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  • A Lovely Ride, A Broken Bike.

    Gen 20:04 on July 15, 2009 | 1 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
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    It’s Thursday 9th July and Gary decided to organise a little trip to get some more miles under my belt; around 50 miles of country roads with a few stops and a practise on some gravel. We also invited Mikey along for the ride. I won’t go on about it too much; I was a little shakey, still nervous round tight bends and couldn’t open her up because of the amount of revs I’m limited to, but all in all it was a nice ride. The gravel was a little bit scary but I managed it ok, we had a run in with a crazy Bandit lover who was admiring Mikeys bike a little too much!

    Biking-002

    After our ride we decided to join our friends at the local pub for a pub quiz. Just as I put my bike on its side stand and went to get off, the bike decided she loved me too much and came with me, side stand pinging back up and to my complete horror she was on the floor (admist a lot of swearing and throwing of gloves by me). Thankfully Gary and Mikey were there in seconds to pick her back up. We checked her over maticulously; broken clutch lever, a scratch on the mirror and a scuffed handle bar, not too bad really, much better than I was expecting!

    Biking-004

    About two hours later around 23:00 Gary and I go out to make our way home. I Get on my bike and turn her on, pull in my poor broken clutch, press the ignition and nothing… Dead. Well at least we know that my recovery works, I paid for it in my insurance premium (Carole Nash) so why not use it?! I’m making good money sense, right?! We tried everything we could think of to get the bike working but she just wouldn’t start so we had to call them. When he arrived, the recovery man couldn’t get her started either and so loaded her into his van and took us home.

    Come Saturday after purchasing a new clutch lever, costing £20.30, we removed the old one and replaced it, she worked again! At least the experience gave Gary a chance to show off his manly mechanical skills, well done :)

    Zuki is fine again; all ready for the next ride!

     
  • My New Bike

    Gen 22:58 on June 28, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
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    I picked up my baby yesterday; Saturday 27th June 2009. With just 4 miles on her she was so pretty sat there in the showroom with her colour-matched top box fitted!

    The Gladius is definitely a nice little bike, from the moment I sat on her and started up the engine I knew we had made the right choice, she purrs like a kitten! I’m finding riding a bit scary after having been off a bike (apart from test riding the Strom) for almost three months, but the Gladius is helping me through it. Nice handling, nippy little engine, great dials and my favourite part – she tells me what gear I’m in!

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    We did 24 miles yesterday, just a little ride around town, went to show Kev and then out on to a dual carriage-way and a country-ish road; nothing too far, nothing too fancy, just settling myself back into it. Today we have just got back from another 25 mile ride; we went down to Poole Park, stopped for a few photos then on to Sandbanks for a ride around the peninsula and a couple more photos. We finished the ride via the Wessex Way (dual carriage-way) and then along Castle Lane to home.

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    All things considered so far I believe the Gladius was a great choice; it’s a really good first bike, I feel in control and I feel happy! :)

     
  • Riding Dartmoor

    Gary 20:24 on May 23, 2009 | 3 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , Ride Report

    Unfortunately my new Givi luggage didn’t arrive in time so this trip became a test of the bike, its capabilities and making sure I had made the right decision trading the Monster for the Strom. I’m also able to test the mobile blogging software for the first time too – this is coming to you live from Dartmoor!

    We started the morning with sleepy showers and a bacon sandwich, at 11:00 Shep and Geri turned up as planned and it was time to hit the road. I started off following the cage until we hit our first queue of traffic on the outskirts of Dorchester, then it was time for me to peel off and take the bike lane.

    There were intermittent queues all the way to and through Bridport. Once out, the roads were pretty much traffic free, surprisingly even Exeter wasn’t too bad! It’s important to note I was riding free of maps and GPS, using only road signs to get to my destination, which seemed to be working right up until I took a wrong turn 2 miles from the campsite! An hour and a half later (there are some nice roads here) I turned up at the campsite to be greeted by my three fellow travellers and a pitched tent.

    The Strom took me 140 miles today in about 3.5 hours, the ride was fantastic and the weather was beautiful. The bike felt great; I could still feel my fingers and the seat isn’t as bad as people make out, though I may still be tempted by a gel upgrade. I also now know the tank range is well over 200 miles being on 220 now with about 4 litres left to go.

    There are no doubts I’ve made the right decision now, a couple of tweaks and a lot of luggage testing and I’ll be ready to go anywhere…

     
  • Welcome, Strom.

    Gary 00:46 on May 19, 2009 | 0 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
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    On Friday I picked up the V-Strom and despite the typical British weather deciding to ruin this event there was no turning back now. I was unusually nervous riding the bike home that day, I’m still not sure why but it felt very big and very different to the monster I’d just left behind. A few rainy miles later I was home where getting the bike into the garage proved to be a challenge; there’s a lot more bike to move around our driveway now and I had a couple of unsteady moments before finally getting her in safe.

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    I was dreading rain again on Saturday but it never came, instead the wind decided to show it’s ugly face. I decided to brave it; I’m not going to be able to pick and choose the weather when we’re on the road so why bother doing it now? I rode to the Purbecks, a favourite spot at Creech Hill, battling with the wind along the way but determined to carry on. My confidence grew as I rode, learning what the bike was capable of as I went. After 50 miles my back was fine, my bum wasn’t numb and most importantly I still had sensation in my hands! I rode until I ran the tank down to empty and took her to a petrol station to fill up; the cost was £16.56 and the trip counter has been reset, I’ll keep you posted on mileage.

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    If I was still nervous about my decision on Friday, this ride had eradicated it, I’m fully confident I’ve made the right decision now. I have a feeling this bike will eat the miles, and it’ll keep me comfortable while it’s doing it. The most unusual thing has happened too; the V-Strom’s ugly looks might actually be growing on me, I think this could be the start of a beautiful relationship…

     
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