Pedro

Nice to hear, you seem to really be getting along with it. I have to say, there’s nothing green in that mud, more like brown laning!

No dashboard in sight, though, you loose!

It’s just now that people get snobby about motorcycles, not long ago you would be lucky to ride anything bigger than a 50cc two stroke.

Pretty sure they also feel severe for people spending time inside…

Same attraction as any kind of biker meeting, I guess, looking at bikes and hanging out meeting with friends? Also the road leading to there is amazing for racing, and people often misbehave with street racing, so there’s that too, for some that’s the main attraction.

Above there’s a video for the ambiance. someone let a Jack Russel sort of dog loose, and he was running around like an arrrow all over the place, managed to take a shot of him as he’s branding a monument It is a pretty place: Felt like eating something, but the local restaurant was pretty full, and didn’t feel like being in a closed space with lots of people, so rode off to meet Sofia for lunch. The road heading out, about to get on it on the white Thruxton is a brazilian lady wearing the tightest “look at my butt” pants ever, you can even see the roundness from here Traffic heading out was pretty silly and two bikes went down on the single corner with a little water running across the tarmac, so I decided to opt for the quiet and slower way out: Back on tarmac, and you can see why people like to scratch on these roads: Passed a couple of really pretty small towns, but didn’t stop for pictures, too much hassle with sunday lunch crowd arriving at scenic locations. 20 minutes later, and I stop on a cafe and order a pair of sandwiches for Sofia’s arrival: No more pictures as the traffic turned to sunday afternoon and that means annoying and slow, so went home.

Today the morning was bright and sunny, even though a little chilly at about 8 or 10° at breakfast. I had been to the Cabo da Roca a few times before but never on a Sunday, and felt like checking the place out, it’s a very pretty area and the roads leading up to it from Lisbon are twisty with great surface, so it’s one of two places the hordes of bikers from Lisbon flock to, I made my way from Ericeira to check it out, with a plan to explore a couple of places out of the busy “biker’s road”. It’s only a short 45 minute ride from Ericeira but I decided to make it last longer, from the praia da Adraga I spotted a couple of look out points on google maps and the dirt roads were good enough to show up on maps so I went to check it out. A couple of photo stops for you guys: Quite the drop, with an almost straight rock face to the water, which looked amazing today: As always, rocks look like nothing and inclines look flat once you step off the bike and take a picture. in the distance, you can see the lighthouse building in Cabo da Roca: Getting off the cliffs, which I’m not sure was exactly legal, there’s a couple of kms of nice dirtroads up to the cape: Quiet road but if you look up to where the tarmac road passes you’ll see plenty of bikes: The actual road on the cape is a very pretty place, and an amazing place to gather if you’re into crowds: Parked right next to the lighthouse since lighthouses are for some reason my favourite buildings, and walked down to the crowd of bikes: Now I’ll show you a few pictures of portuguese motorcycling, quite diverse and something for anyone, away from the common GS of which there were only a couple: A lightweight Silverdream for the lightweight freaks: Oldschool YZF is such a pretty sportsbike: NC30, classy: Easy rider himself, styling it up with his eight ball helmet: One of Portugal’s more liked current bikes, Honda is a cult brand here and the old 750 Africa Twins were loved, as soon as they released the 1000 it was an instant hit: Oldschool Speed Triple near some italian bling: Some spots it felt like going back 20 years: For @Buckster, complete with rolled up picnic blanket for complete cowboy styles, pretty bike though: For @Catteeclan: Young girl arriving in a clean pink DT50LC, oldschool cool: was going to take a picture of the class act that is a red 1200GS when someone rode past in a new Norden: Always some twat that insists on squeezing past rows of bikes in a car, there’s a car park 50 meters behind there, who still insists on taking a van? Uploads are now failing, and I’m doing this on my phone so will post just a couple more pics in a bit

Going to Lisbon’s busiest biker meeting point today, to check it out as I’m not a local. But taking less busy, and more challenging roads:

None, smart ass! It’s just that back then my town had a few clubs and going out at night you wouldn’t be able to drive out or into town without going past a police check point. Fighting drunk drivers, it’s honestly a lost cause in Portugal…

When I started driving I was pulled over for breathalyser tests twice a week!

Sofia’s Moroccan preserved lemon and mint chicken and potatoes and spiced drumsticks: Portuguese sliced beef by the sea Sofia’s marmelade and tangerine cake, I love it Squid linguini, took these last two pictures thinking of you @boboneleg

I want ABS on a road bike that is touring oriented, and heated grips. Those are mandatory as far as I’m concerned, stuff like injection is not even a choice, it’s like an electrical start by now. Electrical plugs are also needed and I don’t even think they’re adding complication. Electronic options like engine management modes or traction control don’t really complicate anything other than adding a button, all the hardware for them to work is already there and just missing the coding. I don’t value tft screens and riding modes, and bought my bike with non electronic suspension to keep it simpler. Wouldn’t want a tft screen per se, but wouldn’t not buy a bike just for having them.

Never had them, Pete. But I love peas and pea soup, so probably really like that too.

Got no problems with a man enjoying his breakfast, whatever makes him happy! What’s the stuff under the tomato? I hope you had a beer with that, @Clive!

Liver issues

They’re cut different but are indeed cooked like chips. I like them like that.

Entree, soft sheep’s milk and cured black pig Vegetarian cannelloni, using mushrooms and aubergine as filling: Sofia’s pee rice and grilled back pig Vegetarian lasagna Squid lunch at a biker’s cafe on a short ride around

That’s what you get for living in the high desert

Maximums from 13 to 16 but sunny. It does feel cold in the morning and as soon as the sun drops, but it’s been amazing weather.

Afternoon walk around Ericeira

Glad to see you riding again, Bob!

Out for a coffee

My car has racing seats, the fiberglass type with a little padding inside. Those one of yours are pretty comfy if they’re still firm on the sides.

Might have mine done tonight …

What’s your opinion on the 950 Multistrada?