Is it hard? - Not if you have the right attitudes. It's having the right attitudes that's hard.

Robert M. Pirsig

Of late, probably partially due to COVID-19, I've been messing around with a number of different things. As a consequence of too much YouTube, I decided to get a drone. There was only one sensible choice for me - a dpi Mavic Mini. This only weighs 249g so is exempt from the current UK registration system. It's very competent - and relatively cheap.

To go with the video footage I expect to make I needed some video editing software. Now dpi includes a nice, straight-forward editor and I thought this would be fine. However, I use an Android 'phone (OnePlus 6T) and the screen is really a little too small for comfort (for editing video anyway). No matter said I, I'll download the video files on to my Nexus 7 or Samsung something or other Tab S. No problem - except you can't get the dpi Fly app for these. Initially I thought this might be due to the Android version and spent a day faffing around with rooting, ROMs and all things West (another story perhaps) - and then discovered that it's actually probably due to these 2 tablets being 32 bit machines. No problem, I've got an iPad - you know "It just works". Does it hell! Fine if you want to do what Apple wants you to do but otherwise …. Anyway, suffice to say I got no joy with this either.

So, Google being my friend, I found the Holy Grail. An unbelievably competent video editor that is free - I give you: DaVinci Resolve 16. Brilliant software - I can now cut and join bits of video, add titles and text, produce smooth fade-in/outs, music, blur out moving features (ref. numbers mostly) and so on. And, apparently this is just the start.

Also, after a couple of years off, I've resurrected my motorcycle (Triumph Sprint ST 955i) and drift around the countryside with Brian from across the road (Codger Biker on YouTube). The references about Dr John come from this - it's how Codger Biker refers to me on his channel.

So, the scene is now set for spectacular videos centred around my bike, my drone and the English countryside - which in my totally unbiased opinion, is the very best in the world - nay Universe.

Motorbikes

Triumph Tiger 850 Sport

14/05/2021 Filed in: Motorcycle |Triumph Tiger

Well, I did it! Pulled the pin on a new bike. I'm now the happy and contented owner of a 2021 Triumph Tiger 850 Sport. I've ummed and aaahed for too long, so last month I arranged a test ride at Youles of Manchester (///hood.player.object). These are really good people to deal with. Couldn't get an 850 sport, but had a 4 hour ride on a Tiger 900 GT Pro. It's mechanically the same engine - 888cc, slightly detuned for lower power but a flatter torque curve. Pretty much every reviewer and YouTube 'influencer' (but, of course, they didn't influence me!) says that in the real-world you don't notice the difference. And I can now say that I agree. Did some motorway, dual-carriageways, A roads and back lanes and it was so easy to ride that I'd fallen in love and decided to get one of the range by the time I'd returned the loaner.

The GT Pro has all the bells and whistles you could wish for and If I were Bill gates, Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk I'd have had one of these. However, the combinations of suspension settings, rider modes, heated foot pegs, hair massagers and ego stroking electronics are bewildering and in all honesty I'd probably pick a less than optimal combination and never change it. The 850 has 2 riding modes (wet and dry), adjustable pre-load on the bum end, ABS and traction control. Really, what else does the average rider like me need? I've long ago realised I'm not a Rossi - the only time I've ever got my knee down was rapidly followed by my elbow and arse; and I could really feel the difference between the latter two by the time I stopped bouncing.

So, 850 Sport it was to be, with the addition of a couple of extras - centre stand, heated grips (wuss!), tracker and quick shifter. Never used a shifter before but it does make riding easier and I'm all for that! Got a reasonable trade in for my dear old Sprint and reserved a lovely graphite and blue vision. I think I was pretty lucky to get my name attached to a bike as they seem to be selling pretty quickly and the waiting time can be reasonably lengthy apparently. When I picked 'Gatsby' (I'll explain later) up, chatting to one of the guys at Youles and they said that when the 850 first came out, the three bikes they had allocated sold on the same day. Could be bull-ordure, but I'd already paid by then so they had little to gain.

Anyway, The great day was yesterday and having exercised my debit card I got the keys and decided that taking the motorway back home wasn't in the spirit of the game so thought I'd give the Calimoto app on my Android 'phone a go.' This is an interesting GPS 'navigation' application aimed at motorcyclists that is designed to not give you the shortest or quickest route, but the curviest it can find, sticking to minor roads and avoiding straight main routes if possible. What a great idea, surely that's what recreational biking is all about? So, set it up, started back, and of course it started piddling down with rain - and I hadn't zipped the waterproof inner membrane into my jacket. Don't you just love the weather in the North West of England? Calimoto route was fab and I didn't fall off - enough said about the journey. By-the-way, I'm also using Kurviger now (a similar app).

Today was different. The weather gods were looking the other way for once and me and my biking buddy slipped out for a couple of hours in the Cheshire country side. Gatsby is a peach. So much easier to ride than a sports tourer, no pressure on the wrists, the screen stops nearly all buffeting, the torque curve is like nuclear butter and the bike tips into curves so easily and tracks like the Sir Nigel Gresley and Mallard in tandem. All this makes for exuberant riding and luckily the Brembo Stylema brakes are there to keep you safe. What a blast! Ok, why 'Gatsby', well it's all down to Brian - by bike riding mate. He's a bit of a literary buff it seems and apparently in some of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books they spend alot of time calling each other 'sport' (Tiger 850 SPORT - geddit?). Now I've only, knowingly, read one FSF boom and that was 'The Great Gatsby'. So, there we are.