Paging Transalp Owners

Can you use throwover panniers on them? - thinking of damage from
high-level cans.

Just trying to finalise the bike hire for Portugal in October, the
luggage situation will decide it for me.

 

SteveH says...

Not taking the VFR?

 

It's cheaper to fly out and hire a bike than it is to take the VFR over.

We've only got a week, so riding from a French port isn't an option,
even taking the stupidly expensive ferry to Santander takes a big chunk
out of the holiday.

On the shortlist to hire are a CB500 at £130 / week or Transalp at £160
/ week.

 

If you washed all the flies off it would save a few quid in weight ;-)

Ride faster then ;-)

Oh, and thanks to you and your good lady for putting (up with) me the
other night. That bed was v.comfy and a full 9" pizza for a fiver was
good, too.

 

It's due it's bi-annual wash next week ;-)

I usually time the wash to coincide with a French trip.

Heh.

I'm sticking with the flying option, mainly 'cos I've already paid for
the tickets, but also because it's cheap-ish to hire out there, and I
don't have to gamble with the mid-October British and Northern French
weather....

No problem. You weren't quite what we were expecting, given all the talk
about the CBR rat, we were expecting a cockney FrJ ;-)

 

Fair enough. The inclement weather would get all those flies off, but if
you really want to waste energy washing them... ;-)

Actually, your wife had a look on her face like I was about to whack my
knob out and wave it round. I don't remember anyone looking that scared
since the Blair witch project ;-)

Isn't it funny what you think people are like, I thought you'd be Welsh.

I'm not a cockney. that's what's left of my still very broad Sussex
accent. As for FrJ, sorry, but I've always looked like a bean pole. You
on the other hand look a bit like plod with your lid on, sorry :-(

 

Probably scared you might have turned out to be like Lozzo, then ;-)

 

OI!!

 

OI!! (again)

 

SteveH

I could imagine you need an exhaust guard for soft panniers.
Which is confirmed to some degree by:

http://www.adventure-motorcycling.com/trip/reports/55.htm

 

OK, that decides it, then. CB500 it is :-(

 

Whinging Courier wrote in

A myth soon dispelled when you see him ride

 

SteveH

CB500 FFS? Don't the hire company offer hard luggage? Ideally
a top box with back rest. It's always a winner with the ladies on
longer journeys, and increases your chances of sex in the evening
drastically.

 

Sex? This is SteveH, Peter.

 

Not going to Snett then Pip?

 

Other commitments. Supposed to happen next week, but were brought
forward sufficiently to preclude my intended attendance this weekend.
Life - complicated sometimes.

 

I was trying to convince myself to get off my lazy arse and ride
over... Perhaps I'll just spend the day watching the cricket again.

On hols this week, planned to go away on the boat for a day or two, but
at the moment the river is still about 2 feet above normal summer
levels, so we wont be able to get under the bridges. :-(

Hopefully a day or two of sunshine will sort it out - until we go, when
a couple of big storms will leave us stranded downriver somewhere.

If you feel like collecting the bigmig during the week, give me a shout.

Yup, but what can you do about it?

 

Ballast, that's what you need. Summat big and heavy - carries a lot
of mass, that sort of thing.

Top plan. I'll do that - I was hoping to do it today, but don't have
the time any more. It'll have to be Monday or Tuesday, while I have
access to the car. I'll give you a tinkle.

Live it selfishly, perhaps.

 

Can you think of anything I could use? Perhaps the transformer out of
a mig welder?

Roger 10-4.

An option... That's what I'm doing today at the moment anyway. As it's
My one week off per year, I'm spending it writing an ETD strategy.

 

We're not doing any major mileage, and will do very little with luggage
on the bike.

Only thinking of throwovers as it's the easiest way to take our clothes
and stuff over - pick up the bike at the airport, sling throwovers on it
and ride to the appartment (about 45 mins).

Then all we're doing is pottering around the Algarve - probably no more
than 100 or so miles per day - so a CB500 should be fine for that.
Surprisingly cheap, too - about the price of hiring a basic Clio for the
week.