Sofia

Good thing you have big luggage for so much salt!! Love that salt!

Limousine cross with local breed. They look similar to Jerseys, thats true, but these are beef cattle.

No, same price on new bikes on the Continent.. Triumph got in 2019 a huge warehouse in France and the new bikes go there and are registered in the EU and sold as normal. At the moment its the ones going to the uk that have to pay the tax and will be more expensive. But they have created a uk company and will import bikes to that company and sell them seperate from the others. The part situation was always like this, as was the bad service. The cost of anything triumph in Portugal and Spain is crazy!! From a t-shrit to a chain, 30 to 40% more expensive even if you factor exchange rates. Im not really sure its clever for me to have a Triumph here, but ill try to follow my heart and not my head once again!!! Im just too romantic!

As opposed to Harley riders...?

Thanks! I ll do my best, but Im really hopeless at choosing the right spot to photograph anything!! My only hope is @Pedroand his talent!!

True!! Cant wait to see how it looks!! Like a pair of Louboutains but fatter!!

No. And impossible as well because they dont have them either. Its all very badfor Triumph in the Peninsula!!

DISCLAIMER: long story with bits of rant thrown in! My bike ownership involves dropping them, I have done it to all the bikes and normally in front of a crowd to keep everyone amused! There was the Hornet 250 I dropped at the fantastic Cat and Fiddle pub at the top of the Peak District and had many applauding patrons to whom I bowed in appreciation for their contentment!! There was the Speed Triple 1050 #2 in the Ferry from Santander, surrounded by dozens of Hell Angels returning from their annual gathering in Algarve, that in the highest gesture of chivalry run to help me pick up the poor green machine off the floor. There was the Speed Triple #1 at the Ace Cafe that I dropped on a warm Summer's night to the huge cheers of the local stunt riders and Rockabillys that won me a cracking sausage butty!! Many times have I dropped the bikes and as such I don't get too upset about it, I accept it as part of who I am, my clumsiness and hastiness, so always invested in good crash bars!! Dropping bikes is not something that hurts my pride as such, but with the current bike I have always been afraid and dreading the day it would happen because I had no crash bars, unlike in all the others, and I knew it was going to be a very expensive affair... And I was not wrong. The things we most fear are the ones that will happen if we can't shake off the fear and so it was that on the 26th of December 2020 I dropped it. Low Sun, lack of concentration, tiredness and momentary blindness led to to much front brake, slide and not enough control to miss @Pedro passenger foot peg that hooked my radiator. It was literally a 1 cm thing that didnt become a near miss, unfortunately! He has told me so many times to not ride so close, being the caring person he is, worried about my wellbeing, but I am not good at listening! 10 kms\h max meant engine covers, mirror, wheel, foot peg, radiator and a few little things that needed to be replaced for sure. I got on the phone immediately to Jack Lilleys Triumph in London, the place I bought all my Triumphs, to order everything because in Portugal Triumph is hopeless and they had no parts or any idea when the parts would come. What they did tell me is a radiator costs here 750 euros plus VAT as opposed to 389 pounds plus VAT in the UK... First rant: how can a brand like Triumph allow an entire country to be out of parts or decent support? The importer is in Spain and that is good enough for them. Not great having a Triumph Motorcycle here. Fortunately I have this great connection with Triumph in the UK and 2 days latter all the parts were ready to ship, apart from the wheel, that I chose to get on Ebay from a triumph parts supplier that is normally good, but we will get to that in a bit. The parts were ready but due to Covid they could only be shipped after the 1st of January, so they got caught by Brexit. Again, due to the amazing Kathy, the parts department responsible at Jack Lilleys, repackaging everything in the smallest way possible and choosing the right carrier ( UPS you rock!) I got everything in 10 days and after 250 euros paid to customs the parts were at the mechanic here. Second Rant: bloody Brexit!!! Could write a book of rants about it, but lets leave it. Now, the wheel... It looked good, had a new tyre as well, 200 quid less then a new one, seemed a good deal. As you can tell, it wasn't. The guy filled in the papers wrong and chose to use Parcel Force as a carrier, a black hole was born... Customs stopped the wheel for wrong documentation and Parcel Force's equivalent in Portugal is the local Post Office, a force for evil when it comes to parcel delivery!! 7 weeks later, the wheel was still stuck. Many phone calls, many emails, a lot of time wasted chasing people, eventually I just accepted the situation, chose the way of the Zen and at week 8 the wheel was delivered after 108 euros of fees to customs. Third Rant: it is unacceptable that we have to be hostages of the inefficiency and incompetence of services that work poorly and don't have any accountability. Me and @Pedro inspected the wheel and concluded it is in good nick and good to go to the mechanic that will hopefully get the bike finished in 2 weeks. The tyre, although new, is very old and glazed over, so will make a good dog bed after I am finished repurprusing it and will decorate the vet Practice in style! Its not all vets that have a race Metzler for the doggy patients!! In the mean time @Pedro got himself busy online looking for some crash bars for me to add to the bike and found something spectacular!! A Russian manufacturer called Crazy Iron makes some serious crash bars for those that don't mind looking like a Russian tank on parade!! Or stunt riders. They weight as much as a tank as well, proper Russian! The bike will be smashed to bits before the bars have a little dent!! Because the mechanic is an expert on suspension and is a Ohlins wizard, took the opportunity to service the gold stuff on my bike and it now has new oil and new acquired sportiness!! I miss my bike a lot, I miss ridding a lot and have to thank @Pedro for his help and support to cope with all the stress the wheel situation generated. Plus by finding the bars, has given me something that will remove the worry of dropping the bike and I can be a hooligan again!! He has also helped me rationalizing the cost of over 2000 euros for all this and found me a new helmet on sale that has made me very happy!!! So many new things to start again the new season! Bring it on!!

Oh, i ll do it after eating my lovely soup!! But Im very bias...

Hope you bought extra salt ?

Love to crash in those!! Me and @Pedrocould do some damage to their stock ???

Yes, sorry, i meant did you have it from new?

Os it a new bike for you?

Very true! That way its possible to ride more. It was a really a slow drop, maybe 10 kms/h, just fell awkwardly enough to cause damage, that would have been fixed by now if it wasnt for the monster that is brexit... English bike in Portugal is now a BIG and expensive affair... That is what has really upset me, not really the incidence in it sell. Shit happens and we sort it, but the obstacles now created have left me quite upset with the World because I can see I will have to get rid of it or I have to always be hostage of clearence, the fees and the waiting. @Pedrofound me some crash bars and maybe that will help me fell less worried with the prospect of future damage. They are mad and russian, should look cool!!

Its feeling a bit sorry for it self at the moment, but will be back soon! It is nice, when i think of selling it that fact stops me!! Xx

Here, almost perfect colour match!

Those trousers!!! How did you change gears??

It was amazing ham!!

Tough crowd @Pedro... You ll have to try sausage and mash, toad in the hole, hotpot, mushy peas and, inevitable, fish and chips. None of this french-mediterranean healthy assortment where we can recognise the ingridents.

You must be wonderful!! Dogs dont lie!

He does good work! All creatures love him, even if they terrify him!!

The best assistent I ever had!!! Even when terrified of the cats, still the best! Deserves all the wine.

I dont!! It was me that gave it that, very accurate, name!

@XTreme, no need to pressure the headmaster, I will blow everyone out of the water in November!! Starting with @Pedro and his mammoth!

@XTreme No time to enter this month, no worries, I shall make up for it in November magnificently!!