2013 - my biking year

For me, 2013 was a pretty good biking year that was sadly blemished by two and half pretty bad moments. As you would probably have guessed, these were the attempted theft of my Ninja at the end of Spring, the crash of my 1098 at the start of Summer and the actual theft of my Ninja a month or so later.
In all seriousness the year didn’t start out that great for any of us. At the end of January I went off to the MCN motorbike show, which was so bad, that even if I got a free ticket for the next one, I’d have to think twice about actually going. It was frankly terrible, especially when compared to Motorcycle Live at the NEC. The long cold Spring followed and we had one of the coldest Easters on record in the UK, with temperatures rarely reaching double figures. During this time I was spending some time in the garage working on the bikes getting them ready for summer. When it did warm up, it did so in earnest and we had one of the best summers in recent memory. The sun was out, the temperatures were up and there was lots of riding to be done.
Trackdays followed in April and May at Snetterton and Brands Hatch but my first visit to Donington, the day after a glorious stunning day at the WSBK, saw me completing only four laps of a totally sodden track at the Ducati only day. I had every intention of getting some serious track time under my belt until in June, following a great day on the Zx7R at Silverstone, I was unlucky to be caught out on Paddock Hill bend of all places whilst riding my beloved 1098s at Brands Hatch. A less confident rider in front got spooked by a gust of wind when he was right at the apex. He shut the throttle and sat it up right on my line and it was all I could do to avoid collecting him completely, but I couldn’t save myself as I thundered into the gravel, eventually losing the front and going down, tearing up everything on the right side of the bike.
While I saved up the funds for the repair, my ZX7R was called up for everything, so you can imagine my heartache that when during the hottest weekend of the year, on a weekend trip to spend time with Sarah in Birmingham, someone stole my bike right from outside her front door. I was bad enough a few weeks before when somebody had tried to hotwire it in Central London, leaving me stranded for five hours whilst I first awaited an attempted repair and then an eventual recovery, but that trip back on the train, was definitely the lowest moment of the year for me. I’d never had a vehicle stolen and it really hurt. It still does. Even now I think of all the time I spent exploring and learning how the bike worked. The days spent making it better, making it my bike.
From the ashes thou, the Phoenix rose. Being without a working bike really spurred me on to getting the 1098s fixed and a few weeks and a good few hundred quid later, the 1098s became my daily ride. This itself led to a few problems. A big twin is no commuting tool and the almost constant clutch slipping and heat from the summer cooked the clutch completely. I had already changed the bike to run an open clutch cover in an attempt to get some air through the system, but this didn’t stop the heat burning away all the grease in the pressure plate bearing, which led to massive clutch problems towards the end of summer.
With winter rapidly approaching, despite continued good weather through Autumn, I knew I had to get my finger out and get a proper bike for getting me to and from work. My mind had bounced between a few ideas, mostly a cheap ZX9R or going completely the other way with a KTM Duke 200. I was very much interested in the smaller bike as I knew I would be taking a bit of an insurance hit come renewal time, so I reasoned that this would soften the blow a little. After a few test rides I finally ended up plumbing for a Ducati Monster 695. I ended up spending a little more than I had planned and the first month was far from plain sailing. Perished rubbers on the intakes meant the bike was back firing badly. It really did sound like an old 1950s Borough Superior. Bit embarrassing really.
Throughout the year I’ve again been really lucky to meet some really great people. I’m now able to call members of the Ducati Forum friends after meeting them in person several times, which is especially handy as my involvement with the forum went from being a member at the start of January, to the moderator by the end of it and the administrator by the end of the summer. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a most of the Ducati UK team and feel I’ve been able to build and maintain a good reputation with the UK branch of my favourite bike maker. I’ve been doing all I get to get my face out there, ‘networking’ with other bike journalists in an attempt increase my presence within the industry, which is harder than you think as its shrinking more and more with each passing day.
The year ended, as it did last year, with Motorcycle Live at the NEC. This year I got to stand a few feet from fellow Ducati owner and heir the throne, HRH the Duke of Cambridge, but when queuing up to get a well-earned coffee in the afternoon of the first Saturday, I got to chat to WSBK champion Tom Skyes. For me this man is a true example of what a champion should be. He clearly has supreme levels of talent, but he was so humble with his achievements and is a great ambassador, not only to Kawasaki and racing, but to motorcycling itself. That day, he gained a fan for life.
So where does that leave me as the clock turns to say 2014. I’m pleased to say that ‘Head Behind The Bubble’ celebrated its first year and is still going strong. There is still plenty left to do and update and I’m enjoying finding content for the site. I’m fully fit which is something that I’ve learnt not to take advantage of and instead of having a Ducati and a Kawasaki, I can now say I have two Ducatis, which is something that I never thought I’d be able to say. Saying that, I’m already thinking about replacing the Monster with another Ninja come the summer, but that’s a secret so don’t tell anyone. So here’s to 2014, a year that should see me ride the 1098s to Italy in the summer; sit in the Ducati stand at the British GP watching a British rider struggle with the demonic Desmo; meet more people, make more friends, but hopefully it will see me enjoy every moment on two wheels come rain or shine.

 

What on earth makes you say that. Ive just admitted I want another Ninja :biggrin::biggrin:
but thank you, that means a lot :smile::smile: