InvictaMoto's On The Road Again!

It's 12 years since I did my first charity 'tache growing and that was with Tacheback. In fact I did Tacheback twice before it disappeared and was re-invented as Movember a number of years ago. This year, so far, fund raising has been disappointing. That's the polite way of putting it.  All I asked was for my FB friends to donate one pound or whatever local currency they have. International charities like Movember can cope with different currencies, be they dollars or euro and a myriad of others. I can't say it is hard work growing a moustache. After all, once your balls drop, hair tends to grow all over the place, the top lip being just one place.   So one last time this is my mospace:   https://uk.movember.com/mospace/2865109 There are only two days left in this Movember and the mo will be revealed late on the 30th.  Please sponsor me,  if only a quid or a buck. They all count.

Looking through my blog to see if there any embarrassing rants that need removing I came across this thread from just over two years ago. http://invictamoto.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/ft-aqua.html I am still wearing this jacket most of the time. It is still waterproof. Over the years the colour has faded from black to a peculiar browny red tinge, but not all over. Although I have a mesh jacket for summer and last year I bought a Steve McQueen jacket for summer wear.  The FT Aqua is still the go-to jacket.

Bike trousers that is. With the weather turning cold I decided to spend some money on another pair of padded textile trousers. The last pair did okay for a cheap pair, but eventually (and embarrassingly) split around the crotch. I suppose I was trying to pack more in than they were designed for.... 😎 Like an over stuffed sausage, something had to give. The problem with being rather portly is that the trendy makes think that an XXL waist is 36"!   Many of these companies, you all know who they are, cater for five foot tall, 100lb soaking wet, Latin Moto3 GP riders in the main. Not that one of them will ever wear a pair of Cordura and lined for all weather trousers..... So after trawling about on Black Friday, something else we have accepted from our US cousins, I found one of the large online bike shops, Ghostbikes, selling larger sizes.  I entered the discount code and was pleasantly surprised to get a good few pounds off and free delivery.  Next day. ...

Of all the comparison sites I have found that the best, for me at any rate, is Skyscanner. Today I had a quick look, always remembering to change my internet cache before searching and was amazed to see that Virgin had a direct flight from London Gatwick (LGW) on my dates, and cheaper (not much!) that my earlier searches. The times were good and so I thought "I'll have some of that". I clicked on the "offers" page and was taken to TravelUp. An agents we have used before. I filled in all my details, Claire's details and got to "pay now", and a box popped up, "flight details changed". Clicking on it took me back to Skyscanner and it began another search.  This time Virgin was cheapest still BUT the outward aitport was LGW but we'd arrive back at London Heathrow (LHR), some 50 miles away. Not much use with my car in the parking at LGW and an expensive transfer to negotiate.   Instead for £4 more I can fly direct from LGW and come back to...

Checking on RCI ( rci.com ) shows that there are quite a few options for the Orlando area. I have finally booked one that gets good ratings from visitors and also is allegedly "quiet". At all the other places we have stayed over the years, US and Europe, we have never had to pay for the amenities;  pool etc.   There is always a swipe of the credit card to cover "security" and deposits for keys, usually apartment and parking garages, but never to use the pool or a lounger. However, this seems the "norm" for Orlando. I'm sure most of the people going there are headed for Disney and the other parks and spend less time at the resort than they might at other places in other parts of the country and even the state.  So I don't think that $10 a day per apartment is appropriate to use the pool at all. So that ruled a few out.  I found one that was charging $1 a day?  It must cost more to collect it in receptionists time than they bring in. In the end I boo...

So for 2017 we are looking at using the timeshare again for a week and after this year in Arizona we started looking at Florida. One change will be that instead of going in May we are planning to go at the end of September.   Fingers crossed that hurricanes stay away. But where? The quality of resorts in the US are much better than in Europe. In our bracket they are far better and so the only downside is the length of the flight. And possibly the cost but that's to be expected. So far the plan is to fly to Orlando or Tampa. Depending on flight times and which UK airport! Last year our return flight arrived at London Heathrow and six hours later we were finally home.  So I'd prefer Gatwick.  Nearer home and doesn't involve driving through the packed traffic in West London. What I have done so far is a bit of surfing to look at places and flights and booked a car. So...

Service date today. As I haven't managed to hit 10000 miles yet, I booked the annual service instead. It's cheaper luckily. It should have been last week but due to the building work at the Triumph shop it was put back a week. This morning it was freezing. Cars iced over but at least the roads clear enough. By the time I got to Ashford my fingers were frozen at the tips.  After changing the date when I got to the Triumph shop the workshop looked like it was weeks away from finished. So we schlepped across to the other shop where  they usually have KTM, Ducati and Kawasaki. Outside was another Rocket fitted with a supercharger. I'd love to hear that running. I took a couple of photos. Some three hours later I got an sms to say it was finished. We were in Folkestone  walking the dog and watching a ceremony where they were commemorating the centenary of the ending of The Battle of the Somme in 1916. A picture here too. At least it was dry and cold but not as cold as the morn...

Sunday dawned nice and sunny. But cold. After watching the Cenotaph Remembrance service I got toggled up and left about 1145. The idea was to meet other Meldrews at one of the service stations on the A2 but as plans go it was rather rubbish as none of them came, deciding to have breakfast elsewhere. In the end I made the pitstop at Cobham Services and by accident I put super unleaded in the tank. Some goon had switched the nozzles over into the wrong holsters. And I didn't read the pump handle.so ended up paying 130.9 a litre instead of 116.9!!! This year mine was the only bike there on the day  I caught up with another one on the A2 as we approached the M25 and then saw a few more as we entered the service area, which was packed with bikes.  A large part of the car park was roped of for us and it was already pretty full when I arrived about 1310. I hardly had any time to snap a few photos before we all mounted up and headed for the M25. The ride itsel...