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Clean and shiny again and tucked up in the shed with the other now clean bikes. Now to do the clothes washing Bikes 1st, everything else 2nd

I don't know why this reminds me of @Six30..............

You’ll do , just leave your Marc Almond and Jimmy Summerville CD’S at home .

Oh, I found the custom pledge button on my patreon, it's at the bottom of this page (after you click on "become a patron" on the home page): https://www.patreon.com/join/bikehedonia? Right at the bottom. Only patreon knows why they wouldn't put it on the first page, it's kind of annoying (because you are right that people should be able to select whatever amount they like) but I don't think I can change it. I will try to link straight through to this page more often though...

Might feel like riding a 450 but doesn't feel like one when it comes time to pick it up haha. Oh my lawd

So no mention of the stuff they needed to sort out, crap back brake, side stand thats way too long and gets battered to an unusable state off road, the headlight that’s as bright as a lit match and the abs set up thats slams the brakes on n off at such long intervals it snakes you down the road like a rodeo bull

Rear wheel locked solid as I braked (due to abandoned pants). I would rather the fence wsn't there as I recon I could have just rode into the field but as I hit it the nearside footrest and gear lever took out most of the fence until it jammed and flicked me over. If you look at the fence and the posts you can see where I hit them and carried on until it brought me to a halt.

He was reenacting part of Steve McQueen's great escape

I get asked by tourists where Petticoat Lane Market is and they get confused when I say no such named street exists but it's in Middlesex and Wentworth Street. They say you can have your watch stolen off your wrist as you enter at one end and by the time you get to the opposite end you can buy it back off a stall. Same goes for bicycles in Brick Lane market.

There's still a few thousand miles in those. You haven't thrown them away have you?

You’ve heard of Christian Dior, I’m the Yiddisher Dior! https://spitalfieldslife.com/2021/11/16/george-dickinson-sales-manager-x/

Pancreatic cancer is a bitch, it got my father in law after he had spent 5 years beating lukemia . I hope your friend is resting in peace.

On Saturday, I lost a friend. Well, I didn't lose him, that implies that I was simply careless and misplaced him, which you ought never to do with your friends. No, he didn't get lost, he died suddenly of pancreatic cancer, much too young. Of course it is natural to live and die and we will all do it, but I have been thinking about him (and am sharing about him here) because his role in my life is fundamentally caught up with motorcycles. He was simply the most kindest man, someone with deep compassion and someone who believed in the dreams of others. He was the CEO of the Black Dog Ride for years, which (I don't know if it exists in the UK) is a big annual charity event which raises money for mental health and depression research. But on a personal level, he was kind to so many of us, and our motorcycling community is much the poorer for losing him. Back when I announced my intention to ride halfway around the world on my own, most people said I was mad, as you'd expect. Peachie immediately understood the dream. He knew that I could do it, and he understood that I needed to do it; he was just thrilled that I was going to live my dream, and do what I needed to do, instead of staying home safely with my demons and our regrets, as so many of us do. When you're trying to make a dream real and most people don't believe in it, the support of a few people like Peachie becomes instrumental in keeping that dream alive. So I will always be grateful to him for that. Before I left on my trip, he gave me a set of spotlights which I wired onto my bike, and which must have now saved my night-blind ass more times that I can count. I always think of him when I switch on my spotties; he has been with me on this adventure the whole way. A man of such deep kindness and compassion - who fostered dreams - I wish him the deepest peace.

I’m too old to go in @Six30’s van.

Put that down to "character".

This sounds like a niche genre for @yen_powell.......abandoned pants!

So if you'd got the Mod gig.......what would be your course of action now?

Bit offended.

Do you think @Six30 got taken to Twatt as a kid and thought it was career advice?

Imagine my disappointment when I was taken to Oxford Circus as a kid!.........

I went to Petticoat Lane when I was a kid......I expected to see petticoats everywhere!

Folk who like to demonstrate their perceived superiority over others whether in social status or material wealth (or any other way) are also always wankers here. But there are enclaves were that bollocks flourishes. I used to absolutely hate it but now I find it useful that they reveal theyre not my sort of person so early on in conversation, saves me wasting time weeding out the aholes Fuck me thats brutal. Parents often don't think (I could just end that sentence there ) about the impact, especially the long term impact of what they are doing. I have known a lot of parents who seem to put their children in difficult or uncomfortable positions, including only meting the love and approval children are hard wired to crave when they behave in the way the parent wants, for many its a very conditional relationship. I used to see it as plain cruelty but then I discovered it mostly seems to be down to fear (or their own fucked upness). They know life can be hard and they want their kids to be tough enough to handle it on their own. In a twisted logic they bring them pain to deal with to make sure they can cope with the pain the future might bring- to 'toughen them up' Cors Im not saying thats what it is in your case but we all know either first hand or from seeing someone close to us go through just how much parent/s can fuck with your head. They put in place a framework of thought processes before you have a chance to develop your own, hardwire wire you while you're a bit of a blank and that takes some undoing. So congrats in your direction for having a look at these things in a fearless way and coming out on the attack to slay any demons that cage you. You're not going to be simpering your way through life and finish up full of regret so hats off in your direction, that requires an uncommon strength of will. Blogging and posting worthwhile content is work, a lot of time editing, writing, rewriting and finessing things so others will enjoy it is a craft that requires time, some people don't understand that... so fuck 'em. When someone says something designed to undermine me or just negative crapola to bring me down I find reversing whatever theyre saying destroys it. Im sure you're familiar with the question "Why do you want to do that?" being asked in derisory tones to which the only reply is "Why not?" On the money front anyone who would question why you should be given money should simply be answered with (a tongue in cheek) "because Im more than worth it" Sounds like biking is the perfect balm for you. It is for most of us

Growing up in post WWII Britain I never heard any negativity towards Germans.....only the Japanese. It still persisted into the 70's when old guys would come up and say "I fought against the Japs in the war and people like you are buying Jap bikes". By the time the 80's came these people were driving Toyotas and watching Sony TV's of course!

That's an incredible story Grace! Can't get my head round the attitude of your parents though.......that's not the mindset of normal people.

I don't know but there was the initials YP on the label

Home again. Went with 2 came back with 3 and thankfully they all fit on the trailer !!!!

Still knee deep in covid so still hanging out on my mountain in Thailand. Did 250km of the Mae Hong Son Loop yesterday on the CRF450RL. Still running the crappy factory IRC tyres but the roads were clean (for once) so I've got no chicken strips left on my knobbies. Love throwing it through those curves motard style, reliving bad habits learnt on the 690. Gets a little twitchy in the front end if you have to brake suddenly over 90kph though. Stopped at the army checkpoint between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces and had a beer with the soldier boys and slapped a sticker on the bike (with owner's permission of course), brand of the devil! Well, a better way to leave my mark on a motorcycle than by sliding it down the road. I have dropped this one off road before (once) but otherwise we have remained resolutely upright. Out with my mate who I talked into buying this farkled 390 duke. Upgraded ecu and full exhaust, first gen, that little bike goes like the clappers. It's a demon. She's running Rosso IIs and is well on her way to the dark side.

How they fuck did you end up that way

Very sad. He sounds like a hell of guy, one you were lucky to know.

Bloody hell. Thought that was Fred with hair for a minute.

Well having said in another thread that drones are useless for spying as the cameras are ultra wide angle and even people fairly close are unrecognisable Well, not if it's me building one LOL, back in 2015 I decided to play around with some tech (as I do) and put a 10 x zoom camera onto a purpose built (by me) multirotor (drone) so if I could get stable video without too much shake I also tried a 30 x zoom camera but it was too shaky when zoomed in

Only once Terry......early in 2006 on Big Bird. I got totally lost up there......could hardly speak any Spanish and I didn't know where the fuck I was. No mobile coverage either. These were taken up there.....somewhere! I remember having to turn back round and retrace my steps to find my way back. I'd probably gone about 45 minutes north of Cazorla before I turned round.

See even your posts are well written Just reread what I’m about to post and I’m sorry its too long and it is about money but I’ve wasted too much time tapping my phone sooo.. here it is Last thing about money though, promise, you’re right it is a truly boring subject I thought it was purely a British thing to feel uncomfortable talking about the filthy lucre in relation to yourself but it’s an Australian thing too? Yer might be helpful to get over that awkwardness for the sake of your coffers I was brought up to have a slightly disdainful attitude towards money (due to the human problems it causes) and I dunno if that’s a good way or not but viewing it as “only money” means I have no qualms talking about it, negotiating with it, saving it or wasting it and not chasing after it like one of those freaks that’ worships at the alter of the money gods, it’s an attitude that’s strangely payed dividends. Maybe “it’s only money” might work for you too. Might help get the Patreon link where it’s needed- YouTube, websites etc etc? No-one feels obligated to click those links, they do it because they want to, because they like the content and want to fund it (or you) to continue so I don’t see that you need to be shy. One last tiny suggestion and then I swear I’m done on the subject. Maybe a lower subscription level or a ‘choose your own level of subscription’ on your Patreon account might be useful for the folk who want to contribute but aren’t quite in that lower tier league. Just cos- My sister in law had a student job ringing people and getting them to agree to monthly payments for whatever charity was using their services at the time. She was told in no uncertain terms they must push for a £5 minimum monthly subscription, less wasn’t acceptable. Being a broke student she thought this was too much and pushing people to contribute above where they were comfortable just made them hang up so she would agree sums for as little as £1 Unsurprisingly every month she was the top saleswoman there by a country mile. Every single month for the year she worked there she got the bonus vouchers. She rightly reckoned people are mainly sympathetic and do like to help but most couldn’t justify the monthly budget the charities were asking. Dumb ass company still stuck with its policy of pushing for a minimum £5 contribution though didn’t they

Yes, the checkpoint is on the mountain road between Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai Provinces, and although checkpoints proliferate all through the provinces, this is the only one where I always see the army actively manning it and searching people, apart from at the ones near national borders. (Most checkpoints here are nothing more than a traffic hazard... presumably the soldiers are all out the back make tiktoks.) Primarily they're looking for drugs and other contraband. They just wave you through if you're on a big bike and clearly just out riding (except for when the province is totally closed, which happened last year during the first covid lockdown). They will question people in vehicles, most get waved through but the people who tend to get stopped are the hiluxes loaded with cabbages or hill tribe people on beat up scooters. Mostly they're chill but I have seen a few people taken away to the toilet block to be strip searched, which is kind of chilling when you see three male soldiers taking one scared woman into the bathroom... Moments like that, I'm so conscious of my privilege as a white skinned foreigner who - because I am riding a big bike - is assumed to be relatively rich (and thus possibly important). I might get blamed for a motor vehicle accident I didn't cause, or I might get pulled over by the traffic police hoping to make some tea money by finding I have international licence, but I am extremely unlikely to randomly strip searched in a toilet block on top of a mountain.

No its not mid winter now we get lots of good weather as in the photos below 2009 2012 2014 @boboneleg DR 2016 2017 the Friday before the dragon 2018 great ride up that year the sun was shining Sometimes there was shit weather and we got a little rain although i must admit i missed the ride home in that left the day before

You look like you fit that bike perfectly

I sitting by my newtome dock on the bay, wasting my time away. Dude.

EPIIIIC trip today. St Micheals Mount, Penzance, Newlyn, Lands end, St Ives, Hale and back. Splattering of rain over Bodmin but wow what an epic day. Feeling blessed and bloody knackered

fuck off ....... probably a blowy , thats it though .

now it looks like shark bait.

Just wondered down to Dawlish Warren today. Had a day off the bikes as all our clobber was still dripping wet from yesterdays journey to Newquay. No pictures though it was truly horrific my visor lets rain in and so did my waterproof boots Anyhoo we had a grey but dry day today and met a lovely man who was taking amazing pictures of a kingfisher. Lovely guy and has recommended a day of sightseeing which we will probably do on Saturday. Tomorrow we go for the bike and im so excited but also nervous !!! Just a couple of today but one reminded me of a certain Harley rider....

So, sit down, make yourself a cup of tea: let's talk about Indonesia, my absolute favourite place to ride, ever. In Indonesia, every biker is your bro, every club is your club, everyone's mum is cooking you dinner. Now, when I say Indonesia I don't mean Bali, I mean the other bits. Flores, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Java... places where you show up and everyone asks, "yes, but WHY are you here?" because no madwoman on a KTM ever rocked up to their village before. (Maybe that's a good thing...? Anyway) Anyway highlights - and literally, this is a highlight because the elevation is noticeable, enough to make you chilly. Tana Toraja. Up in the mountain tops of Sulawesi, one of the places with some of the world's most complex, expensive and denialist rituals for dealing with the dead. * * * High in the volcanic mountains of Sulawesi, just scraping the underside of the clouds, is a land for both the living and the dead. In the West we tend to fear our mortality and hide away the corporeal reminders, but in Tanah Toraja I found myself sitting on a cliffside ledge, watching little boys play in front of the skulls of their ancestors. * * * The air cools and the roads narrow as you gain altitude, climbing further up the jagged spine of the island. Signs advertising beer start to appear on the roadside shops and warungs, signposting a transition from a Muslim area to one where the people profess a mix of Christianity and the old beliefs. I have a phone number and a map location. My friend Aditya in Makassar has sent me off northward with an introduction to a friend of his, a fellow biker who lives up here in the mountains. Tony is orang Toraja, and on the hill opposite his home, the ancient village of Kete Kesu houses his ancestors in ornate tombs and ossuaries. Since this is Indonesia, where bikers are family, I have an invitation to stay at Tony's place and my only challenge is finding it. After a few wrong turns, I have success: the rain is just starting to fall as I find Tony and park the bike in front of one of his cousin's houses. Tony's place is built further up the hill - one modern style home in a row of traditional Toraja houses - but the track is too slippery to get the bike up there in the rain. No problem: the bike is safe here. Tony and some of his cousins help me carry my bags up the hill. He is a bachelor, but he lives surrounded by family. It's almost a family compound, with a row of ordinary houses facing a row of traditional meeting houses. Soon I am comfortably installed in a spare bedroom at Tony's place. My damp boots have been set out to dry and I dig into my pack to find the gift that I'm carrying for Tony from Aditya. It's a fabulous orange riding jersey commemorating a ride up the length and breadth of Sulawesi. They had stopped and visited with Tony on their way through Tana Toraja too, and the jersey is a thank you gift. On the back, it says 'TUA' - ostensibly an acronym for 'Together, United, Adventure' but of course 'tua' also means old. It's a cheeky stab at the age of the your average big bike adventure rider, and I love it. I look forward to aging into mine. * * * Now let's shift gears a little - enough of the living - let's talk about the dead. The Toraja people are known for their elaborate funerary rites. It can take years to prepare and complete all the proper ceremonies to lay a relative to rest and release the soul from the body. Until this is done, they are described as sick, and the slowly mummifying body is cared for like a living person. After the massive and elaborate funeral – often years later – the mummified deceased are interred in carved ossuaries clinging to the cliffs and caves that tower over the village. The people go and visit their ancestors there. Gradually the ancestors become bones, skeletons. Over the centuries, wood will disintegrate and bones will spill out. They are sometimes gathered up again, skulls placed in rows; other times, the bones are allowed to remain in place, tangled, distinctly human. Children sit on the cliff ledges, watching Youtube videos on cheap smart phones next to their skeletal ancestors. I walk up the cliff path, and sit for a while. An invited guest. Here at Kete Kesu is where Tony’s relatives lie in rest. His cousin points out the carved likenesses of people who have passed, and invites me to take photographs if I want. My western upbringing tells me that this is not proper – to photograph the bones of someone else’s relatives. But here, it seems that people feel differently. Everything has the meaning you give it. When I go to leave, I am forcibly accosted by a Javanese visitor who seems to think that I'm far more interesting to photograph than any of the funerary relics. No worries; this is how I pay my social taxes here, I figure: they can take as many photos as they like. But before I leave, I take one more photo of my own - a photo of my darling, my sweetheart, in all her dualsport glory.

Here!......it's my happy place!............sometimes.

Thanks for the welcome everyone I loved the Triumph it was mint on long day’s rides. I had two. Took the last one - the xca off-road and it was hard work. The T7 is less comfy - saddle - and slightly less powerful, but for the riding I do in Greece I would say it’s the perfect bike. Torquey and feels like you’re riding a 450. 200 times better off-road.

Welcome @Jed hope you enjoy it. They’re all about the pics on here, mainly due to illiteracy so feel free to post some of your bike pics or any crayon drawings. Just try not to use words with more than two syllables in any of the descriptions