Nice day..

Sunshine and dry, why not go for a ride, why not indeed..

one push of the start button and Bang, into life, no hassle, a nice deep thump from the Harley Davidson 984 motor, a quick check of the electrics and I was on my way, straight into the good old Basingstoke traffic.

A rather nifty U Turn and another more traffic free route was soon under the tyres.

Out through the back roads onto the twisty roads more suited to Supermoto riding was where I was heading, I've not really pushed the Buell, and today was not really the best day, but once out into the country, the roar from the pipe and the rumble of the engine soon had me winging my way down those lanes like I'd never been away from them for the best part of 6 years!!!

The new front pads work very well, the tyres although coming to the end of their life, still have enough feel in them for confident riding and the suspension is just about right giving an all round big smile.

A spirited ride, I think would be a safe bet to describe my riding this morning, nothing dangerous, or risk taking, but fairly quick, and enjoying those back roads.

The Buell just oozes confidence, and even making direction changes mid corner are no problem or a cause for worry, unlike the Ducati 916 days, change direction mid corner... yeah right. muscle the thing back upright and prey there is still enough road left to continue...

Think that's why I always wanted a Firebolt, it does corner so well, not the fastest bike out there by any stretch, but I think I'd best get a stock of sliders and a few sets of tyres...

The Café car park was next stop, and a welcome cup of tea and chat with an old friend was very nice, nice to see a few other bikes about, but as we chatted the chill was getting very noticeable, so a steady ride home down the Alton road back to Basingstoke was in order, with a slight detour just to wind it on for one last time before, home, and parked up, and another cuppa and a warm up! 

A really nice, nice morning ride, something I've been looking forward to for some time.

No pictures today, just forgot to take some.. 

Ride safe.

  

Frustration, Pain and high Octane..

Well its been a while to say the least, but as the light bulb in the sky pays a visit, and the daylight stay's with us longer, it always gives me a sense of enjoyment, and boost's the enthusiasm levels, to the point of wanting to get out for a spin and blowing off some of the cobwebs, well as the weekend rolled in, and the week's holiday was drawing to a close, a bright sunny day seemed like a good time..Wrong!

The bike has not been run for a while, and was very reluctant to start, in fact did not run correctly and stalled refusing to re-start, so time to take the plugs out for a clean, and see if that does the trick..

I've had a few bikes in the past and feel pretty confident in what I can and cant do, but removing the 2 plugs on the Buell was a real test, the front is easy once the airscoop is removed, but the rear.. well that needs some time, its tucked away behind the frame with only very limited working space, and fingers need to bent into some rather strange angle's to get the plug back in, but after  an hour of blood sweat and tear's all was good, and the starter span up with the engine barking it's approval instantly,

The roar from that pipe was music to my ears, and I was soon out and ripping up the rear tyre on the ring road, so nice to be back out and enjoying the bike again.

After looking into some of the more common tuning tips, the airbox was removed and given the 1.5" hole saw in a few key places, to help with air intake, also a rather trick Keyless ignition system has been found, and placed firmly on the top of the list, removing the problem with the wiring breaking at the original switch.

Cant wait to get stuck into that one...

A service is next on the agenda, along with a touch of polishing, and if I can sneak some new rubber in without being caught, well I think I might be ready for some real biking fun... 

So the first ride of the year was not all play sailing, but very rewarding in the end..!

Ride safe, and have fun Guys.