InvictaMoto's Red Pepé Blog

In the week the weather forecast for today was dry but dull and 14°C. The reality was mild, very dull and drizzly at times.  The road was dry in places but mostly wet and the mud spread on the centre was pretty awful. The ride up to the Blue and White for the breakfast meet was a bit hairy on the muddy bends, and the wind was a bit gusty. I rode past another biker meeting the, the Airport Cafe, where there werenobikesbut a car park filled with four wheel boxes. I was the second bike at the B&W. David already there but also in his car. Cal arrived soon after and we had a good chat over breakfast about all kinds of things including the Somme and Railway trips. After a couple of hours we went our separate ways. Shame there were only the three of us. The ride was okay, but not much to have done more than get mud on the bike.

Had no idea what a meme is. Although it seems like a picture with captions? Maybe this is one?

When I moved the cars to get access to the garage, the temperature gauge in the Insignia showed 2 degrees centigrade. The Coke bottle filled with water by the garage was completely wet, no ice, so I decided to ride to the Meldrews monthly meeting. This gave me the opportunity to wear my new Draggin Jeans Chinos. When I say new, I bought them on eBay for £45, with all the tags, over a year ago but they were a bit tight. As they retail at £115 or more in UK I was happy with a bargain. First time for them today. https://www.dragginjeans.net/index.php They are a little long in the leg without boots but once on the bike they are about right. The Kevlar is very comfortable and the fit is good. Maybe even room under them for thermals!!! The ride up out of coastal Hythe can mean it getting colder and those Meldrews with BMW's announced that the temperature was down to 1.5C at the Blue and White. Pepe doesn't have these luxuries and it...

Finally, cabin fever alleviated! Fittingly. The last ride of the year was on the last day of the year. After taking Reggie out for a walk on the beach we had lunch and as the sun was still out so I togged up and set off. I wore my new Aldi boots for the first time. I bought them in the summer but have stuck with my old Oxtar boots. They were alright. For only £29.95 I wasn't expecting too much. They have a waterproof lining.   The only minor problem was that on the left boot the gear change pad is a little uncomfortable. Maybe with thicker socks it will be better. I had a ride along the coast to Folkestone and thought that maybe the Battle of Britain Memorial might be open and failing that, the Cliff Top Cafe would be for a warming break. Sadly both were closed so no picture with a Spitfire and no tea break! On the Cliff road overlooking the sea, the wind got up with some very strong gusts. I decided to go home as the sun went down as it had turned cold. On the...

It's been a mild winter so far this year. But since I got back from Ostend, Pepe has sat in the garage unused. With work and then Christmas, allied with miserable drizzle, I've not been out. This needs to change. During a routine in-garage check I found one of the grub screws had gone AWOL from one of the screen brackets. Dashing off a quick email to Skidmarx resulted in a couple of spares arriving g in the post. Now maybe I can get out for a ride before the end of the year? Happy New Year everyone.

Friday . I like to prepare for a trip and usually lay my riding gear out the day before to look for any defects. So this was a job for Friday. We were both home as the night before we had been to see Deep Purple at the O2 in London, getting home in the wee small hours. Claire then had provided the extra hands it takes to adjust the Skidmarx windscreen. Loosening off most of the fittings needs a pair of hands to hold it in the right place, and another to tighten the bolts and Allen bolts. In fact I did the holding as the new position meant my hands were too big to get into place to tighten up the lower mounting points. Once completed,  I was almost ready for the run to Belgium the next day. Saturday . I had everything laid out for a 7.30am start but as usual I had forgotten some things. The alarm went and Reggie was up wanting to go out. After a night on the bed he needs his "garden break" before his breakfast. I double checked the...

There's a screen.  Or at least there is now. The screen worked pretty well. It took the wind off my neck, chest and shoulders but has increased the noise a little around my helmet. When it started to get covered in wet in the misty conditions I could see over it okay. It needs a bit of adjustment to shift it forward an inch or so and a little lower to be closer to the headlamps. Weekend I think for that.