Blue’s WordPress Blog

Towbars

Anyone who saw me, Blue Rex and the trailer at any of last year’s trackdays will know I was using Mrs. Blue’s Fiesta to do the towing. This was because I drive an ancient Mondeo ST200 that Ford hadn’t seen fit to get rated for towing, so my local Ford dealer wouldn’t fit a towbar. Note that every other Mondeo was rated, just not the ST200…

Last summer, I was chatting to a neighbour who’d had a nice demountable one fitted to their Ford Galaxy, so I rang the place he’d had it done - Broadland Towbars near Norwich - and they said it could indeed be done*.

So on the 20th, I went to their place for 3½ hours whilst they fitted a rather nice Brink “Brinkmatic Classic 2506” - this involved some cutting of the rear spoiler, but it’s not really noticeable unless you’re looking for it specifically. It’s demountable so when not in use the ball section is stowed away in the boot and means the lines of the car aren’t spoiled. It takes less than a minute to fix and demount the ball section as well. Cost was £310 + VAT fitted.

So this year, I have my car to drive with all the toys and comfort and more space for crap my useful stuff in the boot. Marvellous!

*Apparently, the Mondeo ST220 is straining its clutch as it is, so if you try towing anything it breaks…

Sunday 23rd

Loaded Blue Rex onto the trailer, hitched it up to the Mundane-oh and headed for Castle Combe in Wiltshire with Extreme Towing… Stayed overnight at the Crown at Giddea Hall which was comfortable and not too pricey.

Monday 24th - Castle Combe Trackday

The day started misty and drizzly which is bad, but I was at the circuit early for noise scrutineering. The circuit has a tight noise limit so they check the noise output of your bike. I’d already fitted a decibel killer to the Akrapovic system but had taken along my OEM end can and a specially made adaptor to marry the can up to the Akra headers. Amazingly, I didn’t need it as the bike got through first time.

I decided to finally break out the PVC… Yes, my Respro SLICK Racing Wet Weather Suit actually got some use, over a year after I bought it. I had to get my wardrobe assistant (actually a guy called Ian from the ZRX Owners Club) to help pull it on for me over my leathers which, like all of them. has all sort of padding (and hence ridges) at the shoulders. Couple that with the Respro being tight to start off with and it’s not a job you can easily accomplish by yourself, especially if, like me, you have a shoulder that dislocates itself at the drop of a hat.

I looked like this (click on the thumbnail for an intermediate-sized version):

As the morning progressed, the track dried out and it was a slightly less cautious Blue who was photographed (again, click on the thumbnails for the intermediate-sized versions):

and

If you look closely at the first of those two images, you can make out the video camera.

And here’s some footage:

My onboard footage (camera slightly loose + floppy screen = shaky stuff)

Onboard footage from the guy on the white CBR600 which overtook me

All in all, it was a good day. I did have to leave immediately after the first afternoon session though as Mrs. Blue was working in the evening and I had a coaches’ meeting for our football club to attend. Still, more extreme towing and I was home in a trice.

If you want to see how slowly I was riding at Brands, here’s the video, uploaded to Google Video.

My first time ever at Donington but as the Fast group had been selling out and even had some reserves, I was riding in the Intermediates, aka the group most likely to crash (this is because - according to legend - it’s the one where people too proud to book into Novices go and/or it’s where the self-styled heroes go so they can beat all the slower riders). In truth, I’m better suited to the Inters. as I’m not as fast as I was and I ride a bike that’s much, much heavier than the rest - imagine a sportsbike with a rider and pillion and that’s about the right weight…

We don’t allow laptiming at our trackdays, but one of the ZRXOC Team Phat Bastid Supporters Club contingent clocked me at under 1:37 for a lap.

Donington Park is now one of my favourite tracks as it’s a lovely one to ride and not ‘Mickey Mouse’ like some others. Problem is, it’s another ‘premium’ MSV-owned circuits so it’s an expensive day, especially for a so-called Noisy day: despite being next to East Midlands Airport, the locals complain about bike noise, so there are normally noise restrictions in place.

That and they prohibit on-board videos, the buggers.

Photos in the usual place:
and

Monday

Back after our family hols. Mum drove up to collect the kids to take them off to hers for a couple of days via Banham Zoo. Hmm. Shouldn’t “hers” be “her’s”? Anyway. It rained bucketloads which made loading the Fester with bikey gear and then loading Blue Rex onto the trailer a tad worrying. Still, by mid-afternoon, I was ready to head off to Mallory and - shock! horror! - Mrs. Blue was coming with me!

The journey to the Royal Arms near to the track was a pain in the arse as some fecktard had decided to park his lorry on top of a car just past Thetford on the A11. We diverted into Thetford but found traffic queues, so did a U-ey and then went towards Brandon only to find that at a standstill, so did another U-ey (all with the bike and trailer, remember) and then decided to check the A11. The ½ hour peeing about had been enough time for the road to have re-opened so off we went.

Got to the M11/A14 bit at Cambridge and found that at a standstill {sigh} so diverted through Madingley onto the A428 before heading up the A1. The last section of the journey went fine and we arrived at the hotel by about 6-6.30pm to find a bunch of others sitting out with beers, so we joined them, drinking until we all went in for Dinner at 8.30pm.

One of our group was getting married so was treating Mallory as his stag do, so he bought £100 of champagne for us (to go with the cost of the hotel, the trackday, hiring the bike, etc.). It was his first trackday since shattering his elbow at Mallory three years or so ago. Hooooge meal and then to bed. Way too hot in the rheum so a fitful night’s sleep.

Tuesday

Up at 6.00am to get ready and packed for breakfast at 7.00am and away to the track for 7.30am. Marvelous weather. Assembled the trackdayers for the briefing at 8.45am and onto the track for the first fast group session at 9.00am. One older rider highsided at the Devil’s Elbow almost taking out his daughter’s bloke who was about to overtake.

One or two more red-flagging incidents, then the big one.

Novices group, so should have been safe as houses. One bloke (who’d been at the Royal Arms the night before), loses the front end of his Ducati Monster at Edwinas. Aforementioned stag on the hired Honda SP1 drops it avoiding him and a third rider who’s managed to stop. Fourth rider (also at the hotel) on an Aprilia Falco manages to stop too, but fifth rider (ditto) is approaching at a much quicker rate and cannot brake in time. His bike hits the Falco and then launches about 10 feet into the air taking Duncan with it and knocking the bike out from underneath the fourth rider. Red flags waved, both ambulances go out to collect Stag and Duncan. Duncan’s wife just happened to be spectating at Edwinas and caught the whole thing on video…

Stag is brought to the track medical centre but is fine if very battered and bruised. Duncan is taken straight to Lecister Royal Infirmary leaving a distraught Janie behind. Hugs from me and Mrs. Blue help, apparently, before she drives off to the hospital. His bike is totalled but the marshals shove it into a pit garage and I drag his trailer in there.

Rest of the day goes OK and an incident-free journey home.

Photo here

I still didn’t trust Blue Rex’s front tyre after the Mallory ‘off’, so a day at Brands on the Indy circuit which is quite short and twisty was probably not a good idea, especially as I would be in the Fast group…

Fast? I’d have been quicker pushing the bike around Clearways.

Photos here and here. Footage showing just how slow I was will be on Google Video shortly.

Yes, I know it’s been a while since the trackday itself, but I’ve been waiting to get hold of the photos.

We stayed overnight the night before at the Admiral Horny, Rodcastle Admiral Rodney, Horncastle which was very pleasant and well priced. I passed around my copy of the Motorcycle News as I was sort of featured in it in an article on the Kawasaki ZRX1200R.

On the day itself, I drove up to the circuit at around 7.30am to get myself in place to help out with signing on before handing out wristbands and getting changed into my new leathers. During the briefing, Geoff singled me out as someone to avoid following my ‘off’ at Mallory.

For the first time, I was due to be in the Fast Group along with the racers and track bikes on slick tyres. But you know what? It was much better there than in the Intermediates as the Fast Group (me notwithstanding) know what they’re doing and overtake safely. Marvellous!

I’ve uploaded some video footage: most of one fast group session is here.

What’s that? The photos? Oh, if you insist:

Click on the photo to go to two larger versions.

All in all, it was great fun and the weather was superb.

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 after the last of the Under 9s’ football season, I made Amy and Jack some lunch and then disappeared to Halfords to get the 20L jerry can, footpump and some Finilec.

I then had a bit of a struggle trying to find the pub I’d be staying at on the PDA so I could set up the satnav. {sigh}

I also loaded Blue Rex onto the trailer and set about it with the tie-downs, nice heavy duty 5m long ones. Yes, 5m. That’d be about 4m too long to be useful… I secured the bike after a fashion, relying mainly on the rather good R&G Racing handlebar straps. After all that faffing about, I left somewhat later than planned - 5.00pm instead of 3.30pm latest.

The drive down to Wiltshire went fine, if slower than I’m used to, despite it starting to rain shortly after I’d left South Mimms services. The Fiesta was happy enough to tow at up to 80mph which was nice, but I still didn’t get to the Jolly Huntsman until 8.45pm. As the rest of the people were meeting at the other hotel to eat at 8.00pm and as I didn’t fancy unhitching the trailer and leaving it there, I decided to eat at the pub. I had a nice pint of Guinness and a steak (slightly too rare for my liking but nice nonetheless) and then decided to get an early night … except there was that 100 Greatest Albums thing on Channel 4 so I sat up and watched that until midnight. Weather forecasts were bad for the Monday with showers and/or heavy rain forecast.

After a night’s sleep punctuated by being woken by rain, another rider arriving late with his girlfriend and two guys from Cardiff coming back from the other hotel, I went for a full breakfast at 7.30am and then checked out and left for the circuit. My bill? £70 for a very comfortable double room with bath and shower, full breakfast and the meal from the night before. Bargain!

Some of the roads to the circuit were flooded which didn’t bode well. Got to the circuit and parked up next to Purge’s van - he’d driven up from Fleet that morning. As it was Castle Combe, the bike had to be noise checked: it passed at 102db.

Got introduced at the riders’ briefing and then went out on track for the first Fast Intermediate session wearing a yellow bib as an Officer. A bit wet in places, so I was cautious at first, but the track dried up by the next session and I managed to christen both kneesliders properly!

Photos here and here. Yes, that bib was way too small so the velcro would come undone and it’d billow out behind me like some superhero cape!

Another ZRX1200R turned up so Purge and I introduced ourselves to Ian who’s now joined our owners’ club and spent the rest of the day with us ~:0)

I think I got four sessions in before grabbing an early lunch of some rather nice lasagne - I always have pasta for lunch on a trackday. Then I bolted up the camera mount and took some footage in the first session of the afternoon.

Towards the end of the afternoon, I decided that it looked like rain was finally on the way after being dry and generally sunny all day, so I did my last session of the day and got into a bit of trouble for a quick wheelie in the paddock - oops!

Loaded Blue Rex onto the trailer again and went and got the handlebar straps, but then I managed to trip over the trailer wheel and onto Blue Rex, knocking it over onto its side - gah! Purge and Ian lifted it back up and we inspected the damage - a scratch on the airbox cover, but the tank and pipe were unmarked. Something I didn’t check until I got home was that one of the front discs had pushed into the wheel hoop on the trailer and in so doing got bent, so I can’t ride the bike until I get it changed. Not cheap…

Slashed the tie-downs with a Stanley knife I’d taken (along with all my tools - trailering is the way to do trackdays) to make them usable, then changed out of my leathers in the paddock and drove home.

Roll on Mallory Park!

So on Monday, I’m doing my first Motorcycle Folly trackday as one of its Officers. This will also be the first time I’ve ridden at Castle Combe, a circuit opened in 1950 but where some NIMBYs have moved nearby and are complaining about the noise… DON’T MOVE NEXT DOOR TO A RACE CIRCUIT THEN, YOU IDIOTS!

Anyway, the circuit has some restrictive noise restrictions (durr) which meant that today I refitted the OEM end can to the ZRX. Felt a bit strange riding it to the petrol station to fill up: like I was on someone else’s bike.

I also put the trailer together again and finally tried to hitch it up to the Fiesta. I then tried all the lights and finally tried putting the ZRX onto it. It works a dream, thank goodness.

Of course, it didn’t go entirely without a hitch (ho, ho). There are lots of sharp aluminium sections making it up and I noticed that I’d managed to slice along my left forearm and palm … twice. It looks like I’m into self-mutilation.

All I need do tomorrow afternoon is put Blue Rex back onto it and then use the tie downs for the first time. Oh and I also need to get to Halfords to pick up a large 20L Jerry Can for fuel and a can of Finilec as the trailer doesn’t have a spare wheel. Then I’ll be driving down to Castle Combe for an overnight stay at the Jolly Huntsman nearby, which should be interesting as it’ll be my first attempt at towing a trailer.

So the nice man from DHL arrived yesterday morning with my shiny new bike trailer on his lorry and I moved the boxes into the garage where they were in the way.

I decided that I would assemble it last night whilst Mrs. Blue was at work, so at 6.30pm I headed outside and began unpacking the parts and assembling it like some giant Meccano set. All went remarkably well until the last pair of guard rails whose bolts and nylock nuts were a real bugger to get at and more particularly get a spanner or socket on. Remember that the trailer is basically a bunch of aluminum channels so there are quite a few sharp edges. Anyone who’s ever worked on an old Mini would recognise my hands last night and this morning: bruised, cut and sore. Oh and I’ve also got some bruises and scars on my thighs and stomach from heaving it around later that evening…

I assembled it partly inside and partly in the rain outside our small, single garage which, being a “family garage” and part of a spec. built Beazer house, is rather small and is full of:

• five bicycles;
• two scooters;
• two wardrobes full of bike clothing;
• wine and beer;
• two brand new ST200 alloy wheels;
• two brand new ST200 floor mats;
• standard ZRX1200R exhaust silencer;
• standard ZRX1200R seat;
• a fridge-freezer;
• a tumble-drier;
• two music centre/separate systems;
• DIY tools, paint, etc.;
• kitchen roller blind;
• pasting table;
• Black & Decker Workmate;
• 3 piece aluminium ladder;
• large wooden garden table and four chairs;
• sledges;
• tools;
• ramps;
• wall-mounted kitchen units;
• cupboardy thing;
• data backup fireproof safe;
• paddock stand;
• carpets, lots of carpets;
• assorted fluids and oils for cars and bikes;
• general crap;
• bag of 10 footballs, pump, bibs and first aid kit;
• central heating boiler; and
• a big Kawasaki ZRX1200R.

It’s a very big trailer. 10′ long by 5′ wide by 2½’ tall. And 125kg.

I’d been lucky enough to nab my neighbour when he got in to lift the wheels on whilst I lifted the trailer up high enough - I’d found I could lift it with one hand but struggled to line up the wheel bolts with the holes with the other hand.

At this point, I stood back and admired my handiwork. Mrs. Blue came home at 9.00pm and I stayed outside to work on the trailer (and never did get anything to eat).

And then I looked at the chaos that is the garage and wondered how it would fit inside…

So I’m pondering my options: there’s no access to the back garden other than a 3½’ wide passage so that ruled that out. I could wheel the trailer into the garage and permanently stand the ZRX on the trailer, but access to everything else would be nigh-on impossible. I could eBay it. Or I could try to stand it up on its side against the wall.

Except that that was easier said than done. Did I tell you it’s a very big trailer? I tried heaving it up and over onto its side, but the internal width of the garage meant there wasn’t enough room to allow for it turning onto its side - I could get it to a 45° angle but not much further. So I did some measurements and discovered that if I took the front section off again, it might fit standing up on its back, although I’d still have to somehow lift it onto the back section and then manoeuvre it into position against the wall. So I set about it with the spanners and sockets and dismantled the work I’d already done. With the front section removed, I reckoned I could just about get it in place against the wall and resting against the wall units, so I put an old kitchen mat next to the wheel and heaved it up onto its side, bumping it outwards as I did so. Success! There was also just enough room between it and the wall to slot the heavy towbar section in to take up less space. 11.00pm and I was finished.

There’s a photo here, taken this morning showing the finished article in the packed little garage. Mrs. Blue asked me to take her bike out so she could go and grab a DVD for this evening’s booze and filum session at her friend’s house and I was able to show her that it wasn’t that tight and inaccessible ~:0)