This week I wanted to share one of my own routes. A very old one, which I created a very long time ago, when I was still living in Amsterdam. It’s a circle around Amsterdam, passing Haarlem, IJmuiden, Akersloot, Purmerend and ending in Durgerdam. I love this route, because it takes you through all kinds of roads, offers lots of different sceneries and passes some nice cafe’s to take lunch or a short coffee break.

If you’d like to ride it, you can find it in Scenic. Go to ‘Find Scenic Routes’, zoom way in on the “Sluizen van IJmuiden” (zoom in a lot, otherwise you’ll get too many routes). Then go to the list view and sort by distance (it’s 131km). The route’s name is ‘Rondje Adam’. I hope you’ll like it. Btw, this route browsing will become a lot easier in the big update 🙂

Checking spark plugs is another easy DIY task. Make sure the engine is switched off and let it cool down for at least 2 hours if you’ve been riding your bike. Once you’ve located the spark plug(s), use a special spark plug socket to unscrew the plug. I always learned that ‘coffee with milk’ colour is a good sign.

If the spark head is white in colour then your engine is over-heating. A black, feathery carbon deposit on your spark plug however can be caused by a number of reasons, but most of the time, the air/fuel mixture is too rich.

If you need to change your spark plugs, insert and tighten the new one by hand and make sure you don’t over-tighten the plugs.

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of picking up a brand spanking new (2018) KTM Adventure 1090 from the dealership, and what a pleasure that was! As the 2018 is exactly the same as the 2019 I figured why spend the extra money. I got about 10% off the new price, which is already a pretty good deal. As I am breaking in this beautiful machine, I am still treating her carefully, but that torque, 109Nm of bliss, just makes me grin from ear to ear. Read up on her specs here.

Yamaha’s are the most stolen bikes in Mexico, so since I bought my FJ-09 I wanted to add a bit of theft protection. For me, a disk lock was the obvious choice. It fits easy under the seat, it’s easy to put on and take off your bike, and it has a decent theft protection. I did a lot of research and in the end bought this, relatively cheap one, which is also ‘Amazon’s Choice’, from MYSBIKER.

It has an integrated alarm that sets off when the bike or lock moves. It’s not extremely loud, but loud enough to get the attention of passer byers and scare off potential thieves. I’ve had it now for about 3 months and am very happy with it. Never had a false alarm, it feels heavy and sturdy and it’s very easy to use and take with you. If I go for short rides I even put it in my jacket pocket. It comes with 2 sets of batteries (still on the first set while the thing is on my bike all the time), 3 keys and a reminder cable.

Does it offer the very best protection? Probably not, but for its price it’s a very sweet deal. Known brands like Kryptonite or Xena will easily set you back 3 or 4 times as much, while this little thing can be yours for just $28.

This picture was sent in by Richard from Austria. He went on a 6000km trip and passed by Aurland in Norway. Norway’s west coast is just beautiful! I’ve had the privelage to ride there quite a bit and this view is one of many breathtaking sceneries you’ll come accross. If you ever get a chance to ride in Scandinavia, Norway’s west coast should be on top of your list!