A Number Two

The 2nd Rear Michelin Road Pilot 2


Punctures really are shit! Not to be caught out again I'm going to recce the area for someone that can swap tyres on demand. In the meantime, I'm stung for a new tyre where the punctured one wasn't even out of its diapers yet. Bonus was to find a more local mechanic for when Droxford is too long a haul.

I was up against time and I had to make a decision. I read loads of tyre info on the Web to be sure I should repair the puncture and called Motorcycle Mechanic in Fareham to see if he'd take a look at the problem. Sure, he agreed.

Far left corner...but the tea was to the foreground

I re-inflated the rear from 15psi to 42psi and made my way with caution to the Kiln Acre Industrial Park on Wickham road and rode along to the workshop tucked away in the far left-hand corner. Our fella came out, looked, and sucked teeth. I was convinced a cheap repair was possible while he was uncertain of how "centre line" the nail needed to be to be plugged. He agreed to take the tyre to a specialist and I discovered - rather late in my day to do anything about it - that I was to be without bike for a day, or more.

I called Ka to come pick me up and settled at possibly the best kept road-side cafe trailer I've encountered for an age and had a cup of tea. I reflected on the puncture being repaired and my riding on Shadowfax knowing I had a weakness in the tyre. It played on my mind. I couldn't work out the correct answer, so I decided to phone a friend.

Matt was probably having a quiet day at work when I popped the question, "to repair or replace?" Matt advised there are two important bits on a bike; the front and rear tyres (then the brakes - I did ask) and that he NEVER repairs and always replaces. "It's you life on the line at the end of the day", he explained. Okay.

So I called up the Motorcycle Mechanic and asked him to replace the tyre (but only with the Michelin Road Pilot 2, please) and put pressure on him to have Shadowfax ready for pick up the following morning (Tuesday). 52,400 miles. That tyre was, what? 2000 miles old? Bugger. That's 8.5p per mile; £4.25 each way of the commute, or £42 per week's equivalent mileage. Bastard; that's the fuel savings against driving the car completely negated!

A sleepless night ratifying another huge expense to eat into the viability of this "budget" mode of transport.

Shadowfax in the recovery room following his operation

Motorcycle Mechanic came through in great time on Tuesday and the whole exercise cost about what I expected; just shy £170. It's not bad and I don't think I'd mind recommending his services to the local area, either. He picked up on the rear brake caliper needing new seals, too, and cleaned the piston to get me on my way for the time being without charging me many more than the already included pennies. He's got a Facebook community page, too.

The error I made next was not to ask for the tyre - I could like as not had it repaired and either saved for a rainy day or flogged it on Ebay? If that's not sporting there was always making a bedroom clock out of it (although, if I know Ka well enough, I doubt it'd ever live in the house yet alone the bedroom).

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