Thursday 31 May 2012
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Homeward Bound
Gareth
and I left Reims this morning and headed for Zeebrugge in
Belgium and our ferry home . Another warm day, with very light traffic, at least until we left the peage/toll roads.
Since we arrived in Zeebrugge with plenty of time to spare we headed off along the
coast a bit and chilled out in a surf-shack cafe on the beach.
View from the bar |
Unfortunately
we had to restrict ourselves to a few soft drinks. A cold beer would have been
most welcome after the long day’s ride.
I'll
start posting pictures when I get home tomorrow.
So
far it’s been a good trip, and despite the distances involved a relatively
straightforward one.
Roll
on next year when we have tentatively pencilled in a similar trip to the Stella
Alpina Rally in Italy.
Sunday 27 May 2012
Rednecks
As
mentioned yesterday we all got badly sunburnt wandering about at the race
track. Today, the back of my neck and my forearms are a lovely shade of crimson not
usually seen in nature.
So, we decided not to spend so long out in the sun and called a halt about one
o'clock having seen another batch of racing, toured the club stands and
wandered about the paddock area looking over the race bikes.
As
I'm using an iPad to make these entries I'm having some problems loading
photos. Be assured that I took plenty and I plan on a proper write up with
appropriate pictures when I get back. You'll either have to wait till then or
check out some of Norrie's pictures on his blog.
This
is our last night in Dijon. Tomorrow Gareth and I head north to Reims before
heading to Zeebrugge the following day to catch the ferry and home. Norrie is
planning on spending another week or so in France on his own before heading
back.
Holidays in the Sun
We spent
all day yesterday at Dijon-Prenois racetrack in the sun, and we all got badly
sunburnt. Not often us Scots can say that!
The
Coupe Moto Legende event is just massive. I took hundreds of pictures, some of
which I'll post when I get back, and that barely scratched the surface of what
was there.
We
also got to see Agostini, Phil Read and a number of other old timers race their
classic bikes around the circuit.
All
in all a good day, if rather long.
Friday 25 May 2012
Over the Hills & Far Away
We
finally arrived in Dijon yesterday evening after a long run down to Hull to
catch the ferry to Zeebrugge and then the long 400 plus mile run to Dijon
proper once in France.
The Three Amigos somewhere in France |
On
the way we lost Terry whose bike expired almost within touching distance of
Hull.
Today
was spent wandering around the old town and dodging the roadworks - they're
digging up the roads to install a new tram system. Coming from Edinburgh, where
they've been at something similar for about three years it made me feel right
at home.
The
racing starts tomorrow, so there is more to come.
Monday 21 May 2012
Made For Walking
I
have just finished re-proofing my trusty Alt-berg boots for the trip to France. As a
result, I now have waterproof hands, which should come in handy if it
rains.
Sunday 20 May 2012
Coupes Moto Légende
Well,
it’s nearly that time again. Time to pack the bike, head for a ferry terminal
and make that trip across the sea to foreign climes. This year, as mentioned
earlier, I and a few friends (Norrie, Terry (MuZRider) & Gareth) are planning on a
little run through France to Dijon for the Coupes Moto Légende.
Part race meeting, part bike show and generally a
good time to be had by all (if all the reports I’ve read are anything to go by),
the event is held annually at the Dijon-Prenois race track in Eastern France.
A little taster from last year, courtesy of YouTube
Mr. Combo and his lovely assitant Rita |
We’re
away for about a week. So, either I’ll manage to post regular updates utilising
the hotel’s wi-fi, or there will be a big gap until I get back and then I’ll
post loads of photos and stuff. Only time will tell.
Thursday 17 May 2012
Wednesday 16 May 2012
Nostalgia Ain't What It Used To Be
This
must be how older guys feel about British bikes they grew up with.
Many
years ago I used to own a beat up old Suzuki GT250 X7. It had passed through
the hands of many of my friends, and had been crashed a good few times. By the
time I got my hands on it it lacked mirrors and indicators, had a jury-rigged electrical system operated by
some toggle switches under the seat, expansion chambers and K & N filters instead
of an airbox, and was painted a rather lurid green colour. Unfortunately I don’t
have any photos of it.
But,
boy did it shift. However, after yet another crash it was eventually given to
another friend for nothing as I didn’t have the space to store it.
I recently
briefly toyed with the idea of getting another one, but it has become a bit of
a cult classic with reasonable ones selling for between 1500 and 2000. This is
more than I want to part with for the sake of nostalgia.
There is even a decent owners club for them.
Tuesday 15 May 2012
Currency
I picked
up some foreign currency (Euros) from the bank this afternoon for my trip to France next week.
Gosh, it’s nearly holiday time now.
Gosh, it’s nearly holiday time now.
Monday 14 May 2012
Testing Times/Landmarks 2012
Well,
I finally managed to get the Triumph in for its annual MOT (safety inspection)
this afternoon.
At the MOT Centre |
It
passed as I fully expected it to. Nevertheless, there is always that niggling fear,
that small element of doubt at the back of your mind that something will go
wrong and it will fail.
Shiny new chain & sprocket |
It happens to me every time, no matter how much time and effort I have
put into making sure everything is as it should be I always think that I might
have overlooked something. I once got all the way to the test centre only to have an indicator bulb blow as I was pulling in to the car park.
View from inside my helmet |
On the
way back I managed to get the last photo I needed for the Landmarks Challenge I
mentioned in an earlier post. Unfortunately, this was #17 Rain. So, with the others I took a while back, that's me finished. Having said that, I'll probably have another go and try and be a bit more adventurous. I'll have to see what I can come up with on the trip to France next week.
Also,
I had to stop and take a picture of this groovy mobility scooter I saw on my way home. "Look out
kids, Granpa’s on the loose again"
Saturday 12 May 2012
Chainmail
Off
to France soon. Time for a new chain & sprockets for the Bike.
Fitting them, the first
thing to understand is that you should ignore most of the things that they tell you to do
in your Haynes manual. While such manuals are useful, their methods are in no way the only way that things can be done.
Thinking like that, well, that way madness lies!
Thursday 10 May 2012
Saturday 5 May 2012
Nifty Footwork
When
I bought it I found the standard riding position on my Triumph a bit cramped
on long journeys, and I was disappointed to find that you couldn’t adjust either
the standard handlebars or the footpegs. I did buy some very expensive handlebar risers
about a year or so ago and these have made a tremendous difference, but I still
get a bit of cramp in my legs, mainly due to a knackered left knee.
I
recently decided to bite the bullet and get myself some adjustable footpegs as
well to see if these helped. I
found a set of Vario alloy footpegs from a company in Germany which were advertised as being fully adjustable. I ordered them online from Germany, they were paid for using PayPal
and I received the parcel within a week of placing the order. Isn’t modern
technology wonderful? Remember looking for stuff before the internet?
Here’s
the three-piece kit I received. From the left: pair alloy Touring footpegs, pair
alloy ‘hinges’ & pair 30mm alloy spacer-arms.
The
basic idea is that you fit a spacer-arm between the original
mounting point on the frame and the new alloy peg (you can see the difference in these two 'pics). The peg has teeth cut into it which line up
with similar teeth in the spacer-arm. This then allows you to move the position of the footpeg to best suit you, and the length of the spacer-arm determines how much
travel you now have to play around with.
I
decided to fit them this afternoon. The instructions were straight-forward
enough, if a bit on the strange side; it looked like someone used babelfish translation
software. Essentially, you take the old pegs off and fit the new pegs using the
existing bolts and circlips. The whole thing only took about 15 minutes. If
only everything were this easy.
I do
have one complaint, though. The kit was advertised as being designed specifically
for my particular machine so I didn’t expect any problems with the fit. However, the ‘hinges’ are a bit smaller than the ones on the standard pegs,
which leaves the new pegs sitting at a bit of an downward angle. While this doesn’t pose
a problem while you’re actually riding the bike it is annoying and detracts from the
look of the bike and from what is otherwise a quality product.
Wednesday 2 May 2012
Race Breed
MuZ
Skorpion Sport Cup 660
Essentially a Skorpion Sport equipped with a full fairing and a single seat and intended for clubman racing.
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