Good rubber will enhance your pleasure….

I know I know… smut smut smut! but hey it’s my blog and I’ll write what I like – and this week has definitely been about my pleasure :-).  Seriously though, I can tell you, hand on heart, that thanks to some nicely shaped rubber, in the form of a new set of Micheline Road Pilots, I am a very satisfied woman.

There is that moment in every rider’s life when they know they need new tyres. It’s when your beloved, agile, two wheeler develops the handling abilities of a pig on a spit. Your riding turns from a flowing sweeping god/goddess into that of a gutter hugging newbie on L Plates with a minimal 125cc of power (well we’re all riding gods/goddesses in our imaginations lol!).  But like the cavalry to the rescue my Road Pilots have boosted me into the upper echelons (yep my new word for the week ;-)) of riding. No longer do I find myself 50-pencing it in an effort to tackle a roundabout – instead I sweep in and out … with  a maahooosive grin on my face lol!

Owning a sports tourer and riding all year round means I look for longevity in my tyres alongside an ability to grip in the wet. Usually a devotee of Bridgestone,  at one point I was persuaded to look elsewhere and try out the Metzeler Roadtech Z8 Interact. I clearly recall being like a kid at Christmas anxiously and excitedly waiting for them to arrive. Yet like so many Christmas presents I was deeply disappointed in them 😦

There was always an edgy sense of disquiet in the corners when riding in the rain. Even allowing for the hazard of a wet day, it was disheartening to feel uncomfortable on familiar routes where previous experiences on Bridgestones in the same conditions had never caused me a moment of panic.

Michelin Road Pilot 3
It’s official – I’ve become a nerd! That may be the case but take a look at the weird tread pattern on these babies!

I chose the Pilots after my dear bruv raved on about his Pilot 2’s and since his bike is his main form of transport and he knows a thing or two about riding I was sorely tempted. The final deciding factor was the strange coincidence of my purchasing a copy of Fast Bikes, which I never normally do, and finding a three page spread on the  upgraded Pilot 3s 🙂

Clearly it was fate. The writer had road tested them to a degree I am clearly never going to, in both wet and dry and not found them wanting. It led me to the website where I read up on the strange new tyre tread with its special pockets aimed at dispersing the water – definitely a tyre planned for the wet weather me thinks!  I managed a gorgeously smooth 25-mile ride after having them fitted at Flitwick Motorcycles – then it peed down so I gingerly headed home conscious of the spectre of untried slippy tyres.  But several rides later they’ve been scrubbed in and I’ve  thoroughly enjoyed the riding.

Now it’s just a case of waiting for a good old-fashioned downpour to really test them out…. wish me luck 🙂

Ride safe

The finer art of balance….or not!

WELL it had to happen someday…. yep you’ve guessed it, I dropped my bike 😛 I know I know – I am a twat!! However in my defence it was one of the most ludicrous things that has ever happened to me and was definitely the result of A- not knowing my own strength,  B – gravity and balance fighting it out and of course C – total idiot factor lol!

Triumph sprint st 955i
Sorry Silvano – didn’t mean to put your privates on show!!

Silvano has been in my possession a mere seven weeks and I am pleased to say that despite much of my time being taken up elsewhere which has significantly reduced our outings, I have notched up another 900 miles in the last four weeks bimbling around. More on those adventures later…

This infamous bike dropping moment occurred after a week of weather that has been getting steadily shittier! It was pouring with rain (yet again) and the bike was parked up beside a kerb rather than facing into the traffic as it’s a narrow road. However the camber was quite low on the left side. This meant I had to give it a real tug to get it off the side stand………and realised too late that the bike was not stopping at the usual midway point in a straight line, but ye gods was continuing to fall ….all the way over to the right eek!

Despite my best efforts I could not hold 207kg dry weight of Sprint ST on my right leg, let alone one with a full petrol tank and down we went with me rolling clear at the last moment. It took me about five seconds to realise that lying on my back staring up at the rainy sky was not a good thing in a main road 😮 . Fortunately for me the citizens of Barton-Le-Clay are a good sort and I was quickly surrounded by lovely people (ok lots of nice guys with big muscles!) who picked Silvano up for me. Several were then in hysterics as I threw my arms around his tank, hugging him and apologising profusely to him for dropping him and revealing his private parts to the world!!

Let me be clear, the bike was not in gear, not moving, and I didn’t crash or skid into anything nor was I hit by or in contact with a third party! It was just a mad mad mad moment that fortunately hasn’t turned out too badly thanks to those fantastic, wonderful, cannot live without and which every bike should automatically come with… yes I am of course referring to R&G Crash Bungs. A round of applause for you methinks particularly as the right side bung did take quite a scuffing.

My word but those crash bungs certainly do what they say on the tin! My fairings escaped any scratches, my mirror and my top box both gained a minor graze and the can has two teenie marks on it. Thankfully I wasn’t using the panniers at the time and aberslootely nothing else seems to have made contact with the ground. And of course I didn’t injure myself in any way since I didn’t actually hit anything – more of a graceful flop :-).

Needless to say this was the last straw and I’ve now had my bike lowered! After all I’ll take all the help I can get and at least I now have more than tip toes down:-)

So now that’s out of the way, I can honestly say that I hope it’s the one and only time I do that…. and I am very thankful that I had my helmet on thus disguising me so that I can walk into my local post office without anyone pointing at me …..”hmm there goes that girl who dropped her bike!!!” –  oooooohhh the shame!

Ride safe

Waiting for the good times to roll!

AFTER three weeks of my new relationship I had expected to be blogging about the joys of my new man….instead I find myself thinking “be careful what you wish for – cos ya just might get it!!” Oh if ever there was a truer saying!! I wished for a fulfilling new relationship, one where my new partner would be good-looking (shallow I know!), easy-going and not too concerned with my foibles  –  And that’s exactly what I got with my new love, Silvano the Triumph Sprint 955i  – but I’m sad to say I have clearly miscalculated 😦

Don’t get me wrong, Silvano is all and more that a girl could wish for – the problem is me!! (hard to believe I know :-P) and the faint possibility I may not be in the right place for a new relationship! You may have noticed that I haven’t been blogging about my adventures lately (silly me – of course you’ve noticed and no doubt been disappointed by the lack of my blogs dropping into your inbox lol!) and that’s because I have barely been out on the bike…… da da dah! shock horror! Anyone who knows me knows I practically live on my wheels in my free time, yet in three weeks  I’ve notched up just over a measley 700 miles!

I seem to spend an awful lot of time looking at the bike and, understandably, admiring his physique  – just not riding it eek! The few times that I have been out I find myself constantly wavering between worrying about car drivers and enjoying the ride. My nervousness may not have been helped somewhat by watching my sis fall off her bike the first time we went out together! Mind you in her defence she was doing the unexpected – a U-turn! And my trauma was lessened by the fact that she did rather gracefully lay down her bike rather than hurl it down the road 😛

silver triumph 955i
Getting to know you …. my new man Silvano, the triumph sprint st 955i!

Obviously I realise I have just had a major accident and that will take time to get over – and of course I have a mild (did I say mild lol!) tendency to over think things so recognise that I may be over analysing things here…..nothing that can’t be cured in the short term by  a couple of metres of  bubble wrap and a police escort each time I go out lol!

Seriously though, there is light ahead as when I forget about the indecisive nature of car drivers I thoroughly enjoy myself.  For the most part I feel comfortable and very in control on my bike  – it’s just when a numpty car driver does something odd I find myself flinching a tad!

My 700 miles have been spent on familiar roads in the dry getting used to the differences between the 955i and the Fz6s: the handling (very smooth), the power (rapid response) very different brakes (front needs to bite down just a bit otherwise you keep rolling!!), and height (a teensy bit tip toey). All in all I’ve been taking it easy and getting to know the bike and that can only be a good thing.

A bit like a hand made dress I also find myself fidgeting with odd things trying to get them just right – The Datatool alarm is driving me nuts – all that pfaffing with buttons every time you so much as look at the bike, and I have experienced the sheer embarrassment of the horn – dear lawd my farts sound louder and have a lot more depth to them but problem soon to be solved as I’ve now ordered an air horn! 🙂 I’ve also experienced a downside to losing more than two stone in weight – there’s not much left to weight the bike down lol!

And after 15 mins of practice and one wrenched arm I can now get the heavy thing onto its centre stand with ease. But my ultimate blonde moment had to come when I finally realised the main difficulty with not being able to read my satnav despite the 101 different positions I’ve been moving it to, is that the screen light was on too low a setting ……..(should I really be allowed out on my own lol!).

So what does this mean for my new man and I? Have I rushed into a new relationship too soon? Am I on the rebound? …well since this isn’t an extract from the Sun’s agony aunt column or even worse the Jeremy Kyle Show, I’m pretty sure that it will all pan out 🙂

In the coming weeks I’ll be making more effort to get out and about on proppa day trips – (pity I’ve got non bike commitments over the bank hols but family is family!) So I am still waiting for the good times to roll… must remember to breathe, relax, recall my training, and above all accept that I can only be responsible for my own actions … Anyone fancy a ride out? 😛

 

I am sooooo in lurve!

OH my lawd – the most unexpected thing has happened, I’ve fallen in love again! Whilst I’ve never subscribed to the school of thought that says there’s just one perfect someone for everyone – after all a girl likes to keep her options open! – but if anyone had asked me I’d have said the end of the most meaningful relationship I’ve ever had meant I was destined to go through the motions –  each new partner tolerated and treated to a mere shadow of the love I’d once shared!

my new bike
The new love of my life, Silvano the Triumph Sprint ST 955i

But how wrong I was… meet my latest love, Silvano – truly a silver streak of handsome beauty in the shape of a Triumph Sprint ST 955i 😉

“EHHHH?” I can hear the bewildered cries from you lot now! “What happened to undying love for Buz the FZ6s, what about the sensible options of the CBF 1000, the Bandit 1200 or even the Fazer Thou?”  AND I hear you add ” what about your strict criteria that it had to be a bikini fairing, a sit-up bike, etc etc etc?”

Well love is like that – no matter what your head says your heart may tend to lead you astray lol! Actually it’s not as mad as  you think. Firstly I did stick to plan and take out two of the bikes I was considering – the Bandit 1200 and the CBF1000 courtesy of On Yer Bike near Bicester.

I’m not going to talk about the riding experiences as there are clearly some issues with me left over from my accident, so let’s concentrate on the actual bikes – although I will just add a big thank you to my riding companion who babysat me throughout the test rides, helping to cut down any nervousness!

The Bandit proved a disappointment to me – from the start I found it too high (although was willing to discount that as knew it could be lowered) but it was also too heavy, felt very jerky in the gears and above all left me freezing from the wind chill factor!!! So I tried a wildcard with a lot more fairing – the Honda VFR 800 (not V-tech mode) from Flitwick Motorcycles. That was a strange kettle of fish – the strangest vibrations ever experienced outside the bedroom might be the best way to describe it! Very sturdy yet handled like a barge but the defining stroke was the seat postion. Even allowing for the swelling from the accident the pain in the lower back was too much so I was relieved to hand back the keys.

The CBF Honda was the complete opposite – I got off the bike, walked up to Mark and said “Apart from feeling you’re sitting in a watchtower as it’s so upright and high – it’s perfect.  I’m totally confident with it, it turns when you even think it, it responds immediately to a flick of the wrist and it stops on a dime. It’s just like my Fazer but got more oomph”. Well why the long face he asked me? I almost sobbed as I said: “I can’t stand it – I really really wanted to like it but I was soooo bored, it didn’t make me smile once”.

And that ladies and gentlemen is when I realised that I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel and opt for pure sensibility just yet. That I love biking not just because I can or to get from A to B but because I love the manner of the journey too 🙂

In the suggestions that several of you made to my poll, there was one of a Sprint ST 955 and a GSX650f  so I dutifully looked around to try one of each…. and that’s when it happened!

I ambled out of On Yer Triumph in Aston Clinton,the sister to On Yer Bike, on a 2004 ST and three mins down the road could feel the smile on my face growing 🙂 An hour later and I was still smiling – even though I didn’t like the gear change lever position, could hardly reach the front brake and wasn’t entirely sure about the seating position either!

A few hours later I was back again to try it for a second time – and knew without a doubt that those things were fixable and that this bike would challenge me, make me scream my head off in annoyance, laugh out loud with joy and take me to a new level of biking as we worked our way through my advanced training 🙂

With panniers, a Scottoiler, a gel seat, a touring screen and those magnificent R&G crash bungs already on the bike, I certainly got everything I need to start straight out of the gate. So my thanks to you all for your input – I would never have thought about this bike if it hadn’t been suggested to me as a result of my post and I am even more delighted that I didn’t choose to settle. Whilst the CBF1000 is certainly a smoother ride and well within my capabilities, it would always have been merely tolerated. Instead I’ve picked a bike that not only is my equal but no doubt has a few  surprises under those wheels too – just how a relationship should be to avoid going stale lol! (And yes I did have to name him – a bike with personality cannot go through life without a name!)

Lil Miss Bump rides again – I pick him up next week so please do keep reading the posts to find out how Silvano and I get on!

Ride safe 🙂 🙂

Four wheels bad….two wheels good

OK it’s not quite Animal Farm, but you get the general idea! Whilst it might only be a few weeks ago that I had the accident which sent my FZ6s to scrapyard hell,  and I am still dealing with injuries,  I have not been without a bike for the past six years.  Some level of anxiety may occur but I  see no reason why the recent flying lesson without a parachute should completely put me off riding once I am fit enough to get back out there.

Buz (my FZ6s) was probably the most meaningful relationship I’ve ever had lol! But I think it is highly unlikely that I will have the same affection and depth of feeling for the new bike. Surely that should make things far easier since I’m not looking for a soul mate here!

So in the interests of  finding the right bike for me with a view to eventually getting back out there, I am now in the process of looking at my options…and finding they are limited (Bet E-harmony never have this kind of trouble!) 😉

Essentials:

  • Must be at least 800, could manage a 1000 but willing to go up to 1200 cc
  • Must have an upright seating but not chopper-style position
  • Must be capable of sports/touring
  • Must not be trailie or off-road looking (so thanks but no thanks to BMW or KTM!)
  • Must have a minimum of bikini fairing – no going naked for this girlie!
  • Must be capable of being lowered at least enough for me to get 3/4 of each foot down!
  • And………must be no more than £3,500

Right you lot can stop laughing 🙂 It’s my list and whilst I didn’t think it was much to ask for, having written it out I can see it’s quite a tall order! But since I have been a very good girl this year I reckon Santa Claus owes me one……

The biggest drawback that cuts off a large selection of bikes is the bikini fairing. Otherwise there seems a veritable plethora of nakeds out there – Hornets, Speed Triples, Diversion (is that over 600?) etc etc etc.

From what I can see, that leaves me with Fazer thou (dependent on the year cos some of the clocks are minging!) Bandit 1200/1250, Honda CBF1000, Kawasaki’s Zr7s or Z750.

Any of these bikes suitable for me?
These are all in the running…pity they look so minging!

The bike will be my primary form of transport for most of the year. It needs to be good for long days out and handle well in rain as well as sunshine. Since I do between 10-12,000 miles a year it must not need much work to it but if so then be economical in the repair bracket.

I know absolutely nothing about two or four stroke or torque, revs or power. For me if I get on it, twist the throttle and it moves into motion at a rapid pace then it’s doing well. Just as importantly if I change gear and accelerate it needs to realise that I’ve done that without waiting a month of sundays to respond. Ultimately I need it to want to turn swiftly when countersteering rather than have barge-like capabilities and of course it needs to stop on a dime – brakes that work well, INCLUDING a responsive back brake please.

I’d prefer not to have a red bike or even a blue one (cos my last two bikes were)  but if push comes to shove I can probably live with it. Strangely I’ve been told that green bikes are a complete no no! Can a colour actually be unlucky??? Fortunately for me I am not in the least bit superstitious nor colour faddy (unless it’s pink or purple which would just be rank!). So if a bike turns up in green I don’t think I’d give it the thumbs down. By the same token I may even consider a black bike – let’s face it, if I still kissed tarmac when I was wearing all the right light colours with headlights on, then it’s not really going to make a ha’porth worth of difference is it  🙂 I think Henry Ford might have got it right when he said “You can have it in any colour … as long as it’s black!”

So what do you think? I’d be interested to know if anyone thinks one of these bikes might be ideal for me, or even if you have other suggestions. Why not take part in the poll and help me in my search for the new wheels? Any and all ideas welcome and I’ll add them to my research 🙂

Ride Safe

Lil Miss Bump