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Thread: I want to get a bike license

  1. #2041
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonny Wilkinson View Post
    I wondered why the price of crude shot up this morning. They must have heard you were getting the Bimmer out
    Well I did the pre flight checks - tyre pressures, spot on; horn and indicators working fine (not that I use em, BM innit); oil level....... low

    If it doesn't calm down I'll out it next year. Not because it's expensive or anything - it's just bloody annoying constantly topping up. My VTEC Honda I'd understand, and yet that uses hardly anything.

  2. #2042
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    Enfield's turn today - 85 miles, to RAF Bradwell via Hanningfield Reservoir.



    Seems everyone else had the same idea on going to the Memorial:



    Very pleasant indeed

  3. #2043
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    When you say "everyone" you mean "everyone with a shit bike !" lol

  4. #2044
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonny Wilkinson View Post
    When you say "everyone" you mean "everyone with a shit bike !" lol
    Oi Captain Eyesight there's a bunch of sportsbikes up the front there

  5. #2045
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    90 miles after work tonight cos reasons:



    Taking it pretty easy - feeling a bit rusty on the BM still.

  6. #2046
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    Took a little run up to Finchingfield this morning. It was NOT warm but it was very busy even relatively early doors.



    Met up with a mate and then did a ~20 mile backroad loop through what I would say was very much Enfield territory - more nadgery just wider than single track sort of stuff - and ended up at Andrewsfield aerodrome.

    110 miles. Summer gloves were a mistake - missed the heated grips of the BM - and it seems Mrs Arry decided to use my battery pack to charge her phone yesterday as it was only a quarter charged when I set off despite it having been fully charged the last time I saw it. Hmm... Ran out after a couple of hours. Thankfully not too Baltic.

    Military Vehicles turned up in Convoy:




  7. #2047
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    Lot on my mind at the moment with a lot going on in life, so decided to escape the whole day and blow out some dark thoughts.

    The plan was to end up on Mersea Island so I could get a seafood fix but I wanted to go up there the long way around.

    First I headed up through The Ongars, then The Rodings and to the other side of Stanstead to Takely, Thaxted, and The Sampfords to drop into Finchingfield via an unfamiliar direction for me, having always approached it from the south.



    Quick coffee on the green. Well I say quick, I was quick to drink it, but it was nearly half hour in the queue. The joys of the 'Rona. Few Rozzers on bikes up there, talking to locals, seemingly unfussed about the great plague. Couple of Covid Marshalls knocking around, seemingly incredibly concerned for the welfare of the people there.

    Took longer than I wanted to get on the move again, but I was in no particular rush today, as long as I got my seafood.


    Dropped out of Finchingfield to the east and onto Sible Headingham. At some point in the next stretch either I, or the Beeline nav, had a bit of a brain fart and I ended up down some proper nadgery single track stuff, which with the rain we had the night before was pretty lethal for gravel / damp corners. Average speeds were low, but it was still quite fun - thankfully didn't see a lot of cars or indeed any other traffic.

    Ran through to Bures and then down to Wakes Colne to pick up Chappel Viaduct.



    It was at this point that I realised that my summer gloves had a little more ventilation than they should have, since the thumb of my left hand had worn through entirely and the hole was now ~2mm in diameter easily - by the time I got home, you'd have got a thumb print without taking the glove off. Bastard. Time for new gloves .

    That left me some plain sailing to do to finish up on Mersea via Birch and Abberton. It seems Essex County Council has had a shortage of Tarmac going on as they've just chucked gravel down everywhere from Abberton through Great Wigborough and onto Mersea. Freshly thrown down too, so still with piles of the stuff making up the middle of the road where the car wheel tracks haven't hit it. Must have ruined near 10 miles of roads around there and it's all stretches I like a lot, so that put me in a pretty foul mood.

    But onto Mersea I went and the thought of the Company Shed serving me up some seafood was really dinging my dong - it was 2pm and I was super hungry for some slimy little sea-critters. As with all things in the 'Rona affected world there was a queue. So I stood in it. And stood in it, and stood in it, until eventually a girl shouted out of the window 'food orders won't be taken until after 3:30pm. What the absolute?! You're seriously suggesting you can't just serve me a polystyrene tray of cockles within the next hour?!!

    So off to the West Mersea Oyster Bar I went with a fair bit of trepidation, hoping things would be different.

    Busy, queuing out onto the road and the car park was shut. Wasn't looking promising. But I had a word with one of the waitresses and asked if I could put the bike in the corner of the car park so I could keep an eye on it whilst waiting for a table and was about to go and queue up when I saw people coming out with Takeaway in pretty quick time; and then it hit me. I didn't need a table:



    The Enfield seat is the table of plenty stable.

    Cockles, Crayfish Tails and Peeled Prawns - large pots of. And then it was time to take the Wigborough (meh, gravel), Goldhangar (meh, traffic) and Maldon (meh, A roads) roads home with just a little stop at Hanningfield to stare out at the water and contemplate life for a bit.

    156 miles in lovely weather.

  8. #2048
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    Not much time to ride so far this year....

    Building a kitchen extension, work and child all seem to be hogging every sunny day.

    But as the nipper was at a birthday party today I took a couple of hours for a pre MOT run out.

    Love the KTM, after a couple months off it is astonishing how good I feel riding it, I had the fireblabe 8 yrs and was never as comfortable as I am chucking this round.

    Ended up covering 120ish miles around Ashbourne, Buxton and Macclesfield hills.



    And as an added bonus, the cat n fiddle has reopened.

    Sent from my SM-N970F using Tapatalk

  9. #2049
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    Quote Originally Posted by DLowe View Post
    Love the KTM, after a couple months off it is astonishing how good I feel riding it, I had the fireblabe 8 yrs and was never as comfortable as I am chucking this round.
    Good to hear mate

  10. #2050
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    Had a week off and have been down to Cornwall to see J Daawg the Jonny of Wilkinsonshire

    Took the Civic - really wanted to take the 911. But alas.

    JW took pity on me and dragged this beast out of the garage



    So, I dragged Mrs Arry's sorry ass around on it all day - she absolutely loved it, and so did I. What a machine

    Hit Lands End on a motorcycle - life goal attained.






    Then we dicked around in the lanes for a few hours eating Pasties at St Just before setting off for St Ives.




    It's fair to say that on the road to St Ives you would - had you have travelled that day - met a disgruntled JW with an Italian Hyperbike that had come over typically Primadonna But thankfully it decided to behave itself shortly after and he was back underway again.

    Superb day - fantastic few days actually - big thanks to Jonny for being such a megastar

  11. #2051
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    Then today, after having a week of sunshine and only one day of my own motorcycles in the last gawd knows how long, I decided to set off on a long one. TBF, I probably shouldn't have - I'd done just under 1000 miles in the car this week and was feeling pretty tired but the opportunity was there so I forced myself to take it.

    Set off 8 ish and first stop was going to be breakfast. Ordinarily I stop at Andrewsfield Aviation as they do a neat brekkie at the air strip but today I rolled past it and thought I'd head towards Finchingfield first thing and see if the queue wasn't too sad. Didn't get that far before I spotted an incline in the road which was clearly an old railway bridge, and 'station road' to my right. New housing dominated proceedings but I persevered and..... Lo and behold, an old railway station converted to a cafe!








    After this little find, I set off via Finchingfield to Thetford Forest,



    Then onwards to do the Norfolk TT:

    https://www.bestbikingroads.com/moto...ury-st-edmunds

    The Enfield was pretty much flat out up the A1065 section of the route, but still managed to go by plenty of other things, and on the way back down again it was happily carving through the lanes.

    Played fuel light roulette a little too close - but didn't run out. Did put my waterproofs on, but the cloud always seemed to be behind me. Someone was smiling on me today it seems

  12. #2052
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    Quote Originally Posted by arry View Post
    Had a week off and have been down to Cornwall to see J Daawg the Jonny of Wilkinsonshire

    Took the Civic - really wanted to take the 911. But alas.

    JW took pity on me and dragged this beast out of the garage



    So, I dragged Mrs Arry's sorry ass around on it all day - she absolutely loved it, and so did I. What a machine

    Hit Lands End on a motorcycle - life goal attained.






    Then we dicked around in the lanes for a few hours eating Pasties at St Just before setting off for St Ives.




    It's fair to say that on the road to St Ives you would - had you have travelled that day - met a disgruntled JW with an Italian Hyperbike that had come over typically Primadonna But thankfully it decided to behave itself shortly after and he was back underway again.

    Superb day - fantastic few days actually - big thanks to Jonny for being such a megastar
    It was great to have visitors Glad you enjoyed yourselves

    That railway cafe looks brilliant. Maybe when I get back to Essex....

  13. #2053
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    Made it to my 3rd track day, this time at Llandow! Weather was lush so put a lot more confidence in my tyres and trying to lean off the bike. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Still a lot to learn though


  14. #2054
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    Quote Originally Posted by drc View Post
    Made it to my 3rd track day, this time at Llandow! Weather was lush so put a lot more confidence in my tyres and trying to lean off the bike. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Still a lot to learn though
    ]
    Excellent work captain Doesn't look like you could have picked any better weather in that part of the world

  15. #2055
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    I have been taking spy shots at a kiddie's skate park in Burnham





    75 miles after work on a nice sunny evening. Couldn't do that if I were still in town (I'd have been too pissed by the time I got home).

  16. #2056
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    KTM just been for MOT.....

    I assumed the conti sport attack was similar in design to my old pirelli diablo - as in the tread just looks like it's been scribed with a Stanley knife.

    This is not the case, £150 later, new tyre on and they have about 10mm deep tread lol, it passed then decided the horn was going to blow its fuse and melt some wiring where it was connected.... yay.

    So that was an entertaining hour trying maneuver my oversize frame between the forks to replace the connectors.

    Anyhoo it's all good again now for another 12 months, and it appears summer is over

    Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

  17. #2057
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    I had that rear tyre fitted - I think it's done less than 4k total mileage You might want to consider something more durable for next time

  18. #2058
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    Only 4k ooof.....

    The fronts still not too bad, though probably less than half tread considering what the new one looks like.

    Next time round it'll want a pair, probably go for something a bit more durable as I plan to keep it for a long time

    Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

  19. #2059
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    The receipt will be in the folder somewhere mate - I got a huge screw through the old one close to the sidewall so a new one was the only answer. I think that was 2016. The front was new in 2017 when it went in for its major service including the valve check (I dropped nearly a grand on that, FFS ).

    The front didn't see much use though as I was always on the rear wheel

  20. #2060
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    Quote Originally Posted by arry View Post
    Excellent work captain Doesn't look like you could have picked any better weather in that part of the world
    Ye was a belter of a day, thanks!

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