What have you done with your V-Strom today?

[MisterDavey]

What a cracking run Neil, sounds like bliss. Breakfast looks very tasty, indeed.

[nigel s]

More b road hooning. Going vaguely to Holt , 50 miles away ,  I found a 15 mile quiet , car free section of curly joy ..... ( zoom in and the corners just keep coming  ) , so good I actually came back the SAME ( yes really , not at all usual for me ) way...... Taking this dry weather while it lasts...and , yes , this time the phone was set to geolocate so I know where it is ...unlike last time.

Ho Hum

[MisterDavey]

That looks perfect Nigel, also, it still looks like summer.

[nigel s]

It is really warm here at the mo MisterDavey  , but as seen by the long shadows in the pics the low sun is a problem . Fortunately this road was generally running north /south ish.. and coming back ( when the pic was taken ) the sun had already moved over allowing the road to fully dry....lovely.

[MilozFolly]

Yesterday actually but headed off vaguely south in the hope that the roads would dry up and just to make a change from mid Wales Dropped in at Dunster castle which is an absolute treat (stock image attached - I didn't take any pics) and quite the sight from th emian road especially when you didn't know it was there!  I vaguelly recalled having had one of the best fruit scones ever in a cafe at the top of the cliff railway in Lynmouth and it didn't look too far so off I went. Roads where challenging and the view from the high points of Exmoor back across the Bristol channel to South Wales was sadly obscured.  Lynmouth, and the railway specifcally, was shuttered for the winter.  Managed to get that scone though

[NeilM]

Ahhh the wonderful A39, my autumn, winter, spring playground.

Next time you're exploring, get to Dunster, turn left at the traffic lights, through the town and onto the A396.

[graingerblaze]

Love the scenery around Dunster castle. I stayed with the family back in August at Wray Castle just along the coast. I wish I was on my bike then… not quite the same in a car with wife, dog, 4 kids and a hamster 

Struggling to find time in the garage, but found a few minutes today so got the new chain fitted. I also re-torqued the swing arm once I re-greased the bearings; I don’t seem to have any play now so hopefully all sorted. I do find working on my bike a great stress relief!

[Barbel Mick]

The weather forecast gave a good day today (& it was correct) so yesterday I contacted Graham62 (a member on here for a good many years but has been unable to ride for nearly 6 years now) to have a coffee & a catch up.
We arranged to meet at The Limes Cafe, near Ollerton, so Deb & myself rode over this morning. We had a fry up (not the best imho  ) but we had a chat with Graham for a good hour & a half before we headed East to have another look at the On Freedom's Wings sculpture. It wasn't open today so looked at it from the road. The last time we visited when it was open (a few weeks back) the fog was that bad we had to get within 40/50 yards.
After that we headed South to a cafe I'd heard about just outside of Newark. Nice coffee & cake & we'll be heading back for a breakfast at some stage. 
Then home.
A nice round trip of 120 miles in cracking Autumn weather.

A few photos to prove it happened.   

[UK_Vstrom650]

I rode to Manchester to a new office today, except I missed the junction off the motorway and the satnav, which wouldn't accept the postcode so was set to take me near it, rerouted me off after another five junctions. Swapped to Google maps which insisted I turn down a pedestrianised no entry road. Having completed many laps of Manchester city centre, I stumbled upon where I needed to be, but it took another 40mins than I was expecting... I might take the train next time 

[UK_Vstrom650]

Today I gave the bike a 'clean', well as much as you can with a watering can  (stupid hosepipe ban) when borrowing the neighbour's drive... Was supposed to add ACF50 to the bike post-clean, but although I managed to drag the compressor out, I have no idea where the attachment for spraying it is. Bike is owed a thorough clean at some point as its been neglected due to ongoing building work since March.
@graingerblaze I did threaten a photo of the rear linkage, bit late for Halloween but do look away now 

[graingerblaze]

That is indeed scary… well for my OCD eyes 

Can’t believe you still have a Hosepipe ban! The lakes are so full up here that we have had some impressive flooding. Luckily only of roads and not people’s homes or businesses like in poor south Wales. Seems daft with all the rain from storm Claudia that anywhere would have a Hosepipe ban, hope it’s lifted for you soon.

[UK_Vstrom650]

We're told it'll last well into the New Year as the reservoirs are still below where they need to be and they're worried about next spring already. Suppose that's what happens with years of under-investment 
I might buy a portable bike pressure washer with a built-in water tank for next year as the poor bike has suffered enough.

[nigel s]

 I have one of these , 10 litres or similar from the local garden center.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296008278457?_skw=pump+up+garden+sprayer&itmmeta=01KA80ERB19BZ1QHPSRJP76JY9&hash=item44eb77e1b9:g:aZYAAeSwfjhoqZk9&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1cYqv0H%2ByfKXlAy%2FgHlFSxJdVcPQOhuYHcrBClqxG7%2FHYlejzgRFvTaBxCm0YeQR%2BnJGumqe2PDWIaz7bhkUKNo76oDa6xF0zvNyPag8zXyphNQ6ot%2FP3Q2blmDXBq588OXkmvH9LUSRY%2FD%2BxZv2tme2PPq0cfooU%2FBiOKNNs2joQZvnAdQElcgAB2PClBrB%2ByWJaN1u2QYKz6WDEQR1gt7W8DUa7Rmgd83xvBvHyAzJKv2wrHzVMFiWe1NWi6BUZw%3D%7Ctkp%3ABlBMUOCFu4DSZg

Works well for hosing off the salt ....and general rinsing after degreasing with Gunk / whatever . 

[nigel s]

Uk_Vstrom650,

I had problems getting my Garmin to take postcodes, the format has to be right. How I got round it was this.
On home screen ,tap where to.
This brings up two bars at the top , where you are/ search area on left and the search bar on right. Usually you would use the search bar.
But tap the left bar and it brings up options. Scroll down and find   Post code ..tap that.
Then you can enter the post code and it sorts the capitals /spacing as you go, giving options till you have the right one . Tap that , go back to the search bar and enter a partial address at the post code  and it should find it...you can do this at home , then later on the bike check history and it is still there.
This is on a Zumo so may be different on others , but it works on that model 
Any further tips to help streamline the search would be appreciated from those more knowledgeable on sat navs  , I rarely use it to actually go to a set place ...

[Brockett]

@Barbel Mick - A great photo of Graham62, such a really nice chap.

[Phild]

The sun was out, the sky was blue…… so I went for a 120 mile ride.

With all the flooding in various places I left the house about 9am and rode the 10 miles to the Greggs on the A38 just north of Highbridge. Tea and bacon roll (brown sauce… naturally).

I decided to continue south but staying on main roads. Some of my Somerset Levels roads I know will be underwater or will have been underwater.

M5 to Taunton, A358 Ilminster, Axminster and on to Seaton (why have they built a big Premier Inn in Seaton?🤔)….. nowhere to park on the seafront without paying so headed off. Back towards Axminster, A35 towards Honiton. (Coffee and mince pie at one of the services on the A35)

Honiton, A30 / A303 to B3170 (short, but great road) towards Corfe, Taunton Horse Racing Track, Taunton. M5 to the Burnham-on-Sea junction…. I thought about going on to Cheddar, but it was getting chilly, so back into Weston, quick ride along the seafront and home.

No roads gritted yet, so a gentle clean of the bike tomorrow, oil her up, and have her on standby should the weather get mild / dry again.👍

[Barbel Mick]

Yep, the forecast was good for today, so yesterday, I put a shout out to the retired section of the KTM massive to see if anyone fancied a breakfast.
Obviously, being retired most of them had far too much to do, so only one was able to make it. 
Deb & myself met Neil (endintears) at The Cow Shed in Miller's Dale, where we had a lovely breakfast & a catch up for an hour or so.
After that Deb & myself left Neil & headed back towards home, but called into Hetty's Tea Shop in Frogall for a coffee (sadly, I was still too full from the breakfast to manage a cake  ).
Around 90 miles covered on mostly dry roads, but some of the back lanes still damp & greasy with a fair bit of mud & gravel run off after the rain.

A few photos to prove it happened ........

[UK_Vstrom650]

Good effort Mick, although I am concerned about you for not managing cake at the second stop... You might need to get some training in.

Phild, was with you all the way until the mince pie in November    sounds like a fab day out.

Having come home tonight in the car and seen the local gritters have decided to put half a year's worth out on the roads (they'll be moaning they're running out in January), I thought it best to coat the Strom in ACF50 ahead of tomorrow's trip to Sheffield. Using a compressor in the dark means I've probably not done the best job, have used far too much and there's a real risk the brakes may be 'interesting' in the morning... 

[Rusty Nuts]

The Ingram Mac10 method - spray & pray!

[Phild]

I’ll eat mince pies all year round….. I believe mince pies are not just for Christmas. 😁