quick oil and filter change along with brake fluid and a good clean. All ready for @Beef to pick her up on Wednesday for double Snetterton day. Next Thursday/Friday. First TD in a year!
Got three pairs of Racer gloves (2 x summer/track gloves, 1x winter) - Excellent gloves, very underrated.
Wore them on the ride home. Don’t think they will take much breaking in. Got them on recommendation from Creamy
Been to Wales, down to Exiter to see my old school mate who hasn’t been so well. Back up to London today. Managed to avoid the thunderstorms and rain in the east and the Multistrada performed brilliantly. Happy days.
I took the cruiser one out and didn’t like it, but would like to ride the regular version at some point.
Not the prettiest of Ducatis bikes the Diavel I must say, but was surprised at how well it went and handled, especially with that silly tyre on the back.
aye, like most bikes in the workshop this year. not turned a wheel since last summer. the 848 didnt look much better the previous day. between Building offices, Concreting floors for new ramps, overtime and quite honestly, the worst summer ever. the incentives just aint been there. there's a particularly mingin Bandit parked up behind the Gay Rider too. but talking of Cleaning Maids, there is one hopefully starting in October if all goes to plan. keyboard, Phone and duster for you, 4 day week for me. v,nice.
Yesterday, actually. Or possibly the day before (I just got a vape). Shame it's a bit blurry, but I had just blasted down to Cirencester the pretty, hairy way, and back by the 417. In about 14 months this was the first time I'd used the lights when it was dark enough to tell if they were any good. I have put extra-bright bulbs in but the standard ones would've been fine, either way the lights are as good as I could wish. Despite the imminent threat of flying ants, it was just about the perfect night for riding in an open face and zero eye protection, wind flapping your t-shirt. It's a pleasure I'd forgotten about. It seems the days of, unable to sleep, taking a ride in the middle of the night, are long enough gone that it wouldn't even occur to me today. It's too tempting to think about cold, damp, and poor old bones. The first bike I rode that tipped the edge from classic era Triumph speed, to the least of what we take for granted now, was for me a CB900F2. Ugly bike, but open the throttle wide and it gets exciting quickly enough. So it was, for me, the revelation: going fast is a blast. It was the middle of the night. The Honda was in the garage. I rode about 150 miles, through Hants and Surrey; possibly Kent. For some reason I associate Sevenoaks with that ride (which is in the vicinity of Sitting Bull, of course). After that, I was no longer entirely satisfied with parallel twins. Within a decade I had two Jap fours - and a Jota (but, I mean, really: the original Bosch generator didn't balance the lights below 3,000 - or 3,500 - rpm; about 70mph in top. If out after dark you would, sooner or later, get a flat battery. Then, because you could bump it, at least you could get back home with the headlight off... So you rode, after dark, in an attempt to keep the battery charging, i.e. the engine at 3,500rpm. And the 180, at least, was like the 999, in the sense of being a big, powerful motor capable of effortless legal speed, but the real power comes in as you exceed it. In other words, as you're hurtling down twisty roads between towns trying to keep the lights balanced, is when the power delivery, sound, handling, switches to sublime. I mean, you've got to ride like a lunatic - or maybe become pedestrian between towns, if you're lucky, near a lamppost. So you might as well enjoy it). Part of my personal evolution. I call this one 'Bins by security light':
