Winter Is Coming

Soviet IZH Planeta 4

Camping Wagon

Unusual, but really practical, camping trailer based on the standard IMZ Ural Cargo  (IMZ-8.401 Cargo Three-wheeler)

standard configuration

(From Twitter)

Trike

I've often seen this trike about, but never parked up before.

It has caught my attention because the rider never wears a helmet, regardless of the weather. Now, just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean that you should do it.

I've ridden without a helmet on occasion, and it's very noisy. Add to that, riding in the rain, even in an open face helmet, can feel like your skin is being sand-blasted.

This guy rides in sunglasses and a beanie hat when it's dry, and just puts the hood of his jacket up when it rains.

Anyway, I spotted it parked up outside the supermarket over the weekend and wandered over to have a better look.

It's very well done, based on a Yamaha XJR 1300 with the rear end professionally adapted. Much better than some of the lash-ups I’ve seen.

Also adapted is the clutch with both levers on the right-hand side, so I’m guessing that there’s a strength issue with his left arm. A friend of mine years ago had a similar adaptation made for his outfit.

I've never ridden a trike before so I'm curious to know how they handle differently from either a solo or an outfit. Maybe one day I'll find out.

Highland White Lightning

Nicki & I spent New Year/my birthday at a lodge in Aultbea, in NW Highlands (see map).

Almost next door to where we were staying were the Drumchork Lodge Hotel and the really small Loch Ewe Distillery, although both were closed for the season.

This is all there is to the distillery and bond buildings

However, when I stopped off to take a couple of pictures one afternoon I bumped into the owner of the distillery who had come up to collect the mail and generally check that everything was okay. We got chatting and I persuaded him to open the shop and sell me some whisky.

However, due to the somewhat torturous regulations surrounding the sale of spirits he told me that, although he is licensed to produce whisky at the distillery and store it at the bond next door, he is not allowed to sell any directly to the public. So, to get around this restriction he ‘sells’ it to his wife who is the licensee for the hotel and, as an employee of the hotel, he can then sell it to me. So, into the hotel bar we went.

I ended up getting this miniature of un-matured ‘UisgeBeatha’, which comes in a bottle with a partially hand-written label and is hand-sealed with wax. As it is clear (white) and only four months old you aren’t allowed to call it whisky, just malt spirit. As close to moonshine as you can probably get while keeping everything within the law.

Stationary Engine

Interesting use of an engine as a counterweight in an unusual chair (more pictures to be found using the link below).

(Via: bikepost)