InvictaMoto's On The Road Again!

Getting a bit serious. Ordered the Kodak Gold as it was the only colour print film available at a decent price anywhere online. Being in lockdown in England means that photographic supplies aren't considered essential.   Although the government bangs on about people's mental health. Surely, being  out locally and using  some or all of your exercise period, allowed by law, and taking photographs is good for the mental health? The ColorPlus was sold out and it way cheaper than all of the competition.  Both are rated ISO 200.  So I bought the Gold .  It was way more expensive.  I registered for an email from   Analogue Wonderland to tell me when the ColorPlus was back in stock and as soon as it became available,  I ordered  some.  At the time of writing there are still stocks available. Once again I bought them from Analogue Wonderland.  I have also added their blog to the lost of blogs I follow.   I'll...

A lane splitting experiment showed ‘disappointing’ results, according to road safety experts, but they see the need for a second, more in-depth experiment. A five-year experiment in 11 French departments, allowing motorcyclists to filter between lanes of slow moving or stopped traffic, will end on Sunday 31 January 2021. Filtering – or lane splitting – will again be prohibited on all French roads from 1 February. The experiment, according to road safety experts, showed ‘disappointing’ results. CEREMA (the Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, Environment, Mobility and Planning), in charge of assessing the experiment, has submitted its  report  to the Interministerial Delegate for Road Safety (DISR). This report shows that the accident of motorized two-wheelers increased by 12% on the roads where the experiment took place, while it decreased by 10% on the other roads of the departments concerned. ‘The filtering by motorized two-wheelers was well accepted by other road user...

 I was reading a blog entry on one of the blogs I follow, "Key West Diary", and the latest post is about crossing the state on US41 -  https://conchscooter.blogspot.com/2021/01/alligator-alley.html It brought a couple of memories of when I did it in 1991 and when Claire and I did it a few years back on route from Punta Gorda to Weston. In December 1991 I was staying with a work colleague and friend, Carole Belcher,  in the south of Miami in Cutler I had the loan of a Kawasaki Z750 twin from her neighbour I only knew as Sgt Steve.  He was in the air force based at Homestead. I had already done a trip to Key West and decided a longer trip to Sarasota to see where my Cavalcade had come from was the next trip.  Remember in 1991 there was no internet. On the Key West trip.... I set off along US41 stopping at various places to check out the Everglades.  One stop was because I saw a large alligator on the opposite side of the water filled ditch.  He...

There is no evidence that the technical state of motorcycles plays a significant role in accidents, but still some members of the European parliament want to periodically inspect every bike in Europe, thinking it will improve road safety. Read on - https://www.femamotorcycling.eu/motorcycle-inspections/

Day 5 - Dali Day Well, it was supposed to be Dali Day. We got up relatively early and breakfasted and then the battle of the GPS' started with both of us trying to make sure our GPS had the best route and could find the centre of Figueres! I led (as usual!) and we opted for a motorway run down into Spain, have the usual coffee break and then go into the Dali Museum. Part 1 accomplished but part two... err never happened. So for the second time we saw the outside and didn't get in. Last time back in 2001 it was closed for lunch, this time the queue to get in was about 300 yards and moving at about a yard every five minutes. It was over 90 degrees in the  Fahrenheit scale and the queue wasn't in the shade at all... Dali Museum & Theatre (N42.16096 E2.57587) Dali Theatre So after a drink outside a bar we buggered off on the next leg of the trip that would take us to Rosas/Roses for lunch and then the coast road back to France and then home. The GPS was set and off we went,...

Day 1 - Motorail Despite scare stories that P&O were charging a supplement on anyone arriving for the wrong boat, either early or late, we had no problems getting an earlier crossing with Steve and Bobby. The mini-group for this tour was Claire and myself on the GS, and Steve and Bobby (S&B) on the FJR1300. Although a Yamaha (!), I have read quite a bit on how this bike is a perfect tourer having luggage capacity as well as the means to get a shift on with its R1 derived engine. Steve has added a Melvyn seat and has changed the OEM panniers for larger Kappa items fitted with a QD kit to let him take it all off the bike, frames as well. Plus a PDA with Tom-Tom GPS software and their intercom. As for our side of things, I had the usual three box BMW luggage and Touratech tank bag. My only new toy was the Quest GPS I bought in June and that I was still getting to terms with. We had nicknamed her "Doris", but the voice she emits is more Joanna Lumley than Barbara Windsor,...

Lesson learned.  Only deal with someone you know.  In the end the report I filed with eBay last week resulted in a refund of the full amount I paid. What this hasn't achieved is locating my film.  Did they receive it at all?  Did it go missing in the post? Who knows? A simple reply to answer my "Did it arrive?" question and we'd all have been happier. My order would have still been there to use and I might have not asked for a refund. Now I'll never know what photos I had taken all those years ago! As for the camera, I put the Kentmere 400 black and white film in it and will use that over the next few months.  It looks as though we are in this lockdown until March!

With the ancient film removed and sent off for processing I decided to put the Kodak colour film into this one. Black and white in the OM10 and colour here. The film is another sourced from Analogue Wonderland. With lockdown it if difficult getting into shops to buy stuff. The downside is that there is postage to pay. Walking into a camera shop (if you can find one!) would be easier and save that extra expense. This one is a  Kodak Pro Image 100 135/24exp. The IS-10 uses the DX coding to decide what the ISO is for films and so there are no manual settings to be made. Hopefully we'll get a chance to get out and use the cameras whilst still in the lockdown.

She's Coming Home, She's Coming Home, Suzi'ss coming home !! Phil has arranged with a courier to collect it next week and bring it home.  The cost is £120 and it's cash on delivery. Collection on February 4th. Hopefully once they have it they will contact me to tell me when it is going to arrive!   The company is called  Specialised Motorcycle Transport Fingers crossed once again!

There is no better place to test the performance of motorcycles with ABS on gravel roads than Sweden. One fifth of the Swedish road network are gravel roads. Read the full article > http:// femamotorcycling.eu/abs-superior-o n-gravel

That is one of the most asked question on forums and Facebook groups. It usually receives a whole gammut of replies from the sensible to the most sarcastic. Someone asked about perfumed smoke... And I found this stuff. It's rated to a higher standard than the Kettle is used to and was about in the 70's. So I bought some. Yes. I had £5 voucher to use and decided to use it for a bottle of Putoline TT Scooter Strawberry Scented 2 Stroke Oil. I haven't smelled it yet but maybe it will become more popular!!

I had the boy out today for a short ride off the drive to make sure it was all working. Once the Spring comes and lockdown is over I'll be able to get out and about again. It's a shame with half term not that far away that the lockdown will still be with us or it will still be crap weather. After a few months in the cold garage although all the lights work and the clocks do their check, there wasn't enough juice to get it going. A quick connection with the dbPower unit and it started first touch of the button. I let it run up to temperature to check that the fan and everything work.   Although I sorn'd it to save the tax money it is still Mot'd until February.  Nearer the time I'll book it in to get that done. Again, weather dependent. If we had a nice dry day I will get out and five it a deep clean.   The run off the drive was to make sure the ABS switched on and the light went out.  At least there was a strip of dry road that wasn't iced like a skating ri...

With the OM10 project taking the front of stage this part dropped into the wings .. It was sunny today. About 1°C and it was icy. We avoided the snow that other areas had, but instead had sheet ice. This is often called "black ice" as it can't be seen over the road surface. We slip slid across to the canal and I used up the last few shots on this film with scenic shots up the canal and of the Sound Mirror . As I still haven't heard from Stuart Cameras about the other film, this one is going to Max Spielmann. Packed in a small box that the new film came in from Analogue Wonderland , weighed at 78g. Once again under the 100g first class limit. I decided to check at the post office as it was a little larger than a letter and had to add a bit of extra postage.      The address is right. Maybe this one will come back....

Address to a Haggis (Robert Burns) Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o the puddin'-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o' a grace As lang's my arm. The groaning trencher there ye fill, Your hurdies like a distant hill, Your pin wad help to mend a mill In time o need, While thro your pores the dews distil Like amber bead. His knife see rustic Labour dight, An cut you up wi ready slight, Trenching your gushing entrails bright, Like onie ditch; And then, O what a glorious sight, Warm-reekin, rich! Then, horn for horn, they stretch an strive: Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive, Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve Are bent like drums; The auld Guidman, maist like to rive, 'Bethankit' hums. Is there that owre his French ragout, Or olio that wad staw a sow, Or fricassee wad mak her spew Wi perfect scunner, Looks down wi sneering, scornfu view On sic a dinner? Poor devil! see him owre his ...

Getting it back from Phil's once it has been finished is the next logistics problem to look at. Obviously once it is ready to leave the workshop, Phil will want it out of the way so that he can work on other jobs. And rightly so. Talking with fellow "Old SOC" member Stuart and he told me that when his bike came back from a restoration not that long ago, it came back with a professional courier used to moving bikes. I suggested this to Phil as we are currently in lockdown and not supposed to travel. I looked at the costs. Last year Stuart paid about £125 for the job to be done.  That seems a steep but when you consider the costs I incurred taking it to Phil's in August it's about spot on. I had the trailer hire @ £55.00 plus VAT.  The 450 plus mile round trip took us the best part of 12 hours and I that much fuel came out at about £70. On top of that it was all that time in the car and I had to have my brother to ride shotgun to load and unload the bike. Luckily he...

That hurdle has been overcome and Phil has the rust in the tank sorted with a mixture of acid and water.   When the tank has dried out it can go back on the bike and work can continue.  Down the hatch!

Obviously  the easy part of taking photos is to point the camera, maybe focus if the camera doesn't do it for you, and press the button. So far so good. The OM10 Truprint film went off in the post on January to  Stuart Cameras in East London. It was packed into a small padded bag with the printed purchase document from eBay. I weighed it to make sure it was under the 100g limit for first class UK postage. it was 48g inc stamp. The eBay receipt from the purchase as well as PayPal payment has my name and address on it. So where is it?  Who knows? I ordered the results to come back on CD rather than prints? Why? The film has been in the camera part exposed for the best part of 15 years.  I have no idea what is on it at all and so I though prints would be useless especially if the film was no good after all this time in the camera and in the wardrobe. I messaged them through the eBay messaging service to ask if the film had arrived. I did this on the 13th January just t...

Rust in the petcock opening ... things were done and dusted. Then the rust that keeps on giving is revealed!! Phil sorting so he can get it finished and a test ride done. Luckily the fuel tap does have a filter.