Hey all
Firstly i want to wish anyone that does look at this blog a "Merry Christmas" and a "Happy New Year". i am hoping that you all get all you desire and that everyone stays happy and healthy.
well, i have had about 3 weeks on the bike now, and have grown more comfortable with how "Poppa T" rolls, and moves. i am definitely more confident with manoeurvering through traffic etc.
that brings me onto the traffic issue rather well... What the Frak....! for the past 3 weeks traffic has been a bitch, every day has seen me filtering through a long, long tail of traffic on the A13 right from the start to almost my junction.... i do not know why? i see no accidents, although there have been a fair few on this road over the recent weeks. mainly due to frakking muppets who SHOULD not be on the roads, because they have no RESPECT for the environment they are in, (weather, public roads, traffic, other road users...)
i can only guess that it is seasonal and due to the fact everyone needs to be shopping at ridiculous times. To be honest if you have not done your shopping NOW, then frak it. give up until the New Year, the items will be 50% cheaper on Boxing day anyway!
Last week was a cold week, and got to -3 on a couple of my travels. i was riding home from work i think on Weds evening and it was foggy, in fact freezing fog, and by the time i got home ice had formed around my gloves whilst on the bars.... madness indeed.
this week has been much milder and has seen me strip off layers of clothing to accommodate the higher temperatures. i am getting used to the bikes gear as well now, feeling which gear i should be in for a given corner. i can still do better and will do better as time goes by.
I'll keep in touch
Friday 21 December 2012
Monday 10 December 2012
New Bike, New Journies..
Well i have officially had my first week on the new bike commuting to work. Monday was an eye opener, because i really was not familiar with the bike at all. This was apparent as i was nervous filtering and taking small openings.
As the week progressed things became a little bit easier, although Thurs was a really cold night and saw some ice in places. i decided to shelve the bike on this day and take the train. ordinarily i wouldn't have done this but because of my unfamiliarity of the bike and the harsh conditions i thought it safer for me.
By Friday evening on the journey home i felt much more comfortable with the bike, and was able to slip through little gaps easily, and control the engine better with the clutch, throttle and brake.
For anyone that has never ridden a bike before, it is not straight forward at all.. Yes you still have the gear shifter, clutch, throttle and brake, but not ALL by your feet, you hands have to be multifunctional. Not just steering the bike, but using the fine control of the throttle and clutch with indicators, horn etc...
It is fun and practical, and well worth the investment in time and money, because the rewards are greater.
i have managed to monitor my fuel spend since getting the bike, and it appears that i am getting 50 mpg, which is not what i thought. all the stats and reviews and especially (Fuelly.com) indicate i would be getting at least 60 mpg.
i am hoping that is down to the bike being new, and my unfamiliarity of the ride, because i started the week using the wrong gears, too high a rev etc, etc..
This week may be different, I'll wait and see.
The only hiccup last week was in my pocket... i am still getting used to not having a fuel gauge, and thus the fuel light flashes when i have 0.8 gallons of fuel, the stays permanent when you have 0.4 gallons. Because i am not sure about the MPG this could mean anything, but last week i saw 24 miles from the light flashing to becoming permanent, and when i did fill up, after 50 miles i filled up and only put in 10 litres. the tank is 14.5 litres. so i still had some fuel left.
i think over the long term will correct this and i will become better at judging the fuel levels.
Other than that all good...!!!!
As the week progressed things became a little bit easier, although Thurs was a really cold night and saw some ice in places. i decided to shelve the bike on this day and take the train. ordinarily i wouldn't have done this but because of my unfamiliarity of the bike and the harsh conditions i thought it safer for me.
By Friday evening on the journey home i felt much more comfortable with the bike, and was able to slip through little gaps easily, and control the engine better with the clutch, throttle and brake.
For anyone that has never ridden a bike before, it is not straight forward at all.. Yes you still have the gear shifter, clutch, throttle and brake, but not ALL by your feet, you hands have to be multifunctional. Not just steering the bike, but using the fine control of the throttle and clutch with indicators, horn etc...
It is fun and practical, and well worth the investment in time and money, because the rewards are greater.
i have managed to monitor my fuel spend since getting the bike, and it appears that i am getting 50 mpg, which is not what i thought. all the stats and reviews and especially (Fuelly.com) indicate i would be getting at least 60 mpg.
i am hoping that is down to the bike being new, and my unfamiliarity of the ride, because i started the week using the wrong gears, too high a rev etc, etc..
This week may be different, I'll wait and see.
The only hiccup last week was in my pocket... i am still getting used to not having a fuel gauge, and thus the fuel light flashes when i have 0.8 gallons of fuel, the stays permanent when you have 0.4 gallons. Because i am not sure about the MPG this could mean anything, but last week i saw 24 miles from the light flashing to becoming permanent, and when i did fill up, after 50 miles i filled up and only put in 10 litres. the tank is 14.5 litres. so i still had some fuel left.
i think over the long term will correct this and i will become better at judging the fuel levels.
Other than that all good...!!!!
Monday 3 December 2012
Learning to Ride :)
Hey everyone.
i got it...i got my first "big boys" bike and i got it new.... the reasons for the new bike were simple, i was looking at a bike about 6-12mths old, but my bike came along and was only £300 more than the prices i was looking at and it was brand new...!!!!
i had to make the decision. for the extra £300 i got:
so you can see the decision was simple. In the end i did pay a bit more than i intended but i think the benefits outweigh this fact.
i was very nervous on Saturday when i picked it up because it was so cold and i was mindful of Ice. especially as i was not familiar with the bike or how it ran. i kept it steady at a constant 70mph, or did i.???? i thought it was 70mph until i realized that most cars and lorries were overtaking me... the digital speedo was set for KPH rather than MPH so i was doing actually about 50mph..
once i realized this i upped the notch a bit.. not too much because i had my eldest following me in his car which isn't as swift as a 650cc motorcycle... aahhhhhh.
once i got home the first thing i did after a cup of tea... was change the speedo from KPH to MPH, because it is a digital display this was very easy to do, much happier now.
after finding a way to store my bike, i was left to Sunday for a joyride, although again it was colder and icier so i was driving too careful. The true test came this morning on my commute to work.
wow.... after the first 10 miles i was settled into the routine of filtering and controlling the bike which felt good. actually it felt safer and more stable than what i was used to (125cc). which made the experience a lot more happier.
the weather was grotty, not much rain, but lots of spray and crap which basically covered my visor and made things a bit slimy. i made it though, and in good time (55 mins) which is good as i was taking it easy, possibly this time will be improved upon....
so here it is "Poppa T"
i got it...i got my first "big boys" bike and i got it new.... the reasons for the new bike were simple, i was looking at a bike about 6-12mths old, but my bike came along and was only £300 more than the prices i was looking at and it was brand new...!!!!
i had to make the decision. for the extra £300 i got:
- New Bike
- only 1 mile on the clock
- ABS
- 62-plate not 12 which i was looking at
- almost 3 years warranty
- almost 3 years AA cover
- 3 months left on TAX
- Free 1st service (if i take back to where i bought it... unlikely)
- Touring screen thrown in for half the price.
so you can see the decision was simple. In the end i did pay a bit more than i intended but i think the benefits outweigh this fact.
i was very nervous on Saturday when i picked it up because it was so cold and i was mindful of Ice. especially as i was not familiar with the bike or how it ran. i kept it steady at a constant 70mph, or did i.???? i thought it was 70mph until i realized that most cars and lorries were overtaking me... the digital speedo was set for KPH rather than MPH so i was doing actually about 50mph..
once i realized this i upped the notch a bit.. not too much because i had my eldest following me in his car which isn't as swift as a 650cc motorcycle... aahhhhhh.
once i got home the first thing i did after a cup of tea... was change the speedo from KPH to MPH, because it is a digital display this was very easy to do, much happier now.
after finding a way to store my bike, i was left to Sunday for a joyride, although again it was colder and icier so i was driving too careful. The true test came this morning on my commute to work.
wow.... after the first 10 miles i was settled into the routine of filtering and controlling the bike which felt good. actually it felt safer and more stable than what i was used to (125cc). which made the experience a lot more happier.
the weather was grotty, not much rain, but lots of spray and crap which basically covered my visor and made things a bit slimy. i made it though, and in good time (55 mins) which is good as i was taking it easy, possibly this time will be improved upon....
so here it is "Poppa T"
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| Poppa "T" |