Mississippi Bullfrog

I should have said, the bike is always stored on a jack with the wheels off the ground. It's just easier to fit into the garage that way. So there's no weight on the tyre at all.

Here's a weird thing. This morning my Bobber rear tyre was flat, as in 0psi registering on the gauge. I pumped it up. It lost pressure again. No sign of a nail or any tyre damage. I assumed the inner tube had failed. The oem tubes aren't the best and it's 7 years old. I checked the valve, no bubbles showing. So I pumped it up to 42psi and went out on the CBF. When I came back I went to remove the rear wheel but first checked the pressure to see how much it had lost. And it's stayed at 42psi all day. Totally baffled how it lost all pressure but now seems fine.

I am pleased to report that Berries cafe in Wrenbury is excellent. The guy there is a fellow biker as well. Now to fix my flat tyre.....

Well this is going well....got the Bobber out and the back tyre is flat. No sign of a nail or anything. So I'll take the CBF and look at the Bobber tyre when I get back.

You still on the toilet though?

Off to explore a new cafe this morning. A chilly start which has thinned our numbers from 8 to 2.

It depends. Classical Greek is particularly satisfying to swear in.

I have always used Castrol Power 1 Racing in my Bobber. The CBF gets their standard Power 1 but the Bobber is noticeably nicer to ride using the Racing version. The time for its annual oil change is due and I struggled to find it. Because Castrol have renamed it. Apparently it is now Power 1 Ultimate. Just in case this saves anyone the hassle I've had trying to source it.

If that were true it would be bearable. But if you watch carefully the "best" car is usually decided by some bureacrat who changes the rules part way round in order to ensure the result benefits the FIA rather than the sport.

F1 fails to realise that they are ambassadors for a sport. If they want to behave like a docker then take the same pay as a docker.

Both my helmets are fitted with Pinlocks. I ride all year round and wear glasses. I've never had a problem with them though at night on unlit rural roads I often find myself raising the visor if a car comes the other way with very bright headlights. I regularly remove them, clean the visor and Pinlock and refit. Otherwise they do tend to get a bit dull.

I had this on my VanVan and only used it a couple of times before I bought the CBF which had a topbox fitted. So this has been on the shelf since then. We're looking to move before too long so having a sort out of unused bits and pieces. It's had very little use. Comes with the mounting plate with all the bolts and brackets. Instruction manual included. Two keys. £35 collection from near Oulton Park, Cheshire.

I was in the same position several years ago. I went looking for an old Honda CB500 and found a CBF500. The build quality of the older bikes is very good, mine is a 2006 bike. It's been totally reliable. I've had to do some maintenance of course. It's done 40k so this year it's had new wheel bearings, head bearings, and a radiator. Parts are cheap. It's easy to work on. I ride it all year and around the local farms so it gets filthy. But starts on the button every day and is easy to ride.

Summer kit today. Winter kit on standby for next week though.

I run E10 on carbs....no problems at all. Even in frosty weather it starts first time with a touch of choke.

Agreed.

I never put E5 in my bikes. A guy who is a petrochemical engineer told me it has detonation retardant which means that car engines with knock sensors can advance the ignition to gain more power and economy. Bike engine management systems don't have that capacity. I mentioned to him that when I put E5 into the Bobber it felt just a wee bit less responsive. His answer about the retardant suggested it wasn't just me imagining it. I've never had anynissue with E10 even if the Bobber doesn't get used as much over the winter.

Free fliw air filters are myths. You won't release any more horses on the intake.

We looked into one but it wasn't viable. They work best in a well insulated building with piping and radiators specifically designed for heat pumps. In our house the lack of insulation a crap heating system meant it wouldn't be cost effective.

This afternoon I have been giving my old Astra an oil and coolant change. I hate bleeding cooling systems so I tried one of those funnels that fits onto the expansion tank cap. Absolutely brilliant! It cost me a whopping £11.39 on ebay and made the job a doddle. It's quite scary how much air was trapped in the system even though the new coolant was dribbled into the filler. I can see why they call it "burping" the cooling system.

Have a great day

We have two roundabouts near us with similar layouts. As you approach in a car, ie generally lower line of sight than on a motorbike, the second exit appears to be more of a one o'clock position than twelve o'clock. So most motorists take the right hand lane. Locals know that the second exit is taken to be straight ahead to all intents and purposes but non locals see it differently. I've seen quite a few incidents where reading the road layout causes issues. But since the entry and exit both have two lanes you could use either lane so far as I can see.

First sailing of the year. Four races scoring three thirds and a first. I shall be celebrating this evening.

Putting the tracker in the cooling system is a novel idea. Well done!

I've washed mine but generally I wear something to keep my hair out of contact with the liner. It simply keeps the liner cleaner for longer. What I wear depends on the weather. In the summer a thin buff, in the winter a thermal balaclaver.