How is 2011 treating you?

paddy

paddy

paddy

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Joined
24 Aug 2003
Posts
1,486
Location
Derbyshire
Pretty good here :)

Car was booked into the garage last Wednesday so took the bike out of it's winter hibernation. Having sat untouched since October I was pleasantly surprised when it started 2nd time. 7 Days, 160 miles and a tank of fuel later things are looking good.

Decided to take the rural route to and from work and had a blast, loads more bikers out everyone nodding away.

Hello to the Tiger rider on the Chesterfield bypass who seemed as happy as me, and a word of warning to the Hornet rider near Matlock who nodded so furiously I thought he was going to hit a kerb.

Oh, and I booked myself onto a BikeSafe course in June. :)

Despite the bike now caked in all things muddy and grim, I'm grinning :D
 
good here, zx10 d6 is still running after a snow filled winter of riding... new chain and sprockets fitted all good

she's on 32k miles now but i have permission to buy a new bike from missus (swapped for new baby lol), nothing taking fancy though.. except maybe the new 10 :)
 
The thought of an eastern European oik approaching my bike clutching a soiled rag makes me shudder.

Bring it in the house and do it in front of the tele...
 
My biking 2011 is going great so far! Done CBT on Saturday and got a theory test booked for next week.
 
Everyone with new chains and sprockets... should probably give mine a look over. 11k miles with a Scott-Oiler should mean the chain isn't in dire need of some TLC.

New brake pads might be needed, and maybe new hoses, braided perhaps, while I'm there new fork internals... A word of warning MarkST, this is how it begins.
 
not bad i guess.

had my race license for 2 month now after it only took 3 days to come through - last year it took 6 months, a track assessment, classroom assessment, sign off by a shrink and sign off by the ACU....

also got my new dainese helmet acu approved. the importers don't bother to send them to be acu approved so unless you take it in and get it done it never has the gold sticker on it.

also bought a new screen to replace the broken one.

bought a new brembo reservoir to replace the broken one too.

straightened all the forks/ wheels/yokes and put them back on.

i can rebuild a bike quicker from memory than i can cook a meal lol. took me 1hr to completely strip the front end a bike! yokes/wheel/forks/brakes!

:)
 
So far, so good. Although cold and rainy on the commute.

I've moved house, which has had some significant effects: firstly, a new commute. I need to figure out the 'fun' way home, as a combination of A12/M11/M25/A10 is quick but dull. Fuel economy has shot up to ~60ish meaning that I could probably stretch 200 miles from a tank. This is well up from the 140 miles a tank I was getting living in London.

Secondly, I now live practically next to a BMW dealer. I can see some demos being booked rather soon. :)

Thirdly, my next door neighbour is a hardcore biker, with a bit of a collection of bikes. He's apparently just got back from a track holiday in Spain. Owns at least a fireblade, Ducati 916 and something else with slick tyres on it. Apparently tutors bikesafe courses as well, and has offered to take me out when the weather's nicer.

On the downside, I can tell this is going to be a year of expensive things, either self-inflicted (new can for the bike) or not (something in me tells me I'm going to need a new belt, £300).
 
Well, a little over 3 weeks ago I picked up a shiney new Triumph Street Triple R, in blazing orangey goodness, with the arrow cans for extra awesome :p

Love it, 'gave up' riding on the road when I sold my Daytona 675 about 2 years ago, mainly due to the racing making riding a sports bike on the road a bit 'pointless' as you never get to really use it.

Couple of years later and I'm bored enough with a car (helped by taking the mr2 off the road and living with a xsara hdi) to get a bike and I'm loving it :)

I am being a pansy though, not taking it out when it's wet cause it'll get dirty, but ridden it the past two days on the 75 mile round trip to work and I've spent most of that grinning :)
 
Ok so far :)

Rode for the first time since my second operation last week, roads were in crap condition, some silly bint almost side swiped me going straight on at a roundabout despite being in the right only lane and me being along side her window, really not missing road riding at all...
Have been pondering my next bike list though, and will start test rides soonish.
Need to get my old SV track ready, get back on track ASAP then sort ACU if I still want to give racing a go :D

Looking forward to some OCUK bike meets at some point this year!
 
Good but I haven't had a break during winter as I commute to work and my bike is all I have.

About a month ago it was a nice and sunny Sunday on which I had some great rid out with a friend, apart from that it's just boring commute to work every day.
 
Great, been riding since Jan 01, only probably not rode 2-3 days due to bad weather, the rest of the time - GAME ON! :D

Got a new job and a new commute starting April. As a result, I've been thinking of an upgrade for quite some time and I am now starting to scout for Blackbirds (Damn you Sagalout!).

Good news is that I can give (sell for cheap) my old bike to a friend of mine who is doing his DAS very soon. Win Win! New riding buddy and a new bike :D
 
Indicator relay has gone on my bike, got a replacement ready but one of the disc's in my lower back has slipped to the right and trapped a nerve along the way. Get shooting pains in my lower back and down my right calf. And it goes really stiff and hurts when I bend :O

All in all not very well so far :( still determined to get better and do my full test in summer though :)
 
It started crap – almost getting knocked off on NY’s day, then finding later that day some scum had broken into my garden… probably for the bike :(

But, I’ve had a handful of rides these months, and a few commutes into work too – the bike still puts huge grin on my kisser lol

Seeing a new woman now, and this one is actually keen to get on the back, so once her kit is sorted I shall be doing something I’ve never done before – taking a pillion :D
 
A year on from finishing my DAS and getting my hornet, have got the mileage from 4k to 11k, not bad for a first year. Lot of that is due to the IAM course, got my test coming up next week. Fingers crossed.

Went out with a mate who had a little spill which made me a little more focussed on safety and got a proper Forcefield Sub4 back protector to replace the tiny built in jacket knox armour.

Can feel this being a pricey year, MOT is done but tyres are looking thin in the middle :(
 
Hmmm, well I've not yet ridden any of my bikes this year.

Insurance want silly money to renew, and as the weather has been crap, I've taken all of them off the road for now (incidentally also means that I need to MOT & Tax them).

I've got a track day booked for the end of the month at Brands :) with Focused Events :( (Track bike and trailer).

All in all not bad, might renew the insurance when they decide to give me a sensible quote. If not I may end up with a dry & wet bike :p
 
Good here.
Ridden all winter so far but the Kwak GT550's had the **** knocked out of it...
Needs; Alternator, head bearings, fork seals, front wheel bearing, diff oil changed, prob a battery too plus I have a new sump to fit as the old ones destroyed the threads for oil filter and drain plug. Few weekends work then!

Bought 2 piece leathers for first track day this year on the GSXR, the BT023's i had fitted are amazing. That needs pads next month though so a fluid change too - keep hearing peeps go on about a brembo master cylinder for these, worth it?

Commuting on the GSXR just now, have to resist the temptation to twist the loud grip too much though!

All in all a good year so far.
 
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