Pedro

Tomorrow I shall be mostly planting plants on my garden. Starting at 8:30 with a ride on a pickup to buy 100 something plants, and try to make it before getting too late. Trying to make my house not look abandoned isn't easy ...

Temperature being perfect for a ride around, I was feeling like cheering up so rode up my favourite hill nearby on my regular roads: A short stop on a freshly surfaced road, it's got brand new tarmac but keeps the same bumps as before and no lines, just so you still know it's Portugal Then, coming back home I felt like finding an alternative route via some dirt roads and stopped for a picture when opening up my jacket vents, getting too warm for goretex and slow speeds now. The plan was to climb a small hill that is not accessible by road, but that climb was too steep and loose for me to feel like attempting it would have been fun. Last few days were heavy with rain, so I started ending up in mud holes that looked like clay traps, when they got too big and covered in water I decided to turn back and bail. Will have to try that climb on the XR, I think it'll easily do it. Short stop for a afternoon snack before coming home

A few minutes ago

I heard about that today. Makes total sense to not have a match between two UK teams taking place in the UK but instead making all those twats flying over to little old Porto Haven't you guys got a field somewhere over there in which to hold that match?

My vegan cousin started moved in with her boyfriend who explored a farm in center Portugal. She was appalled to find their neighbor with the farm next door hunts will boars and has a small pack of trained dogs to helps him out. In a few months, she went from thinking he was a murderer to calling him on the phone to give him tips about where and when to find the boars in her farm. Nothing like a pack of wild pigs sniffing under your front door trying to get into your kitchen at 2AM to change your mind

I assume you're right, but I think it would be a very cool alternative to a shaft drive for 90% of users.

I donut think I made myself understood. I mean, if you put a plug on the handlebars it's moving with the steering. If you put one through a panel or fixed to the fairing or body of the bike, it's fixed. Since you plan on charging stuff located on the tank bag, which is also on a fixed position, I was advising to use a fixed positioned plug on the bike.

I've always loved the intro to that

Something more stupid than people needing to go to a bar and drink in a group? Easy enough to find: football fans celebrating Sporting's Portuguese league win a couple of days ago:

Dealer availability varies wildly from country to country. Harley dealers here aren't worse than Triumph ones, or more unfriendly than Ducati ones either. A Harley shouldn't need that much maintenance either, I'd trust the brand in needing less unscheduled fixes than most others too. Nobody questions BMW, KTM or Ducati with the same "what happens when you need...xxx.... away from a dealer" and they aren't any worse. Sure BMW might have better parts availability than any of the other three in African or Asian countries on account of its car network, but parts availability in Mongolia or Botswana is not really a factor for choosing one of these bikes, is it? I like the concept, don't like the looks but am reserving a serious opinion on when I see one live. I don't like the less suspension travel than the GS, and the GS's short wheelbase comes as a nice bonus to the BMW suspension, but I like that it's got a Harley twin, should sound nice and be a very characterful alternative. It's also 150hp, which isn't a selling point per se, but Harley does know how to make a V-Twin. What I really don't like is that it's got a chain instead of a great Harley belt...

Those look small, though. I once drove next to a big one running at full speed on an open field, slowed the car to his speed and guessed he was doing between 50 to 60kmh of sustained speed, after a minute he turned to the road and I accelerated, but still remember he was impressively fast. Like the storm pictures, too...

My garden

No, you wouldn't find that in a supermarket, only on a good fish monger, and I wouldn't know how to cook them properly. However, I see you saved that as something which has interested you, which means I've saved a soul

This is the max I´ve carried from the Supermarket on both panniers, not including the fan

I don't have a road legal car at the moment in my place, it's up north in my parent's, but the GS has plenty of storage with both sidecases.

Don't do it like me: I load beer, wine and canned goods, which are very heavy, all on one sidecase. I then load fruit, vegetables and bread, which is very light, all on the other sidecase. I then get surprised when I get home and the bike tries to topple onto me while maneuvering inside my own garage It didn't fall down, though, but did catch me by surprise

Fitting it on a fairing would make for a lot cleaner installation, no wires out and flapping, and just a neat little round plug. Also, you wouldn't be pulling the wires of the chargers with every right turn of the handlebars, which makes for a longer wire than you need for the straights flapping about at higher speeds. My bike has a usb port next to the instruments and I use it to charge my mobile which is on the handlebars, I don't like it as you have the plug in a fixed location and the device moving about with the steering. For niceness, either have the plug and device both fixed with the bike, or both moving together, or maybe I'm just over complicating it. I know that on my previous bike I had a tank bag and a fixed plug, and it all worked better.

I would love it if I was to stop for a refreshment at my favourite hilltop cafe to find a bunch of motorcycles parked with just women there hanging out. Frustratingly, it just doesn't happen ...

We did have a couple of episodes of actual verbal tourettes but fortunately none on motorcycling

The Alentejo is an amazing area to ride through, instantly the weather is warmer or just nicer, the views expand your horizons, and the food is amazing! The smells are also make me think of adventure, sort of Africa in the air. The roads you'll find in the Algarve, tucked in the hills, are the best you'll find if you're into scenery and small and narrow twisty roads. It's a hidden secret so don't go blabbing about it, or next thing everyone will be trying to get out of the N2 touristy route and paradise will be spoiled.

Some of the roads in this section surprised me, more fun than I thought, sadly the weather was a bit crap. I did like the little blast on the Speed Triple, though, feels tiny compared to the normal sized bike I ride.