¡InvictaMoto!

The one that I bought about 18 months ago for the Autoquest 175 was really good for the manual gearbox motorhome.  The pedal lock fitted over the clutch and the brake. The "experts" on Facebook and other groups poo-poo the idea as they say that the thief will simply chop the pedals off and drive on the stubs.  Maybe. But the longer you slow the scum down the better? Of course a professional thief will take whatever and whenever. So with that in mind I decided to get one that fits the two pedal automatic Ducato that our Malibu is built from.  This fits over both pedals. The manual model could only go over the brake and the rest was idle at the side and could be twisted to give some braking. This one is a very firm fit with no play at all. It fits easily enough and comes in a bag for when not in use.  For under £70 all-in it gives peace of mind.

After trying several times to login and getting weird error returned at HTML, I finally got logged in and kicked it off. The time and date clearly visible.  I have never once downloaded and installed the upgrade to my TomTom without it falling over and having to be restarted.  Let's see how it works this time now that I am documenting it! So this time it only failed once.  At 6% updating it lost connection with the device. Except the device screen says it is connected to the laptop! When it restarts it goes back to downloading from the TomTom site. The device came up to say the update was commpleted but whern I go back to the laptop it's updating! Again? The same one? This is a crap system.   Finally at 17:24 it finished!   Hurrah!

Yes. Me and Suzi Triplo in Austria on the way to the Wasserbüffel Club Treffen at Schloss Moosham. Sadly this event ceased to exist some years ago.

The gloves were in the top box for months and with it being so cold they were pretty unwearable. They have been indoors for a few days now and they aren't as cold inside. With the weather being in the region of 3°C for most of the last few months it's not as though I will be out on the bike for a while. All these gloves are getting on a bit, much like all my kit!!!

I have been looking at places to go again. Apart from the Shuttle booking and one campsite for the first night we are away, Ardennen Camping Bertix , I have not planned anything yet. This doesn't mean that over the next four months before we set off that this won't change!  Of course! The current idea is still basically what I had looked at before.  From the Ardennes through Luxembourg, where I hope they still have cheaper fuel (!) into Germany and the Black Forest with an overnight stay in Bühl.  It's close to Baden Baden . The original plan was to do the Alsace Tour and this could be a good starting point for crossing into France near Strasbourg. Reggie is getting older and he is definitely not a towny kind of  dog and so many places may see us leaving him to sleep in the van whilst we venture out. He doesn't really like traffic all that much!! Admittedly, neither do I go out for a walk. Hopefully, once on the Alsace Tour there will be plenty of open spaces t...

I ended the original post with " I wonder how long this jacket will last?". Well it is still going... The cuff elastic has lost the elasticity and as long as the gloves are covering it's okay. The jacket it still waterproof. https://invictamoto.blogspot.com/2008/06/new-jacket.html

It's almost Meldrew's Sunday again.  I need to look for the quilted lining as it will be freezing again.  I did a click on the tags and the last time I mentioned this was 2023! So at least then I knew where the lining was!!! http://invictamoto.blogspot.com/2023/02/meldrews-sunday-feb-23.html This Sunday we will meet at the RAF Café at Manston Aiport. 

 

Today I started Vera Strom for the first time since December. In fact early December. As expected the battery didn't quite have enough puff in it to start the engine. Not quite enough the turn it over. The starter motor just clicking. With the dbPower unit connected she wheezed over a few times. The fuel pump priming a little longer than usual. The Suzuki is fitted with an interlock that means in neutral the clutch doesn't need engaging to start. Not today. Clutch in and it fires 🔥 up in the end. The other expected problem was the FI code on the dash. This happens all the time when the bike isn't used for a while. Three stop/starts and it clears itself. This time no exception. I taxed Vera again from February 1st and so need to get out and about more than usual.  I have become such a fair weather rider and we go away more often in the campervan. Sunday it should be Meldrews' Sunday and so I need to start looking out my cold weather gear!!!  Today was 2°C (35.5°F) in th...

The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has submitted a bold response to the Government’s Integrated National Transport Strategy call for ideas. The response demands an end to motorcycling’s neglect in transport planning.  MAG is urging the government to recognise motorcycles as a vital part of the UK's transport future. This submission comes at a pivotal moment, following the Department for Transport’s (DfT) admission that "at present, the Government has no policy to encourage greater use of motorcycles." MAG’s response highlights decades of policy failures that have reduced mobility, increased congestion, and ignored air quality benefits. A truly integrated, safe, and efficient transport network must acknowledge motorcycling as a sustainable, flexible, and cost-effective transport solution. Key themes outlined in MAG’s submission include: Embedding Motorcycling into the National Transport Strategy.   Consider motorcycling across all areas of transport planning, including infr...