Blue’s WordPress Blog

Over the weekend I decided it was time to wash Blue Rex after the last trackday so I polished him up good and proper.

Also fitted one of the “perfect” indicators that I’d bought on eBay; perfect, that is, if you don’t mind the connectors having been cut off. Gah!

Clear indicator glass is on order from Clear Alternatives in the States at less than the cost of the set I was bidding for from Taiwan.

I also used up a load of Solvol on the full titanium Akrapovic exhaust system I got from Gibbo to remove most of the tarnishing you get with titanium. I won’t fit the system until I get a set of exhaust gaskets.

Once fitted, I’ll get the bike rejetted with a Stage 2 or 3 Dynojet and junk the rest of the emissions gubbins, so I should get another 8 or so bhp over and above the 5 I get from the end can only.

Now I’m waiting on the replacement Powerbronze crash post and the bike will be ready for Cadwell on June 9th. I just wish the same could be said of me: at this rate, I may be wearing my scuffed leathers, my motocross gloves and a pair of trainers with my mullet flying in the breeze: the new Arlen Ness leathers are on order, as are the boots and gloves but there’s no sign of them yet and the replacement Arai has yet to get to the helmet dealers too. Gah!

17 May 2005

Looks like my favourite circuit, Mallory Park, is going to be something of a mixed bag for me: that’s where I crashed heavily back in 1991. And yes, I did it again at the Folly trackday this week.

I’d been asked to help out taking the Novices round in their first session of the day as we were down an instructor. I saw someone who I felt appeared to be riding significantly quicker than everyone else in the Novices (and overtaking too closely), but the session ended just as I decided to go after them to check.

So I went out in the next Novice session straight after doing an Intermediate one and waited for them to come around, by which time there was a little gaggle of riders with us. I waited to get past some and then went off after the quicker rider and almost got onto their back wheel by the time we reached the hairpin at which point they braked … and then braked really hard.

I probably only had an extra 1 or 2mph to scrub off but that was all it took - I had the choice of either running into them or go for broke, at which point the front end tucked under and down I went.

So I’m sliding along, looking at all the smoke and realising some of it was me but thinking that I was pleased not to be rolling … at which point I started rolling. Next thought was to try to stop rolling, but I couldn’t.

Blue Rex has got a partially mashed up fairing, cracked screen, broken indicator, shaved Powerbronze crash bung - that did its job really well - and some scratches to the Akrapovic end can and OEM headers. I’m trying to find replacement parts on eBay.

As for me, I’ve got some cracking bruises on my legs and a puffy and bruised left hand where, presumably, the thumb joint took a hammering but that’s it. My riding kit took the punishment:

Used Arai Quantum F
I think Sir needs new gloves (as the Kevlar bits are missing or shaved)
Tough as old boots
I think you’ve got a catch in that stitching…
Not all those marks on the kneesliders were intended

Fortunately, it seems that the replacement riding kit - c.£1,200 worth - is covered on my household insurance policy less the small excess so I’m waiting on the go-ahead for me to get the stuff ordered up.

So I bought MCN earlier this week, keen to see what all the regional police forces had planned for us this summer.

“Full regional guide” it proudly declared on the front page.

Er, except that the “full regional guide” doesn’t include Cambs, Cheshire, Dyfed-Powys, Glos., Gtr. Manchester, Gwent, Hants., Herts., Kent, Lancs., Merseyside, Norfolk, Surrey, Sussex, Tayside, Warks., Notts., Stratchclyde and Suffolk - {phew} Being a Norfolk biker, that’s a bit of a bummer…

Of course, the other problem is that if MCN ring ‘em up and say “what are you planning to do about bikers this summer?” they might reply “we hadn’t planned anything … until now!”