Took big blue out for a run today.  Weather perfect and the destination was a combination of the two main passions of mine.. Motorcycles and flying. 

So a trip out to my local airfield, a round trip of some 40 to 45 miles.  A fair distance for one of these basic enduros when you no longer possess a backside made of rhino skin as I did back in the day.  40 miles is perfect.

Had to have a word with myself.  My riding was getting quite "spirited"  and I had to remind myself that I was not on the VFR and the bike I was riding was shod with trial pattern tyres, not the latest high falutin michelin road tyres .
Yup, I had the rear step out a little on a roundabout when I got the power on too soon when still leaned over as I am used to on the vfr.

A more sedate ride ensued.  The engine has loosened up nicely and I saw 60 mph on the speedo in exactly the same place as she blew a hole in her piston a couple of years ago.  Being overgeared, I had to get to speed in 5th before selecting 6th in order to keep her in the lower end of her max power range - 6000 rpm in her overgeared state at 60 mph indicated and she could maintain speed, she could not do it without wringing her neck in 5th first.

Cyl head temp held at 175C and no holy piston.

​​​​​Spent a nice hour or so munching bacon butties and chatting to the pilots, meanwhile  big blue was getting a LOT of  admiring attention.  Amazing how many people had one as a teenager.

Two old girls together, but that PT17 makes the hairs on the back of my head stand up when it starts up.  A real credit to Richard the owner.  What a lovely aircraft.

I do not have motor insurance to take her airside, so I have to take a pic with a fence in the way.