What Have You Being Doing With Your Non-triumph Today?

Pleased you got out @Sandi T and hoping that you feel much better very soon.

 

Things must have improved, I suspect everyone was finding new hobbies in Covid lockdown.
Anyway, son has his priorities right, putting one of these up, so he can get his bikes safe and sound at his new place.

The greenhouse will have to wait even longer now.

 

Took the pump out to see if I could help out with the flooding (A57 Snake Pass amongst other roads closed) but found out I was woefully under equipped.
Ladybower reservoir

This is Derwent Reservoir where the dam busters practiced for Operation Chastise, the raid on Germany’s dams in the Ruhr Valley.

Derwent res again looking towards the overflowing dam at Howden Reservoir.




Found some little friends.


Looking over Strines Reservoir

 

Very familiar territory. Makes me yearn for some good weekend weather even more.

 

Looks like you had a dry day. Last time I was over that way it p1ssed down. Lovely on a nice sunny day.

 

Terrific photos! Looks like you had a great ride. And I love those new little friends you found. Did you have a telephoto lens or did they actually let you get close?

 

Ha, the weather was dry, I only went out at about 14.00 as I’d been changing some double glazed units in the conservatory, but there was a lot of water runoff, and a ford that isn’t usually there over the Strines, plus plenty of detritus washed out by the rain. The bike looks like I’ve done an enduro, guess what the job is this morning.

 

That’s your average sized picnic table, they came within about 12 inches of me. I crumbled a bit of my flap jack and watched them come down from the trees onto the table and then hop along to feed. I was glad they didn’t just snatch and fly off, some were there for a few seconds, enough to fire off a load of pics then pick the best. My phone has quite a good zoom so I just set it in my outstretched hand and waited.
That’s the first time I’ve been to the dam wall along that road. It’s often closed at a roundabout and you can only go as far as the cafe/car park. Hopefully we won’t be having a hosepipe ban this year.

 

Got my Honda out of hibernation,drained the remaining old petrol out and filled it with super duper unleaded. It went first pull

Not putting the e10 shoite in it in case it eats the carb and seals

 

Next up was the tractor


Took it out of the vac bag, put some fresh petrol in it, checked the tyre pressures, gave the cheese fittings a spray with fs365 ready to go on it's 1st ride of the year, then it rained so it got put away for a (non) rainy day

 

It's an adventure bike, give it an adventure in the rain that's what it's designed for

 

Don't be silly.....

 

You've got a twat suit to keep you warm and dry haven't you ?

 

Nope, only Rukka stuff. No twat suits here

 

Gritters were out round here last night so sod all which was a shame as it was a nice day

 

On my after service test ride today I notice road had been salted, but is salt really that much of an issue? Here it was was dry, so I didn't worry about picking up enough to make a difference. And if it's damp and salty, I make sure I hose down the next day. I just don't let a bit of salt spoil my riding joy.

I do wonder though why they salted the roads, given that there's no precipitation forecast or happening so no problem with ice.

 

Yep the salt wagons were out here last night, but no frost this morning?

 

Salt's not really an issue, unless you leave the bike covered in it after a wet ride. Even on dry salted roads you get the fine white/grey dust covering, just waiting to be activated by moisture. A bit of prep with ACF 50, or similar in the hard to get at places is good insurance. I always prefer a good wash down with plenty of water and foam /suds followed by a blow dry of all the crevices. Works well on the bike too!

You can get frost forming overnight on completely dry roads, hence the salting. It all depends on barometric pressure and the air moisture content.

Edit......another bit of prep I do on a new bike is look for "hidden", plated screws and fasteners etc and paint them, usually black. I've yet to own a bike with a decent, resilient plated finish on many components, it's usually crap and not up to repeated attack by salt water. I've also replaced many screws and bolts over the years with SS alternatives.

 

A Winter's afternoon in the dirt.

Houndkirk moor and not a walker in sight, I can't believe it!

 

That looks like fun