Cheeky midweek skive

 The weather has been good this week (for January in the normally frozen North) So I took a wee break from the garage to get out on the bike, Sun was shining and the world looked pretty good in my eyes, all was well!

It has been freezing though (normal in winter in Scotland) and I don't think its about co2 emissions, cows farting or any of the other nonsense being bandied around by the newspapers, politicians or eco idiots, it is what is is! I have been watching Youtube on the days when its been too cold to put the heating on in the garage, have you seen the price of electricity? That stuff that would be almost free when they stopped desecrating our landscape (and seas) with the giant behemoths that litter our favourite views, funny it isn't cheap at all and the only people that are making money are the electric companies and the CEO's that rule over us plus the politicians on all sides who are comfortable on their jobs in easy street! Actually this wasn't meant to be a rant, sorry.

A youtube rant instead, whist I enjoy some stuff on U Tube I cant help but feel many of the "World" travelers or even people who are going to Comrie for a Chippy can't do it without a plethora of cameras getting every road angle audio devices to capture whatever nonsense that is coming out of their mouth, to be fair I really enjoy some content but I do feel that being a youtuber isn't a Job and posting all the time just to get views (and I assume money) leads to crap content from people you wouldn't want to have a pint with. Spoiler alert, I post stuff so I can remember where I've been and for the entertainment or otherwise of my friends not so I can make money or become famous. I think a lot of people have lost the enjoyment of just getting out on their bike for a run.

Anyway, like subscribe and comment because it really helps the channel (Joke, dinnae bother)    

See you all on the road, give me a wave!

Chasing shadows?

The Sma Glen looking braw

Motorbike picture

Rumbling bridge, very impressive, I should have video'd it and put it on Youtube :-) 

Bike at rest in the trees!

More wobbling around

 We managed out last Saturday and Sunday despite the cold, luckily we have heated jackets which makes temperatures hovering around 0 degrees bearable, I have to say the heated clothing has done more to increase my enjoyment of cold weather riding that any other clothing breakthrough. Of course I remember riding around with just a leather jacket and a woolly jumper and jeans in decades gone by but do I miss that nostalgia, not in your life! I have many stories from these days of being so miserable on the bike because of the cold I almost took the bus! (Obviously thats not quite true because I'd rather walk than take the bus and I was never a fan of walking!) I think the heated clothing makes winter riding safer, we used to have to wear so many layers that you couldn't move your neck and obviously heated grips reduce the frozen hand syndrome a bit so it is possible to operate the the clutch and more importantly the brakes!

Maybe I'm getting soft but who cares I'm still out there doing it, If I was really soft I'd have moved to a more temperate climate years earlier. (It's not off the agenda yet!) Even the workshop has been difficult, when its so cold it takes two or three times as long to do anything hence the Commando still isn't finished. My Workshop is very well insulated but the problem is when its 0 degrees it take  a couple of hours to build up the heat to an acceptable level but of course I'm reluctant to give the energy companies more money than necessary. Next year I will experiment with a Chinese diesel heater so instead of giving Dick Turpin Electric and Gas Robbers extra cash I will instead boost the profits of the petrol Robbers, but in a way I will feel like I am winning by burning Diesel rather than "Clean electric" all because of those cretins in power trying to look good with their "Green Agenda" and making clean "free electric" so bloody expensive.

On a good note the little BMW's are consistently returning 70mpg, so we are doing a bit for the environment.....Honest! 

Saturday breakfast at Rait and the long way home

Sunday, Loch Earn

For nostalgia we stopped at the old drum up spot at the side of the loch

Weird to think I was drinking tea here Decades ago

Bikes at rest

Snow on the hills!

Dip into the past

 Ok so I was happy to see the sun today and feel some warmth on my face, hopefully the good weather is coming (apart from next week which is meant to be freezing!) 

Work continues on the MK3 Commando and it is more together than it was last week which is great! More bits had to be ordered which is not so great (apart from the Norton spares sellers)

I had a look at some older photos and pulled a handful out to cheer myself up, these are from Nepal (Hopefully no Dahl for tea tonight!)

Waiting to enter the Mustang valley!

Looking pensive!

Annapurna mountain range

Nervous smile from Fiona

Thank god thats over grin from Fiona

The end of a very hard day!

Thankfully stopped when the rain started

First joint ride out in 2023

 So at last the first weekend into the new year we both got out for a wee ride in Perthshire, the snow has all but melted and the temperature stayed above 5 degrees C. To be honest and I have said it before, not getting out on the bike  affects my health, I need the feeling of being out there and being part of nature to feel alive. This time of year it is cold but at times you can feel a slight warmth in the sun when it breaks through, Motorcycling is good for you!

We went through Glenalmond where we still had to watch for slippy parts and through the sma glen, the sun only touches the tops of the hills at this time of year at the bridge but in the wider open spaces it gets through to the road, up towards Aberfeldy, the road getting wintry at the climb to the "Norton" lay-by at the top. The lay-by was still covered in snow and ice so any impromptu meetings will have to be somewhere else for a while. We got into Aberfeldy and on route spotted two other bikes just below the log place, we gave them a cheery wave, some other people are as mad as us. 

To Kenmore where we unexpectedly met up with Geoff Mumford who was in the van, we sheltered in the van for half an hour to get a heat up and then continued to Fearnan and Fortingall to Coshieville before heading back through Aberfeldy and repeating the run home. I stopped to speak to the guy who was still at the Logging place to make sure he was ok, transpired the valve had blown out of the back tyre of his ZZR1400 and the tyre was understandably flat,I reckon he had a lucky escape,I dread to think what would have happened if he had been pushing on, he was waiting for the AA to get him to a tyre place, he looked freezing, I reckon he must have been there at least 2 1/2 hours.

Luckily we had no excitement other than a braw run home, bikes recharged and brain recharged, ye canny whack it!

Snow in the hills, the ZZR guy was stranded just 500 metres past here

Loch Tay, breezy and windy

Sun was oot, Horses and their modern day counterparts enjoying the day

A Wee test

Getting organised for springtime and for new adventures, I tried blogging from my phone before but the software was a bit scratchy so I thought I'd look again in 2023 and see if it's improved. Here goes, some random photos from last year and of course Happy New Year to you all!

Moto Guzzi art 

our new Yamaha

Norton waiting for a ferry

Norton rebuild 

Camping February