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Alan J 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

@welsh_gser

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
• Just a Welsh guy on his two wheel adventures through life.
• BMW R1250GSA, S1000R, F800GS and K100RS
• 🌍 18 countries by bike

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How have I never posted this photo before 😱
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Mile 52 of 4400, as captured by @bikerpicsuk , just over a year ago now!
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I’d been planning my trip for a while, and my route from home down to the port in Portsmouth was always going to be taking me down the A339 from Basingstoke down towards Loomies. But when I saw that Diane would be there, that made my day … to be able to capture a rolling shot of me right at the start of my little adventure was the perfect way to start the trip!
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And I love this shot so much that it’s now the wallpaper on my phone lock screen, and it makes me smile every time I look at it ☺️
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Possibly my favourite riding shot I’ve had … and only posting it now … this is an example of how messy my life has been 😅
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#bmw #bmwmotorrad #bmwr1250gs #bmwr1250gsadventure #gsadventure #r1250gs #r1250gsa #r1250gsadventure #bmwr1200gsa #r1200gsa #bmwr1200gs #r1200gs #bmwgsadventure #bmwgs #bmwadventureriders #bmwadventure #advrider #advbike #demontweeksriders #makelifearide #bmwmoto #xladv #dualsportadv #bmwgsfans #spiritofgs #bmwadvriders #motorcycle #bikersofinstagram #shootandride #welsh_gser taken in Basingstoke by @welsh_gser

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3 years ago

F*ck me I look awesome.
No, wait, that’s wrong.
Nope … I’m awesome. Not just looks. Me, the whole me.
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A lot has gone on in my past to knock my confidence. On many levels and in many ways. But no more. I know my worth. I know my abilities. I know what I bring to the table. Only a few will ever see the best bits, but those that do … you’re one lucky bugger 😉
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I’ve got more self confidence and belief right now than I’ve ever had before. Sometimes I don’t show it. Sometimes “little” events knock it briefly, which I hate. I’m working on that … and generally that involves saying “f*ck you 🖕🏼” to the t*ats who seem intent on trying to knock me.
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Working through some changes I’m thinking of making in my direction. Because as we learn more, taking time to step back and make sure we’re following the right path is important.
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Awesome photo from Jason @photovideoaerial at the last Sweet Lamb race weekend. Thank you … absolutely love it 😍
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📸 : @photovideoaerial
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#awesome #iamawesome #keepimproving #timeforchange #timeforreflection #offroad #baja #sweetlamb #enduro #heavyenduro #allwedoisbraaap #bmw #bmwmotorrad #f800gs #bmwf800gs #bmwgs #bmwadventure #bmwadventureriders #makelifearide #spiritofgs #teamdt #dtmambassador #demontweeksriders #wales #cymru #bikersofinstagram #bikelife #biker #shootandride #welsh_gser A BMW F800GS motorbike is being ridden across a sloping grass field, with hills in the background taken in Sweet Lamb Adventure Bike Academy by @welsh_gser

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3 years ago

So, we all remember I did a “thing” with @oxfordproducts in September for their CLIQR phone mount, showing how stable and secure it is even when on a bike being abused down some off road tracks? Well, the Oxford Products team have been kind enough to send me a full version of the video without all the graphics 😃 And here it is … never in my life did I ever think I’d do a video like this, so I’m over the moon with it … every time I watch it (and the original version Oxford posted) it makes me smile 😊
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I think this is what life is about … doing things that you never thought you’d do, and doing things that make you smile, whether they’re big or small. Some days that might just be sitting down for 5 minutes with a coffee and cake, some days that might be riding your bike in front of a videographer! 😂
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It’s easy to say, but do more things that make you smile. Even on the really crappy days, find something, no matter how small, that makes you smile, even if only for a second. I’ve been through dark days, so incredibly dark, days where I thought nothing could make me smile, and on some of those days the only thing that did would have been eating some chocolate, or sometimes a message from a friend ☺️ I don’t think I realised the importance of that at the time, or even realised that I was having smile moments, but I suspect it was all that got me through some of them.
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So yep, make a brew, go and sit in your favourite chair, and sit back to enjoy the cinematic spectacular that is 26 seconds of me riding my bike 😁
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The video also shows off the Oxford Montreal 4.0 suit … review coming of that soon too!
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🎥 : @oxfordproducts

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#pushyourlimits #videography #oxfordproducts #bmw #bmwmotorrad #bmwr1250gs #bmwr1250gsadventure #gsadventure #r1250gs #r1250gsa #r1250gsadventure #bmwgsa #bmwgsadventure #bmwgs #bmwadventureriders #motorrad #advrider #throttlesociety #xlmoto #makelifearide #bmwmoto #xladv #instamoto #bmwgsfans #spiritofgs #pistonaddictz #motorcycle #bikersofinstagram #shootandride #welsh_gser taken in Wiltshire by @welsh_gser

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5 years ago

There has definitely not been enough riding lately, although admittedly I haven’t actually been here to ride 🤣

The roads in Gran Canaria definitely got me thinking about planning the next trip … do I do a fly-ride? Another big road trip to see cool places (like Berlin in this photo, which I absolutely loved!), or plan a “riding” trip focussed on riding the fun roads, rather than the places. 🤔

Lots of things to consider (so maybe multiple trips needed 😅), but in the mean time, I just need to get out and ride soon 🤞🏼

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#justride #berlin #bmwmotorrad #lonerider #bmwgs A BMW motorbike is parked on the road, with the Berlin Victory Column behind taken in Tiergarten by @welsh_gser

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25 days ago

How is it September already?!?

The weather is definitely changing now, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to put the bikes away, but I suspect the waterproofs will be getting packed more often again now!

The last month has flown by so fast, as has most of summer. But no complaints ☺️

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#summer #bmw #motorrad #r1250gs #gsadventure A blue and white BMW adventure motorbike is parked at viewpoint. In the immediate background are some horses grazing just off the road, and beyond are gently rolling hills under a blue sky taken in Wiltshire by @welsh_gser

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a month ago

Woohoo, we’ve made it! This week has been a long month, but it’s finally the long bank holiday weekend 🥳 And, it typical British tradition, after weeks of scorching sunshine, this weekend has a lot of rain and thunderstorms forecast 🤣 Youce got to laugh 😅

So this weekend will be some time for self care and relaxation, some time for a few jobs and cleaning, and some time for riding - if the forecast stays as it currently is, I’m thinking a big ride out somewhere on Monday 🤔

Not sure where, not sure which bike 😅 Nice problem to have of course. I’m thinking it’s time to out some more miles on the S1000R, given the R1250GSA has done quite a few miles this year now!

Let’s see how the weekend develops ☺️

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#bankholidayweekend #summer #summersun #bmwmotorrad #r1250gs taken in Minchinhampton Common by @welsh_gser

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a month ago

An evening spin through the “Valley of the Racehorse”, or so the big sign told me. I thought it was just called Lambourn Downs! But it is famous for race horses, so makes sense.

What I do know is that it’s been years since I came down this road - I always remembered how beautiful it was, but it was one of those roads that for some reason I always thought was elsewhere for some reason 🤷🏻‍♂️

But a random route today saw me heading through this lovely little valley again, and it made me smile 😊

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#bmwmotorrad #bmw #s1000r #makelifearide #racehorse taken in Lambourn Valley of the Racehorse by @welsh_gser

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2 months ago

Last ride on the F900XR, which means the big GS is ready to come home!

Thank you to @cotswoldmotorrad for looking after things as usual. They’re a great team to deal with, and the service team especially are always very friendly and helpful.

So, the important question - did I like the F900XR? Yes, I did. But would I buy one? Probably not.

And it’s hard to really say why I wouldn’t. It’s fun to ride, for sure. I’m not a fan of the seat (I had the same problem on the S1000XR) as it’s very sculpted, but if it works for you then it’s comfy enough. But I like to move around 🙈

The engine is great fun - torquey and bags of power, so great for progressive riding when lots of overtakes are needed. Can’t fault that area at all. And it handles well.

Which is why I struggle to say why I wouldn’t buy one. I am very lucky to have multiple bikes, and I think that’s the “issue” - I don’t think I’d want to replace any of them with one of these. But in a one bike garage, I can see why people like them!

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#bmw #f900xr #makelifearide #testride #common taken in Minchinhampton Common by @welsh_gser

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2 months ago

Hiya 👋🏼 Sorry for being a bit quiet lately - work has been super busy and stressful, and trying to get stuff done at home as well has eaten up far more energy (energy more so than time) than I’d like to admit, so bike stuff (including posting on here) has taken a little bit of a backseat over the last few weeks!

Still here though, still going strong, and contemplating holiday and trip plans for next year (a great distraction from the stress of work when needed!).

Hope you’re all well? Did you have a nice weekend?

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#bmwmotorrad #r1250gs #gsadventure #belgium #spa

(Photo from outside the casino in Spa, Belgium … and no, I didn’t go in … I went to the spa instead 😅) taken in Spa, Belgium by @welsh_gser

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2 months ago

Who’s this?!? Meet the F900XR … my new …
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… loan bike 🤪 While the 1250 is up with @cotswoldmotorrad getting all spruced up ready for the next 37000 miles, I’m rocking around on this little one!

900cc crossover style bike … not a sports bike, not an adventure bike … somewhere between the two I guess?

Either way, it’s certainly great fun. Obviously less power than the big 1250, and definitely less power than my S1000R, but still plenty of power to do some lovely progressive riding on a sunny later afternoon ride around some of the lovely twisty roads I’m lucky to have close by.

Did I mention it was fun? Yes? Ok, so maybe I won’t win bike reviewer of the month awards anytime soon. But at the end of the day, isn’t that the most important thing to most of us where bikes are concerned? To be able to go for a quick blast and come back thinking “yeah, that was fun 😁” with a big grin on your face?

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#funinthesun #bikelife #bmw #f900xr #bmwmotorrad taken in Silbury Hill by @welsh_gser

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2 months ago

The great thing about dropping my bike off for service is getting to try something new for 24 hours.

So with the 1250 dropped off at @cotswoldmotorrad , I got the opportunity to try this R1300GS, with a twist! The twist … no clutch! This is the ASA model (Automated Shift Assistant), so has no clutch lever, but still retains a normal gear shifter. And two modes - fully auto where it shifts all gears for you, or manual mode through the normal gear lever, only shifting manually if you forget to shift (it’ll go back to first if you stop in any other gear).

So, I set off in fully auto mode to see what it was like. And it does what you expect, but maybe not when you expect. It’s basically trying to be in the most efficient gear, only shifting down when needed. But, the different riding modes do change how it shifts - in Dynamic mode, the shifts weren’t far off when I would change manually in a lot of cases, including the downshifts when braking heavily for a right corner or roundabout.

The next day I went for fully manual, and to be honest apart from not needing to pull in the clutch when stopping or pulling away, it was just like a regular gearbox bike with the quick shifter (Gearshift Assist Pro in BMW speak). Much smoother than the auto shifts, and “just worked”.

The bike itself was great and as enjoyable as any other boxer GS I’ve ridden.

So, thoughts … would you consider an auto option bike, if it had a manual mode that worked as well as a normal manual gearbox with a clutch? I’m not 100% convinced, but giving it a good try in manual mode has definitely made me reconsider the options on the next bike. Slow control is the only time you really have to adapt how you use the controls, with no clutch to slip, but I still spun a couple of u-turns just as easily as I do on any other bike.

So … maybe?

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#bmwr1300gs #bmwmotorrad #noclutch #automatic #foodforthought taken in Cotswold Motorrad by @welsh_gser

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2 months ago

Days that are meant for riding and good views 🤩

This weather certainly isn’t all good - it’s been dry for far too long in this part of the country, and some days have been far too warm. But being able to go for a ride without having to worry about taking waterproofs or wearing bulky adventure gear is definitely welcome.

Now I just need to make more time to actually get out and ride 😅 it’s service time for the big GS this week … 37000 miles so about the biggest service it’s likely to have!

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#summer #adventurebikerider #spiritofgs #bmwgs #r1250gs taken in Gloucestershire by @welsh_gser

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2 months ago