Any riding plans for 2026 ?

[DaveO]

I think I posted some "castle runs" on here 2024 and maybe about a meet up and coffee with @Raymond, but as far as riding is concerned, 2025 was a non-event. A few trips along the sea front was the most I managed. Spotting this post is my opportunity to write down some commitments for 2026. Once it's written down @MaxPete will tell me to "git 'er done", no doubt.

The XS650B is running but could do with some love and attention. But I've acquired a TR25 (Triumph 250, a rebadged BSA Starfire). So, my plan is to do some ride-outs on that to explore my new found home in the North East of England whilst giving the XS650 some love.

People in the forum seemed keen on the castles here, so i'll start again with those. I've also found a couple of pubs within an hour of here with long heritages. One appears to be build using the stone from a pele tower. So it dates from maybe the 14th century.

I've never motorcycle-camped or been to a rally. Storming the Castle seems like it is just begging for a visit.

Dave

 

[grouchie77]

I think I posted some "castle runs" on here 2024 and maybe about a meet up and coffee with @Raymond, but as far as riding is concerned, 2025 was a non-event. A few trips along the sea front was the most I managed. Spotting this post is my opportunity to write down some commitments for 2026. Once it's written down @MaxPete will tell me to "git 'er done", no doubt.

The XS650B is running but could do with some love and attention. But I've acquired a TR25 (Triumph 250, a rebadged BSA Starfire). So, my plan is to do some ride-outs on that to explore my new found home in the North East of England whilst giving the XS650 some love.

People in the forum seemed keen on the castles here, so i'll start again with those. I've also found a couple of pubs within an hour of here with long heritages. One appears to be build using the stone from a pele tower. So it dates from maybe the 14th century.

I've never motorcycle-camped or been to a rally. Storming the Castle seems like it is just begging for a visit.

Dave

Pics of that Triumph wouldn't hurt.

Edit: if you run across any old Viking ruins that'd be neat too. See if they have any mead

 

[Raymond]

I think I posted some "castle runs" on here 2024 and maybe about a meet up and coffee with @Raymond . . .

Might be able to meet up again in 2026 @DaveO ?

At the mo, the XS is sitting in the garage mid-rewiring, Bullet 500 sitting next to it with the cylinder head off and W800 sitting waiting to go. But as the weather warms up, hope to get things sorted out.

 

[DaveO]

Pics of that Triumph wouldn't hurt.



Edit: if you run across any old Viking ruins that'd be neat too. See if they have any mead

Here you go @grouchie77

I'm not sure about Viking although there will be something. But we have Roman, right on the doorstep. There's Hadrian's Wall, and I'm just about two miles from Segedunum at Wallsend. That's an excavated Roman fort at the end of the wall on the River Tyne estuary.

Oh, and Holy Island. I almost forgot about that. There's a Lindisfarne Priory: "The 12th-century ruins of a Benedictine priory stand on the site of an earlier 7th-century monastery founded by St Aidan. It was a key center of early English Christianity and the birthplace of the Lindisfarne Gospels."

There's a castle there too. Its about 60 miles up the coast from me, but you have to time it right because its only accessible at low tide via the causeway.

 

[DaveO]

Might be able to meet up again in 2026 @DaveO ?

At the mo, the XS is sitting in the garage mid-rewiring, Bullet 500 sitting next to it with the cylinder head off and W800 sitting waiting to go. But as the weather warms up, hope to get things sorted out.

That's a definite, then. It would be great to see you.

 

[gggGary]

@Jim motivational photo, ;^)

 

[Mailman]

Nice bike! I’ve always been a fan of those little 250’s !

They fetch crazy money here where I live and are darned hard to find!

 

[DaveO]

I didn't realise or had forgotten @Jim has a BSA build thread going.

Thread ''68 BSA Victor Build..... Bloody 'ell mate... You 'effin daft or sommat?!?' https://www.xs650.com/threads/68-bsa-victor-build-bloody-ell-mate-you-effin-daft-or-sommat.60933/

 

[Jim]

I didn't realise or had forgotten @Jim has a BSA build thread going.

Thread ''68 BSA Victor Build..... Bloody 'ell mate... You 'effin daft or sommat?!?' https://www.xs650.com/threads/68-bsa-victor-build-bloody-ell-mate-you-effin-daft-or-sommat.60933/

Soon as the garage warms enough, it's goin' back in the rotation.

 

[DaveO]

Nice bike! I’ve always been a fan of those little 250’s !
View attachment 366665
They fetch crazy money here where I live and are darned hard to find!

Yeah, me too. Until I got one. I thought, looking at the clean, undamaged fasteners and low mileage that it "hadn't had a spanner on it" and boasted so at the BSA club. Now I think the previous owners just had good spanners.

Kicked myself into oblivion starting it only to discover (months into into it) the clutch was assembled wrongly and the twenty five individual roller bearings at the back of the clutch were down to twenty three.

I can understand why. I very nearly said, "sod it" myself after doing the job with grease and tweezers - several times.

It does look nice though.

 

[Melnic]

Great thread.
For the XS650, it will likely continue to be an after work 1hr ride bike.

I started my riding in my youth @ 14yrs old on dirt. I'm looking to acquire a Yamaha TW200 in the near future and do some BDR trips. Buddy has property in WV near a dealer who has a lot of routes well documented. I also have some smaller trails near the house and gravel roads to ride through. We would likely hit sections of the TAT trail (there are different versions out there).

One of the riding buddies has talked about the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado for years and 2 of us are thinking to fly out there and rent bikes. He wants to trailer out to Denver but I don't have the time available to take off to do that.

https://www.gpskevinadventurerides.com/self-guided-rides/trans-america-trail-compairson

 

[siscoken]

The Yamaha is a nice little bike... tho I have never owned one , I thought I would like to give it a try.
Don't overlook bikes like the dr650 .... I have 2 and would likely by another if I could hide it from my wife.
My riding is 80 percent back roads and trails .... hunting... trapping minnows ... scouting and just exploring