I’ve been waiting for ages to hear about my army pension, waiting 6 months for my heart results and waiting for my new bike for weeks. It’s all happened at once.
Beryl was delivered on Monday. I was working until Thursday so couldn’t get to play on it. On Thursday I got into the shed. I changed the battery, put fresh petrol in it, and…
Well, that’s no challenge. Where’s the fun in that?
I went in today to start servicing all the fluids. I’ve done the brake fluids, put more oil in it, (I’ll do the oil and filter when they arrive) and cleaned up a load of bits. The chain was all rusty so I’ve scrubbed it up with a wire brush then clarted it in a thick chain oil. I’ll see if it’s serviceable before I spend loads on a new chain and sprocket set. So far the only things wrong are general corrosion (which I’m managing to clean up), the broken indicator (ordered) and one of the brake bleed nipples has been rounded off, so I’ve ordered a new one.
The lights all work, the engine turns over, starts, runs and ticks over, the brakes seem good (in the shed, they need a proper test, obviously) it’s got a decent condition set of Road Attack tyres, there are no obvious leaks. It seems a really sorted bike. For £500!
I’ll need to get out and about to test the gears and clutch, but I’m pretty hopeful.
One thing about it though, every screw and bolt is set in place. I’ve had to use the impact driver to loosen a bunch of them today. Not good for the screw heads.
Tomorrow I’ll finish taking off the front right fairing so I can swap the indicator when it comes. I’ve had to order a second new battery as well. The first was too tall. They said it was for an SV650s but they lied. I measured the original one when I took it out and ordered the correct one. That’s coming tomorrow, so I can swap batteries and put my seats back on. Then it’s just the indicator and the rest of the fluids (radiator, oil and filter) and I’m good to get it MOT-ed, I think. A bit too easy, but I’ll take it, I suppose.
I was going to get the panel off today but I had to drop everything. I came into the house for something at 16.00 and to my surprise the postie had been. It wasn’t there at 15.00 so I assumed nothing was coming. Again. It was two official letters to me. I opened them and it was my army pension, finally. As cheques. D’oh! I looked up the closing time of the bank, 16.30. I had to throw a lid and my coat on and ride to town like a madman. I managed to get them in for about 16.25, now just got to wait for the bank to clear them. It’s Friday today so Monday should be a good money day. The cheques should clear and I get my first month’s wages. They pay by the calendar month, not 15th to 15th (pay dates) so it’s not a full month’s pay but it’s £2k, so that will do.
The other thing is the heart results. Nothing for 6 months. I rang them a bunch of times to make sure they were still on the case. Then out of the blue the doctors sent me a text saying you have to come in for an appointment tomorrow, your test results are in and it’s urgent. I rang them as I was working that day. I got a telephone appointment on my day off. They have confirmed supra ventricular tachycardia. I have to go in to the surgery next week so they can check my heart again, and they’ve referred me to the cardiologist at Warrington hospital. As an urgent case. They said if I don’t hear from them in a month I have to ring them to chase it up. Hopefully that means a fast track to getting the wire shoved into my heart and the malfunctioning bit getting burnt out. Yay! The downside was the guy asked my job, I said lorry driver, and he said I have to inform the DVLA. They could suspend my vocational licence. So no job. I downloaded the form I have to fill in this evening. I’m a lot more hopeful now. It was a 7 page document and only one box applied to me. Do you have arrhythmia? Yes. Has it made you dizzy or pass out in the last 12 months? No. I feel breathless, weak, and awful, but I don’t pass out.
I’m really hoping they are going to let me carry on working.
If not, it’s back to order picking until they clear me. 8 hour shifts would seem like a holiday, but pitiful money and my works might not have me back. That’s all ifs and buts. I can carry on driving until they reach a decision. Then we go from there.