@@iainelder4976 cool story man. You're more than welcome. Thanks for dropping a comment. I've got a friend who lives in Crieff. I'll need to ask about the old jam factory. Take care. Mark

@@joebrown2279 legend buddy. I'm too impatient. Dunno why it never crossed my mind. I've spoken to the road guys before and they just point you through the cones, no drama for them and hardly an upheaval. The puffin crossing going in actually blocked the road, a cheeky push through would've probably worked. I'll use that next time. Thanks for the feedback and comment. Much appreciated man. Take care Mark.

Enjoyed the vid mate. Always liked the Jukes on supermotos years ago.​@BigMark007

@@joebrown2279 Cheers again Joe. Mark

@@neiltoplis8300 Now your talking. Considering in the last 2 weeks in one 36 hour period, the temperature changed 19°C. You've got the right idea. You need to prepare in advance and be flexible. I'll track the weather two weeks out. One week to go, you start getting hourly reports. This gives you a better idea of how the weather is trending. Daytime highs and nighttime lows. You want to be checking any weather site of your choice (met office) and watching where the high pressure and low pressure systems, including weather fronts, are. A little bit of online study would give you the tools to interpret these weather patterns. A basic understanding and you'll know the wind direction and strength at a glance. Easterlies and Northerlies bringing cold wind, so your shown temp of 7° that you thought was doable, actually becomes 2°. Apologies if you're a part time meteorologist and I've just offended your intellect. I used to surf a lot, still do, just not a lot and tracking weather systems was just natural so you could go do what you want. Same applies to us and biking. If you need assistance with your plans, just shout. Our garden is a work in progress at the moment, but there will always be room for a tent and bike if you're stuck. That's for the comment, it means a lot that even one person is listening lol . Peace and jam Cheers Mark

@@douglasmcbride4589 Cheers Douglas. Yeah man, get on it. The trick is to convince the guys it's a good idea, but make it look like they came up with it lol. Then you say your in and you all go. It's really awesome, doesn't matter the weather, it's epic. Better in the sun obviously. Thank you for the feedback. More content to come and other stuff on the channel. I'm open to suggestions, if there's something you'd like to see. Take care Cheers Mark

@@scottishsuzuki8132 Totally agree, I've done the three lochs dozens of times. I'll probably film that when it reopens. It's just like the Dukes pass.....20 miles too short. I don't know if people shy away from it because it's "off-road". I've done it on 3 different bikes with tyres from 50/50 to Road 6's. I took a friend over it who was super nervous beforehand, he took a lot of convincing that it would be okay. We've done it 3 times since. Hopefully if I share a video of the drive, people will realise it's easy and absolutely stunning. Thanks for your input, much appreciated. Cheers Mark

@@andrewewan624 Thanks Andrew. I'll need to try harder if it was only enjoyable lol I was shooting for INCREDIBLE. Cheers for the feedback, much appreciated. You take care too. Mark

@@haggiswhisperer It's off the chart man. Sold everything GoPro. I put the DJI MIC2 magnet inside my lid with SUGRU. Now I just grab a mic and my camera and I'm away. No cables, media mod or any of that junk. Just nice and simple. Batteries last for 2 plus hours in 4K @ 30FPS. It's by no means an understatement to say it's a game changer. Phenomenal. Cheers Mark

@@haggiswhisperer Cool man. If you stay off the motorway and the A9, there are literally no bad roads. You'll know that already. Cheers bud Mark

@ yea limitless routes round there. My favourite is Ben lawers and Glen Lyon.

@@haggiswhisperer The Little Leaf #1!

@@AndyHudson hey man. Agreed, it's just not long enough lol. It's actually prettier from Aberfoyle to brig o' turk than the other way. That's if the sun is shining and you have a view ;) . Cheers for the message Mark

@@johnmatheson7414 Awesome, any questions, just drop me a message. Cheers Mark

@@luckydevonpixie1975 you're more than welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers Mark

@@cloverleaf-kona Hi Kona. Thanks for that, glad you enjoyed it. I've still got the other two in my plans. Was there any reason you've not got GPX files up for the routes? I can get you them, if it helps you out. Cheers Mark

@@BigMark007 Thanks! Basically, bitter experience with circular trips in GPX files has taught me to provide separate route files for TomToms and Garmins, plus "pure GPX" tracks for other apps - and to test these on the road with all devices, as some satnavs (Garmin I'm looking at you) are very opinionated and keep messing about with the route. I haven't had time to do all of that testing for the Little Leaf routes since I reworked them last year - maybe that will be a project for 2025! :)

@@cloverleaf-kona totally understand. Just give me a shout if anything I've got can help. Take care Mark

@@BigMark007 Thanks! Hope we can meet up for a ride-out in 2025 :)

@@cloverleaf-kona that would be great. Anytime . Mark

Just about every minor road in the Sierra de los Filabres is an endless Duke's Pass - epic! 😎😃

@@rayb1754 Thanks, I'm trying. I honestly rode and filmed the NC500 in the same number of days it took me to do that 88 mile loop Thanks for the encouragement, it's much appreciated. Have a good one Cheers Mark.

Thanks for the tip! Cheers Mark

@@RichO1701e Hey Rich. Exactly the reason I did it on the 29th of December when it was blowing a hoolie and 10°. I could've wasted 8 months and waited until August and got the exact same conditions. It's Scotland after all. It'd need to be incredibly bad for me not to go. Not sure why the way I did Ben Lawers looked better. You'll need to give it a go then let me know your thoughts. I think it would be good either way, but, you know how some routes are inexplicably better clockwise for example, but the same route sucks the other way. Maybe we'll never know. Anyway, who cares, as long as you're riding your bike and just enjoying every moment. Thank you for commenting, it's much appreciated. Defo let me know how it goes. Take care Cheers Mark

@@johnmatheson7414 Happy new year to you too John. I'll take hardy, thank you. I suppose there's a fine line between confidence and poor judgement lol. It was a challenge in parts, but, "Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey". That's me done, I've got no "Yoda" left. Lol. Thank you for commenting, it's much appreciated. Take care Mark

@@cloverleaf-kona Hi, happy new year. Thank you for the comment. I've seen entire NC500 videos that are 25 minutes long. The reason this one was a bit longer, was me trying to show the whole route(within reason), so that you can actually see what you're getting into and if the route is for you. It was a slightly breezy day lol. I'm planning on doing videos on the other little leafs. See how I go, weather and all that. The Glen Lyon loop is awesome. Thanks to you guys for plotting the route and having it online. The Cloverleaf is a great thing for visitors and locals alike. Thanks again for commenting. Take care. Mark

​@@BigMark007 Look forward to seeing your other vids! We're really spoiled here in Perthshire for amazing riding. Have a great year! K.

Thank you Ray. I've done most of the Cloverleaf. It's Scotland man, there's just an abundance of epic roads. The little leafs are cool if you don't fancy such a long day or the weather isn't great. Just another option. Cheers again for the feedback. Have a great New Year. Mark

And you Mark......I try to get over to Dumfries and Galloway at least 3 times a year for long weekends, but I have to stick to the usual A712, 713, 714 type roads......would love any suggestions that could form a few loops from Newton Stewart if you know any. Always so quiet over there aswell! So lucky.

@@johnmatheson7414 Hi John. I highly doubt it lol. It would be good. Thank you for your positive feedback, it's very much appreciated. Look after yourself and have a great Xmas. Cheers Mark.

@BigMark007 pleasure! Thanks Mark , Hope you also have a merry Christmas and a happy new year!!

@@DrewCarter0405 Thanks for the feedback. Might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. Cheers Drew. Catch up soon. Mark

@@williamcoulter5462 Hi William, the plan was to do the route and stick to that. My alternative, which is what I'll do in the future, is similar to your suggestion. Going north anti clockwise, hang a left at the mound, before Kirkton. A839 onto the A836 all the way to Tongue and then Durness and down the west coast. After that, head for the Kyle of Localsh instead of going back to Inverness. I'll never do the whole route as the standard NC500 again. You've got some cool suggestions there. I'll defo look at it the next time I'm up there. Thanks for your input, much appreciated. Cheers. Mark

@@johnmatheson7414 Thank you John, appreciate it. I just wanted the fighter pilot switch lol. Couldn't care what it's wired to 😉.

@stephenbryson5618 Hi Stephen. Even if you don't connect it, everyone should have a fighter pilot switch 😉. CL500? What year? It's a good looking bike. I'm assuming the bike takes the speed off the rear wheel and not the driveshaft that's why the Speedo stopped working? Maybe? Check you haven't disturbed anything else. It'll be single channel ABS so works like mine. I take it you didn't put a switch in? You just removed it? I'd get it back and all squared up before you do anything else. Then you can eliminate the error. I'm not familiar with the bike, other than I know what it looks like, but there's not a lot to go wrong. Gimme a shout and let me know how you get on. Where are you based? Cheers Mark

@@BigMark007 it’s the Honda cl500 24 model, same engine as the nc500 it’s supposed to be a scrambler so you would have thought Honda would put a switch on of for abs. That was interesting what you did and I’ll be trying that at the weekend on the front thanks for responding back..

@@stephenbryson5618 No worries. Please let me know how you get on. And thank you for your original comment. Take care Cheers Mark

@@tartanblackcountrytourist No worries buddy. I'm glad you're sold on it. The wee mad road was probably my favourite section out of the whole lot. Plenty of inspiration for photography and filming down the west coast. What time of year are you planning on going? Thanks for dropping your comment, really appreciate it. Let me know your plans. Car, helicopter unicycle? 😉

@@BigMark007 its early may by car but my bicycle will be on the bike rack :) me motorbikes and speed cameras don't get on. still carrying 3 points :(. 🤣🤣🚙. might try some roller-skates though if i can find them in my Aladdin cave of a loft :)

@tartanblackcountrytourist Roller skates? Now that would make a brilliant video. I look forward to seeing that 😉. Remember, safety third and take a first aid kit. It'll be your most successful video to date. Click bait the hell out of the title. "Bealach na ba roller derby nightmare disaster" that should get the views in lol. Mark

@@johnmatheson7414 Lol, Cheers John. No one is more surprised than me with what comes out my mouth sometimes. 😉. If nobody else understands John, at least you and me will have a laugh. I talked non stop for 3 days, so I can't think of a specific thing. Feel free to enlighten me. I'd like all my videos to be entertaining and hopefully have the humour translatable. In my defence, I did define "Stramash" for everyone from Englandshire. Think that was in part 4 lol. Anyway, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed it, that means a lot. Take care John Cheers Mark

@@AndrewMitchell-h2t Thanks for that info. Cheers. Mark.

@@stephenbryson5618 Hi Stephen, yeah. Summer traffic or take your chances with the winter weather. I was 3 days from the 10th of October. Still had some traffic, but I can only imagine the summer is bananas. Cheers for the comment. Stay safe. Mark

Thank you man. Much appreciated. Glad you liked it. Take care. Part 5 next Tuesday.

@@AndrewMitchell-h2t Hey Andrew. It was probably my favourite stretch too. That's also a long way in 4 days. 1320 miles on the B869 would probably take a month, it'd be a very enjoyable month though. Thanks for reaching out. I really appreciate it. Take care man.

@@johncarmichael8367 lol. That's pretty good going. If I absolutely had to ride it in the summer, i'd ride between 0430 and 0830. That would be it. Couldn't be bothered with the grief. October was too busy for me. Lol. Cheers John. Mark

That's interesting about the minister. I'll look into it. Agreed with the professional drivers. It was literally who was using their mirrors and who wasn't. Mostly positive, only realistically sat behind about 5 vans who I ended up following for miles and miles because they hadn't seen me. I don't think I could handle the route in the summer, if consider it a stress and a waste of time, regardless of how beautiful it is. PT 4 next Tuesday. Thank you as always for your engagement and comments, much appreciated. Mark

Plus three 1/4 thread mounts for mics and tripod mounts. Which I use as l mount my camera outside the car and an scared of a scrote just walking up and robbing the camera if I am parked at lights with the quick release magnet mount. I figure l will have time to accost the thief if he has to stop and unscrew a thread

Hey, I'll check out the cage. I like the dji one but your right about the battery replacement. Glad you were happy with the washer reveal lol. Not a single bit of info with them to tell you what they are for. So simple, but, if you don't know, you don't know. Cheers, Mark

Thank you again for the positive feedback. I'll take credit for the sublime colour correction lol. West side of the loch was also sublime, only met a couple of motors. You've no idea how feedback like this helps me. I'm not trying to be a KZbin legend, I'm just trying to entertain. You're a star. Cheers Mark

@@tartanblackcountrytourist Thanks man. The screen thing bugs me too. I did the official route as planned but totally agree that over the big bridge and down the hill with the view of Cromarty is so much better. Let me know what you thought I over did at the start so I know not to do it again. Any feedback is welcome. Really glad you enjoyed it and also really appreciate you taking the time to comment. Top man. Take care. Mark

@@BigMark007 2;56 to 3;44 .. the contrast was incredibly high which caused the colour saturation to spiral out of control.. you could have made a cut at these points and simply lowered the contrast. This would have opened the shadows and kept the scenes grading uniform.. you should look at your editing suites keyframe usages. Where you can set a keyframe at 2:56 and at 3:44 lowering the contrast between these two points. Keyframes are used to make small changes to the colour balance as you travel in and out of shadows. As by the time the Osmo has reacted to the change of lighting you are back into the light.. Many vloggers simply cut out the dark parts. But when the corner is so beautiful it spoils the vibe to see the bike lean into a corner and next second its leaving the corner. Bravo for keeping the narrative uniform. Its just a technical skill easily learned to help the camera catch up to exposure changes in and out of shadows :) check out Mercia Moto at kzbin.info/door/KurTUbZ0Vn-ekAYR2KGl-w . He takes immense care on keeping the narrative flowing without excessive cuts but with colour correction. He isan Osmo 4 ninja 💯🎬📽

@@tartanblackcountrytourist got you man. I recorded everything in dlog-m then colour corrected in post. It was a simple LUT application. Didn't really do more than that. It was actually dji's dlog-m to rec709 I used. I'll look into it. Solid feedback man. Much appreciated. I just want my stuff to be interesting, a bit of fun and look good. I'll be checking your recommended guy later. Thanks again. Mark

@@BigMark007 Thanks Mark.. Yes I call such anomilous colour renders of D LOG M. A glitch in the matrix.. when the algorithm throws a wobbly.. Looking forwards to the rest of the adventure. 💯🤓

@@BigMark007 ps. Check you have the latest osmo 4 firmware update. As this gives 10 bit normal rec 709 colour at HEVC compression. The firmware update also allows the osmo4 to use the better OSMO 5 battery.. Giving another thirty minutes of recording time. 👍

It is beautiful. Cheers for the comment. Stay safe.

@@johncarmichael8367 Cheers John. Glad you enjoyed it. Defo not warm lol. Through the Twisties, working the bike I was okay as I was doing stuff. The straight 60mph stuff was not tropical. Thanks again for the feedback man. Take care.

Cheers Paul. The first day was the shortest day on the bike lol. I have soooo much footage. Just rendering episode 2 right now. Think it's going to be 4 parts. Too much good stuff to chop into 2 parts. I'm trying to show how the roads on the route change as you go round. Thanks for watching.

Cheers John.

Thanks for taking the time to comment Steve. Yeah, your right. But those who know, cannot explain and those who don't, will never understand. It's ironic that the "safety brigade" that come out with all the danger talk are the same ones who drive their cars 10 miles and don't look in their mirrors once. Bikes are a cheap and easy way to travel with, and through traffic. But you nailed it......biking is just WAY too fun. I like to spend as much time outside the cotton wool wrapped world we live in as possible. I rode past kids (maybe 60 of them) walking out with their teachers from school just a few days ago. As I rode past all the kids (probably 10 years old) all started waving and signalling for me to rev it and toot the horn. This I happily obliged with. I actually got pretty emotional at how happy they all were and I could be a part of that. NOBODY waves at cars. I just love it. Take care buddy. Look after yourself. Happy riding.

Glad you enjoyed it