InvictaMoto's On The Road Again!

Managed slightly over the 60 miles with the dog, but many more without organised walks. More donations gratefully received  -  https://www.facebook.com/donate/139710528201889/10157803736686744/ Challenge Miles Walked: Total Miles Walked:

Whilst we are away, and Reggie is in the kennels having his holiday,  I thought maybe to extend the trip a few days and take in a bit of the culture etc that the Netherlands has to offer. I have planned the way "up" to the bulb fields that will island hop across Zeeland but I haven't planned anything for the return journey.  It looks as though I will be hitting the internet over the next few months to see what there is to see, and planning a visit. The main draw for the trip is the bulb fields and they are obviously only vibrant in April and May. I hope it's not a gamble to go in early May. The main site being the Keukenhof . As I have said before the Juke has the Nissan satnav/gps system fitted. The downside is that only one phone can be connected to Nissan Connect. Claire has already connected to it and so she can plan a destination in Google Maps and sent it to the system. I can't. Seems a bit limiting. So far I have been looking at around Delft for an overnigh...

The last time that England beat the Germans in the finals of a tournament was 1966!  We have turned them over previously but in qualification for World Cups or Euros. I watched the 1966 World Cup Final as a 10yo boy and it was one of the greatest games I had seen to that point. After all when you are a supporter of Oldham Athletic then it wasn't hard. Today though was something else.  Chances from both sides and one monumental cock up from Muller and a couple of excellent saves from Pickford from Havertz and it could have all gone the wrong way. But once Grealish came on it seemed to give Shaw more freedom and it was his cross that was turned in by Sterling.   Later his drive from the halfway line and pass to Grealish, led to another cross and Kane stooped to head in. Up to then Kane hasn't been convincing as our main goal scorer but has done enough now I think to keep his place. We'll enjoy a few beers tonight in celebration. Highlights -...

Okay, not so much dropped as allowed to over balance and be let down as my back and thigh took all the weight.... Don't usually have any problems but somehow I managed to get my feet muddled and Pepé started to go over on the right side. I hopped off as I couldn't keep it up astride and I gently lowered it to the ground on the carpet in the garage.  At one point the whole weight was on my right thigh.   Damage?  Well, when I rode off with the disk lock on and dumped it on the left side at Le Mans in 2019 there was no damage.  Today. Somehow the rear brake pedal has bent up! Just the foot not the whole pedal.  Maybe I am becoming a silly old man and not able to handle these beasts?

I have decided to cut down the number of blogs that I have active at any one time.  I closed Dora the Explorer when I sold the bike back in 2015 although I didn't delete it. It has sat in the background on list of blogs ever since.  The R3R blog was started once I had picked up the Rocket and rather than duplicate stuff, I have imported the contents into here too. Sometimes you have to cut back. Both of them will hang on there, in the background. If anyone wants a read then there they will stay. Suzi Triplo , the Suzuki GT750 blog, will continue 

Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) is today launching a new vision for road safety.  “Welcoming Roads” is an evolution of Vision Zero (VZ).  It promotes safer roads for all road user groups including pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, horse riders and, of course, motorcyclists. Improvements in UK road casualty statistics have stalled. For many years, MAG has voiced significant concerns about elements of the VZ brand.  We support aspects of the VZ approach but believe that the ideological goal of zero casualties falls short of the test of pragmatism.  Our proposal seeks to preserve the successful aspects of VZ whilst shedding unhelpful ‘baggage’. We believe this could break the stagnation currently encountered by the VZ philosophy. MAG has created a manifesto detailing the vision, and is distributing it to road safety professionals and stakeholder groups to generate debate.   We will welcome any offers to help refine and develop the proposal. MAG’s Director of Campa...

The world and his brother must have expected this to go one way.  That the Oranje would batter the Czechs off the field  The Netherlands came into the came with highest goals tally. The Czechs finished third to England in their group. Amazingly the game swung on what was a few short minutes. The Dutch right through on goal, the Czech keeper making a save, the quick ball upfield where De Ligt fumbles under pressure and then deliberately handled the ball. Red card.  A minute later the Czechs were 1-0 up with a header from Holeš.  Schick added a second a little later. After some hesitation in the Dutch midfield and Holeš was onto before getting the box and cutting back to Schick to slot home. I have a soft spot for the ČR since living there in 1992/93. As long as they don't play England.

With the AMRR being cancelled for a second year again and this year not being converted to a "non-attendance rally" it means I have a weekend free again. I look forward to the ride up to Cambridge Services to meet the hundreds of other bikers that want to pay their respects to the men and women of the US Airforce and Army Air Corps that were lost during WW2. It might mean that if the weather is good that I can get out and finish the "Cup of Tea" challenge this weekend.  Since the very hot weather a few weeks ago we have seen "summer finish" with lower temperatures and loads of rain and even thunderstorms.   I have rapidly become a fair weather rider. One other fly in the ointment is that the Kettle " Suzi Triplo " goes into a local shop on Friday to have the carbs cleaned!  It would seem that the pilot jets may be blocked or partially blocked and the bike stalls when on low revs. Pretty annoying after all the work that has been done.   Click on t...

The new season starts today with the first pre-season game and the first live game for what seems like years. The last game I went to was back in October 20 before the lockdowns came along. Today's opponents are Ramsgate FC from north east Kent.

Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes  by  Karin Slaughter My rating: 2 of 5 stars I've really only read the Trent series of books and have enjoyed every one, so I guess I bought this Kindle book as it was also by Karin Slaughter.. I read it all and just when I thought after 77% of the Kindle file that it was about to actually kick off it ended with the main character becoming one of the statistics. I can't decide whether it was that or the 77% of the Kindle file that annoyed me most! The first 76.9999% was pretty boring stuff about her and her family and the clowns at the student paper office.... Would I recommend this to anyone? No. View all my reviews

Changes made as we had already lost players due to Covid.   Two players from Chelsea were in close proximity with one of their teammates in the Scotland squad and this was enough for the Covid alert. Grealish and Saka playing well.  Maybe they should have started other games too? England 1-0 at half time. Sterling goal on 12 minutes. And that's how it ended up. In the other final group game, Scotland managed to get beaten 3-1 by Croatia.  Due to Scottish incompetence the Czechs finished 3rd in the group but qualified for the last 16.

It's hard to think about safe travel across international borders again, at least in the near future. I have been looking into 2022 for both family and bike club trips. At the moment in 2021 I have a week booked in Norfolk with Claire and Reggie the Dog.  Hopefully covid can't f*ck that up. We have been looking at "abroad" and we have a weekday trip booked to the Netherlands to look at tulips. It's quite a short trip with just a midweek at the beginning of May 2022. So. Wipers Times.  A Meldrews run to the Ypres Salient and a visit to the Last Post being played at the Menen Gate.   I have looked for a hotel in the centre and with over a year to the "go date" there are a few to choose from at reasonable prices. Dates so far? 24th June for a weekend. All it needs is a chance to travel again.

Sadly not for me because: Working from home Lashing down with rain

Today's staycation trip was only a short one to the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne near Folkestone. We took the 🐕 with us. Reggie loves new places to sniff and to pee. He has been here before some years ago. One man and his dog..... Originally I was going to call in on the way home from a bike run. Instead I didn't take the bike as I twisted my knee on the shingle on yesterday's walk with Reggie and wasn't confident that I could hold either of the beasts up. We had a walk around and then a coffee and cake. Reggie hoovered up some rabbit poo.... One of his favourite snacks that he ias too quick to stop him getting.... Sea Mist rolling in BoB the dog

After the heatwave and temperatures in the high 20's Centrigrade last week and the subsequent thunderstorms that always follow a heatwave, we finally got out for a couple of long walks today.  Firstly to Folkestone Harbour Arm nd across the former railway bridge to the other side of the harbour. And then later in Hythe and along the beach that fronts the Hythe Ranges. Today is a non-firing day and as the weather was dry and overcast we had a walk along the sea edge. The total mileage today was about 6. Reggie currently laid out asleep. I have some photos to add but I am waiting for them to get uploaded by my phone to Google Photos and then I can add them here.   With Google looking to charge for photo the mantra has to be to upload once and use many times! They will appear here once they get their acts together! Martello Towers - front line defence against Napoleon's invasion. Back to...

After the heatwave and temperatures in the high 20's Centrigrade last week and the subsequent thunderstorms that always follow a heatwave, we finally got out for a couple of long walks today.  Firstly to Folkestone Harbour Arm nd across the former railway bridge to the other side of the harbour. And then later in Hythe and along the beach that fronts the Hythe Ranges. Today is a non-firing day and as the weather was dry and overcast we had a walk along the sea edge. The total mileage today was about 6. Reggie currently laid out asleep. I have some photos to add but I am waiting for them to get uploaded by my phone to Google Photos and then I can add them here.   With Google looking to charge for photo the mantra has to be to upload once and use many times! They will appear here once they get their acts together! Back to  Cancer Research Dog Walk Challenge 2021 . I still need some donations.  The link: ...

The MAG Foundation have funded a new filtering safety video which aims to trial a new safety messaging approach.  Working with the National Young Riders Forum (NYRF) the computer-animated video focuses on how to filter correctly and how drivers can help riders to filter safely.  The approach reinforces messages that filtering is legal and beneficial to all road users. Filtering of motorcycles, scooters, and pedal cycles through congested lanes of motor vehicles is legal, but it can lead to conflict.  The NYRF commissioned a detailed research project on young rider safety. Researchers from Agilysis interviewed young riders aged 16–24 as part of the venture.  One useful insight from young riders showed they wanted drivers to be more aware that filtering is legal. NYRF facilitator, Heidi Duffy, said: “There was a clear message from young riders through our research project. Lecturing them is not always the best thing to do.  Young riders want to feel supported....

As usual I have been refining the trip details long in advance. This means that some plans get cancelled and other replaced in their place. I had thought we might take Reggie with us, but he is getting old and the thought of him in the back of the car, plus the logistics of taking all his gear with us (food etc) is too much for a dog that will be eleven and a half years old. It also means that the costs associated with the pet passport are saved too.   On top of that he is not good in hotels as he is awake all night with every footstep in the hallways. As the kennels we have used,  and that the seems to like, has closed down, we need to look for a new one. Better he stay in one rather than travel. I have changed the hotel we are going to stay in to one that is nearer the Keukenhof and also changed the dates to go a few days later.  Not only did that open up a load more hotels but is also cheaper than the week before! So at the moment we are booked for four nights in ...

Date changed to July 22nd due to the Covid relaxation being put on hold for 4 weeks. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1604648766441662

Suzi booked into Cheriton Motorcycles on July 2nd for a look at the carbs and the tank. I'll see if they can fit an inline filter at the same time. With the classic bike night cancelled from June 24th to July 22nd it means I can have it fixed and maybe feel confident riding on the road. After all the work done on it, it's annoying that something that was curable has caused this problem.

General consensus on the GT750 FB page is that the bogging down and stalling may be to do with the pilot jets being (partially) blocked. If I had been a mechanic I would have done the job of rebuilding the engine and carbs myself and not given them to someone else to work on. And this looks to be the same. I have a couple of small bike shops locally, that hopefully will be open to callers, that I can contact and see if they can take it in and clean the carbs and maybe fit an inline filter. I sloshed the tank out to get rid of any rust and also filtered the fuel through a coffee filter (!) before it went back into the tank.   The tap is brand new and has two new filters fitted and I had hoped that any rust and debris would have been trapped. So that gives me another job to do.   Hopefully I can get to one of them tomorrow and see when they can have a look. Firstly, I need to up the tick over speed and see if that helps with it actually stopping.

Not for us but for Reggie. Nice to have cool feet ..

The plan was to meet Cal and Trevor from the Meldrews at H's. Suzi's battery was flat again and even with the dbPower unit connected there wasn't enough power to start other than with the kickstart. I fitted the old Givi Topbox so that I could take the dbPower with me, just in case, and a hat! Once going it was an easy enough ride to H's taking the A20 to Folkestone and then on the Canterbury road. Tickover still a problem with the throttle rolled off. It drops below a 1000rpm and dies. Luckily the electric start was working. Cal is thinking of trading his F800 in for a Honda Forza scooter. It looks a decent bit of kit with a 350 engine. He says on a test ride it rides pretty well. It does look nice. Kent Motorcycles has two Gold Wings in stock as well. A bit too much for me, weight and price. A tad over £31000!!! I decided to come back via Dover and the A2 and A20/M20 route. Avoiding country lanes and possible gravel and mud strewn surfaces. Luckily Suzi started up but...

Such a terrible thing to see in any sporting arena. Today Christian collapsed during the first half of the game. After being given CPR on the pitch he was taken to hospital. He has been stabilised. Whoever you support we wish him and his family well, and a safe recovery.

I have had this lock for many years. It's mostly been used to stop the Kettle getting stolen from my garage, both in my previous address in Flitwick and here at home  Even when Suzi was a non-runner it was secured in the back of the garage. I was thinking of upping my security and getting another one to use in addition to the old one.  I need to measure to get one the right size. Judging by prices on the internet, another one like this is around £100.

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) have today revealed the headline motorcycle commuter secrets learnt in the Ride To Work Day survey.  MAG have also announced the winner of the prize draw. MAG is delighted by the high response rate to the survey.  In total there were over 780 completed questionnaires submitted. Director of Campaigns and Political Engagement, Colin Brown said:  “The survey results so far give us a partial result, but none the less it is very interesting.  The responses came overwhelmingly from riders of larger machines with full licences.  We thus have more work to do to understand the small bike and learner category. From MCIA figures on motorcycle registrations we can deduce that we are probably only half way to getting the full picture on motorcycle commuters.  We will continue work to fill this gap in our data.” There will be a full analysis of the responses in due course but the headline learnings for experienced riders on larger motorc...

Plan B is the less riding and more riding on a train route to the Rally.  As I have previously posted, the motorail seems very expensive when you look at the fares. Then you add together the fuel costs of riding around 1200 miles, factor in the hotel costs for two or more overnight stops in each direction. It mounts up. The problem with Plan B is when the train to Vienna actually runs. It's also when you can book it. I have emailed in the hope that someone will get back to me and I can start to think about it more seriously. Midweek to midweek would be best for me, but I have the awful feeling it will be weekend to weekend. Watch this space.

"Plan A" is the ride across Europe plan. I expect to be Billy No-Mates on this trip. As I don't know where the rally will be held I have hedged on it being back in Chudčice. It wouldn't take much of a change to the route if it was in Vernirovice. But "Plan A" is the A3 route across Germany So this far in advance I had booked a single room at the Youth Hostel in Hagen in Germany.  This looks pretty decent and is quite cheap. But in the end I cancelled it on booking.com and looked further south towards Frankfurt.  I settled (for now at least!!!) on an area I know quite well and like in the Rheinland.  A hotel in Bingen, Hotel Krone, was booked on the usual free cancellation and no prepayment term. This will give me a longish day in the saddle on the first day. The second night is planned for nearer the Czech border.  Germany is a big country. I have a hotel booked in  Königstein in der Oberpfalz. It's not that expensive for a single room. That will also be...

Beerhawk on the internet. Saves going to the shops and saves going to the pub!   This time they have brought Belgium to my house.

Steak Pie from Gibson's. These are superbly made and taste absolutely fantastic.

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), the UK’s leading voice for riders,  negotiates a new member benefit with Cotswold Outdoor. MAG is pleased to announce that it has recently negotiated a new member  benefit with Cotswold Outdoor.  The discount (terms apply and excludes  electronics) represents a 15% saving on purchases and will be extended not only to Cotswold Outdoor but also to its sister stores Snow & Rock  and Runnersneed. MAG members will be able to obtain a discount code direct from MAG’s  Central Office (email  central-office@mag-uk.org  or call 01926 844 064),  and it can be used both in-store and on-line at:          www.cotswoldoutdoor.com          www.runnersneed.com          www.snowandrock.com Members will also be able to sign up to their free Explore More benefits  scheme: visit  https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.co m/explore-more-benefits.html ...

After the problems of last weekend when TomTom decided to have a bit of a loon, I managed to visit only three of the waypoints. So I have had to re-plan for the last four places I need to complete the challenge. Finding U isn't the easiest in Kent. Finding one on a main road is even harder.  Many of the tracks and shitholes I had to go down on Sunday aren't for the Rocket. The last four? I hope!!

Not to be seen as being anti-cyclist, here's one of a motorcyclist. Yep. Anyone that wears a yellow vest with POLITE on it needs to have their bike taken from them and watch it crushed!

  In the build up to Ride To Work Day 2021 the Motorcycle Action Group  (MAG) are running a survey to find out more about who commutes to work  on motorcycles and scooters. And you can enter our prize draw to win a  disc lock. Establishing facts about the demographics of motorcycle and scooter  commuters is vital. But Department for Transport (DfT) National Travel  Survey statistics are vague. MAG is determined to enrich understanding  of what type of person rides to work. We don’t just peer through the  visor: MAG's survey will remove the crash helmet of obscurity so that  the rider can emerge. MAG’s Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, said:  “We know that wearing riding gear creates anonymity for riders.  When  other road users see us riding to work, they often assume we are all  young and male. I am sure that there is a diverse group of riders  sharing the commute with me.  Riding to...

Well that didn't work out as I expected.  The TomTom satnav/GPS had a wobbler and so I only managed P, O and E before calling it a day. I need to connect it and delete the routes it thinks it has and update the one that I will amend on MyRouteApp. The E wasn't the one I was expecting.  That both village signs were in quite dangerous areas meant a stop wasn't very clever. Some of the roads TomTom chose would be difficult on a DR trail bike. But we managed it in the end. P - Peene Railway Museum O - Ottinge Court Farm E - Eythorne Maybe a POE challenge! In the end the stats were:

What we call MANILs in UK...