Catching up
By · CommentsGood grief – two months nearly since I last posted! I’m obviously one of those bloggers who gets caught up in a fit of enthusiasm that eventually recedes like the tide, leaving all sorts of beached detritus around the web. Well, the tide has turned, at least temporarily - so here goes with what I have been doing bike-wise for the last couple of months.
First, Slovenia didn’t happen but the Dolomites did. It was always the plan to start in the Italian hills, then to re-locate to Slovenia but the time available to the group I was with just didn’t permit the double location so we stayed in Italy. This was no real hardship, the Italian trails were really good and the scenery is simply magnificent. I had a great time in super company and thanks to Giorgio Betteto, our local ADVrider colleague and guide, we enjoyed some fantastic riding and food along the way.
After three days of quite hard trail riding, my damned finger was swollen and giving me gyp so I bailed out to ride gently to the ferry at Calais, intending to meet my pals there after they had spent the last two days riding the trails around Pieve di Cadore (our base in Italy). I took a couple of days, riding via Venice, Torino, Annecy, Gerardmer, Compiegne where I met up with another of my group (Clive who had also left early). We had a great evening doing a bit of a pub crawl before finishing in an Irish bar across the street from our hotel. Despite being an Irish bar, it turned out they were having a Salsa night and it was fun for us two old fogies, watching the young and good looking girls strutting their stuff.
A few pix – first Clive on his GS1200 showing just how deep the gravel was. Then a few pix of yours truly enjoying himself.
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Changing tyres
By · CommentsI figured it was time for a bit of practice in preparation for the Slovenia trip so I rolled up my sleeves and changed the tyres on the GS from part worn TKC80s to the original Battlewings that came with the bike. It was definitely a very useful experience. I learnt for instance that the tool kit I have been carrying is missing a couple of items that are needed for tyre changing. Notably a third tyre lever – one of my long steel ones. The two alloy ones I bought do a pretty good job but I needed the extra leverage this afternoon – owning perhaps to a question of experience but also my hand which is still painful. I also used a 13mm open ended spanner to adjust the chain tensioner bolt/nut and this size of spanner was not in my kit except as a ring spanner on one end of an alloy tyre lever.
In removing the rear wheel I found that in practice it was unnecessary to slacken off the chain tensioner adjusters as there was sufficient play to remove the wheel without slackening them. I learnt that a bit of lubricant makes the job much easier and that KY jelly does the job very well. Not a lot is needed so a smallish tube of it is sufficient. I noticed a bit of a tear in the inner tube close to the valve stem. I don’t know if I was responsible for this or someone else. However, the tyre did hold pressure OK. I pumped it up using my new cyclepump for which I soldered up a connection enabling me to use a battery connected fly lead usually used for my heated jacket.
At the last service with South London Mottorad, the rear wheel bearings were replaced as they had started to collapse – great for ony 5000 miles! I asked SLM to carefully check the front wheel bearings as I wanted to be sure they would be OK for the Slovenia trip. SLM told nme they were fine. However, on removing the front wheel it was clear they had not removed the wheel themselves and I could feel a distinct roughness in the bearings which also felt as though there was no grease in them. I am very disappointed in SLM – things have gone downhill since the takeover. However, I am coming to value Mark Holden more and more – he is a super guy to do business with and really knows his stuff. As an independent, he s also a lot cheaper than the BMW dealerships! Mark will be replacing the front wheel bearings for me and altough it won’t be paid for under warranty, I am confident I’ll get a better job and we’ll use SKF bearings rather than some no-name Taiwanese things.
Riding again
By · CommentsI went out for an hour on the Goldwing. My hand is the thing causing the most problems at the moment. It continues to swell up at times and become painful. Initially it felt quite sore on the bike but settled down after a while.
It is strange how unconfident I feel when not able to grip the bars/levers normally. It seems to be much more handicapping than I would have expected for a little finger. My knee remains somewhat swollen with fluid over the kneecap and immediately above the knee and the skin above the knee is still overly sensitive – like neuralgia. It is now four weeks since the accident and I had expected that things would proceed a bit faster than they have done – perhaps it’s a sign of old age that they are not? There is another month before the Slovenia trip so I am very hopeful I should be OK for that. I did give up the idea of Llangollen this weekend – sounds as though the weather may be crap so I am not totally disappointed but it is a shame nonetheless.
I’m still not sure if I need to buy another helmet – obviously I’d prefer not to do so but the traditional wisdom is that a fall necessitates one. If I get another it will in all likelihood be another Arai Tour-X. I’d like to try a Uvex carbon one on but haven’t found anywhere that sells them from a bricks and mortar store and I am not about to buy an unknown helmet online – the chances of it not fitting properly are very high!
New tyres
By · CommentsThe healing process has progressed far enough to allow me to do a bit of light physical work – just as well ‘cos I am getting fat – and so today I used my new bike lift to remove the wheels from the TTR which I then took to Watling Tyres at Swanley where I had the TKC80s replaced by Michelin AC10s. The price was pretty good and fitting is free so I was a happy bunny. Alan Clark who runs the Swanley depot is a long time motocrosser and enduro racer himself so he knows what’s important to a biker.
The lift makes a potential awkward job very easy and the TTR is well designed to facilitate a simple job like removing/replacing the wheels.
The new tyres look businesslike!
To the van driver..
By · CommentsA Day out in Devon
Trailer arrived, towbar fitted
By · CommentsCourtesy of an excellent itinerant towbar fitter, I now have the means to pull a trailer and as of this morning, a trailer to pull. All I lack is the body to ride a bike.. The muscles in my chest just scream when I try to do anything involving my upper body with bending, sneezing, coughing or (not much of this) laughing. I made the mistake of trying to sort out my new trailer and I felt something in the region of the pec muscles tear as I did so. I am just praying I shall be OK for my next bike trip to Wales and after that to Slovenia.
And the week started so well!
By · CommentsWith the new bike in my garage, I submitted it to a very close inspection – something that seemed both unnecessary and difficult to do with the Goldwing and the F800GS. In the case of the Goldwing, everything is hidden under acres of plastic and even the BMW needs quite a lot of stuff removing to get at things – try changing a spark plug! Plus of course, I bought these bikes new. By contrast, the simplicity of the TTR lends itself to care in the home workshop – even when the owner is not that experienced a mechanic.
Things seemed pretty good. I had the covers off the starter and rotor to check the starter gears for wear but couldn’t see any so that relieved me from worrying bout the slight noise the bike makes when switching it off – something I had been concerned might indicate wear in the sprag clutch. The rear brake pads looked as thought they could do with replacing so I ordered both front and back sets from Moto-Ward which arrived by post on Thursday. The day before, I had received another item – a bike lift with which I can lift all three bikes clear of the ground. With the TTR I can do it single handed but with the other two bikes, I need help. I steady the bike whilst dearly beloved pumps up the bike lift. Thus on Thursday, I was in good shape to change the brake pads, a task that proved very easy. I also got to test the alloy tyre lever cum ring spanner I had bought for the F800 as the rear wheel nut is the same 24mm size. The alloy lever had no trouble undoing the nut and appeared to suffer no distortion in the process – so perhaps it was worth the rather high price.
Yesterday, I was keen to bed the new pads in so went for a ride around the neighbourhood, taking in a few unsurfaced roads – they led me to think the front forks could do with some attention but I shall await the first real offroad experience (planned for the coming Sunday) before fiddling with them. All was going well until on the way home, a van did a u-turn in front of me without signaling. I slammed on the brakes but the front wheel locked and I went down hard. The van driver did at least show concern and claimed he was a biker and said he had signalled – frankly I don’t think so. In any event, I managed to ride home OK but with a very sore hand, knee and ribs. It was the hand that hurt most and X-rays taken later at the A&E department of our local hospital showed I had broken my little finger. This was strapped up to a splint and I was sent on my not very merry way.
It has put paid to my weekend plans for sure. No doubt if I was 20 years old and a MotoGP star, I’d be out on the track ignoring the pains in hand, chest and knee and just getting on with the job – unfortunately anno domini has decreed that ain’t gonna happen. I just hope I’m back in shape for my next Wales trip planned for the middle of next month.
Blog needs new title – Three Bikes at a Time
By · CommentsYes, I got another! The new one is a Yamaha TTR250R bought off the bay expressly for greenlaning. So far I have only ridden it home from the seller’s house but I plan to go off-road to Salisbury plain next weekend so it should get a good workout there. The bike is a 2004 model with 3000 miles on the clock and although 25 kilos heavier than the Honda CRF230 I was initially looking for, feels light enough nonetheless. It’s quite a tall bike – the same as the F800 GS actually but I hope much easier to deal with on some of the more difficult trails. At this stage, I guess my only reservations are whether the bike will have enough power and if I shall outgrow its capabilities before old age diminishes mine sufficiently as to need an even smaller lighter bike..
The design is pretty basic – air-cooled, carburetted with no fancy electronics, just what one needs if a bike has to be fixed in the middle of nowhere! Thus far I have adjusted a few things here and there, topped up the brake fluid front and rear (the pads need changing but as it’s Easter, I can’t order new ones before tomorrow. I had a side cover off to look at the starter motorshaft and idler gears (these can wear badly once the sprag clutch gets worn apparently) but everything looked pretty good to my relief. I have not adjusted any suspension settings and will wait until I’ve had my first off-road experience before touching them.
On the 100 mile ride home with the new machine, it managed 55-60mph on the motorway fairly readily so it will be good for getting to local trails not too far away. For going further afield, I shall be getting a trailer however as I don’t fancy riding all the way to say North Wales on this bike. Apart from anything else the seat is hard on the bum! I am going to try fitting the Airhawk to it for the ride down to Wiltshire and back. I can stuff it in my rucksack when actually riding the trails.
Bike Fixed!
By · CommentsYesterday, I got a call from Mark Holden to say that my parts had arrived. I elected to have him install them as I wanted to see what kind of a job he did. I took the bike over in the afternoon, went into Bromley for a coffee and about an hour later got a call on my mobile to say that the bike was ready. Everything seemed fine and the price was reasonable so I am happy so far with Mark’s service. It is a big plus point for me that I live not far away so it is much less of a hassle to go there than to visit South London Motorrad.
I just hope the next couple of outings on the bike leave it in good shape for my trip to Slovenia in June! The first is a novices’ run I am joining on Salisbury plain so that should be OK (a good test for my wrist..) but then in May I am heading for Wales again with UKGSers and those Welsh trails can prove demanding! If I succeed in my mission to get a pogo before then I might well take that instead.
Finding a pogo is proving harder than I expected. The Honda CRF 230 sounded ideal ut they have stopped making it and newones are like rocking horse manure whilst used ones are few ab]nd far between as well. I have therefore been considering new bikes but first, finding one that sounds as though it would suit me has been tricky, as they are all virtually designed for racing and as such have what sound like peaky engines and potentially tiring characteristics. Of the new ones, a Husqvarna TE310 has caught my eye as the most like to suit but so far I haven’t seen one in the flesh. I have (I think but so far with nil feedback) booked a trail ride with Husky Trails that would allow me to sample the TE250.
Another problem with competition focused bikes is the demanding maintenance schedule with many requiring oil chages every 500km and piston/ring changes every 100km or similar. I have no wish to take up bike maintenece as a hobby and although I realise that some is inevitable, I’d like to keep it to a minimum.
Bike repairs and thoughts of a new bike..
By · CommentsI rang South London Motorrad but was told they only had two techs (out of four they were supposed to have) and couldn’t look at my bike until the end of next week. This was too late for my liking as I am planning more off-roading on the 19th April and I want to be sure to have the bike ready for that (I’m assuming/hoping/praying that my wrist will be OK for it!). Accordingly I rang an independent service shop (Mark Holden Motorcycles) who could see me straight away. I took the bike over there pronto and that was easy as it’s only a couple of miles from my place. The workshop isn’t inspiring itself but Mark Holden the owner seems to know his stuff and after a few phone calls seemed pretty confident of having the necessary bits by Wednesday of next week. Replacing the broken bits should be a very easy job so I am looking forward to having my bike as good as new in short order – albeit at considerable expense because BMW parts are NOT CHEAP!
The cost of the bits has reinforced in my mind the merits of looking at a small bike (a Pogo) that will be a lot easier to ride on the more challenging trails I’d like to try. It would also be a lot easier to pick up being lighter. The bike I am very close to ordering is a Honda CRF 230 F which has a very good reputation and although perhaps best known as a beginner’s trail bike is also apparently very competent in more experienced hands as some of the Youtube video attests. I am not that experienced but equally not a beginner anymore so I want something that will satisfy me for a while. Other possible contenders are the Suzuki DRZ 400E and possibly the Yamaha WR 250R but I like the idea of simplicity too and the Honda has an aircooled motor and a spark plug that is actually accessible, so even if it gets drowned in a water crossing, it ought to be easy to sort out..
It doesn’t come road legal but I have found a place online that will convert them and ship them, so that is not a problem. More of an issue is understanding what mods I might need from the start, there are all sorts of possibilities ranging from stronger handlebars to a new front suspension. I shall do some phoning around next week and see what I can find.
