InvictaMoto's Red Pepé Blog

Hoping to get up to Thurrock for my annual attempt to create the ring around London's M25 ring road.   Pepé already has the poppy under the headlight and the year bands on the clocks. I'll have to dig out the big red t-shirt to squeeze over my riding gear. The usual two wristbands have been ordered, one for me and one for Pepés speedo.  Update 11th November 2019 After all the planning I woke up on Friday 8th with a terrible gut ache.  I had to work from home as the loo was the most common seating place.  It was no better Saturday and the codeine phosphate quelled the urges. Sunday was no better and I watched the Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London on the TV.  SO I missed the run. I was slightly better on Monday and worked from home again.  I observed the 2 minute silence in the house as a break vfrom work.  Once again, codeine phosphate came to the rescue.

Today was supposed to be the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride .  For the second year running I have signed up and not made it on the run. On both occasions I had picked up a bug.  I had signed up to do the run from Laguna in Maidstone. As well as the cold/flu we were woken up early by the Environment Agency calling with a severe flood warning for our area. I live about 250 yards from the sea. All that is between us and the sea wall is the Hythe Ranges and a holiday caravan park. Hopefully the wall is enough. Last year it was a stomach upset, this year for over a week I have had cold/flu and a sore through. My throat swollen and I have difficulty swallowing.   In 2018 I salted my account with a personal donation and this year I decided not to. So sadly the charity haven't made any money off of me this year.  I'll no doubt to Movember again in November. Looking at the early posts I am sure that full dress Harley's aren't the kind of bikes listed by ...

Since I became a fair weather biker (and more of a motorcycle owning but mostly non-rider biker) I have yet to get to the 10000 miles service limit. So once again, Pepé is booked into Laguna Triumph to have the Annual Service done.  It's October 19th and so by then I might have added a few more miles to the odometer but it will still be less than 10000! Since I bought the bike just over four years ago I have only managed an average of 2000 miles a year.   It is all made worse in that my brother ( https://ndtea.blogspot.com/ ) is off again on another trip on his BMW.  This one trip will be more than my entire year's mileage. Of course, there are different reasons for this but there you go.  It is what it is.

With Flickr becoming more and more of a PITA since it was taken over I have been looking for somewhere to store photos to be shared on social media including blogger and most importantly - free. So I am trialing IMGBB. The photo, below, is linked using html code from IMGBB.  I had to resize it to XL as it was massive. It's the only one I had loafing about on my work computer. Pre-windscreen as well! Mr Baloo 

On the ride out to the transport museum I tried out the Yamaha My Ride app for the first time. My brother had it on one of his trips and so I thought it might be a bit of fun. I kicked it off before leaving the museum, sadly it cut off after just three kilometres. Have no idea why as I didn't move it in my pocket.  In that short distance I managed two roundabouts and it measured me with left and right lean angles of 14°. Only  14 degrees. And there I was hoping for better.... Not quite in the Mark Márquez zone.  Next time I am out I'll give it another try...  Bit crap. 

Today I had a short run out to the transport museum. They we going to announce the winner of this year's raffle. Luckily it was sunny day and I could wear the Joe Rocket mesh. If only I had worn it to France a few weeks ago!  I needed fuel and so went along the coast and filled up at Tesco. The miles to empty was 23 miles. I managed to squeeze in only 17.8 litres. At 40mpg I ought to have had more like 70 miles left.  The ride was then up through the speed neutered Alkham Valley. An okay ride. At the museum I parked on the pavement outside and behind fellow Meldrew Cal's BMW 800. I parked there for the photo opportunity.... see below. We were joined by Frank and Lisa, also Meldrews, both on their own bikes.  Having had a partner for 15 years that rode her own bike, I do like to see women enjoying the freedom of riding.  We were there drinking tea and chatting and then set off on our various ways home. I went back through Alkham Valley and a litt...