New Year

2010 (already)

Mechanicals

It's been a busy old time so I've not been as industrious on the blogging side as I'd have liked to have been. The time I've scrounged to spend on the Web has been spent glancing through the ST-Owners.com forums, which has paid dividends in bringing along my meagre mechanical skills up to an "interested" level. I've not only become expert in removing Shadowfax's plastics but also competent (?) in exchanging his brake pads fore and aft, swapping out the engine and rear transmission oils, and nobbing about with his general well being. I've yet to master the brake bleeding and coolant swapping (needed with the addition of swapping out the thermostat, which is jamming on making fuel consumption les frugal) but there's time if not weather to do these.



Rear tyres have continued not to last too long. The last one near killed me running out in the space of a run from Loomies to Portsmouth Motorcycles (about 20-30-miles) where on arriving for help on digging out a rounded rear brake pad pin the mechanic blew a gasket when he showed me the state of the tyre.



This was a Bridgestone BT021R; supposed to be a direct replacement for the BT020(F) ST1300. The ST-Owners club members (STOC) discussed the tyres at legth and eventually someone managed to get a rep to admit the tyre was not rated for the ST1300 - it being too heavy and powerful. The thing had reacted badly between Shadowfax and the road making the ride all squirrelly so I'd followed good advice to firm up the pressure to 44psi from 42psi. This made riding fun again but obviously accellerated the wear. I think we managed 7000 miles on it.

The shame had been the Michellin Pilot Road 2, which I loved, gathered a puncture on my first day of work in Reading and I neccessarily had to have it repaired at the provincial looking Nick Robinson Motorcycles just north Basingstoke on the A33. Bless, he was not to know if it took so long for any Bridgestone rep to admit the tyre's failings with the ST. However, its RP2 all the way from now on - if any bloomin rear lasts long enough to plan a swap out.

The BT020 back on the rear collects and embeds stones and chippings like nothing else I've seen - quite a worry for how deeply these penetrate the rubber. I'm looking at a puncture filler kit that sprays in but seems to do a better job than the Holts gunk I have floating in the panniers for the next episode, which only alows 30mph with pressure checks at every garage!!!

Bragging Rights and other subjects

I'm No.54 in the STOC charts for milage this year. I predicted 22,000 miles last year and given I was off the bike while unemployed for 3-months I've done well to make 22, 365 miles Jan to end of December. I also managed a fair place at 7th in the Coldest Ride competition 2009 - 2010. I managed -6-degrees C (Link)registering at the laybys on the long straight just South of East Tisted - site of last years recorded low temperatures.

Gearing Up

I bought a antiFog face mask gadget recommended by Ian T (now moved from ST1300 '04 to a big BMW), which is great but interferrs with my neck warming seals, which in turn interfere with my smart new Heine Gericke Master V jacket (and trousers / pants).

The Master V was a long story of selection and exchange across 4 HG stores but is worth every minute (hours!) and penny (many, many of these, too). It's actually waterproof using Gortex pro-shell, a laminate of the Gortex against the outer shell rather than having a separate cloth that absobs the water. This allows a totally soaking suit to be dry in 15-minutes to 30-minutes at work. The Behring gear just wore out and I got fed up of needing to watch the weather to guess which inserts I'd need each day. Given the temperature variety between home and Reading this was ultimately annoying - and given the rainfall - wet!

The original Behring suit, which gave me wet nuts!

The Master V is just plainly excellent. Mind you, the liner could do with being warmer!

I'm also looking to a new helmet - the Schuberth S1-Pro is favourite but at £400 not something to order off the Net without sizing first, and no one seems to have one locally to try out! Helmet City seems the cheapest if you go for an off-colour, but a white (best for safety) or Silver cost about 20% more.





The orginal Oxtar Matrix 2 Gortex boots and Richo gloves (original posts)are still fighting on. My fingers can get a little cold after a while at -2C even with heated grips but I can manage an hour at -5C; longer than that and I start to loose heat alarmingly so I need to judge stops carefully. Of course, the commute takes up to 1.5hrs, so I arrive cold at those temperatures.

On Weather

Come late December and the snow arrived again. I made a vallient effort to get to work via the M27 but feeling ill that day already, I turned around; ice on the slip road under foot. The previous Friday had seen us arrive in Reading on time to find sheet ice on the work's roadway. Cars were falling off the camber into the gutter and unable to extricate themselves. I skiied Shadowfax the 300m to the next clear road by the seat of my new pants. It was so slippery I couldn't even get somewhere safe to abandon him! We ended up in a multistorey car park, which being free may become a feature of the latter half of winter should poor weather prevail.

To help combat the cold I've also bought some black long arm vests at £15 from M&S although the closest thing available on line are £35 (M&S Link). Now, these are again excellent! The form a solid base layer on which to park a thin jumper (either No.1 mild or No.2 freezing). This system has worked well but I still hold my OLD Buffallo jacket in reserve, just in case. Karen bought me some long johns with flies! I fear the titters in A&E but they do help, although again the Master V liners could do with being MUCH more effective in sub-zero temperatures.

Conspicuity

STOC proved problematic on subjects of ligfhting, high-viz, and even ATGATT. Non more so than:

The high-viz homemade visor sun shield

My home made visor sparkle

A second HID lamp and LED side positioning lamps





I got a right pasting to begin with in a discussion about high beams in the day time but in typical Godfrey fashion bit back as soon as I had all the facts and research laid up in a row. This has been a theme of some of our discussions with our colonial friends - they get all steamed up and opiniated FIRST and THEN do the math. It's frustrating in some ways but fun in others. It's great that no one holds punches when in a corner, too. I guess anniminity can help there but getting to know a couple of UK STOC members has shown we're all on the same side and just want to get on - safely as we can.

Advanced Riding

So, although I commenced the STOC forums as an experiment in online communities I guess I got more sucked in and the whole riding experience has begun to become a bit of a hobby. It's been an odd journey to date but looks quite exciting in the near future.

Meeting two guys off the STOC locally lead each to press me to look at SAMs; Solent Advanced Motorcyclists.

I went to a meet in November and look to cough upo the £130-odd to join and train come February, or so. I don't fancy riding the commute straight into training rides (while riding like a stringless Pinocchio) so plan to take my time at weekends, if possible, or during any leave.

That bonus aside, meeting Scott and Peter was quite sobering; taking me out of my narcissisc commuting zone into a wider reality of the 'sport'. I wish in a way I had gotten into riding when first prompted back in my earliest Army days but then I'm bringing more to the zone now that I would have then. Beside, with my ID I'd likely have had a fearsome tumble if I'd got in with the sports bike crowd! I've been enough of a bastard in a car.

Tag

There's a British Tag game afoot, which looked great fun but was being played exclusively up in Scotland like a tennis match between a couple of riders. Essentially, just for an excuse to ride out someone takes a photo of their ST in front of a landmark and challenges someone elsde to find it and take a photot of their own ST in the same location and then to set their own 'tag'.

With some thought and consultation with like minded souther-based riders I put together the UK Regional Tag. Of course, its not just ST riders but STOC members - and you don't HAVE to have an ST to join the group. A motorcycle is a must, I guess. Shadowfax features in the inaugral Tag for the Southern Region:



I met my old Charlie Oscar on this day. It's a small world.

I carved up the UK in as pragmatic and fair (non-political) way as possible, I think.

UK Tag Regions

Forward Motion

2010 is beginning as I mean it to go on - with a recreational ride to Trev's in North Cornwall this weekend. It'll boost me to 1000 miles in my first week of the year between 400-miles for the trip and 580 miles for the commute so won't go unnoticed by the old back, for sure. However, and here's another bonus, there's a meet of some STOC types in Bridport to make on the return leg on Sunday. This'll give me an opportunity to talk Shadowfax and STs in general, and give me the first opportunity for a group ride.

Now it's been cold, so I don't expect everyone to make the ride out but I sure hope some do. Dave (Orangebiker) is going, I think. He was the boss of the Orange Bikers and so has every right to claim I ride as I do because he helped train and test me.

As for commuting, I'm on to commute to Reading until my company's contracts run out in September. Given this year, that's easily 22,000 miles written off already. The next job could be - anywhere. In my line of work that'd be anywhere in Bristol, London, or Brighton, I expect. Each is over 50-miles and moving house (finally) aside, well who knows how many miles Shadowfax and I will add this year!

What I do know is that we are up for it - given a tub or two of Brufen, of course.