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No, it’s Portuguese for

You mean that with the deletion of Marcel's thread my masterly takedown of creationism has been lost forever? Took me ages to nick all that science shit off Richard Dawkins and make out that I understood it...

6 of us from Fowey went up to Devon today to see the National Hillclimb Association first event of the year. We stopped for breakfast near Poundstock. They thought us old fuckers must be dodgy as we had to pay before they would serve us any food. I personally was flattered that they thought I could do a runner. . It was very nice though and they warmed up after awhile When they realised we were behaving. Trip Stats It was an interesting meet with several interesting bike’s although most seemed to be modified crossers. There was one combination so I guess that won its class. Hartland Point was vey pretty with Lundy Island out on the horizon. Some pretty big balls in terms of pace. Mental buggers. Some interesting stuff in the car park, well to me anyway. Also our little band, my other mate wouldn’t take his Ventura into the field Don’t Blaine him it probably weighed over 300kegs We stopped in Bude for a cuppa on the way home. Had a chance to look at my mates V4 Ventura on the way home. Detuned V-Max motor. Very big bike but beautifully put together. Bloody good day out with the old codgers.

Might go with this one, not sure yet

Went for a bimble round the Clay Country today, cold and dry but Twas a joy to be out and about on my own. The Blue Bells were out on my walk this morning and saw the Ugly Boat.

This dude is really digging it

Since I’ve been on here for over a week, I thought it was probably about time I posted something vaguely bike-related by way of introduction. My first biking experience was when I was 13 or 14, herding cows on a friend’s farm with an old 125 of some description. As much as I would have loved a bike at 17, a car was the only practical option for a gigging bass-player, so my biking career was put on hold for the next 20+ years. My wife and I actually took our tests together and spent a year or so happily tootling around on a couple of ZZR600s until I got bored by the gutlessness of the thing and switched up to a ZZR1200. I absolutely loved that bike and covered a lot of miles on it, especially after I started using it for all my European business trips. I hate the hassle of flying, and of having to rush back to the airport when the meeting you’ve been sitting in all day is just starting to get interesting. On the bike I can do as I please – just turn up at the Channel Tunnel vaguely at the booked time and pay a bit extra if I’m much too early or too late. I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait more than 45 minutes for a crossing. The furthest I’ve ever ridden in a day was on that bike - from Basel to Harrogate, which seemed like a good idea at breakfast in the hotel when I decided to see if I could get home in time for tea. By Cambridge the novelty had very much worn off, and by the time I hit Yorkshire I was properly fed up with the whole idiotic enterprise. With road closures and diversions it ended up being just shy of 1,000 miles. I hung on to the 1200 as long as was practical, but in the end it started to get too unreliable. Roadside repairs are one thing and I certainly did my fair share of those, but when bits started falling off it on the motorway I realised it had to go. The final straw was when it caught fire on the E19 around Antwerp. I’m still not quite sure what happened next. I’d hired an Electra Glide in California a couple of years earlier, and no description I gave anybody of the experience ever rose above the excremental: the engine was shit, the gearbox was shit, the brakes were shit, the handling was shit. It was like the Rickenbacker bass – iconic, but fundamentally a turd. And yet… there is something about that engine that gets under your skin. And so it was that when the mighty 1200 had to go, a faecal-brown Electra Glide is what I replaced it with. I had taken the new Fat Boy out for a spin first and liked it far better, but I didn’t fancy riding an un-faired bike across Europe on a regular basis. The first thing that struck me about it (other than the size) was just how comfortable it was - perfect for those long European trips. Sadly, the first thing that struck my wife about it was its overt homosexuality. I endured months of goading before things finally came to a head when I took it on a trip to Germany. No sooner had I got onto the A1 for the long slog south than I discovered that she had replaced everything on my iPod with The Village People. Let's just say that cruising though Mainz with ‘YMCA’ blaring out of the stereo is not exactly the most heterosexual I’ve ever felt. It also introduced me to another new experience, which was being overtaken by cars – even really crappy ones. Something clearly had to be done, so I replaced it with a K1600GT. Now that was an astonishing bike in almost every respect – silky smooth, incredibly comfortable, totally unflappable in the corners thanks to its fancy front suspension and obscenely quick – but as strange as it sounds it didn’t excite me. The ZZR and the Harley both had character – they were a more visceral experience that left you in no doubt that you were riding them, whereas the BMW was refined to the point that it felt like I was just gliding down the road on a magic carpet, completely detached from the sensation of riding. It took me a good while to realise that it wasn’t the bike for me, at which point I switched to the R1200GSA that I still have now. So, that’s my biking history in a nutshell. Well – almost. On holiday in France about ten years ago I conducted a spectacularly self-destructive experiment with the local cider and then went onto Ebay in a state of totally diminished responsibility. I awoke the next morning to a flurry of emails congratulating me on being the proud owner of a life-size Dalek, an aquarium with an assortment of mechanical fish, an industrial quantity of plastic dinosaurs, and a Honda ST1300A. I bought it as a barely-running restoration project, and after ten years it is now a non-running reminder of the dangers of Ebaying under the influence. Every now and then a couple of bike enthusiast down the road come to look at it over a mug of tea, so with any luck I’ll get shot of the damn thing before much longer…

I feel it. That degenerate moose-fucker had better get back here tomorrow afternoon and sort his shit out or I’ll be the next one to flounce…

Just got home from a manic day with my youngest. Not moaning I enjoy her company but it’s been busy. First off I taxed her bike this morning so it’s road legal now, £25 for a 125. Adjusted the back brake, Mirrors, checked the oil and tyre pressures then left it out front. Got the Hornet out as we had errands to run. First off to Dameralls via a fuel stop to get the spare key for Chloe’s CB125F. She was grumpy as she wanted us to use her bike for the Dameralls run but a 40 mile round trip for the pair of us on duel carriage ways on a 125 didn’t appeal Had a mooch around Dameralls but it was chaos as they were having a major bike reshuffle. The Dear Maid did think it would be good if I got a new red NT1100 and to be honest I can see the attraction. Funds don’t allow so it will remain a wish. Got the key blank £13 which I thought was okay for a Honda part. Then headed back to St Austell to get the thing cut, which took seconds and cost a fiver. Cheapest vehicle key I have got in recent years After the key cutting Costa was the next call to sweeten grumpy boots up. After this faff we had to go to Holmbush Post Office to get a postal order and post off my other daughters driving licence application. The nearest office to Fowey FFS. Normally you can do the payment online but because she hasn’t got a birth certificate which was replaced by her adoption certificate you have to send a cheque or postal order to Swansea. Of course my bank has stopped issuing cheque books for my convenience. Bloody lash up but that is the way it works. £51 and out of there. After that back home to swop bikes. Now we headed down to Golant for Chloe’s first ever riding lesson, in fact the first time ever she has been on the business end of a motorcycle. Before you ask it is a private lane where her grandmother lives. Made some good progress I thought. Taught her lots of basics but she has mastered clutch control and braking. A small step but she did very well, the first step is always the hardest. After about 45 minutes she was frazzled plus we had to head back to Fowey as she had a dentist appointment. All good and she was hungry again so I bought her an ice cream from Game of Cones and a tea. Holidaymaker prices it was a £10 FFS. Finally while I was finishing my tea Chloe gets on the bike and says ‘now the bikes legal I can drive you up the hill’. I pointed out she was 16 with no licence and no insurance. Also she doesn’t know how to change gear yet. ‘Oh’ was the reply but I gave her credit for trying. Anyway it was a good if expensive day but I am absolutely knackered. Apparently she wants her next lesson on Thursday as the is the next break in the weather. I don’t mind we get on well but I have told her the goodie runs won’t happen every time.

Just finished my new wheel spacers for the dog turned these Into these

What's that twat doing lying in a muddy puddle

I've got a few...don't know wich one to pick.

Just got out for a bit on the domi to see if I get any oil out of the fork seals and all seems well at the mo. Found some abandoned shit for Pete. Why board a door way, stick another door in said boarded door way and then someone tries to get through it.

I've been past the Château Quéribus a few times, but never took the road up to it, so I thought that it would be a nice little run on the new bike. I headed around the Narbonne northern ring road as usual and took my normal route up and across past the Abbaye Fontfroide. It was slightly cloudy when I set off, but it was blowing a hoolie! On the road past Fontfroide I was getting knocked about by the wind and I did seriously consider calling it a day and head back home, but I decided to persevere and carried on. I turned off that road at Thézan-des-Corbières and headed west. The wind was now behind me, so it wasn't so much of a problem then. I was trying to get tuned into the new bike, which rides and handles quite different to the Scrambler. I noticed also that the Michelin Anakee's on it don't tramline like the Dunlops did on the Scrambler. The ride is also more plush on this bike, but it holds its line pretty well through the twisties. My route took me through Durban-Corbières, Villeneuve-les-Corbières and Tuchan, so I passed by the Château d'Aguilar before turning off and heading up the gorge near Padern and then on to Cucugnan, where the turning up to the Château Quéribus is. The road twists up the side of the hills there before you reach the road that takes you up to the castle carpark. The road up to the carpark is pretty narrow and there's a couple of nice, tight hairpins up there. The carpark was not too busy, so I stopped for a couple of pictures and then went down the same access road. I stopped at the junction of the main road for a coffee from my flask that I'd taken with me. The wind was howling across there and I ended up wearing more coffee than I drank. I was fearful of the bike getting blown over too, so I decided to just head back by the same route and save further exploration for some less windy days! I was pleased how the bike felt and performed. I was starting to get tuned into it by the return journey.

Sofia is sort of nuts and I would keep clear if I were you. @Sofia?

I had the same feeling too. Had a dump, feel much better now.

Well it's mostly a shake down run ,manage 260 km...I tried to go inland thinking it would get warmer..but the temp kept dropping so I turned around...sweet spot was about 15 km inland ...when I left the temp was 13 c ...kept climing till it reached my destination to 20c..I was sweating by then...bike ran great..the puig windscreen is a big improvement..running at 130 kmh visor up and hardly any buffering....here's a few pic....one for Six30 to do magic on and tracks of a monster moose..just for reference..I wear and 11 size boot..

Today marks this forum's 4th birthday! As I've said in the past, I only started it as somewhere different to go when we were all locked down at the start of the Pandemic. I never expected it to last once we got mobility again......but amazingly we're still here. During that time we've built a solid reputation as established Internet troublemakers! And we've also built a place where the very dregs of the motorcycle world can behave in a way that would get them banned on any respectable forum. Besides the usual morons from the past we've actually managed to attract a few more......which is what we have to do if we want to survive in this era of Social Media. So if you've got mates that do forums then call them in so the likes of Buck, Six, Busa, and Marcel can call them cunts and nonces!

So your junking the barge and buying a Honda then

That's the first time anybody's said that to Marcel!

No, it’s worse.

It's called a spanner over here Scott, which is kind of ironic as Pete is a bit of a spanner

Packed and ready to hit the road

Yes but its at least a foot and a half away from his shorter stump

Yeah, seems like this syndrome has had the better of him lately...

Just before Christmas we had our lab inspection from SO15, and when they were evaluating our procedures for dealing with unauthorised site access one of them who clearly didn't know much about huskies said "It's good that the dog comes into the office with you - she looks as though she'd scare most people off." Oh yeah - absolutely. Apex predator, that one...

Considering that I should really still be down in Charmouth for another couple of days, this hasn't been a bad way to spend a Thursday at all. My eldest has been keen to learn some basic lathe skills for a while now, so after putting in a solid seven minutes work this morning I shut the laptop and took him off to make a few pens out of the acrylic blanks we picked up in Axminster last week. He's learned how to turn a basic taper with the top slide and make a mandrel out of some scrap aluminium and a bit of leftover threaded rod (damn site cheaper than paying £60 for the one in the shop) and has made a couple of pretty decent pens to give to his mates next week. Not bad for a first attempt!

After fitting the rear suspension back on last night I took the dog out for a test ride today i was going to go out last night but it bloody pissed down, went up over my mountain as there's a good range of different terrain up there. I noticed the difference as soon as i pulled off the bike now glided over small bumps on the road hardly noticing them at all, with the old shock fitted they felt quite harsh and the front of the bike didn't feel so loose either, it's a bit hard to explain but for a long time now the front has felt very light like there's no resistance at all just didn't feel quite right, well that's now gone. When i get onto the mountain track i was instantly surprised how good the bike felt on the rough surface, the suspension just soaked it all up even the front seems to be working better. I was heading east as the sky wasn't looking too good coming from the west and was following me a the whole time i was out There was a lot of water about and the ground was still quite slippery the suspension didn't do anything to help that I stopped to take a photo here on a nice leafy lane Only to have the bike roll off the stand it's a bit steeper than the photo shows. When I got on the bike i found the fall had twisted the front end a bit I had to stop at the next big rock to straighten it out and then the next post to knock it back as i'd gone too far on the rock. Look at the weather behind me that's the way i'm heading when i get up this hill onto Manmoel mountain road. And this is what i'm trying to stay n front of This is looking into the Ebbw valley towards Aberbeeg. There's no bent on that road it's straight the curve is due to the panoramic photo I wanted to check out a track off Manmoel mountain road to see if its still ridable i went down and took some photos for my records on the way back up last time i was here this was all enclosed in tree's I got as far as Brynmawr when the heavens opened and out came a hail storm so i took shelter under a bridge until the hail stopped but got off the bike the wrong side and when cocking my leg over it got caught and me and the bike ended up on the road luckily the car coming seen me in time and stopped, what a bloody old plonker. After that i decided to head home as there was no sign of the weather behind me getting better and i was heading further away from home so would be out in it longer when i turned back. Ended up going down the Ebbw Valley i haven't been through here in a while in the old days it was a nightmare but there's a bypass now so a much more pleasant ride. I got caught in a few showers on the way back but they were not heavy so got home only slightly moist. I have a little bit of fine tuning to do with the shock and then it's see how long it lasts.

Anyway, all you guys who can go out on rides for a few hours, a day or for a weekend......Good for you!

It's definitely not

Fuck off you photo shopped that sea in i know that road and there's no sea at the end of it

It's a Chinky! I knew it would happen eventually!

Why? Are you fed up with just humiliating yourself?

Go fuck yourself in the arse with your peg leg.

Very different indeed………rarely cold during winter, sweltering hot during July and August and far less abandoned stuff.………and no @XTreme

I had one of those, i'm too old for this shit days today, I had a good ride but i twatted my left foot then twatted my right knee and then came home early with a migraine totally exhausted, i was just a passenger on the ride home, got home around 3 had a shower and went to bed, didn't feel hungover when i got up but sure last night had something to do with it. Only photos i took were these

Any of you saw a City Dump w/ this kind of backdrop?....

Putting rubbish in the wrong coloured wheely bin.

A shag ?

There's only so much photo shop can do