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I had a bit of a to-do when I got my new bike and realised my kit wasn’t appropriate. You need proper race type kit for a race bike, in case of crashes. Previously it was my leather jacket, a stout pair of boots, a stylish (but minimal protection) pair of soft leather gauntlets, and, usually, whatever trousers I was wearing at the time. If you want to throw the bike into corners you need knee sliders. So that means new leather jeans. Then I might as well update my jacket to suit. And I need proper bike boots. And gloves. I got my kit. It took a few goes on the trousers as I am the exact perfect height for a man (5′ 6 ½”) but everyone else is freakishly tall, so I had to get short leg. And they flatter us porkers with the waist sizes. I’m, at best, a 34″, I ended up having to get a 30″ waist. I got all the kit. I was ready for some knee down thrilling heroics. I went out for a few rides. Turns out I’m still crap, but with better kit. Oh. Should have seen that coming, really. I was a bit sad about that as I can’t do any track day tuition on my bike until next April (I think) when I change to an insurance policy that covers track days. On the off chance I’ve just googled “Knee down course” and there is one run in Wigan. That’s handy. And you train on their bike so no need to worry about insurance! I’ve emailed to see when they have any availability. It’s a progressive skills course. Teaching you theory, motorcycle handling, more theory, cornering with no hands (body balance steering) more theory, then application in the form of knee down riding. Until you look like this: And that is a blue Daytona, so that’s pretty much exactly how I want to look. So that’s good. The other thing at the moment is work. I’ve been trying to get the legal maximum of 5 shifts one week, 6 shifts the next for the last 8 weeks. So far I’ve only had one day when I didn’t get any work. That’s pretty amazing for an agency job. I couldn’t get that in my last, full time, job. There has been a bit of a hoo-ha lately over lorry drivers. A totally unexpected side effect of Brexit, the Hostile Environment, and telling foreigners to go back home, is that the foreigners have gone back home. Nobody could have seen it coming. The upshot of it is panicked newspaper articles where supermarket bosses are saying they have empty shelves because they can’t get the drivers, calling on the government to mobilise the army to do deliveries (as far as I know, the army don’t have artic drivers, they recruit civvies to the TA to drive the artics) and warning of “supply chain collapse”. The government’s response is to rip up the […]

Once again I find I’ve lived long enough to become what I previously despised. I’ve got my new bike as a toy. My main mode of transport is my pushbike, the motorbike is just for having fun. For going fast into corners, leaning right over. It follows, therefore, that I want optimum riding conditions. If it’s raining, and when it gets around to snow and ice, there would be no point in taking it out. I’ve become a Fair Weather Biker! The shame! I’ve also realised that the loud “race” (exhaust) pipes are exactly that. For racing. I’ve always loathed the numpties who have hideous screaming pipes, thinking it was ‘look at me, look at me!’, noise for noises sake. It’s not. With no baffles the exhaust gases blow out the back in the most efficient manner possible, allowing the engine to perform to it’s maximum capacity. Yes, it’s totally anti-socially loud, but that’s the by-product, not the goal. I’m still in two minds about the latter, to be honest. I don’t need the extra few horse power, and I don’t like the racket. I might put the legal baffle back in. It’s a compromise. Not the strangled and heavy original exhaust, but not the ear ringing race can that it’s running now. If I put it back in I’ll have to take it to the Triumph garage to have the engine mapping (fuel computer) reset. Another thing I’ve never realised, being a year round, mode of transport, biker is how much you can specialise your kit if you’re a Fair Weather. I won’t be thrashing around in the snow or rain, it’ll be mostly bone dry, warm days. Up until a few days ago I thought that meant you had to sweat buckets in your leathers. It always has in the past. Nope. That what race leathers are for. Really safe in case of crashes, but with vents and such to keep you cool. All my kit is for trying to stave off hypothermia in winter. I’ve treated myself to a new set of leathers. I was vacillating over many options. A cheap set that had been crashed and had bust bits, other second hand stuff, or new. I was nearly swayed to buying this: It’s a second hand set of trousers and jacket, by a good make, branded Triumph. I looked and the sizing is wrong on the trousers. I’m too short. On normal trousers you can just chop the bottom off, but bike trousers have knee armour and knee sliders so you can prop the bike up on your knee if you go in to corners really hot. This was what stopped me from getting second hand in the end, I need short leg, in a world of freakishly tall people. I was tempted by the brand buy-in. Look at me, I’ve got a Triumph. (Sad.) Which is why every single item a Harley rider owns has the words Harley and Davidson on it. The other thing […]

Quick update on my new bike. I was doing my obsessive search of the 4 main sale sites looking for a Daytona when I saw this bike. He’d only just posted it, I replied straight away, and asked to see it after work the next day. He didn’t want me to as he said the battery had died and he’d only just ordered a new one. He said if I really wanted to see it he could start it off jump leads. I was on late finishes the rest of the week so I insisted. When I got there the battery had arrived, he’d fitted it, and the bike started on the button. It looked pristine. I mean, really, really, immaculate. It was still a bit of a gamble. It said ‘full service history’, 19,000 miles, and 2 owners (I think). But it was a grand cheaper than similar examples of that age and mileage, and had no MOT. The advert said it had only done 20 miles since it’s last, genuine Triumph, service (the ride home from the service) so it should be fine. As I said I’ve paid top dollar for a bike in the past, thinking it was going to be getting a better bike because it was dearer, and ended up feeling cheated. I took a chance. I’d had the foresight to get £50 out to leave as a deposit, if the bike was nice. It was gorgeous. I didn’t even think of trying to haggle. I put the £50 down and arranged to collect it today. I couldn’t get it earlier because of the late finishes, then everything being shut on a Sunday. The only way I could legally ride it home was to be going to a pre -arranged MOT inspection. It was only down the road, so we went for it today. Wendy doesn’t do motorways so I drove us there, and she just had to follow me back. Wendy made some small talk with the seller “Are you sad to be losing your lovely bike?” “Yes. When you’ve had traders ringing you up and offering to pay full price you know you’ve underpriced it.” I’ll say. By about a grand! I paid him without even taking it for a test ride (I couldn’t, legally). It was all on faith. The condition of the bike, the service history, the mileage, and him being at pains to point out the tiniest chip in the screen as a defect, made me give it a go. I rode the bike home, slowly and legally. 24 miles of non-motorway small roads. It didn’t miss a beat. Slickly through the gears, great brakes, felt awesome. I took it for it’s MOT. This was where it could all go horribly wrong. Nope, it passed with no advisories. I’ve got a perfect bike, in perfect condition, for a bargain. This makes me a happy, happy bunny! The guy who was selling it had been racing motorbikes since a kid, so […]

There have been a few things going on lately. One of which is my growing realisation that I bought the wrong bike. I wanted a tourer, something to travel back and to to work on, something to ride to races and have enough space to stash my kit, something I could do all day rides on. I got one. My bike is the perfect beast for doing all of that. But it’s been sat under the bike cover for weeks. I cycle in to work as it’s less than 3 miles away and it’s quicker and less fuss than going on the motorbike. I went to the bottom of Wales to pick up my sax on it, and it just felt like work. Mile after mile of chugging along a motorway. And despite all the work I’ve done to sort the handling out, it’s still too big a bike to be throwing into corners for fun. And Wendy is never going on the back, so what is the point of a tourer? I’m never going to tour. I expect you can see where this is going. You’re right! I was actually at the point of thinking maybe I should give up on motorbikes. But I’m giving it one last shot. I’ve decided to get the bike I was obsessing about, and nearly got, before I got this one. The Triumph Daytona 675 triple. It’s a slim (three cylinder), lightweight, sports bike. The selling points are the engine is more torque-y that the more usual inline 4 configuration, and it has sublime handling. I had the same engine in the Street Triple, it was amazing, but totally wasted on a naked, sit-up-and-beg bike. Very pretty though. Actually, that is gorgeous. Wow. Anyway, since then I’ve fancied the Daytona. And now I’m getting one. JUST LOOK AT IT! Wow and again wow. It a 2009 model with 19,000 miles on the clock, full service history, and a grand cheaper than comparable bikes. The last makes me a bit nervous to be honest, but I’ve paid top dollar for a bike in the past, thinking it must be better, and I was basically had off. I’ve run the online checks, the mileage checks out, every MOT was a pass, only ever had two advisories (worn tyres and the shock losing some spring) . It looks immaculate. You never really know until you’ve run it for a bit, by which time it’s too late, but I can’t see anything wrong with it. I’m picking it up on Monday. And, unheard of in the history of motorbike sales, it’s only 20 miles away! Woo-hoo! The thing with the Daytona is it’s handling. It’s designed to be laid over in corners while giving it beans. It’s got zero luggage space, has an aggressive and not very comfortable riding position, and is in no way practical. That’s the realisation I’ve had: I don’t need a motorbike as a practical tool anymore, but I want one as a […]

A few things either aren’t going to plan or are taking too long, at the moment. I got that sax the had been “recently serviced” from Wales,and I’ve had to immediately put it in for a £350 complete overhaul. Not only the expense, but because of the Covid backlog he said it would be 3 to 4 weeks. It’s been a fortnight and I’m sick of waiting. I was reminded of Professor Henry Higgins’ observation on the Welsh (from Pygmalion/ My Fair Lady) Another poor decision was booking a week off work. I thought as Wendy was off I might as well take some of the holidays I’ve accrued and we could have some time together. Then, at the last minute I thought we could book a mini break. Ha! I’d booked the Bank Holiday Monday off and then the kids were off on holidays. The UK is on the international Lepers List so everyone has to holiday over here. Everywhere wanted stupid money and the motorways are clogged. Idiot. Ah well, we did a lot of local day trips, Arley Hall and that deer place and such. I got some gardening inspiration from Arley. I’ve never like rhododendrons, big, ugly, waxy leaved bushes with blousey purple flowers. We went about a week or so after the prime display, I’m guessing, but every bush was festooned with flowers. And they were all in the shade of the trees. Ah, the penny drops! Then we saw some azaleas. Smaller leaves, smaller bush, masses of flower sized flowers, still in the shade, and massively scented. Perfect for the shady spot at the top of the garden. They didn’t sell them at the garden shop at Arley so I had to track them down and order off the internet. They like ericaceous soil so I’ve prepared a hole, now waiting impatiently, again. Also waiting on my hostas. I bought a batch of 10 roots, supposed to be of named varieties. they grow fairly large so I’m going to have to rearrange the ones I want to keep when I know which is which. But so far the foliage looks pretty much the same. Either solid green, or a contrasting edge. No sign of the two for which I bought the collection. Hurry up! I want to get everything dug into it’s final position. Something else is Boris. I was looking down the garden a few days ago when I saw something moving about. It was a dirty great rat! I wasn’t bothered, just a big mouse with bad PR as far as I was concerned. Then Wendy saw me watching it and freaked out. She was convinced it was going to scale the wall, leap in through the open window and scurry across her face while she slept, just for spite. I tried to talk her down, but she was adamant they are evil vermin. I looked them up and apparently they carry diseases, some of which are lethal to humans. Oh, fair […]