A day out with our friends :)

Its a grand day, the sun is shining and the sky is blue, lets go on a picnic. My neighbours Denise, Phyllis and Jemera took their car while Dave and I rode our bikes. Denise wanted to show us where she worked so we rode to Serigerme which is only 15 minutes from where we live. Montie has been playing up abit lately, I have noticed the gear lever keeps sticking every now and then, today as we went to ride up a steep hill he gave up on me, two Turkish security men came out and gave me a hand, we parked him up and I jumped on Daves bike  telling Montie exactly what I thought of his behavior!!

This is where Denise works as a manager,  parts of it looks like a castle,  we had a tour around, think I shall bring my case with me next time and take up residency here 🙂

The Hotel was beautiful, I now want to be a holiday maker, the views were amazing, time for a cupper, the waiter Gurcan was a sweetie and made me a lovely cup of coffee.

Looking out over Serigerme beach from the Hotel.

There was no holiday makers in the Hotel yet they all arrive in a week, so we had the run of the place for an hour, it was getting near lunch time so off to inspect Montie and see what lame excuse he had.

The security men were waiting and told me that they had inspected the bike and saw that my gear lever had come away, the bolt had actually snapped off and the lever hanging down, no worries they said and one went off to find a new bolt, minutes later he arrived and fixed it for me, giving it a test run and handing it back to me.

This is one of the most wonderful things I love about Turkey, people always help you when you have problems with your bike no matter where you are. (lovin his baseball boots do believe they are the same as mine but in red) 😀

Denise’s daughter Jemera

Waiting for my bike to get fixed, oh its a hard life!!!

Now how about that picnic, off to the beach to find a nice shady spot, Montie seems to be working ok for now!!!!

Serigerme was quiet, as we were about to leave people started turning up so that was good timing, there’s a bridge we have mentioned on previous blogs in Dalaman which is 75 years old today and they were having abit of a do there, needs investigating, the roads were terrible to get there, ok for Dave on his Transalp and Denise in her car, poor old Montie really does not like off road and I got soaked riding through pot holes full of water, still any excuse to get to play in the mud lol

There was a tent up and music, but as it was getting abit late and we wanted to pop in to see Denises family before heading back home we turned round.

Time for a few cuppers and another bite to eat at Denises mum and dads home.

My adopted Turkish mum 😀

Had a great day with good friends, now of course I have another busy day tomorrow!!!

Pass the bucket and polish!!!!

THINK BIKER..

My name is Linda and I am a biker! Keep looking out for bikers when driving – we aren’t as easy to see as other cars and we are a lot more vulnerable!

It’s that time!!

Today Dave and I decided we would clean the bikes, the sun was shining and the worse of the bad weather is over. we hosed down both bikes at the local garage yesterday to get the worse of the mud off. The ritual cleaning of the bikes takes days, no nut bolt or chrome gets missed. The cleaning also gives us chance to check for any loose screws which quite often happens to mine due to all the bouncing on pot holes.

Of course to do a professional job you need the right cleaning materials, so I have taken a photo to show you what we use…

As you can see we have:

1. Dubbin used for rubber, leather and foot pegs.

2. Turkish furniture polish, used anywhere and everywhere!!

3. Toothbrush, (preferably an old one and NOT the one you are currently using) used for all those small places daves big hands cant get in.

4. Old tee-shirt or one of Daves that I never liked anyway.

The cleaning usually draws the neighbours in, I  dont think they can work us out at all, you just dont see them spending hours cleaning any of their vehicles, this is Aytaç showing Dave some good ol Turkish affection.

It always amazes me how dirty the bike gets, caked on mud everywhere, we quite happily spend a good 3 hours cleaning away, this however is only round 1, round 2 shall start tomorrow, I always manage to get covered head to foot in oil.

Monties beginning to look quite handsome again, abit more spit and polish he’ll look as good as new 😀

Dual Control On Motorcycle

DUAL CONTROLS ON MOTORCYCLE (Sep, 1949)

This was a nice little find, it was originally printed in the Popular Mechanics in 1949, dual controls ummm never really caught on, but I do like the fact its a woman on the bike, wonder if she learnt to ride in 30 minutes…..

NEW MOTORCYCLE CAN ATTAIN SPEEDS  OF 100 M.P.H! (Feb, 1929)

Had to add this to my blog purely because this bike  comes complete with windshield wipers, I’m thinking now Montie could do with some as well…

I’m staring at the back wheel, looks like a tyre and nothing else!!

And finally for something completely different, the  keyring for my motorbike fell to bits today so had to purchase a new one, thought this keyring was very appropriate, pity I couldn’t find it in black.

Yamaha XV535 Vırago

Shhhh..dont tell Montie but I think I have found my next Motorbike, I know I’ve not had my Mondial for long, but for touring I really could do with abit more engine power, Dave suggested the Yamaha XV535 as its still quite a lightweight bike and easy to handle.

I’ m liking this bike very much, so here’s a bit of info just in case you didn’t know,

Top speed      100mph
1/4-mile acceleration     14.2 secs
Power     38bhp
Torque     32ftlb
Weight     182kg
Seat height     720mm
Fuel capacity     13.5 litres
Average fuel consumption     47mpg
Tank range     130 miles
Insurance group     8
Engine size     535cc
Engine specification     4v V-twin, 5 gears
Frame     Steel tubular spine
Front suspension adjustment     None
Rear suspension adjustment     Preload
Front brakes     298mm disc
Rear brake     Drum
Front tyre size     3.00 x 19
Rear tyre size     140/90 x 15

All looking good!! personally I think ıt was made for a 45 year old Cornish woman….

The XV535 Virago is where Yamaha started giving Harley-Davidson a run for their money: it was the first of their cruiser motorcycles and it certainly lasted well. The Yamaha XV535 is basic, trusted, easy to ride and with unchallenging but enjoyable performance.

Engine

Unchallenging, smooth, torque enough and reliable, the Yamaha XV535 engine’s been going since 1988 and there are plenty of XV535s still running today. In other words: it’s good. The Virago has enough pull low down and strong in the midrange but you’ve got to work it hard to reach top speeds (but that’s not what cruising’s about anyway).

Ride and Handling

The Yamaha XV535 Virago has good brakes, adequate suspension and a smooth gearbox (although it’s a bit clunky between first and second). Handling’s not sharp but it is stable and predictable, perfect for a motorcycle like this, although the front gets a bit frisky at the top of the rev range. The Yamaha XV535 Virago’s low centre of gravity makes for easy slow speed work. It also has pretty good ground clearance and narrow enough for easy manoeuvrability.

Equipment

The Yamaha XV535 Virago has a clear, analogue speedo but no fuel light or rev counter. However, the reserve switch is on the bars, which is a bonus. Good mirrors but they do vibrate at high revs. The XV535’s plush seat is comfy but the pillion perch is tiny. Riding position not as “cruisery” as you’d expect: the pegs aren’t miles forward and you ride upright. This is not an extreme motorcycle so it’s very easy to get along with.

Quality and Reliability

Both mechanically and cosmetically, the Yamaha XV535 Virago is a highly regarded motorcycle and has the longevity of successful sales figures to prove it. Gripes are rare but include carb icing and corroding regulator/rectifiers but, on the whole, the Yamaha XV535 Virago is a solid motorcycle to buy. But keep that exposed V-twin and all that chrome in good nick to maintain value.

Value

The Yamaha XV535 Virago is excellent value and there are plenty of good used ones around to choose from. The XV535 is a simple motorcycle to work on, it’ll save you money at the garage, and insurance is low too. On  the downside, fuel consumption’s patchy: thrash it and it won’t see 100 miles to a tankful. Shaft drives keeps maintenance to a minimum.

Model History

1988: Yamaha XV535 Virago was introduced with very similar spec to the later versions. The first model had a tiny, 8.6 litre, underseat fuel tank which was ditched later that year for a proper, 13.5 litre version.
1996: Minor update, including new mirrors, an improved gear box and extended mufflers.
2004: Yamaha XV535 Virago discontinued.

We are hoping to do quite a few more tours as there is still so many places we want to visit, Montie would get me there, but of course, us humans always want bigger and better especially where bikes are concerned!!

ANIMATION TAKE 2…

If only computers did as they were told… I’ve learnt now that to do an Animation that has constant movement throughout takes alot of time, Windows Movie Maker was fine for a while but then decided enough was enough and kept crashing on me, so the end bit of my animation is not how I wanted it, basically I ran out of patience lol…

If only I could draw Motorbıkes…belıeve me I have tried 🙂

Animation…

With all this work going on with photography and playing with numerous programmes I decided to try out animation, with a bit of research and a lot of patience it’s really not that difficult, I tried a couple of ways, first I tried drawing a basic stick woman, taking a photo and repeating this 6 or so times drawing the woman in different poses, for this experiment I just repeated the same 6 over and over again, I could of course of drawn 40 different poses but since this was just an experiment I didn’t bother, then loaded them onto my lappy and ı’m away. I used Windows Movie Maker keeping it as simple as possible.

I decided to get abit more adventurous, this time I used free hand drawing on Windows Paint, this is not easy, however because I dont have a proper while board its easier to rub out and add on. I took my images and edited them on Movie Maker, finding sound effects was not as easy as I thought, sure they have loads of farting and burping sounds to download, but to get free sounds that I was after took a while and its still not what I had in mind. When I tried to load the finished video on Vimeo it wouldn’t take ,I ‘m trying again, it has however loaded on Youtube.

So heres my 2nd attempt, yeh I know its short and not the best animated vid in the world haha, but I rather enjoyed it and shall have a go at abit more an advanced one next   🙂

Skys of Turkey

I can never resist not grabbing for my camera when I see the skys so beautiful as this, I have so many photos of the sunset, but tonight at 5.10pm whilst on my balcony this sunset I am sure you will agree is especially beautiful.

The fire breathing dragon is dancing in the sky,
With flames so bright and breath so hot ı saw him flying by,

With puffs of smoke and blazing rods that shone across the Mountains,
And trails of blue and orange were spraying out like fountains,

I shouted from my balcony, please come and let me fly,
I want to dance among the clouds and touch the blazing sky,

But as I watched he flew away and the flames were turning black,
Tomorrow night I hope to find that my dragon has come back.

By Me 😉

Natural Beauty at its best 🙂

The Woman Song…

I gave you the Man Song, so just to show you how fair I am….. I give you… THE WOMAN SONG!!!

A Message from us to you… xx