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Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
The weather is against The Dynamic Muppets. This day seems to show the worst day can also be the best day which makes no sense at all. Will the tent survive the wind?
Reminiscing Honfleur
An easy last full day in France for Sharon and Ren, filled with a variety of memories and feelings. It's also time to get ready for the return leg.
Little Rain, Dodging Drains, Visor Restrain
The weather is mostly good and the scenery is something to be admired. The day is not without it's mishaps though, all brought on by Bogger's curse. Obviously.
Shopping In Le Havre
It's not a special day out for Ren at all, in fact it's all terribly dull. Not to worry there might be something to learn in realising not all of France is cute villages and countryside.
More Rain, Can Remain, Narrow Lane, Pasta Strain
The Batties are staying put in Skye thankfully. It's now time to start exploring the island so it must be time to ride. The weather is mixed, the scenery is good, and it's pasta for tea.
Pretty Yport And Unfine Dining
Another hot day with another simple ride, this time to The Alabaster Coast. There's a nice seaside town, and some not so nice dining in this episode.
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.
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Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Many areas have much more rainfall than you Ed me'lad. Admittedly I've never been to Manchester and it's environs when it wasn't raining but the lakes have another good half a metre on top of Manchester. It seems that Scotland has kilometres of rain but that might just be when I'm there.
Pffffffftttttt.
Very interesting that Ian's patch of paradise is considered a desert yet has the same rainfall give or take bugger all than North Northumberland.
Go East young man, you'll enjoy Hull, you'd hate it upt'ere.
Who said, North, South, East or West, home is best. Not great encouragement to set off on a tour for sure.
Pffffffftttttt.
Upt.
As an aside the Glacier went through my rear passage, I was reminded of this yesterday whilst transplanting foxgloves (they're plants Ed), glacial moraine ain't half stony. If I've thrown one cricket ball sized stone over the back fence I've thrown thousands. Some of the buggers are so big I can't throw em over. But where there's a will, there is always a way.
15/11/2026 13:50:24 UTC
Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Why does Upt's helpful contribution sound as though it was written by AI?
Here in Redditch we're in a rain shadow from all directions as we're in a basin formed by the retreating glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. Mind you it doesn't feel like it at the moment..... 770mm a year apparently.
15/11/2026 12:44:11 UTC
Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
According to Gemini...
Horwich is wetter with 1038mm annually verses Wooler's 795mm. Admittedly Horwich is warmer with 9c against Wooler's 8.1c. Maybe I could move to Wooler and enjoy the dry cool air, plus I could bother Upt' and borrow his tools.
15/11/2026 11:24:40 UTC
Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You're quite right Upt', essentially eastern England is in the rain shadow of the soggy western side, ie the bit where I live.
I wonder what the statistics are. I'm off to compare Horwich with Wooler
15/11/2026 11:17:12 UTC
Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ed I thought you were brighter than this, but you know what thought did? So here is a weather lesson provided free of charge. Just once mind.
The prevailing winds in the UK blow predominantly from the west and south-west, driven by mid-latitude westerly air streams coming across the Atlantic Ocean. The UK has a range of mountains stretching from the North Midlands to the Scottish Borders, these are called The Pennines and these are also surrounded by other minor hill and mountain areas such as The Cheviots. When the prevailing winds blow in tempestuous weather it falls first on SW England, SW Wales and SW Scotland. The mountains and hills then devour as much of this weather as it can manage before the remnants travel Eastwards.
So, in short the NE (that's the proper NE, not Hull!) usually misses out on too much rain and indeed snow although there are obviously exceptions. Typically the weather here is 2 or 3 of those centigrades lower than says the Midlands, drier, less snowy but windier. When the weather does come from the East it can be brutal, you must have read about the BeaST from the East. That Beastly experience will never be forgotten in North Northumberland for a generation or two.
There's a reason why The Lake district is full of lakes and Western Scotland is full of Lochs.
I now bid you a temporary fond farewell whilst I go out to sunbathe and take a dip in the North Sea.
Upt.
15/11/2026 09:42:56 UTC
Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
A dip nab301?!? Madness, sheer madness. I dare not show Sharon this comment for fear of the response.
I'm glad you're enjoying our suffering Bogger.
If you don't like rain Upt' you've moved to the wrong part of the wrong country surely? Northumbria isn't known as the sunshine county, more like the misty rainy county.
You're tale Ian is all that stresses me out about not having everything pre-booked. I enjoy the flexibility and freedom of going where you wish when you want but the price of failure can be high. 95% of the time it all pans out fine, sometimes it's really good, but those times when it doesn't pan out are frustrating, occasionally even frightening.
15/11/2026 08:55:25 UTC
Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
nab301 said :-
That looks more like the Scotland I visited on two wheels 20 odd years ago although I wasn't camping! Would you not have taken a dip or at least a paddle in the harbour....
Nigel
14/11/2026 15:47:45 UTC
Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
Bogger said :-
That looks proper grim. Excellent.
Bogger
13/11/2026 21:24:53 UTC
Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Did a local say, "you should have come last week the weather was lovely". They lie!
Nice trees. But it's trees inn'it.
The conditions you describe sum up just about every trip we've ever experienced in wee bonny jockland with one or two memorable exceptions. I don't like rain, except when it's on me veggie patch.
Upt.
As an aside we were returning from Berwick-upon-the-Tweed in the 4 wheeled vehicular transport this morning and the trees were still resplendent at times, the larch in particular were golden and vivid and the fields were full of thousands of migratory geese.
13/11/2026 16:46:36 UTC
Strong Wind And Rain, Beauty On The Main, Tent Strain, Sharon Insane
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Ah, Sundays and the wee (wee) Free....
Many years ago we (me, Electra and her mum) took a trip up the the West Coast and the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles as it now seems to be known for some reason). We arrived in Stornoway on a Sunday afternoon. We hadn't booked any accommodation in advance - perhaps foolishly given Electra's mum's age. On disemmbarking from the ferry, it was noticeable how deserted the town was except for a raucous pub spilling its clientele out onto the quayside.
There were a couple of small hotels which were firmly closed. In desperation I found the local police station which had a bored looking constable behind the counter. When I told him my mission to secure accommodation he merely sucked his teeth and opined there was no chance on the Lord's day. Still, he agreed to phone round and eventually tracked down someone who would offer us beds for the night.
This was a very stern lady whose avarice obviously won the battle against her religious convictions. The accommodation was basic in the extreme with the only decoration being various framed Biblical tracts hanging on the walls. Still, it was better than spending the night in the car.
Electra's mum was fascinated that she could still read a book by natural light at 11pm. Something she's nver experienced in Greece. The simmer dim I think it's called.
13/11/2026 12:53:37 UTC
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Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It's been a very long time since I owned my CBF250 Terry, I'm afraid I can't help.
10/11/2026 10:13:10 UTC
Terry said :-
Hi , does anyone have a cylinder head for a Honda CBF250 single cylinder or know where I could locate one?
It is 2008yr engine type MC35 double overhead cam.07860848734 if you can help, thanks
09/11/2026 16:28:31 UTC
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
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Rev. Mick said :-
You can put a bike on a train in Vietnam.125's are dirt cheap to rent.
https://vietnamrailway.com.vn/how-to-send-motorbike-on-train-in-vietnam/...
15/11/2026 14:02:51 UTC
shj said :-
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15/11/2026 11:43:26 UTC
shj said :-
Your post is clear, helpful, and enjoyable to read. I especially appreciate the practical tips that help readers save useful videos. Thanks for sharing!
https://easyytsav.com/...
15/11/2026 11:42:41 UTC
shj said :-
Your post is thoughtful and easy to follow. I especially appreciate the practical advice for preparing each image before publishing. Thanks for sharing!
https://check-image-size.com/...
15/11/2026 11:41:42 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
"Loyal Customers"? I doubt there's many. In recent years Honda have taken a real hammering off the media and loyal customers (?). They have given customers what they asked for, the trouble is those customers set the sat nav for the BMW dealer instead. That's fine but you can't whinge later when Honda decide to market their bikes where folks do buy them.
As an aside, this market section, let's say 350 to 500 cc is saturated with new models and revised models, almost all the reveals I saw from Milan (?) were in this category along with the very nice 750 RE's. If I was personally in the market for this type of bike I'd feel blessed. If you wait long enough the Chinese will have another half a dozen released in six months.
Buy what's available, ride it, enjoy it and try to forget about what's not for sale. For what it's worth I think the GB500S (?) is a good looking and probably well put together bike but they weren't going to be queueing around the block for it.
Upt.
10/11/2026 10:59:11 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Is that Florence as in Florence Nightingale Rev. Mick!? I admire anyone with the patience and heart to be a nurse, alas it's not something I'm mentally adjusted for. If I'm sick the sight of my own sick makes me sick(er), I hate the sight of blood, particularly my own, and Sharon would concur - I'm not the caregiving type! Fair play to you.
By the power of Google maps (I'll add a link) it's 1488 miles from top to bottom Vietnam. Holy moly! I figure it's one of them countries that looks small due to looking at Mercator maps that we're used to. Enjoy the trip and not posing on a GS1300, sounds fab.
GB500 isn't coming to the UK Occasional Lurker? Like you and Ian say we are not important in the greater scheme of things on this small island, just be thankful we get any Hondas. If you were really that keen you could get one imported - but that then leaves you with hassle when it comes to getting spares and if required any warranty service.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/1SPcN6VV4tna7n6y8...
10/11/2026 10:28:05 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I don't expect we are an important market. Now if only we were part of a decent size purchasing bloc.........
09/11/2026 12:47:00 UTC
Occasional Lurker said :-
Hello folks, An update to my last post regarding an announcement to be issued by Honda UK at the recent EICMA show, concerning the "new" GB500 ...... I have just come off the telephone, with Blackpool Honda ....... It ain't coming ..... Not this year, ( 2026 ) ... Not next year, ( 2027 ) .... So we now know just what honda think of their loyal customers on this small island, I think they have more important sales targets to meet in India and Asia ... I hope that I'm not coming across as bitter .... I'm just massively dissapointed ... Boo Hoo ... Tony
09/11/2026 12:31:45 UTC
Rev. Mick! said :-
Ren I am sorry to hear your employment woes.
I worked as a nurse for various states over my career. Now we did get paid as student nurses in my day me and Florence. The great advantage, you could work when you wanted to. I spent 5 months climbing in Nepal flew back to Dublin in recession 80s Dublin and had 3 jobs in 24 hours. My old boss rang me then to cover a maternity leave. They would ask me to work and I would tell them what I was prepared to do. Now the training is a bit of a strain. Plus to lead an adventurous life you need to accept poor. However you ain't never gonna be AI redundant.
I am travelling in SE Asia and currently flying around Hanoi on a Honda Wave.
The Car:Honda Wave ratio is about 1:5000. It is an urban environment where 2 wheels is king. The cars have to wait for a gap in the traffic.Have seen about 4 bikes bigger than 125 so none of that looks at me on my big bike nonsense. They are all just utility vehicles.Thank heavens for a nice one party socialist state
Had not realised how big this country is. I thought of riding from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. It is 4+ hours by plane or 34 hours by train! That's like going to Greece/Turkey from our islands.
Heading up in to the mountains later today.
07/11/2026 03:48:45 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
While there's always room for interpretation - it appears bread and milk are "cheaper" today than they were in the 30s.
I recall older friends with tales of "we never used to lock our door" and I always thought "well that's because you had stuff all worth nicking", that and there was probably someone in the house most of the time. I live quite minimally but I have a TV and a computer and a motorcycle and a car - and I think I'm "poor" because I know people with several TVs and several computers and several motorcycles and several cars.
If I measure myself against millionaires and now billionaires (even trillionaires) I am unbelievably poor. If I measure myself against a Brazilian living in a favela or the poor in DR Congo - I'm unbelievably rich! I have food and shelter, I'm already doing OK.
06/11/2026 11:48:36 UTC
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