Back on motorcycles after 22 yrs, I'd like to share my daily run to and from work (130 miles round trip). I hope it doesn't become boring - try to post the hightlights, lowlights and lowlifes of the weeks journey.
The past nine weeks of travelling on my Kawasaki VN 1500 D2 Classic have been pure joy despite on most occassions wet weather ,log jammed motorways and blowing exhaust.
With 5700 miles recorded in 9 years I have now reached 10700 miles almost doubling its 9 yr mileage in as many weeks.
Living approx 300 yards from the Bristol Channel I have a constant battle with corrosion, the worst being the highway hawk chrome. I have been using ACF50 and will let you know how it goes after the winter is over - if I have any chrome left.
This week
A short week having fallen down stairs on Sunday put me off work for 2 days - fortuneatly able to do some work from home on dial up.
Wednesday - not a bad journey traffic jams from Coryton to High Cross and the usual motor between lanes at around 25 mph faster than the traffic is travelling-need you wits about you.
Thursday - weather mild and dry - motorway seems deserted and able to reach Bristol in 53 mins (65miles door to door). Outside lane most of the way - glancing in at the pretty young things as I pass - Amazing how many cars are occupied by single females. Wind quite strong (weather that is) but am not suprised when travelling at 80 mph I am passed on the inside by White Van Man in a high sided hire van at 85 -90. Soon no doubt he will wear this van as a hat.
Police out over motorway bridge at Pencoed - defending democracy and the west against those that have no regard for law and 1000 years of Nationhood by flaunting all that we hold dear. Essential that these evildoers are caught and punished severley for their disregard for all things British by speeding on the Queen's highway. Slow down at this stage. Severn Crossing quite brezzy but soon in work.
Home journey - Dark and windy - hate the bridge with its motorcycle traps. 2 foot of glittering steel thrown across the motorway waiting to throw you off when wet if your not vertical. Several of these swines on the 3 mile stretch under the guise of expansion joints. No hold ups good journey except for the Mercedes Chelsea tractor whose lights have been set for low flying Lancasters. For years driving cars I lost sight of mortality as I travelled around in my steel coffin - However on the bike with the tarmac flashing beneath you appreciate every moment of life.
During each journey I see around 4 motorcycles over the 65 mile hike - do motorcyclist hibernate?
Friday - another quite journey in - again around 55 mins holding up not dropping below 70 and generally around 80. Saw around 6 motorcycles this morning - summer must be on the way -passed a drifter - nobody else makes a bike that colour (turquoise).
The journey home very good for a Friday - light rain perks up the senses. Fortuneatly not the stinging cold rain that winter brings - although after a few miles of that rain your face loses all sensation and you take on the appearance of Tim Allen in Christmas with the Cranks - a cheaper alternative to Botox.
If anyone's partner wants botox - take them out in cold driving rain in an open face helmet - and use the money you save on the bike.

Let you know how next week goes.

Adrian

Events later in the week have caused any thoughts earlier in the week to disappear.
Monday 18/12/06
Weather getting colder. Memorable event having a ginger piece in an Audi pull out in front of me on a roundabout. Visibility to some people is the windscreen only - any event outside this area just doesn't exist. Have to brake heavy. I console myself with the thought of the interview with Jonathon Ross and Nicole Kidman. For those not familiar with this interview reference is made to ginger people (ie Brazilian wax and its' resemblance to a fish finger) amuses me for sometime.
Tuesday - work from home.
Wednesday 20/12/06
Neighbour scraping windscreen - I attempt to brush off water from seat to discover its ice.
Freezing fog the whole journey (speed cameras at Pencoed) - by Llantrisant my fingers are numb (can't feel the levers). Gloves have a coating of ice from knuckles to tips - making it a little scary running between the queues from Llantrisant to Cardiff Gate. By Coryton Saab following trying to push me along - 75 in fog is fast enough and I let him pass - no doubt his heater and electrically heated seat makes him feel its a summer's day. Arrive in work - cheeks numb (face that is) and hands to knuckles, and after about 1/2 hr fingers become pink as life returns. Return journey similar tail - bike twitches on expansion joints on bridge. As I pass the tolls I thank the French for enabling me to fund the bike - No charge for motorcycles so the £4.90 daily charge I would pay in the car pays the finance on the bike. After 20 miles gloves frozen.
Thursday 21/12/06
Cold again - less fog. Less traffic and able to hold a comfortable 85. Hit a patched section of Motorway and the Kawasaki skips around for a while - drop the speed to 70 as I feel the blood pounding around my arms. Bike wallows a little at high cross in the right hander to the downward stretch to the tunnels.
Journey home - get a message M4 closed at Coldra - fatal accident with motorcyclist further on .
Cross the bridge speak to the lady on the toll re the accident - her husband rides bikes. Within 2 miles traffic is stationery and I move between lanes. Most lorry drivers pull over give you more room, but the 3 continental drivers(European) block all three lanes, I move between 2 and find the gap narrower than first thought - with mirrors turned I clatter both leavers against the wheel arches as I pass the stationery trucks. A few miles further on in a similar move between a tanker and and a curtainsider the gap is tight and I feel the tankers back tyre brush my boot (on ground) as he moves forward - my handlebar clouts the cab of the curtainsider as I extract myself from between them. Don't plan on such tight gaps again. After an hour and a quarter I have travelled 22 miles. Arrive home after 2hrs. Find out motorcyclist was 63 from the Bridgend area and was killed after collision with a hgv.
Friday 22/12/06 - working in Cardiff today - colder than yesterday and gloves freeze after 10 miles - more enjoyable day as I travel different roads. Pick up new exhaust seals from JT motorcycles - hope to fit the Vance and Hines over the Christmas break.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas I look forward to the long haul in 2007. Bike has now clocked up over 11k miles.

Are youre speeds at MPH or KPH? ie. you state your running a "comfortable 85" is that in mph or kph?

_________________
Kawi VN1600

I dont give a damn what the name on the bike is..........Just ride it.

AZRider: Never met a bike he didnt like.

in answer to the question

MPH.

Ade

WOW. I didnt think you guys did over 50 or so, on or in anything,over ther.
Have fun.

_________________
Kawi VN1600

I dont give a damn what the name on the bike is..........Just ride it.

AZRider: Never met a bike he didnt like.

Short week for riding
Boxing Day took the car out - needed to buy a new tv (difficulty in fitting on bike).
Wednesday - enjoyable and uneventful ride to Cardiff (work). Roads very quiet. Rains on the way home.
Friday back to Bristol - very windy - reach the severn crossing and unable to maintain more than 65 as gales blowing across the carriageway. Return journey - log jam at Almondsbury junction - this motorway interchange is a killing zone and almost has daily accidents as traffic criss crosses from one side of the carriageway to the other depending on which direction and motorway they are heading. As I approach the interchange a motorway sign reads "debris in road" - usually the aftermath of an accident. Move through at almost walking pace. Once Almondsbury clear it's M4 bridge and the long haul home. Need to go shopping tonight, opt to take the bike any excuse to use it. It's Dark Wet and Windy - but it is great to ride out not just for work. After purchasing food and drink I discover Iv'e left the cargo net at home. Saddle bags take 4 lb of potatoes/5 grapefruit and lemons/marzipan/brandy butter/Thai coconut rice/1/2 lb cheddar/1/2 lb of Mozzarella/8 0z butter/chorizo sausage/750 ml olive oil- Extra Virgin of course/bottle of Retsina/bottle of Cava(for new years eve)tin pineapples/1 lb carrots/1lb parsnips. The 4 pints of milk and 6oz of strawberries have to be stuffed in the Jacket.
The beauty of using the bike to go shopping is I have to go more often re luggage space and therefore use it more.
Nb the potatoes and the Thai rice go toward Thai Potato Crab Cakes - If anyone's interested I'll post the recipe,
Next week will be another short week and the start of a new year- oh dear the bridge tolls rise to £5.10 per crossing - bikes exempt..... ho ho ho.
Ade.

Im more interested in what your going to do with Chorizo, And how do you even have it over there. We eat it all the time, but my wife is part Mexican, and we do live in the Southwest. Whats your excuse?

_________________
Kawi VN1600

I dont give a damn what the name on the bike is..........Just ride it.

AZRider: Never met a bike he didnt like.

A New Year

What awful weather - gales make the journey quite hazardous. Wednesday crossing the bridge back to Wales reduced to 55mph. At 154lbs in weight trying to control 1/3 ton of motorcycle that is being blown to hell and back is no longer fun. Once off the bridge whilst dark wet and windy some normality returns. Thursday whilst windy not so fierce and make Bristol in 55 mins (65 miles door to door)
Tuesday - 9th Jan - Schools are back and the traffic is heavy as well as still windy. At Magor pass Police Transit - what is a police transit doing going from Gwent to Avon ? different forces. Not on reserve at 114 miles but switch over on approach to bridge can't be trying to switch on bridge with wind and expansion joints - would be suicide.
What I have noticed riding home regularly is most commuters have SAT NAV glowing on their dash boards. WHY? Can't they remember the way to work and home? Do they have memories of Goldfish?
Ah I here them say "Sat Nav warns me against traffic jams" WRONG It warns everybody and just creates another jam on an alternative route.
BUY A BIKE and get through the jams.
To AZ - My excuse for Chorizo is Sainsbury's - and I use it in a pasta bake - which once I figure out how to post them in the recipe book on this site.
My other subject is Diesel I'll discuss this next time.
All the best
Ade

Let me know when you get them posted. Am quite interested. Sainsbury's would be a dish?

Also interested in what you have to say about Diesel. I got to follow one while riding today.

_________________
Kawi VN1600

I dont give a damn what the name on the bike is..........Just ride it.

AZRider: Never met a bike he didnt like.

Wed 10 Jan 07

Worked closer to home today - winds gusting upwards of 70mph. Almost blown off by a gale approaching the seafront, bringing me to a standstill. Winds have always been strong in this part of the world with Sandstorms closing the medieval port of Kenfig in 1316, completely covering the Roman coast road in 1480 and covering the ancient town of Kenfig in the 1600's. Buffeted all the way to Cardiff with a tail wind pushing me along into the city as I enter a speed trap. Brake heavy to reduce speed in the speed trap. Home journey avoid wreckage strewn on motorway(large fibreglass panel off something). Order Clymer manual on way home.
Remainder of week at Bristol - wind still gale force riding quite hazardous.

w/c 15 Jan 07.

Fitted the Vance and Hines straight shots on the week end.

Winds die down and week starts quite well - midweek and it's the Volvo as I am working in Kent for 2 days- just as well the car as Gales lash the Country and I am driving around the remainder of trees as I head for the M25 between West Wickham and Gatwick. The journey home (around 200 miles takes 6 1/2 hrs)
Friday and the it's passing accidents to Bristol and return - Winter tends to bring on at least one pile up a day. The ultimate being a car fire at Pencoed on the way home (opposite carriage way). A tell tale sign of an accident on the opposite carriageway is the outside lane slowing down (whilst the inner lanes do not) with the rubber neckers gawping at the carnage.
Vance and Hines heat shields not as good as Kawasaki as I melt my Joe Rocket waterproofs.
However, I do feel that motorcycles were invented to complement V & H.
Performance improved, I 'd even swear that the gear change is smoother and the bike handles better!
After a week of riding V & H re tighten bolts on exhaust manifold. Wash the bike.

week end pick up the clymer manual as 12000 mile service overdue - carry out myself as warranty now expired.

Monday 22 Jan 07

Cold but dry, cant help notice the chrome looks almost white flecked with blue with highlights of pale gold from the winter sun - with this vision the journey is a joy. The return is equally pleasurable as the chrome in the dark now looks black with orange/ red and white orbs flashing down the metal towards me as I pass other road users, and the sound of the pipes is music - especially in the Newport tunnels.

My comments on Diesel are the headaches I've had passing the long lines of traffic as you breath in its warm gas from the exhausts of lorries, and the amazing properties the liquid has. When filling up at fuel stations (where the anally challenged cannot leave go of the pump trigger before withdrawing the nozzle from their cars) it has the incredible ability to stick to your boots and tyres forever, yet almost magically not grip anything else it comes into contact with. There must be another use for such a versatile liquid.

I will upload a picture of the vn with the vance and hines in the Kawasaki gallery as I can't work out how to insert image from my computer here.

Ade