At the moment the motorcycling press is full of comparisons between these 3 bikes, with all of them being very polite and typically PC about each of the bikes. If your memory is as long as mine then it is not long ago that the BMW R1150GS was being criticised for being heavy and overweight. Yet now Honda and Triumph have entered the fray with these offering, both being significantly heavier than both the R12000GS and R1200GS Adventure and it hardly gets a mention.
Anyway, yesterday while searching YouTube I came across a couple of videos focused on these 3 motorbikes which make interesting viewing. EricBusa comments are backed up and based on his ownership of a 30th Anniversary R1200GS but he is fair in this short video summary. What is more surprising is this second video which RiDE Magazine have posted which better illustrates the story alluded to by EricBusa. Just watch and be amazed at how badly the Honda handles the poorer road surfaces. Both videos conclude that person preference will dictate whether you’d favour a R1200GS over an Explorer and both are extolled as “best of breed” but why anybody would buy a Crosstourer on this showing is beyond me, especially taking the premium price into consideration.
The question I have is this... Why have the motorcycling press (virtually dominated by Morton Press in the UK) not shared this important failing in the performance of the Crosstourer with us in any one of their many magazines? Especially RiDE magazine who appear to be happy to post it on-line (while not making it easy to find)?
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
What a scorcher!
For what has been forecast as a short 7 – 10 day period summer sun visited the UK last week, building up to the weekend when we had temperatures of 25 – 27 degrees C. So a busy Saturday included the usual pile of ironing, the weekly ASDA shop, mowing the back lawn (thanks Mark for that), having new tyres fitted to the front of Sue’s car, a pub lunch at the Blue Jay with Sue’s Uncle Alan & Aunty Barbara followed by relaxing in the garden with drinks wrapped up with a visit from Angie and John who were up from Colchester visiting Mum & Dad.
Sunday starts with yet more ironing (ended with loads still left to do) and Andy asking if he could have mates round for the Monaco F1 and a BBQ. So that’s what we did. A day spent socialising, me cooking the meat while Sue did the jacket spuds and salad. At day’s end everyone agreed they had had a good time and most evidenced the time they had spent in the sun with some sunburn despite all efforts with the sun screen from factors 20 – 50.
Sunday starts with yet more ironing (ended with loads still left to do) and Andy asking if he could have mates round for the Monaco F1 and a BBQ. So that’s what we did. A day spent socialising, me cooking the meat while Sue did the jacket spuds and salad. At day’s end everyone agreed they had had a good time and most evidenced the time they had spent in the sun with some sunburn despite all efforts with the sun screen from factors 20 – 50.
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Momentous
Last Wednesday (16th May) was a momentous day for my father. While I was away from home for work my eldest son Andrew took his grandmother to visited his granddad in the nursing home and they got staff to put him in his wheelchair, not used since he became a resident on 1st October last year. He then proceeded to take Dad out for a “walk” around the local area using roadside paths and public access paths in the Racecourse / cricket ground area, passing the Virgin sports centre. All of these are new to father since he became housebound due to his advancing MS some years ago. This was only possible because of the break in the weather making it warm enough for dad to go out and when I saw him at the weekend he was very emotional and grateful for what Andrew had done.
With a similar break in the weather this week it looks like that event will be repeated today and (again) I will miss it. Hopefully I will have an opportunity this weekend when Angie and John are up in Derby stopping over with mother.
With a similar break in the weather this week it looks like that event will be repeated today and (again) I will miss it. Hopefully I will have an opportunity this weekend when Angie and John are up in Derby stopping over with mother.
Using the train – 2
Decided to catch the earlier 06:48 from Derby to Reading today having reserved a seat in the “quiet coach”. The earlier start definitely made a difference as there were far fewer travellers and I benefitted by not having anybody using the seat next to me.
Out of Derby my seat was backward facing but on leaving Birmingham New Street I found myself forward facing. As the train trundled out onto the line to Leamington Spa I caught that traditionally evocative sight of the front of the train from my seat near the rear of the train, and that’s what set me thinking. Train travel is no longer an event, there’s no sense of occasion and hardly any sense of speed which to me is very sad because the speed is immense. I felt the acceleration that meant we were released from meanderings through suburban Birmingham and now on the main line – and with that I dosed off and completely missed Leamington Spa and Banbury, waking as the train slowed for Oxford.
The run down from Oxford to Reading underlined just how green and pleasant this country is but it is also drearily flat unlike Derbyshire. Repeated announcements informed us that there was no catering service due to staff shortages and that Malcolm was our “Train Manager” (a fancy name for ticket collector while “Catering Manager” is the dude pushing the refreshments trolley) while I stared out the window searching for items of interest. Along one stretch there was a “ditch” which I worked out was a deserted canal but with trees growing from its base it has obviously been long deserted. At another point I observed 2 fields of blue-ish hue which I surmised to be either bluebells or heather/lavender.
And then it hit me. Rail travel has evolved along the same lines as driving a car. The object is to make as rapid progress as possible from journey start to destination with as little interaction as possible with the environment one is passing through. When I’m riding and I spot things/places of interest I stop and investigate and I can remember when we did the same when driving, but that happens much less these days. No longer is the journey an event (or part of one). Travel today is only about “getting there” and to many (most?) people the fact that the mode of travel is boring is irrelevant because they have no interest in the journey itself or the environment through which they are passing. Is that progress, or, is it just a reflection of public values in these modern times?
Out of Derby my seat was backward facing but on leaving Birmingham New Street I found myself forward facing. As the train trundled out onto the line to Leamington Spa I caught that traditionally evocative sight of the front of the train from my seat near the rear of the train, and that’s what set me thinking. Train travel is no longer an event, there’s no sense of occasion and hardly any sense of speed which to me is very sad because the speed is immense. I felt the acceleration that meant we were released from meanderings through suburban Birmingham and now on the main line – and with that I dosed off and completely missed Leamington Spa and Banbury, waking as the train slowed for Oxford.
The run down from Oxford to Reading underlined just how green and pleasant this country is but it is also drearily flat unlike Derbyshire. Repeated announcements informed us that there was no catering service due to staff shortages and that Malcolm was our “Train Manager” (a fancy name for ticket collector while “Catering Manager” is the dude pushing the refreshments trolley) while I stared out the window searching for items of interest. Along one stretch there was a “ditch” which I worked out was a deserted canal but with trees growing from its base it has obviously been long deserted. At another point I observed 2 fields of blue-ish hue which I surmised to be either bluebells or heather/lavender.
And then it hit me. Rail travel has evolved along the same lines as driving a car. The object is to make as rapid progress as possible from journey start to destination with as little interaction as possible with the environment one is passing through. When I’m riding and I spot things/places of interest I stop and investigate and I can remember when we did the same when driving, but that happens much less these days. No longer is the journey an event (or part of one). Travel today is only about “getting there” and to many (most?) people the fact that the mode of travel is boring is irrelevant because they have no interest in the journey itself or the environment through which they are passing. Is that progress, or, is it just a reflection of public values in these modern times?
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Using the train – 1
I have just started an assignment that requires me to be in Reading. After some "negotiation" with my employer I have agreed to do 2 days each week, back to back with an overnight stay. Some will ask "So? What's the big deal?" The big deal is that I am officially my mother's carer and the primary contact for Dad's nursing home in the event of an emergency - which is difficult to respond to (other than by taking a phone call) if I'm working 3 hours away AND dependant on the train.
So don't use the train you'll say. OK, but then company policy dictates that I should use a hire car when I have a perfectly good 2 litre VW Passat sat at home on the drive AND a motorbike in the garage. If I use the motorbike then I'd have to leave it overnight in the firm's car park as the firm's preferred hotel has no parking facilities (Mercure George Hotel).
So I'm on the train... For the first time in years I'm using public transport as the government would want us to. Booking tickets ahead of journey time to get whatever discount is available. Getting my son Andy to drop me off and collect me so that my car doesn't incur parking charges (£12.50 per day at Derby). Walking from Reading station to the office is no hardship and probably quicker than getting a taxi. So what is my beef?
My beef is this. I pre-booked table seats with power so I could use my laptop during the journey, and on taking up my seat I find that there are 3 of us at a table for 4 but just 2 power outlets and neither of them work. Ah well, I didn't want to start work early anyway, but my fellow travellers are mightily peeved and go in search of power while I simply decide to waste my journey time looking at the passing world. Except there's a problem doing that. Having had a forward facing seat leaving Derby I find that for the majority of the journey (Birmingham to Reading) the train is "in reverse" and I'm facing backwards which means that the world has passed me by before I get to see a glimpse of it.
I then waste (sorry, spend) 2 days in an office atending meetings and preparing as required for the project ahead before returning to Reading station for the reverse journey, literally. I'm in my seat and the train is going backwards so that yet again I get a reverse view of the English countryside, to Birningham New Street where I find I'm forward facing for the final leg into Derby. No problem there then, except for a few points.
1. I caught an early train for the return trip so no reserved seat, no table seat so no laptop use.
2. The seat next to me seems to be part of a game of musical chairs (yes, I know it is public transport but this wouildn't happen if I was DRIVING MY CAR). One occupant had headphones on so loud that people in the seats ahead and behind can hear his (neandertal) choice in "music" which accompanies his constant snorting and coughing (accompanied by that of the traveller in the seat behind me). Two others are female but seem to be of the opinion that the male of the species (i.e. me) is a thing of abhorance if their body language is anything to go by.
3. Of the 4 occupants only the one from Birmingham to Derby participated in any conversation which would have been a normal feature if I was driving.
So I have completed my first (or many) stints in Reading and find that I have little option but to let the train take the strain but what others swear by I find myself swearing at. The trains fail to live up to expectations and I'm robbed of the opportunity to benefit from using my own transport.
So don't use the train you'll say. OK, but then company policy dictates that I should use a hire car when I have a perfectly good 2 litre VW Passat sat at home on the drive AND a motorbike in the garage. If I use the motorbike then I'd have to leave it overnight in the firm's car park as the firm's preferred hotel has no parking facilities (Mercure George Hotel).
So I'm on the train... For the first time in years I'm using public transport as the government would want us to. Booking tickets ahead of journey time to get whatever discount is available. Getting my son Andy to drop me off and collect me so that my car doesn't incur parking charges (£12.50 per day at Derby). Walking from Reading station to the office is no hardship and probably quicker than getting a taxi. So what is my beef?
My beef is this. I pre-booked table seats with power so I could use my laptop during the journey, and on taking up my seat I find that there are 3 of us at a table for 4 but just 2 power outlets and neither of them work. Ah well, I didn't want to start work early anyway, but my fellow travellers are mightily peeved and go in search of power while I simply decide to waste my journey time looking at the passing world. Except there's a problem doing that. Having had a forward facing seat leaving Derby I find that for the majority of the journey (Birmingham to Reading) the train is "in reverse" and I'm facing backwards which means that the world has passed me by before I get to see a glimpse of it.
I then waste (sorry, spend) 2 days in an office atending meetings and preparing as required for the project ahead before returning to Reading station for the reverse journey, literally. I'm in my seat and the train is going backwards so that yet again I get a reverse view of the English countryside, to Birningham New Street where I find I'm forward facing for the final leg into Derby. No problem there then, except for a few points.
1. I caught an early train for the return trip so no reserved seat, no table seat so no laptop use.
2. The seat next to me seems to be part of a game of musical chairs (yes, I know it is public transport but this wouildn't happen if I was DRIVING MY CAR). One occupant had headphones on so loud that people in the seats ahead and behind can hear his (neandertal) choice in "music" which accompanies his constant snorting and coughing (accompanied by that of the traveller in the seat behind me). Two others are female but seem to be of the opinion that the male of the species (i.e. me) is a thing of abhorance if their body language is anything to go by.
3. Of the 4 occupants only the one from Birmingham to Derby participated in any conversation which would have been a normal feature if I was driving.
So I have completed my first (or many) stints in Reading and find that I have little option but to let the train take the strain but what others swear by I find myself swearing at. The trains fail to live up to expectations and I'm robbed of the opportunity to benefit from using my own transport.
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Tinnitus sufferers - hope at last
Tinnitus sufferers - hope at last, if like me you suffer from tinnitus there is now a ray of hope for relief....
BBC News have the story.
As a 24/7 sufferer it can't come soon enough for me, whatever it is.
BBC News have the story.
As a 24/7 sufferer it can't come soon enough for me, whatever it is.
Monday, 14 May 2012
All shook up and apathy
Last week the local elections took place and the public that could be bothered to vote decided to elect Labour back into all those seats that last time around they voted the Tories/Lib Dems into. The media say that this is a protest vote.
NO IT IS NOT!
The recent elections that have taken place in France and Greece are protest votes. Voters sweeping aside the status quo and giving a chance to those that have never had a sniff of political power in the past.
But what do we do here in the UK? We stay home and don’t bother to vote, or, we just vote for “the other side”. When is this country and it’s voters going to learn that democracy requires input from the common man/woman and that millions have died so that we CAN vote so make the most of it and make sure that you DO vote.
NO IT IS NOT!
The recent elections that have taken place in France and Greece are protest votes. Voters sweeping aside the status quo and giving a chance to those that have never had a sniff of political power in the past.
But what do we do here in the UK? We stay home and don’t bother to vote, or, we just vote for “the other side”. When is this country and it’s voters going to learn that democracy requires input from the common man/woman and that millions have died so that we CAN vote so make the most of it and make sure that you DO vote.
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Together time
Yesterday Sue & I had some 'together' time. The morning started with me taking my car for it's next scheduled service then we ddid the weekly shop at the local ASDA. Following a bite to eat we drove down to Birmingham with me showing Sue my daily commute and the rat runs that I use to avoid most of the congestion, arriving at my current work location to park (for free) and then walk into the city centre. Sue is shoe shopping, so we wander in and out of appropriate shops and she finally finds a pair that suits. We then head off into the Bull Ring window shopping but not for the first time we are being overwhelmed by the number of people and head back out into the streets. It is starting to rain so we retrace our steps back to Bella Italia where we have a very pleasant meal. Then it's back to the car to put the shopping into the boot and walk the short distance to the NIA where we have tickets for a show.
The show is Cirque de Soleil, Algeria. Our seats are in row HH which means we are 'up in the heavens'just 3 rows forward of the rear-most seats. The view is good and clear but distant and remote. The show is acrobatic and gymnastic at the same time with clowns between sets. There appears to be a theme or story running through the show but as we make a point of never buying a programme I can only surmise. The music and singing that accompanies the stage and high air/acrobatics is good but it is the whole show somehow just gels and comes together as a spectacular event. We loved it.
It was a short walk back to the cars and a one hour drive back home, arriving at 23:00. The end to a long and pleasant day together.
The show is Cirque de Soleil, Algeria. Our seats are in row HH which means we are 'up in the heavens'just 3 rows forward of the rear-most seats. The view is good and clear but distant and remote. The show is acrobatic and gymnastic at the same time with clowns between sets. There appears to be a theme or story running through the show but as we make a point of never buying a programme I can only surmise. The music and singing that accompanies the stage and high air/acrobatics is good but it is the whole show somehow just gels and comes together as a spectacular event. We loved it.
It was a short walk back to the cars and a one hour drive back home, arriving at 23:00. The end to a long and pleasant day together.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Time flies
My last post was that in 3 weeks’ time Suzie and I would be off to Florence. Here we are now, its Easter morning and Florence is a fading but pleasant memory. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time there, it is a lovely compact city so we walked everywhere but the cobbles meant we came away with sore feet and aching thigh and calf muscles. It’s an expensive place to visit but not as expensive as Rome or Venice I am reliably told. We could not believe the number of Americans we met and got chatting to, mostly from New England - very nice people and not the usual selection of morbidly obese. Weather was very kind to us at 23-24 degrees C (daytime).
The hotel was nothing special, it did have clean sheets which were changed every day but the shower didn't and the bath might have filled if I'd switched the taps on when we arrived and left them on for the duration of our stay, so stand-up baths from the sink were the order of the day. Actually, looking back it was all very Fawlty Towers.
We took in a wine tasting trip in the Tuscany / Chianti wine making region which was both an education and a treat. Easy Jet got us from Luton to Pisa and back and the Car Storage people we used really impressed with their service. We had an excellent time.
The hotel was nothing special, it did have clean sheets which were changed every day but the shower didn't and the bath might have filled if I'd switched the taps on when we arrived and left them on for the duration of our stay, so stand-up baths from the sink were the order of the day. Actually, looking back it was all very Fawlty Towers.
We took in a wine tasting trip in the Tuscany / Chianti wine making region which was both an education and a treat. Easy Jet got us from Luton to Pisa and back and the Car Storage people we used really impressed with their service. We had an excellent time.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Busy time for our Mark
It seems like everything is happening right now in Mark's world. Thursday he handed in his notice at BMI as he is moving to a new role down in the city of London. Friday he had the clutch replaced in his car. Today is his birthday and tomorrow he and his girlfriend fly out for 10 days in Borneo.
That's not to say that the rest of us have nothing going on in our lives. Andy sold his car yesterday and is now looking for a replacement. He continues to do well in his apprenticeship training at Rolls Royce and has yet to drop a mark in exams or assignments. Sue has a number of projects on the go at work and she is still trying to get her dad back home after he was admitted with dementia (but her mum won't have him back). And I'm involved in a project that sees me commuting to Birmingham daily which I find very tiring.
Suzie and I are off to Florence in 3 weeks time for a weekend break and boy, are we looking forward to that!
That's not to say that the rest of us have nothing going on in our lives. Andy sold his car yesterday and is now looking for a replacement. He continues to do well in his apprenticeship training at Rolls Royce and has yet to drop a mark in exams or assignments. Sue has a number of projects on the go at work and she is still trying to get her dad back home after he was admitted with dementia (but her mum won't have him back). And I'm involved in a project that sees me commuting to Birmingham daily which I find very tiring.
Suzie and I are off to Florence in 3 weeks time for a weekend break and boy, are we looking forward to that!
Friday, 24 February 2012
Bankers bonuses
This week we have had two privatised banks, that is banks that are owned by the British tax payers, report massive losses while still paying out massive bonuses to top executives and senior employees. In the same week local government employees have been told that for the fifth year in a row there will be no cost of living pay increases. The government (all parties because this started under Labour and is continuing under the coalition) seem to think that this approach is justified because “we need to rebuild the economy”. We it won’t get rebuilt if the local government employees don’t have money to spend because it is money circulating in the economy that stimulates growth. The bankers are not doing their bit on two accounts. First they are not lending to small businesses and more are going to the wall daily as they struggle to find investment funds, and secondly, the bankers bonuses are not being spent so there is no resulting stimulation of the economy from that angle either.
If the UK is going to get out of recession then all the bonuses that the banks want to pay out to their staff should be put into a pot to fund pay increases for local government workers, NHS nursing and care staff and lower ranks of our armed forces. If the bankers want to receive their payouts then they should be made to do a regular tour of duty in Afghanistan to qualify.
But the banking chiefs say that they need world class talent to rebuild the banking system so they have to pay these ludicrous salaries and bonuses, forgetting that it was those same “world class” bankers that got us into this recession in the first place. The government needs to have the balls to stand up to the bankers for one simple reason – those bankers are actually government paid officials which places them alongside all those that have just been told that they are subject to a continued pay freeze. NHS staff don’t get bonuses for saving lives, returning people to “good health” or caring for the elderly, sick and infirm yet bankers get bonuses for gambling with money that isn’t theirs. If bankers are going to be paid bonuses then there must be a criteria that says that after those bonuses have been paid out the bank must be in both pre and post tax profit. No profit, then no bonus payout.
If the UK is going to get out of recession then all the bonuses that the banks want to pay out to their staff should be put into a pot to fund pay increases for local government workers, NHS nursing and care staff and lower ranks of our armed forces. If the bankers want to receive their payouts then they should be made to do a regular tour of duty in Afghanistan to qualify.
But the banking chiefs say that they need world class talent to rebuild the banking system so they have to pay these ludicrous salaries and bonuses, forgetting that it was those same “world class” bankers that got us into this recession in the first place. The government needs to have the balls to stand up to the bankers for one simple reason – those bankers are actually government paid officials which places them alongside all those that have just been told that they are subject to a continued pay freeze. NHS staff don’t get bonuses for saving lives, returning people to “good health” or caring for the elderly, sick and infirm yet bankers get bonuses for gambling with money that isn’t theirs. If bankers are going to be paid bonuses then there must be a criteria that says that after those bonuses have been paid out the bank must be in both pre and post tax profit. No profit, then no bonus payout.
Monday, 20 February 2012
£2m to assylum seeking "kids"
In the news at the weekend, missed by most of the news media, an announcement that £2m has been paid out over child asylum seekers illegally detained as adults. The legal case involved 40 youngsters who were locked up in adult units under Home Office policy that was deemed to be unlawful, read about it here in the Guardian
Now most "kids" between the age of 14 - 16 seeking assylum are regarded as adults in their home country, so why the hell are we paying these "kids" big payouts because of a slight cock-up? Are they worth thousands of GDP? (£2m divided by 40 is £50,000 each) Yet the government of this coutry sees fit to award them big payouts. In my book charity begins at home, so why are we spending £2m on somebody elses problem kids and not taking care of our own impoverished and under priviledeged kids.
No wonder this country is in such a financial mess - £2m given away to "kids" who are in no position to understand how to make the best use of the money and will probably waste it and return to poverty, where they (most likely) will be eternally happy. Makes me seeth.
Now most "kids" between the age of 14 - 16 seeking assylum are regarded as adults in their home country, so why the hell are we paying these "kids" big payouts because of a slight cock-up? Are they worth thousands of GDP? (£2m divided by 40 is £50,000 each) Yet the government of this coutry sees fit to award them big payouts. In my book charity begins at home, so why are we spending £2m on somebody elses problem kids and not taking care of our own impoverished and under priviledeged kids.
No wonder this country is in such a financial mess - £2m given away to "kids" who are in no position to understand how to make the best use of the money and will probably waste it and return to poverty, where they (most likely) will be eternally happy. Makes me seeth.
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