¡InvictaMoto!

MAG activists in London are campaigning to save big money for  motorcyclists in Lewisham.  Proposed motorcycle parking charges were set  to be the same as those for cars.  MAG activists rallied support from  Lewisham's motorcyclists and worked with the Council to dramatically  revise the proposed charges. Lewisham Council first proposed a new parking charge structure in the  summer of 2019.  They claimed the need to tackle air quality as the  principle justification for the charging regime.  The consultation said  that the proposals would "ensure that low emission vehicle owners will  see charges reduce, while those who own the most polluting vehicles will  pay the most." The charging scheme would have seen motorcyclists paying up to £3.50 per  hour for short-stay parking. Residents with motorcycles would have been  shelling out up to £125 for a resident's permit.  Additionally, riders  using their bike...

After all the hassle I had with the Kappa KAF3105 I thought I might have given up. Then I saw an advert on Google for a company in Sweden that sells to the UK. Xlmoto. So I took a punt and bought the Givi AF3105 Airflow for the same sort of cash as the Kappa from M&P. That's £87.65p. It's due sometime around the 14th February. 

With the December mileages finally updated on the website I have moved up! I am now 106th. Woo!

This jacket goes on and on. It's still waterproof and has never been retreated since new. There is some fading on the back and shoulders but it's still not that bad looking. More maroon than black now! What has deteriorated though, is the elasticity of the cuffs. Even with the poppers on the smallest/tightest fitting they are a little loose. I can still get them inside my gloves but after a while with shorter gloves I get air coming in. If you click on the "Frank Thomas Aqua Anti-Freeze" label you can see the very first post... And the date it was published. 18th June 2008!!! Not bad value for a £99.99 jacket?

Today after the usual shopping trips etc it was sunny and warm so I thought I'd get out on Vera. Togged up in my "winter gear" of FT Aqua jacket and ARMR Haro trousers.  I set off on the A259. It's one road from by my house to Rye.  Overtook a few cars. One bloke doing a max of 30mph, hazards flashing, no doubt coaxing a car home with a problem. But at the head of a 30 queue that couldn't pass on ordinary A road. No problems for Vera. Then I had a detour to scope out Jo's Café for a possible future Meldrews breakfast ride out. Looked okay although the parking looked iffy for bikes. At the time there seemed to be no one near it, although I could smell bacon. Then into Rye to park at the biker parking by the dock. After a coffee I decided to ride back as the sun had been replaced with a thick grey cloud. The wind picked up too making it chilly. I paired the LS2 Metro with my phone and hoped that Google Map directions would come into my ears. It didn...

Okay. Not far. I had intended just a ride around after lunch. Despite temperatures in single figures the sun was out and with it actually on you, it felt okay. I togged up in my current "winter ensemble" of Oxford base layer, wool v-neck jumper, thicker jumper, FT Aqua jacket on upper body topped off with a Buff. Lowers taken care of with the ARMR trousers and TCX boots. I was warm as I hauled Vera from the cold reaches of the garage. I decided to wear the LS2 Metro helmet and Spada gloves. No sunglasses, as the sun would be over my right shoulder as long as it stayed out. If needed the helmet has a drop-down sun visor. I set the Yamaha My Ride app on my phone and set off. I only got as far as Hythe before the ambulance flashing lights up ahead signalled delays on the road. I worked my way past stationary traffic and a loop to come back on the A259 coast road further east of the town centre.  I decided on Dover and then set off through Shornecliffe to Cheriton. More traffic. ...

The second and final payment was paid to the cottage owners and I received the confirmation and directions on how to find the farm and the converted barn we are going to stay in. I had a look on Google Maps and although the pub is easy enough to find, the farm isn't. It says that it is next to the pub car-park.  The pub car-park is on both sides of the road, called Main Street. Main Street looks more like Main Very Narrow Dead End Street. We have to call the owner a few days before we have to go and I'll do that on the Monday of the week we are there from the Wednesday late afternoon. Still we are going to have to keep our fingers crossed that the weather doesn't get too shitty!

As today was actually a in the low teens temperature wise we decided to get out to Sissinghurst and I could walk the dog, and Claire could pop into the garden to see what was happening - plant-wise. In the end there wasn't much but there are signs that the crocuses will be out n the next couple of weeks.  One of the success stories is that the path around the outside of the "moat" have been laid with hard core and graded. More for the needs of the estate's farm vehicles than us dog walkers. Still it means we don't end up in the mud or having to negotiate huge puddles. The photos abouve were taken on the Sony Cybershot before the battery ran out and I moved to my Moto G50 phone instead!

I have finally succumbed and joined the green welly brigade.  I know.  It's all very middle class of me. Next I'll be buying baggy brown cord trousers and a green Barbour jacket! I already have a tweed cap! After being nagged constantly for avoiding mud even though sporting waterproof walking boots I decided that I might as well spoend a few quid. I opted for Regatta Rivington Boots in green. The de-rigeur strap affair on the side of the calf should cater for my fat legs with my brown cords tucked in. Or at least my jeans until I get the country man's cords! These will come in handy on the family staycation to the Peak District in a month's time. In fast, in a month today we'll be on our way back. Walking the trails and no doubt there will be mud. Got the boots, need the bag to stop them muddying up the car?

Arrived today. Opened them up. They are much more trendily faded on the thighs than I was expecting but hey ho! I tried them on. Reasonable fit for fat arse bloke with smaller waist than would be in proportion!  Came with fitted knee and hip armour. Plenty of Kevlar from knee to waist. Only lower leg plain denim. One early remark, they are a little lower on the hips than I like on the bike. I feel safer with my two inch leather belt keeping trousers higher up. See how they go on the bike ...

ARMR Kyoto KEVLAR® Lined Black Straight Leg Riding Jeans. I seem to have become a bit of an ARMR groupie. From waterproof overtrousers to boots and now KEVLAR® lined jeans. I wanted a lighter "summer" pair as my existing pair of KEVLAR® cargo pants are beginning to look very tatty and the Oggie 76 with their button fly are way too big.. Yes. I've only shed a tad under 2 stones (28lbs) but they are way too big. So much so I can pull them down without undoing them! Dangerous in a tumble and slide. I have a pair of Hood Jeans . These are far thicker and heavy duty and I bought them about a year ago. I wore them a few times last year and they need "wearing in". So when the Fat Skeleton shop's email arrived announcing their reductions I bought a pair. Still with 44" waist though. Why? Even as a tall thin yoof I had trouble getting off the peg suits for work as my thighs and arse were always bigger than was right for my waist. So eith...

https://invictamoto-aragon-2022.blogspot.com/2021/11/how-to-get-there.html Only one option now unless I want to go a whole weekend before the racing as there are no ferries to Spain from the UK in the midweek. Not from Portsmouth and I don't fancy rising to Plymouth! It would take all day on our shitty roads to get there. So ride there and ride back it is.

What started off as a nice sunny day saw the weather start to change and a very dark cloud descend on us. Accompanied by a freezing wind.  The gauge in the car showed 5°C when we set off from home. It brightened up a bit as we drove the 25 miles or so to Rye and then around to Rye Harbour and the nature reserve. The path from the car park is nicely paved right to the beach at the end.  About halfway along is the discovery centre with a café.  The outward walk was done in quite warm sunshine. By the time we had decided to walk back and get a coffee, the dark skies were almost over head. I took a photo of the red roofed former fisherman's hut standing in sunshine and the dark cloud almost overtaking us on its way south. The speckled effect on the hut is actually where the black paint has chipped off to show the corrugated iron underneath.... The café was full and so we decided to head back to the car via the loo before it started to rain. In the end it was simply a freezing...

Today was my second day volunteering with the Kent Greyhound Rescue near where I live.  I started on Monday at 8am and spend about four and half hours feeding and playing with the small group of dogs at this location. Today I started a bit later and had the same small group of five to feed. They tend to feed alone.  Mostly because they eat at a tremendous speed and will steal the slower dogs food.  As I am more up to speed with what to do I was finished a bit earlier today. Once I have been doing it a while I'll see if I can start to walk them locally around the area and maybe further afield. . Sam

With there being a lull in planning I decided to buy the Michelin map that covers the area we will be riding through: Michelin 574 Regional España. Computers are really useful for planning and sending those plans to the satnav. In our case it's a TomTom 410. However, I do like to have a wider view of things and the feel of a map. I do like a Michelin Map.  

Today I could take it no longer. Not quite cabin fever as I have been out and about on foot and in the car. But! Today was sunny ☀️ and after taking the Kappa screen to the DPD Pickup shop and to have a walk over the White Cliffs with Claire and Reggie, I needed to get out. Once back I pulled Vera out and looked at the mud and crap covering the bottom half of the bike. A quick ride to Seabrook Garage and £4 in the jet wash later and Vera was nice and clean. The problem though is with it being sunny, it was only 8°C and the water wasn't going to dry too easily. In the end I needed to get out and let the wind blow dry Vera. To that end a quick ride to Stelling Minnis and the Murco petrol station. Cheapest petrol around and although now sadly converted to E10.  Then back home for a late lunch.

It will be going back tomorrow for a refund. Itooks as though the importers have changed and they gave been shoddy. M&P will send me a label and I have to find where DPD have a courier shop that takes parcels into their system. Once back in Swansea I will get a refund. Buggrit. Update - PayPal refund is processed.

Whilst cleaning my boots after a particularly wet and muddy trip out I noticed the the heel on the left boot is starting to pull away from the upper.  Luckily in Hythe we still have a little kiosk that does key cutting and shoe repairs. So in it went today. Back Monday. Despite being almost 8 years old you'd hardly guess that age when looking at them. Unfortunately, recently the gear change patch on the left boot has worn away the top skin but otherwise they are a tight and pretty inflexible pair still!!! Plus the Goretex is 100% waterproof. A worn gear change patch isn't the first time it has happened.  When I bought the original pair in 2013 I had the Triumph Explorer 1200 whose gear change was as soft as an angel's kiss. It wore through on "The Ashes Tour" to Scotland. This time I think it is the Kettle's harder gear change that is the culprit.  It'll cost a fiver to get it fixed and it's worth it as boots are not cheap to replace. Now they I am a p...

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) attended a motorcycle safety roundtable meeting hosted by Transport for London (TFL) today (13th January 2022). Motorcycle fatalities in London have shown a dramatic and welcome drop in 2021.  The reasons for this drop are still unclear, but MAG will be working with TfL to ensure the good news continues. Provisional figures for motorcycle fatalities in 2021 show a dramatic drop by as much as 60%.  The exact figures are still not finalised, but it is clear that 2021 has been the best year on record for motorcycle fatalities.  This record is despite - or perhaps due to continued increases in motorcycling in London. The full explanation for the reduced figures will be hard to find as many factors could be partially responsible for the figures.  MAG is keen to continue with ongoing work to maintain and improve safety for riders in the capital. The Roundtable event was hosted by TfL and attended by Greater London MAG reps, MAG’s political...

Well that was a complete balls-up. DPD delivered the screen in a large cardboard box. After seeing that one of the other V-Strom owners on the FB page had received half of it (!) I wanted to check. No such luck. I only got one part as well.  Marvellous. I called them immediately and was pretty much fobbed off. I will be calling back in the morning to get a label to send it back for a refund. As one of the other Stromers already has. As long as I get my money back I guess it will be okay.

Sadly the Higear Portable Power Washer didn't have the pressure to clean all the crap off the bike. So I am going to hope that there is decent weather to get up to the jet wash at Seabrook Garage and hose it off and use the power brush to  clean the mud away. One the worst is cleaned off I can use my new "detailing polish" on the paint and plastics.

Another use of the money I received in my retirement collection. There's not much left. At least it has been used to buy something that I would have bought. Vera's standard screen is pretty good, but like the old 1150GS I owned (Mr Baloo!) it can be improved on. Current hive thinking on the V-Strom UK site is to replace the standard with the Givi Airflow. Similar to the GS's MRA screen ( https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4281/3482/1600/MRA_002.jpg ) it comes with a fixed lower screen and and adjustable upper screen that varies the height of the screen. However, I saw that the Kappa version of the same screen was selling with a huge discount to clear at M&P Direct. They had stock and so I have ordered one. Fingers crossed that the online order goes through. https://configuratore.kappamoto.com/configura.php?id=43 See what happens. Ordered it on Friday through the M&P website and waiting to see when they get around to working on it and getting it despatch...

Reggie and I did our bit last month and earned a piffling £40. Any they thanked us. Thank you for taking part in the Santa Paws: 12 Jogs of Christmas Challenge to raise money to help deaf people to leave loneliness behind and reconnect with life. Over 400 of you took part and together you have raised an incredible £22,000. This will fund the training of more amazing hearing dogs and provide life-changing services for anyone with hearing loss, such as support groups and our helpdesk. You ran a huge variety of distances, some of you in the most amazing costumes – from Santa to penguins, and even a Christmas Turkey! And your dogs looked absolutely amazing in their bandanas! The money you have raised by taking part will directly change deaf people's lives.  

The baffles arrived today. As it was only 2°C today I decided that they could stay in the box until it is warm enough the get out in the garage. Another delivery in the post was a pair of rubber pillows that fit at the front of the petrol tank to stop the fuel tank getting the paint chipped by the flap over fuel cap. These vary in price on eBay. I paid £6.80 for two but there are others can be as much as £15 each! These are from Suzukiexpert in north London.

I have decided whilst I have a few quid from my leaving collection when I retired that I would invest in new baffles for Suzi. Whilst they are available I thought I would invest. Whether I use them or not immediately they are in the garage. These are made by Delkevic and their web page says they are suitable for the standard pipes. We'll see! https://delkevic.co.uk/baffle-for-suzuki-gt750-74-78-upper-silencer-exhaust-baffle-db-killer-fits-oem.html https://delkevic.co.uk/baffle-for-suzuki-gt750-74-78-lower-silencer-exhaust-baffle-db-killer-fits-oem.html