Pedro

Alright, I'll try to stay away from this thread from now on even though I did go into a bit of work to post it. If after a few days I come back and the tone remains I'll just ask Pete to delete it and be done with it, this really wasn't the energy I wanted it to transmit as I did have a nice visit and a good time in the UK, and came back with good memories.

The rest of your post says you're so full of yourself it hurts.

Disclaimer: prosciutto is Italian, it´s similar but not the same thing. If I say ham which is the literal translation it'll all get confusing. Also, this is a ride report, not an assault of a different culture.

You think someone around here is squealing that you had it tuned?

Bit surprised to see a fee of the comments so I'll write a few words and won't visit the replies. Firstly, my thoughts were of someone who went to see a different country, I've had a connection with a few brits since forever and always got along with people from the UK but never really been around their country. It's a view from someone foreign, take it or leave it but it's honest. It's not meant to be an insult or I wouldn't have posted it here. The knife event, sorry but you're full of crap. When I asked the guy patting me down leaving to Santander and asked if he didn't want to empty my clearly full jacket pockets out, he simply looked at me and said "This is all bollocks, mate". They're patting down legs and leaving out armored jackets, taking away folding lockable blades in multitools while searched in one bag while the other is unchecked for a gun. Searching a foreign biker's case while motorhomes carrying full kitchens with proper blades inside go unsearched. They're just following strict rules instead of trying to disarm real potential threats. Train them, have them ask the same questions and look at peoples responses and gauge for a threat and then target that, don't just tell them to partially pat down "everyone". The leatherman? I couldn't give a shit about the thing except it's an object I liked. It was only taken away because it was an untrained subcontracted person doing a job she's not qualified to do. That's the opinion of the company running the ferries, not mine. All other bikers weren't searched, all of them loudly told them they were carrying similar tools, they were ignored. That was simply wrong. You think speed cameras are what I or Sofia were commenting about being opressive? They weren't, it's all the cctv stuff going about, all the signs threatening to prosecute with cctv footage. CCTV cameras filming roadworks, drainage holes and cabbage gardens, that's insane. I'm sorry a few of you think this is an attack on your country. I do like the UK and more than that, I like the UK people or else I wouldn't be here, it's a view on a foreign country by someone who visited it, just happens to be my view and your country, or countries. Most of my opinions were an observation on something purely different to where I'm from, I'm sure if I visited the US, Russia, Australia, or China I would different observations on them as well. I am happy to say I was well treated and had an overall good experience, as I'm sure I would have on most places. I will tell you something I didn't write before though, I am sorry for most of the over 60 people I've talked to, they're lost in their own country and it's just not a matter of money. If this turns into an offensive thing for you all, many of whom I consider friends although never having met them in person, I'll just delete the words and keep the pictures in the report. PS: bacon butties if with coffee, prosciutto sandwiches if with beer or wine!

We did, why?

Still hoping for an enhanced sunset to bring this back to the golden days before all this negativity arrived.

Stop asking questions and just go take one of your 15 bikes out for a tide and take a picture. 1 picture!

Gives him a chance to go out by himself and see the views… I mean the menus, on restaurants…

He’s got the door open. If I do that the black parts of my bike get dusty! I love a clean bike, just hate washing them.

Class! And that’s a proper clean bike!

Tomorrow's the weekend, and it's sunny...

26 pounds is 11kg. My 2015 R1200GS Adventure is supposed to be 260kg with fuel, a 2021 R1250GS Adventure is supposed to be 268kg with fuel, so basically they added 8kg with adding clever valve wizardry. They now go through all that effort and revolution to drop 11kg, and that includes a lithium battery that by itself saves a good 2 or 3kg? In effect their revolution makes the ultra light new bike similar in weight to my bike, and ditching a steel rear frame for a pressed sheet one? I see a revolution in profit margins, that what I see

I'll be washing the bike, and maybe going over to Porto and give Emerson Fitipaldi a hand shake, because that's how I roll.

It still has to be an horizontal picture, though. Do you find those mirrors cumbersome passing cars in traffic? Sofia hates hers.

I like this one with the horses.

That never stopped Pete before

@Six30, you´re welcome to join in, with a picture from September Maybe try and win it, just to mess with the tantrum boy.

She was lucky, it's dog poo...

@Saul, @Sofia, @Clive, @Renegade, get in. @Sir Fallsalot, how about rejoining? Clean slate and all.

I'm curious about this, they seem to have gotten a little heavier from the 1200 to the 1250 by adding the shift cam weight. Now they make a big revolution all about loosing weight and 26 pounds is all they get? Hmmm

I'm honestly jonesing for Morocco, dry and dusty, and also with cheap meals and petrol ...

Submit your pictures for September BOTM here, please. Due to the short notice I'll run this thread until tomorrow night at 21:00 UK time and then voting will be done until the 01st October 21:00 UK Time. Submit more than one picture if you want, for the vote I will only consider the last one you post in this thread of your bike, taken in September. @Marcel, @Skippy, @MooN, @XTreme, @Buckster, @boboneleg, carrying on from Buckster I can consider the pictures he picked, below, if you prefer you are welcome to submit any others maybe not on a patio being washed? Lets all just get along...

The last night in the little pub was a nice way to say goodbye to the UK, people were as nice as they could be, great sense of humor, good happy vibe inside, great food, all the right things and that made us happy. Riding from there to Plymouth was but a 20 or 30 minute ride, we had plenty of time and took a little detour, rode through lovely little valleys and past hidden streams, entering Plymouth through residential streets. Stopped at a pet shop to buy a pair of toys for the puppies waiting at home and just like that we were in the Port. We were asked to be there at 12:00 or sooner, and we were the first bikes to arrive at little past. Nobody in sight and only a couple of cars there, this was going to be a long wait. Check in eventually opened and by 12:50 we were in the proper port, still no boat in sight and quite an empty parking lot, I struggle to find a reason they try to make people arrive early if it's just to sit around for hours. A very interesting group of bikes showed up, a BSA4, an old BSA and a new BSA, first time I saw one of the new ones in person. They look alright. I found it funny that the new one had canvas luggage while the old one had a plastic top case By 14:00 it looked like a boat full of bikes in the parking lot Eventually we did board, and being one of the first bikes on board, we made it to the cabin in time for a quick shower and then a walk around the ferry while cars were still driving in. We did have a little sunshine on the port, but the winds were picking up substantially when we were leaving, the sea looked sloppy and Sofia, 2 pills into her sea sickness management wasn't looking too happy. The rugby was on, Scotland vs Toga? I don't really know anything about rugby but it gave me an excuse for a couple of pints. Sofia retreated to the cabin, as laying down helps with the sickness. After a while I felt guilty and joined her, outside it was looking very different to the blue skies and sea we had sailing here, the wind was really very strong and I had to hold onto my phone with both hands to take a picture. By dinner time we did brave it to the restaurant, I went and picked a couple of salads and a couple of pieces of bread, it was a little bit of a challenge to carry that tray without bumping into stuff, the boat was rocking a fair bit. Sofia quickly regretted her visit to the upper decks and ran to the cabin to throw up, leaving me with a vast amount of salad. Again, the one with the burrata is the only edible thing in this boat apart from the breakfast croissants, there had to be an advantage of sailing on a french company and it surely wasn't the friendliness of most of the staff. While I'm eating, a huge amount of plates crashes in the kitchen, two or three people tumble and drop their dinner plates, and people were all walking crooked. Back in the cabin, I hear the announcement that outer decks are to be closed until the morning in Spain, I can't go outside and look at a stormy sea in the dark of night, judging by the way that cabin rocked through most of the night I don't think I would want to either. In the morning all was better, we were up and about, breakfast was consumed, everyone feeling better and relaxed. We had clear blue skies in Spain, and it was supposed to be warm too. The boat started unloading cars at 14:00 Portugal and UK time, and that took forever, then they signaled for bikes to go, it was only by 14:40 that this mayhem was going on: In chaotic situations like that I usually take it calmly and let the chaos dissipate instead of joining in, having been the first ones to go in my bike was parked at the corner the farthest away from the ramp outwards, we were amongst the few last ones to leave the boat. Exiting the port was another long task, but at least here they had 4 people checking passports. I was a little miffed they didn't have a clearer path for EU passports though. Out of port we were straight onto a gas station to fuel up, a little chat to acclimatize to being on land and we were off. I had booked a little room in a small rural home next to the restaurant we both had dinner in when leaving Portugal. The plan was to make it there on that same day, enjoy dinner back in the homeland and then ride to my parents' home through smaller country roads the next day. This meant jumping on the motorway and cruise down with just one break, which we did. Bugs were all in force, bikes and helmets got pelted with them, here I'm waiting with an already low sun for Sofia to return from cleaning her visor. 19:30 and we're exiting the motorway to the last 30 or 40km to our destination, nice roads there, for the first time ever I felt like going a little fast at night time, I didn't as Sofia was having visibility issues, plus a deer had just showed himself as we were moving off after taking the picture above. Home for the night, in rural Tras os Montes: We were tired but happy, the room we were staying in was like what you would have if you went to visit your portuguese grandmother in the countryside, a very comfy bed with heavy blankets and a simple but cozy house. I loved it. Dinner was magnificent, a simple coal grilled beef chop, salad, fries (a portion for a family of 4), and their special treat to me was their vegetable rice, with sweet Tras os Montes cabbage, it was what I wanted for coming back home. Total including wine and a 7up, and coffees, 25€. It isn't, but it felt cheap after Britain. I was very happy: We only had a 2 minute walk to bed, should have been more as it was a lovely night. Next morning, we get up earlyish and make way home, my mom's 71st birthday was the next day and Sofia wanted to spend some time with her before going home, so we were to arrive today. Not many pictures were taken, although the northern Portugal scenery did call for it. Better grip than it looks: We were enthusiastic about using a little bit of an A road to cover 50 or 60km and thus gain some time, the deserted road with nothing but the odd car, the absence of speed camera warnings (they do hide them here, to trap you!!) after the control in the UK, and we might have been a little too fast through there. Arriving home after riding most of the Douro valley, I ignore a closed road sign only to find a road closed for construction ahead, usually they forget about these signs. We were turning back but the guys in charge of the works eagered us use the gravel footpath circling the construction. It was a bit of a tight squeeze for the GS but all went well, they did that out of just wanting to help and not worrying too much about regulations and stuff, it was a stark contrast, maybe somewhere in the middle we would be able to find an adequate balance. This concludes my report about our trip to the UK, it was a culture shock for me in many ways, but a culture shock that I did enjoy. You grow when you see how other people live, I think I did as just this morning I was listening to traffic outside and people beeping horns while stuck in a minor 10 car traffic jam, and wondering if they couldn't be more patient, like the brits when they cope with such stuff.