Walk of Shame :(

Valentines Day 2013. It started as a great day, with the roads drying up, sunning peeking aside fluffy clouds and the house all quiet because everyone else is at work or school.

i had taken a days holiday to sort of a special dinner to be prepared for the evening, which meant i had to go to the shops. as the weather was at its best in months i forced myself to make the decision to take the bike out and go to the bigger supermarket rather than the local mini-mart.

this did prove to be the right decision as the mini-mart had almost nothing of what i wanted anyway. i had decided that after the dog walk, shower and breakfast i would visit my nearest "Hein Gericke" store. For those that do not know this store, it is the last of chain of shops dedicated to bikers and their equipment. i was on the window shopping trail for a 2-piece leather combo for the summer which the missus had promised to help me buy as a Christmas present.

i was disappointed at the stock levels, and was promised by the manager that they were waiting for their new spring collections, which is why the levels had dropped. Not totally a wasted trip, because i got some good advice on my intended purchase and a little ride to boot.

as i left , i noticed that i was skimming the tank of the engine close to dry, and had calculated in my head that i could carry on the next leg of my trip and fuel up at the end.

i have previously got 186 miles out of a tank of fuel with approx "62mpg" regular riding. These 2 stats are pretty static and rarely change. so i was about 10 miles shy of this figure which was where my destination was and fuel stop were. i was confident, really confident.....!

so confident that in fact on the A127 Southend bound 6 miles short of my target, the engine decided to cough.....

at first i though i had rode over a hump, as the bike lurched but then it happened again.... Oh Jesus H....the bike lost all power and i little choice but to pull over into a nearby layby.

Bugger, Frack....... i had only managed 181 miles and the tank was dry...

after the initial embarrassment, i had a 2.5mile shuffle along the side verge in full motorcycle kit to the nearest petrol station on the opposite side of the carriageway..

i was sweating and knackered, but finally manage to enter the forecourt and the shop to purchase a gerry can. which by the way i had to pay for before getting my petrol and queueing to pay again. The stupid attendant even asked me a second time in about 10 mins if i wanted a free coffee... i had to reply.. "remember me from 10 mins ago... NOOOO".

as i was doing this it was hard tp excape the sniggers from the rest of the clientele which consisted of mainly tradesman. it was bloody obvious that i had run out of fuel, and was a biker.....

so, the shuffle back to the bike again, and i was pleased to see it was still in the layby. i emptied the can into the tank and carried on my journey. Rather than throw aside the jerry can i managed to squeeze it inside my rucksack wrapped in a tesco carrier bag.

the only downside really is that the bag stunk of petrol afterwards.

i have learnt a lesson here, rather than run the bike to the limit, always try to leave 10 miles in the tank...

Wilder Riding

It appears, that the brighter weather brings out the numpty in me where riding the bike is concerned!! i meant this because as the weather is brighter, warmer and drier my kahuna's seem to have grown a bit bigger.

i am taking more risks with the space i have, by taking on smaller gaps and tighter spaces but not just that, taking them faster as well... Now this highlights my inexperience still, because a few times i get myself into a little trouble and have to berate myself.

i drive sensibly in the Wet/Cold/Ice etc.. Because i have a respect for the fact the roads are NOT grippy. i hope because i have realized my behavior that i can make changes now.

the problem is... i am not the only numpty :) i am driving like am because it appears that everyone else on a bike or moped is also taking the opportunity to blow off cobwebs, because i have been cut up etc. by more scooters than usual.

Now, i am not an aggressive rider anyway and will always take the 40-45 mph cruise rather than the 55-60 mph weave.. i tend to be moving into the weave pattern instead lately.

i think i need to also consider an advanced riding course, because there are still a few things i am not happy about. The main being corners...! i take them OK and have not had any bother, it is just that i have no confidence to take them at a reasonable speed, and the right line, and smoothly.... i seem to take them too slow. That is OK in the wet winter, because that is sensible, but because that’s all what we have had for the last "Many" months, i have not had the opportunity to practice cornering properly.

i am hoping that this will rectify itself if the drier weather stays with us.

On another note, i am now on my 3rd set of winter trousers... because the 1st and 2nd set all leaked, and leaked badly. The store though have been excellent and have changed them without a quibble. i highly recommend "HARPERS - BENFLEET, ESSEX" great and helpful staff.