How and Why did you get into Motorbikes?

I have read a few motorcycling blogs recently that I haven't seen before.  With almost all of them, I was left wondering how the authors of those blogs initially got into biking, and why?

This wondering has got the better of me, so I thought I would ask.

Keen to set the ball rolling, I have set out below my reasons.  I would like to know your reasons, so if you want to participate in this, then write something on your own blog about 'How and Why I got into Motorbikes'.  Then, so we can keep track of the responses, please add a comment to this post, with a link to your own post.

Here is my biking background....

I can remember that when I was really young, maybe at around the age of four, that my Father had a motorbike with a sidecar. Rather frustratingly, that is all I can remember of this.

At about the age of 13, I was taken to some motorcycle races and I really enjoyed these.  I went for a couple of seasons and at the time, it was the Yamaha's and Suzuki's that prevailed and I watched the end of the Norton racing decline.  Racers like Giacomo Agostini, Barry Sheene and Kenny Roberts dominated and produced exciting racing.

Money was short in our family as my wonderful mother was raising us four kids on her own.  My father had died when I was 11 years old and as the eldest boy, I felt the need to start working as soon as possible to help out financially. I was sixteen when I left school and got my first job, full time.  The only form of transport I could afford was a pedal cycle and I rode that 13 miles to work and 13 miles home again each day. This kept me fit and I was as thin as a rake back then!

At 17, continuing to ride a bicycle was becoming impractical in all seasons, so I decided to buy a small motorbike (a Honda C90) as a necessity to travel to and from work. I bought a small motorbike because it was the only form of vehicle I could afford and I rode that bike along with its two replacements every day for about five years, in all weathers. Really good gloves and waterproofs were unusual and cost way too much for my limited budget, so I used to suffer really badly with the cold.  Riding in snow is not much fun if you have to because it is the only way to get to work.

Like many others, marriage and children put an end to my early motorcycling days and it wasn't until many years later that I bought my next bike.  Early for a meeting in London, I had about 45 minutes to waste, so I went to see a nearby Harley-Davidson dealer.  I admired the shiny gleaming machines so much that I arranged to rent a Road King for a weekend. Within an hour of riding the bike, I had decided to buy one.  Returning the rental bike saw me ordering one for myself.  That was six years ago and since then, I have thoroughly enjoyed my re-introduction to biking.  I guess I am a born-again biker!

What's your story?

Protest Ride

I don’t often protest. In fact, I cannot remember ever joining a public protest.

I did last Tuesday though because it was about something that I care a lot about – motorbikes!

The European Parliament makes laws that affect all of Europe and sometimes these laws are just plain stupid. It was becoming clear that the law makers were considering draft proposals that could mean home maintenance and the fitting of non-standard parts on motorbikes would not be allowed. If passed, this anti-biking legislation could severely restrict what for some is a common practice. Imagine not being able to modify, say, a Harley-Davidson with different exhaust pipes, or not being able to change the shocks on your sports bike, not being able to maintain the chain, brakes or doing the tuning on your own bike yourself. This proposed legislation is clearly a nonsense, and we needed to do something about this.

Motorcycle News, the weekly UK biking newspaper, had organised a protest ride at the centre of the European Parliament, in Brussels, Belgium. Previous protest rides had taken place in various UK locations, but while these had helped to consolidate feelings in this country, they lacked impact where it really mattered, in Brussels. I was able to attend, so at 4.30am on Tuesday morning my alarm clock rattled me awake and after making coffee for the ride, I hit the road at 5.00am on my way to Belguim.

The ride to the coast at Folkestone was in the dark the whole way. Worse, it was 98 miles of fog that meant keeping the speed down while having to crack on in order to get the bike onto the right Channel Tunnel train to France. I just made it in time and drank my previously made coffee while waiting in line to board the train....

I recognised a fellow rider in the train as we journeyed under the sea and five of us agreed to ride together to Brussels. Stopping for fuel and supplies replenishment, we pressed on riding through France and soon crossed the border into Belgium. Arriving in Brussels caused some confusion as at the last minute, the assembly point was changed and after struggling to find it for a while, we eventually arrived in good time.

A midweek protest ride in late November in another country that meant you would have to take your bike abroad, was never going to attract huge numbers, but we were pleased to see between 150 and 200 bikes had made the journey from the UK.

Me in Brussels with the Leading ladies....

Brief speeches were made by MCN’s Steve Farrell, Motorcycle Action Group’s Ian Mutch, British Motorcyclist’s Federation’s Chris Hodder and MP Mike Weatherley. Red Dwarf actor Danny John-Jules was also there. This is Ian Mutch talking to the assembled bikers.....

The bikes start the protest ride....

I have to say the Belgium police were fantastic. They lead the ride in their vehicles and at every junction and traffic light on the 5 mile route around the city, police stopped all traffic and waved the bikes through.

Here is MCN’s video of the protest....



The bikes arriving outside the European Parliament....

Marta Andreasen, a supportive MEP, talking to some of the bikers....

The bikes rode back to the assembly point before setting off back to the UK. All of the police motorcyclists and those in vans and other vehicles also went back to the assembly area as well. As they left, the protesting bikers spontaneously applauded the police for the great job they had done. The police smiled, waved back and blew their horns in recognition – an unusual and great moment.

The journey back to Calais and the train was uneventful and we arrived in time to get the planned train. I arrived back home at about 8pm having completed 476 miles on the trip.

I will keep you posted regarding what happens with the proposed legislation. Let’s hope these meddling politicians change their minds!

Survey about the future of motorcycles

I was contacted recently to complete a survey about the future of motorcycles, especially in respect of drive trains. Part of some research by Triumph Motorcyles, the survey is about people’s expectations of new motorbikes, so that it can help Triumph to specify the next generation of bikes.

Tim, the guy doing the survey said “This is an opportunity to let your opinions reach the people who actually make the big decision on future motorcycle models so please make the most of it! We would appreciate it if you could forward this on to as many other fellow riders as possible.”

If you want to take part in this anonymous survey, here is the link.

Feel free to re-post this on your own blog.

For those that don't know how do it manually

I recently changed the name of my blog and some of you have noticed the link from you own blog back to mine is still called USA Tour on a Harley-Davidson.

I assumed that these links back to my blog would automatically update to the new name somehow, but they don’t. You have to change it manually on your own blog and I have noticed that many of you have already done that in your own blog so the link to mine reads correctly. Thank you for doing that.

If you don’t know how to do make this change manually, here is how you do that, assuming you are using Blogger....

You know where you add a new link to your blog list? That is also where you change the name of a blog on your list

It is in your dashboard (which is also called Design, depending on which version of Blogger you are using), go there and click on ‘Layout’ (which again depending on the version of Blogger, may be in a drop-down menu) and this takes you to how you have laid out the various elements of your own blog page. On that layout page, find whatever you have called your blog list – some may call it, ‘The Blogs I Read’, ‘Blogs of Interest’, or something like that. Click on edit and that takes you to where you add new blogs to that list.

Next to the names of the existing blogs, you can edit or remove the existing blogs on your list. Find ‘USA Tour on a Harley-Davidson’ and rename it to “Flies in your Teeth”. Then click on Save to close the box and then it’s all done.

Many have already done this, so try it. I will be checking up on you to see if you have successfully changed the name!

We went to lay a wreath

Each year on Remembrance Sunday, the H-D dealer I use, Warr’s, organises a ride out to honour the war dead.

I had never been before, so I thought it about time I did.

That was last Sunday and we were blessed with a warm and sunny autumn day.  About 35 bikes had arrived at Warr’s for the ride.  As usual with most H-D ride outs, there was the obligatory pre-ride safety briefing beforehand and unlike the last ride out, I was there in plenty of time to get a cup of coffee and to listen to the briefing before we left.

If you have never been on a H-D ride out before, it is an impressive sight.  By some standards, this was not a large gathering, but 35 Harley-Davidsons riding along any road is an impressive sight and it turns many heads. Lead by Scottie, we rumbled through the busy roads of south-west London and some waved to about the same number of scooters heading in the other direction as they rode into the capital for what was probably a scooter meeting of some sort.  The familiar smell of two-stroke engine exhaust wafted through the air, reminding some of us of our earlier riding years.

Soon, we reached the leafy scenic lanes of Surrey and encountered some slippery steep downhill roads that needed more attention than usual.  I was riding three bikes back behind a guy I didn’t recognise and he was being more careful than most as he made his way through the twisting winding roads and his slightly slower pace meant we were falling back from the main group a little, not that this mattered.  It wasn’t until later I discovered he had only taken his bike test three weeks earlier and this was one of his first long-ish rides, so my full admiration goes to him!

We stopped for a break and a coffee at a place called Forest Green and re-assembled for the traditional two minutes of silence at exactly 11am to remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow countrymen.  We bowed our heads and stood still as a mark of respect of those soldiers from around the world that fought on behalf of others.

11am is the time chosen in many parts of the world to remember the war dead as it was the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918 that the Armistice signed between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne in France,  took effect to formally cease the hostilities of World War I.  Remembrance Sunday has of course gone on to remember the war dead from all wars, not only WWI.

The ride continued to Elstead where there is a small war memorial and we laid a wreath.  Our group of 35 or so were from many different nationalities as so it was appropriate that a few words were said that we should remember the dead from all countries.

Nearby is the Mill at Elstead, a pub and restaurant , where we stopped for lunch of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Marvelous!

Wikipedia tells me that Elstead Mill, was occupied by Oliver Cromwell’s ‘roundhead’ army during the English Civil War of 1642-1651, but subsequently burnt down. The present structure is therefore thought to date back to the 17th century.  The river flows through the mill at can be seen from inside the building.

We broke up as a group and made our own way back from there and as I rode, I thought about what a good day it had been.  I promised myself I would go on the same Warr’s ride next year.  After arriving home, it didn’t take me long to fall asleep on the sofa....

Time for a Change

When I started this blog, I gave it a very specific name to reflect the tour of the USA I was about to undertake. Now that that trip is well and truly over, the title long longer fits, so it is time for a change.

I hope you like the new title.

The Seven Day Challenge

Trobairitz threw down a challenge to fellow Bloggers.

“If you had unlimited funds and could have one bike for every day of the week, what bikes would you choose? Please do a blog post listing which bike you would choose for which day of the week and why”.

As a biking Blogger, how could I resist this? The simple answer is, I couldn’t. Here is my list....

Monday

I would have to start the week with what is probably the bike that started this bug of motorcycling for me. As a kid, I used to go watch motorcycling at a race circuit called Brands Hatch and the single rider that made the most impression on me was Barry Sheene. I idolised this guy with his outstanding riding style, long hair, good looks and a seemingly endless supply of beautiful women by his side. The bike I remember watching him ride the most and the bike he won his two 500cc World Championships on was a Heron-Suzuki like the one in the picture below. I would love to own this bike and would ride it every Monday in honour of my early-age hero, Barry Sheene....

Tuesday

On a Tuesday, I would like to pay homage to a guy called Larry Desmedt. Like many, he became interested in motorcycles at an early age. His early life was full of trouble and after being convicted of bank robbery and spending time in prison, he turned his life around by concentrating on building motorcycles. Indian Larry as he became known crafted some of the most beautiful custom motorcycles the world has ever seen. Larger than life itself, Indian Larry was a true master of building bikes. His talents are sorely missed by all in the custom bike industry. This is one of his wonderful bikes, which I would love to own and would cherish every Tuesday....

Wednesday

On a Wednesday, I would look to the past and want to ride a Brough Superior SS100. Just 3048 Superiors were made between 1919 to 1940 and about 1000 still exist today. Each individual SS100 bike was test ridden to more than 100mph before delivery. Lawrence of Arabia owned seven of these bikes and died from injuries sustained while crashing one, and one of the doctors attending him was so affected by the incident he began a long study of what he saw as the unnecessary loss of life by motorcycle riders. His research led to the use of crash helmets. I have seen four Brough Superiors in one collection and I would definately want one as part of my seven day rides....

Thursday

By Thursday, I would want to move away from nostalgia and have some fun. I have never owned a dirt bike, but I would want one. I don’t know much about them and have no preference regarding which make or model, so I chose one at random from the web. I am sure one of my biking buddies would teach me the finer points of riding one....

Friday

Each Friday, I would look at my bikes and wonder what to ride just before the weekend. Because it carried me around the USA without complaint or problem, I would have to keep my 2006 Harley-Davidson Road King called the Leading Ladies and ride this bike each Friday to celebrate that once in a lifetime ride of 20,000 miles in such a great country....

Saturday

Saturday is a day to ride and be seen, so having an eye catching bike would be my Saturday choice. For me, it would have to be a custom bike and I would want to combine a classic bike from the past with the modern styling of today. I have admired the work of California based bike builder Matt Hotch and last year he produced a custom bike with a Vincent Black Shadow engine. The bike is a stunning collaboration of old and new and I can see myself cruising through London on the bike on a Saturday evening. How cool is this bike.....

Sunday

I have saved the best until last, for this bike combines my two true motorcycling loves – touring and customs.  It is a bike that will allow me to go touring on a true custom bike.  The trouble is, I cannot show you a picture yet, because building it has only just started. You will have to wait until the Spring to see what it looks like....

Okay, that is only six bikes really, so here goes with my seventh, until my new custom tourer is ready.  I would go for the MV Augusta F4 Corse because it is the sexiest bike I think I have ever seen.  This is pure art....

Great idea, Trob!

Is winter a problem for bikers? I love it.

For those of us in more northerly places, the onset of winter normally brings the blues. The weather we have enjoyed in the summer and autumn slips away and the rain, cold and even snow and frost appear. 　Once the clocks go back and darkness falls ridiculously early, we tend to put our bikes away until the spring. 　We tend to miss our motorcycling passion and a mild form of depression normally sets in.

Not for me!

I love this time of year!

That is because It is around now I am planning my rides for the following year.  This is what I have planned so far....

10 days riding around Cuba in February. 　I cannot wait to see all the old cars and motorbikes in this very unusual country.

In May, I will be returning to St. Tropez for the Harley-Davidson Euro Festival. Jackie and I will be driving in a car (our Cobra) on our way to take the car all the way back to southern Spain from London and we will be stopping in St. Tropez in southern France on the way.  I will be shipping a bike to St. Tropez to use while we are there.

In June, four of us will be getting. Ferry from England to northern Spain and the riding our custom bikes about 900 miles to Cascais in southern Portugal for the main H-D European Rally, then back again. 　My son Charlie will be joining us on that ride along with friends Paul (who joined me for part of my USA tour last year) and Ian who I went to Croatia with.

At some stage I want to ride to St. Petersburg in Russia, but that might have to wait until 2013.

Planning these trips is great fun and keeps me sane at this time of year. It does however drive Jackie a little crazy as our office is often covered in maps and books and other stuff needed for road trip planning.

Is anyone else planning for next year already?

My son gets a cool bike

My eldest son, Charles (or Charlie as he likes to be called) used to ride small motorbikes, but as he never took his motorcycle test, these were limited in size to under 125cc. He stopped riding them a few years ago and has recently shown a revived new interest in bikes.

I recently told him that it would be good if he could come on some rides with me, but this would mean having to take his bike test in order to get a decent sized bike. I made him the rather rash promise that if he took and passed his test, he could ride to Portugal with a few of us next year. He said he would and so far has completed two of the four required parts of the test....

Part 1 – CBT or Compulsory Basic Training. This comprises the basic elements you need to master riding a motorbike. He took this course last week.
Part 2 – The Theory Test. A multiple choice question and answer paper covering the law, safety, road signs, plus a hazard perception test. Charlie took and passed this earlier this week.
Part 3 – Practical Riding Test (module 1) – Off Road. This tests your bike handling skills.
Part 4 – Practical Riding Test (module 2) – On Road. The road riding element of the test.

He is hoping to take both of the practical riding tests by the end of next week.  That will then see him getting a full bike licence and he will then be able to ride any bike.

However, the imminent passing of his motorcycle test presented me with a problem. If Charlie was to ride to Portugal next year, what bike would he ride? Was I prepared to let him take one of my bikes? Hmmn. Maybe. Maybe not. We are of course talking either of my precious Leading Ladies, or gulp, my red custom bike, Tradewinds.

We could rent a bike, but most rental companies require you to be at least 25 years old and have been riding for at least 12 months. Hmmmn. He would meet neither of these requirements.

The third and most likely option was to buy him a bike. That would also prevent him from needing to ask to borrow one of mine. So, I started looking and found a perfect bike for him. A neat looking, customised bobber with a fair degree of style at a reasonable price. A saw it on the Facebook page of a Michael Noble, who runs the customisation side of Guildford Harley-Davidson.  He wasn’t selling it himself, but a friend of his was, but when I called the next day, the bike had been sold just 30 minutes earlier.

Disappointed in missing such a perfect bike for Charlie, two days later I looked on e-Bay and found the very same bike for sale. A dealer had bought it and was re-selling it. I went to see them straight away and after test-riding it, I bought the bike. So, my son is now the proud owner of a very nice Bobber.... As you can see from the first picture, he looks great sitting on the bike and it suits him very well.....

Cool bike, huh?

It is a Harley-Davidson Sportster XLH1200 BOBBER 1200cc, from 1988 (the same year Charlie was born) that has done just 24000 miles. It is green and white and is tastefully Bobbed in traditional 60/70's style, with new whitewalls, new rear shocks, a new battery, new paintwork, keystone bars, a white solo seat and grips, wrapped pipes and is very clean in great condition for a 24 years old bike.  I could only spot a couple of small, easiy fixed problems.

All he has to do now is pass his bike test! If he doesn’t pass, I will keep the bike for myself !!

Good luck, Charlie!

Birthday? Let’s go to Las Vegas!!

Jackie and I just got back from a quick trip to the USA. It was her birthday and on the day before, her daughter’s birthday, so where could we go for a joint birthday celebration? Why, Las Vegas of course!

As it was a family holiday with Jackie and myself, son Jeremy, daughter Mish and her husband Des, along with their son Talon, we rented a house in south Las Vegas and treated ourselves to a week of fun and Oh Boy, did we have some fun!

Never having been to Vegas before, Jeremy seemed to enjoy himself mixing with the locals....

We rented a 1959 Cadillac Convertible, which sadly after just 24 hours developed a huge gas leak. It was great fun driving it around for that first day, although, well lets be polite and just say it was well worn....

I didn’t realise kitty litter was a fantastic way of soaking up leaking fuel! There was so much fuel coming out of the car, the gas station called the fire service!

The house we rented had a putting green in the yard....

Jackie watching the majestic fountains at the Bellagio...

I adore these fountains and could stand there and watch them for hours. Instead, I took a video of one of the shows.....




The Paris hotel, seen from the Bellagio.....

Caesars Palace is a spectacular hotel inside, especially the shopping areas....

Curved escalators, an engineering wonder (as in, I wonder how they work)....

What is this a picture of?.....

I hope you said a parking garage, or something similar. Actually it isn’t, it is a model car shop....

Me, standing in front of the famous Las Vegas sign, holding a headlight that I collected for a pal of mine (you cannot buy these LED headlights in the UK)....

Hoover Dam, with a shadow of the new bridge we were standing on....

We went to see a classic car collection at the Imperial Palace Hotel. I fell in love with this 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible. Some of the cars were for sale and this Bel Air was in immaculate condition although the $145,000 price tag turned as many heads as the car....

Do you remember the film American Graffiti? Richard Dreyfuss played a young guy who fell in love with a mysterious blonde driving a white Ford Thunderbird. Here is a 1957 T-Bird that was for sale at the car collection. I was VERY tempted to buy this car.... it was a truly beautiful car....

Mish wanted to go zip lining on her birthday, so we trooped off to the Nevada mountains and went to Bootleg Canyon. The zip lining was bloody marvellous! Here is a short video....



Of course the main event of the trip was Jackie’s and Mish’s birthdays. Happy birthday girls!.....

We crammed a lot into a week’s trip and I think it is fair to say, everyone had a great time. Now, were shall we go next year....?

Protest Ride in Brussels

Many of my biker buddies will have heard of the crazy European Union draft proposals that could mean home maintenance and the fitting of non-standard parts on motorbikes would not be allowed. 　If passed, this anti-biking legislation could severely restrict what for some is a common practice. 　Imagine not being able to modify, say, a Harley-Davidson with different exhaust pipes, or not being able to change the shocks on your sports bike, not being able to maintain the chain, brakes or doing the tuning on your own bike yourself. 　One interpretation of the draft could mean you might not even be allowed to change a tyre! 　This proposed legislation is clearly a nonsense, and we need to do something about this.

On Tuesday 22nd November, there is a protest ride and demonstration against these proposals right at the heart of the EU beurocrats, in Brussels. 　This is being organised by Motorcycle News. 　I will be going on my bike via the channel tunnel, making the two hour ride to Brussels from Calais and taking part. 　Then getting the Channel Tunnel train back later that day. 　Anyone from the UK want to join me? It will mean a very early start!

If not, then please sign the electronic petition to stop this bullshit. 　This can be found at ..... epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/16322

100,000 and counting!

Wow.

I just noticed the counter on my blog has clicked over the 100,000 hits mark.

When I started this little blog I wondered if anyone would read my stuff.  It is just about a guy travelling on a motorbike.

Many thanks to all of you that have taken to time to look at my blog and sometimes write a comment about it.  Without my readers, it wouldn’t be worthwhile doing, so a BIG THANKS to you!

Adventure before Dementia

It was very foggy on Sunday morning when I awoke.

I was looking forward to joining the Chelsea and Fulham Harley Owners Group on their 'Last Gasp' ride out to the south coast. There might not be many other days this year for a long-ish ride, so I wanted to go if possible.

Hmmmnn, the thermometer showed just 4 degrees C (39F) but the forecast showed it would brighten up later. I thought of the song by The Clash, ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’

If I went, I would need to wrap up to keep warm in the first part of the ride, but that would mean being too hot later. I am going on a long trip next year on my red custom bike so I wanted to take that on this days HOG ride in order to get used to riding it long distances once again, but that meant I wouldn't have anywhere to stow my gear later if I took off my cold weather riding clothes.

My decision was to go, so I tucked into a bowl of porridge, brushed my teeth, threw an extra tee shirt on and got the red bike out of the garage.

Starting the bike was a bit of an issue due to the amount of moisture in the air which meant the two huge carbs were sucking fog into the engine. It was still early and I am sure my sleeping neighbours didn't appreciate me having to crank the engine a number of times before it burst into life, with the full force of the big twin cutting through the still cold air and shattering the morning silence. I tried to ride away as quickly and as quietly as possible, but of course, those things are not mutually compatible.

I nursed a spluttering bike through the country lanes, avoiding those stupid geese from the big house that are allowed to wander freely on the road. George and Mildred as I call them, really do not like the sound of my red bike and as they often do, they charged towards me in a frantic attack to try to scare away this noisy beast that dares to come near them.

I turned onto the motorway which resulted in two things, one good and one bad. To my relief, the spluttering stopped as the engine of the bike got hotter. To my frustration, I realised the jeans I was wearing, the thin gloves and the lightweight jacket were in no way going to stop Jack Frost from attacking me. Shit, it was cold and as ever in those conditions, it was a toss-up whether to ride fast to get there quicker but definitely colder, or slow down for a longer but slightly warmer journey. I looked at my watch and realised I was late and didn't have a choice. I opened the throttle more and the 110 inch / 1800cc engine blasted me forward faster as Jack did his work.

Thirty-three cold miles later, and after stopping to fill up with fuel, I rolled late into the London based Harley-Davidson dealer, Warrs. I was greeted by a grinning Rob Warr, who repeated the often-heard mantra "No brief, no ride". I know Rob well and have ridden with him plenty of times, including in more than one country. Knowing he was joking, I ignored his comment and sought out a warming cup of coffee instead. "Too late Gary, the coffee has all gone and we are leaving in a minute". I turned around and saw about fifty bikes, their riders pulling on helmets and gloves. I groaned inwardly with the realisation I would set off with the group on a seventy mile ride without a customary warming drink first.

I enjoy these Sunday morning ride-outs. They happen about once a month and other commitments mean that I usually manage to join about two or three a year. When I go on my own rides that I plan myself, that planning is done in a lot of detail although I acknowledge this is it as a trait that some find peculiar. I think I enjoy these Warrs ride outs because I don't have to do any planning at all. As we set out and fifty Harley's were thundering through the streets of west London, it occurred to me that I wasn't even sure where we were going! I was pretty sure we were going to be heading south towards the coast somewhere, but I was happy just to tag along.

The route was mainly on back roads, little travelled by many others on a Sunday morning. We took in Box Hill, the A272, Bluebell Railway country and we crested the South Downs to be treated with glorious views of the English Channel, glistening in the October sunshine.

Box Hill is different today than when I used to go there as a young boy on a family outing. I remember my Father driving us up the hill and admiring the splendid views of the English countryside from the top. Today, we rode into the car park at the bottom of the hill which is one of southern England's most popular biker meeting places. Our fifty Harley's created quite an entrance.

When surrounded by so many bikes in a car park, I usually spend time walking around to see what is there. Today was different as I had one important mission to accomplish - getting a coffee plus a bacon and egg sandwich. Yum.

Our ride leader for the day, Andrew Papas, guided us with ease along his pre-planned route and we arrived at our destination of the Roedean Cafe overlooking the sea. The sun had burned the fog away and it had warmed up significantly by the time we were drinking our afternoon tea as we watched boats slipping in and out of the marina below us at the bottom of the cliffs.

I did chuckle at a patch I saw on a fellow rider. It sort of sums up how I feel about me motorcycling at this point in my life. Whilst I hopefully have some time to go before this particular syndrome might strike, the slogan on the patch fits well with my current frame of mind. "Adventure Before Dementia" reflects the fact that my motorcycling is an adventure I want to enjoy while I can. Who knows what the future might hold and so being in my early fifties now, I want to make the most of whatever opportunities I can. Travelling on my bike is a big part of that.

At the Roedean Cafe, many including myself didn't want to hang around for too long though. A long 100 mile ride home faced many of us and we wanted to get back before the temperature plummeted. There was just time to ride into Brighton and to snap a picture of its pier.

Back roads were mainly abandoned for the homeward ride, which I regretted. Fast roads get you there quicker but are boring and on my custom bike, make my back ache. By the time I got home, it was quite sore from sitting in the same leaning-slightly-forward position for so long.

Overall, a really enjoyable ride of just over 200 miles. It didn't take me long to fall asleep on the sofa!

Blogging from an iPad

I have discovered that yes, it is possible to write and publish posts on a blog using just an iPad plus a camera.  The post below this one (about Vincent's and Velocette's) was created entirely on my new iPad 2, but I have to say it wasn't easy as I had to do many things considerably differently than with a normal blog post from a computer and had to find a few work-arounds.

The good news is it does mean that blogging while on the road is possible if you want to leave your laptop behind. It would be a mistake however to think it is easy, because it it not.

I use Blogger so what I have written here won't apply to all systems, but for those of you thinking about getting and using an iPad for use with Blogger, then this post is for you.

The first thing you need to think about is how to get the photos from your camera onto the iPad.  There are no standard cable connections on the iPad, so you need to buy an iPad camera connection kit.

The two parts of the connection kit allow you to either connect your cameras USB cable or SD card to the iPad. I used the SD card connector and it was easy to move the pictures I wanted from the SD card onto the iPad.

Easy so far, but it  was about to become more challenging.

There are two ways of using the Blogger software on an iPad. First by using the iPad's web browser, Safari, to connect to Blogger.  Or second, to use the Blogger iPhone App.  Your will note I have said iPhone App for as yet there is no Blogger iPad App.

First I tried the main version of Blogger using Safari on my iPad and it worked reasonably well, but I couldn't work out how to incorporate pictures.  On a laptop I would simply browse the relevant drive and select the picture I want.  But an iPad doesn't work like that so another solution is needed.  I had seen that within Blogger you can link to a picture already on the web, usually on a photo uploading site like Photobucket, Picasa or Flickr.  I already had a Picasa account, so I tried that.  I couldn't get it to work and in fact I couldn't get anything to work to import my pictures into the normal web version of Blogger using Safari on my iPad. That was really dissapointing.

So, I turned to the iPhone App version of Blogger to see how well that works.  For uploading pictures, it was easy.  Sort of.  The really good thing is you can upload them directly from your iPad without the need to go through a third-party photo uploading site.  The bad news is the pictures are added to the bottom of your post but you cannot see them until you publish, which is completely ridiculous. So, I could easily upload the pictures using the Blogger iPhone App, but couldn't see them....

Okay, there is a way around that.  I imported each of my photos I wanted to use in the post I was creating into Blogger using the iPhone App, saved that as a draft, shut down the iPhone version of Blooger, then switched back to Safari and re-opened the web version of Blogger.  Opening the previously created draft, I was then able to incorporate my words and the post was nearly ready to publish.  There was however one further problem - I could now see the photos I had previously included, but those photos were not in the correct position (all at the bottom of the post) and were all too large as when I imported them via the iPhone App, there was no facility to sort them into order, or to resize them.  I therefore had to move the pictures around and resize them, but only by using HTML code which I am not very good at, but learning fast.  It is not possible to use the 'compose' view in Blogger on an iPad like it is when using Blogger online a normal computer, so HTML is the only option you have.

It was no doubt a challenge to create the post on the iPad, but at least I worked out it could be done.  It took way longer than it would normally have taken me, but it would probably become much quicker as I got more used to doing it.

What is really needed is a much better App, written specifically for iPad, that includes all the features available to normal computer users.  I can't believe that will take long to be launched and in the meantime, I will continue to use the work-arounds needed to solve the current problems.