XTreme

Pics and/or Vid or it never happened Ray!

In principle.......I wouldn't rule out getting another Beemer! But I'm not so sure about the G650GS because of the motors being built in China by Loncin. If it was the original Rotax then I'd be fine with it.....but the Chinese connection worries me a bit. Thinking about it......one of the Twins may be a better option......like the F650/700/750/850GS. They're all lighter than the Strom and with a lower COG. But the main factor for me is that as far as I'm aware there's no Chinese connection with these motors. Unless anybody knows any different?

What about these......the carriages look like something out of an old movie?

Amazing shots Eric......is that some sort of retro or vintage train?

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?

Literally anything which can remotely be construed as Adventure or Trail is now stupid money......and yet the overwhelming majority of them never leave the tarmac! Also.....it really is stretching the boundaries when things like a Tracer or NC750X are marketed as adventure bikes when they have 17" front wheels.

If a decent low mileage Tenere turned up then I'd be very interested in one Ray. But you know what it's like here......usually high miles and cheaping out on maintenance.

I'd put my money on fucking lazy Dago myself!

Would you believe that the Dealer is closed on Saturdays?

Well.....it's cat amongst pigeons time. Another dealer came back with a good price for the Strom.......not as good as Rafa's......but not too far off it. And it ain't against a fucking Beemer! I've said that I'll go and see him Saturday morning in Granada.

I know the dealer (Rafa) very well......bought from him before. He's a very proactive workaholic and always wants to do business........that's a fucking rarity here. He should be on display in a museum actually. Anyway......he gave me an incredible price on the Strom (€3.5K which was what I paid for it 15 months ago from another dealer) as he knows the standard of my bikes. And knowing Rafa he's probably got another punter lined up for it so he'll sell it the same day at €4500. It helps that he's a Suzuki main dealer as well. Due to the post-Covid boom there's virtually no trail/adventure bikes available for under €5K now. So I'd only have to pay €1.7K to get the Beeemer......which is pretty tempting. But ultimately I couldn't do it. As ugly and bulky as the Strom is........I can trust it with my life. I couldn't with a Beemer. A quick look at 650GS forums and FB groups confirmed that. I can't go from a bike that'll last a lifetime to a bike that'll last a lunchtime!

No reports within the last week. Last one was March 2017.....I didn't feel it though. https://cadenaser.com/emisora/2017/03/03/radio_baza/1488536042_219200.html

You're gonna be climbing up the walls when your season ends Eric. But I expect you're used to it by now! But at least you'll be able to keep seeing pics of @Pedro's disgusting food!

It's a bad state of affairs Chris! I won't get into the Brexit thing as we have a rule here of no politics.......but I don't think anybody's in any doubt where I stand on it. I'm somewhat shielded from the fallout of everything because I work for myself.......and the internet keeps running regardless of Brexit, Covid etc. In your position, and many other Brits in Europe including my sons in NL and Poland, life has thrown something at us that we could never have foreseen.

Superb Eric.......and there's even some Dark Motorcycling in there too! Those mining ruins look pretty unusual too. What sort of mileage are you going to be doing in total?

I think it's a case of we've got to listen to our body and revise our expectations accordingly.

Could have been worse Alan......cos if something like that comes down on your leg it's going to cause some damage.

Brilliant shots Alan! Good to see you out and about! Don't think I could do 8 hours in the saddle any more though.

So you get pain from the leg that you haven't got Bob?

Fucking hell Alan.......with that lot don't you find it hard going with the weight of the Beemer?

I like Thumpers though......and I've got to get the weight down. That GS is 30kg lighter......66lbs (nearly 5 stone) to us......so that's a significant drop. Plus the fuel tank is under the seat so I would imagine the centre of gravity is very different.

Checked the bike over......nothing unusual there. So this afternoon I took it round that bend again to see if there was a repeat! ........and nothing! Bear in mind I've gone round that bend on every bike I've had here for nearly 15 years.......as it's only about 200 yards from the house. And that slide never happened before......so it had to have been something on that road at that time.

Beemer Bummer was my alias to wind up DA......it was Old BMW Master!