Hello from Ireland

[Toppie]

Hello from Shantonagh, Co. Monaghan.

Just discovered this forum.
I'm downsizing to just one bike.

I have my new, Blue, Yamaha T7 on order from a dealer in Dublin. (There's no 2022 models yet on the island)

 

I've just sold my 2015 MT-09 Tracer to fund my new purchase and will be selling my xt660z  when the Spring arrives.

 

I'm hoping to have my new bike before the end of this month.

 

Unlike a lot of you T7 lads, my new ride will be more hard-top paved roads and while a lot on here may say that's a complete waste, I have my reasons.

 

I've been riding motorcycles since I was thirteen, that was sixty one years ago.

Most of it's been on tar-top but I had a good stint of desert riding in Namibia during my couple of decades riding in Africa.

I've lived in Ireland since 2000 and owned a variety of bikes but they've been either sports bikes or sports-tourers.

 

In 2015 I bought a second-hand 2008 KLR 650 as a winter hack.....just to keep those dirty winter miles off my nice new shiny MT-09 Tracer.
I fell in love with the thing though and it became my bike-of-choice for everyday riding.

The old KLR was great for some rougher stuff though and it renewed an interest in a bit of off-the-grid rides.

 

I later replaced the KLR with a 20011 xt660z and my much loved and very much travelled Tracer fell into disuse.

I got to prefer the xt660 for most of my riding, even though most of it is now on hard topped roads and laneways.

So, now I'm offloading the xt660z along with its stablemate and will run just the Ténéré 700 for all my motorcycling needs.

 

My ultra long distance European trips have to be a thing of the past now due to the missus' failing health but I'm confident that I'll get great use within this island group on my new 700.

 

I'll be kitting my new bike out as a mainly on-road machine but, with serious off-road options....... which is how my soon-to-be-retired xt660z has served me admirably this last couple of years.

 

I'm looking forward to belonging to this forum!

 

 

[NZIAN]

Ola, from Lusitania.

[Burnsey]

Buy it for whatever reason you want!

 

I was not far from you recently, passing through Crossmaglen (quickly ) after a stay over in Magilligan, where me and a biker pal have a friend or two. We visit and ride the cracking roads, North and South of the border a few times a year.

[Mike99]

It'll be a great road bike, enjoy 

[Toppie]

6 hours ago, Burnsey said:

I was not far from you recently, passing through Crossmaglen (quickly )

 

  Very close indeed.

''Between Carrickmacross and Crossmaglen, you'll meet more rogues than honest men''

 

I'm just across the border from there....There's a coffee-dock there that I use as a 'Click and Collect' point when I've ordered stuff on-line from the UK.

Saves me a small fortune in postage costs.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Toppie

[Ray Ride4life]

Welcome.

Your intro would imply that the T7 is not suitable for long distance travel but that's exactly what i'm going to do in July.
Don't know what you count as ultra long distance but my trip will be around 8500km in 3 weeks (cannot take more days in one holiday from work).
I did that normally on my Crosstourer and bought the T7 because i want more offroad in those trips and i think the XT660Z is just a bit to ruff around the edges because of the single cylinder for the longer (paved) days.
XT660Z is also getting sold and prbably the CT also but i do need a second bike as a back up so i'm in doubt about that one.

[Landshark]

Welcome aboard @Toppie.  This will be a great bike for your retirement years and the riding you describe.  Take it anywhere almost and have fun riding.

Post a pic of the new bike when it finally arrives.

[Tenerider]

Welcome from Germany, Toppie!

Sounds like you'll have lots of fun with your new ride...

 

Jan

[Ray Ride4life]

By the way, "toppie" is "great" in Dutch. Like "helemaal toppie gast" means "that's just great dude".

[Toppie]

5 hours ago, Ray Ride4life said:

Welcome.

Your intro would imply that the T7 is not suitable for long distance travel but that's exactly what i'm going to do in July.

Didn't mean to imply the T7's unsuitability for long distance travel @Ray Ride4life
I wouldn't be buying one if that were anywhere near the case.
Far from it.  I'm not a fair-weather, a pop-to-the-shops or Sunny Sundays only rider.

I ride all year 'round.
I meant that my very much longer continental forays have to be shelved for personal, domestic reasons.

I'll be putting many, many kilometres on the T7 as it'll be doing the work for me that two bikes did up until now.

I'm confident that it will.

 

 

[Toppie]

1 hour ago, Ray Ride4life said:

By the way, "toppie" is "great" in Dutch. Like "helemaal toppie gast" means "that's just great dude".

 

Ha!...Dankie meneer! Afrikaans has a huge Old-Dutch content.

My children were brought up there and were taught Afrikaans in school as well as Zulu.

'Toppie' there is often used (in a respectful sort of way) as a reference to an older person.

My kids came to refer to me often as Toppie.....in a jokey sort of way and it kind of stuck.

 

I tend to use it as a Forum identity.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Toppie

[Ray Ride4life]

I've been to South Africa and in Oudshoorn we (my now ex and i) talked Dutch and the lodge owners spoke Afrikaans and we understood each other just fine. Dankie i know but toppie is new.
After my trip to North Cape i'm going to work on my next challenge, moving to South Africa and when i manage what i want i will be riding there from the Netherlands to wherever i end up living as a base for my new life there.
From what age can i expect to get called toppie? hahah

[thepointchris]

@ToppieWelkom - die Afrikaanse donners slaan oral uit! Saffer here in Southern California, and I occasionally pass through Bray and Wicklow. 6300miles on my 2021 T7 - all I can say is that you're in for a treat! Enjoy and be safe.

Cheers,

Chris

[Toppie]

12 minutes ago, thepointchris said:

@ToppieWelkom - die Afrikaanse donners slaan oral uit! Saffer here in Southern California, and I occasionally pass through Bray and Wicklow. 6300miles on my 2021 T7 - all I can say is that you're in for a treat! Enjoy and be safe.

Cheers,

Chris

 

Ek is nie afrikaans nie. Ek praat net 'n bietjie Afrikaans.....and never found ever so much use for it in KwaZulu-Natal.
Loved the place though and spent a good couple of decades there.

Motorcycling Nirvana!

Mpumalanga, formerly Eastern Transvaal !!!

You'd think someone wanted to build a road made for bikers and got a team of them on board to tell 'em what they wanted.

 

Anyway....that's behind me now. Can't live in the past but.....here's a couple of pics from a trip my son and I did back in 91/92.
Amanzimtoti KZN to Namibia/Angola.

We managed a bit of desert riding when we got to Swakopmund.

I was 44 years old then and my lad was 19.

He's 51 this coming March.

We've had some great trips together.

 

 

I was on a 14 year old Honda K3 and my son was on a Honda VFR1000

We dumped the bottom half of his fairing on the way to try to keep it cooler.
Just a backpack each.

No mobile phones back then.

Have bike will travel. How times have changed.

 

My mates pozzie in Swakop'

Namib dunes on the doorstep.