deal breaker but it's far from ideal.
Then as you say the idea of a quick brew or a quick meal seems impossible. It's not normally a rush for us but I still take your point.
I'm starting to think - I wonder if I could remove the top box and fit a microwave? I'm sure someone does 12v microwaves for caravans.
13/10/2026 15:28:20 UTC
The Hot Water And Cooking Problem
ROD¹ said :-
I started using maths in a home made tuna can set up with some success, but then purchased a tangia copy for around a fiver and get better results.
The main problem is the time it takes to cook food. It's always my second job in the morning when camping. First job toilet ect then the second job,get the breakfast on. While the breakfast is cooking I can pack everything down and be ready to leave. It takes that long!
Once the breakfast is cooked I eat while the kettle is on, and then have a brew before leaving.
When there are two of you camping and you are cooking for two this cooking time becomes a real pain.
Although the alcohol stove is small and convenient for motorcycle travel, it is not as good to cook on as a camping gas system, because of the time, and to a lesser extent the control of the flame.
I am torn on the camp cooking if I ever go camping two up because I want the performance of the gas, but I will be struggling with the constraints of the motorcycle carrying capacity.
I don't think I will sell the trailer just yet..
13/10/2026 14:46:02 UTC
The Hot Water And Cooking Problem
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Having done some further research on the petrol stoves, I recall one of them has a "rattler" thing that is a loose pin in a certain jet that is designed to rattle around when in your backpack (for walkers) and this is supposed to keep the jet free of soot. Or something like that. That SUGGESTS the problem with petrol is that it's a very sooty burn when it's not burning properly and this soot must block the jets.
I've watched a ton of videos on petrol stoves. They are 99% reviews of the stove, meaning the stove is new and fresh. Yeah, great, it works a treat. Now show it to me after it's gotten wet, when it's boiled a thousand cuppas, when it's been dropped a few times, when it's had a chance to soot-up.
I have created a VERY simple meths stove made from a tin can and cooking pan. It works and I used it on a recent trip effectively, albeit a little slowly. Methylated Spirit is nowhere near as readily available as I thought though. Yes B&Q have it and Wicks, but they charge a lot for it. It's slightly better value from Toolstation. I can buy both meths and bio-ethanol online for a much better price.
However if I'm on a trip that would still require a specific visit to town, a proper town not just a little town. I'm currently using my home made stove at home to brew up and make meals, so I can get an idea of how much fuel it uses and help calculate how much I might need per week. So far I'm estimating less than a litre per week, but my testing is not extensive. I could carry 2 litres on the bike and have the knowledge that it is possible to get more if required.
A.I. suggests I should be able to get meths from hardware stores in Europe too - A.I. is useful but it always needs fact checking though.
13/10/2026 12:41:12 UTC
The Hot Water And Cooking Problem
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Those solid fuel / meths gadgets have been around for decades. They used to be advertised in Exchange and Mart as did the "volcano" type devices that you filled with brushwood. See link.
The meths / solid fuel ones were completely useless. I've never used the volcano type. The best solution as always is to stay in hotels and let someone else have the hassle.
13/10/2026 11:49:29 UTC
The Hot Water And Cooking Problem
nab301 said :-
It's interesting that the petrol stoves are so temperamental, is this just down to the design or is petrol quality an issue ? I've been on a couple of camping trips over the decades where a friend was cooking on a trangia, it semed ok but these were only one night trips, meths locally is available in hardware shops usually in the paint section... . Said friend graduated to mini solid fuel stoves and at one stage recently encouraged by another friend I made one and managed to boil water on a windy day in the back garden , you're depending on a supply of dry fuel (kindling) to be available locally .
No matter what fuel you use I'd invest in an insulated container at least for the initial boil , attempting to boil water from cold in an open pan has to be very inefficient.
Nigel
13/10/2026 11:02:29 UTC
More Rain, No Butane, Close To Insane
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I have seen a doctor about my gas problem, she says I need to alter my diet? I can only assume she means eat cold food then.
Richard B - the Luss campsite is a good one? It was an option on our route up there and it's good to know the site is up to scratch. I tend to avoid the A82 alongside Loch Lomond generally though as it can be a very busy road indeed. If time is on your side I can strongly recommend bypassing the central Glasgow/Edinburgh belt by coming up through Ayrshire and crossing the Clyde estuary at Gourock McInroy's Point to Hunter's Quay.
13/10/2026 08:42:16 UTC
More Rain, No Butane, Close To Insane
Richard B said :-
Hiya Ren, yes made it home safe ta. It chucked it down with rain again at Loch Lomand, was a nice campsite there at Luss though.
You'll be pleased to hear the GB was treated to a new chain once I was back. The adjusters were maxed out so the original had definitely seen better days. Tyres are still going strong though.
12/10/2026 18:49:43 UTC
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Upt'North ¹ said :-
Cleaned me back wheel now too Ed. You are right, dirt is heavy. The chain was sprayed most days and required no adjustment. The old Suzuki chain fell apart going to Sicily and back. Cheap budget crap.
01/10/2026 09:07:25 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Shocking news Upt'!! I work on the principle of lubricating the chain often which means most of the dirt ends up on the back wheel. Admittedly even someone as scummy as myself has to clean the back wheel from time to time otherwise the wheel becomes heavier!
30/09/2026 07:48:54 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Don't think of me badly Ed.....I've just cleaned me chain.
Not a euphemism. It wasn't half crappy.
29/09/2026 12:55:00 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
Glyn, I know that the Repair - Chat page is not the same without the ability to post a picture, but how is the Aprilia coming along?
28/09/2026 22:20:12 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian , I never had an AVO but I remember a biking neighbour back in the 70's had one , or rather his father had which was useful for fault finding on his electric start Yamaha 200 (combined alternator / dynamo electric start)
BTW , I recently purchased a cheap digital meter from Lidl which has a capacitance check feature that works as you describe.
Nigel
08/08/2026 18:08:12 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I thought there may be some people who remembered AVOs here given the demographics. Sadly mine didn't come with the leather case although does have the original heavy cardboard box together with instruction manual. I've sorted out the overload button which just needed a hard press to reseat it and it now measures voltages correctly. I'll pick up a D battery later today and will order the 15 volt one - there's a seller on ebay.
It's so beautifully made inside and as you say Jeff the rolls-royce of meters and I look forward to using it in earnest.
I too have forsworn kickstarts given my knee issues - saw a physio yesterday who said I was progressing well. Three months with ongoing - although lessening - doesn't feel like good progress to me but heigh-ho.
06/08/2026 14:03:31 UTC
kiwiJeff said :-
Ian your mention of AVO8 certainly bought back memories. Like Glyn I used one through the 70s and early 80s as a radio technician working on communications valve radios. They were the Rolls Royce of multimeters. Using one balanced at the top of an equipment rack was a challenge though, they were heavy! Did the meter come in a stitched leather carry bag with a carry strap? Riding through our winter on the Bandit although while you are overheating in Europe we are having an unusually cold winter? Turned around on one of my favorite roads when I reached a sign that said next 12 kms is ice and grit! We use grit instead of salt on icy roads here which while our vehicles don't rust like yours due to the salt causing rust the grit doesn't melt so becomes a hazard on the bike for some time after the ice is gone! Ren you have my sympathies with your aching hip, my titanium hip aches in the cold my theory is the metal gets cold and affects the surrounding tissue so causing pain. The hip and the arthritic ankle mean I'll never use a kick starter on a bike again! I have to get the missus to help me roll the Bandit onto the centre stand these days! Getting old is a privilege but comes with it's challenges! Ride safe everyone through your summer, we are off to China for a month to have a look at where everything we use these days is made! Regards Jeff
06/08/2026 11:14:26 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I had to google U2 Battery, apparently it's what I would know as a D Cell? If I recall that's the big 'uns that were in the Ever Ready bicycle lights when I were a lad. Several weeks worth of pocket money for a pack of 2 D cells into the bicycle light that would be bright for 20 minutes, then dim for maybe half an hour, then dead. Today you fit a AAA into an LED light that'll blind drivers for several weeks. Kids these days, don't know how lucky they are(n't).
06/08/2026 08:27:11 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Nostalgia's not what it was.... As Glyn says, the 10A current measuring is a bonus - my digital meter has this but it's a bit of a faff. The AVO is a beautifully made bit of kit. I've found out why it doesn't work - the overload button has been activated and won't stay down It should be a simple repair or if necessary bypass it. When I hold it down it works for voltage (and I assume current). The batteries for measuring resistance have of course disintegrated. One is just an ordinary U2 - the other is special but replacements are available.
One use of an analogue ohm-meter is to check capacitors. Connect one way and the needle should make a slight kick and drop back to zero. Connect the other way and the kick should be repeated. This won't work on a digital meter.
I do have an old analogue job but it won't zero any more so when I get the AVO fixed that will be retired.
05/08/2026 13:08:16 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I would be Glyn but have a look at Chit-Chat. Due to "unforseen circumstances" I've had to remove the ability to upload images :(
Why do you want the old mulitimeter Ian? Nostalgia I presume.
05/08/2026 12:03:12 UTC
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nab301 said :-
I've found Miele to be excellent also. A while back I had a new electric hedge trimmer with 10 minutes use go boom with a ball of blue flame coming out of the motor, I prefer two stroke hedge trimmers now !
Years ago I remember a neighbour recalling how their young child thought they would help their mother who had been vacuuming , the child managed to switch on the vacuum cleaner and placed the nozzle in the toilet bowl... It wasn't a composting toilet , luckily the child was unharmed but the vacuum didn't survive!.
Nigel
13/10/2026 11:51:47 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Sounds like pretty poor design from an "engineer led" company. If there's flexure there should be some support like a sleeve or it should be constrained so the flex moves further away from a pinch point.
We still have a Miele that we bought about 30 years go and it still works fine although neither of us is very keen on using it........
12/10/2026 14:37:15 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Old age I'm afraid Ian, not me, well OK me too. It's where the flex turns through 90° to enter the handle. The vacuum is over 20 years old and Er'Indoors does like to vacuum. I renewed the motor and seals in the spring, a cable is £15 so it'll have a new one, I'll ring "Manchester Vacs" in the morning. I noticed a clip has lost a lug too, so hopefully they'll have one handy off an old machine. They're very good. I can verify that Dyson's are a pain to take apart, they're obviously meant for a visiting engineer to visit but then they don't offer support for older machines. Their service/recondition visits were well priced but is irrelevant if they don't fix the old stuff.
Upt.
11/10/2026 13:21:15 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
That's OK, Mr Dyson's taken his profit and skedaddled off to Monaco or wherever with it. He'll expect you to buy a new one. I did see a report somewhere that Dysons were appliance repairers' favourites as people thought that as they'd already spent a fortune on them they were worth spending more repairing them.
How on earth did you manage to break a wire in the cable?
11/10/2026 12:34:58 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
This could go on Chit Chat or repairs. Or Dyson repairs.com. Here goes.
Vacuum cleaner is intermittent she says.
Give it ere I says.
BANG! What the!
Another blummin job.
I need a cup of tea first to steady me nerves, the flame came out of a pin hole in the flex. There'll be a broken wire in there. At least I'm not paying £4 for a cup of tea.
Upt and shakey.....6 sugars please.
10/10/2026 13:25:15 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
My Caberg helmet is 11 or possibly 12 years old. It is showing its age now, and it has had minor repairs. My wife has been telling me to change it for the last two years, but it's a very comfortable helmet, and new helmets have kept up with inflation where my income hasn't.
My wife also has a Caberg helmet but has found it uncomfortable, and purchased another helmet last year.
The helmet she purchased was only £99 and I had never heard of the brand. It has all of the safety specs and she finds it comfortable.
Looking around the fittings visor ect it all looks good. I am starting to question if expensive helmets are really worth the extra money?
08/10/2026 12:09:57 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Oh yes, I think my Shoei is about 6 years old. Quite disappointed that an expensive lid needs all the interior replacing in that time, the cheek pads were replaced FOC about 2 years ago. So that's only 6 months wear time approximately. It's a very nice helmet but surely it should last longer than that.
It doesn't even get wet that often, just the odd day on tour.
Upt.
08/10/2026 10:44:13 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Your views on oil are interesting Ian with regards oil draining to the sump.
It seems a fairly constant theme on forums "on how to check oil levels". Just let the damn thing settle overnight and check it. Some twonk on the site I can't mention for legal reasons stated, "my bikes burning oil". Why? "I go out, come back, check the oil and top it up". How long before you top it up? "Ten minutes"......that'll be why then!
Why is oil so hard? Yes I know it isn't hard, it's oily.....you know what I mean.
Pffffffftttttt.
Regarding changing helmets, they'll let you know when they're ready, they start falling apart. Ask me how I know? My helmets probably get used for a month a year and are stored clean and in the original helmet bag in a wardrobe out of sunlight. If you're using it every day then it must make a difference to longevity. It's probably physics.
Upt.
08/10/2026 10:38:01 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
My helmet (not the one in the pic) is about 5 years old but hasn't had that much use. The inner foam - which I think is probably the main reason for changing - is still firm and it still fits well. It hasn't been dropped or involved in a crash(!) Given the ratty old things I used to wear - including a genuine Cromwell pudding basin for some years - I think it's good enough. I occasionally have a look to see what else is out there and nothing catches my eye.
I work on the principle that comfort is a big part of safety. If you can't breathe, are too hot / cold, are struggling with tight overtrousers etc your mind won't be completely on your riding. Prevention better than cure and all that.
I agree with Upt' - old oil - unless very high mileage - is fine left in the bike. How many people have had genuine problems? I also change the oil when it's cold and been left at least a day as it will have drained down from the valve gear etc whereas if it's just been running quite a lot will stay up there. I do leave it draining for 24 hours at least. Probably best not to do it in sub-zero temperatures though.
08/10/2026 10:17:55 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
You may have a point Ed, but it won't be until the spring, or at least I don't think it will.
Cold garages are for kids. Oil and filter will get done though, before the "you can't leave old oil in the bike over winter" crowd chirp in. I don't think old oil left in over winter causes issues anyway, especially when you're talking small bike change intervals. The oils probably done around 4000 miles of open road miles and still looks like new.
But for 12 cups of coffee, I'll do it.
Upt.
08/10/2026 09:07:40 UTC
Random Link - Sandringham 2011 - By Ren Withnell