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Mooching Around The Mach Loop
The Dynamic Muppets take on the Mach Loop! OK, it's far less impressive than it sounds. There's some countryside, a cafe, and all the things you'd expect.
To The Most Southern Tip Of Europe
Andy reaches the final destination of this trip. "You can see Africa from 'ere".
Haulin' Ass
It's gonna be a long long long ride for Bogger and Pete today. Our brave heroic riders are up to the task and it all seems rather easy overall. Hopefully the digs at the end of the ride will allow their asses to rest comfortably.
Bothering The Locals And "Hills"
The Dynamic Muppets are bothering the good people of Lincolnshire as well as bringing the house prices down. There's tea and cake and sweeties too, hills, and spooky stuff.
Queasy Crossing And Useless Till Roll
Rain, wayward boarding passes, useless navigation systems, and rough seas - it's just another day in the life of a Bogger. As ever there's food and booze in the life of a Bogger too.
The Omnipresence Of Olive Groves
Andy's definition of a shorter ride is only 250 miles... sheesh. This time between the fabulous scenery and glorious weather it's olive groves as far as the eye can see.
Lonesome In The Flatlands
Ren is hoping for a better day weatherwise and riding-wise too. Ingoldmells is deserted, Skeggy and Mablethorpe ain't up to much, luckily the countryside is better than expected.
Homeward Bound And Epilogues
Alas it's time to go home. The weather gives Ren deja-vu and there's a moment for a little more cake. Both Sharon and Ren sum up their feelings about the area.
Naughty Boys On Strange Bikes
It's a discouraging start to Bogger's Feet Forwards French expedition. Not to worry, soon the 2 old men are sneaking around like naughty school kids.
More Wonders, Weird Food
It's another day filled with fabulous things for Andy. Knights and bends in the road, mountains and flat bits, and a posh hotel with a sunset.
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Mooching Around The Mach Loop
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Re another conversation - of course red wine is very vegetal and contains lots of those good polyphenols as well! Better than brown sauce any day although I don't put it on my chips.
11/02/2026 15:43:04 UTC
Mooching Around The Mach Loop
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Thanks Occasional Lurker - you're talking my kinda language there. Ooooh I forgot - brown sauce contains tomato and dates - that's another 2 items on the 5-a-day. I didn't realise I was so healthy!
10/02/2026 16:04:46 UTC
Mooching Around The Mach Loop
Occasional Lurker said :-
There is nothing wrong with your diet Ren .... A little fruit may be added now and again ... This can be achieved by the consumption of a "Terry's" Chocolate Orange ... Apparently they are one of your "Five a day" ..!!!
Regards, Tony ...
10/02/2026 09:08:48 UTC
To The Most Southern Tip Of Europe
Sharon said :-
The fact you dislike most people but you are my friend makes me feel somewhat special.
As a 150 mile a day kinda girl when touring I would never be capable of keeping up with you.
But is always a pleasure to meet up with when we can.
Great photos and the pool looks lovely what a great way to relax after the ride.
09/02/2026 21:48:08 UTC
Mooching Around The Mach Loop
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You're quite right nab301 - my diet is frankly appalling. Green stuff is for rabbits in my world. Sharon occasionally manages to hide the odd piece of lettuce on a burger and perhaps a piece of onion might be found there too. I'll eat coleslaw happily because they've hidden the green bits in mayo.
Baked beans are veg? Spuds are veg? Peanut Butter is veg? Let's face it bread is from wheat which is a vegetable? Orange juice is veg? I do eat soup usually lentil or carrot and coriander. Oooh ooh my "butter" is olive spread and that's a veg?
Yes yes yes... there's no hope.
09/02/2026 17:01:20 UTC
Mooching Around The Mach Loop
nab301 said :-
Ren , I'm a little concerned for your health , there's always lots of greenery in your photos of the countryside but never any (greenery) in the food photos!
Nigel
09/02/2026 16:49:07 UTC
Mooching Around The Mach Loop
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It's not ketchup it's brown sauce - heathen. I am aware that those stunning and impressive images taken by serious plane nerds take A LOT of time and patience to acquire. I wasn't about to spend an hour climbing a mountain to then spend all day there in the hope that perchance an F35 may, possibly, perhaps, fly by. If that's your thing then go for it, but it's not for me.
Upt' - if you want azure blue seas I can provide that - subject to you funding said trip. I reckon a couple of grand might cover it, should see me somewhere a bit warmer.
Been to Dinorwig Ian. I know all about "The Electric Mountain". It's effectively a mahusive battery used as a "peaker" plant to give our grid a boost when it's half time during an England match in the world cup. 5 million kettles all going on at the same time takes a bit of bant to cover, dropping a lake (llyn) through a turbine provides that bant.
09/02/2026 13:55:51 UTC
Mooching Around The Mach Loop
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Bogger, we thought it you said it.
He is indeed a big wet lummox.
But we love him.......in a manly back slapping sort of way of course.
09/02/2026 12:28:54 UTC
Mooching Around The Mach Loop
Bogger said :-
You've ruined the egg, chips and sausage with all that ketchup.
Also where are the images of the F22 Raptors and F35's and the like, that you took?
I'm very disappointed.
Again.
Bogger
09/02/2026 12:09:20 UTC
Mooching Around The Mach Loop
Ian Soady¹ said :-
And this Dinorwig.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinorwig_Power_Station...
09/02/2026 10:51:41 UTC
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Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I'm glad I don't drink, it seems terribly complicated.
09/02/2026 15:47:55 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Not posh, just sensible. For a one-off £40 subscription you can get some great wine. My current favourite is a Bordeaux red (of course) which is available in bag-in-box as well as bottles for less than £8 a bottle. And free delivery.
I have to admit that at one time I worked out the best alcohol to £ ratio and ended up with draught sherry from the local offy. It tasted disgusting.
09/02/2026 10:38:13 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
"The Wine Society"? Good heavens just how posh is life in Redditch? Posh - and pickled too.
09/02/2026 08:09:19 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Just a quick pic of my spray booth. The Wine Society use very good strong cardboard boxes to distribute their nectar, providing very useful raw material.
Unfortunately too small to get the Steib body in it.
05/02/2026 10:28:58 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, I have tried it and my size 12 fits in there OK with a bit of contortion. Of course I don't have to extricate it when I stop which is a bonus! There's also enough room above the brake pedal which I was slightly concerned about but seems OK.
Yes, 5 connections. The 2 lower ones front & back take most of the vertical load. The three upper ones keep the whole rig from toppling over. Some people only use 2 upper ones but I'm advised by an authority yjat 3 is better. It does seem pretty rigid even before I tighten the clevis bolts.
04/02/2026 16:26:29 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Is there going to be enough room to get a big boot down between all those connectors? Am I correct in counting 5 connections?
04/02/2026 15:36:21 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Just a pic of the painted struts and the subtly modified side panel to clear the mounting clamps:
04/02/2026 12:57:10 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Having played about with the (twin) radiators I think I can see a way clear by spacing the left hand one out about 6" or so. It would look a bit odd as a solo but will merge in with the struts etc especially when the rads have the obligatory coat of satin black.
03/02/2026 14:15:48 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I'm relying on Suzuki reliability..... and I'd have to pay for a big battery whereas the pavers are free being left over from a patio built by a bunch of cowboys. Plus I can add / remove in a modular sort of way as they weigh 2.5kg each. As I relearn my long-lost skills I can go progressively lighter. Till I end up in the ditch.
02/02/2026 16:44:09 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian , don't bother with paving blocks for ballast , fit a big commercial battery instead , then when the electrics inevitably fail ( although hopefully more reliable than the Norton!) you'll have no problem getting home , ( does your motorcycle recovery include sidecars...)
Nigel
02/02/2026 16:24:17 UTC
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Ian Soady¹ said :-
Thanks Mr North. Yes, probably mostly error. The 2 rads are connected at header level via a pipe. There's no separate header tank but there is a conventional overflow type tank. Actually as I think further there should be no reason why I can't get them both at the same height.
Cricked my knee so work suspended for a couple of days.......
13/02/2026 10:22:40 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
If it does run a header tank (my head is starting to hurt) then would it push all that volume out every time the temp reached that level? Plus would it actually matter losing that little amount of cooling surface area if it wasn't bled. Trial and error me thinks.
12/02/2026 17:46:30 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I can't think why what you're suggesting won't work Ian with regards the bleeding. Does it run a header tank?
Upt.
12/02/2026 17:19:35 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Clever folk these Germans. My speedo is a stone-age analogue version so no use for that. 1999 is modern to me - in fact anything I would have to pay road tax / MoT for is! Yes, I added the rocker switch which was in my box of electrical bits. The ignition switch is just a simple on/off one from ebay but it seems well crafted and has a nice satisfying click to it. The rocker switch has an led in it but I suspect it's originally for 230v AC as I can't get it to light. It's fed from the ignition switch which has reasonably beefy wires although I suppose following my own runes I should fit a relay.
I've also rethunk my warning light and decided it's simpler just to mount the light and its housing on top of the instrument panel. No binoculars were harmed making this mod.
Also:
I've ended up with the nearside radiator about 30mm higher than the RH one. The latter has the filler cap so if I fill that to the brim there'll be an air space at the top of the LH one. Does this matter? There is a bleed screw at the top so I suspect that if I get it up to temperature then crack this it'll let the air out a bit like bleeding a domestic radiator. Or am I going stir crazy?
12/02/2026 15:11:10 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian , there are self cancelling indicators on my '99 BMW, not exactly modern ! Afaik they work off the speedo (pulses) . On a motorway at 70mph if I indicate at the 300m marker board without fail they switch off as I enter the off ramp in urban areas at lower speeds they tend to stay on longer than I prefer so generally I cancel them manually... unrelated is the rocker switch on the dash original or an add on?
Nigel
12/02/2026 14:17:28 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I remember One Track in Motorcycle Sport (before your time probably Ren) suggesting that those of us with British bikes had piles of discarded bits of motorcycles whereas enthusiasts for Japan=eses makes had piles of bits from discarded motorcycles....
As for hoarding we still have unopened boxes in the big shed from our house move which is now just over 6 years ago. I'm sure we've bought new instances of stuff that's in there in the meantime.
11/02/2026 15:46:53 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
"You never know what will come in handy!" - Hmmmm. This is the thin end of the wedge to ending up on a TV show about hoarders. It's starts off with a nuts and bolts drawer and a small stack of off-cuts in the corner of the shed. Later on you have a collection of gaskets and headlamp shrouds in the loft and a bundle of clutch cables hanging in the cupboard under the stairs.
Eventually you realise you've got 4 tents, 5 sets of saddle bags, 2 petrol tanks from one model of motorcycle, a stack of part worn tyres that almost reaches the ceiling, innumerable bespoke tools that can only be used for one job on one model of bike that you haven't owned since 1995 - as well as many home made tools from bits of bent metal, keyboards and mice with PS2 connectors, a Nokia 3310 mobile (that's still holding charge) along with a charger for it... and several other phones, expensive HiFi connectors even though you listen to music through your smartphone now, 2 paddock stands, sheet metal from a previous shed, rusting slotted angle iron in various lengths, a folding chair of unknown origin, 4 pairs of waterproofs all of which leak around the crotch but good for working on the bike, same with waterproof jackets.
Since mother died and I had to deal with her considerably less personal effects - I have been having a BIG clear-out.
Guess what - I could just do with a length of plywood about 12 by 20 for a little job... and I just binned something that would have done the trick about 6 weeks ago. Still - I have found bits of "floor" now.
11/02/2026 12:04:23 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The worst is leaving the left indicator on as someone waiting to get out may just take it on trust. I have used buzzers, and hooked them up via a relay or two so that they don't sound when in neutral or with the brakes on but as you say when cracking on down the road they can be inaudible. An alternative to my prism would be to mount the bright LED on the inside of the screen but I think the prism is tidier.
You never know what will come in handy!
11/02/2026 09:46:09 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I'm liking the thinking with the indicator light. I too am prone to the occasionally uncancelled indicator - which when you think about it could be terribly dangerous. I've always thought a sound would be better, most cars used to "click" which was the relay clicking, even if a modern car doesn't have a relay some audible click or beep is generated. Of course the thing with bikes the click needs to be loud so it can be heard at speed... but you don't want to be sat at the lights in town with a deafening "CLICK CLICK" coming from your bike.
BMW used a beeper but the story came out of blind people thinking it was a pedestrian crossing telling them it's safe to cross. Dunnno if that's true but it makes sense. I have no idea how self cancelling systems work on a bike - they don't always work that well on a car.
11/02/2026 07:54:27 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I've also been playing about with the radiators, especially the left hand side one which wants to be in the same place as a couple of the fixing struts. A lash up shows me I can move it out to the left by about 3" and up 1" which seems to do the trick. The right hand one is less busy but will move it out an inch and raise it to be level with the LH one. I just need to get some proper material to make the mountings.
10/02/2026 16:56:10 UTC
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