Shadowfax-ST Blog

The Commute All of my guesstimates on how long this commute would take by bike have been far short of the mark. Albeit the fault of the running in, each way takes between an hour and 3/4 to two hours. I had to pull over in West Meon the other day: I looked at my watch and noted the hour had gone past already. Crap. It'd take less than half that in the Alpha unless the blue-rinse mob was out in force at 40mph. The biggest shock has been my poor ability to get the gear right. The Sun can be in full shine but 20-mins into the trip it can start to feel mighty chilly. So the next outing I put Ron Hills under the trousers and the fleece behind the jacket. Fine. But I sweat my naggers off through town. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed the trip, but there's no substitute for the experience I envisage I'll get from Dilbert. The Sanya's lack of power and small frame combine to give rigormortis of the lumbar spine after just 40-minutes while Dilbert's seating position fe...

Police Policies? On my first trip out up the A32 / A31 I came back down to the A32 / A31 junction to come upon statioary traffic in both lanes South. I filtered (bravely, for the first time) through the centre of them and became suspicious of something unusual about the queue as people were beginning to get out of their cars and do that "lost poodle" look. I missed most of the opening doors, uncontrollable women, and meeker minded blokes alighting from their carriages, but toward the front I saw a smart delineation between queue and open rod across both lanes and a big-fat yellow bike rider (the bike, he was average) hailed to a stop by a bored housewife, or something. Is it me getting older, or...? (picture taken of the actual PC in question - to scale) Shortly, I noticed there had been a bit of an accident; a battered old green car (battered now, anyway) had obviously been driven badly by some youth and cracked into an electric totem pole, which had cracked, collapsed, and...

Image, on reflection There's not a great deal about the Sanya anywhere on the web: there's a poor video of some kid who built his kit-bike at the top of the stairs, or something, leaving him nowt else to do except film it in a sadly inefficient way, or this one from YouTube, which is priceless: I especially appreciate the notice of the last pussy being a cat. Oh, my God. Please don't assosciate me with these people! Perhaps I should use the darker visor more often, now? Worse - I've told you lot I own one. The shame of it.

Ooops #01 Warnford, A32 South, junction for Winchester. Speed restricted to 40mph, bike travelling at 35mph. Big-Boy-Bike following: feeling pressure to impress with my superb road positioning. Surface dry with some residue damp. Track right to avoid known bumps the Alpha doesn't get on with but slip front wheel ito rut between tarmac repairs and get thrown into the path of an oncomming car on opposite side of double white lines. Don't panic : Highway Code recommends not to cross these lines; car approaching at speed drils this idea home quickly - don't brake (sensible at the time) gentle acceleration and pull wheel back onto correct side of lines. Compose, and return to looking ultra cool wearing yellow jerkin and sitting astride a Sanya 125 confessed to being my own. (I'm not sure which bit was more difficult: composure or coolness on the Sanya). This isn't the spot (this is the A68, in fact, nicked off the Web) but it is a double white line and it illustrat...

Dilbert's Wait Before I go on about this bloody Sanya thing, I must answer the question of what has happened to the star of this show, young Dilbert. As you can see, Dilbert is being entertained by the kids and other occaisional muckers that come round to kick his tyres, rattle his fairing, and turn the old dear over. At night, cats wee on him. I can't wait to get him out on the road - not least because running the Sanya in has been, and remains, a chore. 40mph on dual carriageways with British car, van, and (f%&$!ing dust-cart) drivers is dangerous.

Picking one's self up So, bitter and twisted I escape the demure bitch behind the test centre's bonnet. I'm dejected by failure; through my resentment and feeling of having being cheated the main fact is that I cannot progression to the DAS (but I CAN drive my car with "poor" hazard perception? - Wankers, DSA). So, I look at 125cc bikes on offer, because, even with poor hazard perception, and the ill-evidenced DSA suggestion the Hazard Perception Test saves lives, I can still ride a 125cc restricted motorcycle on the Highway legally, and as dangerously as I like before a Rozzer picks me up. But, what's available? Biker Hell Every Honda, Yamaha, Suzi, MZ, Kwakki, etc. is over £1500 to buy brand new; some are up to £3K! What's worse is that second-hand values are high and to pick up a 125cc bike for less than my Deauville cost looks impossible. Motorcycle News, Autotrader (bikes), local press, local leads: all turn sour because I can't justify a big spla...

My Theory Test Boner, I failed. I answered questions from a number of HMSO books and DVDs I haven't bothered to buy and got them all right. I got two questions wrong, which I can live with. The crux came from the Hazard Perception videos. All about perception I sat patiently and reacted in good time to avert disaster as soon as I recognised I was to need to deviate from my course, change speed, or otherwise react to a recognised hazard: Two horses lead from a gate in a rural village 250m on a blind left bend, coming right to left. Leaders were not watching the road; horse stride was at full walk. Horse stopping distance would be insufficient before they were in the road. Closing, 200m. Time to slow down. BUTTON! Horse start to cross the road oblivious to traffic, we start to slow at 50m - horses already in a dangerous position. FAIL. Too early. Transit mini-bus slows and pulls to the left curb 300m to our front. School-uniformed kids alight and move against the van's near side ...