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I agree butt, it just shows ya how freaking old we are.

Strange how things turn out! I went out this morning (only for an hour) and the Strom just didn't click with me. Didn't feel natural......bit like I was riding someone else's bike. And the bloody dead weight of it is killing my knackered knees when I need to manoeuvre it about. I've felt like this for a few weeks now but it was definitely more pronounced today because I was on smaller roads. Sometimes you just gotta go with your gut instinct on bikes......it's served me well enough since 1971. The two bike thing is an option.......but not in my case! Everybody's circumstances are different and I think mine are pretty well documented: My eldest boy walking out on the business 4 years ago and dumping everything in my lap.......and just keep in mind the Internet doesn't close so I'm always on call. There is no cop-out in that area! Then there's the wife's arthritis condition which is progressively deteriorating.......she now has limited mobility and no longer drives. So with no family here that responsibility falls on me as well. All this plus the fact that I'm not as young as I was.......and of course there's always the ominous thought of hitting 70 in just over 3 years time in the back of my mind. Of course I still want to ride bikes.....the break between the last XT and the Strom drove me crazy! Not to mention the 9 week lockdown. But I've got to be realistic......I'm old now, and I need to get something that'll be enjoyable to ride and also make my life easier. @Lone Amigo knows where I'm coming from on this! So Monday morning I'll be phoning Towca Honda in Granada....... ......and seeing if we can put a deal together for a new one of these! As @Tym knows.......I've been on about getting one of these for years. I was just about to pull the trigger on one early last year but then the Strom turned up! So all I can say is watch this space!

After all is said and done, repeatedly, you’ll realise you need two bikes. The strom will keep it’s value so buy another bike and get rid of the one you end up not using after three months.

Well you know...I was lucky and found love when I was young and it just worked from day one! I'm not a spring chicken or an old hen, just one of those middle aged chickens that has lots of fun.... ??

Congrats! Have fun. ? . I never married, didn't see the need for more paperwork in life ? ...but my guy and me will be together 30 years in 2024....?

We're 34 and 38. 7 and 10 with her predecessor.

Your right @Tym i re read the lockdown rules and all it stipulates is you do not leave or enter RCT without a valid reason so i took the bike to the local jet wash to get it clean and then dragged the XR out to get it dirty staying inside the county of RCT feeling much happier now

Go get it Pete You don't go on trips abroad or to the other side of Spain so it will do you fine. I've been to France twice on my 250 and as long as you leave motorways out it's absolutely fine, just tune yourself in to the slightly slower speeds, you see more of the countryside anyway. I'll probably be in your position before long (dodgy right knee and hip) but I know that I'll be able to carry on riding on the 250

No bikes for me this weekend. It is our 30th wedding anniversary so we are off to a posh hotel in the Cotswolds for a weekend of realxation and stuffing our faces ? It must be posh as I've even washed my car today as I didn't want to turn up with it covered in dust ? https://www.lordsofthemanor.com/

Just trying to motivate myself to wash this after last weekend but this lockdown shit has me feeling depressed

Almost ran down a flock of thankgiving dinners too

.........so there's hope it may last until Xmas! I just saw this on FB......2004 V-Strom 650. That's in kms so that's about 125K miles. No engine work needed and he has only replaced the clutch fairly recently.......as a precaution. He bought it in 2012 with 30K kms on it......and he's never even checked the valves! In fact, I've seen 650's with even higher miles with no engine work done. As for the 1000's I've seen one over 400K kms......over 250K miles. They're bloated, ugly, budget parts bin specials......but the motors are as tough as it gets!

I know that Fred......but I'm talking about the years he kept it full when he had the original...... and it was in response to this! Did you bang your head today.......cos you're on a fucking roll!

But there's another sting in the tail! The dealer in Granada that I spoke to about the G650GS mailed me earlier to tell me it had gone! BUT.......he's got another 2015 one in........with even LESS miles (11K). And the condition looks even better than the first which was pretty impressive! The deal would be the Strom plus €1500........and the Beemer comes with a year's warranty. It's very tempting!

I think you are being very wise with listening to your instincts, some people never learn to do that. I have a few years to go for the older age parts, but I understand working for yourself and never being able to completely "turn off" or just knowing someone else will do the work when you are gone, nope, its all you. So a motorcycle is important for many reasons.........AND DAMNNNNNN I love that Honda, ? I have been thinking about something just like that, but I am still in love with my Himalayan for now. I am excited for you.....that bike just looks FUN!

I was just trying to work out how long me and the wife have been married it was 27 years this year but been together for 34 years?

Cheers Bob! The thing is, until you actually get to this sort of stage, it's difficult to understand. But everybody's going to get there.......whether they want to admit it or not! I'm convinced there are many 60+ riders who are riding round on bikes that they're struggling to cope with at low speeds because of their bulk.....but they don't want to admit it. The other thing is that the type of riding I do has changed over the years......there's more and more remote exploration. But unlike you and @Sir Fallsalot I'm not looking for offroad areas to ride. But given the region I live in, and the places I want to access, offroad riding isn't a choice.....it's a necessity.

Clean bikes produce negative ions(*) which improve mood, proven scientific fact @Sir Fallsalot

This.

If I got another bike it would be a CRF250L.......different type of bike obviously, and used for a different purpose.

Incredible! Dilemma for me is that I fancy changing the Strom........but I've got this nagging doubt in the back of my mind that I'll be making the same mistake that I did with my two previous Stroms. After both of them went I kept thinking it was a bad decision.

Nuber 1 did me in, editing...

Sterling Noren is great. He has made some really nice motorcycle films. I think I have shared a few in the Motorcycle Videos section. He has some good advice.

If you dint notice i finally learned how to trim parts of a vid from a vid, what decade is this again? This is cutting edge chit for me you tellum @XTreme Maybe if i got off my ass id learn how to make one vid out of these three...

I wanted to see how my chain with 20 thousand miles is doing while moving so i made this vid today, fridays are my weekends.

Wife announced she wants to go to the shops tomorrow!

Supposed to rain itself out today, and weekend looks clear with manageable temperatures at last. Not sure if the wife is going to drag me to the shops tomorrow (I'm not mentioning it just in case) but Sunday I'll be out. Hopefully to that remote abandoned village in the Sierra de Segura that's been on hold for the last couple of months due to the heat! What are you guys up to?

Last Saturday of the summer, big cruise night locally, lots of motorcycles about, loverly temps, not hot not cold not to humid not to dry

The metal one is safe in a very dry place. Yup it was a PIA keeping it full to keep it safe from corrosion, every trip started with 6 galons plus of fuel, ugh.

My god......you don't look that old Michelle!

His tank is plastic Pete LOL

Best thing about my see through plastic tank is the weight i dont need to carry anymore on my KLR, i filled the tank up the last time for the fun of it, i've gone 237 miles.. still have plenty of gas to run locally with...ugh 237 worth of miles in my tank i dint need to carry all these years except on long trip.s

Nice one Bob enjoy you got to pamper the lady now and then ?

It would be refreshing for you to ride a lighter more off-road capable bike, but maybe too small an engine for an only bike

I did that, kinda looks like apples ap at first glance....i kinda like my short vids that nobody likes to watch category at u-tube, i fly under their radar this way....

Today I'm off to get my fuel for the week-end as we do. I also have a spot in mind I want to stop at to see about getting some fun pics. Going to try and defend my BOTM win.... ? Then tomorrow RAIN or SHINE ? we want to explore a forest service road we have not been down. I also really want to get to some video editing as well, last week-end got too busy.

Well it’s stopped raining here and the sun is out but haven’t got enough time to get out today so tomorrow it is then! No specific plans but having just cleaned the Himalayan after it’s last foray into the dusty countryside I think it deserves a relatively clean ride around the local twisty roads. I’ll meet up with the rest of the old farts and see where the mood takes us!

Im still trying to take in a deep breath for the first time....