This is from the car configurator (and yes, we drove that road in Big Sur in the summer of 2022, but in a Mustang convertible):
Author: Richard
Another Day, Another Blog
Yes, here it is: my blog for the Lotus Emira First Edition 2.5V6.
I’m considering changing my Abarth 124 Spider for one of these whilst Lotus still make internal combustion engined, manual gearboxed, cars.
Our test drives are arranged for when we’re back in the UK: both Mrs RHM and I would be driving the Emira, so it’s important we both try it out.
Weight A Minute!
I’ve been monitoring my weight – albeit somewhat loosely at times – with Garmin Connect since 26 August 2011 (apparently) when my weight was 93.3kg (14st 10lbs) and I was starting out on my fitness journey.
After getting off to a good start thanks to running and then adding some cycling, my weight fell to 85.1kg (13st 6lbs) by the end of January 2012, but began to rise gradually into 2014, falling back again in 2015 with a low of 84.1kg (14st 3lbs) before we went off to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Ko Samui. 2015 was also when we ran the Berlin Marathon.
My weight then gradually rose – with a big dip in the summer of 2018 for our wedding – until late June 2019 when it hit 95.4kg (15st). And then the crash happened… A month laying in bed eating pureed food meant that my leg muscles atrophied so by the time I weighed myself in August 2019, my weight had fallen to 85.8kg (13st 7lbs).
The aftermath of the crash affecting my mobility and exercise capability coupled with our love of eating well and lots of travel – for work and pleasure – meant that one more my weight gradually increased, peaking at 99.3kg (15st 9lbs) in October 2021.
It stayed pretty constant after that until last summer when my knee was becoming particular painful with the necrosis that had been diagnosed back in 2012. That had affected my ability to run, so I saw my consultant privately again and he encouraged me to do more cycling (also referring me to a sports physiotherapist who’s excellent) and to lose some weight, possibly trying some fasting or kept dieting. That led to the purchase of a fixed cycle and that explains the manic cycling, both indoor and in the real world since.
So since August 2022’s high of 98.2kg (15st 6lb), trying to limit my carbohydrates and this exercise (with some riding challenges to keep things interesting), I today hit 85.3kg (13st 6lbs), so that’s two stones lost since August and my second target of 85kg in sight (about 1lb to go). Once I hit that, the next target is likely to be 80kg, or roughly 12½ stone.
MoT 2022
Whilst I was in the USA doing the Pacific Coast Highway in a 5.0L V8 Mustang Convertible, I thought it was long overdue for Blue Rex to have some care and attention, so it was off to Larry at PDQ to give it a good fettle and its MoT.
And it really was a good fettle: the old Datatool alarm was finally consigned to the bin, as was the battery. The carbs were basically overhauled and a couple of pipes and o-rings were replaced. There was a new chain and sprocket set. There was a new set of tyres to replace those that were on there that were many years old and had all the grip of Donald Trump.
It was then MoT’d and it passed with a mileage of 19,462 which was 40 miles up from last year’s and was basically the mileage out of London to PDQ.
Whilst at PDQ, Larry whacked it on the dyno to see how it measured up, some 11 years after the team at PDQ had breathed on it. 154.89bhp at 10,100rpm (158.37bhp) and 90.5lb/ft of torque at 7,830rpm (91.5lb/ft), 2011 figures in brackets.
It’s a new dyno – so not necessarily a true like-for-like comparison – but it’s still close to what it was putting out before, which is pleasing.
I used my disabled person’s Freedom Pass to get there, so it cost me nothing and the ride back was lovely: back in a little over an hour (with a fuel stop) thanks to filtering and people working from home.
Acquirz Spam: So Blatant!
You know it’ll be a great spam email when the subject line says “This isn’t spam! Amend your record for FREE NOW!!” (loving the double exclamation marks).
Oh yes, Acquirz Limited with its two directors Christopher Skinner and Russell Wilmot – who run a number of similar companies – sent me a couple of blatant spam messages in which they try to legitimise what they do … and fail miserably.
“You are receiving this email as we believe it may be relevant to you in your professional role and we believe your business will benefit.
“Your business and personal contact data has been collected from publicly available records such as websites and government records and combined with data from third-party data providers and is being processed on the basis of Acquirz’s legitimate interests and those of our data partners and customers.
“These interests include our direct marketing and sharing your data with our data partners and selling it to our customers for their business marketing campaigns. You can read more about these interests and how you can exercise your rights in our Privacy Notice.
“If you would like to opt out, please unsubscribe using the link below.
Click here to unsubscribe“Kind regards
Acquirz Ltd”
So in other words they’ve either harvested the email addresses or bought a spam list from another spammer.
On their website they say “The opportunity and potential for Acquirz is awesome” whilst their last published accounts indicate that that’s clearly all unrealised!
Properties For Less Spam
One of the regular spammers I’m seeing these days is an outfit is someone calling themselves Properties4less.
Every day there seem to be new ones with desperate pleas to invest in some shithole, usually up North. Â The latest is Bristol though.
Typically for a spammer, their website is pretty blank as all the crap is in various pages with tracking details enabled.
Also typically, they lie:
“You have received this email because you have subscribed to Properties4less”
No, I really didn’t…
Aztec Events Spam
So I’ve been receiving regular emails from Aztec Events for ages now and most recently it’s their All About Dogs Show.
This is of absolutely no interest to me as a) I hate show ground events and b) I don’t have a dog. But that still doesn’t stop their interminable spam from flooding in.
Road Test
So the guys at Bahnstormer stepped up and lent us a 2021 BMW R1250RT LE for a few days. Â To get it close to a specification we would be buying they were going to fit an RT top case but didn’t have one when we turned up to collect, so Keith grabbed one off a K1600. Â This is slightly different to the R1250RT one in that the K version has a more rounded backrest with a headrest bit and according to Alison was superbly comfortable, so that’s the option we would go for. 234 miles later…
We picked it up on Tuesday and headed up to No. 131 at Cheltenham – a “cool hotel” – which is run by a friend of ours, Ricardo. Â This was the first time I’d ridden a motorbike since my little ‘off’ in July 2019… So why not start with a small 96 mile ride on mixed roads?
First thing, though, was to connect up the iPhone to the RT.  I’d already downloaded the BMW Motorrad Connected app and downloaded the maps for it.  So we then had to get the app to connect which was a little more difficult.  Retry and it worked. Next up was the connection of the RT to my Cardo PACKTALK Bold – the RT can connect to a phone and two headsets, so that’s a positive for two-up touring – which went effortlessly.  The iPhone then sits in a ventilated box with wireless charging.  That seemed to work intermittently, as I kept hearing it starting charging through the Cardo and watched it start to run down occasionally too.  I have no idea why BMW don’t simply move over to Apple CarPlay like they do with their cars. That way I could use Waze with the benefit of its warnings…  On our last day, a mile or two from our destination, the BMW Connected app … wasn’t.  It just dropped out and I had to reconnect.
Round to the Abarth where we packed our Triumph pannier liner bags into the RT’s panniers and my Givi 30L stuffer back into the top case – which has a high level brake light and an internal courtesy light – and put our waterproofs and spare gloves around it. Â And then off.
Anyway, back to Cheltenham. We arrived after a great 96 mile ride and parked up … in the hotel’s restaurant which is now outside since COVID-19.
A couple of gins later – they have hundreds! – we showered in our fabulous room and headed down for a delicious meal.
The next morning, we headed down to breakfast and our purchasing dilemma given our ‘unique’ living arrangements (spreading ourselves between London and Corralejo), registration dates and delivery periods, etc.
We then rode another brief 25 mile ride down to the Bay Tree at Burford, where we got married three years earlier. We sat out in the garden for drinks and then headed over to our friend Jules’ place at Kingston Bagpuize, another 30 miles in total. Â This was on the apps “windy” setting, with the selection in the middle. Â It took us down some ‘interesting’ B-roads to say the least.
We had tried Dynamic and Road modes and realised that Road mode is a bit bouncy but very plush over dodgy road surfaces, but Dynamic firms it all up and the information from the app shows some good lean angles and G-forces.
A romantic meal with a  bottle of champagne and off to bed.  We headed out after breakfast and made our way back to Alton, stopping only for fuel.  A very windy day but behind the fairing it was calm and despite its size, the RT wasn’t particularly affected by crosswinds.  Colder than the previous days, Alison was using the heated seat which is separate from the rider’s to keep her core warm.  Another 83 miles.
Superbly comfortable and capable. I don’t think the optional Akrapovic is needed as the standard is growly enough and the Akra isn’t any smaller or neater.
Our only issue is we shouldn’t get one before May 2022 because of our travel, the March registration change and winter weather to go with delivery periods.
And as for me riding a motorbike again? It’s good to be back in the saddle after two years.
Can I Get a Test Ride?
OK, so having narrowed the field down a bit in terms of a replacement for my deceased Triumph Sprint GT1050 (now that the amputations are all over and I’m just about fit enough to ride, albeit with some pain, following my little ‘off’), the BMW R1250RT LE is looking really positive, albeit with a couple of small caveats:
- For some reason BMW seem to be having problems with the audio system? Their website states that “unfortunately it is currently only possible to offer the audio system preparation for the motorcycle.” Â Whatever that means.
- Despite Bluetooth connectivity and a connected app from BMW, Apple CarPlay isn’t an option so you can’t use Waze, Maps or Google Maps for navigation with real-time updates.
- Why no top case as standard on a tourer? The Sprint came with full luggage as standard.
Clearly, the next step is to try one for a test ride with Mrs RHM. Â She had issues – understandably so – with the luggage on the Tiger 1200 which has put us off somewhat, although the long overdue model update might remedy this? Â Jack Lilley (as they then were) were kind enough to lend us a demo for a couple of days and we did a few hundred miles on it.
So I contacted Park Lane BMW, or at least they contacted me after I’d had issues getting information from BMW’s website, but unfortunately they could only offer a couple of hours’ ride due to their insurance issues. Â They suggested a rental company but they don’t appear to have the R1250RT, just the GS.
I have now contacted Bahnstormer at Alton to see if they can help out; they’re the people who sold my mate Yox his R1200GSA a short while ago.
And just in case, I’ve replied to BMW UK to see if I can grab one of their press fleet for the planned three day trip to the Cotswolds in August: a nice mixture of motorways, A-roads and B-roads.
You must be logged in to post a comment.