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Much Wenlock - Charming, Dry, And Cold
It's an easy and pleasant day in and around Much Wenlock for The Dynamic Muppets. It might even have been romantic if it weren't for Ren, the mean old grumpy curmudgeon.
A Cave, A Gratin, And Tired
Andy is making his way back up through central France now. The day is uneventful save for the quiche that's not a quiche and the GS1250 is "having a moment".
Last Day Of Fun In France
It's a lovely start to Bogger's last day in France. Malestroit is pretty and interesting, the museum is fascinating, and there's food aplenty. Shame the ferry crossing is not up to scratch.
Drawing You In
Our resident cynic Ren is bemoaning the tactics of salesfolk. It's a trap - IT'S A TRAP!! Anyone would think shops have to sell things to make a profit.
Not Much To Report, Save For More Wonderous Views
All in all it's a fairly uneventful day on the road for Andy as he makes his way homeward bound. The scenery is good, the accommodation too, although the big GS has a "moment".
A Day Of Classic And Vintage Vehicles
A rest day for Bogger? Hardly. There's classic and vintage and fast motorcycles and cars. There's posh places and new friends. Food and booze too much as you'd expect.
Anaerobic Gasket Maker
Anaerobic Gasket Maker?!? What the deuce is that? Well between Ren's mumblings and memories you might find just the merest hint of useful information. Maybe...
Cracks, Vultures, And Cow Jams
Andy is having a fascinating ride through Spain today. Cows that won't "moooooove", gaps in the scenery, gaps in the tarmac, and he's trying his hand at geology.
Skeggy Epilogue
In the final reckoning was the trip to Skeg-Vegas a rip-roaring failure or and majestic success? Neither - but you already knew that. Still, here's Ren's tuppence on the issue at hand.
Everyone Has Their Troubles
A long, cold and moist ride today for Bogger and Pete. Turns out their host isn't having the best of days either. Fear not there's still beer and smiles.
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Suzuki DL250 V-Strom 6 Month Review
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Unlike Upt' I shall open up Google Maps and take a gander at your excursion with the details given nab301.
09/06/2026 16:28:40 UTC
Much Wenlock - Charming, Dry, And Cold
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It was chilly Ian, we've experienced far worse though. You know you're (usually) fine on the main roads with heavy traffic regarding ice, but we did take a lot of side roads. As I mentioned the only way to do this is slowly, even that's not a guarantee though. We were just put-put-putting along enjoying the views, if any cars came up behind we'd pull in and wave them by.
Nope no tent Upt'! There's no tent planned in the near future too - oh no! What will you lot do without reading how Sharon and I got drenched, bitten, frozen, and couldn't sleep? There's just not enough misery on this website these days.
09/06/2026 16:24:30 UTC
Much Wenlock - Charming, Dry, And Cold
Upt'North ¹ said :-
So a bit like Northumberland in June. Without the kissing....obviously.
Wot no tent!
Upt.
09/06/2026 15:46:33 UTC
Much Wenlock - Charming, Dry, And Cold
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Nice area, and I admire your & Sharon's (and Nigel's!) fortitude. Been there, done that, don't want to do it again......
The trouble with that time of year is the hidden slippery bits under the trees, on bridges over canals and the like. But as you describe can still be enjoyable.
09/06/2026 12:34:43 UTC
Suzuki DL250 V-Strom 6 Month Review
nab301 said :-
I was UPT North... Donegal /Tyrone, first stop was Ballybofey to collect some parts for a stove ... I know I could have ordered online but where's the fun in that and I wanted to compare old with new, then , partly by accident I ended up on the N15 (Barnesmore gap ) a scenic ride I hadn't been on in a long time before heading back for the hills to visit a friend and his pet goats...who also has a house near me too. Route up was Dublin M50, then N2/ A5 through Omagh, not the shortest or most interesting but the best given the conditions (and avoids any tolls on the N3) and I dipped in and out of a couple of towns on the way to relieve the boredom although didn't stop.
Route back was rural roads to Castlederg , B50 to Omagh and back onto the A5 with a quick stop for a splash of petrol near home to prevent the " will I make it home"?
Nigel
09/06/2026 11:52:55 UTC
Suzuki DL250 V-Strom 6 Month Review
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
That's a big ride nab301! Where did you get to?
09/06/2026 08:03:52 UTC
Suzuki DL250 V-Strom 6 Month Review
nab301 said :-
I had a longish return trip planned for Saturday 6/6/26 and as it drew closer it became obvious the weather would be bad but I decided to man up and travel anyway . It felt strange putting on double layers of waterproofs over thermals in June but I didn't overheat and had only one small damp patch... My chosen bike (obviously the Dl250 ) covered a total of 335 miles (535 kms sounds better!) with no issues in very wet and blustery conditions.
Nigel
08/06/2026 22:44:01 UTC
Honley Venturer RX-3 First Look
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You've raised an interesting point nab301. I was a despatch rider for about 2.5 years while working Sundays as an instructor. Then I became a full time instructor for another 2.5 years. The reason I stopped was after 5 years of riding motorcycles in all weathers all year round I was - frankly - sick of the sight of motorcycles. I'd be with friends at the weekend and they'd be like "Let's ride to Blackpool!" and I'd be thinking "for god's sake I was there twice this week and I've ridden 600 miles the last 4 days... do I really want to go to Blackpool?"
Making your hobby and your passion into your job is a good way to ruin your hobby and your passion.
08/06/2026 20:10:09 UTC
Honley Venturer RX-3 First Look
nab301 said :-
Ren , joking aside that's an impressive list, I'm sure we mentioned before there are "successful" blogs / you tube channels eg the Missenden flyer ( I used to think that was some sort of a train spotter before I actually looked at his videos..) who seems to have problems coping with all the bikes he's offered to test and is no speed freak but he documented what he earns and he really does earn it , it took 10 yrs and a lot of hours editing videos etc which would probably mean no time to "enjoy" yourself on your bike as you currently do.
Nigel
08/06/2026 11:47:50 UTC
Honley Venturer RX-3 First Look
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ed, I was a breakfast tester, now a retired breakfast tester but still dabble.
I can recommend it.
You're welcome, plus there'll be no pension by the time you get there, keep payin your taxes, we need it.
Upt.
08/06/2026 09:01:07 UTC
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Ian Soady¹ said :-
Oh, the indicator is dangling because its fixing bolt holds the seat on: I've removed that for dying it black and didn't bother tightening up the bolt.
08/06/2026 12:59:48 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Of course Ren. This pic shows how I do it by getting the sprocket, swinging arm spindle and wheel spindle all in line. It's actually a pretty poor design as they will probably only get that far in use under extreme compression but best to set the slack at that point. The previous pic shows it with the wheel off the deck ie at max extension.
Knee still painful although very clowly improving so I hope to be out and about on either (or both) the B'Zuki outfit and the Herald.
08/06/2026 10:00:11 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
If anybody wants any I can recommend these folks.
Upt.
https://vehicleclips.co.uk/products/suzuki-plastic-clips-for-bike-atv-quad-fende...
08/06/2026 09:12:13 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
That chain looks slack Ian, I hope you're going to adjust that once you've had your break. The near side rear indicator is pointing skywards too.
Otherwise - cool! I look forward to hearing about how it rides and I hope it suits you.
08/06/2026 08:22:06 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Now the little Hearald has come home I've started to get to grips with it. Plus points: it looks very nice (although I'm going to dye the tan seat black as it is a bit hipsterish for me); most things are in pristine condition with just a bit of light surface rust here and there. General construction looks good, welds on the frame are tidy but not beautiful. Nuts and bolts undo with only light application of correct sized spanners (and it's the first bike I've come across with 16mm A/F nuts) instead of needing penetrating oil and heat. The chain was scrap being very rusty and having seized links. It has had replacement Battlax tyres fitted at some time in its 3,000 km life as they're dated 2019 ie 3 years after the bike was registered. From the state of the chain - which was an O ring type so also probably not original fitment - I suspect the bike has been laid up somewhere with a cover not quite protecting everything.
It start readily and sounds good.
I've fitted a new chain and replaced the original rear suspension units, which are universally derided by experienced owners although looking very pretty, with secondhand units from a Yamaha YS125. They fit perfectly and actually move a bit when I put some weight on the back......
I've just finished fitting a battery charging connector so think I deserve a break.......
07/06/2026 13:59:55 UTC
nab301 said :-
I can (possibly mistakenly!) remember in the 70's, petrol (post decimalisation) being 30p per gallon ,my Yamaha 80 (yes it was a two stroke) could be filled for 50p , 1.5 gallon tank but when I search I'm told that petrol prices at the time were around 90p per gallon... it was however a time of shortages, queues, abusive customers , (working part time in a filling station, no different from today I guess) and exponential price rises but still a lot cheaper than todays €1.90 per litre / €8.62 per gallon.
Nigel
09/05/2026 17:28:34 UTC
Glyn said :-
Just to add my bit, I remember 3 star petrol ( that had to be mixed with oil in my bantam ) was three shillings and six pence a gallon! I’m so old I cant be arsed to do the conversion to this modern day numeration stuff. What was wrong with 12 pence in a shilling, a florin, a half crown, 10 Bob etc? I would add that my first wage packet was for £4 per week out of which was deducted 10 shillings and 3d for whatever the government needed it for. Hopefully it was better spent back then. I’ve just spent a week in Munich and either the authorities have more money or they’re spending it more wisely. Not a single pothole to be seen anywhere.
09/05/2026 10:58:06 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
A pound a gallon!!!! Robbery!!! Mind you ROD that's back when a pound was the average annual wage.
Let me think. When I started riding I can still picture the sign at Gilsons Garage, £1.65 per gallon. And it was a pound for a can of pop in the club.
Today it's £1.52 per litre or £6.90 per gallon. I'm paying over bloody £3 for a bottle of cola. On my straw poll cola is a bit cheaper or petrol is more expensive these days, but not all that much!
09/05/2026 06:18:33 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
I was about to respond but I thought Ian would trump me with lower prices for a pint.
My pints when first going decimal were 12p for special mild or special bitter.
I also seem to remember a conversation where people were saying that they would stop driving when fuel reached £1.00 per gallon!
I hope things improve with your knee Ian.
The doctors advice to strengthen surrounding muscles sounds good.
08/05/2026 12:03:11 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
20p a pint? Extortion. My first pint was in the High Force Hotel after a school walking club hike from High Cup Nick, passing the crashed Wellington(?) bomber up on the high fells and fording the Tees just above the waterfall. We must have been mad as any slip would have seeen us doing a Professor Moriarty. I remember the beer as being 1/9d (one shilling and ninepence) or about 9p in new money.
You lot don't know you're born although it's more recent in your memories than in mine.
In other news, visited a physio yesterday who confirmed I have a torn meniscus in my kne. Basically not much can be done other than exercise to strengthen surrounding muscles, and time. Maybe up to a couple of months of the latter....
Surgery is no longer recommended.
08/05/2026 10:15:18 UTC
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Upt'North ¹ said :-
Rod, my point above.
Who will have the knowledge to fix these things?
Mechanics change parts these days, or entire assemblies, paints shops are only interested in Insurance work.
05/06/2026 11:04:15 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
The good old days may not be as good as we seem to think they were, but an average home mechanic could sort these problems out without worrying about confusing the can bus system or frying the ECU.
05/06/2026 10:33:59 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I was thinking "eeee wen i wur a lad it wur ded eezy". But then I recall the headlamp in a bowl things from back in the day (ie bates style).
First off you'd be fighting the (probably JIS) crosshead screws that would always be corroded and have mangled heads. Once you'd removed them with pliers and a hammer the headlight wouldn't just come out the bowl, it'd pop out under the immense pressure of 47 miles of wiring and 224 block connectors stuffed in there. If you were lucky the three wires connected to the H4 would prevent the headlamp crashing and smashing on the floor. Changing the bulb at this point was a doddle. However getting the 47 miles of wiring and 224 block connectors stuffed back into the tiny bowl was another thing entirely. Once you did this you'd search the nuts and bolts drawer but end up replacing the mangled screws back into the bowl-cum-headlight. Ignition on - now your dip beam no longer works, when you indicate left your brake light flashes and right - the starter motor clicks, and there's a smell of burning plastic from the wire you've trapped between the bowl and the headlamp.
Yeah, the good old day's weren't quite as good as we seem to think they were.
04/06/2026 22:17:50 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
The H4's on the Pan would normally fail on a long trip, at least one dipped beam, maybe two. The manual adjuster was a godsend to lower the beam so I could use the mains. Folks said there was something up with the wiring/alternator etc but I checked it all out and found nowt. On switching to Osram Longlife jobbies it was cured.
Upt.
04/06/2026 21:11:10 UTC
nab301 said :-
My DL 250 single headlight is considerably easier than that but the worst bike of all is my CB125F , front and rear bulb require some fiddly stripping .
I sure you'll be fine now with long life bulbs ,(was it the older model that had stator failure issues ?) they really do make a difference on cars and more so commercial vehicles. I've always found H4 bulbs were fine but the likes of H7 / H9 needed regular replacement.
Nigel
04/06/2026 18:26:51 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I know many cars are the same but roadside changes are sometimes a thing of the good'ol days. Although the lights were yellow and didn't actually illuminate anything. I seem to remember Cibie did a replacement unit in't day.
I've got no experience of the Bosch replacements so fingers crossed.
04/06/2026 16:27:30 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
So much plastic!
04/06/2026 16:23:40 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
The good news is the lights work and all back together. One broken/lost plastic fastener. I'll take it.
Pffffffftttttt. Upt.
04/06/2026 16:22:02 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
If we head for the tunnel of excitement Ed there will be a stop. The last time we rode North from France to Wooler we stopped in Cambridgeshire....Elton I think. When we went from Portsmouth we stopped in Leicestershire on the way down. My brothers is an option in Derbyshire. But it's family innit!
We have ridden from Staffordshire to Northern France in a day, it's doable but a bit of a jaunt for two ageing two wheelers.
Changing the headlight bulbs in the STrom today, blummin nightmare. Decided it's better done in the garage than at the side of the road somewhere. Long life Bosch replacements going in. Now where does that screw go?
Upt and looking despairingly at a lot of bits of Suzuki.
04/06/2026 13:24:18 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It's a drag down to that there "daaan saaaf" from Manchester Up't so it'll be a real drag from Wooler! Her Ladyship and myself will be making that drag in the not too distant future - but after that we'll be barely covering 200 miles let alone 1,000.
May I recommend doing what we're doing? Rather than going to "daaan saaaf" in one long dull wet cold miserable day - do it over a couple of days. That way you can extend the misery! Sorry - I mean that way you can have a nice break on the way down and on the way back - thereby breaking the misery into 2 less miserable days.
04/06/2026 08:31:02 UTC
Random Link - Fruitless Overtaking