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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.
Prologue, Rain, Lost, And Hot
Another short winter break in Shropshire. This time Much Wenlock provides the location and the weather does what winter weather does. It'll be fine, hopefully.
Much A-Wenlock About Nothing
Title page for a short winter break in Shropshire.
Better Weather, Getting High, Warm And Cold
Andy is still heading homewards while doing some serious looking around. Mountains, a castle, miradors, and architecture today.
A Rough Last Day
In keeping with the theme of this trip - the return home for the Dynamic Muppets is "wet" to say the least.
Much More Something That Is Nothing
Another lazy day for Bogger before some big miles tomorrow. Ice cream this time with no mention of beer but I'm sure some was involved.
Gerrin' Owd
It's a bit late for Ren to be having a mid life crisis - but that's not going to stop him from having one anyway. To ride or not to ride - that is a stupid question.
Heading North In The Rain
It's wet, it's cold and Andy is just getting on with the business of travelling. There's not a lot to see, just a few notes from the day - and a beer.
Lincolnshire - And Dryness
There's something new in Lincolnshire today - DRY! Contain your excitement folks, Ren has found a cheap cafe and there's an awful lot of flat.
The Art Of Doing Something That Is Nothing
Bogger has many plans for the day, alas the temptation of food and beer is more alluring. It's a chill day but that's fine, I'm sure there's more chaos to come.
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Royal Enfield Himalayan Review
Bedhead said :-
I bought a year old Himalayan in 2021 and had no end of problems. The rear caliper seized up and the crappy alloy piston was corroded. I bought another and new pins but it did it again. The clocks misted up and the gear indicator stopped working. At the same time I stripped the rear suspension and found it devoid of grease. The bike started cutting out and the fuel injector was faulty. The first appointment I could get with the dealership was TWO days after the warranty expired. They refused to honour the warranty even though the bike had a full dealer service history and the fault occurred inside the warranty period.
That was the final straw and I sold it immediately with the caliper still messing about. A nice bike but never again.
12/04/2026 01:21:40 UTC
Everyone Has Their Troubles
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ed, do some digital trickery and attach a map wud ya. I'm lost in France. Again.
11/04/2026 08:12:44 UTC
Everyone Has Their Troubles
Upt'North ¹ said :-
It's amazing how a beer or four can make you forget the days cold and fuel drought. I can't remember ever having one in France though, but Scotland, that's a place to try and find a petrol station. I think they hide them from the English just to see us sweat.
But like you say Boggit, sat nav can always save the day, one of its best features as well as taking you to the pub! Of course.
Blummin kids.
Upt.
11/04/2026 08:11:31 UTC
Everyone Has Their Troubles
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Good sounding trip. Most of the small French petrol stations have closed but there's almost always one attached to a supermarket and these are generally signed on entry to a town / village. But they often become self service at lunchtime. This is fine as long as you have an acceptable credit card. I remember once having to ask a friendly local to use his, repaying him in cash.
Back to Malestroit eh? We went there a couple of years ago in the caravan partly prompted by your description, and a lovely little place it is too. While we were there it was the nationwide music festival, and there were bands and singers on every street corner. Brilliant!
Speaking of Nantes, it's a brilliant place especially the Machines de l'Isle. This is where the Sultan's Elephant was made and they artisans continue to make wonderful imaginative devices. Well worth a detour or three.
10/04/2026 13:57:02 UTC
Prologue, Rain, Lost, And Hot
ROD¹ said :-
Yes, that's Clun. I think that is the cafe and bridge that CrazyFrog references.
The roads in any direction from Club are not too shabby.
08/04/2026 08:34:30 UTC
Prologue, Rain, Lost, And Hot
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You've sussed me out ROD, gosh darn it!
Now for a moment I thought to myself "I dunno where Clun is" then I Google Mapped it and streetviewed it - oh yeah! Had a brew stop there with friends recently. I'm guessing as there's a bridge and a car park for the castle we're all talking about the same place. If so then yes it's blummin' lovely.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/HNscSLtGa1GLeipBA...
08/04/2026 08:08:44 UTC
Prologue, Rain, Lost, And Hot
CrazyFrog said :-
There's a really nice little cafe by Clun bridge too, and the road up Clun valley is a bikers delight!
07/04/2026 18:03:39 UTC
Prologue, Rain, Lost, And Hot
ROD¹ said :-
I have been through Much Wenlock many times as it's on the way to my favourite stopping place en route to Wales.
I understand all this "can't work the heating, oh it's getting too hot" so Sharon does not wear any clothing to bed!!
The favourite stopping place Clun castle car park. With toilets, a picnic bench, and a walk around the castle ruins it's a great stop.
07/04/2026 16:43:19 UTC
Prologue, Rain, Lost, And Hot
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Put ya big jumper on Upt' - you'll be fine.
07/04/2026 15:55:35 UTC
Prologue, Rain, Lost, And Hot
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Brrrrrrrr, just Brrrrrrrr.
Upt.
07/04/2026 12:33:49 UTC
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Ian Soady¹ said :-
Here you are:
10/04/2026 14:49:50 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Interestingly, looking at the workshop manual the front pressure is 16 psi! Of course tyres used to be much stiffer then. I think I'll probably go for the Mitas although am feeling a little more confident now. Maybe a slightly longer test run at 24 psi is in the offing? I'm also still considering adapting the BSA steering damper.
Given the amount the outfit veers on acceleration / braking with 42 bhp I wonder how those with Gold Wings etc manage?
I have found a graph / spreadsheet showing weight / pressure relationships courtesy of Claude that I'll try to post.
10/04/2026 14:50:40 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian that's interesting re the tyre pressures , is the 21psi recommendation related directly to the unladen weight or just as you say the minimum pressure to keep the tyre on the rim ? I have a road rider front on my solo Enfield and the bars can flap about a bit when slowing down.. I better get out the weighing scales. Roadriders have fairly stiff side walls compared to some "classic" type tyres which could also be part of the problem , either way if you don't hear from me again you'll know lower front tyre pressure isn't a good idea! (currently 30psi approx)
Nigel
10/04/2026 14:38:22 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I can't see any availability on the Avon. However, I've used Mitas tyres successfully on other bikes and in fact have one on the sidecar wheel. The H-03 looks like a possibility and at £50 good value:
10/04/2026 12:39:17 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Well spotted. A bit pricy though! And showing as out of stock.......
10/04/2026 12:21:28 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
Then this popped up!
https://www.aceclassics.co.uk/products/avon-sm-mkii-400-18-rear-tyre/...
10/04/2026 12:18:36 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I think the rear was called the Safety Master (popularly known as the skidmaster)? As I remember the front (ribbed) was the Speedmaster. I have one on my Norton Electra with a TT100 on the back....
I've been having a chat with an ex aircraft engineer on a BSA forum and he tells me that nose wheel shimmy is a problem on aircraft. They had a special tyre to counteract it:
10/04/2026 12:24:51 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
I have just checked the web but the speed master does not seem to be available.
The best I can find in an 18" is the Heidenau K28.
10/04/2026 12:15:35 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
Ian, Did you ask Avon if they still make the speed master rear tyre? These were the preferred front tyre for an outfit back in the day.
I believe some tyre manufacturers make small batches of retro tyres, like the TT100 from Dunlop ect.
The square section of the speed master rear would give the same properties as lowering the tyre pressure, giving a greater contact area.
10/04/2026 12:07:50 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I've just had another very short run and a great improvement. 25 psi in the front: much much better especially on smooth road surfaces. A biggish bump still knocks the bars but at least they don't start oscillating. I got up to about 20mph and felt relatively safe.... I may try even lower pressure but won't go below 23. Another long conversation with a passing couple who used to have bikes in their youth, and the postman who said he could do with something like the outfit to do his round. I did offer to sell it to him but he said he preferred to remain married.......
I have started to wonder about the back and sidecar tyre pressures - currently 30 and 25 respectively.
10/04/2026 11:54:11 UTC
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Ian Soady¹ said :-
You're probably right Rod, I lose track.... I do wonder why they didn't use one of the larger models but I suppose the target was to retail as cheaply as possible.
12/04/2026 11:27:05 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
I believe that the Bantam is a replacement bike, because Benelli have discontinued the 400cc Imperiale.
12/04/2026 11:02:33 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Upt': lookes quite good. They also do one using the Benelli Imperiale which has a more powerful 400cc engine and is a similar price. There's someone who regularly posts on a couple of FB pages who has one and appears very pleased. Interesting that the front tyre on the Bantam (why use a name that's associated witha weedy 2 stroke?) has the same very round profile as the one currently on my B'Zuki.... Less than £9K is a decent price. My outfit stands me in at under £5K which seems like good value. Provided I can sort out the handling of course! It's interesting that both have illegal left hand indicators.......
Glyn - might be good news on the Merc. For some months I was chasing a CCM SR40 at a local bike shop. Apparently it belonged to the son of the proprietor and despite my showing lots of interest the deal never happened, which is how I ended up with the B'Zuki after some aimless scrolling. With regard to the Intruder, I'm not sure why the 600 shouldn't be able to drag a trike OK although obviously not as fast as a bigger engine. It should be able to do 70 all day even with the extra weight.
Have you tried a trike yet? Not sure where you might be able to do so.
12/04/2026 10:02:08 UTC
Glyn said :-
I visited the Watsonian website Up’t and have to say the Bantam is rather good looking. They are the experts but I would think 29hp out of the 350cc will leave you wanting on any incline. I’ve considered turning my Suzuki 600 Intruder into a Rhino trike but suggestion is that it’s not really powerful enough and I should be looking at the 800 as a minimum capacity. I’m still interested in the big Merc Ian but the owners son in law has suddenly gone very quiet on me even cancelling an appointment I had on Thursday.
12/04/2026 09:00:59 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
What do you think Ian?
Customers will be able to purchase the complete package for £8995 on the road, including VAT, with the finished machine assembled at Watsonian’s Moreton-in-Marsh factory. All sidecars will be finished in black, with five colour options of Bantam available.
“We have a great working relationship with BSA and it’s rewarding to develop new products with British brands,” Managing Director, Ben Matthews said. “The 29bhp Bantam is more than capable of powering a lightweight sidecar and is the perfect introduction to ‘a bit on the side’ for novices.”
11/04/2026 21:15:37 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
So are you going for it Glyn? I look forward to many tales of frustration, challenges overcome and finally success....
11/04/2026 14:11:31 UTC
Glyn said :-
The Merc chain pitch would be different otherwise they wouldn’t be able to be charging £136 for it. It is over 2 metre long and seems to change direction 6 times per revolution.
10/04/2026 20:49:29 UTC
nab301 said :-
All this reminiscing about timing chains and old Brit classic cars (Maestros and Stags )reminds me of the 10 yrs I spent in a motor factors way back , customers would come in looking for a service kit ( points , plugs , condenser, rocker cover gasket )" oh and better give me a timing chain , it's a bit noisy" ! I used to cut them from a large roll (standard 3/8 simplex or duplex)and supply a split link , (mercs I think had a different pitch) I only ever fitted one ( to a friends car) A Dolomite 1500 , so relatively easy.
More recently I realised that The Enfield primary duplex chain is just a std 3/8th and that purchasing a 5metre roll locally is cheaper than ordering a chain from a bike specialist ...
Nigel
10/04/2026 14:58:24 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Re the Merc: I'm quite often tempted by cars but then I remember (a) I have nowhere to put one and (b) as Ren says, car parts are heavy and awkward and also require lying down underneath them. I was cured when I had a Triumph Stag as a daily driver in the late 1990s. Mid life crisis me? I did 70,000 miles in 5 years and had to replace, amongst other things, the engine (twice due to a foolish error I made), gearbox and differential. Not to mention multiple other parts. As I was using it as my only car, much of it for work, I had to pay people to do the heavy lifting so I wasn't without wheels, although I did borrow Electra's MG Maestro (which I'd donated to her) as backup. That was actually a very capable car despite the knockers.
The Stag was a lovely car but in the end it was only financially viable with the mileage allowance from work. I decided to move it on before it ruined me.
Stag and Maestro......
10/04/2026 13:01:07 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, he started on Gold Stars when but a youth and went on to be world class on the unit singles especially the B50 motocross bike. I actually met him a couple of times as he used to come over to the UK and visit his old mechanic from those days, the late Fred Barlow. Fred ran a small bike shop in Tamworth specialising in Norton Commandos (which is how I knew him) and the BSAs which he could make go very well.
Jeff seemed like a very nice bloke and very approachable.
10/04/2026 12:41:56 UTC
Random Link - 2014 - Pretty Good Year