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Cold and windy, but you've gotta take every chance


Rodders
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Passing my test at the start of winter and only just acquiring a bike means I haven't had many chances to ride. Working until 7pm every week day didn't help either.


But my mate is back from London this weekend so we planned to go for an early ride to fit around our other commitments - football, breakfast with family, and skiing lessons! The rain forecast wasn't looking good earlier in the week but we decided to get up and see how it was at 8am.


Good job too - the forecast changed its mind, and assist from a little bit of frost it seemed good enough to get out. I wrapped up well - 2 socks, thermal leggings under my Kevlar jeans, thermal top, micro fleece, and my liner left inside my Furygan Serpico jacket, plus a neck snood and waterproof gloves. Not to mention the heated grips!


After my neighbor commented on how "keen" I was, I had some trouble getting the bike to start and stay running. I think it has a fuel issue since being parked up for a few months by the previous owner. But once it was going I edged away carefully. Then my wife called so I had to stop and faff about getting my phone out of the satnav cradle to see if it was important. It wasn't!


Met my mate and we headed off from Peterborough towards Rutland Water to see if an old mate was at the cycle shop there. We choose a route of back roads for more fun than the A1. It was nice, but some damp places and patches of mud that made us proceed with caution. A burst water pipe had filled a crossroads like a lake, with me arriving just in time to get a drenching from a passing farmer's pickup. A good test of my gear!


We past a few cyclists who is say were "keener" than us. We also passed a pig farm with one of the biggest pigs I've ever seen, a grey heron, saw tins of Red Kites, and then 2 van loads of older gentlemen with shotguns and dogs - I assume they were going hunting, but I didn't like to stop and ask!


I wasn't feeling cold at all until we reached the A43 and picked up speed. Not that I got cold, but my mate rides a naked Harley and I felt a bit sorry for him. It took an hour to get to Whitwell car park, and we discovered that our mate doesn't work there any more! Gutted.


So we took a leak then managed to manipulate our parking tickets into the machine whilst wearing gloves, on a damp, slippery slope. We headed into Stamford to find coffee. And cake...mmmm.


A nice blast through the villages back to Peterborough included more cyclists and a gigantic horse. We saw a couple of other motorcyclists whilst out, but I think most will be hibernating. We got lucky because the rain came a short while after getting home whilst I was out for a jog.


It was good to get the miles in. Good to test my kit. Good to ride with my mate.


Now I need to give the bike a rinse and put it away until..... Maybe the end of February now due to holidays 😢

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Well done, I plan to go out during the following week. If you are laying the bike up for a month it is probably a good idea to fill the tank with fuel mixed with a fuel stabiliser as the ethanol in modern fuels breaks down quite quickly and can cause starting and running problems you described.

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I have ridden in some atrocious weather and after a few fails, have now got to the point in can stay warm and dry, except for the tip of my left middle finger. It must have bad circulation as it still gets cold.

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Summer is coming!

I really cannot wait, you'll love it :thumb:

I can vividly imagine the days where you're on the bike from dusk to dawn, stopping off at various hot-spots throughout the day!

 

I'm certainly looking forward to it. I'm hoping that my wife enjoys riding pillion, and that I do too. Then I can see us having some great days out.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well done, I plan to go out during the following week. If you are laying the bike up for a month it is probably a good idea to fill the tank with fuel mixed with a fuel stabiliser as the ethanol in modern fuels breaks down quite quickly and can cause starting and running problems you described.

 

Just for a month ? Surely not . I lay my GSXR up for six months then just start it and ride it . I don't use one of them Optimate things either and my last battery lasted seven years.

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  • 1 month later...

You know what they say.....and I think my associate Six will concur......if there's no photos then it means it never happened.


Tell him Six! 8-)

 



I know , I know Extreme , now if I was a mod this sort of behaviour would be rewarded with a verbal warning .

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You know what they say.....and I think my associate Six will concur......if there's no photos then it means it never happened.


Tell him Six! 8-)

 

:cry: next time

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You know what they say.....and I think my associate Six will concur......if there's no photos then it means it never happened.


Tell him Six! 8-)

 



I know , I know Extreme , now if I was a mod this sort of behaviour would be rewarded with a verbal warning .

 

Google will be slapping penalties on the site soon!

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