Pedro

KTM dealers are used to selling racebikes with no warranty. They’re crap with warranties.

As another comment, I have put my shocks on full soft to ride the sandy trails so now the bike feels like a soft pillow compared to before when I had it sporty. I will now not turn it back to sporty setup and will let the Mitas wear out. Just shows that they do feel ok in a touring relaxed sort of way.

Clearly not made for hot climates. KTM has been a let down lately. I know one of Portugal’s best race motorcycle mechanics and his shop stopped selling KTM bikes not made for motocross or enduro because he couldn’t handle the warranty claims and dissatisfied customers. Sold a bunch of Dukes and swore to never again. You troll

Mum is in fact a lady

I would say it's not knobby enough for clearing mud off the tire, and anyway mud and the GS aren't really an appealing idea to me, too much weight on the front. On a Tenere riding in that it must last forever.

The Kings, I end up enjoying this more than Christmas, it's not a holiday anywhere in Portugal but if you're from a traditional family today you'll have a similar meal to Christmas except with less stupid amounts of cakes and sweets. Feels less like pressure and there's no gifts or whatever, so ends up feeling easier. Mum at work, though:

Now having put 6.300km on these tires, this is how they look. Notice the thread edges are still square and "bitey": They are far better than the Heidenau K60 I used previously for Morocco. The rear digs in and gets you moving a lot better on soft sand and softer terrains probably because they have no continuous center strip, but even though they dig well offroad and provide some positive traction they are still smoother than the K60 and WAY more quiet. In fact, almost as quiet as a proper road tire, couldn't be happier regarding that. They feel bulletproof compared to a road tire on rough roads, which is the main reason I got them. The front might not be as nice as the K60 on road handling when turning into corners going fastish, but it is a lot better offroad. On the road, they obviously don't handle like a road tire and feel vague at higher speeds, cornering fast while leaning over also isn't their strong suit, I end up not feeling like riding aggressively and fast, which ends up being safer. On the wet they're not brilliant but they let you know what's happening so you can adapt and ride conservatively, I did 1000km on one day mostly in rain and never felt unsafe. I am not a confident rider on the wet, so I take care regardless of tire. In short, I rate them highly as a touring tire for a heavy bike if you want to compromise and ride long distance on roads while maintaining some soft terrain ability. Their quietness compared to other tires of the genre makes them extra comfortable on a long trip.

Cold day in northern Portugal, but blue skies for the next couple of days. Went on a nice walk with Costa and my little brother, went shopping for the typical celebratory meal today, the Kings are arriving to give baby Jesus his gifts so we eat codfish and cabbage. Proper northern Portugal cabbages are great, and I look forward to dinner. Also mum might be making a christmas dessert too. I think this is to make up for me not having been around since I left for Morocco. Making a few work calls to get clients to spill on my competitors' prices, to get ready for a trip to spain on Monday and Tuesday to sort my shit out.

Sometimes you do have to wonder why you go to the extra effort of riding a motorcycle when during a trip you’re cold and uncomfortable and looking at people inside cozy warm dry cars enjoying having their feet not freezing. I don’t mind that on a trip but I wouldn’t go to work 42 miles in thick freezing fogglike you do, you clearly enjoy motorcycling.

An LC8 it isn’t

Grilled garlic bread like brazilians make, that's what you want for garlic and butter. Slice most of the way through a thin french style baguette, put the garlic butter in through the slices and then grill it on coal. It's the perfect way to use garlic + butter + bread.

Back to the north of Portugal and my parents’ place today. sunny and high temperatures but felt proper cold after 16:00

Sofia’s asian glaze spare ribs Pork and half caramelised onions, heavy on the garlic marinade, northern Portuguese style

I’m not a fan of snails the way they cook them here or in Morocco, which is to boil them in a heavily seasoned water using herbs for flavour. I was surprised that the french way is great, but still I would prefer all that delicious garlic butter to be on a toast.

I missed my shot and the big grin came out after the phone was in my pocket. A case of a camera messing up human contact.

loved the moment:

I would expect that the Goldwing is THE bike to ride through all those miles in shitty weather, I’m curious to ride one as well as an RT, I’ve turned my GS into a non motorway bike by fitting a low screen and now I’m addicted to the view so it’s hardly changing. Those meal stops seem like pain and I’d rather munch on an apple and eat a few nuts and done. I expect you not to be a fan of the big heavy bike, but has it grown on you over such a distance?

A great man while a football star and a greater man after stopping playing football, it's a rare thing but he managed to be a great symbol for his country's greatness.

A few of my favourite pictures of my bike from the Morocco ride report, decided to take a look to find a submission for BOTM The free standing bike on soft sand Dirtroad with an amazing scenery and deep gorges down below Crossing an oued with soft sand sections, my personal win regarding conquering terrain on this bike. It's a crop of the original picture. Fast dirt / sand road with camels, just love this picture The Erg Chebbi dunes behind the bike, to me the early morning light makes this look like a picture taken in Mars

I may go to Morocco again, this time with a different take on things and to revisit the desert with a better understanding of myself and the bike. I'd like to go somewhere new on the motorcycle too, that would mean Spain or France or the Nurburgring or Italy, the Via del Sale. Thing is I don't like crowds. A summer week to go somewhere sunny in Portugal would be very much appreciated, too. What I do plan on doing is taking a few short trips, go somewhere specific and return the same day or with a single overnight stay. I have been meaning to do this often since I started riding but somehow quick trips seem to never really have the pull to get the bike going.

Cool stuff, I can see the englishness of that countryside It’s a nice way to find cool stuff near home, to set a route following a road or a river, or whatever. I must start doing it again.

Good stuff, your reports make me want to go to France.