Did I miss something…?

What in the world is going on? – Stop press : For almost 24 hours there was no rain! and so I seized the day and went out on an all day bike ride round some lovely roads in Oxford and around the Cotswolds 🙂

Quick break to enjoy the view then off for more bimbles!

Seven hours of bliss, with the odd comfort break, a lovely lunch at a quaint pub and just stopping to enjoy the view, has left me with cramp in my left hand from clutch manoeuvres (I have small hands and despite adjustment to the clutch it remains a stretch!), and slightly sore knees from the armour (as my knees are in a more raised position thanks to my Daytona MStars with their increased height inserts) – and a big big big smile on my face 😛

And something truly wonderful has happened – it’s taken 13 months and 5,500 miles but my bike no longer feels “new” to me or has that “getting used to” feeling. Out for a ride and I find myself feeling emotionally comfy – at peace, with my wheels, like a pair of comfy slippers. There’s no feeling that this is “a big bike” or one I have to work up to getting used to or a twinge of concern if it rains and I need to think about greasy roads. I know his flexibility, braking points, reaction or delay to throttle on/off and have complete faith in my Michelin Road Pilots!

It doesn’t make me a perfect rider (hahah!) but since the accident which wrote off Buz, my FZ6s,  I believe my confidence and skill have really moved on and I am no longer stuck at that moment of impact. I surprise myself at my changed reactions – for example I’ve ridden a road several times in the Cotswolds that  is overshadowed by trees and high banks of earth which always crumble onto the narrow roadways, leaving grit and debris in your path.  All in all it’s always left me feeling nauseous, terrified I’d slide on the gravel and end up ditching me and the bike, probably in the pathway of oncoming traffic 😦

Recently I was on that road yet as I moved from corner to corner, crossing the gravel with ease and wondering if there was any opportunity to overtake the car in front, I suddenly found myself thinking “hmmm, isn’t this that difficult road? No it can’t be maybe it’s further on……hmmm that’s funny, did I miss something – when did this road become so easy?”

I know people who’ve had worse/easier crashes with greater/less injuries than me, and never gone back to riding as they feel the risks are too great. Everybody has their own reasons for riding and of course no one can or should judge another for deciding to give it up – it’s a very personal choice and reliant on many factors such as family, finance and ultimately one’s nerve.

Silvano is a dream to ride, so smooth and flickable, responsive and light as a feather (once he gets moving). The injury to my lower back means I still have difficulty with long periods in the saddle thanks to the sportier position, but so far I have been very lucky that I have retained my love of and ability to ride bikes. So at the moment if asked “would I even consider giving up biking?” The answer is very much  “Hell no!!”

Ride Safe

The wheels on the bike go round and round….at least if they’re filled with slime!

Tyres are expensive – I’m sure that comes as no surprise to anyone and whilst many bikers tend to splash the cash when it comes to their kit, it seems to be a particular passion to see just how much they can get out of their tyres before coughing up for new ones.

For some reason this is particularly true of sports tourers – we seem to pride ourselves on the lifespan of our non-squared off boots. So I was extremely unimpressed when checking my baby boy over before a ride when I spotted he was leaking.  Yes I know Triumphs leak – but this wasn’t oil , it was a leak from his backside – the rear tyre 😦 .

Being a bit of a geek  I have always had my back tyres filled with gunk of one kind or another to ensure that if I ever get a puncture that it will be sealed and rideable until I can get it fixed. Now I know some riders have quite negative feelings about the stuff. Comments range from mishandling of bike, liable to have a bigger accident following a small puncture etc etc. But in six years it’s never been an issue for me. In fact I’d say it’s certainly given me peace of mind when waltzing around the unpopulated parts of France – after all I’d rather not have to A – find a mechanic in the middle of nowhere, and B – explain in my schoolgirl French that my tyre is somewhat deflated.

On close inspection the tyre had a small slash rather than a puncture through. Having only completed 4,000 miles on it I was rather keen to see if it could be saved. A quick check with a mate of mine left me in no doubt that I could use it gently for a little while longer but should keep an eye on it and be ready to exchange at the slightest sign that its condition had worsened.

Well 500 miles later and upon inspection I noticed the gash had got bigger and, with the aid of torchlight, silver threads from the inner core could clearly be seen, not to mention the soft hissing of lost air 😦 Bah humbug! the gunk was making a valiant effort to stem the flow but the damage was too much for it and I was left with no option but to sort out a new boot.

Some might say it was fortune and my guardian angel looking after me as the day I gingerly rode it over to Flitwick Motorcycles was the first day it had actually stopped raining and the roads were dry and clear. Not me – personally it felt as it if was adding insult to injury! The most beautiful biking day imaginable and I’m trundling round like a newbie 😦 Indeed it was a strange experience to be riding around on purpose as straight up and as straight lined as I could. Definitely felt alien not to be working the corners and also seemed to take more effort to ride  this way.

It would have been cheaper to go with a different brand but I’m not one for mixing the boots on Silvano nor do I fancy putting my safety to the test with purchases I am not convinced about so I stuck to the Michelin Road Pilot 3s.

My wallet was considerably lighter as I rode off to pastures new to scrub it in – complete with the warning from the shop ringing in my ears to be careful on a new tyre!  I was very careful indeed but can safely say the Pilot 3s remain a joy to ride and at the end of the day I was more than satisfied 🙂

Having gunk in the tyre is not everyone’s cup of tea – and for heavens sake if you go to an unknown garage to get a tyre changed be sure to let them know as they’re none to pleased if they get caught out – and covered in blue or green slime! But for me, it’s a no brainer and adds to my independence so here’s hoping I can stay away from sharp edges for a while and my baby will pile on the miles before needing new boots!

Ride safe

Lost in space… or just navigating the M25!

I apologise now to any women I may offend, particularly if they are committed to fighting the good fight for equality but this is my blog and I’ll write what I like! As far as I’m concerned there are some things in life that men are just better at than women. Ball control – of the tennis and football variety I hasten to add, bbq-ing – there’s something about men, meat and fire!, changing tyres (after all what woman wants to get her hands dirty?), and of course map reading.

I KNOW men hate to ask for directions but they do at least know one end of a map from the other. But what is it about maps that turns me from a practical, sensible woman into a neurotic, foulmouthed, demented harpie? The dangers of using pieces of paper covered in directions range from near death by paper cut to locked brakes as you avoid riding into the vehicle in front of you cos you were distracted trying to read the blasted things.

And don’t even get me started on a road atlas – WHY are they never printed in the direction of travel? Surely I can’t be the only person fed up trying to read them upside down?

Perhaps I should say that my lack of map reading skills is legendary – even my licence plate bore the legend “Yes- I am definitely lost!” as a warning to others.

So my introduction to sat-nav was an epiphany. I started out with a Garmin Quest and suddenly the world – or at least navigating the M25, was within my reach! Six years on and I’m still a convert and moved onto the Garmin Zumo about four years ago. I must admit I’m almost evangelical in my desire to tell the world just how great it is.

Petrol stations, cafes and places to lay my weary head appear as if by magic, moments after I seek them out. Enjoying a great day’s biking is no longer marred by fearing I won’t remember the way home – now I can spend all day out just enjoying unknown roads before punching in for the most direct route home 🙂

My beloved Garmin and I have been up and down the country together and several times around France. With it unchartered territories hold no fear – his gentle reassuring voice coaxes me ever onwards, and with the ability to adjust the size of the map or directions I have overcome yo-yo head syndrome from constantly needing to look down to reassure myself. If I miss a turn, he doesn’t rant or rave at me but simply calculates a new route to guide me along. Strangely I also find it rather reassuring to find out my ETA – even if I’m running late it seems to calm me to know!

And I am seriously impressed by its robust design – not only has it survived monsoon like conditions, but this time last year my bike, an FZ6s was bouncing down the road in a series of cartwheels 😛 . As you can see from the pictures – the screen and bikini fairing disappeared, the Garmin cradle rotated to face skywards and the Zumo dug into the tarmac several times.

Cradled Garmin safe and secure despite a tarmac crunching bounce down the road

Yet they stayed intact (the Garmin and Cradle – not the bike!) are both in still in great working order and we’ve been on many an adventure since 🙂

Battered and bruised yet still in great working order!

Don’t get me wrong – at times you really have to remember not to be a slave to it and to think for yourself. There’s many a time I’ve looked at a road it suggests I take my bike on and thought “hmmm I doubt even a mountain goat has been up that – I think I’ll give that a miss!”. And often I’ll ignore it in favour of a better route just because I’ll know the area. Once you remember to hang on to your common sense you’ll find the Garmin a wonderful tool 🙂

I know the Garmin is not to everyone’s taste… “It’s a load of crock, give me my Tom Tom back” is a regular cry from my bruv Fatboy Ginge lol!

Well I don’t know about that, but if you are looking for a robust, intelligent sat-nav, that you can programme routes on even when wearing thick motorcycle gloves and that seems designed to last, then you’ll go a long long way before you’ll find a better bit of kit!

Ride safe

If you love him you’ll protect him …

C’mon now girls equality works both ways – and in this day and age we have to do our bit to protect the ones we love. After all it’s not fair to ask your partner to do all the work without you taking a bit of responsibility too! I am, of course, referring to the need to care for your wheels (what else would I mean?) 😉

Think about it – day in day out, or at least for about three-quarters of the year, we are out on our wheels through all kinds of weather and what the world throws at us. Usually this involves a bit of rain, the inevitable salt, road mud or silt, possibly some horse pucky and in my case a new one on the list was spit. Yes I actually got spat on (or rather my bike did) by some faceless cager who drove past when I was parked up by the roadside. It’s at times like that that you realise ignorance is bliss and I can’t say I would have behaved responsibly if I’d been aware of it at the moment it happened if you get my drift….

Last month my baby boy, Silvano, was going to get the royal treatment – ACF50 in a spray form was to be applied to his nether regions in an effort to hold at bay the corrosion salt tends to cause to any vehicle used all year round. This was going to be done by professionals – a bloke from All Year Biker.  I left him in the care of my big sis, handed over £60 for the company, went off for a weekend and collected him later.

I have to admit to being a little surprised that the bike wasn’t pristine – as I spotted a handful of flies still stuck to the headlights and the forks. I am told this is because they are not valets – they wash the bike enough to get it clean for the spray to adhere, not to pristine eat-your-dinner-off standards. Fair enough 😛 What I will say is whilst not immaculate the Sprint ST 955i has come up a treat – you’ve seen him before so here are just a couple of pics zooming in on before and after pics.

clean wheels for Silvano my Triumph sprint 955i
Wheels before and after – yes they really are silver and not black!

Now that we have a hosepipe ban in this neck of the woods I feel I am justified in putting off purchasing my hosepipe and attachments which I was planning to make to keep my boy looking brilliant lol! Instead I shall see how this treatment holds up. If it’s any good I shall continue to use protection and save myself from a nasty surprise a few months down the line… I am of course referring to a bad case of corrosion 😉

Ride safe

Flippin’ heck – how useful is this lid!

There comes a time in every biker’s life when they have a moment of panic – sometimes that’s when a kamikaze creature of the night leaps out in front of you on a country road, a car driver declines to indicate and recklessly pulls into your path, or in my case for one reason or another I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am going to be sick! 😛

That terrible feeling of heat rising in your chest, the sweat popping out on your brow, the frantic checking of mirrors as you hastily try to find the nearest and safest verge to pull over to, the desperate three attempts to get the side stand down and the utter panic as you frantically hurl yourself off the bike, try to get your gloves off, undo a suddenly twisted D-ring and almost rip your ears off to get your full face helmet off your head before you unceremoniously up-chuck your cookies in the nearest bush!

Now I’m not saying this is a regular occurrence with me but I had stomach issues for years, and in almost seven years of riding I have only failed to get clearance once 😦  The reason I was reminded of this – and am sharing it with you, is I bought a new helmet recently as my last good-quality one had to be binned after I took up flying lessons!

Having read lots of reviews of it, with the touring I do, I could not resist a very good deal on a flip lid – the Shoei Multi-tech, which was lowered in price as they have a new model coming out this year, the Neotec. It came with a whisper strip, chin curtain, smoked and clear visors and a Fog City so I was definitely quids in.

Flip lid
Unexpectedly very good – a flippin’ good lid!

I’ve always been of the opinion that a full face is a lot safer than anything else, including a flip, and honestly thought it would just be for holidays to help keep cool, deal with those awkward moments such as passport photo checking, and tolls, when the operator just cannot hear you but then you need to get it and your gloves on quickly to get out of the way of cars behind you!

Having now tried out the Multi-tech, I am a convert to wearing it as my main lid ;-). It feels solid and secure and not likely to flip open in the unfortunate event of a crash landing! It’s not much heavier than my old Arai Viper GT and is a damn sight comfier – the space around my ears is great – it’s been recessed so you can wear ear plugs comfortably yet doesn’t have wind noise. The whisper strip and chin curtain are also fab at doing what they say on the tin – keeping all that cold away from my neck and into the lid. The vents work properly (high praise from a woman who always gaffer tapes hers up). By this I mean that when they are open they are open and when they are shut THEY STAY SHUT!

A downside would be that the traditional fog insert sits too low in the visor with the top edge right in the line of fire when riding with a tucked down head. I solved this with the racers insert – risking that it might compromise the seal as it comes up much higher, but am pleased to say it has not impinged on the lid’s performance.

And yes – whilst generally hale and hearty, having recently caught a bug I’ve been prone to some strange coughing fits that have necessitated quick stops for a bit of stomach excavation! And that’s when I realised just how flippin’ good a flip lid really is 😛 😛

Ride safe