2 hours ago, DanGum said:

Another great ride through Rhayader to see the dams and then across the mountain road to devils bridge. Quick breakfast roll at woodlands cafe then carried on over to Aberystwyth to enjoy the sea and sunshine! 

 

I love that part of the world 

Washed 540-miles of dead flies off the Harley yesterday 

 

 

@Prykey that looks even better in sunlight. Should be a nice comfortable cruiser for you now that you’re in your twilight years   You’ll be able to waft down the roads with Flght of the Valkyries blasting out of the speakers scaring all the kids. 

Just had a ride out to Lady Bower Reservoir for the 75 anniversary of the Dam Busters. It was announced last night that the Lancaster wouldn’t fly as planned due to the weather and a Typhoon would take its place. 

Had a nice ride down there via Holme Moss and Snake Pass lead by a lad from the Jem Speed group. Hundreds of other bikers had the same idea as did drivers and cyclists so the place was very busy. We all waited patiently, cameras at the ready whilst chatting and having a laugh. We waited and waited , them waited a bit more but the RAF didn’t turn up to everyone’s disappointment so we headed back out and enjoyed the Peak District roads some more. 

Turns out the Typhoon did arrive but was above the cloud cover so everyone missed it. 

13 hours ago, CWARD said:

Just had a ride out to Lady Bower Reservoir for the 75 anniversary of the Dam Busters. It was announced last night that the Lancaster wouldn’t fly as planned due to the weather and a Typhoon would take its place. 

Had a nice ride down there via Holme Moss and Snake Pass lead by a lad from the Jem Speed group. Hundreds of other bikers had the same idea as did drivers and cyclists so the place was very busy. We all waited patiently, cameras at the ready whilst chatting and having a laugh. We waited and waited , them waited a bit more but the RAF didn’t turn up to everyone’s disappointment so we headed back out and enjoyed the Peak District roads some more. 

Turns out the Typhoon did arrive but was above the cloud cover so everyone missed it. 

 

Could of been potentially awesome that. Shame it went that way, especially as theres been so many nice days recently. Just landed wrong i guess, so to speak. I wanted to go really but had too many jobs on. 

 

I was on the snake the night before, awesome road isnt it. Police presence worries me though, its too well known and too many take the pee over there tbh. A few of my mates do 6am runs when its quiet but im not that keen    

Last night I fitted Givi hand guard extenders as the BMW ones look great but allow the wind up your sleeves.

 

This afternoon I point the nose north and head for Scotland for a beer.

1 hour ago, Gyp said:

Last night I fitted Givi hand guard extenders as the BMW ones look great but allow the wind up your sleeves.

 

This afternoon I point the nose north and head for Scotland for a beer.

 

Ace that. 

 

Goin for a long weekend or? 

5 hours ago, fabiamk2SE said:

 

Could of been potentially awesome that. Shame it went that way, especially as theres been so many nice days recently. Just landed wrong i guess, so to speak. I wanted to go really but had too many jobs on. 

 

I was on the snake the night before, awesome road isnt it. Police presence worries me though, its too well known and too many take the pee over there tbh. A few of my mates do 6am runs when its quiet but im not that keen    

 

It was still enjoyable on the roads and everyone was having a laugh. I was on the watch out for the camera vans on the Snake Pass, although quite a few vans parked up they weren’t the police. Probably targeting people on a weekend more knowing they’ll be more about. The last few times I’d ridden that road it wasn’t that enjoyable as it was virtually a crawl but yesterday,although not fast, it was flowing. 

I find the Strines (ridden it a few times but only found out what’s it called yesterday) much better to ride at the other end of Snake Pass. It’s like a roll coaster with plenty of sharp bends so you can use all that torque to launch you out of one bend and into the next. 

 

@Gyp enjoy yourself in Scotland, it’s hard not to even when it’s ****ing it down

Edited 17 May, 20188 yr by CWARD

20 hours ago, CWARD said:

@Prykey that looks even better in sunlight. Should be a nice comfortable cruiser for you now that you’re in your twilight years   You’ll be able to waft down the roads with Flght of the Valkyries blasting out of the speakers scaring all the kids. 

 

My mate took his GL1800 Goldwing around the "Ring" playing that at full volume, it was really funny, he was getting massive brake fade by the end of the lap .

 

Thanks for the comment, the sunlight brings out the full effect of both the Blue and Silver paints as they are both metallics, I caught the sun doing it so befittingly I'm a true redneck now , not sure about the twilight years, but I must be getting near them lol .

20 hours ago, CWARD said:

Just had a ride out to Lady Bower Reservoir for the 75 anniversary of the Dam Busters. It was announced last night that the Lancaster wouldn’t fly as planned due to the weather and a Typhoon would take its place. 

Had a nice ride down there via Holme Moss and Snake Pass lead by a lad from the Jem Speed group. Hundreds of other bikers had the same idea as did drivers and cyclists so the place was very busy. We all waited patiently, cameras at the ready whilst chatting and having a laugh. We waited and waited , them waited a bit more but the RAF didn’t turn up to everyone’s disappointment so we headed back out and enjoyed the Peak District roads some more. 

Turns out the Typhoon did arrive but was above the cloud cover so everyone missed it. 

 

Thats a real shame that you didn't see the typhoon, part of my trip to Prague in July is to go to the Rhur valley in Germany and visit the dams attacked by the RAF as part of the Dambuster raids, I'm also swinging past Colditz Castle (apparently its a Hotel now" before I drop into the Czech Republic and Prague .

 

I love that part of the UK though, used to go with a mate and use the Travelodge in Alfreton as our base and do Castleton, Matlock Bath, Cat & Fiddle, Ladybower Reservoir , Snake Inn and the Snake Pass some brilliant roads to ride on, he had a 1200S Bandit and I had a Blackbird, happy days!

I'm in Minden in Germany later this year and will be travelling to see friends in Cologne so might see if I can see the dams too now that you put the idea in my head. Unfortunately I'll be in the car though. 

 

If you're doing the Peak District on your new super luxury disco on wheels barge you may need to take the corners a bit wider now otherwise you'll be leaving big gouges in the road.  

 

Enjoy Prague and the journey there.

4 hours ago, fabiamk2SE said:

 

Ace that. 

 

Goin for a long weekend or? 

 

Gloucestershire to North Yorkshire this afternoon, North Yorkshire to Edinburgh tomorrow, then reverse steps on Saturday and Sunday. Just a long weekend, wish it was longer but getting me and my mates together at all is hard enough.

4 hours ago, CWARD said:

 

It was still enjoyable on the roads and everyone was having a laugh. I was on the watch out for the camera vans on the Snake Pass, although quite a few vans parked up they weren’t the police. Probably targeting people on a weekend more knowing they’ll be more about. The last few times I’d ridden that road it wasn’t that enjoyable as it was virtually a crawl but yesterday,although not fast, it was flowing. 

I find the Strines (ridden it a few times but only found out what’s it called yesterday) much better to ride at the other end of Snake Pass. It’s like a roll coaster with plenty of sharp bends so you can use all that torque to launch you out of one bend and into the next. 

 

@Gyp enjoy yourself in Scotland, it’s hard not to even when it’s ****ing it down

 

It is nice over there. 

 

Woodhead pass is nice but lots of off camber corners, can be quite narrow and sheep are a plenty. 

 

Just seen that the Lancaster came over this morning. So you didnt quite wait long enough  

2 hours ago, Gyp said:

 

Gloucestershire to North Yorkshire this afternoon, North Yorkshire to Edinburgh tomorrow, then reverse steps on Saturday and Sunday. Just a long weekend, wish it was longer but getting me and my mates together at all is hard enough.

 

Yeah i know what you mean. Should be good though mate, enjoy! 

4 hours ago, CWARD said:

I'm in Minden in Germany later this year and will be travelling to see friends in Cologne so might see if I can see the dams too now that you put the idea in my head. Unfortunately I'll be in the car though. 

 

If you're doing the Peak District on your new super luxury disco on wheels barge you may need to take the corners a bit wider now otherwise you'll be leaving big gouges in the road.  

 

Enjoy Prague and the journey there.

 

i did the Hardknott and Wrynose passes on a previous Electra Glide Standard that I had a few years ago, that made for some buttock clenching moments I can tell you, the Peaks and the Lakes are definitely Tiger country   

After seeing all the new and shiny bikes on here I was shamed into cleaning mine for the first time this year. Dirty wasn’t a strong enough word for it. Thick with dead insects and dirt. Plenty of elbow grease and products then it shone again except for the wheels. 

I hate cleaning the wheels. Spokes, big discs and lump hammers for hands isn’t the best mix. Decided to use the Bilt Hamber wheel cleaner which has worked wonders on the cars wheels and it’s just as effective on the motorbike wheels. Impressed with how well they come up I then thought I’d seal them with some Poor Boys wheel sealant. Again it's been great on keeping the car wheels cleaner and much easier to clean, usually just the pressure washer on its own. The snag is it requires three coats, allowing it to dry dull before its buffed up. Spokes, big discs and large hands   Lots of cups of tea, nattering to the neighbour over the fence to arrange a ride to Squires tomorrow night. More tea and the wife coming to see if I was going to be much longer but finally they were done and looking the best I’ve seen them. Hopefully I’ll be able to report back to tell you how easy they are to clean now. 

12 hours ago, CWARD said:

After seeing all the new and shiny bikes on here I was shamed into cleaning mine for the first time this year. Dirty wasn’t a strong enough word for it. Thick with dead insects and dirt. Plenty of elbow grease and products then it shone again except for the wheels. 

I hate cleaning the wheels. Spokes, big discs and lump hammers for hands isn’t the best mix. Decided to use the Bilt Hamber wheel cleaner which has worked wonders on the cars wheels and it’s just as effective on the motorbike wheels. Impressed with how well they come up I then thought I’d seal them with some Poor Boys wheel sealant. Again it's been great on keeping the car wheels cleaner and much easier to clean, usually just the pressure washer on its own. The snag is it requires three coats, allowing it to dry dull before its buffed up. Spokes, big discs and large hands   Lots of cups of tea, nattering to the neighbour over the fence to arrange a ride to Squires tomorrow night. More tea and the wife coming to see if I was going to be much longer but finally they were done and looking the best I’ve seen them. Hopefully I’ll be able to report back to tell you how easy they are to clean now. 

 

Good effort chap. 

 

Yanno how it is though.. pics or it didnt happen   

 

id be interested to hear how good the sealant is against chain oil. Always a pain in the arse isnt it   

SP 600 mile service friday. Pretty much run in now. 950 mile on it. Started winding it open abit more. 

 

Quickshifter hasnt missed a beat for a few hundred mile n the gearbox is getting smoother all the time. 

 

Kais set the suspension up Friday too. Which is loads better. Smooth over the bumps but firm enough to be fun still. 

 

Then i got home sunday night to a screw in the back tyre. Wondered why it kept going sideways, slowly getting worse. Think i got home just in time. Seems to be a few on the forums with screws in the back tyre, most with around 400 mile on. Maybe the tread pattern picks them up? 

 

31 minutes ago, fabiamk2SE said:

 

Good effort chap. 

 

Yanno how it is though.. pics or it didnt happen   

 

id be interested to hear how good the sealant is against chain oil. Always a pain in the arse isnt it   

 

Try and get some pics before I go out and get it dirty again.

 

Chain oil on the back wheel hasn't been so bad since I fitted the PD Oiler.

 

Annoying to find a screw in the tyre. Rears pick up more punctures due to the weight and wider profile on them. If it makes you feel better on my wife's car I had put new winter tyres on it. Within 25 miles she had picked up a puncture from a screw driver bit. On my last Octavia I picked up a screw straight through the side wall with less than 200 miles on the tyre. Replaced the tyre and following week I got a pinch puncture through the side wall again on the same wheel after hitting a pothole  New car runs on 19inch wheels with very low profiles and worried about potholes and punctures I bought wheel and tyre insurance and only had to claim once for kerbing a wheel but no punctures. 

Edited 23 May, 20188 yr by CWARD

A quick pic as requested when we got to Squires. Went to look at pron at JemSpeed after. I’ll tell you more about that later in the week  

 

Took my 2011 Tiger 800 Roadie in for MOT today and it sailed through - no advisories so all set to try and put more than the 1000 miles I did since the last MOT.

Gave the chain a thorugh clean and and lube and stuck it back in the garage for maybe a ride out around North Wales at the weekend.

Another Tiger rider along with Prykey, welcome to the best section of the forum. 

Edited 23 May, 20188 yr by CWARD

13 hours ago, CWARD said:

 

Try and get some pics before I go out and get it dirty again.

 

Chain oil on the back wheel hasn't been so bad since I fitted the PD Oiler.

 

Annoying to find a screw in the tyre. Rears pick up more punctures due to the weight and wider profile on them. If it makes you feel better on my wife's car I had put new winter tyres on it. Within 25 miles she had picked up a puncture from a screw driver bit. On my last Octavia I picked up a screw straight through the side wall with less than 200 miles on the tyre. Replaced the tyre and following week I got a pinch puncture through the side wall again on the same wheel after hitting a pothole  New car runs on 19inch wheels with very low profiles and worried about potholes and punctures I bought wheel and tyre insurance and only had to claim once for kerbing a wheel but no punctures. 

 

ah the Scottoiler stuff comes off nice and easy doesnt it... plus theres less on to begin with. 

 

im not sure its just bad luck either... about 5 people SP's (given theres not that many about yet) have had punctures within the first 500 mile and to add to that, i was speaking to a Tracer mate today who test rode the SP from his dealer... he got it back and found a screw in the back tyre.  Must be the tread pattern... i'll try my luck now but i cant see these tyres staying on until this wear out at this rate. 

 

feckin bad luck with your mrs's car that. 19 inch n low profile is sort of a recipe for damage.. but dont they look good? Never heard of that insurance before but with diamond cut wheels n what not, maybe it isnt quite as a bad idea as it seems... 

Edited 23 May, 20188 yr by fabiamk2SE

2 hours ago, CWARD said:

A quick pic as requested when we got to Squires. Went to look at pron at JemSpeed after. I’ll tell you more about that later in the week  

 

 

looks spot on mate. Like new infact... ace tyres too. 

 

Will have to have that brew there at some point. 

There were quite a few KTM's there tonight mainly 1290 Adventures and Dukes,  no surprise really as it’s a stonking engine. As always a big variation in bikes, in all sizes and styles. Bikes constantly moving in and out of the place and on a nice day like today creates a good buzz.  If f your coming up drop me a message and I’ll meet you for a brew.