Full Power, full speed ahead!

Two years ago this week I passed my Motorcycle test, on Henry my plucky little CG125, resulting in my first real ride of Sylvie, my lovely Suzuki SV650 in her restricted form. Two years on and I have been riding around on a restricted bike, been touring with full panniers and have taken many friends for a blast up the road.

So how is it to ride a full power SV650S with a handle bar conversion?

Can I start the engine now please?

There is only one word that fits Sylvie in her unrestricted form, beautiful! I am however once again back on the learning curve and this time it is a little easier. Well it was, then Carol said those word that involve great power... "Have a go on Noreen!" she said...

Right a bit, left a bit... Eek, too much power!

Riding a full power muscle bike is a revelation, but what really shines out is that there is a sense of menace with a bike this powerful, the sort of menace that lurks deep inside, the sort that wants to twist that throttle hard and sprint down the road at super speed... Me naughty? Never!

A perfect track stand, utterly still, the rider in perfect balance with machine!

So with the full power ECU back in place and the 33BHP unit sat in an envelope ready to post off to a person on the SV forum, it was time for a ride. Shame it was so damn cold.

OK, but I am not riding your bike back home!

Yes, good old Sand Bay here in Weston, a place we came when we brought Sylvie to her new home for the very first time, back in the days when a 125cc Bike scared the life out of me.

Through the mists of time, we can see Jayne in 2008!

I can nearly ride a bike me!

Now with us both on full power bikes at last, Carol no longer has to hang around at the back waiting for me to catch up. Although, in all fairness to the fabulous Sylvie, even restricted she was able to make good time on her trips out. So now I have to start learning again how to ride my bike and as a full power bike she is just awesome. So for a training ride with the wife, we headed out to Blagdon to buy some food for Alby the Barnowl. With two frozen chicks strapped to the back of Noreen, we got ready to ride home and then the heavens opened.

Got there safe, time to buy some Alby dinner.

Here comes the rain

Jayne enjoying British spring time

The ride home was awesome and watching Carol disappear into the distance reminds of just how far I have come and how far I still want to achieve. Learning to ride a bike well is not something that can be rushed with a five day training course, it is about learning skills, building experience and getting through the mistakes. Riding well takes practice and it takes training, so if I had to do my time again, I would still do it the same way. If you are about to start riding a bike, do it my way and really enjoy the learning. Every bike I have ridden so far has been an awesome place to be sat, be it Henry the Honda CG125, Agnes the Yamaha XJ400 or My dear Sylvie the Suzuki SV650S. Maybe one day when my skills are a little more refined I can enjoy the experience of taking Noreen the Kawasaki ZRX1100 for a ride, but that wont happen until I am ready and for that there is no rush.

Thank you Carol for all of your patience, training and advice, all of it was greatly appreciated. 

Forking Hey!

Have you ever started a job and then wished that you had not? We have all done it, tidied out the dusty cupboard and found why it is so dusty and in need of tidying! Well think about your bike suspension forks, when was the last time you thought about their insides?

Having owned the gorgeous and glamorous Sylvie since 2008, I thought that it is about time we changed her fork oil and greased up the head bearings. A simple job you would think, not more than two hours if you go slowly. Oh I wish it was so easy...

First things to find were the seized in Allen bolts that hold the front mudguard, with the rear of the threaded aluminium attachment point open to the air, the dry fitted steel bolt did what comes naturally and bonded in place,never to let go again. So armed with numerous drill bits from tiny to slightly less tiny, I attacked the bolt. Only to screw it up and snap off the head before I could drill it out properly. Not a happy teddy!

With the forks out it was time to change the oil and what came out was vile grey sludge, pretending to be oil. Cleaned out and refilled with lovely fresh oil, the forks felt spritely and alive. Then it came to the head bearing and we discovered much to my annoyance that the aluminum lock nuts had been cross threaded and did not want to budge. It took an age to get them off and gave me skinned knuckles, a case of Tourettes and an evil scowl. Once open, the head races were almost dry, so I cleaned them up, checked for damage and was hapy to find that all was well.

Interestingly, my lovely Giant XtC Mountain Bike has a better set of head bearings than this much heavier motorcycle. The Giant has a Woodman Components triple bearing headset, needle rollers in the very bottom race and with two further sets of ball races above. The Suzuki has two simple ball races, I have not seen a set up this crude since working on cheap Raleigh push bikes! Oh by the way, the Giant is still for sale and we are open to offers!

For Sale, the Bike not the Bird!

So with the ball races greased and back together, it was time to refit the dreaded Aluminium locking nuts. Which went on smoothly and easily, proving that if you don't cross thread these things they can be fitted with the correct tool.

With everything back in place it was time to fit the forks which slid home with some encouragement and then the wheel. Sadly, it had got dark by this time and I had discovered that the Magnetic rotor that works the speedo was broken, leaving that repair for another day.

Luckily for me, my Darling Carol was about to video the process for you lucky people.

Please excuse the swearing, cursing and general debauchery of working in the garage!

It is service time again...

It has been a while since we posted, but this sadly is because not much has happened. I am sad to report that Noreen the ZRX is currently languishing in the garage in need of some work, along with Agnes the XJ. Yoshi the DT50 has now gone to Alex, but as is the way with these things, it broke down the day before his CBT. Alex took his CBT on a moped and passed, as we knew he would, but the DT50 is resolutely refusing to run properly.

Then we get to Sylvie, my trusty SV650S, she has had a another hard winter, but you would not know it by looking at her. Last autumn I gave her a good coat of a corrosion preventative spray called ACF50 and this stuff is amazing. I swear that there is less corrosion on her now than there was at the end of last summer! At the start of the spring, I gave Sylvie her first wash of the year and cleaned off a winters worth of commuting filth. Under the grime in shiny glory was my precious Sylvie.

But all was not well, Sylvie's clutch was slightly out of adjustment. So I made a little video.

Well, I say that I made a video, this is of course complete lies, all I did was record some footage on my little camera before the battery ran out! Then I handed the footage over to Carol and let her perform her black magic on the Mac!

While she was doing this, she also decided that it was about time that we released our work on our side project.

PLACES I HAVE BEEN MISERABLE!

Yes, it is our aim to find really stunningly beautiful places and thoroughly un-enjoy them!
Check out the footage...

So this is what we have been up to, don't worry, we have not forgotten you all.

Until next time.
Byeeeeeee
XXX

Jayne on Skates II - getting better

Friendship, those moments when Ouch is accompanied by giggles.

Friend: Noun. A person attached to another through feelings of affection or personal regard.

Friend
	A real friend is someone who: a)it's okay to fart in front of. b)you don't mind talking to on the bus for atleast 20 minutes. c)can borrow £5 from and never has to pay it back d)you'll actually call up do stuff.

These are dictionary definitions of the word friend, the second taken from the on line Urban Dictionary, while the first is taken from a more prestigious tome. Yes, friends, those lovely people who we confide in, share gossip and personal stories with and even the occasional foolhardy plan.

Two friends of mine are Susie and Belinda, both kind, gentle, caring and supportive people, the sort of people you want to look after your loved ones when they are in care. These two charming ladies have recently got me into trouble. How you may ask, well because they had the great idea of learning to Roller Skate and they asked me along. I know that I am going to get hurt!

This Skating lark is a doddle!

I have me some new Blades and having never skated before, I felt confident that I would have cracked this sport with in an hour or two. Well, I did feel like that until I put my feet into the bastards and then tried to stand up!

It is simple, just move your feet forwards and backwards, wobble and fall on your arse!

I think that I am going to die, painfully and probably while sliding up the pavement in wheeled shoes! Oh before you ask, yes I am wearing Motorcycle armour and a mountain bike helmet crash helmet there. I don't like broken bones!

A big massive thank you to the wife for her support while I tried out my Skates for the very first time.

Alby on the iMac

2011, a review

So here we sit at the end of 2011, wondering where the hell it went, the time flew by, the months were too short and the endless skies sadly proved to have an end after all. We saw some months that moved us to tears and some months that saw us laughing like drains, we rode bikes and met people and we started new businesses. 2011, what a ride.

We started the year with a spot of Urbexing up in Barrow hospital, nothing like a bit of poking around in abandoned mental hospitals, it was kind of creepy but sadly it was not something that we repeated. We did have our eyes on an old hotel, but sadly it burned down before we could get inside. Cause of the fire was rumoured to be the people breaking in and vandalising the place. All that is left is a broken shell and maybe a vague hope that there is still something worth seeing.

February saw us arsing about in the garage, making Rosie run and putting a new engine into Agnes after blowing the old lump on the ride to work. Yet with a new 550 lump sat in place, she still refused to run right and it took a new set of carbs, a new loom and more work to complete to get that bike working right. I was also taking my first pillion for a ride since passing my test, a ride that inspired her to go further and further.

 Then Jack fluttered into our lives, a darling little Starling, fresh from the nest and clamped in the jaws of a local cat. After a swift chase, the little baby bird was rescued and taken home to the Shrubbery, to be put in a box and left in the dark. Putting baby birds in the dark reduces the stress they are under, but cat bites are serious, cats are filthy animals and bites to wild birds will lead to septicemia in the little bird. If Jack could make it through the night, he stood a good chance!

Two days later, Jack died of septicaemia and both Carol and I were deeply upset. Jack had been sitting on our fingers and taking food, we truly thought that he was going to make it. Buried in the garden, Jack was gone from our lives, but not our hearts. That night Carol made a discovery. Alby was in our hands and hearts with in twenty four hours.

2011 was also the year that Carol lost her Nan Noreen. Always a gentle woman, she passed away in hospital, taking with her a past that we will always wonder about. In memory of her came Noreen the ZRX1100, Carol’s new bike and a lovely trip from Brighton to bring her home.

We spent the summer supporting Weston Super Mare Bike Night, an event that raised over £12000 for the Royal British Legion. How did we support this event? Well by using our new company, Biker Rock Radio, a subsidiary of the STF group. We provided the PA and music for each event that we could and had a great time every night, even when it poured with rain. If you ever want some where good to go on a Thursday night, then Bike Night it is!

A trip to London for the wedding was a lovely trip and riding both bikes was a dream come true, the wedding of Rachel to Jan was lovely, but leaving the bikes locked out side while the first night of the London riots took place was an experience. The ride home was equally fun, but as with any ride, the return home is always bitter sweet.

Our big adventure in 2011 was the Bulldog Bash, a first for Jayne, but another badge for Carol to put with the rest in her collection. The ride over to the venue was a fully loaded festival of riding. I started off with the phones in and music blasting, riding along listening to Slayer is always a treat. For me the best part of the Bulldog was the Drag strip, watching those bikes blast down that strip filled me with an excitement and a desire to do the same one day.

Once back home Sylvie had a small accident, when a work colleague of Jayne’s reversed her car into her. The damage was not excessive, but it was enough to render Sylvie unridable. As soon as it was reported to the insurance, a hire bike was delivered, but given that it was a sports bike, Jayne could barely ride it. She then spent five months riding the most boring bike ever built, the Honda CB600F, the motorcycling equivalent of crocheting bobbles hats!

 

With the final Bike Night upon us and a dark winter to look forwards to, our dear friend Wayne has just finished his Superb Kawasaki ZX10R stealth fighter. It was the bike equivalent of a super model, thin, pretty but with the engineering excellence of a mad genius under every panel. Sadly while on his way to the last Bike Night of the year, Wayne was very badly hurt in an accident and the ZX10R was left a barely rolling wreck. With Wayne in hospital, Biker Rock Radio DJs Carol, Lee and Jayne drove out to collect it from the depot. With it safely put in the trailer, it was delivered to Wayne’s Dad and left in the garage. Fortunately Wayne is now out of Hospital, but for a while he was a great worry to us. Thankfully, the ZX10R is also back in the workshop and Dr Wayne is about to start a rebuild.

 Carol and Jayne were both asked to take part in the Remembrance Parade as members of the British Legion. With Carol on the ZRX1100 and Jayne still riding the Hire Honda, we took part in the parade along with other members of the local Riders Branch. It was a proud moment for us both being there with the other riders and veterans.

Finally Sylvie came home and the horrible Honda was sent back with a flea in its ear. Riding Sylvie again was a joy after the boring Honda, the feel of the power, the way she drops into corners and just the grin factor of riding a bike that growls in the way that she does. She was in need of a Valve check though and Jayne was dreading this. If she needed new shims it was a case of removing the cams. Luckily everything was with in tolerance and no cams needed pulling out.

So that was out 2011, a mixture of the sad and the exciting, great times spent with friends at their best and worrying time spent with very ill friends and loved ones. We had some great adventures and saw some amazing things. With 2012, we have Carol’s son Alex about to take the big step into the world of motorcycles as soon as he is old enough to get his license. We have Bike Night starting again in April and there are the other many things that we are looking forwards to as well. So from all of us at Curious Adventures, we hope that your 2012 will be fun, peaceful and most of all, filled with curious adventures. 

Alex on his Yamaha DT50