Reply With QuoteI love Hawes for a day out or even an overnighter at the right hotel rate. BUT - that is in summer (or at least May) - you are hardy !!
I'm in the Penny Garth Cafe in Hawes, having come up through Pateley Bridge, Grassington, Kettlewell, Oughtershaw. The weather has been one notch short of telling me to turn round. I'll go back home along Wensleydale and through Masham, thinking I've had enough adventuring for one day.
Last edited by Der Amf; 1st February 2024 at 14:16.
I love Hawes for a day out or even an overnighter at the right hotel rate. BUT - that is in summer (or at least May) - you are hardy !!
All the way from Pateley Bridge I had given myself permission to turn around. There's was a very windy few moments just north of PB — if that had persisted, I would have. But it got okay shortly afterwards, and stayed okay :) So I'm not hardy, just pushing my luck.... Actually the road from Middleham to Masham was more of a ballsache — much the wettest bit of the trip. Should have gone Leyburn to Northallerton. Oh well. Just had a cuppa in Masham, now for the final leg home. Will be a bit over 130 miles by the end, I think
That's impressive! How do 'wind' it to the 'up' position?Originally Posted by E_2_Right-Force
This is near20K and 265kg worth of bike raised up nearly a meter off the ground on a home-made and self-welded lift. Who else would be that confident crazy?
(it`s way over engineered and i`ve never had a weld fail yet...)
It`s not quite finished yet, one ot two design tweaks still to be made and then some paint..
Next time you are out that way, try the road from Masham to Lofthouse; on a clear morning the view of the west face of the valley as you come over the top of Trapping Hill is superb.
Mind you, the route you took looks pretty good ;)
Last edited by Stanford; 1st February 2024 at 17:24.
Battery drill on the threaded rod, i imagine. I’d have that rod well lubed with molykote, that’s for sure - you don’t want the bike stuck up there.
Now that I've learnt the road to Pateley Bridge, that's now on my to do list, yes 😊 But, like you say, on a clear morning. Today the clouds would probably have been munching the tops off Great and Little Whernside!
I also want to turn left off Wharfedale before Kettlewell and take the little road through Litton and Hatton Gill to Stainforth.
Today it felt good to have reached Kettlewell from two completely different directions.
Correct.
My lift is a cross between the Big Blue and Abba Skylift - attaches to the swingarm pivots a la Abba but lifts via a lead screw like the Big Blue rather than the Skylifts hydraulic ram.
Last edited by E_2_Right-Force; 1st February 2024 at 18:57.
What keeps the bike level on the way up/down until you get the front axle stay in place?
It doesn`t, it lifts in the `stoppie` position until half way up then i insert the axle stay and manually lift it up to where the front end is in a high attitude.
It`s quite easy to lift (prob about 20kg) and pivots easily about the swingarm points.
More lifting from the lead screw raises the bike to the final work height where the bike ends up in the horizontal position.
This method may be temporary and i`m considering the Abba method whereby the bike is lifted horizontally from the ground up with the addition of their rear wheel axle `bung` and a strap connected to a horizontal beam coming off the main lifting frame. Precludes any work/servicing of the final drive with that method, though.
Initial investigation though suggest the load and leverage from holding the rear of the bike down with the CoG of the bike forward of the pivots puts a huge strain on that part of the lift, no wonder the Skylift beam appears to bend in the vids/pics i`ve seen of it in action..
My front wheel stay method speads the load and aids stability.
I`ve also made a platform-type adaptor which lifts bikes with traditional frames such as trial bikes (i have a DR800).
Last Sunday, actually having dry roads felt like the most wonderful treat! Having that as standard (for a while) will blow my mind.
PS got to admit, quite like having the roads to myself, going over the pass from Langthrofdale up to Hawes without a soul around just made it even better, it was properly bleak up there.
Last edited by Der Amf; 1st February 2024 at 19:45.
I know the feeling, albeit I went straight to an 1100cc twin on passing my test.
Watch out for the cold - it can affect your concentration as much as overheating. Your bike hasn't a lot of protection from the elements.
Yeah I noticed a couple of weeks ago that when it's too cold for my outfit and too cold for the roads not to scare the life out of me, it was also too cold for me to keep concentrating well. Last bit of that day, I had to take a lot of breaks, and it didn't feel right. All three things seem to have the same cut off point. Today wasn't anywhere near so cold — in Hawes it was a balmy 8° at lunchtime.
Ooh useful discovery - after you've gone through Grassington and have just turned north to follow the Wharfe up the dale, there's a Spar with Shell petrol pumps immediately on the left - with decent customer toilets. A big improvement on what Pateley Bridge has to offer. It also has a real butchers in there, but unfortunately I couldn't find a use for that.
First ride out today since my accident back in Sept. 👍
That is excellent news indeed mate.First ride out today since my accident back in Sept.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Cheers Tony & SJ👍 Didn’t go to far but still managed 80 miles. Went with 3 mates (all steady riders) and ended up at “chocks away” cafe at airbus. And then watched the Beluga take off. That thing is massive, and the noise as it goes over your head is quite unnerving.. but a great sight to see. Then up the horseshoe pass and home for a birthday tea.. (62 today🎂🎂)
Glad to hear you’re back out.First ride out today since my accident back in Sept.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Hard to believe the Beluga is coming up for 30 yrs service out of Hawarden! They recently had a two hour presentation on its history, which I clocked just after the date :(. From memory the fleet is now mainly XL’s which are the mahoosive ones. At least twice a day they overfly our house either on approach or takeoff depending on the wind direction. On approach they are so quiet and they literally hang in the sky. Its rare folk dont stop what they are doing ( unless driving) as they pass over they are just so ungainly looking aircraft.
Ps great to hear you are out on the T Max, well done.
And many happy returns Andy. The Beluga is quite a sight. And perfectly named, too; it’s almost uncanny.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
But an interesting conclusion nonetheless!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn9JrN1JERI
Thanks all… I did laugh today, as my mate Swanny, also on a T-max didn’t realise how low and how loud the Beluga is. He also didn’t realise it would fly overhead from behind. He said it made him jump out of his skin when he heard it, which was a few seconds before he saw it.🤪🤓
Interesting viewing, learned some things I hadn’t considered. My previous bike was an Africa Twin and my current bike is a Speed Twin. I’ve got to admit I do like the feel of the torque and power delivery of the 270 crank.
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Fascinating indeed, Fortnine always manages to surprise and inform
Please could I get some advice on a stretch of road? It seems that the A59 when going west from Harrogate is easy going at first — but it seems that from Blubberhouses to Bolton Abbey it gets quite hilly? I'm worried that it will be too steep for my little bike to not to hold up the traffic. I'm aware that it's a main road, and am not a fan of getting in the way.
On Thursday I went through Pateley Bridge. Very nice, but slow the whole way, Ripley to Grassington. I was thinking the route marked in blue would be a good compromise:
Last edited by Der Amf; 3rd February 2024 at 14:32. Reason: corrected map
You won't have a problem. It's a busy road at times and narrow for an A road in placesPlease could I get some advice on a stretch of road? It seems that the A59 when going west from Harrogate is easy going at first — but it seems that from Blubberhouses to Bolton Abbey it gets quite hilly? I'm worried that it will be too steep for my little bike to not to hold up the traffic. I'm aware that it's a main road, and am not a fan of getting in the way.
On Thursday I went through Pateley Bridge. Very nice, but slow the whole way, Ripley to Grassington. I was thinking the route marked in blue would be a good compromise:
edit — oops on the map I've put Hubberholme when I meant Blubberhouses
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Went to see my mum and thought I’d ride as the weather looked good…. It wasn’t. Entertaining 150 miles but the bike got a bit dirty!
Google streetview over a couple of sections should give you a good idea.
- - - Updated - - -
Snowfoam and a pressurewasher will be very theraputic.
Indeed, wish I hadn’t just given it a proper clean though
It was doing that that made me doubt whether that road was suitable for me! I streetview almost everything I do....
Cheers, I'll give it a go on a dry Sunday morning
Last edited by Der Amf; 3rd February 2024 at 19:54.
Competing with Enoch there for dirtiest bike :) In this weeks MCN there is an article on Neevsey’s H2 long term test. Interesting he has achieved 7500m on his Metzeler tyres! Thats some going for a supercharged 200 bhp bike !Went to see my mum and thought I’d ride as the weather looked good…. It wasn’t. Entertaining 150 miles but the bike got a bit dirty!
Last edited by higham5; 3rd February 2024 at 20:09.
I’ll have to buy a copy. How can he get that many miles out of a tyre!! I’m not particularly quick but it eats tyres (and fuel!). Randomly I do more bad weather riding now then when I had my GS’, love how this bike rides in all conditions.
On another note, does anyone have any recommendations for earplugs? I’ve always worn them, and mainly the orange foam ones. I’ve had tinnitus for a while now though. so am more conscious of not further knackering my ears.
I used these which I liked but I’m sure a bunch of companies do them now. They have fancy versions which double as headphones if you’re feeling flush.
https://ultimateear.com/product/filt...-motorcyclist/
I have some customfitguards - https://customfitguards.com/collections/motorsport. I got the ones with filters. They work well, removing the wind noise but retaining the ability to hear intercoms, sirens etc.
Bit of an investment but totally worth it imo, and they will come to your place to do the moulding, if required.
I use these, very comfortable and great at keeping the noise levels down.
https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/mot...nt_prod/730460
https://www.screwfix.com/p/howard-le...00-pairs/38688
or
https://www.screwfix.com/p/howard-le...00-pairs/1346h
I find the trick with foam earplugs is that you want ones that don't bounce back too quick, so you have time to moisten them and insert them in the ear canal before they've got too big to go in.
The other thing I'd suggest is the best earplugs are whichever ones you actually use. If they're too fiddly and they stay in your pocket then they're no use however fancy or expensive they are.
I've used these extensively for work and riding for as long as I can remember.
Tapered, and because they are smooth - do not aggrivate your ear even if you remove and replace several times a day. (those cylindrical ones with the rough exterior are crap)
Howard Leight Laser-lite.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeywell-1...s%2C281&sr=8-7
Keep your fingers clean, store them in a clean container - and each pair can last a few days.
I use the silicon ones from eBay £3.99 for 10 pairs. The stems are a little bit long and can catch on the inside of the helmet and pull them out. So I just cut 5mm or so off the stems and they work fine.
Thanks all, some research to do on yet another dank day!
Cheers Enoch, I’ve just ordered some.I use the silicon ones from eBay £3.99 for 10 pairs. The stems are a little bit long and can catch on the inside of the helmet and pull them out. So I just cut 5mm or so off the stems and they work fine.
PSA -
This weekend's Sunday Sale. The Belstaff Brooklands-Mojave. Was £595. 45% off. Now £325. Save £270. But for one day only. Today, Sunday 4th February.
https://www.motolegends.com/motorcyc...eid=787fa7726e
Updated to include the code of “MOJ45”
Last edited by joe narvey; 4th February 2024 at 16:55.
I have one, and it’s a stunning jacket. I’d also add that, layered with a lightweight down jacket underneath it becomes very, very adaptable too. (I use a Belstaff One Way Up, which is perfect with this together with the Crosby, Turner, etc.)
@Joe Narvey - you need to provide the discount code withe these heads ups. (For some reason I didn’t get the email today.)
Was there a discount code ? Only extreme sizes in the black left
The code is MOJ45
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