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Whereabouts is the ford?

My thought are as a pensioner is use it when I can an there’s no knowing how many riding years left

Nearly bought a Classic 350 18 months ago. But the crazy low running in speeds and the frequent service intervals put me off. I still love it though! But out this morning on Shropshire's muddy country lanes on my CL500, I loved it more! Take care and ride safe.

I thought about a sump guard, but then I wondered... Stuff will get behind it and build up - how do you clean back there?

I'm glad to see you're still making videos, Keith. You have a talent for it, and that shouldn't be wasted. Thank you for the video! FG Rides in Pennsylvania, USA

Sounds like you have the same plan I do for winterizing, I will say as an old stone mason, that concrete garages will cause condensation, Ventilation is key to reduce and prevent this, I use a solar powered fan in the cupola or gable vent to keep air circulating tends to help. A small electric fan can help as well. I do start mine at least every couple weeks, I'll take them out, if there is no salt on the roads. Good to see you back Keith!

Great to have you back 👍😎

When I lived in the UK in the winter time my garage would cause condensation on my bikes, so I had a dehumidifier in there. Always greased the chrome parts etc. But if the roads weren't covered in salt I would use the bikes on good days during the winter and do here as well. When I was young back in the 60's and the bike was my only means of transport on one occasion having missed the works van I had to ride to Blandford (in Dorset) about 25 miles in frosty weather and was frozen stiff by the time I arrived on site. Having managed to get it into neutral I ended up coasting to a wall, stopping and leaning against it then warming up with my gloved hands on the exhaust pipes. The general foreman was laughing at me for getting up late and missing the van - didn't do it again in the winter. Anyway it's good to see you on video again.

I’m retired now, and I’ve not ridden through the winter since the mid-naughties, since I started riding posher bikes. I’ve got an Asgard security shed. It’s metal with a wooden floor. I don’t cover the bike but I give it all of the products before it goes away. I plug it into the Optimate as well. Never had any condensation or rust.

Nice to see you back. I have my Himalayan for my winter riding as you can get some reasonable days in the winter months. I can choose what days I ride due to now being retired. To keep the Himalayan protected, I throughly wash it done and dry it off (with a pet dryer!) and spray Scottoiler FS125 over the bike avoiding the brakes. The chain gets a claen, adjustment and lubricated. The other bikes are taken off the road, cleaned, polished, tyres pumped up and ready for the battery tender to be used when required. I usually brim the fuel tank and only use E5 fuel. Every now and again I will start the bike and let it wasrm up. I do tend to spray GT85 over the engine to drive out any moisture. My garage doesn't tend to suffer from damp as badly as my own stand alone brick garage did.

Very similar to you sir except the Harley has a belt ( no chain) you can actually buy an inflatable bubble to store your Harley in , too expensive for me.

Good video, enjoyed that, food for thought on various matters😀👍

Lovely to see you back Keith! 😊👍

For laying up, mine get a good wash and blow dry (bike driers are amazing game changers) then lather it in Motorcycle Protectant from MuckOff, pump the tyres up, ACF 50 on the brightwork, top the tank with E5 and add fuel stabiliser. Into the garage, plugged in to the Cetek battery minder and a nice stretchy cover over (Oxford Products, like lingerie for your bike) and that's it. I don't start the bike until it's coming out again next spring. Never bothered putting oil in the bores. It seems to work, for the three months we put them away for here in what's left of England. I put mine away at the first sign of salting on the roads. On nice days open the door for a bit, let some air circulate. They really can get soaking wet in there. It's just cold damp air getting in there, the bike is warmer than the air so it condenses out on your bike. Maybe give it a once over with the bike drier :-). Come springtime, another good wash and an oil and filter as a minimum - maybe a full service if it's time. I've tried getting a winter hack these last couple of years but old bikes are so cheap now that I ended up with a really nice old VFR750 that is far too nice to take out in the salt! Got an old XR400 now though, that should get me out over the winter and them old XRs laugh at an English winter.

I bought a couple of desk top fans run off usb a couple of winters ago. Realy cheap and they stop the tell tale signs like misting on the chrome etc. had no probs since and in abrick garage

Brilliant!

Fortunately I have a dry ventilated garage so winter prep is minimal. Thorough clean and polish, then a dose of wax all over, just put it on, no buffing or polishing. Lift bike off ground, brim tank (no additives), put on tender (I leave it turned on for a week, then off, on etc). Cover with a light cotton sheet (not a waterproof bike cover or plastic). In the spring I just buff off the wax, do standard maintenance checks and ride. I think the key is ventilation and a through flow of air, if the air is static and moist and the metal on the bike is cold you will get condensation.

Hi Shotto , good to see you back . If you put a windscreen on your Bonnie , it will make long distance touring easier , you can always take it off in the summer for local rides , it will keep a lot of rain off you as well . Unless you really have the urge to buy a Versys [ ugly bike in my opinion ] Re - wet belly . wear a belt over your jacket or make sure the jacket is tight against your stomach . My jacket has a built in kidney belt which keeps the jacket tight , makes me look slim and turns me into a chick magnet 🤣. You could also get a pair of salopette type trousers with a bib . Tank bag can also block driving rain . An old bed sheet works well for a bike dust cover , make a "'tent' with it and don't let it touch the bike . Keeps the air flowing and open the garage doors on nice dry days .

Cracking ride Keith, good to see your still out and about on the bike, best thing for it even if it’s only once in a while over the winter, I know it’s a couple of hours cleaning it after but it’s better than sitting getting condensation for months under a cover 😮 even though I’ve a “winter bike” my main bike still gets an outing once in a while just to keep everything running smoothly and to burn off any condensation buildup inside the engine and exhaust, then a wash, dry and a liberal dose of GT85 again, all the best buddy 👍

In the80's I ran the 1st mobile repair business for Citroen 2cv (flat twin 602 cc air and oil cooled),especially with the last one,s made,that had crap Portugese made chassis they rotted in front of (the chassis that is ),9 times out of 10 they were kept in concrete / breezblock garages with 1 air brick as ventilation.It got so bad that if we went out to a new customer 1 of us would slide under the back and check the chassis.Personally I wouldn,t leave a car or a bike inside a garage built from concrete slabs (pre brabricated ),or a garage built with breeze blocks.You,d be better of keeping the bike in the house,or building a timber structure with masses of ventilation.

Hi Keith Good to see you back In reference to condensation in your garage if you fit an extractor fan it will cure it 👊👍

Ey up For the first four years of my working life starting back in 1968 I rode my bike to work every day all year round. It wasn’t till my 20th birthday when I passed my test that I could get inside a car with a heater on during the winter months, I still had a bike though 😊 I still ride all year round, albeit now for fun and pleasure Si thee

Enjoyed that Keith. I do pretty much the same with mine over winter but I cover em with old duvets so they're nice and snug 😁 Never had an issue with condensation.

Sounds good to me Keith, I personally wouldn’t put the classic on carpet only because any damp will get trapped in it and If it warms up the moisture evaporates up under the bike, garage with a draught is good mate keeps the air moving, something I do is warm the bike up and then spray the down pipe with WD40 and it will mist up around the bike especially under the tank, most of my jackets do the same water pools in the front of your jacket gets past the flap the zip and then the baffle and into you undercackers 🙁 wouldn’t want to take a camping car down that lane bud 😬 good vid Houdini 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 one good thing living here no tax SORN required lol, later bud … Pete🇫🇷

I'm assuming that when you said you used a cover that you meant an outdoor bike cover. The problem with those is that they are designed to rain water out but that means they don't breath so condensation forms inside against the cold metal of the bike and it is pretty much trapped inside the cover.

I don't put my bike up for winter, but take it out on good days, don't care for bit of smoke as the ACF50, or simour all soon burn off & it doesn't take too long to wash and recover with ACF50, For me a winter ride out is better than a Summer ride sometimes (yes base layers are important), but it is better for the bikes battery, keeps oils thinner by moving, also your riding skills are kept up to date. One of my best ride outs was to Monyash & Bakewell on Xmas Day last year (2023) (OK I had to purchase coffee from a petrol station). Yes I agree if it's horrible It's horrible, but sometimes a good all year jacket in this country is too much warmth (I needed the scratch my head attempting when this year) 🤣 Just make the most of your bike Summer / Winter whatever we all need to get out! As you finished with you said we don't get bad winters now so why hide?

Evening mate good to see you on the big screen again 👍🇫🇷

It's been too long! For long-term storage, I try to lift the wheels, fill gas tank, add Stabil, put on battery maintainer and cover. Wash thoroughly of course.

Just got one yesterday....and after watching this vid, I'm glad I did!

That was great Keith. Always good to hear your happy banter. Gary from Gippsland. 😊

Thanks for sorting out an issue with my heating system, I will have to wait until I can get into the caravan to see if the offset temperature needs adjusting. My caravan is in for service and I rang them this morning questioning the accuracy of my alde thermostat which has to my mind been giving a false reading. There response was to tell me that if they had to investigate charges started at £108.00 per hour, I declined this service and agreed to live with it, (he did say that he was filling in for one of the service team and he was normally on sales!!) Thanks again Alan Dixon

Wheel brush...

I'd throw the sponge away, use a decent wash mitt.

Motorhome (a small one!) with a C350 on the back rack - perfection?

Keep it going Keith - great channel!

I have 350 meteor and I’ve done dna, decat, fuelx lite, with original silencer . Then I fitted Hitchcocks free flow exhaust which was way too loud even with the db killer. Both with the decat and free flow especially on a long run with ear plugs I would get a headache. Now I’m back to original set up with just the dna and fuelx lite. Not quite as quick (relatively) but much more tolerable. Anyone want to buy a decat pipe or complete free flow system let me know, message me 😢

I've got a beautiful Halcyon Grey, she loves the gravel back roads of South Gippsland Oz. If I wanted to name her, I would call her Lee.

Thank you so much for the recommendation 😊. Great video as always. I’m learning a lot from your channel.

DNA filter phase 2 does PROVEN lift power by 10% on my hunter. And YES it indefinitely makes a big difference mid range and overtaking! Trust technology.

If you can get a camper van

Do you think it is limited by only having a five speed transmission particularly if riding on a highway? That is why I often hear people often say that the T120 is better for highway riding and long distance touring, as it has six gears and a 1200cc engine.

Love this video! thanks for sharing. What model is the delkevic silencer ? I like it.

Agree with you but knob on a bike is far better than a knob in a car , overtaking blindly isn't restricted to bikes I have witnessed more cars doing this . At least faced with a bike head on you have chance of avoiding each other but if you collide the bikes not going to fare to well , but faced with about 2 ton of car you'd be lucky to survive . I probably ride like a knob but in a slow way LOL but that's my age but still enjoy getting out for a potter on my bike

There is basically ZERO road sign obstruction here in the USA, perhaps because the revenuers (rozzers to you) are staunchly opposed to anything that might be an impediment to successful prosecution. As for motorhomes, caravans, and camper vans... I understand the superficial appeal of motorhomes and camper vans (caravans remain a ghastly abomination to me), but if you spend a few minutes examining the reality of touring with either, you may conclude that hotels are easily the best option. For the expenditures involved with either (initial purchase price, insurance, taxes, maintenance, fuel - and most of these are ongoing expenses), you can stay many, many nights in a decent hotel and still be way ahead financially. Plus, and this is a big one, you don't have to face the choice of "Hmm, chemical toilet, or campground communal toilet?". Heaven forbid! Thank you for the video! FG Rides in Pennsylvania, USA

Definitely go for a campervan. When I had to retire through ill health 7 years ago, I bought mine as my "daily user" as well as my weekend camper. You can get rid of a car and it won't need storage like a motorhome or caravan (unless you have a 70' driveway. I bought mine new and went for one based on a Renault Trafic as they were/are £6k cheaper than the VW equivalent as you are just paying for the badge.

Never mind laying out for vans, use hotels / AirBnB instead. Less hassle and less dosh in the long run..no maintenance, tax, insurance or ridiculous site fees !!

Here in the US a lot of folks wait till spring to have service work done on their bikes, and it takes awhile to get any repairs done since the shops are busy. You would know the situation better in the UK, and it may not be difficult to get tires installed in the spring there.

Nice job being part of the solution! With the rain you all seem to get, I don't know how you can keep up with it without everyone helping when they see an issue. We could all benefit by following your example... Ride safe friend!

Hi Keith, enjoying your vlogs and thought I’d put my ‘tuppence ha’penny’s worth forward for you to consider. I caravanned for 12 years and mostly loved it and as you have said you still have the freedom to go places with your car. Currently have a Motorhome, bit of a big bugger and as you correctly say again you can’t take them (very easily) into towns and park anywhere you like, it takes a lot of planning and once on site that’s where it stays until we move on. It does work well with our two Labradors though and that’s where I’d think you’d struggle in a camper van, space seems to be at a premium, What I’d be considering above anything else …is living space. Also the £££’s always is the main one. Good luck in your quest, hope you come to a decision that suits you and your other half’s needs. It’s swings and roundabouts with them all. cheers Martyn.

Great video Keith with valid points. Most of our villages up here have a lengthsman these days, and keeping signs clear ought to be part of the job really. I used to carry a pruning saw in the coach, but that was to try and protect my mirrors!