KTM Freeride 350, another video.

Last Wednesday I wrote a post about the new KTM 350 Freeride. Here's another video of the bike in action in Andorra. It would be a great laugh taking one of these down to Glentress.

Triumph Explorer 1200.

Me and Bob went up to Two Wheels on Saturday to check out the new Triumph Explorer. It looks pretty GS like, having a similar looking rear swing arm and "beak" as the GS. I had a wee sit on it and it felt like it should be pretty comfy, it felt a bit more top heavy than a GS too but this would be expected considering the Beemer's boxer engine. As should be expected there's loads of options and extras available. You can get panniers, heated grips etc and Arrow do a proper exhaust for it so it won't sound like a toaster.
I took some photos with my phone.

Looks OK eh?

Would you have a Harley?

Harley Davidson bikes appeal to loads of different folk. They have a huge following, to some folk Harley is a way of life, which is a wee bit fucked, I know. Harleys have been used in loads of films, have a massive custom scene, have been successful in motor sport and make a great sound. Despite this, loads of folk I've talked to say they would never have a Harley, which is fair enough but most of these folk have never ridden one. Some Harley haters don't even have a bike licence! The UK bike press do give Harley's a hard time. Sure, they don't really handle that well and their motors are the best way to turn petrol into noise without producing horsepower, but they aren't all about going fast and getting your knee down. A Harley is about chilling out, taking in the scenery, making lots of noise and often being an attention seeking bastard. They are great fun bikes that make you smile. If you are a Harley hater but have never had a shot of one give them a chance. Make sure you get a shot of a Harley without standard pipes as the stock exhaust keeps the bike far too quiet. You never know, you might love it.

Faithir has had a fair few Harleys and my mate Bert has had his for years. I've been lucky enough to have a shot of them. 

Would I have a Harley? Fucking right I would.

KTM Freeride 350

KTM are releasing this new bike, the Freeride 350. I was on the pan reading an article on it in Motor Cycle News the other day, it looks to be a great fun bike. Its nothing mental, the power output is around 25 bhp but it will weigh in at just under 100Kg. Its not massive either so should be an awesome tool for getting your off road skillz on. You should be able to get quite far on one too with a tank range of about 85 miles and MCN say the exhaust is super quiet which is handy if you're riding areas you shouldn't. There is even an electric model for folk that believe batteries are better for the environment than petrol. The only downside is the £6000 price tag, pretty expensive for a toy, especially considering how much you can get a Suzuki DRZ400 for. But, just like BMW, Harley Davidson, Ducati and Red Bull, KTM have made themselves into a brand, so I'm sure KTM won't have any trouble selling them, especially when you see their promotional video. Check it out, mind and click it up to HD.

Mind and buy your matching T-shirt and toaster.

Lost in the hills.

I've not put much on my blog recently. I've been out on a few cycles at night with Extreme and Sweeney but I wouldn't want to piss about trying to take photos in the freezing cold. When I say cold, its not cold enough to freeze the trails, which are fucking horrible swamps, but you'll freeze your balls off if you stop cycling for too long. I wish it would make its mind up and get colder, or just warm up a bit.

Cycling home at 3 in the morning.

I've still been cycling to work, its much easier than I thought it would be. Faithir got me a waterproof and windproof jacket which makes a massive difference in the cold, as does my merino wool base layer. Its not been off my back since I got it at Christmas!

Anyways, yesterday I got my finger out my arse and headed for the Lammermuir hills. I figured that the trails up there would be relatively mud free. The cycle up was a bit of a fucking slog. I headed for Stobshiel on the road. Now many people will disagree with me here, but cycling on the road is dull as shit. I don't mind it so much when I'm commuting, but when I'm on my day off its shite. I eventually got to Stobshiel and followed the track up into the hills, after a wee while I realised that the track was going a bit futher into the hills that I wanted to go, so I cut across a field, jumped a wee burn and started crossing the moors, sometimes cycling, sometimes pushing. It was a bit squelchy but the tracks and the snow were a nice change to the mud and shite. It was an ace day, I took a few photos and watched the buzzards flying about and the hares running around. Great fun, the sun was high and I had loads of time left to explore.

My plan was to head across the hills and join the trail to Lammerlaw but after a while the sun got pretty low and I didn't have a fucking scooby where I was. The thing about the Lammermuirs is you can see most of East Lothian. I could see a quarry that rung a bell and after a while I popped out at West Lach, exactly the same place as I came out last time when I was up on the C90! My sense of direction may be shite, but its consistent. I got home just as it was getting dark, I was well fucked. As always I had the Gopro with me, I forgot my helmet cam mount, so no Giant Floaty Heid Cam this time. The chest mount is a bit Blair Witch, bouncing about a fair bit but I think I've got that sorted for next time by fiddling about with the straps.

2 wheel living.

Not long after New Year I was fucked with the cold so I've not had that much stuff to post up untill now. I've decided to get rid of my car. I've got the GS, the C90 and HB's car when she's not using it so the old Toyota is away. I live under four miles from my work and my boss gave the OK to use my work bike for commuting. I've added a few bits and bobs like a rack and I'll be putting the pedals from the 456 on it once I get new ones from Superstar.

The work bike with a fuck off log splitter on the rack.

Commuting has been OK so far. I got a merino wool base layer for Christmas from Faithir and Maw so I've been warm enough, even when coming home at 3am when its -5! I'll need to get a decent waterproof jacket, so far I've been lucky enough to avoid any really heavy rain. I think I'll go with the Altura Nevis jacket that my mate Bruce recommended.

I was planning on taking the car to the scrappy's and putting the money I got into the Pugsley fund, but then I heard that Aaron was needing a car, so I gave it back to him for a bargain price. The car has lasted well since I bought it off Aaron in 2008 just over three years ago for £300. I might get another car in the future but as always I won't be spending over £500.

Aaron's chuffed as fuck to have the old Toyota back.

The Pugsley is slowly taking shape. The wheels are by far the most expensive part and I managed to get a Large Marge rim cheap from ebay. Bimble Bomble also got me a hip flask and cage for it which it well cool. I'll buy another rim soon, I doubt I'll find another on on ebay, but I'll be keeping my eye out for other bits and pieces.

My rim.

As well as commuting by pushbike, I've been getting out on my 456 and farting around with the Gopro. HB got me a chest mount for Christmas so I went for a wee spin around the local trails testing it out. I was a really nice day but freezing cold, all the mud on the trails was frozen solid. It was great fun to get out and not get covered in shit and the hard trails were way faster to ride.

The Gopro chest mount. It looks like a fucking bra.

 

Can you see the Saltire in the sky?

Here's the film. Mind and click the quality up to HD unless you live in a fucking cave and don't have a fast enough connection.

Happy New Year!!!!!

Just a wee quick post to say Happy New Year everyone!

HB and I spend Christmas up in Caithness visiting her Dad and Brother. As always we had a great time and plenty laughs with the Caithness massif before coming down the road for Hogmanay. We had an epic party, squeezing 35 or more folk into our we hoose! 

There's a few changes in the post, but I'll put them up over the next few days. I got a few christmas presents that I can use for my blog too. More to come!

I'll leave you with this nice pic of Malky, HB's Dad.

Take a lick o' Malky's jeer.

Hope you all had as much fun!