Chris & Pablos Tour The World

Day Eight – Saturday

2006-09-16T23:54:00.000Z

We crawled out of bed at 5:30am feeling full of beans … Not!
Breakfast was a simple affair involving cereals, with no bacon or sausages in sight. A shame, but it time wouldn’t allow for all the extra cleaning required after a fry up.

Photo - P.Moulding

After packing all our remaining bits and bobs, it was time to strap the luggage onto our bikes. It all went fairly well as this time it wasn’t dark.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

Photos - P.Moulding

We left the caravan at about 8:15am and headed towards Penrith on the A66. It was a little chilly at 9C, but very refreshing. After about 2 miles we ran into very think fog, which slowed us up quite a bit. We joined the M6 at J40 heading south.

9:15am, Tebay Services – M6 J39-38, 33 miles, Foggy, 13C.
We stopped at Tebay services after only 33 miles for the loo.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

Carrying on south on the M6, the fog finally started to lift as we approached the Kendal junction and we were mading good progress as the traffic was extremely light.

10am, Charnock Richard Services – M6 J28-27, 97 miles, Overcast, 19C.
This was our second stop of the day. Just enough time for a quick drink, chocolate, loo and some petrol. Then back onto the M6 for more southward fun.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

11:45am, Stafford Services – M6 J15-14, 155 miles, Overcast.
This time it was coffee, more chocolate and I had a burger. I bought it from the on-site Wimpy and it was REALLY FOUL!!!! A complete waste of money. From here we were hoping with could made our fuel and bums last until Oxford in the interest of getting home ASAP.

The journey south through Cheshire was slow due to the levels of traffic, but not as bad as the northward leg last Saturday. Birmingham was swiftly dispatched on the M6 toll road and west on the M42. Then south onto the M40.

1:45pm, Warwick Services – M40 J13-12, 224 miles.
It proved impossible to make it the Oxford in one jump. Our petrol levels were too low and our bums numb.

After more liquids were fed both in & out, petrol collected and food munched, we headed off south to Oxford.

3:35pm, Oxford Services – M40 J8, 264 miles, Sunny.

By now we were completely exhausted and this stop was quite a long one. We sat on a bench, within sight of our bikes, drank large coffees and watching all the comings and going in the sunshine. I don’t remember exactly how long we were there, but in the interests of safety we certainly needed the break.

When we eventually set off on the final leg of our adventure, it was south on the M40, left onto the M25 and all those wonderful ‘Variable Speed Limits’. Having had quite enough of all those boring motorways, we left the M25 at J9, Leather Head. Taking a more scenic route home, we finally arrived home at 6:10pm.

Photo - L.M.Pittock

As we got in my house I said to Paul, “We are now officially bikers”. He managed a nod as he clasped onto the sofa.

Mileage Stats

Today = 345 miles
Total for the trip = 957 Miles

Day Seven – Friday

2006-09-15T22:26:00.000Z

Paul was up before me today and nipped out early to take this interesting picture of a spiders web.

Photo - P.Moulding

I woke up with a thick head. It’s probably got something to do with last nights cider.

We checked our chain tensions and Pauls needed tightening for the second time this week. Mine was still fine mainly due to the fact that it’s only two months old I suspect.

We set off south on the A291 to Ambleside, turning right onto the A593. Between Coniston water and Broughton-in-Furness the A593 is an excellent twisty road, but because of the width it’s best to keep your speed down. Most of the way we only managed 40 mph, but we did get up to 60 on one short straight.

Luncheon was taken in a road side lay-by again. I had yet more sausages & bacon, washed down with tea. However, Paul opted for a double cheese burger with onions and black pudding.

From there we headed north on the A595 for about 2 miles and turned off onto an un-classified road sign posted to Ulpha. From there the road climbed up between several mountains. At the highest point we stopped to take EVEN MORE PHOTOS!!!

Photos - C.C.Pittock

Photos - P.Moulding

Continuing on our journey of discovery, the road dropped down to a river and met another road which came down very steeply from Hardknot pass.

Photos - C.C.Pittock

We carried on through Wrynose pass and the road started to drop down quite a steeply in front of us. The views were superb, but there was nowhere for us to stop and enjoy it photographically. Avoiding cars coming up the incline and sheep with no road sense, we finally reached Ambleside. It was then a short hop on the A591 back to Keswick.

After a quick wash and brush up and it was time for us to pack up our wares ready for an early start on the homeward journey tomorrow. We of course found the time to polish off the remainder of our beer.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

At 7:30pm we walked into Keswick for dinner. After an extensive survey of all the eating establishments, we decided on the Lake Road Inn. This proved to be a mistake as their Cumberland sausage had no flavour at all and the vegetables had been boiled to within an inch of their lives. As a consequence, I can recommend that you eat somewhere else.

On our way back to the caravan site, we again stopped at St. Johns church to take some photos. This time arty night shots.

Photos - C.C.Pittock

Photos - P.Moulding

We decided to walk back via the road as it was far too dark to safely negotiate the woodland route. There was time for a quick cup of tea, a review of the evening photos and a return to the nightmare that is packing to go home.

Mileage Stats

Today = 75 miles
Total so far = 612 miles

Day Six - Thursday

2006-09-14T22:44:00.000Z

Today we had more rain, but unlike previous days it didn't clear up and lasted all day. We decided to walk into Keswick, taking the long route through the Great wood & down to Derwent water.

Photos - C.C.Pittock

On the way we made several stops for, yes you guessed it, picture taking. What else?

Photo - P.Moulding

By the time we reached the town we were both wet inside and out. Outside due to the rain and inside due to sweat. I even had soggy socks and freezing feet due to wearing trainers. I should have bought the boots I saw in Keswick on Tuesday. D’oh!

Photo - C.C.Pittock

We made a beeline for the shop and we bought a pair each and me some dry socks. Changing into them in the shop, I soon had toasty warm toes.

Thursday was market day. There were lots of stalls selling local produce and framed photos of the lakes & mountains. Unfortunately it would have been impossible to take any of them home on our bikes, so I picked up a leaflet instead. On another stall they were selling local Ciders and after a sample we bought 2 litres of a brew called ‘Rockin Robin’.

After a few more stops here & there, we headed back to the caravan. Despite all the rain & rivers of water running down the tracks, we both enjoyed toasty warm toes all the way back up the hill thanks to our new boots.

Photo - P.Moulding

Photo - C.C.Pittock

For dinner I cooked a chicken & sausage casserole, with help & guidance from Paul of course. We used about ½ a pint of the cider to keep it wet while cooking. The resultant flavour was tantalizing on the taste buds. We polished off the rest of the cider during the evening.

Mileage Stats

Today = 5 miles on foot
Total so far = 537 miles

Day Five – Wednesday

2006-09-13T10:22:00.000Z

It rained again overnight, but by breakfast time it had all cleared up to give another sunny start to the day.

After breakfast we headed out north on the A591 through Keswick, where we joined the A66 to Braithwaite.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

There we joined the B5292 to Cockermouth & then south on the A5086 to Egrermont. It’s a strange, slightly rundown village with few visible people. Those that we did see behaved as if they had never seen a motorbike in their lives. There was a young women with un-kempt hair, wearing a pink tracksuit just standing on a petrol station forecourt, while talking on a mobile phone. When I glanced in her direction, she gave me a look as if to say “Why are you looking at me?”. My reply would have been “because you’re a Chav dear!”.

From Egrermont we took the A595 north to Whitehaven. This is a small fishing town, which seems to be blessed with more than its fair share of nubile women. After a search we managed to find two dedicated motorcycle bays, but one had a lorry parked in it. The second had plenty of free space, so we parked there.

The council had very thoughtfully provided the bay with a secure locking bar. It’s the first time I’ve seen something this useful in any bike parking bay. Many other councils could learn from this, they should be compulsory everywhere.

For lunch we had yet more Cumberland sausages and bacon, this time served up in the form of French bread sandwich. To this we added a very good cup of tea and made our way to the harbour to sit, eat and drink in the sunshine.

Photos - C.C.Pittock

After lunch we took even more photographs. This time in and around the harbour.

Photos - P.Moulding

Next we headed north on the A595 & A596 towards Workington, stopping near the port to take photos of a wind farm.

Photos - P.Moulding

Back on the A595, we headed further north to Maryport. Another small fishing village, where yet again we snapped merrily away around the harbour. There we came across a large old fishing boat undergoing extensive repairs.

Photos - C.C.Pittock

Photo - P.Moulding

More photos in the bag and it was back to Keswick via the A594, A66 & A591.

After we had extracted ourselves from our sweaty biking gear, we wandered up the lane by the site in search of some sunset photos.

Photos - C.C.Pittock

Photos - P.Moulding

Due to the amount of food we had consumed over the last few days, we decided on beans on toast, with a twist for dinner. The twist was a chopped onion and the second half of Mondays Habanero chilli mixed with the beans to give it that extra zing. At last I managed to cook something 8-)

Mileage Stats

Today = 60 miles
Total so far = 537 miles

Day Four – Tuesday

2006-09-12T22:26:00.000Z

The weather forecast promised rain, but other than a little in the night, none was forthcoming. We walked into Keswick via a foot path which took us over a river and pass the edge of a farm.

We stopped along the way to take long exposure photographs of the river. The idea was to blur the moving water to give a surreal calming effect to the pictures. Here are some of our efforts.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

Photo - P.Moulding

Between us we took far too many photos and I was concerned about running out of memory card space.

Once in the town we wandered round the shops, finding an outdoor leisure shop which was having an end of season sale. I was rather taken by a heavily reduced pair of trainer style walking boots. I decided that I didn’t really need them as I have a proper leather pair at home and didn’t really have the space on my bike on the return trip. Paul bought a coat for one of his children.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

After a light lunch, eaten by the pitch & put and mini golf coarse, we wandered some more, taking more photos as we went. By now the weather had perked up and become quite hot and sunny. I regretted my earlier decision to wear a fleece and coat at this point.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

On our way back to the caravan, we stopped at the Parish church of St. Johns to take yet more photos. The church was open so we were able to take some shots inside as well.

Photos - P.Moulding

I think this was when I mentioned that I don’t usually get a chance to take so many photos when I’m out with the family. Someone always moans about me constantly stopping to shot. Paul said that there was no danger of that from him. I do believe that he’s getting almost as passionate about photography as me. His camera, a Kodak DX6490, is more flexible and a higher resolution than my Fuji FinePix S5000. After our photo session we headed back up the hill to the caravan.

At 6pm we hopped on our bikes and Paul led me to Ashness bridge about, which is just south of Derwent Water. Unfortunately the clouds had returned and we weren’t sure we’d get very good light for photos.

Photos - C.C.Pittock

When we arrived at Ashness bridge there was already another photographer there. He was standing in the middle of the river with his camera mounted on a very serious looking tripod. The three of us chatted about the lack of good light, the pros & cons of digital photography and how we came to be in the lakes taking photos.

Photos - P.Moulding

Paul and I took various shots of landscapes, the bridge and moving water, but the light never did improve much. Eventually it got too dark to see so we decided to call it a night at about 8pm. The other photographer chose the same time to pack up and the three of us stood chatting for a further 20 minutes in the car park. He was from Dumfries and staying in a caravan near Penrith for a few days. He seemed to know all the best biking roads and recommended a few to us. We never did ask him his name, but he was very friendly.

We travelled back to the camp site via a very twisty back road on the western side of the lake. It was quite slow going as the lights on my bike are quite poor. Back on the A591 through Keswick, Paul overshot the turning for the campsite and as we hadn’t bothered with the radios I didn’t know why. A few miles later he pulled into a lay by. He wanted to take some more light trails. I think he is becoming even more obsessed with photography than me.

Photos - P.Moulding

He mounted his camera on my pocket tripod and set it on the rear seat of his bike facing up a slight incline. We spent about an hour experimenting. I didn’t bother getting my camera out as my minimum shutter speed is only 2.5 second. Paul’s on the other hand is 16 seconds, which is much more practical for light trails.

By the time we got back to the caravan it was getting quite late. For dinner we had stir fried chicken and super noodles. Simple, but quick, easy and tasty. This was washed down with copious amounts of beer.

Mileage Stats

Today = 25 miles
Total so far = 477 miles

Day Three – Monday

2006-09-11T22:15:00.000Z

We didn’t bother with breakfast as last nights meal was still laying heavily.

After a little research we discovered that their was a Hein Gericke shop in Carlisle and Paul rang them for directions and made the discovery that they were over stocked with tanks bags, so had reduced their prices. Result!

We planned a suitably scenic route to Carlisle and packed all our gear into Paul’s small tank bag. All I could carry was a map in my bags magnetic base. It always feels odd when I ride without the tank bag on as I’m so used to it being there in front of me.

At 11:30am we set off north through Keswick on the A591, with me leading the way. It was quite a good road surface with some twisty bits here & there and light traffic. At Bothel we turned right onto the A595 towards Carlisle, which was mostly straight and not very interesting. We made a loo stop on the way, only to discover the chosen petrol station didn’t have a public toilet, despite signage to the contrary. Paul led the rest of the way to Carlisle as he had the telephone directions.

We found Hein Gericke fairly easily, with only one minor wrong turn. The bloke Paul spoke to on the phone, Rawson, wasn’t joking about being over stocked. They had every conceivable type of luggage you could want, in various colours. My choice was between a straight replacement, an Oxford 1^st Time expanding tank bag or an Oxford Sports Expanding one. The sports model was must better quality, with a lifetime guarantee, but at nearly twice the price I wasn’t sure I could justify it. After much mulling I settled upon another 1^st Time model. Paul bought a fancy head LED torch and after fitted the new bag on my bike and repacking everything, we set off south on the A6.

Within a mile or so of the shop we came across a Police speed trap, which consisted of two cars in a lay-by and 100 yards later a bike hidden in someones driveway. Paul wondered if they had permission from the land owner to use the driveway. We were of course OK as we are good boys and always obey the speed limits…..honest we do Officer 8-)

After a further couple of miles we were starting to get hungry, so we stopped at a mobile grub van for lunch. We both had a Cumberland sausage & bacon bap and tea. I have to say that it was probably the best roadside food I have had any where. It was truly superb. It was run by a friendly Husband and Wife team and they were very interested to hear how we came to be so far north..

While we were going through the now well rehearsed procedure of ear plugs, radio and helmet, we were joined in the lay-by by a Police car. They drove in, gave us a quick look over as if to say “Don’t even think about speeding” and then proceeded to shuffle their car around awkwardly. They didn’t seem to know what they were trying to achieve and looked rather silly with all the manuvouring. We left them to it and headed south on the A6 towards Penrith, checking our mirrors carefully as we went.

The A6 to Penrith was quite good and fast, but south of the town it was absolutely awesome. All twisty, smooth and almost completely free from traffic. We had a wonderful ride, up and down the mountains and round & round in circle. Brilliant stuff. When we got to Kendal I considered suggesting that we go back and do it again. We both highly recommend this route.

Paul made the mistake of thinking about the low curbs and steep drops at the sides of the road. I however just ignored it and enjoyed myself. After all, thinking makes my head hurt. I therefore avoid it as much as possible.

On the way back from to Keswick we stopped at Ambleside for an expensive ice cream. We sat on a bench overlooking Windermere to eat them while sweating in our waterproofs. Then it was time for a quick photo section.

Photo - P.Moulding

Photo - C.C.Pittock

Back at Castlerigg Hall we hung out our sweaty biking gear, de-flied our lids and calculated distance travelled.

Today = 109 Miles.

Total So Far = 452 Miles.

For dinner Paul cooked potatoes, sausages, bacon, onion and half a very hot chill, all rolled in spices and oil. He stuck it into a roasting tin on gas mark 6 for about 40 minutes. It was excellent as always and extremely hot due to the chilli. Thank goodness we only used half of it. Paul had this to say about the chilli,

The name of the chilli was Habanero and it ranks as a 10 on the heat scale. It's even hotter than a Scotch Bonnet.

I did the clearing and washing up, feeling a bit mean that Paul had thus far done all the cooking.

Photo - P.Moulding

After dinner Paul played around with his camera and new LED torch (result above).

Day Two - Sunday

2006-09-10T23:44:00.000Z

Photo - C.C.Pittock.

Paul got up at 8:30, but I didn’t surface until after 9, with a stiff back after Saturdays ride. Fortunately my sore bits had settled down some what.

Breakfast = Sausages, bacon, scrambled egg & toasted bread. All was local produce, ably cooked by Paul, our resident chef. A feast suitable for weary travellers, like ourselves. I did the washing up.

It was a bright sunny day and after much planning & map studying, we rode to Keswick to do food shop for the week. Paul, being a chef, chose lots of interesting items which I had no idea how to cook. We also decided to buy a 5 litre barrel of Wheat Beer.

On returning to our bikes we loaded our tank bags to their brims and strapped the beer securely to my rack. It was at this point the zip that secures my tank bag to its based decided to burst. It took us nearly 20 minutes to undo it and it refused to do up again. This meant we needed to repack the bags and I had to use the rucksack straps to get it back to the caravan.

We spent the afternoon resting and planning Mondays riding. We came up with a route that included a visit to Carlisle in the hope of finding a bike shop with a replacement tank bag.

For dinner Paul rustled up a mean Curry using one very hot Chilli. My contribution was washing the rice and cleaning up afterwards. I felt bad about letting Paul do all the cooking as he does this for a living. He did however assure me that he didn’t mind.

Photo - P.Moulding

Photo - C.C.Pittock

Photo - P.Moulding

After dinner we walked to a local stone circle, aptly called Castlerigg Stone Circle. Unfortunately the weather was a little cloudy and any hope of sunset shots of the stones were dashed. By the time we headed back, it was virtually dark and I had already flattened my first set of camera batteries. Not good news this early in the week. We stopped at the side of the main road to take some light trail photos, which worked far better with Paul’s camera with its 16second shutter setting. Mine is not so flexible and can only manage 2.5 seconds.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

Back at the caravan we watched a little TV and stuffed our faces with chocolate cake.

Today = 3 Miles.

Total So Far = 343 Miles.

Day One - Saturday

2006-09-09T21:15:00.000Z

4am,
I got up feeling both excited and apprehensive about the long journey ahead of Paul & I. A cup of tea & bowl of cereal later and I was sort of awake. Loading the panniers onto the bike in the dark was quite difficult and it took me longer than I had expected. The tank bag and roll bag went on far easier.

5:45am,
Having readied myself, the bike and said goodbye to my bleary eyed Wife, it was time for the short trip to Paul’s place. The roads were wonderfully clear at this time of day. On arriving at Paul’s, I saw a Heron fly past. Something you wouldn’t normally see and hoped it would bring us luck on our travels.

6:30am,
The sun was just starting to show itself in the clear sky, a welcome sight. We set off at with great trepidation about the arduous journey which lay in front of us. It was north on the M23, which was much clearer than on my usual commute to Croydon, and turned left onto the London Orbital Car Park, which is the M25. Heading west the traffic was surprisingly heavy for such an hour on a Saturday. I suppose everyone else were also trying to avoid the usual ‘Parking’. Then it was left again onto the M40 westbound.

7:48am, Oxford Services – M40 J8, 82 miles, Sunny, 11°C.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

We quickly reached our first stop at Oxford. The journey there had been much colder than either of us had expected and the wind blast was not doing my left shoulder any favours. It felt as if I had been constantly punched as we whizzed along. Paul had cleverly packed a flask of hot coffee, which was very welcome.

During a quick luggage check, Paul discovered that one of his pannier mounting points had come un-stitched. He was not impressed as this was its first trip out, other than our testing runs. This was soon rectified by using another mounting point and an extra bungee.

The sun was shining and the temperature was rising by the time we left at 8:50am. I changed to my winter gloves and after a quick fill up, it was time to despatch Birmingham in one hit.

9:25am, Warwick Services – M40 J12-13, 124 miles, Sunny 18°C.
This was an un-scheduled stop. Paul, having skipped breakfast, had become suddenly tired and it seemed sensible to rectify it ASAP. As I said to Paul, we are on holiday, there’s no rush and the last thing we need is an accident that we could avoid. Safety First.

Refreshed, we went through the usual palaver that is getting our ear plugs in, helmets on and radios wired up. If you get the any of it in the wrong order you have to start again. I forget how many times I’ve got my lid on, radio wired and discovered my ear plugs are still in my pocket.

All set for the off and Paul couldn’t get his bike started. While we were planning the next stage and calculating fuel requirements, Paul had left his bike on and the lights had drained his battery to the point where the starter wouldn’t turn. We tried to push start it in the car park, but this didn’t work mainly due to un-helpfully placed speed humps slowing us down. We managed it in the end by moving to a clearer area of the car park. I suggested that we should only stop at the top of hills in the future.

From here we continued north on the M40, turning right onto the M42 and joined the M6 ‘Midland Expressway’ Toll Road heading north. The M6 toll road is an amazing 26 miles of perfect tarmac un-impeded by traffic. It was a joy and before we knew where we were, we had let our speed creep up to just over 100mph. This was fine as we could see for miles in either direction, until we spotted an un-marked Police Volvo ahead. Fortunately for us he was busy with a ‘customer’ to pay us any attention and by the time we reached him we had slowed down anyway.

At the northern end of the toll road we had to stop at the toll booths to pay our £2:50. Well worth it for such a clear ride. We chose different booths and managed to loose sight of each other for the next few junctions, meeting up again at our planned lunch stop at Stafford services on the main M6 after J14.

11:17am, Stafford Services – M6 J14-15, 192 miles, Sunny, 21°C.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

Or arrival here meant that we had passed Birmingham and were over halfway to our destination. We had lunch and refuelled once again before continuing north on the M6 at about 12pm. The traffic on this stretch was heavy and slow moving, which was both tiring and hard going on the wrists. We had various limits from 60 all the way down to 40 mph and there appeared to be no reason for them. Paul joked that Cheshire Police were playing with the speed limit signs just to annoy everybody. Well it certainly worked.

1:26pm, Charnock Richard Services – M6 J27-28, 253 miles, Sunny, 22°C.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

We had to stop as the fatigue was getting too much to cope with. The previous section of the M6 had taken us 1.5 hours and we had only managed to cover 61 miles. We ached all over. More food and drink was consumed and lots of stretching was required.

We set off northwards once more, hoping to complete the rest of our journey in one hop. For a while the miles seemed to fly by and we finally left the M6 at J36. Heading north on the A590 and A591 towards Kendal the traffic was light and the miles just melted away. However, this didn’t last. As we approached Lake Windermere the roads became clogged with all manner of vehicles, all moving like snails. This was very bad news as by now we were tired, sweaty and sore from all the riding. Luckily the traffic cleared by the time we passed Grasmere and the remaining few miles were dispatched fairly swiftly.

4pm, Castlerigg Hall Caravan & Campsite, Keswick – 340 miles, Still Sunny.

Photo - P.Moulding

After 9.5 hours of travelling and 340 miles under our belts, we were exhausted, sore and aching all over but relieved to have arrived safely.

Photo - P.Moulding

After un-packing, showering and cleaning all the dead flies off our visors, Paul gave me a guided tour of the site. On our travels we found a Buddleia which was home to an enormous number of butterflies.

Photo - C.C.Pittock

We had dinner and a pint in a very small pub attached to a hotel next to the site. The beer was excellent, but the food was only OK.

An early night was had by all.

Total Mileage So Far = 340 Miles.

Clean Machine Number 2

2006-09-04T22:55:00.000Z

Paul has also been preparing his bike for our trip. I don’t know how, but he managed to get his boss to clean it for him. When I suggested this to my boss he told me in no uncertain terms that I should “Go fourth and multiply” (no his actual words you understand). So no luck there then.

He has also fitted a couple of interesting devices to his bike. The first is a manual chain oiler, which is like a Scottoiler, only it’s manual and far cheaper. It’s called a Loobman and requires the rider to give a little bottle of oil a squeeze every 50 miles or so. It’ll be interesting to see how he gets on with it during our trip.

His second toy is a wrist support called Crampbuster by Scottoiler, which fits around the throttle. The idea is that you apply downward pressure with your wrist to operate the ‘Faster Switch’, removing the need to grip the grip so hard. Hopefully it will reduce cramp on the long journey North.

I think I may also get one too as I suffer very badly with wrist ache. In fact last October my left wrist swelled up so much I ended up at A&E and I couldn’t move my fingers for a week. I still can’t lift anything heavy with it. The really stupid thing is that I’ve been using computers almost daily for 16 years and had no problem at all. I ride a bike everyday for 3 years and WHAM, my wrist is wrecked. Needless to say, I take a lot of care of them now.

Clean Machine

2006-09-03T20:48:00.000Z

Today I have been doing the final preparations to my bike in readiness for our adventure next week. This mainly consisted of making sure nothing was lose and giving her a damn good scrub. As you can probably see from the photos here, I did quite a though job. I even managed to get all of the chain oil off the back wheel.

The whole process took around 7.5 hours, which included a lunch break and numerous cups of tea. Perhaps a little excessive, but I do like to do it properly.

I can really recommend the Auto Glym products. Their Super Resin Polish is, well, Super I suppose. It is effortless to use, gives very deep shine and disguises all these little scratches that almost 30,000 miles of riding creates. The one half litre bottle has lasted near 2 and a half years.

My bike generally get a clean once a fortnight, but since the hose pipe ban started in June 2005 it’s been a real pain to get all the muck off the underside with bucket off water. Have you ever tried throwing water from a bucket in an upwards direction 2 inches off the ground? If you have you’ll know that you end up wearing most of it. On a recent visit to Halfords I came across a plant sprayer that had been converted into a car washer. It’s made by Hozelock, saves an awful lot of water and helps keep my trousers drier. However, it cost me almost £20.

Sods law of course dictates that it will rain during the week undoing all my hard work.

Fully Loaded And No Where To Go

2006-08-28T15:17:00.000Z

Pablos and I had a trial run with our full luggage load today. For me this meant filling my expandable tank bag to the brim, my new panniers with dirty washing and putting 2 sleeping bags, a couple of towels & a pair of my wife’s jeans in a roll bag on the sports rack.

I keep my bike in the house as I don’t have a garage; it saves me at least £150 on my insurance and has helped her to keep her good looks over the passed 2 winters. However, it does mean that I have to fit my luggage on once outside otherwise she wouldn’t fit through the door. It was raining first thing this morning, so that enhanced the experience no end.

The panniers went on first using various straps and some webbing to protect the paintwork. Refitting the seat was a little troublesome, but it wasn’t too bad. Then it was the turn of the large roll bag onto the rack. This involves the use of two bungee cords and a strap. It was a piece of cake yesterday, but today I struggled to get one of the bungies on. The end of it slipped out of my grasp and hit me in the mouth with some force. I was quite lucky to get away with nothing worse than a cut lip, as it had also hit one of my teeth. It was at this point that Pablos pointed to the warning label on the bungie that reads,

“IMPORTANT – Do not tension bungie near your head as it may slip from your hand and cause injury”

It wasn’t a very welcome reminder as I bled all over the front path. I’ll have to remember that next time.

We only had a short run up the motorway and back to see if everything stayed where we wanted it and how the bikes handling was effected by all the luggage. Much to my surprise everything went without any drama, except Pablos’s finger wiper came lose on the motorway and he had to shove it in a pocket as he went. Not an easy task with gloves on at 60MPH, but he managed it.

My bike felt a little down at the back and her turning was very slightly slower, but nothing to worry about. What I don’t like though is having the top of the tank bag right under my chin. I suppose it could be useful if I need a quick snooze on our journey 8-)

On my way home from Pablos’s house I felt like an intrepid explorer setting out on a great adventure. After negotiating the mountainous terrain of the by-pass I was at home all too quickly.

At least I’m now physically, if not mentally prepared for our mini adventure. The part I’m dreading the most is the 350 miles of motorways between us and our caravan. But I’m sure we can make that exciting too.

Bring on Saturday fortnight I say.

Vital Statistics

Miles Covered = 50 Approx.
Lips Cut = 1
Teeth Broken = 0
Blood Lost = Less than 1 pint

Hush Noisy Cam Chain. I Can't Stand The Rattling!

2006-08-20T16:23:00.000Z

I’ve final managed to replace the cam chain tensioner lifter on my bike (Honda CBR600-FX) today. The process went something likes this.

Remove two small panels connecting the side fairings and tank together.

Remove fuel tank, remembering to turn fuel tap off before removing pipes.

Put together various pieces of sockets set and adapters.

Remove tensioner retaining bolts.

Using a large screwdriver, apply pressure to tensioner to break seal with engine block.

Wiggle tensioner to remove it from engine block.

Clean off old gasket from mounting engine face, skinning and bruising hands in process. This process took nearly four hours, but was worth the effort.

Put new tensioner in hole, using new gasket smeared in oil.

Fit bolts using ramshackle arrangement of sockets etc.

Remove tensioner retaining pin.

Fit the new bolt in end of tensioner. This is the replacement for the one I wreaked last weekend.

Refit fuel tank & panel.

Start bike and enjoy the rattle free sound.

Smile widely in the knowledge of a job well done.

Even the Cat helped.

Well almost.

Basically it was a total success and I’m very please with the resultant rattle free engine note I now have. I just need to get the valve clearances checked and adjusted and I’m ready for our adventure.

Or so I thought. I get through so many rear tyres with punctures, three so far this year, that I’m not very well tuned to spotting a worn-out one. I happened to glance at the front tyre, which was fine at the MOT in June, and noticed that the surface has started to crack. I suppose I can’t grumble as I’ve got 10,000 miles out of it. The previous one was good for 15,000 miles. All the magazines I’ve read say that they should last only 5,000 miles. Having it replaced is now next Saturday’s task.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

2006-08-14T23:04:00.000Z

In readiness for next month’s tour of the Lake District, I need to perform various maintenance tasks on my bike.

Friday 11th August 2006

It all started so well on Friday evening, when I successfully changed my engine oil. This is an operation which requires the removal of vast amounts of plastic panels. This consisted of two side fairings, several smaller panels from under the radiator & above the tank and a large pot of screws, clips & bolts of various sizes. It’s fairly easy operation for someone who has done this a hundred times before.

Once all these bits & bobs are on the lose, the main problem becomes one of where to safely store them. Most were carefully placed in the store room, but there was no space left for the left hand fairing panel, which is always the dirtiest. It has a small rear section which is directly under the drive chain. This was fairly easy to wash off before the days of the hose-pipe ban, now it’s a right royal pain.

I left all the panels off the bike so I could continue with my maintenance adventures on Saturday.

Saturday 12th August 2006

Today’s task was to replace a long since worn out cam chain tensioner lifter (Item 4 below). Basically it’s job is to maintain the tension on the cam chain, but they do tend to wear out rather quickly on the CBR600-FX. Mine has been rattling for over a year now and I can no longer stand the noise. So last Sunday I order a new one and a gasket (item 5) at the local bike shop, which collected on Friday.

At breakfast I was greeted with the arrival of rain. Fantastic, just what I needed to help me along with my maintenance.

This is how my day panned out,

Remove fuel tank, remembering to turn the fuel valve to the ‘off’ position.
Cover bike to stop rain getting into the electrics and make some tea while waiting for rain to stop.
The little bolt on the end of the tensioner, which covers the spring mechanism will be reused on the new item. Using 8mm ring spanner, round off the corners of the bolt making it impossible to remove.
Phone bike shop to confirm that they do not have a replacement bolt in stock and can’t get one until Wednesday.
Make more tea and jump around the kitchen shouting “Why didn’t I order a new bolt when I ordered all the other parts?”
Mop up large amounts of water from the electrics that are now saturated in rain water.
Try to attack bolt with different 8mm spanners and discover mole grips wont fit between the frame and air-box.
Call on ex-bike racing neighbour who has a big tool kit.
Put head in hands as neighbour says “You’ve buggered that good and proper. That won’t come out now!”
Stop for lunch and another downpour of rain.
Dry bike and lower fuel tank back into place.
Remove tank as I’ve got all the pipes in to wrong places.
Dry bike and lower fuel tank back into place AGAIN!
Give up and sulk in front of the TV.

Sunday 13th August

Today was dryer that Saturday so I managed the top up the coolant, which was alarmingly low, oil the cables & various pivot points and replace the front brake shoes. I then cleaned the chain and removed as much gunge from the engine and plastic fairings as possible.

Just as I was about to refit all the panels to the bike, it was time for more rain. In fact we had thunder, lighten and gallons of rain. I continued to work in the rain as time was now running out and I needed to get everything back together for my Monday commute to Croydon. When the lightening got very close to my left ear I decided it would be wiser to wait until later.

After dinner the rain had given way to brighter skies. I was now able to safely finish the reassembly and enter the cleaning phase. After much scrubbing she looked like new and I lovingly dried her off with a chamois leather, just in time for another well timed downpour. In the end I dried her once more, after I’d got her inside.

Job done? Sort of. I’ll have to go through all the plastic and fuel tank removal again next week once I have my £2 bolt. Deep joy.

Preparing My Bike

2006-08-11T22:13:00.000Z

I'm this weekend embarking on a major bike service. Well I suppose it's major for me anyway.

My first task was to do a mundane oil change, which I successfully achieved in double quick time after work this evening. It was during this process that I found a crack in my headlight fairing. It goes right through the lower front mounting for the side panel.

It was fine when I last washed her. It must have happened when I recently had new steerhead bearing fitted by a local bike shop as I'm always very careful not to over tighten the bolts. I was very un-impressed. Goodness knows how much that will cost to fix.

Tomorrow I will attempt to replace my cam chain tensioner, fit some new front brake pads, degrease the chain, lube the cables and check all the bolts are secure. All of this will be done without the use of a safety net 8-)

I will report back on my progress tomorrow.

Regards.

Chris.

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The Plan is.....

2006-08-10T22:42:00.000Z

.....to visit and tour the Lake District by motorbike for a week in September this year.

Paul and I have been planning our epic trip since late last year. We have hired a mobile home for the week at a site (the name escapes me, please help me here Paul) near Kendal in Cumbria.

During our week there we will embark on various rides to various places. We have a coulple of ideas of where to visit, but we are open to further suggestions. If you have any ideas for us you can either post a comment or email us direct at trance.elbow@googlemail.com