Also, it’s recommended that both tyres are of the same type, otherwise there might be some unusual handling characteristics. This can make it difficult to change the type of tyres fitted to your bike.

For the last 2 years, I’ve wanted to change my tyre type. The tyres I had were Dunlop Sportmax tyres, which I’m told were decent, but leaning more towards sporty rather than general purpose road use. I’ve had some grip issues in imperfect conditions, so whenever the weather is anything other than warm and dry, I didn’t have much confidence. As I ride in all but freezing conditions, it made sense to get a more appropriate tyre.

But they just didn’t wear conveniently! One tyre needed replacing while the other had plenty of tread, then the other way around. I didn’t want to throw away a perfectly decent tyre.

Finally, the planets aligned. I could see both tyres were getting low on tread. So, a few days ago, almost a month before my summer bike road trip (to give enough time to scrub them in) I decided to replace both tyres at once. I opted for the Michelin Pilot Road 4s, a very well respected and brand new top-end road tyre, which should provide much better imperfect-conditions grip. I quote a review on Carole Nash:

What I can say is that they have done an amazing job with their wet weather abilities while retaining amazing levels of grip in the dry.

Sounds pretty good to me!

Old worn Dunlop Sportmax Qualifier tyres

New Michelin Pilot Road 4 tyres

You can clearly see how much extra tread the PR4s have, and how much more elaborate the tread design is. Clearly, these tyres would be more effective in poorer conditions as it can more easily push the water/slush aside rather than aquaplane over the top.

It’s just a shame that my first ever ride with them was in the wet. Wet roads + rain + brand new unscrubbed tyres = very cautious riding! Feels kinda odd having cars stack up behind you when carefully negotiating a roundabout. However yesterday afternoon was nice and dry, so I took them out for a quick spin to get a feel for them, and scrub them off a little more.

It’s probably just because they’re new and haven’t been squared off yet, but I definitely noticed a difference. The bike was a lot happier to lean, and felt much more nimble. After about 30 minutes of riding, I visited the Cambridge Science Park (my usual place for practicing over the weekend), and did a few smooth sharp weaves – felt great!

Early days yet, but I’m very happy with my choice :).

Motorbike servicing and maintenance.

I mean, how could you? You have no point of reference. I know I certainly didn’t.

Motorbikes are not like cars, which can generally go and go with only minimal basic maintenance, changing some tyres every handful of years, occasionally changing the oil. They’re precision machines, under a lot more stress than most cars, and are more open to the elements.

And, let’s be frank here. The consequences of mechanical failure on a bike are much, much more severe than in a car, where you’re in a very protective cage with crumple zones, seatbelts, and airbags. There’s no way I’d ride a bike that was mechanically dubious.

Along with fairly frequent chain cleaning/lubrication/tension checks, tyre integrity/pressure checks, oil/coolant checks, and brake and suspension checks, depending on the bike and the usage, you’re probably looking at replacing about one tyre a year. In my case, they’re no cheaper than about £100 a pop (with the narrower front cheaper than the rear), and if you’re purposefully going for the cheap and cheerful tyres on a bike, you’re insane. My rear tyre is already showing signs of wear – I only replaced it in July last year, and it’s not as if I’ve been doing burnouts!

Why am I talking about this now? Well, it’s at about this time of the year, after unwintering, that my bike is due its service.
 

Damn screws…

I called the garage I usually use, and after giving them the mileage (coming up to 18k), they said it was due a “full service”. It’s not clear how often they’re needed, but it’s more frequent than you might think. I asked how much that might cost.

“It’s about 6 hours work… it’s not a cheap one.”

 
Eek! Considering their previous labour costs, I was estimating anywhere between about £250 to £400. Doing a bit of research online, the simplest answer to what’s involved in a full service is dismantling the bike, checking everything, and putting it back together again with fresh lubricants and consumables.

I was strangely looking forward to it though. It’s always good to know that your bike is mechanically sound, and I wondered if it would make it feel any different to ride.

I also had a couple of slightly embarrassing requests.

Firstly, I recently got a new tax disc, but the holder had rusted shut. I simply couldn’t open it to display the new disc, so I bought a new holder. Only to find the screw fixing it to the bike was also seized and knackered. So… I had to ask them to undo a screw for me!

Secondly, I also got some new bar end weights to replace my somewhat scuffed and rusted ones. Only to find the screw fixing the right handlebar weight was seized and knackered. So… I had to ask them to undo another screw for me!

Anyway, I dropped the bike off at the garage on the morning of Friday 11th. As they weren’t at the garage early that day, I posted the keys through their letter box, then had to walk the mile to work wearing my bike gear and carrying my helmet. It was surprisingly tiring. At least I wasn’t wearing my race suit!

After work, I walked back to pick it up.
 

The moment of truth

They found a tiny leak in one of the coolant pipes, but was easily sorted. This is when they also suggested I keep an eye on the rear tyre, as the tread was getting a little low. Otherwise, it was fine.

It came to a total of £322.04. While higher than £250, at least it was still within my estimate range. Damn 20% VAT didn’t help! But I was fairly happy.

I’m not sure if it’s a placebo effect, but I do think the bike feels a little smoother, a little more solid. It certainly felt easier to push reverse the bike out of my driveway.

I’m now also finally displaying an up-to-date tax disc! I also managed to fit my new (unintentially slightly lighter yet slightly longer) bar end weights, after a slightly scary moment where I thought I lost a bolt inside the throttle grip. Maybe this is also psychological, but maybe the steering feels a little lighter too.

So yes, fairly happy really. Although I still feel I might be able to handle a bit more grunt now!

I put my bike into winter storage on Christmas Eve, after a few freezing mornings, and lots of slippery roads. Predictably, from that point onwards, the weather turned pretty mild.

I think between Christmas and March, we probably only had about 5 frosty mornings. No ice or snow.

Over the last few months, as the South and West of the UK were suffering from apocalyptic flooding (the wettest winter on record), we occasionally got heavy rain in the evening. Some large puddles and a bit of lake flooding.

There’s parking under there somewhere.
(taken on 16/02/14)

Still though, I’m pretty sure I could’ve commuted on the bike most days. Some of them were almost warm, and most were sunny. It feels weird to be complaining that the weather was too mild, especially considering what happened in other areas of the UK.

So, it was a fairly frustrating winter. Especially as I had to do the nightmare commute to/from Cambridge every morning in my car, forced to sit in crazy rush-hour traffic with everyone else, sometimes doubling or tripling my journey time. Cursing the occasional bike that filtered past me.

Thankfully, I got my bike back 8 days ago last Sunday, on the most glorious day we’ve had so far this year. It was probably pushing 20C, and amazingly blue skies and full sun. Perfect. So I dug out my leathers instead of my winter gear.

Good to see you again!

Despite the almost perfect conditions on my ride back home, I still didn’t feel confident in the corners. I really didn’t feel planted, despite probably having more than enough grip.

I took it out for a few slightly longer rides last week, and it’s coming back to me… but still, some corners felt a little wobbly. Having a few scares in December has knocked my confidence, so I just need to ride more, slowly get it back. Early days yet :).

(Of course, now that I’ve collected the bike, true to form, this morning we get our first ice for months…)

I felt like I made a fair bit of progress last year. I got a load of vlogging kit, and even made a few vlogs, until I realised that I actually don’t enjoy doing it regularly. For special occasions only really.

I also went on my first riding trip. Sure, it was only to the Norfolk coast for 1.5 days, but it was still a proper ride, with a hotel at the end of it. It was fun, except for the slow Norfolk drivers!

I also did an advanced riding course, which was really useful. Sure, I never did get the insurance discount, but it definitely improved my riding, and made me feel safer.

I also did a lot of commuting on the bike last year, getting lots of experience. Between about June to October, I probably used the car only a handful of times. Nice.

Unfortunately the year ended on a bit of a downer – I had a few scary moments cornering on muddy slippery roads, which really knocked my cornering confidence. Part of me was even entertaining the idea of getting a new bike this year, but I’m not so sure now. I’d like to get to the stage where I feel I’m using my current bike to its full potential first.

So, we’ll see what this year has in store! Certainly more riding trips, getting some good experience. As for a new bike, not sure, but it’d certainly be fun going on some test rides when I feel ready!

It’s cold and dark, and even when it’s not frosty, the road is beginning to feel a little greasy. Once or twice recently I’ve spun up the rear wheel under only medium acceleration. Cornering no longer feels so secure. Despite the incredible A14 and Science Park rush hour traffic, which I can usually scoot past, the warm, stable comfort of a car becomes even more appealing.

I was originally pondering not putting my bike away this winter, as I feel more capable then before. I’d still not touch it in icy conditions, but we do still get the occasional nice day over the winter. But I expect the roads will still be a little slippery, and the windchill will still be noticable. So I return to my original question: is it still fun riding in the winter? If not, there’s no shame in overwintering the bike. It’s not my sole means of transport.

I was also thinking about how things change over the seasons for bikers, and which I believe is the best season with the least risk.
 
 

Winter is a frustration. Taking the car, and having to be stuck in traffic with all of the other car drivers. Having to put up with relatively piss-poor acceleration. Feeling scammed when the weather is randomly good, and the bike is unavailable to ride. Otherwise, it’s nice to take the car when it’s snowing or nasty outside.
 
 

 
 

Summer, the animals seem to calm down a bit, and we get some glorious, hot, dry weather, where the roads are at their grippiest. Makes for some fantastic riding. But conversely, pulling on full snug racing leathers, helmet, gloves and boots in 28C+ can be a bit much. It’s not so bad when you’re moving, but when stationary, you cook. Sometimes the car aircon is a luxury.
 
 

 
 
And then we’re back to Winter, trying to push the motorcycling as far as you feel comfortable, until you finally decide enough’s enough and it needs to be put into hibernation again.

First up, it took me a while to get through. Several days, in fact. When I finally got in touch with someone, they said, essentially:

“We don’t care about advanced certifications.”

Well poop.

I had my doubts that I described the certification appropriately, so I tried to find a way to email them as well. And it can’t hurt to get a second opinion, by someone who isn’t rushing to answer as many calls as possible.

Thankfully, I found a customer service email address, so a pinged them the question with more specific information on the course.

A day later, they responded.

“After checking with your underwriter I can confirm that we do not take the DSA enhanced rider scheme into consideration or offer any sort of discount regarding this.”

Well poop.

It’s not the end of the world, it’s hardly a large amount I’d be saving. But it is frustrating.

I will be shopping around when it comes to my renewal.

Pre-ride checks

The session started at 8:30am on a Saturday morning with a very relaxed, casual chat. He asked what I hoped to get out from the training, any areas I wanted to work on, then went through some simple scenarios on his computer. Things like:

• Is it always necessary to indicate?
• When is the bike the most stable?
• If you want to go straight on on this 2 lane roundabout, and there were no other road users, what line would you take?
• If you were negotiating this bend, what line would you take? Why? What other considerations might there be?
• When might it be safer to go through a red light?

We then wandered over to my bike, to ask some specific questions about the bike to judge my mechanical knowledge. What checks should you make on your bike? How often? What are the tyre pressures? (33 front, 36 rear) What kind of oil does it take (um… dunno). Where’s the coolant fluid tank? How would you check the forks, what are you looking for? How do you check your brake pads and discs? How might you know an indicator bulb has blown during a ride? Why might you keep going through headlights if you only replace them one at a time?

Once we finished with the pre-ride chat, and some simple walkthroughs, it was time to get out on the road.
 

Someone’s following me again

He handed me a bulky radio, and for a moment I didn’t think I’d be able to stow it anywhere in my leathers, as there was only one small internal pocket in the jacket. I managed it though, then we were off. The hard part was to do what he asked and “ride like you normally do”, essentially not changing my riding based upon our earlier discussions. He wanted to assess my honest, natural riding style.

It was very weird being followed by an instructor again!

After riding for 40 minutes or so, on varying roads and situations, he took us to the site of Ultimate Bike Gear in Papworth Everard for a break and a chat.

The good

• Bike control, including slow-speed
• No hesitation or nervousness
• Good amount of mirror checks
• Few/no missed lifesavers (shoulder checks)
• Generally good observations
• Good use of speed

The bad

• Not enough separation distance
• Reacting to observations far too late
• Some decisions were made in a “car style” by following the person in front, rather than independently
• Lane positioning could be better and more consistent
• There were moments where better progress could have been made

I’m always impressed by just how much these instructors remember. He essentially walked through most of the ride, pointing out the good and the bad at each stage, describing what should have been done instead.

After a fairly lengthy and in-depth chat, we got back on the road for me to practice his suggestions. This time, he was going to comment throughout the ride, pointing things out. Now that I had the opportunity to put everything he discussed into practice, the ride felt much better and smoother. There were a few moments where I knew my lane positioning wasn’t ideal, but all in all, he was much happier with my riding.

Halfway into this ride, he overtook me, and proceeded to narrate everything he noticed, his thought processes, and what he was doing. It was fascinating. And, to my credit, I did notice most of the things he described at a similar time.

After another short break, it was my turn to lead again, but this time, he wasn’t going to say a word (apart from directions). It wasn’t a very long ride back to the training centre.
 

The outcome

Certainly, a few areas weren’t perfect, but generally he was impressed by how much I’d improved. My riding was smoother, and in some ways, easier and more fun. I used the phrase “It feels like I have lots more to think about… but more time to think about it all”. He put down some marks against a checklist, totted them up, and awarded me an A for my first ever advanced course :).

And I got a nice certificate for it too!

Another benefit of doing this course is that many insurers offer up to (apparently) a 15% discount on bike insurance – although I still would’ve done it if they didn’t. I called my insurer (Hastings Direct) and after waiting on hold for a long, long time (over 2 days), I eventually got through to someone. They weren’t interested. I’m going to send them an email (if I can) asking more formally, as it’s always hard to say everything you should when on the phone. Kinda annoying.

The session may have cost me £99, but you know what, I don’t think that’s all that much money. It was well worth it. And as bizarre as it sounds, I actually take comfort in the knowledge that there are areas of my riding I can improve upon. That means there’s scope for my riding to become even safer.
 

So, what is Advanced Riding?

If I had to summarise it in one sentence, it would be:

Making more intelligent use of the information available to you.

 
It’s not about developing habits. It’s not about always doing something because you were told you should always do it. It’s about questioning everything, so that everything you do has a reason and a purpose. And importantly, doing it in plenty of time so you can react if necessary.

Why did you do that lifesaver? Was there a reason for you to take your attention off of what’s in front of you? Could you have realistically done anything in time with the knowledge you gained?

Are you always able to stop on your side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear?

If you know you need to pull out to go around parked cars, why not do it early if it’s safe for you to do so? Not only does it increase your visibility, it also makes you more visible, and increases the options available to you.

You’re a slim motorbike. You’re on two wheels. Why don’t you make the most effective use of the width of the road when cornering? It’s not about the racing line, not at all. It’s about increasing your visibility and stability, allowing you to respond to potential hazards earlier and more smoothly.

If you’re coming up to a roundabout (for example), plan your entry well in advance, and begin slowing down earlier by just rolling off the throttle (and showing a bit of brake light if someone’s behind you). If you plan it right, you might be able to just slot in smoothly and easily. If not, you’ll know you won’t be able to in plenty of time, so there’s no surprises.

You should rarely need to use your brake, apart from showing people behind you that you’re slowing down (even if it doesn’t actually engage the brakes), or coming to a complete stop. With enough planning, you should be able to mainly use engine braking to get down to appropriate speeds. Not only will you always be in the right gear at the right time, it reduces brake and tyre wear, and is more energy efficient so you should end up getting more out of a tank of fuel.

Ideally, with enough forward planning, nothing should come as a surprise. You should never be in a difficult situation, because you’ve already considered what to do if that thing happens.

So, yes. Lots more to think about, but more time to think about it all! Every ride is now a chance to improve, which is rather exciting. There are more advanced courses I could go on, such as those run by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, which I’ll consider doing later.

I certainly don’t claim to be an expert in Advanced Riding, but if you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them :).

 
(And yes, I still need a better outro…)

Now, I’ve got about 5 hours of Norfolk-trip footage to review and edit. I’d like to do something a bit more special for that one, but honestly, I’m not sure how yet. I’ll hopefully figure something out, or perhaps not do something as elaborate as I’d like.

I’ve also got a few hours from yesterday to review (new blog post coming soon!), we’ll see if anything interesting is there. Let’s hope I can speed up my editing process..!

First Stop: Hunstanton

The very next day, I embarked upon my Norfolk trip. I packed and fitted my tank bag, and also a rucksack. I cleaned the bike a day or so earlier, and checked my tyre pressures (a little under).

Packed up, ready to begin the trip

The first leg of the trip was up to Hunstanton, a place I’ve been to a number of times in the car for band gigs, but never on the bike. It’s a bit of a bike mecca, so I was looking forward to it. I don’t know why I found it so confusing to navigate there in the car, it’s just two roads!

That took a little over an hour and a half, and I was pretty achy by the time I got there. There were only about 6 bikes parked up, where I’ve previously seen about 30. It was midweek after all.

There were (some) other bikes, honest…

Resting at Hunstanton

I parked up, then immediately went for a coke and a bangers and mash in a nearby pub – I was ravenous. Found a nice coastal conservatory seat too, which was nice.

I then shed some of my gear, leaving it with the bike (there were other bikers lazing around, so it was fairly safe), and wandered the area taking some photos.

Later, I was lazing with my bike when someone laying behind his Ducati next to me asked what the helmet cam was for.

“Is that to film you, or others?”

It was a nice conversation starter. We were then merrily chatting away about bike stories, him working nights and having been up for 20 hours straight, me taking a week off… it was nice. He asked what my plans were, then gave me some directions from there to kick them off with the scenic route. He then headed off after saying goodbyes, and I started the second part of my trip – the coastal ride to my hotel in Cromer.
 

The scenic route to Cromer

While nice… I admit to a certain level of disappointment. I’d mainly blame other drivers who were determined, regardless of the perfect conditions, to drive 10, 15, 20mph slower than the speed limit. There were SO MANY OF THEM. The road was twisty enough to make it awkward to overtake them, yet tease me with the potential for fun if it weren’t for these f*cking drivers! Sure, I wouldn’t’ve gone tearing around these bends, but I would’ve been able to go my own pace, without seeing the arse-end of a car/van the whole time. They think they’re being safe, but they just irritate everyone else, and inspire people to do potentially risky manoeuvres to get past.

Also, it wasn’t all that coastal. I could only really see the occasional glimpse of sea if things opened up. A few times I turned off the road to go to beaches or quays, but I felt like I was rather intruding! A loud fully-clad bike cruising past loads of people relaxing and having fun… I only actually parked up at one, and lazed on the pebbley beach for a bit.

Just in front of a shingly dune

Climbing the shingly dune wasn’t as hard as you’d think

I passed the village that was recommended to me, and attempted to find what was mentioned. I rode past a very busy quay, but didn’t sound like what was described to me… so I carried on.
 

Aaah Cromer, sweet Cromer

Before I knew it, I was in Cromer, with the North Sea to my left, and the town to my right. I easily found the hotel, and found a perfect parking spot out front in a space that was good for me, but too small for a car, and easily visible from the inside. By this time, I was tired, aching, and wanted out of my leathers. I checked in, and made my way to the smallest hotel room in existence. I didn’t mind too much though, as it had a bed and a shower, which is all I really cared about.

Easier to just climb over the bed than shimmy around it

Pointless minichair

Oh it was nice to be in civvies again. I wandered the beach in the evening, took a number of photos, had a pint at the end of the pier (which I later found out was the location of the showdown of the recent Alan Partridge Alpha Papa film), then briefly wandered the town and bought £10 worth of fine chocolates just for myself.

Back at the hotel, I went for a meal in the twinned restaurant. This was the first time I’ve ever gone to a proper table-service restaurant alone, and it was a little weird! I hated to get my phone out, as it’s such a cliché, but it was boring otherwise. However, the main course was probably one of the nicest meals I’ve ever had. Just amazing. And the dessert, while simple, was also very nice. Really happy with that restaurant.

Afterwards, after digesting a little more, I grabbed another pint, collapsed on the sofa in the voyer, and started typing up this post on my tablet. I ended up going to bed fairly early, but relaxed and happy.

I didn’t sleep particularly well. The bed was too hard, too hot, and too small. I’m not used to a single bed now, and I kept getting too close to the edge. I slept enough though to not be exhausted in the morning, when I went down for an average full English breakfast. I checked on my bike while I was at it – yep, still there, and untouched, good. Except I’d left my keys in the storage compartment lock again.

FFS!

I quickly walked outside and grabbed them. I can’t believe I did that – left everything someone would need to steal the bike with the bike. Overnight, parked outside a hotel in a strange town. Wow. I really must kick that habit.
 

Homeward bound

After a lazy breakfast and coffee, I checked out and started my homeward journey. Earlier in the morning it had rained, but it had stopped by the time I started. Then it started drizzling. I could live with that… but then it started properly raining. Yep, I was one of those poor bikers at the roadside desperately scrabbling on waterproofs in the pouring rain.

They weren’t so bad to wear, except the over-jacket is rather baggy, filling my mirrors with inflated arms making it much harder to see behind me. And of course, soon after I put everything on… the rain stopped. I kept it on until I found a Waitrose about halfway, as I was beginning to ache again.

I felt rather civilised having a cappucino and a Marlborough bun (my first ever) in a Waitrose cafe ;). When I returned to the bike, I didn’t bother putting on the waterproofs again.

As I was preparing to head off, the guy in the car parked next to me asked:

“Is that a camera on your helmet?”

Yep, once again, it was a conversation starter! We chatted for a few minutes, which was nice, then I headed off.

The weather stayed fine for a while, then started tipping it down again. I also noticed my camera was no longer filming, so I found a little layby in a forested area next to a RAF base (I think).

Quite a lot of rain… and a tank

This looks oddly picturesque…

Annoyingly, and surprisingly, I’d run out of storage on the camera (32Gb). Dammit! I didn’t have any spare cards, and as it was raining, didn’t fancy getting out my tablet and transferring the files to it, which would take a while. I thought that as I was on the last homeward stretch, there wouldn’t be much left of interest to film.

As the rain wasn’t letting up, I decided to put my waterproofs back on.

So. Much. Traffic. Stop start most of the way, and often too tight for me to pull my motorbike special move and filter or overtake. I can’t say it was all that fun, and wouldn’t’ve made for good viewing.

And there was so much damn diesel on the road! I dunno, maybe Norfolk breeds excessively slow drivers who over-fill their cars with diesel…

I was in a particularly long tailback when the blue sky dared to show itself, and the sun came out to play. So I cheekily parked up in someone’s extended driveway, took off my waterproofs and fitted my dark visor. Thankfully, it didn’t rain properly again for the rest of the trip, although it did drizzle a little later. And someone took a quick photo of me while I was waiting in traffic in some town, on a good camera no less ;).

About half an hour from home, I was beginning to properly ache. The lumbar part of my back was hurting, and both wrists and fingers were sore. I was well and truly ready to get home – all I could think about was how nice it sounded to collapse on the sofa with a nice hot cup of tea!

Once I got home, after doing the bare minimum, that’s precisely what I did. And it was good.
 

Ruminations

All in all, it was a fun break. I was about to say a fun “couple of days” but it wasn’t even that – I left home at about 11am Thursday, and returned at about 2pm Friday. I rode on some lovely roads, although they were somewhat ruined by an awful lot of slow drivers. I did nearly 200 miles, and damn did I feel it.

But still, it was a really nice break of routine, and was nice to do something truly different.

I think for future trips, I’d plan more frequent, longer stops, and book at least one more hotel for another night. I’m not too sure why I didn’t this time to be honest, as I had the time.

If I want to do more such journeys in the future, I either need to change my bike to more of a tourer, or get more long-distance experience to build up those lesser-used muscles. Either way, I would like to do more of this sort of thing, so we’ll see what I figure out!

Anyway, after all of that, I was desperate for some time off work. The last actual period I booked off work (discounting bank holidays), was mid February, and that was just 2 days. So, as the first full week of August also included my 30th birthday (and I don’t think I’ve ever gone to school/uni/worked on it, a tradition I intend to keep), I decided to take the entire week off.

One thing I’ve been wanting to do for a while is a ride along the Norfolk coast. It’s close enough to not be an arduous journey, yet far enough to still be a bit of a trip. As I had the week off, weather dependent, I could go mid-week and miss most of the traffic and summer-holiday craziness. Perfect! I could also film my journey, and potentially make a short movie of the highlights :).
 

Lights, Camera, Action?

As my Drift HD Ghost can ‘only’ film for 3 hours on a battery, I knew that one battery wasn’t going to be sufficient. So I ordered a second one for £20, and put it on charge a few days before heading out.

About a week before my ride, I was dusting off my helmet when a piece broke off the camera helmet mount. I must’ve rested the helmet on it one too many times, and one of the clip edges just snapped off. Dammit!

The camera did still clip in, and felt secure, but I couldn’t trust that my £300 camera wouldn’t fly off on a ride. I did some research for replacement mounts, and was frustrated to find only two options: a pack of 5 (why would I want 5?), or a mounting pack which contained everything I already had. So, I decided to send Action Cameras (where I bought the camera) a tweet, describing the pickle I found myself in.

They quickly replied saying they could help, and that I should send them an email with details, so I did so. This was on Friday.

Much to my surprise, I received a replacement helmet mount Saturday morning! Not only that, but they also threw in a handlebar mount too. And not only that… I didn’t pay a penny! Fantastic service there, thanks Action Cameras – always worth asking, you never know :).
 

A Quest to Remain Dry

Unfortunately, after a period of unrelenting sun and incredible heat, the weather was forecast to become significantly more unsettled (although admittedly, doing a long ride in 30C+ sun in full racing leathers would’ve been pretty horrible). The return trip could well be in rain, the first for weeks, and the last thing I wanted was to get my new leathers soaked. So, I began the hunt for highly-compactable waterproofs I could throw over my leathers if I get caught out.

I asked a while ago on Twitter, and thanks to a re-tweet from @ibikerapp, I got a number of suggestions. I looked into some of those, and hoped to try them on in various bike shops. As I fancied a bit of a ride during my week off, after giving them a phone call, I first rode to Wheels in Peterborough, a little over an hour away.

They mis-understood my sizing (UK vs Europe), and didn’t have anything in my size. It seems I’m a popular size. So on their suggestion I then went on to PB Motorcycles just down the road.

They had some trousers, but no jackets. So on their suggestion I then went on to Webbs a little further away.

They had some one-piece suits, but my knee-sliders and knees in general were too big for them. They suggested leather waterproofing spray, but I wasn’t convinced. So on their suggestion I headed to another shop on my way back home, but I totally missed it. So instead, I headed on to Cambridge Motorcycles.

They had some one-piece suits, but try as I might, they were just too awkward to wear over my lumpy knees. Annoyed, I drowned my sorrows in a nearby Tesco Costa Coffee with a flat white coffee and a ham and cheese panini. I then headed down to Hideout Leather which is south of Cambridge, about 45 minutes from Cambridge Motorcycles.

As I was curious (and less than confident of the route, despite having been there before) I decided to try to use my smartphone’s GPS and route finding to guide me to Hideout Leather. Only problem was, I had to slide my phone into the plastic wallet of my tank bag, and I had no idea how it would handle the heat. Let’s just say I’m surprised it didn’t melt the plastic when I arrived!

They had a few suits, but again, my gargantuan knees were proving to be a pain. As I expected, they dissuaded me from using waterproofing spray, as it can ‘ruin’ the leather. After a fruitless search for a full waterproofing solution, in the end I plumped for a cheapish Held Mistral jacket to throw over the top. It even kinda fits the colour scheme too. Yes, my legs would probably get wet, but the upper half would bear the brunt of the rain. So, I left feeling somewhat better about handling the potential for rain.

She also strongly recommended a place to visit in Norfolk along my route too (Blakeney). Although I did have to call her again when I got home to remind me of the name :P.

I was out for over 5 hours, rode 125 miles, visited 5 shops, in full leathers the whole time, and on the bike for much of it. I was pretty tired and achy when I finally got home. Maybe it was a mistake to do so much the day before a riding trip!

But at least now, I had everything I needed.

Coming soon… The Trip