26th Sept. - A5 truck stop prior to Rugby Bikefest ride-in
A few months ago, I wrote about an approach from the Viking Group, a Californian motorcycle apparel/accessory business that offered to send me riding gear in exchange for reviews.
Well, it wasn’t a complete surprise if I am honest … that nothing ever happened. Despite some promises, the company didn’t end up sending me anything to review, and so that was that. Unreliable lot those Vikings.
On the biking front though, much is new to report. At the end of June, I bought a 2008 Honda CBF1000 GT. The CBF was my first foray into four cylinders and my first Honda too. My decision to get an alternative bike was driven by my desire to expand my skills and experiences by riding a machine with different behaviour and handling characteristics. I had test driven a CBF and had decided that it was the next bike for me - the extra ‘go’ and smooth four-pot power delivery won me over.
For a few weeks before my Yamaha TDM 900 went to its new home, I had two bikes in the garage. The TDM had served me well, been utterly reliable and, over the 5,000 miles I had ridden it, the Yamaha had become a mechanical friend to me. When I sold it, I was genuinely sad to see it go, but at least it went to a good home.
The Honda and I are getting along well enough now; though the bike is newer and has a lot less mileage than the TDM, teething troubles marred the start of our relationship, and for a while I regretted my decision to upgrade.
It was like changing an old girlfriend for a younger, sexier model and then finding out that age, performance and looks aren’t as important as shared beliefs, values, attitudes and history.
Though the honeymoon period with the Honda was all too brief, the challenges are now largely in the past, and my plan is to keep this machine for the longer term.
Since acquiring it, I have added over a thousand miles to the odometer, that’s more miles in less than four months than the bike had done in its previous four years.
I took part in Rugby Bikefest on 26th September. On the bright Sunday morning, I joined the ride-in from the truck stop on the A5. It was good fun, hundreds and hundreds of bikes riding in convoy, two abreast with a police escort into and around the town centre.
Well, it wasn’t a complete surprise if I am honest … that nothing ever happened. Despite some promises, the company didn’t end up sending me anything to review, and so that was that. Unreliable lot those Vikings.
On the biking front though, much is new to report. At the end of June, I bought a 2008 Honda CBF1000 GT. The CBF was my first foray into four cylinders and my first Honda too. My decision to get an alternative bike was driven by my desire to expand my skills and experiences by riding a machine with different behaviour and handling characteristics. I had test driven a CBF and had decided that it was the next bike for me - the extra ‘go’ and smooth four-pot power delivery won me over.
For a few weeks before my Yamaha TDM 900 went to its new home, I had two bikes in the garage. The TDM had served me well, been utterly reliable and, over the 5,000 miles I had ridden it, the Yamaha had become a mechanical friend to me. When I sold it, I was genuinely sad to see it go, but at least it went to a good home.
The Honda and I are getting along well enough now; though the bike is newer and has a lot less mileage than the TDM, teething troubles marred the start of our relationship, and for a while I regretted my decision to upgrade.
It was like changing an old girlfriend for a younger, sexier model and then finding out that age, performance and looks aren’t as important as shared beliefs, values, attitudes and history.
Though the honeymoon period with the Honda was all too brief, the challenges are now largely in the past, and my plan is to keep this machine for the longer term.
Since acquiring it, I have added over a thousand miles to the odometer, that’s more miles in less than four months than the bike had done in its previous four years.
I took part in Rugby Bikefest on 26th September. On the bright Sunday morning, I joined the ride-in from the truck stop on the A5. It was good fun, hundreds and hundreds of bikes riding in convoy, two abreast with a police escort into and around the town centre.
Next to me for the ride-in was the chap on a Harley (see left). A distinguished gentleman rider if ever I have seen one. Burgundy velvet jacket, open face helmet and a pipe for gawd's sake. The velvet did look rather cool, but it wouldn’t do to fall off in it, and you certainly wouldn’t want to ride in the crappy weather either.
He did look dapper though in his shades and bike-colour-coded smoking-room attire. And the pipe just cracked me up. His machine was nice and noisy too, so he wasn’t struggling to get noticed. The MC in the town centre targeted him specifically for an interview.
Unfortunately, having picked up a slow puncture, I had to contend with a deflating rear tyre – my tyre was literally screwed. It’s not much fun riding with a flat. In the gallery photo (below far left), you may be able to see that my rear tyre isn't at its correct pressure.
People lined the streets through rugby to watch the parade thunder by, and the town centre was packed full of people, motorbikes and concessions. It was the busiest I have seen anywhere in more than eighteen months. So busy, it was rather disconcerting. Not many face masks in evidence.
He did look dapper though in his shades and bike-colour-coded smoking-room attire. And the pipe just cracked me up. His machine was nice and noisy too, so he wasn’t struggling to get noticed. The MC in the town centre targeted him specifically for an interview.
Unfortunately, having picked up a slow puncture, I had to contend with a deflating rear tyre – my tyre was literally screwed. It’s not much fun riding with a flat. In the gallery photo (below far left), you may be able to see that my rear tyre isn't at its correct pressure.
People lined the streets through rugby to watch the parade thunder by, and the town centre was packed full of people, motorbikes and concessions. It was the busiest I have seen anywhere in more than eighteen months. So busy, it was rather disconcerting. Not many face masks in evidence.
My final biking related update is that I have got myself booked on to a Biker Down course organised by Northamptonshire Fire Service. In November, I am going to find out how to help fellow motorcyclists that end up in trouble. I am sure it will be an eye-opener for me.
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