Gerontious

Just got the details sent to me.. so now I know where Im going. its a 4 star hotel in Costa Adeje.. on the south west of Tenerife. 2 rooms have been booked. and the cost was £2,758. https://www.jet2holidays.com/canary-islands/tenerife/costa-adeje/gf-fanabe Right now.. Im far too freaked out to be excited. In fact i just want to lie down in a darkened room and listen to Enya (on repeat) believe it or not.. and you probably wont. I would rather not go. stay here and book the bike in next week for the swap. The fella I am going with is highly "complex" and I have no doubt will be hard work. I will have to keep a daily diary. account for every penny he spends - receipts for everything. Ensure he takes his meds (mainly anti-psychotics) every day... and generally keep him safe. The upside is.. he is unlikely to display his 'behaviours' in a place that is so far outside his comfort zone. He has never been abroad in his life. And obviously has never been on a plane. One major plus.. he sleeps like a baby and likes his sleep. 7-7 as a rule. Also.. and this is likely why Im the one having to go with him, I like him a lot, because despite all his issues underneath is a very nice man. same age as me. And.. I know how to deal with him. I feel.. that once he is tucked up in bed i shall be availing myself at the bar... hope they do decent beer!!

An OH MY GOD day... First.. this arrived. A big box. Filled with two more Boxes. A front wheel and a rear wheel. a view of the inside of the rim... no spokes to be seen. Glorious. And so.. there I was enjoying the moment when an email arrives from my Manager. So, i called him straight away.. thinking, here we go another day off and he wants me to cover a shift. (Sigh) "Can you come here now?" Yes give me ten minutes.. so another 10 minutes to admire the new wheels and I have a ride round to work. get there and.. its not covering a shift. Its not running an errand. One of the guys we look after has a holiday booked.. and the staff member who was all set to go with him has had to cancel.. and so, Friday Morning 7am a taxi will be coming to collect me to take me to EMA and a flight to TENERIFE for a week. Nothing like short notice. So... run back home to call the dog minder and arrange collection for tomorrow night. That sorted and Im off.. I dont know exactly where we are going. all I know is its Tenerife. 7 nights. All inclusive. and has cost £2,400 Biggest plus is that I will be paid for it. each day a normal work day plus the sleep-in allowance for every night. And some cash for myself each day.. not sure how much. Weather is set to be mid 20s all week.. Today started so normally.. a bit of a lie in. and thinking about the new wheels arriving, wondering about tubeless tyres.. and when to get them swapped over.Perhaps a ride out in the afternoon.. you know? Normal life. and then THIS happens. I am considerably NOT EVEN REMOTELY CALM AT THE MOMENT.

I wouldn't worry so much about a second hand bike from CMC. They are really quite good as dealers go, they want repeat business and also they are very fussy about bikes they take in as trade-ins. I bought a bike from them and it had exactly that same disclaimer on the eBay page, though the page on CMCs website did not have that. The bike I bought from them was an auction bike that originally came from Rainbow BMW in Rotherham.. who, Typical for a modern BMW place, doesnt have room for 'non-approved' bikes and so sells them at a Trade auction. Actually I bought two.. and lateralus. (remember him?) he bought from CMC - his first CBF. and i think.. he got his triumph from there as well. Not sure about his latest BMW tractor. But, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that wasn't a CMC bike as well.

There is a fairly huge national park right on the doorstep from the Channel Tunnel.. for a weekend, I would be exploring that, over 500 square miles to keep you busy.

ah.. I thought this was about bike storage.. never mind. my suggestions were far beyond what you are looking for.

Any decent metal storage shed/secure unit manufacturer should at least offer a 10year warranty against corrosion. galvanised steel and so on. I was looking at these: Galvanised and powder coated. but not cheap.. built for security and an insurance discount. http://tinyurl.com/y4xfrmxt. Comparable to that is a beast shed.. if you want wood and something thats a lot more than a repurposed garden shed and looks right for the garden. And a genuine investment that will (if cared for) outlast you. can be fully bespoke and the price includes delivery and build. but.. this all comes at a cost. http://www.beastsheds.co.uk Im definitely leaning towards a Beast shed. double door at front, single at rear with window. pent style lean against the side of the house. floor that can take a forklift truck. but.. sadly the insurers will never be convinced that any kind of wooden shed is secure. so its a matter of weighing up your personal priorities and price you can justify.

Engine is turbine smooth, Two.. Usually, boxer engines in line. Torque monster - effortless. Seen a few that have been stripped down to the bare essentials and so look really quite good

That isn't what your owners manual says. in fact not only do they say warm the engine, they actually go one step further and add a *note in BOLD. as below: Note: • An accurate indication of the level of oil in the engine is only shown when the engine is at normal operating temperature and the motorcycle is upright (not on the side stand)

testing the oil level. Cold on the GS... I used to do it first thing in the morning. After the bike had stood overnight on its centre stand. Warm on the Africa twin. side stand. if cold, idle for 3-5 minutes. allow to cool for 2-3 minutes and (because I have one) raise bike onto centre stand and check. Hot on the F800s. as above, either after a run.. or idle until the fan comes on, then check, immediately. - no waiting for the engine to cool down.

If you have it stuck on your lid and you can't be arsed to plug your self into the bike it's important. I wouldn't plug myself into the bike. I would plug the camera in to a USB powerlet. and.. if it means that the battery is constantly topped up too.. for when I walk away from the bike then that is only a plus. no hardship unplugging heated gloves. no hardship unplugging a USB.

for use on a motorcycle the battery life should be irrelevant.

I have to admit I laughed out loud when I noticed that Pyramid Plastics seem to think that a beak is so important that they make one to add to the Africa Twin. £80 no thanks.

so.. carrying a knife is just about sorted. but what about the body?

I often wonder the same.. about my peg mallet. and the box of matches. cafetiere and petrol in the fuel tank.. just a little Heath Robinsonesque ingenuity and voila.. i could be out to cause a riot. with occasional pauses in the mayhem for a nice cup of Lavazza. (and a hob nob - plain, obviously) I knew this would happen.

in the corner.

Should be OK with a leatherman I don't think it's a locking blade. Good multitools! If it's anything like mine, a leatherman 'wave' the blade is razor sharp and has a catch that click-locks when it's fully open, press a button and it can be folded back into its case.

It's one of those things you're more apt to have a problem over if you get stopped for something unconnected. Another offence to add to the list. It's also something that could have a decidedly negative impact if you were involved in some kind of accident. It's also the kind if thing the police will be attentive to if you get stopped as part of a 'blitz', usually on a Sunday on roads to and from 'meets' where they randomly stop bikes and go over them looking for anything illegal. Small number plates. Race exhausts. Worn tyres and so on.

I carry a knife, but never on my person. It's kept with and as part of my puncture repair kit. It's a multitool and is generally used for its pliers for pulling out objects from the tyre as well as being used as part of the repair. The knife is also used during the repair process. I never would... I have no reason to, carry a knife in my pocket or on my person on the bike. I don't worry about the law, what I do worry about is having something like this on me, in an off. Even if the blade is protected the handle could do me serious damage.

I fail to understand why a 125cc bike would have BOTH a dip stick AND a sight glass, this makes absolutely no sense to me. especially on a bike that comes with a centre stand as standard. I have just read.. so it may not be true, that your bikes engine is an almost direct copy of the Yamaha YBR. which is a bike whose owners manual demands that the bike be level on its centre stand to check the oil level. The dip stick should be, taken out, cleaned and the put back in just resting on its 'hole' - not screwed in.

I'll be out tomorrow.. and will probably try out the (so called) Rutland TT. Recently advertised as an all-dayer ride out on FB by a bike shops riding group in Northampton. I've traced it into Basecamp and this "all day" ride.. set for the very end of April is only 90 miles in length. So.. Im intrigued, how can a 90 mile ride take all day? when basecamp tells me it will only take 2hrs 07mins. so, even with an hours lunch break thats just over 3 hrs. Anyway, its a very pleasant ride from home to its start, the A606 is a great road down to pork pie city. We'll see. Today, bit wiped out after yesterdays 15hr shift, So, stuff to do at home. But priorities!! washed the bike after the weekends shenannigans. Bike looks shiny (aside from the ACF coated wheel rims).. so, theres that.

I've done just under 1200 miles on the new bike since November 20th. Been plenty of good days since then.. Cold, but not unbearable. This week the weather is forecast to be 11c, dry, no wind. Perfect.

I didn't waste my time posting that in the already mentioned thread. most drivers and riders are well aware of it and act in a courteous manner. but as with any rule in the highway code there are more than a few who don't think it applies to them. having fog lights/high beam on in the daytime.. no problem at all especially if there are no repercussions.

which is worse... high beam or Fog Lights in daylight? I mention this because on my Africa Twins front bars are holes ready for a light fitment on either side, plus a power supply hidden behind the fairing and a blank space for a switch. And when these are switched on you get a warning on the instrument panel. Fog Lights fitted are I think about £500 probably more. Horrendously expensive (in my view) There is a thread on the AT forum about auxiliary lights and for a few this means DRLs. But for most.. and a lot of Brits, its about these Honda Fog lights. or sometimes cheaper/different ones from Denali in particular. I see no point whatsoever in fitting Fog lights to my bike.. we get fog maybe 2 or 3 times a year and it seems a hell of a lot of money to be spending on something Im just not going to use. I seem to have caused a bit of a row by asking if: "fog is a particular problem where you live?" in answer to one fella considering adding fogs. I was quite surprised when he.. and numerous others came back with.. they will be on all the time. I have DRLs on the GS.. which are carefully aimed to match the aim of the dip. they help fill out the space that the dip illuminates and I guess are a help in being seen. I want something similar on the AT. but not, definitely not Fog lights. Its something Ive never been able to understand about "Adventure" bikes and riders.... this addiction to fog lights and having them on all the time. Fog lights on cars always irritate me.. as do drivers who fail to turn them off at night when im coming the other way. Why do some riders think these are not just attractive to have but are actually essential upgrades? Beats me every time. I never use the high beam on my bike aside from the usual, at night with no oncoming traffic - out of town.

Im sure your neighbours appreciate your efforts and extraordinary speed.

I use cheap.. wilko wash and wax. £1.75 for a Litre. a capful is plenty in a bucket of warm water after the bike has been given a rinse down. Used it a lot over the past few weeks washing the road grime off the Africa Twin. I wouldnt worry so much about using washing up liquid in an emergency. everywhere except the tank. I gave that the wax treatment and my belief is that its too 'strong' a detergent and will strip the wax off. As for the salt content. well.. it cant be much in a few drops of washing up liquid. but, I see little point in using that when a litre of wilkos own lasts for 6 months or more.