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I'm sure you are right that the Honda 250 would be fine for a trip down to Greece. I will try a few longish trips in the UK before I decide what bike to take. I'm thinking that the NC500 around the Scottish coast could be fun. Also. I could make plenty of detours to Marinas etc and scope out some places to take Serenity. It really all depends on comfort. I'm way past the days of spending all day on a cramped sportsbike. Having said that, the Honda is surprisingly comfortable - and it would be quite quirky to do the Greece journey on a 44 year old bike. Cheers, Paul

Thanks for the comment. It is appreciated. I'm pleased that you have found things that help. Diet is definitely an important thing to focus on. I have tried a lot of things over the last 5 years - including diet. Nothing seemed to really make much, if any, difference. But I have stuck to the 'good' diet - it makes sense. In my case, they (medics) did find something that was missed out, and fixing that seems to have made a massive difference. More on that once the doctors have finished all their investigations. Fixing these difficult health problems always seems to work best when there is a true working partnership between doctor and patient. Plus an ongoing (professional) curiosity from the medical team) as to what might be at the cause. That doesn't always happen. Keep planning and not worrying. I'm just starting to understand what that feels like. Great isn't it. Cheers, Paul

Welcome aboard. I'm not sure how motorbike focused this channel will be. But as I said in the video, I really fee the need for some sort of adventure soon. It will take quite a few months to get the boat back in the water and voyage ready. The bike, on the other hand, is ready now. I'm amazed at how much interest people (older men of about my age usually) show in the Honda when I'm out and about on it. I am thinking round a few options. An 'obvious' one being the NC500 trip (round the North West of Scotland) - and getting there would be an adventure in its own right. Cheers, Paul

Thanks for the comment. I'm pleased to hear that things are now going in the right direction for you - and on two wheels as well! Yes, I think that both Sailing and Motorcycling can be very therapeutic. On a bike I find that I quickly get into that "flow" state where you are gently focused so much on the ride that nothing else comes into your head - time literally passes without you noticing. Similar thing with sailing. But my preferred way of sailing is to simply set a course, rig up the self-steering, and then just sit back and enjoy. I just watch the sea and listen to the sounds; no need for a book or any distraction. I have re-written the book (Edition 2) which should be out sometime early next year. (there will be an audio version - which is taking the time). A number of people said that they wanted me to align the format of the book with the individual stages of the process much more closely. A very valid point - and I agree (it makes it much easier to read and follow). When I publish, I will put the Kindle version up for free for a week (Amazon lets me do this) and let people on this channel know. I can't say what I think the medical problem was just yet. I have a pretty good idea, but need a few more medical checks. Keep the shiny side up. Cheers, Paul

That is 100% true. Everything else is just window dressing. Cheers, Paul

Yep, I could have sat round for ages and not come up with anything. And don't worry, the 'annoy your family' thing is already well under way. Cheers, Paul

Thanks James. It all feels a bit surreal at the moment. Still quite a few medical things to check out. But it's all good news. Cheers, Paul

Both Greece and Scotland have been on my list for ages. Shame that the bike isn't the 400 cc version. But I never bought it with the intention of going any further than the local shops. One advantage is that if I breaks down, I can just take it to the nearest scrap yard and carry on by bus. Thanks for the overwinter suggestions in Scotland. I've had a look at both (they both have really good promo videos). Cheers, Paul

Carburettors are a pain to work on (small and fiddly), but an even bigger pain if you don't work on them. It is perfect for small back roads - but not much fun on a bigger road with all the other traffic going at 65-80 mph. Luckily, there is some lovely countryside around here and loads of twisty roads with hardly any traffic. I've known Oxford products since they were a very small operation in... well, Oxford. I had a set of soft luggage on my Ducati many years ago and it all worked fine. Ideally, I would get some hard luggage on a bigger bike. I missspoke on the video. I meant to say that the external power bank went down from 100% to 99% after about 45 minutes. I always like to have a paper plan as well as a back up map/chart. Exactly the same with sailing. I tend to follow the paper instructions with just the ultimate destination typed into the SatNav - I can then take as many 'interesting' roads as I want without getting lost. Cheers, Paul

I adored the old basic Garmin GPS. It had no maps loaded into the device, but simply allowed one to input waypoints to navigate by. Usually when I went out for rides I would select my home as the destination waypoint and ride away from it in some general direction such as maybe Northeast that day for approximately 20-25% of the time I had budgeted to ride that day. When I had ridden about that far I would turn approximately 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise from my initial general heading and begin to slowly circle around my starting point keeping approximately the same distance to my home "destination" and just making turns on whatever road looked interesting. As long as I was going generally in the direction I needed to keep my home and return destination as the center of my circle trip It didn't matter if I was "lost." Getting lost was a feature and not a bug on these exploration rides. As long as I knew which way home was I could make a bee-line for it in time to get back when I intended -which was usually before darkness fell. I would avoid any road with painted lines and prefer the twisties and narrowest of back roads instead. Multilane highways were avoided unless there was no other way such as across major rivers if there were few bridges.

I still want to get back on Serenity and take some leisurely cruises. I think there is a link between sailing and motorcycling. You are out in the elements with both. Same feeling of freedom too. Anyone can sit in a car and drive to somewhere or sit in a motorboat and do the same. And as for "fast" - I think that the video might have exaggerated the look of how fast the Honda was going. It is not a speedy motorcycle. But maybe that's exactly what my licence needs. Cheers, Paul

Ken, keeping going with small projects was absolutely key in keeping my moral going. With the added benefit that I have learned a few new skills along the way. Yes, 750 was always the 'big bike' capacity. I still think that way. I have had a couple of bikes bigger than that, but the most fun bike I ever had was actually a 650. Plenty powerful enough and very light and manageable. Good to hear from you, Paul

Richard, there are many different 'configurations' for a parallel twin engine. On my bike, the pistons go up and down together (IE 360 degrees). But because it's a four stroke, they only fire once every second revolution. The pistons effectively take it in turn to fire. As you can imagine, all this weight going up and down (both pistons at the same time) at up to 10,000 revs per minute can cause a lot of vibration. Sometimes that can be offset by the 'character' of the bike. But often, it's just annoying and you feel it through the foot pegs, handgrips and the mirrors go blurry. So what Honda have done is put in two shafts with eccentric weights on them just in front of and behind the crankshaft. They are attached by a chain to the crankshaft. Everything is finely calculated so that the spinning of the eccentric weights cancels out (IE balances) the natural vibration from the pistons. However, when the chain starts to stretch (even a little bit), the balance shafts get slightly out of synchronisation and you start to feel some vibrations. Hence the need to adjust the balance shaft chain (that's the proper full name) on a regular basis. And it really makes a difference. I hope that makes sense. If not just buy a 90 degree V twin (like a Ducati) - they have natural primary balance - and still feel and sound great. Cheers, Paul

@@verynearlyaboutsailing8114 well explained Paul, many thanks for such a detailed explanation, it makes perfect sense….. even to me ! Having understood your description I wonder why the pistons don’t just fire 180 degrees out of sync to produce the equilibrium? I’m no expert but I believe my old 2cv did the same as your Honda, ie: both cylinders firing in unison, I don’t remember ever having to adjust anything to smooth out the running….. but then again…. Hey ! how could you tell ?? It was a 2cv after all ! 😉 Thanks again for the reply Paul. Cheers, Richard

@@Scruffy1000 Yes you can get 180 degree parallel twins, but then you have the problem that the firing (for a four-stroke) isn't even, so the ignition pulses cause vibration (or character). You can even get 270 and 285 degree parallel twins. There is always a compromise of some sort. The reason your 2CV was OK is that the pistons are in a 'boxer' configuration - IE opposite each other rather than side by side - everything happens at the same time on each side and evens things out. In that way, the 2CV is similar to a Porsche... but in no other way whatsoever. Fun stuff :) Paul

I used to have a Honda VF750 (not sure what year). It was the model before the VFR and had a camchain - and a really bad reputation for cam problems. It was nicknames the 'Cadburycam' bike because the cams would eventually wear to a round shape. However, despite the fact that it took hours to adjust the tappets, and you needed to do it often, I never had any problems with mine. Lovely bike to ride. I've never ridden a bike with linked brakes, but really don't like the idea at all. I was taught that the front and rear brakes have very different functions, and have always like to balance them out myself. I have also (been lucky) and never had a bike with ABS - maybe I'm just old-fashioned. Cheers, Paul

Excellent! Good luck with that - I'm sure it will go well. Honda's are a dream to work on (pun intended). They just seem to work and do what they are supposed to do. Although, as I said in the video, I was never particularly interested in the 250N at the time - but it is starting to grow on me now. Aside from anything else, it is so comfortable to sit on and ride. Cheers, Paul

Getting an old bike like this can be a very cheap way of getting (back) on the road. There was a small, but absolutely vital, problem with the carbs. The previous owner must have been pulling his hair out wondering why none of his adjustments worked. Unfortunately a lot of the swearing will be cut out - family friendly channel and all that. Cheers, Paul

@@verynearlyaboutsailing8114 Agree with the cost thing, back in the day I was into vintage, ( for ‘vintage’ read ‘old’!), mopeds. Great fun and back then dead cheap, but my interest was more in resurrecting them, getting them working and registered once more, once I’d done that I kind of lost interest and moved on to the next one. I just enjoyed the challenge, much like you and the various skills you’re learning for the boat. Keep it going Paul, I’m loving your journey….. wherever it may end up ! Cheers, Richard.

Ooooo. Boldor 900! Very nice. Lovely looking bike. Yes, Honda kept the styling theme pretty similar throughout their road bike range back then. From a distance you'd be hard pushed to tell them apart. Until the lights turned green that is. I never rode the 900 - but I absolutely loved the 750F2. Maybe I need to get one... As for the flat battery. I used to have a Ducati 750ss. It was a real Italian Prima Donna. I had to keep it in a heated shed with a trickle charger (battery conditioner) hooked up all the time. That worked a treat. Cheers, Paul

I think that one of the reasons it was so popular at the time was simply the fact that it was a four stroke. A lot of people didn't like the high revving two strokes - personally, I didn't mind either. Plus, of course, Honda had a really good reputation for reliability. I am surprised at how well it rides. Nothing feels worn out at all. Noting spectacular - but it is fun. As for price, there are always a few bargains to be had. But you really have to be happy to do the necessary restoration/fettling work yourself, otherwise it can become really expensive. The main thing for me was getting the carbs right. It didn't cost any money, but took several hours (and a lot of swearing). Cheers, Paul

Yes, indeed. As I say, I had every opportunity to ride one back when it was launched - but never did. It was truly the slowest and least desirable 250 at the time. However, it was also the best seller - by a long way. Go figure. But it has been a fun project and will be useful for me to pop down the shops and buy my crochet and knitting supplies. And even the slowest bike is better than the fastest car. Cheers, Paul

There is something about the Mirage 28 that is a bit magical. I have met a few Mirage 28 owners - and they all love their boats. I certainly love mine. Cheers, Paul

Richard, my apology was to Bob Dylan. However, having said that, I once queued up for 24 hours to buy a ticket to his Earls Court show (1978?) - so I feel he owes me one. This motorbike is not really a project as it is actually a 'runner'. Although it needs a bit of work to make it safe - plus a service etc. But it will be the subject of the next video. I see a lot of similarities between motorcycling and sailing. Quite a few sailors seem to ride bikes. Cheers, Paul

@@verynearlyaboutsailing8114 I may be lambasted for this but I went to see Bob Dylan at the Docklands Arena in the early 2000’s…… I lasted 10 mins……. Sorry, but it was awful 😞 Yes a lot of the freedoms are associated with both bikes and boats, just don’t get ‘em confused 🫤 boats float…. bikes don’t ! Love your videos Paul, now stop reading this and get on with something useful 😉 All the best R. Ps: how’s the piano ?

I really should have practiced doing that before I hit record. Oh well. Yes, there will definitely be some looping going on in the Christmas special. I have tried it before on a different setup ... and its' not easy. Hats off to Ed. Cheers, Paul

I only recently in the last month or so discovered Ed and looping. A cruising friend showed me some.videos of him performing. I had no idea that your soundboard project had a looper included or even what that was before this. It looks impossible to me what Ed does with his looping. But then again I can't play guitar -or even sing. I cant even remember any lyrics other than a few words of most songs.

Ed is probably the best looper out there. His pedalboard rig is astonishing (and cost many 10s of thousands of pounds). He sells a couple of (very cut down) versions of his rig under his own brand. I need to do a lot of practice to learn how to use my feet as well as my hands. I think you will probably have to wait for the Christmas Special before any 'proper' looping happens.

Funnily enough, the RUclips copyright checking algorithm didn't recognise it at all. Either that, or Bob Dylan (famous Welsh poet) had a quick listen and decided he wanted nothing to do with it. Cheers, Paul

Yes, literally awful and completely unfit for purpose. Cheers, Paul

Have a look at the "VEVOR UK" website, under the Boat Launching Section. They have a lot of different sizes and options. There are also lots of diagrams with measurements.

Should do. Obviously sand isn't the easiest thing with small wheels. I haven't tried these on sand yet myself.

James, good idea. I could adapt it so that if you fold it out one way it becomes a double bass. And in a different configuration it becomes a yacht tender. What could possibly go wrong? I do sometimes wonder if I chose the right instrument. Trouble is, I'm a bit scared of Medusa, she's from Transylvania (no really) and quite a bit bigger than me. She might take it badly if I try and replace her. Cheers, Paul

Richard, it's really strange. I was very nervous about woodwork until I threw myself into it, and had a go. I also know a very good carpenter who was very nervous about fiberglass work - until he tried it. I guess the lesson is to simply try everything. Just start slowly and be as accurate as possible. And, what's that you say... I have a boat in the garden? Really? Let me just pop out and have a look. Blimey, you're right. How on earth did that get there? I guess I'd better do something with it then. Cheers, Paul

Wayne, I should have done. But my compression tester has gone missing. I probably lent it to someone, then forgot who. It would have been interesting to check which cylinder had the problem. I did the 'standard' head gasket blown test. I filled the coolant system up with water then started the car... violent bubbles blowing out through the filler cap everywhere. To be honest, the car is worth less than a tank of petrol. But I hate throwing things away that can be fixed. It will either work or it won't. Not a big job to be honest. But lots and lots of fiddly parts - old cars are so much easier. Cheers, Paul

Richard, Ha ha. Slow and steady is all I do. Yes, the small motorcycle should be interesting. It has a bit of a story having only been ridden for a few hundred miles since new in the 1960's, then lightly crashed in the 1970's, then locked away in a shed since then. Unfortunately a bit of rain damage because of a leaking roof. But should be a fun project. All will be revealed soon Cheers, Paul

Actually... Maybe I should contact them and see if they are willing to sponsor this channel. Mind you, that would really hit their profit margin. Cheers, Paul

Indeed. Although, what I omitted to point out is that there is a very comfortable fold up chair tucked in behind the compressor. I do quite often sit on that and enjoy a cup of tea in comfort whilst listening to the radio. Strange how a workshop can also be such a relaxing place - but it only feels relaxing when it's tidy :) Cheers, Paul

Yes, there is a rhyme - I don't know it. And there is also some weird thing I have seen people do by counting on their knuckles - how does that even work. As for me, I'm usually pretty happy if I can roughly guess what day of the week it is ;) Cheers, Paul

Very good point about the McLube. I have some and do use it. In fact, I've been using it as a dry lube for the piano restoration project I am doing. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to use it on the table saw. I keep meaning to get some thin penetrating epoxy to use as a coating. The stuff I normally use (West Systems) is a bit thick - also, mine seems to have 'gone off' as I mention in the video. Really not sure what happened there - I've never had that problem before. The washboards have a layer of epoxy. I do need to make some sort of cockpit table. I want one that will double up as an occasional table in the salon when the main one is not out. I knew someone who re-built his motorcycle on the back of his boat...it was quite a big boat. Cheers, Paul

Ken, thanks. Yes, I will definitely look at the dovetails option. I know that a lot of people fit metal tracks. But that looks too expensive and difficult to me. I have probably used the sled about 50 times since I made it. So useful. I will consider it to be Mk I - MK II will almost certainly have dovetails. I need to finish the Router Table which will make it easy to cut them. Cheers, Paul

Thanks. To be fair, my consultant did say that I would feel dreadful for 6 months. I sort of ignored that, but she was right. And Summer will be great - I think. Cheers, Paul

I like to think that my videos fit into that space left between The Cloud and the next nearest Alternative Reality. I used to work with computers about a million years ago. And the word "cloud" has never been old-fashioned in my book. Nor has "Card Reader" come to that. Cheers, Paul

Glitter is so tempting. The problem is that it gets everywhere. I suppose that I could put on a layer of glitter then a clear lacquer coat to keep it all under control. Although, actually, now you've raised this idea... I think what Serenity really needs is a disco style glitter ball in the salon. Excellent idea. Thanks, Paul

Could the glitter ball in the saloon be raised on a halyard to act as an anchor light at night? Just a thought...

@@jcfgh Yep. I'm going to do that. I've got the 75W Ghetto blaster. 24 hour party boat. Add a glitter ball and I'll be the most popular person in the anchorage.... Or the least. It could go either way to be honest.

No, it's not just you. I was taught to always put it on it's side during school woodwork lessons. Then I watched a few Paul Sellars videos. He discussed the issue on one of his livestreams. I can't remember all the reasoning, but he put forward a good case for placing it on it's sole plate. So, I decided to go the Paul Sellars route. The difference in practice? Almost nothing, except it is marginally easier to just pick up the plane rather than flip it by 90 degrees each time you use it. Plus, it's a nice feeling to do something 'naughty' and not get shouted at by your scary Scottish woodwork teacher. - I am such a rebel ;) Cheers, Paul

I was thinking Cesna for a second:-)

Yes, the wiring is a complete mess - everything just shoved into the frame. When I first put it up on the bench and it 'seemed' to work, I wasn't convinced because there wasn't any load. I have taken it on a few longish rides and it's going well. However, it went well for the first few years that I had it. So, maybe things just gradually worked loose. It is a good bike, but not a great one. But no reason to get rid of it - yet. Too many people simply throw things away when they stop working. Even when the bike does finally conk out completely, I will probably convert it to a non-electric bike and try and keep it going that way. Cheers, Paul

You've got the right attitude. I have picked up very cheaply or free out of the junk a lot of seemingly broken things that other people have given up on and subsequently fixed or at least comverted to something useful without spending much money. Often, the failure of these electronic boards and controllers is the result of loose wiring elsewhere in the circuit that stresses the controller and eventually fries them. If you have trouble in the future check all the wiring again straight away and get that sorted before it can do any damage to the hardware. Often it takes a lot of research to fix this stuff because of the lack of documentation and standardization with these pieces of Chinesium tech and mech as you have just.experienced. It seems that these electric bike and kit producers are all doing their own thing right now and just shipping the product without documentation or decent build quality of the wiring interconnections. Fixing this stuff requires a fair amount of engineering skills to reverse engineer it just to figure out how it works to find the fault. Maybe in the future things will become more standardized and by the time your bike fails again you can rebuild it more easily and cheaply with a new controller that has decent documentation and instructions to wire it in with your existing bike motor/battery/sensors.

Indeed, no one in my family dares throw anything away without checking if I can salvage it first. If I win the lottery I will buy a scrapyard and be happy for life ;)

Yes, we had total internet failure for a few days. We have a strange system here that is dependent on a few dishes sending signals over a few small 'hills'. One of them couldn't cope with the weather and broke. Quite nice to have no internet for a few days - remember how peaceful life used to be. Cheers, Paul

@@verynearlyaboutsailing8114 No worries, always happy when you post. I recently rediscovered off line music. No distractions like listening to music on RUclips. Highly recommend.

I can't find the video. Probably just me. Can you include a link - sounds interesting. Define interesting... Cheers, Paul

@@verynearlyaboutsailing8114 jarle Andhoy sails to Antarctica, hopefully this features the 27ft Albin vega he first did it in they are remarkable provided your 5 ft 7 1/2

Michael, I hope you are doing well. The stay-lock system makes a lot of sense to me. I always feel happier if I've done something myself. Optimism, plus a plan, always seems to win out in the end.... He said optimistically :) Ironically, the first computer programme I ever wrote for 'commercial' use was for the University of Edinburgh to help them save expensive computing power to do statistical analysis back in 1978. The University of Edinburgh is doing the number crunching for this research. I'm quite happy for them to throw as much power as they need at this one. Cheers, Paul

There is no guarantee that the holding tank will 'work' - but I really want to give it a try. I am hoping that my new found focus on accuracy is the key. I also intend to pressure test it before it gets used in 'anger'. Cheers, Paul

Very long time since I've sailed around Lymington - interesting place. Plymouth is also a very nice place to sail. I worked in Plymouth for a while, and have always had a big soft spot for the town/city. All the best with the new boat. Cheers, Paul

Thanks. Means a lot. Cheers, Paul

Ken, the 85 key thing is more to do with the age of the piano. 88 keys has been the standard since about the start of the 20th century. I think that Steinway went from 85 to 88 around the 1880's. It's the top three keys that are 'missing'. My piano is an Ernst Munck made in Gotha, Germany somewhere between 1867 and 1884. I know it isn't later than 1884 because they won a big prize at that point and started to put that information as part of the logo on the soundboard. It had been in the same family I bought it from since new. They believe it was bought in the early 1880's, but aren't sure. Yes, yes, yes. I need a cross cut sled. I will be making one soon. That and a router table are the two key things I need. When I have got those two things, I intend to make another stool (same design), and see how much easier, quicker and more accurate I can make it. This woodwork stuff is fun. Cheers, Paul

Ahh. Now you've said this...I think you might have a point. Oh well, best laid plans of mice and men etc. Cheers, Paul

The really positive thing is that I have started to enjoy woodworking and am actually looking forward to the interior work. I was dreading it before. I do like the combination of hand-tools and electric tools. The table saw is great, and once I get the router table sorted, that will be a real game changer. Fiona's book and videos have made a massive difference in the way I practice. Takes a bit of effort to make the changes needed - some of her ideas seem quite counter intuitive, but they are all based on solid science and experience, and they work. Bass is making far fewer strange buzzing noises nowadays. Cheers, Paul