¡InvictaMoto!

One of the most nerve wracking days in adult life. And it happens every twelve months. Taking the car for its MoT. No matter how much care you take on all the obvious things like lights all working. Brakes working. Exhaust not leaking anywhere. .. Rust? No major structural weakness.  This has largely been eradicated since they started using galvanised and rust treated metals. So when you get the call to say it's done and passed the relief is immense. So here we are, another year passed. Phew.

Wow. Not many comments on my writing prowess or lack of it but 17164 views is very satisfying for an amateur like myself. http://invictamoto.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/roadtest-suzuki-vz800-marauder.html Thanks everyone.

MAG comments on London Mayor's summit with motorcycle manufacturers. Representatives from Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, BMW and Piaggio were invited to meet with the Metropolitan Police, MOPAC, the Motorcycle Industry Association and Secure by Design at City Hall on 23rd January. On social media, Sadiq Khan commented "today I met with leading motorcycle manufacturers to say it is vital they design anti-theft measures into their vehicles to help keep Londoners safe". Following the meeting, MCIA boss Tony Campbell commented "We know the Mayor would like to hear there is a 'magic bullet' which can be fitted to all bikes to stop them from being stolen, but unfortunately there isn't.   If there was, we would be fitting it, as theft is particularly damaging to business and to our customers." He went on to say "We have explained to the Mayor that a 'layered' approach to security is proving to be the most effective...

I picked this up from Twitter earlier today - h ttp://www.fema-online.eu/website/index.php/consumer-information/riding-with-a-trailer/ Back in the 90's I bought a trailer to take my chattels and books to Czech when I was there teaching at a school.  Unfortunately it was probably the only trailer ever fitted to a Suzuki GT750A.  Not a bike anyone would choose to travel across Europe and live with as sole transport for a year before fitting a trailer hitch! I still have both and they are both in need of TLC. TLC = money thrown at them. Although the GT has long been hitchless. Taken in 1994 after return from Czech Although the list on the FEMA site includes countries I have been to with the trailer, both on the GT and a later Yamaha XJ900F, the information is a surprise.   I have ridden in Slovakia after the Velvet Divorce  and wan't stopped by the police or in any way hampered by them. In Germany we were speeding along the A3 autob...

Simply marvellous. Think Floyd . As a tribute band they let the music if Pink Floyd take centre stage. Unlike some tributes they don't try to look lie the band they are copying.  Nor do they try to be soundalikes.  But saying that the musicianship is excellent. I knew most of the tracks they played and once they hit "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here" I was at my era again. Fantastic. Although I don't like too much use of the mobile phone at events I did take a couple of short videos. In my defence. we were sitting in the back row and had no one behind to piss off!! https://youtu.be/6OxM-sWB5Bo https://youtu.be/LSgFRXHVrVc https://youtu.be/32ZMknzth4I https://youtu.be/_TfBU0MBtQk

Join our Awareness Ride in London on Saturday 21st April 2018 All motorcycle, scooter and moped riders are invited to come to London on 21st April to make the point that "Motorcycles Matter". Motorcycles play an important role in our congested cities. The problem is that the people running things don't get it. Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor of London refuse to acknowledge this. It's not just London: there are another 28 authorities around the country looking into Clean Air Zones (CAZ) and charging vehicles for entering them. In London, it will cost £12.50 a day to pass the North and South Circular into central London.  Your Local Authority should be doing more to make it safe to park your bike by supplying more motorcycle parking bays with security. Manufacturers should be doing more to build in better security. Insurance companies should not be punishing the owners.  The government should be doing more to su...

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) met the Chair of the Greater London Authority (GLA) Transport Committee, Keith Prince, to begin a serious dialogue about the future of motorcycling in London. MAG's Chair, Selina Lavender, and London Rep, Tim Fawthrop, met GLA Transport Committee Chair, Keith Prince, in a high-level meeting to discuss the Committee's attitude and approach towards motorcycle and scooter use in the city.   The meeting, held on 10th January 2018 at the GLA's City Hall headquarters, covered a number of policy areas which have been of major concern to MAG in recent months.  MAG's Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Lembit Öpik, was also there to support the delegation. Selina observes: 'we covered four key areas of work with Mr Prince.  These were bike-related crime, secure parking, charging riders for using the roads and the case for promoting motorbikes as a net reducer of congestion and pollution.  ...

The Wild Hogs, my brother Neill and his mate Patrick, are off again in 2018. Not as far as Norway or even Route 66, but to Northern Ireland for the North West 200 road races. The trip blog is https://whnw200.blogspot.co.uk The official site is http://northwest200.org

This month Pepé turns three years old and in UK that means must undergo the first of what becomes annual road worthiness tests known as the MoT. Short for Ministry of Transport. At this stage there are no worries. As vehicles get older than things can be more worrisome. Although that birthday is January 25th it has to be done in the same month. And today was the only Saturday free. It was freezing. Okay. An air temp of 5°C when I set off. I had to boot Pepé with the dbpower unit again. On the move it must have been closer to zero at 70mph on the motorway. I was early. Checked in at Laguna in Ashford.  The new Triumph showroom is open but not the workshop and so the MoT needs to be done at the Powersports shop across town. This is where they have the Ducati,  KTM and Kawasaki dealerships. Once I handed the keys over I had a look around. Lots of really nice bikes. But now out of my wallet range. Most. The latest Multistrada fetching over £16000 looks nice. They have one of the n...

Another trash can digital camera. This one had no battery and no accessories.  It was dumped in the big bins outside work along with assorted other out of date and badly looked after equipment. It was probably there that it became detached from its battery and charger.  As ever. I took a punt on it actually working once I had sourced the bits and bobs it needed. Once again it was eBay to the rescue.  I managed to get a battery and charger block for about £8. It uses a kettle lead (the common 8 shaped one) to connect to the mains.  I'm sure that most people have one or two loafing around. It's very common. Both my Canon 1100D and Claire's Sony DSLR have charging blocks that need the same lead. As for memory.  It takes an SD card. I have a couple of small capacity ones. They sufficed until I decided that it was worth saving. Latterly I have substituted the SD with an adapter and a MicroSD card combo.  Currently 32Gb. What's it like to...

This one is actually not from my "Shoebox Archive" but is from a massive collection of 35mm slides that my brother, Neill, has been working his way through and scanning to computer.  They are all from the collection of slides amassed by our Dad over around 30 years. This is Neill, left, and me in the bath.  Neill joined me whilst fully clothed.  It would have been taken sometime like 1962/63.

Battery I hope. Trouble is when these things happen on a Sunday we are still pretty much screwed here. Luckily I have the portable power pack to revive Pepé between rides and that started it, if a little sluggishly, earlier today. I have booked it online at a local autocentre where they will fit a new one and dispose of the old one. All for a price a little less than a few where I could DiY and then have to get rid of the old one. But. That isn't until Tuesday. So tomorrow my run to the station will have to be after boosting it again. Getting it fired up took the power pack down to 73%.  Hopefully it will be okay to get to work and back home again. At this rate I may take it to work and charge it there to ensure 100% for an evening start. Fingers crossed. Update 08/01/18 Came out this morning. Luckily no frost or ice. Flipped the bonnet/hood and attached the dbpower unit. Switched on. Jumped in drivers seat. Turned key. Sweet f.a. Checked connec...

We already have a few trips planned for this year.  I am still looking for something to do for Claire's birthday, that this year falls on a Saturday. Maybe a weekend away or simply a night away somewhere, with or without the dog.  We'll have to see. The big news is that Claire has been to see the specialist and a new hip is on the cards for the first half of this year. We don't exactly know when but on January 25th she has the pre-op meeting at the hospital.  This is to acquaint her with the procedure etc. it should also take place between one and three months before the operation. At the full three months that would drop it firmly into the week that we have booked to go to Spain.  The Extremadura trip might have to be cancelled. With budget airlines booked it certainly can't be delayed without losing the airfares and one of the hotels I had to book direct. The rest of the week is booked with booking.com and have free cancellation. She needs to have it done and if th...

Another year over.  Another load of memories stored away. Thank goodness for blogging and Flickr. One day when memory starts to fade and faculties begin to fail, we'll have somewhere and something to remind us, or kickstart a memory. Someone asked me about my earliest bike touring photograph.  I discount the one of me as a four year old on Dad's Thunderbird.... But back in the 70's and 80's before digital I tended to use Kodachrome slide film and not Kodacolor negative film both in 126 and 35mm sizes.   When I moved down here in 1999 I had to take boxes of slides to the tip as they had been in the garage too long. Most were wet and at very least damp and useless. The cardboard mounts rotted and the film itself ruined. Sadly this would write off a good photographic proportion of my life. I do have some prints though.  I need to locate them. Currently the oldest picture I have in digital format was scanned from my first ever box of slides that I do have still...