Howdy folks,

I suppose I must start with a confession

I was here before in a long term relationship with a K100RS. However in 2011 I began an affair with an Italian beauty and I honestly don't regret a single melancholy moment. My life was consumed with pure lust but unfortunately my faithful K was moved to the back of the garage to sit unloved gathering dust for many months :pale:






Oh what a difference 21 years and 561 miles (Berlin to Bologna - I just google'd that) make. What a bike! 

Anyway, as I'm much too prissy to take my Ducati out if there's even the slightest chance of rain, and rain would seem to be on the menu for the next few months I have a renewed interest in my K, and so dear friends, I am back

I hope you will welcome me back again with open arms despite my unfaithfulness.

Well I can understand how you could be lured by some floozie like that but you must be stronger in future.
So now off to the naughtie corner and write out 100 times how to adjust shims on a K100.

I'd be tempted the same way if I could afford to be that unfaithful!

When my K100 gets old enough for club registration next year, I might become unfaithful too, but whether I'd be partly unfaithful with a newer (or new) BMW, or go all the way with a Ducati might be a tough decision.

Welcome back to the fold.

Bill

My K100RT was first registered 1st October 1984.

I got my Vintage Registration in the mail on Tuesday......took it for 400 miles yesterday.

The K100RS will keep going long after that Italian fair weather floosie has bitten the dust.....

Its good that you are back.

Bigamy I say.

Renounce your sins ....... and enjoy both bikes. It's good to be a man.

I'm hearin' ya Bonzo!

If I had a Ducati like that, I'd do the same!

Maybe we can forgive you if you put the Duke on display in your lounge room...

Off topic a bit: how anyone can sit on the back of these bikes is beyond me.   I'd be wearing my brown pants.

I definitely feel like i am cheating on Bikey with the FJR, hes younger, shinier but slightly mental. I keep visiting him and begging for forgiveness but he just shuns me. I started him the other day  and he roared into life with a defiant rattle which tugged at my heart strings. One day my love i will come back to you, until then you will have to let the young psychopath take the strain....

On an even sadder note i SORNed Bikey the other day.....and then they asked for my organs!!!! Just because my heart is breaking it dosnt mean you can have the rest yet!!!!!

blaKey wrote:Maybe we can forgive you if you put the Duke on display in your lounge room...

Your wish, my command blaKey 

Whoo hoo! That looks great!

Where the rope barrier?

...and the ticket sales booth?

...and the viewing platform?

...and the...

blaKey wrote:Whoo hoo! That looks great!

Where the rope barrier?

...and the ticket sales booth?

...and the viewing platform?

...and the...

tissues?

Clean up at the Ducati display please. Aisle 4.

Bonzo wrote:Howdy folks,

.... rain would seem to be on the menu for the next few months I have a renewed interest in my K, and so dear friends, I am back

I hope you will welcome me back again with open arms despite my unfaithfulness.

Ah the old dog for the hard road! Welcome Back?.....sure you weren't really gone away!

Just an update..


Im really enjoying the brick


It took a bit of acclimatisation after the Ducati (a bus & a sports car comes to mind), but it's definitely rekindling the old flame.


Just glad I never decided to let go of it.

I hope you will welcome me back again with open arms despite my unfaithfulness.

That and the lovely photo of the K gets you half way forgiven.

To complete the process you must call into the offices of the Isle of Man Steam Racket Company and purchase a return ticket for travel to Ireland in 2015, starting at Belfast.

Comberjohn will then lead you on a mystery tour in glorious sunshine [irrespective of the time of year] to a pub place of inquisition where you will meet strange fellows Irish Eccentrics and be plied with beer truth inducing drugs until you recant and tell stories or are properly cleansed. Thereafter you will display a suitable label on your K which will remind you of a headache give you clearance to the Irish Eccentrics French office at Brunos in Rouffignac-St-Cernin where you will see a similar clearance displayed. Display of the matching label entitles you to be regarded as a friend of this establishment and fully cleansed.

Brunos has been personally inspected by CF and TacKler and found to be fully approved for K visits and overnights. Irish Eccentrics did an inspection in 2014 and for now the 2015 is planned for end of May.

Hope we might see you over here some time, always delighted to welcome visitors.

That sounds like an offer I cant refuse, but will have to for the time being

Long story, but my missus is really poorly with MS & I just cant leave her.

If the situation ever changes, I'm on that boat!

Thanks mate

An aside: I've noticed that the Isle of Man is nowhere near the Virgin Islands.

They moved it away to the Irish Sea, because this place http://www.termonfeckinhistory.ie/ was beside it. Something about Health and Safety.

Bonzo wrote:

That sounds like an offer I cant refuse, but will have to for the time being

Long story, but my missus is really poorly with MS & I just cant leave her.

If the situation ever changes, I'm on that boat!

Thanks mate

I am sorry to hear that and of course you should be near her. Might be a reason for one or two to head over to the Island though and exchange some stories. I have a brother over there and need to try out his S1000RR........

Isle of Man is rather tempting for a trip?

I have had a few nice camping trips there and of course the steam trains are something too. Then there is the motorcycle museum and the opportunity for a tour of the island by steam train and a few beers along the way.

Its got me thinking.....

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:Isle of Man is rather tempting for a trip?

I have had a few nice camping trips there and of course the steam trains are something too. Then there is the motorcycle museum and the opportunity for a tour of the island by steam train and a few beers along the way.

Its got me thinking.....

Got me thinking too, though a little far from Oz. 

When I retire I next year I hope to have a K100 at my daughter's place in France, which makes the thinking more likely to lead to action.

May even include a visit to the Irish Eccentrics, though they might have to promise fine weather to fully realise the temptation.  

Cheers,
Bill

Bill

You mentioned something about the TT.

Coming from France the preferred route is to take ferry to Rosslare, travel up to Dublin ferryport and take ferry to Isle of Man. Its 2 hours and you pass most of the Eccentrics. Take a slight detour inland and you can pass Stradbally......when we came back from our French trip there were a lot of bikes on the ferry and the ferry arrangements were excellent as regards deck space and tie downs.

Naturally you will be very welcome and we would hope to see you here. Comberjohn will arrange the weather as usual.

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:Bill

You mentioned something about the TT.

Naturally you will be very welcome and we would hope to see you here. Comberjohn will arrange the weather as usual.

Hi Olaf,
Not necessarily the TT, but an excuse to see Bonzo and others on the journey. I suspect at TT time it would be crowded and expensive, and I couldn't ride the actual TT course. 

I'm not sure that Comberjohn's weather arranging skills are what I would want if my memory of some Irish Eccentric posts is correct. 

New scenery and good people is what makes a trip for me, and apart from dodgy weather (can't see the scenery) lots over the other side of the world from me has every indication of both if Irish Eccentric posts are anything to go by.  

Cheers,

Bill

Bill

Isle of Man at TT is mayhem, crowded, can be expensive and the ferry is not called the Steam Racket Company for nothing....I got quoted £800 sterling one time for the car and kids for a weekend trip that wasn't even TT time. Needless to say we didn't go. But other times its reasonable and has a very quaint beauty that's very enjoyable if you don't mind being dragged back a century in time. One of our trips we took we spent the day exploring the island's steam trains, taking an hour to do a half hour journey. The station was in perfect order but quaint and the best thing was that the tea shop was run by a woman who had come from New Zealand 5 years earlier and did all the traditional baking to perfection. I love my cakes......

The real time to go is for the classic/Manx GP. Much more suited to K riders, end of August and its still got everything going for it.

No speed limits there......but, the road quality is your speed limit. Like that 80km sign on the road with the grass in the middle. And the drivers........if it wasn't for the car corroding weather there would be a lot of Galloping Maggots Morris Minors there, driven by the stereotype who don't corrode and are liable to do anything. Despite the bike presence the concept of anything going faster doesn't enter their minds.

A well planned K outing maybe. But, one time on leaving after a week of perfect sunshine on the last day we were faced with really torrential rain while we decamped the tent etc [smiling- pitch first tent] in the morning for a lunchtime ferry. They use sea cats for the 3 hour run to Dublin and the Irish Sea can be 'lumpy'. All on board and about to depart captain says we are staying put for 3 hours until the tide changes as that would moderate the sea. Being a lover of the sea I knew that made a lot of sense but left us with a 4 hour journey off the ferry at 9pm instead of 6pm.....

I missed one or two trips due to being off road....but my memory is Comberjohn's outings have been good weather.

Our run up north in September met heavy rain and flooding on the way up but we came through it fine. Saturday and Sunday were both fantastic.

In 2012 it was for camping but a frost, and my last 30 miles home it came down in torrents. I was dry underneath and parked the bike with 890 miles up on it.

Anyway we are always positive in outlook and a little rain doesn't spoil it for us because one has to be well prepared for it and it normally doesn't last. I only use rain overgloves and overboots, lightweight and from Lidl, cheap, perfect and so small they tuck away.

Ask Born Again Eccentric about his trip over at Easter....he posted it here too. If you make it to Cork you will be treated to chicken wings and Pavlova....