What have you done with your V-Strom today?

[Sir Trev]

SW Motech have told me the lightbar I ordered weeks ago for my 800 has finally arrived in stock. They just need to pick it and send it now...  Of course, if it would just stop raining long enough for me to get up to the magical 600 miles I'll be able to get the lights fitted while the dealer does the first service.  Cannot wait to be a bit more visible.

[Barbel Mick]

Shopping this morning, took Deb out for dinner & treated myself to a breakfast as well.    Should have had a Chiropractors appointment this afternoon but one of us got the appointment date wrong. 
Anyway that gave us a few hours spare this afternoon to go for a ride.
The weather in Derby when we left was a tropical 18* & hazy sunshine, by the time we got to Flash Bar Stores (closed on our late arrival at 16.30) it was 13* & raining!
A quick check showed that Tagg Lane Dairy would be open until 17.00 so a quick run around the corner & managed to grab a coffee for Deb & an ice cream for me .... still cold & raining but an ice cream is an ice cream. 
Back home for 18.00 bike away & settled down for the game.
82 miles & a nice ride. 

By the way, for those that go to Tagg Lane, they don't allow motorcycles in through the original entrance. You now have to go 50 yards up the road, in the direction of Monyash. There is a nice new car park, shown in the 3rd photo.
The breakfast photo from earlier had nothing to do with the ride but it's there for Martin. 

[Asmith61]

Definitely an all day breakfast then Mick  looked lovely and so did the ice cream 🍦👍

[NeilM]

That looks like my kind of breakfast.

[Phild]

134 mile round trip for a Windy Corner Cafe breakfast, West Bay.👍

[SD12463]

Hello PhilD, Breakfast looks goooood.

Weather not bad today in Edinburgh so went for a run over the Queensferry Crossing Bridge with no plan...
Got over the bridge and carried on up the motorway a bit then turned left to head West through some nice roads, a good afternoon on the bike - not too much traffic about and not too long on the motorway to get home. Enough for me in one day, took 4 hours. Should have taken pictures, I forgot.

[Joe Rocket]

Wow Phild, square plates, vertical fried bread (or is it 'healthy option' toast) and beans and tomatoes in ramekins......... Up market boui-boui?

Is it the restaurant Michelin Guide? 

[Phild]

Buggered if I know. I only tried it because NeilM said he’d been there.🤷‍♂️

It was very nice, but I was disappointed there was no black pudding.🙁

[NeilM]

Windy Corner need to be complimented on their consistency... my breakfast looked exactly the same and tasted good, well worth the ride.

Next weeks weather is looking good, I am debating between Jolly Roger's in Bovey Tracey or the Owls Nest near Llandovery.

[Gillie76]

Treated the bike to a full detail then took her out on a favourite loop round by Moffat. For those who know the road from Moffat to St Mary's Loch (A708), those monstrosities of potholes have now been repaired at last!! 🥳
Excellent ride, sunny weather, quiet roads - oh man do I love my V-Strom 😍

[SD12463]

Yep, great road and good to know potholes sorted!
Good stop at the "Greenfrog Campsite Cafe" on the way out of Moffat too.

[nigel s]

Early 7:30 start to run up to Hunny. Wet roads but only "visor" rain.The Met office said by the time I get there it will be raining, and they were right
Took a pic of some very confusing detour signs that I completely ignored.
Planned B west to Thetford forest to check out the bicycle trails.
Very posh.
The one way entrance (after about a half mile of track) was  auto barriers with number plate recognition and £3 an hour to park!!!!
Severely unchuffed and already in (that HAS to be wrong ), I park up and go to pay ( I only wanted a look see FFS) and the machine doesn't recognise my reg number. Enter it manually and it says I have paid.... WTF. No I haven't!
Go to the Info booth and a very helpful lady says " ahh.......you're on a motorbike........They are FREE......."
As is my god given right
As I go back to the bike I get chatting with some MTB riders just leaving for the trails.Yes it is pricey to park they say but worth it.
Another bunch a bit more clued up tell me about some spots nearby to park for free if I don't mind a short ride in.
Perfect......
Head off out and the auto barrier is kind and lets me past.
On to Ipswich via b roads and cut home.
7 hours and 270 miles, all good.

I am told there is a football match on tonight.
Coltishal reserves v Stalham....Or summit.
Might watch that

Ho Hum

[UK_Vstrom650]

Motorcycles get free parking at Forestry England run parking sites. You can also buy membership which gives free car parking and discounts on the cafés etc. I bought National membership as I take the kids bikes in the car as local membership costs vary from site to site but our local one was £70, or pay per use parking was £11 for the day.

[nigel s]

Ta for that, one of the MTB riders mentioned that,  unfortunately I am too far away to take advantage of that deal.
I  now see the reasoning behind the bike on the bike set up 
Plus.
I am all about not having to pay.........a personal crusade of mine.

[Gillie76]

Nice wee run through Peebles, Innerleithen, over the granites (great views to the Pentland Hills, Edinburgh and across to Fife), Gladhouse reservoir and home.

[The Doctor 46]

Not today but yesterday. I went out to look at a motorbike which a friend may buy, he lives a long way away and wanted me to look at it first. The seller was a nice chap, he made tea and we talked bikes for longer than we should, I wanted to get home to watch the football.

I was making good time on my way home and was going to be home for kick off but only if I got a jiggle on. So I'm in the outside lane at 115mph and passing a big lorry which was in lane one (I don't usually ride at this speed anymore) and my bike went from rock steady to weaving about. I hadn't noticed the wind getting up but thought for a second that it must have. After passing the truck my bike kept weaving so obviously I slowed down and as I did the weaving got much worse.

When I stopped a couple of miles up the road in a safe place I realised the cause of the weave, a puncture in the rear tyre. Funny enough when I decided to ride home I found that the quicker I went up to 70mph the better the bike went and in a strait line there was no weave at all. When I rode the last mile on a B road though it was a different matter. I was riding at 20mph with the hazards on and a noise from the back tyre that sounded like a jet fighter was following me. There was no tyre rub it was just the noise of the tyre.

Luckily there was only a couple of thousand miles left in the tyre (at best) but sadly I'm going on holiday in a couple of days time for three weeks and won't have chance to sort it before I go away, what a pain in the backside. I wanted to use it over the next couple of days but now I'll have to drive which makes life much more difficult.

So anyway, if you really do need to get somewhere quick and have a rear puncture my advice is to ride on and keep the speed to 70mph or slightly above. Yes! I know I'm a little mad but I've just got over cancer and I feel that as that didn't take me then I can afford to live a little more dangerously. As for the football, well that's another story isn't it.   

Oh! One other thing, there was almost no other traffic on the road so no third parties to worry about.

[MilozFolly]

YOU'RE A REPROBATE AND A DANGER TO SOCIETY 

[Upt North]

Put this on.
Pffffffftttttt.
And blew the very mucky air filter out.

[Gillie76]

Upt, excuse my dumbness, but what is that? 🤷‍♂️😂

[Rusty Nuts]

(He's showing off 'cos he's off to France.) 😁
It's a Crit'air sticker, stops you getting done for having a feelthy motterbike in a clean and pleasant land.