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?
Finally - The Highlands
It's the time of The Gathering in The Highlands (some of you might get that...). The sun is shining, Ren is less miserable than usual and all is well. Wait, are we on the right website here?
More Mountains And Mayhem
After achieving the impossible yesterday today's journey is merely improbable. This time the Col de l'Iseran is the challenge alongside a regular dose of disaster.
Northbound, A Ferry And Big Trees
The Dynamic Muppets are continuing their ride north and so far there's no major disasters. There's roads to be ridden, a favourite ferry and a strange new place to explore.
Inappropriate Alpine Off-Roading
Bogger et al take a dirt track shortcut across The Alps. It'll be fine, I mean he's still here to write up this report isn't he? There's also a video to accompany the words in case you're not convinced.
CB500X Poor Starting
Ren's having minor issues starting the CB500X. Could the solution be both as complex and as simple as a washer and some knowledge?
A Lovely Start
Good weather, good roads and a good campsite next to a pleasant town. There must be something wrong with the universe if Ren isn't grumbling and griping, this can't last.
A High Mountain Pass And High Prices
Without any disasters or mayhem let's hope Bogger's climb up one of Europe's highest roads comes with some spectacular images.
Prologue - Scotland, And A Little Rain
In the lead up to this year's trip with friends it's all sorted and settled very swiftly. With that done all Ren has to do is contain his antici...pation and try to be a growed up and not a child. No hope.
Scotland, And A Little Rain
Title Page for Sharon and Ren's 2024 Scottish trip with friends. This comes supplied with free variable weather, some luxury and some camping.
Old Boy Blues
Ian Douglas is considering his motorcycling options as encroaching age makes itself felt. Too old? Not yet, but maybe a reconsideration of the bikes he owns and what to do with them.
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Latest Posts
Finally - The Highlands
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I can't remember Ed smoked either.
Stop it! Just stop it!
25/07/2024 09:01:52 UTC
Finally - The Highlands
Upt'North ¹ said :-
The question has to be asked.
Would you let this man near your sheep?
Thought not.
Oh the irony, washing instructions!
Upt.
25/07/2024 09:00:09 UTC
Royal Enfield 500 Classic Test Ride Review
Ren Piereck said :-
Hello Ren, I am Ren!
I am looking to buy a Royal Enfield Classic, and have been torn between a new Classic 350, and a used Classic 500 (2019 model, the last version, the final Classic 500, with EFI). I have decided to go with the Classic 500, because where I live, South Korea, they are hard to find in good shape (this one looks great), and classic bikes in general do not exist. I figure the Classic 350 is a new bike I can buy again next year if I don't like the Classic 500. I know the 350 will be a modern bike, smooth and reliable, that looks the part of a RE Classic, but I hope to really enjoy the 500. The vibration levels seem to be different from bike to bike, so I hope mine is more on the smooth side. I am scheduling time this weekend to give it a test ride. Wish me luck!
Ren Piereck
renato.piereck(at)gmail(dot)com
24/07/2024 21:52:10 UTC
Finally - The Highlands
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
YES! It is flexothane, it sez so on he label :)
Have I inadvertently purchased something good?
24/07/2024 16:36:55 UTC
Finally - The Highlands
nab301 said :-
Lovely ! Joking aside is it a flexothane jacket? , I know someone who used to swear by that material for biking ?
Nigel
24/07/2024 12:29:22 UTC
Finally - The Highlands
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I am now a man of sharp class... pass me that sheep will ya?
24/07/2024 07:58:22 UTC
Finally - The Highlands
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
The site is Ben Nevis Holiday Park Upt', and I don't recall log cabins as such but some of the statics had faux wood effect? As for walking up that big lump of granite - norra chance. There's far better things to be doing including riding motorcycles around the area.
I shall add an image or 2 of my looking ever so stylish and handsome in the sexy new jacket...
24/07/2024 07:57:38 UTC
Finally - The Highlands
nab301 said :-
Who'd have thought , sunshine , bikes and the Highlands, as for the HD 750, I did see a shop load of them when they were released years ago but have never seen on one the road.
Can you post up a photo of your lambing jacket or will it make an appearance in the next instalment!
Nigel
23/07/2024 12:33:55 UTC
Finally - The Highlands
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ta me duck.
Are there log cabins on that site?
I think we might have stayed there in a previous life.
I've walked up that ugly piece of Granite (4 times I think), I wouldn't recommend it. Although you'd be dry in ya lambing jacket.
Upt.
23/07/2024 11:54:12 UTC
More Mountains And Mayhem
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Stop procrastinating Upt'! And Bogger's got no excuse as he's retired too now. Pffffft.
23/07/2024 08:17:56 UTC
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Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Looks to be in quite a similar vane Ian, their fully synthetic 10w40 motorcycle oil is a bit more expensive, but then there's is "SN" rather than "SL" which is an earlier standard.
24/07/2024 16:39:30 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I now get most of my oul from Smith and Allen in Darlington. Excellent prices and a huge range. They also have an ebay shop where you can get the same oils post free - see link.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373537080268...
24/07/2024 10:47:31 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Now THIS is how to buy a bit of oil for the next service...
24/07/2024 08:02:55 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Given the state of the rest of the wiring on that bike I suspect most of the volts and amps got lost in transit....
19/07/2024 10:06:36 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian , I don't recall them being that bad but I did arrive home one day minus one of the trumpets so I ended up reverting to the standard horn.
Nigel
18/07/2024 16:52:00 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Nigel - when I bought my first Commando way back in 1981 it had a set of those windtone horns with a compressor. The trouble was it took a couple of seconds to wind up to speed by which time the reason for using them had passed......
18/07/2024 12:21:43 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Couldn't agree more Ed, I try to avoid the frustration pap at all costs. No point.
The purpose for my own upgrade is so when you are approaching that hazard you can warn of your approach and be heard. Unfortunately this is a dying part of riding/driving and can often be misinterpreted as aggressive behaviour when it's quite the opposite.
In short, I'm here, look at me, let's not come together, thank you. Wave an acknowledgement and off we go. To be honest if you've got time to pap it when shit hits the fan it hasn't really hit the fan at all.
Upt.
Pap pap.
18/07/2024 08:36:44 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I must admit it's a tad frustrating when someone cuts you up to forcefully jam on the horn to be met with a polite gentle "toot toot". Of course sounding the horn out of frustration rather than a warning of your presence to other drivers would be illegal, so I wouldn't do that.
18/07/2024 07:44:55 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
You forget Ian, our leader has taught me well.
£22.00 delivered.
I think you've probably looked at the wrong one too, but they could have gone up I spose. I bought it in the Jaunuary Sportsbike sale.
Upt.
17/07/2024 18:48:00 UTC
nab301 said :-
As a 16 yr old (in the 70's ) I managed to purchase a set of 6v air horns ( proper air horns with compressor) for my MZ but I found that although very loud they made me completely invisible to other road users because they associated the noise with something a lot larger than a little old MZ....
Nigel
17/07/2024 15:55:12 UTC
Latest Chit-Chat
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Glyn said :-
Great picture of a great Rig Nigel. You've got to admire the patriotic nature of the German man with a German car and 2 German motorcycles heading back to Germany. I guess he felt that he didn't really fit in over here with our multi-national acceptance. Mrs Glyn lived in Munich for 26 years and has a similar admiration for all things Arian.
22/07/2024 18:36:54 UTC
nab301 said :-
I've always wanted to scratch the sidecar itch to the extent that I obtained a sidecar at one stage for my MZ but failed on the actual fitting of it .
Glyn if you had really wanted it I think you'd have managed to collect it !. Pictured below are the bikes of a German guy from a good few years ago that had lived in Ireland for a while, heading home to Germany with his MZ sidecar ( dismantled )and a K series BMW on a small car trailer..
Nigel
22/07/2024 12:21:02 UTC
Glyn said :-
That's true Upt' I don't know what I saw in it. I spent a great day at Kempton motorcycle jumble yesterday buying all those little bits and bobs. I was sorely tempted by a wreck of a Russian Dneper with sidecar for £900 minus a little haggle room. It wouldn't fit in any van available to me so perhaps I can claim a lucky escape.
21/07/2024 08:11:40 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Boy that thing was ugly.
20/07/2024 17:24:38 UTC
Glyn said :-
I'm able to get a van from my part time employer for free providing I put fuel in it. I'm fully insured as an employee and the vans are all up together. However, because I seem to do this frequently, I've bought 6 (non Chinese) ratchet straps and every van I've used so far has had eyelets in each corner of the load bed. Lunch and snacks for Mrs Glyn are unavoidable but it's almost a day out at fairly low cost so I get some valuable points every time. It would be much more difficult and expensive if I had to hire a van. Here's a picture of the BMW almost loaded with straps on the front end.
20/07/2024 14:21:25 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I don't have a van but could probably get a smallish bike in the back of my car. However, when buying bikes I now rely on commercial companies. The one I've used most often - Acceleration - charge around £150 for a mainland transfer. When I weigh up the cost of renting a van or trailer - probably for a couple of days - plus the diesel, snacks en route etc, that would cost me nearly as much and would mean that I'd be responsible for any damage etc.
A case in point - some years ago I'd arranged a part exchange for my BSA A10 with a Triumph 5TA from Honoroak motorcycles in Lincolnshire. I borrowed a trailer from an acquaintance. I'd barely gone a mile when one of the straps he'd supplied me with snapped and the bike went down denting the petrol tank. I carried on with the trip and the bloke at Honoroak honoured the deal but we agreed to knock a couple of hundred off what he's allowed for the Flash to cover repairs. A rented van would be even worse as it wouldn't have any dedicated bike securing arrangements.
https://www.motorcycletransportservices.co.uk/...
20/07/2024 10:28:35 UTC
Glyn said :-
I'm extremely fortunate to have access to 3 vans of variable sizes if I need to collect a bike from somewhere. I can say that you can get a BMW K1100 in the back of a short wheelbase Renault Trafic. However it was such a close fit that the front wheel had to be turned to one lock to get it all in. The BMW came from Brixton which was quite a distance from home. The Honda deauville came from North Devon which was even further so I took the LWB Transit.
19/07/2024 18:53:22 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
That should be decreasing not deceasing. But thinking about it...
19/07/2024 15:35:29 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I do have the excellent Britannia recovery* with its fleet of special vans and lovely experienced drivers at the press of a phone button. If I just went in ever deceasing circles round my house I'd probably end up pushing the bike home and collapsing with heat exhaustion....
*I also have a recovery service bulit into my bike insurance but am reserving that for the point when Britannia say "too many calls chum you're on your own now". Although the last recovery driver said they were fairly flexible....
19/07/2024 11:56:56 UTC
Glyn said :-
Well done Ian. I think 20 miles is a bit ambitious for a first run. I usually go around the block a few times and never more than 2 or 3 miles. That's normally because of a worry that I didn't tighten everything up, I suffer from worrying!
19/07/2024 06:56:56 UTC
Random Link - When Is A Biker Not A Biker