InvictaMoto's On The Road Again!

With Arsenal away and so no need to use our season tickets, Neill and I have got tickets to another Oldham Athletic game in the south, and easily accessible from Kent. The game earlier in the season ended with an Oldham 2-1 win so we have to hope for something along the same lines.  After some good performances and the win at Fulham in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup performance results have dropped away. The problem seems that Latics' defenders seem incapable of not giving away penalties.  The losses away at Doncaster in the 4th Round and midweek in League 2 at MK Dons, both due to penalties!!

Made heavy weather of beating Cardiff. In fact the visitors had the best of the opening 25 mins or so. By the time they scored their goal Arsenal should have been miles away. Still. It was a win.

A bit of measuring and re-planning and so the last part of the out sees a different plan emerging. Point 11 is Combe Laval and 12 is the Resistance Museum.

With the MyRouteApp (MRA)  window open and alongside it Booking.com I have started to work out a route back from the Vercors. I have left it in the base mode and so it will pick up the fastest route.  I can set the "no tolls" option on the TomTom on the day of travel if I want to . I don't usually plan fuel stops but given the plan is to go by bike and realistically butt ache and fuel become more important after 150 miles (Pepé's range is about 180 to 200 miles)  and that some of the routes are looking a little bereft of waypoints for petrol/gas stations I have used the "zoom in" and "PO"I for fuel in MRA more extensively that ever before. If in the end we go by car (Corsa or Insignia) both have a far greater range that the bike.  I can more than likely remove the fuel stop waypoints.  Insignia has a cruising range of about 600 miles to the tank and for peace of mind I tend to fill up when the gauge gets towards a quarter full.  In fact, the entire...

Was last night. Missed it as I was out so decided to do it tonight. Was really nice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burns_supper

So. Wuss time. The weather through the week was either heavy frost (car scraping) or light snow. So I emailed Laguna to say if the weather didn't improve maybe postpone today's booking and re-arrange. Jim emailed to say they would come and pick it up. Free of charge. I accepted. Pepé went this morning. Back this afternoon. Test passed but an advisory on front tyre that's getting low. I know that it is getting near replacement time.

For quite some time I have been thinking about a return to the French Alps. We were there back in 2004 or something like that. We stayed in Jausiers near the foot of the road that takes people over the Col de la Bonette. Europe's highest driveable pass. I have seen so many pictures of the Combe Laval D76 road that I have begun looking on how to get there and back in a week. Or depending on when a slightly extended week. It's a "must ride" road.  I'll get the Alps/Passes book out to see what other decent passes are in the area that we have never done. There will be quite a few. This is what I have so far: With Claire now doing three days a week at work and me off all of August we can have a 'long' week on the trip. We also have to get Reggie booked into the kennels for his holiday. That will be quite urgent as they fill up quickly.

It would seem that August isn't the best time to head to France. Why? Because every other bugger is going. Or usually do.  Plus of course the French are great at the "staycation" themselves. Sitting for hours at motorway confluences and toll stations. The Doomsayers are claiming that once the UK leaves the EU on March 29th that anyone with British passports will be unable to travel to any of the 27 remaining countries. We'll see. I have been planning anyway. I decided that I need to ride the bucket list Combe Laval. ( https://travelguide.michelin.com/europe/france/rhone-alpes/drome/saint-jean-en-royans/combe-laval ) It's about 700 miles from home. Now to work with MyRouteApp to work out a quickish route out and then more relaxed ride back. At the moment it is ride rather than drive. 

I had a look on booking.com after I had planned a few trips out from when we are in Weston FL.  We do like to have a trip down to the keys, but to go to Key West needs more time and also hotels are in the "sell a kidney" bracket.   So I had a look along the Keys and booked at Marathon Key. Reasonable price and 8/10 star review, plus it has free cancellation and nothing to pay upfront.   So the plan is we can call in at the  Dolphin Research Centre  or  Theater of the Seas  on the way down as they are nearer the mainland.  We can decide that later. I stopped at the  Theater of the Seas  way back in 1991 when I was "doing" Florida on a Kawasaki Z750 factory custom twin.  I have a picture that I can look out where I was sadly cuddling a sealion!   So another bit of planning coming together as hotels starts to release their dates and room rates to the booking sites.

The seat I bought on eBay went off today to Elsemade with Hermes. The cost was £6.49 for a package up to 5kgs. When I weighed it the box and seat came out at 2.66kgs.  The cut off for the cheaper rate is 2kgs. I have also changed my mind about the finish. The suede effect might look good but when I saw the picture of the faux carbon effect cover I decided that was the way to go. So. Let's see how long it takes for Alastair to turn it around. https://www.elsemade.co.uk/triumph-seats/ Update 25/01/2019 Hermes delivered the package on Thursday, yesterday.

My list of things to do before we go is one less item shorter after today. ESTA/VISA -check Travel Insurance - check Apartments booked - check Flights booked - check Hotel night before fly - check Hotel in Miami - check TomTom sorted - check Airport parking - check Car Rental in FL -  I have decided to have a look at getting some routes planned to get from airport to hotel and to and from the different resorts that we are staying in. With the TomTom maps getting bloated again there wasn't enough internal storage to get the UK & Europe maps and the USA maps on together.  So I had to buy a new micro SD camera for the Canon 1100D and then I could use the 32gb from there in the TomTom.  The new one was 64GB that should mean a few thousand pix!  The counter on the top of the camera body stops at 9999. The last time I tried it the whole unit froze but this time it simply asked to format the card and it works.  I deleted the USA maps from internal and re-installed ...

Good old Father Christmas left this under the tree and I have used it to secure Pepé against the bike thieves that infest our civilised society. It is supposed to be difficult to cut through and carries the Sold Secure label. Okay it won't stop the scum with a van and a team to lift the bike in, but it might deter the wanker that tries to ride it away. Or at least make them go and try someone else's bike instead. I opted for yellow as it looks bright as a reminder it is fitted. The alternative was black like my Abus HB and the Oxford Chain I also use. 

We have been having a few problems of late with the internet falling over and losing connections. After months of to and fro with BT Customer Care they decided to send me a new home hub. A two second installation and then a while to connect all the hardware. If this appears. It must have worked. posted from Bloggeroid

As expected I needed to use the dbPower unit to kick Pepé into life. Once connected it was the first press of the button the get him started. I let him warm up whilst I went and got togged up. . The air temperature according to my car was 2°C. Once I set off I found I had an air gap around my back! My thermal technical shirt had ridden up leaving a gap. Luckily it didn't affect me too much on the ten mile ride to the Blue & White Café. When I went out on New Year's Day I forgot to reset Trip 2 to keep a total of mileage. This time I did. After breakfast and a chat I needed the jump to get Pepé going again. Once started he runs perfectly. The run back was pretty gentle. The wet patches had dried out a bit and it felt safer on two wheels. It was no warmer though. So total recorded Trip 2 mileage looks about 20 miles. I didn't check when I stashed him away in the garage. Next week. The MoT. posted from Bloggeroid

Arsenal at home to Chelsea. What could go wrong? Nothing as it happened. A lot of huff and puff from Arsenal in the first fifteen minutes resulted in a goal. Lacazette turning and lashing the ball home. 2-0 before half-time with Koscielny steering his diving header wide of their keeper. It was fraught sometimes when failing to clear our back line but we hung on. Still fifth. posted from Bloggeroid

Elsemade has got back to me.  There is less pressure on us to get the job done as Claire won't be pillion on the bike until the summer at the earliest.   Having the seat re-sculptured to make it more comfortable is worth it.  Buying the used seat off eBay means that if and when I sell the bike in the future the original seat will be available as well.  I don't like the idea of hacking that one to bits. I should have done the same a few years ago when I had the Bandit 1200 seat remodelled. In the end it wasn't much better after it came back (not Elsemade!) and looked ugly as well. I have decided to have the seat made an overall 4 inches wider so that it won't clash with the pannier lids when they are opened.  A more sculpted shape with a gel insert to add a bit of comfort to Claire's butt. Less like a brick. There are quite a few options for materials and stitching.  But generally the "Highway" style looks what  I want for Pepé and Claire.  (...

So it would appear that my 2.3 litre petrol engined motorcycle is marginally more economical than my 2.0 litre diesel car.  I guess this can in-part be attributed to the car spending five days a week simply going to the station and even weekends just doing local journeys where the Rocket can get up to speed a little on more open roads. In both vehicles I have yet to get an average up to 50mpg. I got near in the car but a long traffic jam saw it fall short.  On Pepé I almost made it on the Czech trip on the slow country roads between the border and Brno. When you own a Rocket worrying about fuel consumption is not something that automatically springs to mind. It's a 2.3 litre three cylinder cruiser. But, Fuelly is a bit of fun and I like to see what the mpg comes out at.  No stress. Fun to see what it gets down to! In fact, when on vacation in Florida later in the year I might add the hire car and see what that does! https://invictamoto.blogspot.com/2019/01/fuelly-app.html...

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) will be working in partnership with the United Nations on motorcycling's role in global transport policy.MAG has received communication from the United Nations Environment Department, expressing their eagerness to work with the Motorcycle Action Group on promoting modal shift towards powered two and three wheelers. This landmark development was announced in a reply to MAG's Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Lembit Öpik: 'As our understanding of the environmental agenda has deepened, we have inevitably found ourselves having to contact higher authorities,' explains Lembit. 'Our constant aim has been to ensure that motorcycles are being treated as part of the solution to reducing congestion and pollution – as well as cost – for private journeys.  I approached the United Nations because they are so influential in terms of environmental strategies. We have made a real breakthrough – and we're clearly ...

As a result lots of the sections/groups are dong a 70+ mile ride out to commemorate the event. The East Kent Section where I am a member (and poor attendee as they start before I get home from work) will be doing theirs/ours on the 2nd June as follows: " Starts at Laguna Triumph, Kingsnorth near Ashford, and a ride to Dover's White Cliffs (and Return) approx. 74 miles.             This is intended to be the 70 mile round trip for the TOMCC 70 Year club badge. A group photo to be taken at  The White Cliffs. All participants who want to earn the badge has to provide their TOMCC membership number Laguna are open 10.00 to 4.00 on a Sunday so we could have a coffee before leaving if we leave a bit later - or a comfort break!! NB.  Some of the roads on this ride out are single lane roads with grass growing down the middle – but the scenery is worth it!!" I am hoping to get out on this and I guess the ...

This Sunday is Meldrews' Sunday.  The current debate is where to meet this time. I expect by Sunday we'll be more concerned with the weather forecast.   That they have had snow in the north-east, some 350 miles north of us here in the south-east of England, that seems to have paralysed the newspapers and forecasters. The public just get on with life. " Beast from the East " they cry.  The winds are from the north though and incredibly that's where the Arctic is. So we might expect cold winds. So it looks as though we need to wrap up warmer, it is January after all, and then see what happens on Sunday.

This Sunday is Meldrews' Sunday.  The current debate is where to meet this time. I expect by Sunday we'll be more concerned with the weather forecast.   That they have had snow in the north-east, some 350 miles north of us in the south-east, seems to have paralysed the newspapers and forecasters. "Beast from the East" they cry.  The winds are from the north though and incredibly that's where the Arctic is. So we might expect cold winds. So it looks as though we need to wrap up warmer, it is January after all, and then see what happens on Sunday.

MAG has announced a £1,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution of the individual responsible for a 'hit and run' incident near the Squires Café Bar in North Yorkshire, where a car driver left a seriously injured motorcyclist, Matthew Ramsden, lying on the road with his damaged motorcycle. The incident occurred in Sherburn-in-Elmet. Police say that Matthew was travelling along the B1222, near Peckfield, on Sunday 6 January at around 4.40pm, when he in collision with a car at the junction with the A63. The driver did not stop at the scene. Castleford-based firm, West Riding Personal Financial Solutions, has also put up £1,000 for information leading to a prosecution. Police believe the car to be a silver saloon - possibly a VW or a Skoda - and it suffered severe rear bumper damage as a result of the collision. Yorkshire MAG Representative Richard 'Manny' Manton describes this latest incident as a 'line in the san...

I have been using this app for a while for the car and the bike just to track the expenditure and miles per gallon I am getting from the Insignia and the Rocket. I don't obsess about it. If I did I wouldn't own a Rocket III! It works pretty well with minimal setup and as a US appl it needs telling about e vagaries of the UK.  Even though we aren't a metric country, petrol/diesel fuels are sold in litres but we still have feet/yards/miles as the measures of distance.  We also have the Imperial gallon based on 8 pints.  An Imperial pint is 20 fluid ounces as that is what a pint of water weighs.  In the US they have made the pint 16fl oz as that is a pound in weight.   The app takes care of all that!  I wonder how slow I have to go on the Rocket to get that average up to mid-40's!!!

I have been using Tyre  for a number of years to plan routes and send them to my TomTom GPS units that we have successfully used on the bike and in the cars for quite a few years.  Last year there was a bit of a problem and Tyre ceased to work with Google Maps.  This proved to be a massive problem and although they managed to recover to use Open Source maps it doesn't work anywhere near as well. So we had a look at MyRouteApp . Another Dutch production that works on a Windows PC as it is web based and also supports an app that runs on my Android phone.  Neill used it to create in and out routes on our 2016 trip the Czech for MotoGP. I created an account back then too to receive the shared routes but haven't touched it until recently.  He has created routes for the upcoming Devallboys trip to Le Mans for the MotoGP in May. So I have given it another go. On my part I have started looking at routes to get from airport to hotel and to the different ...

Old Men Can't Wait: A Septuagenarian Odyssey by Simon Gandolfi My rating: 4 of 5 stars Enjoyed the ride From my armchair. From my office chair. From the train seat on my daily commute. I enjoyed the ride. Enjoyed the description of the journey. The places. The people. View all my reviews

It's hardly unexpected since he was dropped from being the Arsenal #1 keeper with the arrival or Bernd Leno but still a shock to read that  Petr Čech will retire at the end of this season. https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/arsenal-goalkeeper-petr-cech-announces-retirement-111503195.html

With the probability that my work patterns will change from April 1st, I am hoping to get out more on the bike and put some miles on it. Depending on a list of jobs that Claire will have for me, and of course, the dog to walk! Not so long ago I was a regular 10000 to 120000 a year rider.  But the embarrassing thing is that since owning Pepé I have managed just over 7000 miles.  When it goes in for the MoT in a couple of weeks I'll see exactly how miserable this last year has been.  Yes. They record the mileage. I expect it to be less than the miserable 2000 mile average per year I have owned it.  

Alan is back.... BBC1 February https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/steve-coogan-devote-episode-new-15659341

At 63 I have decided to slow down a little and have been looking at a change to my working hours. There aren't many options and nearer home there are even fewer job options and that means commuting into London.  So. I have decided to apply for a change from April 1st to term-time only working. I have been at Islington for over 21 years now. We already have to take the majority of our annual leave in school holidays as it is. Where that was flexible in that long weekends in term time was possible I will lose that.   That means that going to Assen in September won't happen. I do have a couple of days where I have already booked and paid for holiday trips away. We fly to Florida on a Friday, but the rest of the trip is in the Easter holidays. The problem might be the Le Mans GP weekend with the Devallboys.  I have three days annual leave left to use up before March 31st, and I am hoping a little negotiation will mean I can...

Not the BSB meeting itself but Devall attendance. From April I will change contracts to a teacher style "term time only" contract.  That means that all my holiday is in school holidays but I get twelve equal monthly payments a year.  I'll lose a few pounds in salary but will have more time off. As a result, if it don't happen when I am off I can't go. Neill has decided to cancel as well as he doesn't want to go on his own and may go to Aragon for the MotoGP instead.

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has welcomed the tough position expressed by Conservative MP Peter Heaton-Jones regarding the sentencing of dangerous drivers. MAG's Regional Representative in the South West, Tracy Smith, has received a welcome boost to the campaign for justice against potential killer drivers, whose actions risk the safety of other road users - including motorcyclists. Mr Peter Heaton-Jones, the Conservative Member of Parliament for North Devon, has confirmed that he backs changes which increase the possible sentences for causing death. Mr Heaton-Jones stated: 'The maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving under the influence of drink or drugs will both be increased from fourteen years to life.' Mr Heaton-Jones added; 'these tougher sentences come after an overwhelming response to a consultation, which revealed substantial backing for the plans from a wide range of people incl...

The Biker Down course was devised by Jim Sanderson and colleagues at Kent Fire and Rescue. It is free to attend and is a decent course with a practical exercise on how to be the first responder at a bike accident scene. It is well worth going. Unless you are a doctor or nurse you will learn something. Email bikerdown@kent.fire-uk.org to book. Dates: 12th February 12th March 16th April 7th May 4th June 2nd July 27th August 24th September All courses will run at the  https://www.kent.fire-uk.org/your-safety/road-safety/road-safety-experience/

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) questions why a health group is venturing into the complex world of road planning - and perhaps missing the point of our roads. MAG has expressed surprise that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued guidance on road planning, even though it has no publicly known experience in highways design and operation. This follows advice from NICE that to keep Britain healthy the roads should be reprioritised for fitness activity. Lembit Öpik, MAG's Director of Communications & Public Affairs, says: 'NICE says road planning should explicitly prioritise cycling and walking, in preference to private vehicles with engines. They say this will make us healthier by reducing obesity, diabetes and other conditions. Deprioritising powered vehicles in deference to economically insignificant methods of travel, namely unpowered methods, seems unwise. What proportion of us will walk many miles to work, cycl...

The certificate and badge arrived today. This year I am entry #30. So feel free to sign up and donate to the Poppy Appeal. It's very easy to do and the plus side is that you don't even have to do anything but fill in a form. https://www.legionnar.org.uk/web/ posted from Bloggeroid

All members in the South East region are cordially invited to attend this important meeting. It will take place on Sunday 17 th February 2019 at Ashurst Village Hall, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3AP and stars at 12 ,Noon, sharp. Should you wish to vote, stand for office or speak from the floor you should be a current member and produce your membership card on the door. If you have been a member for 12 months or more you can stand for office provided you have a proposer and seconder who are also bona-fide members. We are always looking for volunteers , if you wish to get more involved with MAG please speak to your local Branch Rep or one of the South East committee members. We are only as strong as our members, please come along and get involved. We have various campaigns on-going within the region including: ...

For some I might add.  As workers get more annual leave each year and more people get to work from home, it seems that the big return to work has shifted from the day after the Christmas bank holidays (25th/26th December) to a day much later! Many companies close down over the holiday and depending on when it is, they close for the whole week. As an education department we have a close-down as there are no schools working. This year I took the 24th off as it was a Monday and I had no train ticket. That meant that I was booked off right up until the 2nd January. Last week it was fantastic. The car-park empty, the peak commuter trains almost empty and a chance to have a seat all the way with no one next to you. A bit of a squeeze in the evening as the parents taking advantage of the kids travelling for £1 filled the trains and the seats. Luxury. Today, the big return. So after yesterday when there were n trains at all on our line the reward was chaos....

Super Oldham... I have been looking forward to this game since the draw. Another away game in the south. Not as nearby as the last round in Maidstone, but in London. Usually when you are drawn against a team 59 places above in the pyramid you think the worst. But on NYD our other team, Arsenal, hammered them 4-1. So we thought there could be an upset. Fulham are 19th out of 20 in the Premier League and as a result they must see that as more important than a cup run. So they played a weakened team. With 8 minutes to go before kick off the Oldham fans, numbering about 3800, were in full voice. The home fans seemed somewhat sluggish arriving in their seats. Although Fulham where the better team they didn't bother Iversen in the Latics goal at all in the first half. Latics had a few half chances and with more composure may have taken one. The second half started pretty much the same but the home side were more clinical and dangerous. A little mix up and Odoi scored. 😨...

Update on: Honda, BMW, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Harley Davidson, KTM, Lexmoto, Aprilia, Husqvarna, Moto Guzzi, Piaggio, Royal Enfield, Triumph, Norton, Gilera, Vespa. The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has been working to exempt as many motorcycles as possible from the high Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) charges being introduced in London in April 2019. In a series of releases, MAG is outlining the progressmade with manufacturers in helping you to avoid charges, by proving your motorcycle is compliant with the emissions levels that have been set. Following a productive meeting with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, regarding motorcycles in the Capital, MAG is engaged in seeking information from manufacturers which will help you secure an exemption for your motorcycle.  MAG’s Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Lembit Öpik, explains: ‘we have agreed with the Mayor that those motorcycles which achieve the emissions standards set for the ULEZ charge should be exempt....

In a bit of a stall point at the moment as Else is not replying to my email nor my Messenger posts.  He gave me a price to do the reshape and I bought a secondhand rear seat to get it done. I emailed last week to see and he posted on FB that his daughter was ill and so he was not working until the new year. I might have to see if there is someone else to do the job instead. I wasn't in a hurry back in October when I kicked this off but as we head into the new year I want to get it booked in and done in time for the better weather when Claire will feel comfortable enough to get on the back. Let's see how it goes and I will start looking for other places to get the job done.

My brother, Neill, and I have been looking at this since the autumn.  By the time we thought of it, the hotels near to the circuit had gone up astronomically and were mostly booked up.  There are a few in the £150 to £350 a night category. So I had to expand the search outwards and to cut down the journey on the way there to the north of Le Mans.  Gradually the search area had to be increased up to 60kms radius. I have a booking with booking.com at a hotel just to the north of Alençon, breakfast included.  It's not far from the F1 hotel we stayed in back in 2012.  That seems to have disappeared from the booking's site.  The nearby Campanile where we ate is a lot more expensive and doesn't come with included breakfast.   I do like the Campanile idea though and Claire and I stay in them quite regularly when we are away even when we have Reggie with us.  But at over £40 a night more it might not be worth the change. How to get there? ...

It's that time of year again when Pepé has to go and have his annual check-up to see that he is road worthy.   One of the reasons why despite rubbish weather I hauled him out of the cold garage yesterday and into the winter sunshine. At least there's not as much salt and grit laid down by the road authorities at the moment. I hate to have to wash it off after a ride!! Pepé is booked into Laguna on the last Saturday of the month, so a few weeks to keep him roadworthy!    January 26th. Firmly in the diary.