Sofia

Sorry, question from the foreigner, what on Earth is a Batty Boy??!! I mean, even after 20 years of immersing in British Culture and all the endless innuendos, you still get me!

@Pedro let me have a go on a little Honda 230 ( a very special bike for many reasons, so it was special also to ride it) and I quite liked it. Extremely different from what I know, way out of my comfort zone, but its where I need to go to start a new me!! Philosophically speaking, Life really is like a river, just follow it and dont resist!!

Dont use all your diplomacy in one post, you need more!! I dont follow trends, I start them!! ,?? But I have to surrender to the fact roads around me dont really suit the SP and Pedro keeps finding gorgeousness only accessible on ADVs, which proves a bike on those lines is best here. Also I would like to be a "vet on 2 wheels" in the country side, see if its good business, and again a little 250 off-roady thingy is ideal. All ideas in my head!! But for sure what I dont want: Basically heavy and difficult to pick up.

Thanks!! Will do!!

A GSXr is ideal to deal with those, like a Speed Triple! But Iam a hooligan...

Lands End John O´Groats is a good thing! Hopefully you will take longer then 13.5 hours like I did! But that yet another story... The UK is a gorgeous place to visit on a bike, so many little places and great history. I MISS the UK so much. Specially now, when everything is so, so green and the lambs are jumping all over!! Stunning.

Well, the UK has lots to see!!! I went round all of it, 1 weekend and 1 bank holiday at a time! In 10 years, only missed Norkolk... So, no excuses, just get up early one Saturday and go!! You come back on Sunday/Monday very tiered and very happy! I actually had a pen to throw at the map and thats where id go! When it started getting full with where I had been, it became difficult... For sure the pen didnt like Norfolk. Never hit that part of the map!

A mix of both, I suspect more places we have been to before, but many new ones to me becsuse Pedro will lead the way to show little roads and hidden places he discouvered by himself. He has a great nose for fiding magical places!

Yes, going with Pedro for a week around Portugal, many pictures for Bike of the month!

Nice of you to notice, I made an effort! Thanks!!

Thank you, always very good to get a compliment!! The bars are from Crazy Iron, a guy in Russia that you can find on Ebay. He makes them on request, so I sent him pictures of my bike and he really matched the color very well. Although the bike is mate, the sub frame is not and they really match it. To be honest if you didn't know bikes, you would think they were always there. Its also good value at 317 euros, considering they are more or less bespoke and shipped from Latvia. Funny fact: ordered them 1 month after the wheel and they arrived 3 days before!! The guy made them somewhere in Russia, took them to Latvia and sent them and they still arrived before the wheel!! Very heavy bars, but not noticeable when riding. https://www.ebay.com/str/crazyironstore

Currently on the look out for a small ( like 250 ) off road type bike to go round the roads around me. Pedro is also helping with that. I dislike anything upright and 21" spoke wheels, not at all my thing, and the modern stuff ( Tigers ) with the "TV screen" at the front does my head in!! I loved the Scrambler 1200, which surprised me a lot, but its like a naked bike on stilts so shouldn´t be so surprised. The same way I do not like sports bikes, although the Firestorm 1000 was very nice and I had a lot of fun on that, its a very soft/mild sports bike. The riding position of my bike is actually very comfortable. There are several factors contributing to my lack of confidence and for sure the type of bike does play a huge part on this equation. but nakeds are the bikes I feel happier on. Saying that, maybe an epiphany will happen and suddenly I accept my advancing years and join the millions and millions happy campers with ADVs, they can´t all be wrong!!

i am sure some people will think I do wheels all the time, but I only did them by mistake!! ?

yes, I am! all round goodness!!

yes they are! the bike will be inpieces before the bars get a dent!!

I do indeed!! Thanks to @Pedro the bike has some very cool protection and Im now a very happy bunny!! Some might argue the bars are over the top, but to us they are cool and Im sure this will become a new trend!! the manufacturer actually match the color from pictures and its like they were always there. Also thanks to Pedro for the pictures, all my best images are Copyright @Pedro!! the bike feels a lot lighter, probably due to the new stearing bearings. Its also much nicer to ride with the new levers from TWM that were recommended by Jack Lilleys and found by Pedro in Porto, thanks again. Im a trully blessed motorcyclist!! Hit his bike and he not only forgives me but finds ways to make my bike better!! Dont have any words left to thank @Pedro . ? so like many times happens in life something that seamed bad, turned out to be a great improvement to the behaviour of the bike! as for me, still not found my confidence back, but it will come!!

tyres are what keeps us in contact with the road and there is nothing more soul destroying then lack of trust in our tyres. I vote for a change! Life is better when we are happy!!

Slowly but surely, you are transforming this forum into "bikes and food" which is simply mega good! Oh, wait, missing the wine!! Must have wine!

It was possibly one of best foods I have ever eaten!!! Really amazing!!

Im not nosy.

1400s??? Are you a Lord? You really are getting better and better!!

Thank God for that!! We already have a trans resident, remember?!

He is not. Too cool to touch, thats what he is!! Its a special kind of coolness unique to him. Now go and be jealous gentleman!! ?

This is what happens when a Defender encounters a School Bus!

You are looking better by the minute! Next a terrier type dog, something wth wheels italian and temperamental and a tree with fairies and you are nearly there!!