Stories
The Value of Cleaning
We all know cleaning your machine makes it look better but there are other benifits too.
When I collected my Harley from Riders of Bridgwater and got it home I was in awe of it.
The very thought of taking a spanner or socket to this reverred object was not a concept I had yet come to terms with.
Apart from putting in petrol and riding, cleaning was about the only thing I was able to do.
Once you have owned a bike for some years the very act of cleaning it gives you an intimate knowledge of the surface parts of your machine.
In my quest to root out corrosion and its causes I began my journey to maintain and improve the appearance of my ride. Many stock nuts and bolts are zinc coated or thinly chromed such as the spokes of the wheels and no amount of attention is ever going to get back to showroom condition.
So it began, removing a single offensive nut and bolt to be replaced by stainless steel equivalents. This small task had broken down the mystiqiue I once had. By watching and asking questions the complexity of jobs I could do increased.
Only recently by cleaning I discovered a loose seat bolt. The bolt had loosened and the thread had become stripped. A quick call to Riders that afternoon and the new part was ordered and received the very next morning via the post.
Gaining more confidence I began the replacement of more and more items. So its a combination of wanting or having to do things yourself that gets the job done. Knowledge is power and empowering, a well used cliche, but true none the less.
Unitl you try you will never find your limits, a bit like real life really. Getting a bit deep here, any way back to cleaning, I have always found bringing the shine back as theraputic and rewarding and to make something the best it be.
Sat Nav
Just a small line about a recent purchase. The price of in car and bike SATNAV devices has dropped considerably, especially with the run up to christmas. Also the choices avialable makes choosing a little harder.
I have recently bought the Garmin I3, which I find to be a very handy little device. Certainly for in the car use you are normally only interested in voice directions only, therefore screen size is not an issue. The screen is big enough as the map view is variable. I find the unit small enough to place in your pocket so as not to leave it in the car unattended.
If you travel in Europe alot you would need to purchase the relevent maps. So perhaps a different make or model would be better. The thing is that for less than £200.00 you can be up and running within 10 minutes of your purchase.
I was able to to download speed camera locations quite easily for free, which alert you to static and possible mobile locations in advance. I do not condone excessive speed but there are certain roads akin to dual carriage ways that have 50 mph speed restrictions, which could certainly catch you out if you were not familiar with them. At the end of the day you will never win the arguement relating to speed and speed cameras. These cameras generate a huge amount of revenue which I feel drives the the whole process of public control.
I wonder if any of you can remember the days when a stern word from your local traffic police officer had a more positve impact on you than the dreaded letter through the door informing you of your so called offence.
Sorry I digress, I was talking about SATNAVS, I would just like to say that if you were undecided, then you realy should buy one as I think they are great.
Winter Blues
Winter is here again and the first road salt has gone down. I really dislike salt on the road as it means salt on my bike, with all the hassle it can cause. It dosent take long for corrosion and damage to occur if you leave salt on your bike.
Idealy we need a good downpour on about Thursday to wash the roads clean and then good dry weather on the Friday to dry the roads followed by the same on Saturday and Sunday.Not much to ask for.
Going back to cleaning your bike, Obviously warm soapy water is a must, but as well as rinsing and leathering off try a garden vac in blower mode to dry the bike. I find this method removes water from those places you just cant get too.
Now is a good time to do the oil changes if the bike is not going to be riden so much.
Not everyone can keep thier machine under cover, but if you can and it is practical to do so.
I strongly recommend installing an electical heater of some sort. I use a thermostat set to about 10 degrees C. which is enough to keep the chill of things and prevent condensation.
Not only that it means with power in the shed you can do those jobs in comfort.
My shed is quite small so it was easy and cheap to insulate and therefore cheap to keep warm. This coupled with a white meter (electric) means cheap over night power.
My white meter did not cost me anything to be installed. Always consult an electrician if you are not sure about electrical matters. Incidentally, from the new year onwards any electrical work done in damp areas ie kitchens, bathrooms and outside are subject to Part p regulations. All work must be certified by a certified electrician. This will be a legal requirement with consequeneces for those who ignore it.
(Usfull link R J Elliott Electrical is an NICEIC| approved contractor)
Anyway I digress, I cant help feeling I should out on the bike when I am in work and its a fine day. Typically, but not always the weekends seem to attract poor weather. I dont know about you but when ever my wife puts washing on the line its like a red rag to a bull, some one up there is saying " So you think you can dry your washing outside in winter do you?"
Oh well there we go, roll on Summer, I cant wait.
A Trip to Rhayader
Well the Easter bank holiday has been and gone. Three out of four days weather-wise I think is pretty good considering the time of year and the fact it was a bank holiday.
Friday had promised to be slightly better starting off, so we waited until about mid day for the sun to break. The sky was still overcast, I then thought f*** it lets do it any way. As luck would have it the sun did start to emerge just after fueling up, and it turned out to be a pleasant 60 mile ride. The route to Rhayader is quite bendy in places and not one to be rushed. I usually take 80 to 90 minutes as there are some sections where overtaking is not safe to do, so speeds can drop dramatically. Never the less there are advantages in taking your time. I managed just over 50 mpg which isn't bad two up for a 1550 cc motor. There are the occasional mobile speed traps to be wary of also.
We arrived, pleasanty peckish we found the nearest pub and ordered a sizzling 16 oz steak and it was sizzling I might add as heads turned as it was placed in front of me. My darling wife had the rack of lamb, this plus two pints came to just over twenty quid. We were to full for dessert so we just went for a stroll down by the river near the Triangle pub.
The Triangle is used by many locals as the standard of food is very good and mainly home cooked. The toilet arrangements are very quaint, I'm not going to exlpain as you will have to visit to find out why. Any way we went down to the waters edge to take in the sights. The shingle is mainly smooth slate pebbles, which are ideal for skimming on the water. During the warmer months bathers and paddlers use this area also.
We headed back to our room (£20.00 per person per night B&B) for afernoon siesta. The evening came and went. We had more beer and food, we watched abit on the box and had an early night.
Breakfast was at half past nine and was more than adequate. Several coffees later we paid the bill and set off back home. We always seem to enjoy our visits to Rhayader, each time we do something slightly different or meet new people. If you haven't been to Rhayader or the Elan valley yet, you should, as the experience will enrich you. Enough said.
A May Bank Holiday Trip to Lymington
This is a journey of about 120 miles from S Wales. Head towards Bath, Salisbry then Southampton, Lyndhurst and Brokenhusrt. You will be realy glad you are on your bike because the traffic queues are horendous.
Before you get to Southampton You will need to turn off at a place called Nomansland this will take you on to Lyndhurst via a section of the New Forest.
It is very likely that you will see large pigs and donkeys wandering by the roadside.
You will definately see wild ponies and maybe some deer. Lyndhurst is extremely busy and also well worth a stop.
Lymington can be quite bussling on a Saturday as it market day so allow for this as traffic is restricted somewhat. The quayside is very interesting fir those into fishing or yachts or just quaint olde worde places.
Tenby Again
With good weather you can not go far wrong with a trip to Tenby.
Unable to get in at the Park Hotel we managed to book in at the Heywood Lodge Hotel. Dinner is four course and to a high standard, served in a delightful large conservatory. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Being ten minutes from the town centre you are guarenteed piece and quiet if you wish. There are many homely touches at the Lodge and it is well worth a look in if you stay in Tenby overnight.
Parking can be tricky sometimes so we drove up to the Park Hotel with a view to leaving the bike
there whilst we wandered around. It was while we were having a drink at the cliff top seating area that the Hotel owner told us we may use the hotel swimming pool etc. even though we were not staying there. Even on our previous visits the owner was courteous and friendly, and took the time to speak to his guests at some length, he's just a very nice genuine person.