Pedro

I have a nice comfy dry car for going places under those conditions. Comfort isn't a bad thing, otherwise we'd all be riding in shitty suspensionless chinese bikes. I do enjoy a passing rain storm while on a trip, but I wouldn't go on a trip in mid december when I would find is nasty weather.

That's some serious Blair Witch stuff going outside that tent, congrats for you guys enjoying camping in a muddy field in the middle of a storm!

@XTreme, I'm amazed you're taking your bike off tarmac

I'm curious about the T7, Bob, as a touring bike with knobbies on. I think it would complement the GS perfectly as a touring bike that you can take proper liberties with when using it off-road, post your opinions on it later on.

My lovely 2003 XR400, out enjoying Ribatejo's summer, And the GS: Ericeira: Algarve, near Santa Clara Dam: near Faro: Mertola:

@Tym, don't try one, don't give it a chance to prove you wrong. Prejudices are only good if they're solid, once you open an exception for a Himalayan, who know what might come next.

Welcome, that's a cool bike. There are a couple of places that fly gliders in Portugal, but as far as I know only a couple. In the south, the small airfield with light aircrafts thing is quite popular, although I suppose you burn money on them.

Proper fright I caught, I wasn't used to dogs and was left to fend off two huge Rottweilers while holding a mug of tea! Bless her, 14 is quite a nice age. Mine probably won't live as long.

I don't suppose you remember, but on July 2012 I posted a report in which, riding the XR in the woods, I found an abandoned puppy and took him home. He was barely one month old, very sick and had a serious case of scabies, left to die in a heatwave. This is him after a couple of weeks at home: And this is him now, spoiled and 8 years old, having survived serious liver surgery last year: He's the man! ?

so, you're just a tease!

Don't mind Tym, he's just being himself

Suspension looking nice and fresh, congrats. I bet you get a lot more trouble from those bearing in the UK than we do here in drier countries.

I think it was hurricane Leslie, but might be mistaken

No idea what you mean. I don't know what you lot are on about chicken and onions not mixing, almost caramelized onions mix with every kind of meat or vegetable. Anyway, I had no complaints, so there!

I have seen a few near Lisbon where I go on my short weekend coffee rides, there's a dealer somewhere there and in Porto as well. However, I can't imagine that it's a bike very suited to the fast traffic of a big city like Lisbon during the week.

Kidney stones are a bitch. Once, after a night of regional white wine I woke up thinking I was going for a quiet early morning piss and then back to bed, and half an hour later I was at the hospital's door on my knees, puking and crying like a little girl. Drugs felt great 20 minutes later, though. Can't imagine how it must hurt if the stones are too big.

I don't know why, Tim, but KLRs never really had a following in Europe, Yamaha's XT quite the opposite. I do like the idea of the Himalayan, and it is an Indian bike, I bet it makes a whole lot more sense there than in the states.

I do love the concept and idea of a chopper, but isn't a 400 kind of small for one?

I have been on the bike often, can't seem to spend a day in Azambuja without getting on the bike to go to the hills for a coffee. It's not a long ride but settles my head and calms me. Pictures of these roads to come, soon enough as I'm bored out of mind.

Offroad reports from the UK always seem so cold and wet and unpleasant. Good on you for not letting it get to you, I'm more of a warm weather offroader, people here don't like it because of the dust but since I ride alone it doesn't really bother me.

Well, @XTreme, it´s not going to ride itself

So, July last year and it's hot in Ribatejo, I didn't feel like going for a long ride so decided to test the R1200 off-road properly. Took the windshield off, and went for a bimble around some of the local sandy dirt roads and farm tracks I had gotten to explore already on the XR. With the Heidenaus on it's quite a capable bike, although it doesn't like sand nor mud. Between the two I prefer sand, and there is really not much chance of mud in July here. Passing through a local farm with horses, they got scared so I didn't stop next to them. Using my old phone for pictures here, it struggled with light, dark, dust, basically everything Us Late lunch snack by the Tejo river The beast, back home, I love it Now for something different, I had company over for dinner, and started to cook early. Hope this isn't too Martha Stewart for you, but a man should cook something. Had some chicken bit marinating on olive oil and spices, and proceeded to put some heat into them. A couple of onions, thickly cut As soon as the onions soften a bit, throw some white wine and water on it, Let it boil for a bit, then close and put heat on minimum After a while, stir it a little, and let it on low heat till it reduces more. About 45 minutes later, job jobbed, enjoy. Boom:

When they do allow you to enjoy your hollidays, if you're able to rent a bike in Portimão you can enjoy some really nice roads and views nearby

Hope this isn't becoming tiring, but the weather is amazing now, the bike is clean and ready to go in the garage, and I have nowhere to go and nothing else to do. So, October 2018 and there was a big storm here, lots of damage all over the coast. After a few weeks without touching the bike, it's now a Friday, I'm about to go from Porto (North) to Azambuja (Center/South) to go home for the weekend, with a brief stop to visit a client halfway through. I get on the road, brief stop to check some emails and client calls me to cancel my meeting. Day is already lost and I'm suddenly on the road with nothing to do, so instead of taking the 2 hour motorway ride home I take the coastal road less traveled, it's a part of the country I'm rarely on. If you feel like checking it out on a map, this covers the coast about 20kms south of Aveiro to around Nazaré. First storm damage, this is a pristine tarmac road I am on: Although all the branches and wet leaves are quite slippery, we are only about 3 or 4 km from the beach so I decide to carry on and ride through, only to come to this: Well, guess it's time to turn back... Another route ... Few more kms and I finally get to the shore Not one to take the good road Arriving at Figueira da Foz, where I'll stop for a spot of lunch (spot of lunch! sounding british here) Meal was not worthy of picture, but the place was nice Going inland after lunch, and I come across some more storm damage, there's miles and miles of this Eventually I get away from the coast, and start to head for the hills, and explore some hills that I always checked from the motorway but never really been at Porto de Mós, it's got a lovely castle / palace with green roofs Here's a nice Passat with the castle behind it I am then going through the valley on the right of this picture, on the other side of the town Looking back at it Then things took a little turn, as I ventured off-road the track proved to be too steep and slippery, and as I was turning back I dropped the bike with the wheels up the trail and the bars down the trail, had to pivot it on the engine to pick it up and turn it back. Since I hit a rock with my shin, I decided to take a little rest. It's a pretty place, Serra d'Aire e Candeeiros: Heading home: I'll post another report about another ride to the same place, only with better pictures, I think. Trying to see where the dirt road that i crashed in led to.

Just stick to small roads then, and it's fine, unless on motorways I can ride for days not going over 65mph