[Panzermann]

this happened when I got home

A good reminder to capture the 100k km (later this year, I expect).

 

[Fogliettaz]

After the long cold winter my R1200R saw the light of day for the first time in over 3 months, the battery bearly had enough juice to turn the engine over but luckily started first time. What a joy to ride on dry roads and in the sunshine. No where special, just to fill the tank at Sainsburys in South Woodham a 25 mile round trip.

 

[D4VO]

After the long cold winter my R1200R saw the light of day for the first time in over 3 months, the battery bearly had enough juice to turn the engine over but luckily started first time. What a joy to ride on dry roads and in the sunshine. No where special, just to fill the tank at Sainsburys in South Woodham a 25 mile round trip.

Yer my bike had a little bimble today approx 25 miles in total, still keeping it local ish atm.

 

[moto-rama]

All I know is tomorrow, I am riding across town, to the vaccine clinic, to get The #2 Jab. Then I am heading up the coast for a 3 day corner fest.
Rain or shine, I am going!

 

[r0ckrat]

All I know is tomorrow, I am riding across town, to the vaccine clinic, to get The #2 Jab. Then I am heading up the coast for a 3 day corner fest.
Rain or shine, I am going!

Uhm, I have heard many reports from friends that dose #2 can come with side effects. Varies significantly in severity, but one friend was down with a 102f fever for 2 days, not fully recovered for 4 days, and another just had all-over body aches the day after...

 

[mikeS]

Rain forecast for tomorrow, so I decided to go for a ride today. I also wanted to check out my new Kriega R15 backpack, and happy to say it worked out pretty well. The backpack has a pocket for a hydration bladder and enough storage for my needs. I had the pack on all day and covered over 500km without any issues at all.

Here’s a small clip from todays’s ride. Youtube is still process so the image quality is not the best.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Svaha!Dean]

I'm anticipating more rides soon, so went out and got a quart of oil for on-hand. It was a nice mid-50's deg Fahrenheit day in NE Ohio with blue skies, little wind and no snow on the road. 50 miles of smiles.

Ride on!

 

[Pale Roadster]

Today I decided to prove I'm not old enough to know better. I checked local and destination weather and worst reported was 7mph winds 35F rising, partly cloudy. So I set off for a 120 mile round trip to get my second plague vaccine (no pfizer was available closer). Started great, getting some lean angle on the ramp, little gusty on the bridges, but not bad. Once I passed the Westfield exit, with no more options to pull off or reverse, temps started dropping. 6 miles later some light flurries, no big. Then the highway went full wet and soon it was sleet/freezing rain. Starting to think I made a bad decision about now. 12ish miles after Westfield it changed to real snow and the temp was down to 27F. The last few miles down hill to Lee I hit a couple brief patches of black ice. Hard to describe the super spooky feeling when there is zero traction under your tires. No throttle, brake or steering inputs and stay relaxed, you still feel some tiny movements of the bike kind of sliding. Hope the wind doesn't gust while you're gliding on ice. Did I mention the wind was gusting to 30 - 40 mph on bridges and hill peaks?

Definitely thinking this was a bad idea now. Thinking of my friend that rides his GS in snowy weather regularly, but not on the turnpike. Arriving with no drama I get my shot, and text the wife I made it safely and everything is ok so she doesn't worry. Wait a while as my appointment was at 10AM hoping for clearing weather and some added warmth. By 11AM there was some sun, and the parking lot was drying a little.

On my return there was nearly always at least a narrow dry strip from the semi truck tires, but still less than ideal conditions, temps of 31F ish. By the time I got back to Westfield the skies were clearing and temps were above freezing again and rising.

Are the heated grips supposed to cut out after a certain amount of time, and only come back on after the bike has been off for a while? Not the happiest time to lose heated grips honestly.

So I saved a ton of gas not taking my monster truck. And I can still make bad decisions with the best of them. Still, it was better than being stuck in a car for a couple hours.

 

[Big DL]

First really nice spring day here in MIchigan, I woke up with a desire to ride and desire to visit one of the Great Lakes, so I rode a hundred miles north stood on the beach for 10 minutes then took the long way home. Two of my favorite therapies, my R and a Great Lake. That’s Lake Huron in the background.

 

[Ontrip]

First ride of the season on 15C sunny day in Ontario (Canada)

Rode out to Lake Scugog, North East of Toronto (230 kms return)

 

[SteveJH]

First ride of 2021. 😀😀

After a careful post-winter storage (5 months) check-over of the bike, I rolled my 2011 Classic out of the garage today. Went for an initially careful (feeling rusty, whoever she is 🤔) 35 mile ride around the very narrow and very quiet country lanes. The new rear brake pads were a bit soft to begin with, but soon improved.

Hardly any other vehicles. Cool at 8 deg C, with a NE'ly wind. Perfectly dry Norfolk and Suffolk roads. Just perfect. No mud. No salt. No dust.

Gave her the full berries here and there. Wow these bikes accelerate quick and really love the twisties. Didn't stop for photos, as just small green fields, or dirt recently ploughed and tilled, now being top dressing fertilised.

So, here are a few boring photos of the bike on my difficult gravel drive. Another ride tomorrow hopefully. Better photos next time.

The thin winter coating of ACF50 on the shiny spokes was flung onto the alloy rims, giving a dirty speckled effect. Soon wiped off though. Good stuff, that ACF50.

 

[SteveJH]

My second ride of 2021, and this time some (hopefully) better photographs. Eighty miles today. Dry and sunny. No wind. Temp was 8°C to 14°C.

First to Orford Quay on the small tidal estuary of the Ore/Ald. The cold grey North Sea is approx 1 or 2 miles due east across the shingle spit of Orfordness. The tidal river runs due south'ish. Chat with a cyclist who had a BMW motorcycle with an ABS fault at home, then a cup of tea and bacon and egg roll from The Riverside Tea Room (in the distance). Some more bikers arrived. Social distancing upper most in my mind (but not everyone else).

Next, continued to Aldburgh and Thorpeness (no photos), en route to Sizewell Tea bar, Leiston (photos) - - close to Sizewell A and B nuclear power stations on the coast. Sizewell A is old and mostly shut down but still ticking over (for ever?) as the nuclear rods still needs sea water cooling. Sizewell B is still generating. Sizewell C is planned, but not popular with the locals due to the very high lorry road traffic expected during construction.

Then over to Southwold Pier and Southwold Harbour. No photos. Mostly day tourists and many cars.

 

[Bmc Steve]

Today I decided to prove I'm not old enough to know better. I checked local and destination weather and worst reported was 7mph winds 35F rising, partly cloudy. So I set off for a 120 mile round trip to get my second plague vaccine (no pfizer was available closer). Started great, getting some lean angle on the ramp, little gusty on the bridges, but not bad. Once I passed the Westfield exit, with no more options to pull off or reverse, temps started dropping. 6 miles later some light flurries, no big. Then the highway went full wet and soon it was sleet/freezing rain. Starting to think I made a bad decision about now. 12ish miles after Westfield it changed to real snow and the temp was down to 27F. The last few miles down hill to Lee I hit a couple brief patches of black ice. Hard to describe the super spooky feeling when there is zero traction under your tires. No throttle, brake or steering inputs and stay relaxed, you still feel some tiny movements of the bike kind of sliding. Hope the wind doesn't gust while you're gliding on ice. Did I mention the wind was gusting to 30 - 40 mph on bridges and hill peaks?

Definitely thinking this was a bad idea now. Thinking of my friend that rides his GS in snowy weather regularly, but not on the turnpike. Arriving with no drama I get my shot, and text the wife I made it safely and everything is ok so she doesn't worry. Wait a while as my appointment was at 10AM hoping for clearing weather and some added warmth. By 11AM there was some sun, and the parking lot was drying a little.

On my return there was nearly always at least a narrow dry strip from the semi truck tires, but still less than ideal conditions, temps of 31F ish. By the time I got back to Westfield the skies were clearing and temps were above freezing again and rising.

Are the heated grips supposed to cut out after a certain amount of time, and only come back on after the bike has been off for a while? Not the happiest time to lose heated grips honestly.

So I saved a ton of gas not taking my monster truck. And I can still make bad decisions with the best of them. Still, it was better than being stuck in a car for a couple hours.

That ride does not sound fun. Grips should not be cutting out.

 

[Pale Roadster]

That ride does not sound fun. Grips should not be cutting out.

Three times now I have used the heated grips for longer rides and they give me maybe 1.5 hrs or a little more, then die. I tried just turning the bike off and on, no luck it needs to be off for at least .25 hour. I'll have to check with Max and see what they say.

 

[Neillz1200R]

SteveJH

That's one mighty handsome motorcycle you have there SteveJH. Very classy and understated with the spoked wheels and the wee flyscreen setting off the classic paint very nicely.

I also usually take my bike out for its first ride on or around April 1st but have been working and unable to find the time to do so. Forecast is for snow and minus 3* tonight (in Aberdeen) and for the next few days, meaning the roads will be covered in salt and grit for the next week!

Anyway, great bike and I enjoyed reading your write-up and fotos. I was reminded of a columnist I used to read when I saw your numberplate! LJK Setright was a freelance writer who wrote a column in a bike magazine I remember from the late 70's/80's - I bought 4 bike mags a month back then and read everything I could get my hands on about motorbikes. I think it was BIKE magazine (the one with OGRI inside the back page) that he wrote for and I thought he was very knowledgeable and articulate. He always seemed to me to be ahead of his time, praising the Japanese for their wonderful engines and engineering but lamenting the woeful chassis and narrow wheel rims they used at that time. I would imagine he would have approved of your BMW and its telelever front end and the relatively simple but efficient air cooled flat twin engine.

Neill.

 

[SteveJH]

SteveJH

That's one mighty handsome motorcycle you have there SteveJH. Very classy and understated with the spoked wheels and the wee flyscreen setting off the classic paint very nicely.

I also usually take my bike out for its first ride on or around April 1st but have been working and unable to find the time to do so. Forecast is for snow and minus 3* tonight (in Aberdeen) and for the next few days, meaning the roads will be covered in salt and grit for the next week!

Anyway, great bike and I enjoyed reading your write-up and fotos. I was reminded of a columnist I used to read when I saw your numberplate! LJK Setright was a freelance writer who wrote a column in a bike magazine I remember from the late 70's/80's - I bought 4 bike mags a month back then and read everything I could get my hands on about motorbikes. I think it was BIKE magazine (the one with OGRI inside the back page) that he wrote for and I thought he was very knowledgeable and articulate. He always seemed to me to be ahead of his time, praising the Japanese for their wonderful engines and engineering but lamenting the woeful chassis and narrow wheel rims they used at that time. I would imagine he would have approved of your BMW and its telelever front end and the relatively simple but efficient air cooled flat twin engine.

Neill.

Thank you Neill. Cold with snow flurries here today. But not as cold as you have. Lucky with that day out yesterday.

 

[SteveJH]

My third ride of 2021. Please think of this as an addendum to the second ride report above on 4th April 2021. Missed photographs came to mind so I returned to Sizewell tea bar - - for some tea in a paper cup, for the beauty (ahem) of the two nuclear power stations, and the beach with numerous beach launched fishing boats, and also Orford Quay - - - for a better boat and bike scene (no day tourists). But that photo is not included here

It was rumoured that the British SAS man the security for this nuclear site during times of extremist or terrorist threat, but as usual they were so well camouflaged that you cannot see them. There are two large structures in the sea (but only 10 photo uploads permitted) at the very old intake and outfall locations for the A power station. The seawater cooling intake and warm water outfall for the newer B power station (white dome) are somewhere else on the seabed and are unmarked by a structure

Cool, overcast and dry. Mostly quiet slightly dusty lanes and main roads (no rain here for some time, just that day or two dusting of "dry" snow) . Perfect. Late in the afternoon so everywhere I visited was quiet.

Spoke to an ex-GS rider at Orford who was very keen to buy another motorcycle. Might be that he chooses an R1200R. We shall see as he is a local.

I should have included the Union Jack Flag on the flagpole as I wonder daily how long our national flag will last. It will look very odd indeed without the Saltire of beautiful Scotland, a white diagonal cross on a blue background.

The Vulcan Arms pub I have never been into for a pint of bitter, but include it as I live in hope. If and when the English pubs ever open again.

 

[Panzermann]

If and when the English pubs ever open again.

I can’t imagine an England without its pubs being open - or a Union Jack without St Andrew’s Cross (I wonder if that might precipitate a more appropriate flag for us colonials).

 

[mikeS]

Snuck into Panzertown on LC for the Canberra Marathon to cheer on my son. Bloody windy and cold (very cold), but there’s always an upside...

Had some of the best Arancini Balls ever - Belluci's - Index

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SteveJH]

I can’t imagine an England without its pubs being open - or a Union Jack without St Andrew’s Cross (I wonder if that might precipitate a more appropriate flag for us colonials).

The pubs in England opened today. But, you have to sit outside and it is bloody cold. Still having snow in places in the south (Oxford), and this eastern coast is freezing due to the north-easterly wind blowing off a very cold North Sea. The NS doesn't warm up until September !

Oh yes, completely bonkers in almost every respect here in England. Don't know about Scotland and Wales, but Northern Ireland has a very bad outbreak of street violence with many getting injured. Some say due to the crazy Brexit deal that put NI behind a new sea border (thank you Boris Johnson and the insane EU politicians), some say back to sectarian unrest, and some say drugs and criminal gangs fighting the police.