A&G's Biking Life

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2019-03-23T15:10:00.001+00:00

Test Ride - Agility Saietta R - Electric motorcycle

2014-07-12T18:30:00.003+01:00

Agility Saietta R - Electric motorcycle

I've been interested in electric motorcycles for a while. They have come a long way in the last few years and today I got to take my first electric motorcycle test ride on the Agility Saietta R.

In less than ten years, electric motorcycles have moved on from concept drawings in magazines and websites which never got of the drawing board, to home build and somewhat jerry rigged one-offs and ungainly test mules. Now electric motorcycles are becoming a serious proposition.

The Honda Mugen lapped the Isle of Man TT course at an average speed of 117 mph this year and several companies are readying models for small or even significant production runs. Battery, control and regeneration technology is moving rapidly forward and with it the speed, range and sophistication of the machines are getting better all the time. I believe it's a technology that we are going to see become mainstream over the coming years.

Alongside the technological aspect, people are expecting current modes of transport to be greener. As big cities swell, zero and low emission transport is a growth area. Beijing has already banned petrol motorcycles within the city limits and it could be something we see over the longer term in European cities.

The aggressive styling of the Saietta R

The Agility Saietta R has recently been on display at Motor Expo Canary Wharf and the one I rode still had the stickers on from its run up the hill climb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Saietta R: Specs

Top speed of 105mph
96.5 hp
93.7 foot pounds of torque
Range city: 120 miles
Range motorway: 58 miles
Lithium Iron power cell
Axial flux DC electric motor
Charging time from empty: 2 hours
Brembo brakes (front and rear discs)
17inch wheels
Monocoque frame with double wishbone front suspension

Alisa trying the Agility for size

The Saietta R is designed as a city bike - but there may be more models to follow. It's an unusual design, from the frame to the very distinctive bodywork. It's bold and somewhat futuristic, but not overly so. The bike feels solid and a little heavy when manoeuvring backwards and forwards in tight spaces for a shorty like me.

After a few photos and very slow speed run up the road and U-turn to get a feel for the controls I had a 45 minute run through central London.

I was surprised at how easy it is to ride, the 200+ KG weight disappears as soon as you get moving, and the seemingly steep steering geometry and short wheel base results in a bike that is more agile than I expected (hence the name I expect).

The controls are easy to get to grips with. No gears, no clutch, no foot controls. There's a traditional motorcycle throttle and front break, with the normal clutch lever replaced by a rear break.

Years of bike riding had me looking for foot controls and pulling the back brake as I came to rest where I'd normally pull in the clutch. A scooter rider would adapt almost instantly, not having learned foot controls, but it only took me a few minutes to be comfortable and ten minutes to be confident.

Saietta R complete with Goodwood Festival of Speed race number

Once I was happy the controls I started to enjoy the experience. The bike makes great sense in traffic. It's narrow, agile and when you sit at the lights in heavy traffic you don't bake on a hot engine.

From Kings Cross we headed through Marylebone, made a couple of laps of Regent's Park, then headed North towards Hampstead and then back through Camden and Kings Cross to the base near Russell Square.

The bike is torquey enough that I'm sure it would be easy to lift the front wheel under acceleration. Interestingly there is almost no engine breaking. However, by plugging in a laptop a range of the bikes behaviours can be changed, power can be changed (mine was set at circa 70% as it was my first ride) and engine breaking can be added to rider's satisfaction. The regeneration function can also be altered.

Riding back with a smile

There were a couple of rattles and shakes as I rode along, but I decided that I probably get these on my other bikes, but I just don't hear them over the engine. On the whole I was surprised by the build quality (it's not mass manufactured) and the bike felt solid and sure footed. The bodywork makes the bike 'look' top heavy, but once you lean into your first couple of corners you realise that the weight is pretty much distributed as it would normally be for a naked bike.

Given the route we took I didn't get to push the bike or test the speed. I'm not sure how the seemingly steep geometry would cope at speed or over bumpy sections of road (a steering damper is fitted), but for sporty city use and daily commuting the bike would certainly make sense.

At a claimed 60p per 100 miles the running costs make economic sense, though the initial price tag might initially seem somewhat high at £19,770. That said, it's a limited run machine, built in the UK using the latest technology and some good quality components. It's aimed at wealthy urban early adopters. Agility will support buyers of the early models with ongoing upgrades so you don't have to worry about paying for a bike that might become obsolete as the technology quickly moves forward.

While there is only so much you can learn from a chat and a 45 minute test ride, the Agility Saietta R had me smiling as I rode through London and that's something I always look for in a bike.

Stahlkoffer Citykoffer Panniers for the Triumph Explorer

2014-06-29T19:29:00.001+01:00

Stahlkoffer Citykoffer panniers with optional tool tube

I've used the Triumph Explorer OEM luggage on a few trips and found it to be one of the bikes few weak spots.

I found a variety of issues with the OEM luggage including:

Bulk - It's plastic double wall construction cleverly houses the locking mechanism but significantly reduces the storage capacity of the panniers
The side opening panniers often means things fall out when they are opened, or get trapped when I try to close them
The right hand side pannier is also designed to curve around the exhaust, which drastically reduces its carrying capacity
The system 'floats' (moved from side) - Triumph claims that this minimises speed weave which can be an issue when carrying panniers - however, IMHO they provoke wobble on high speed motorway curves

So I decided to replace the panniers. I looked at several brands, many of which look great and perform well and get good reviews. But I couldn't seem to find any that offered good value for money - at the end of the day they are just metal tins!

I discovered Stahlkoffer a couple of years ago at the Excel bike show, where I bought a couple of their dry bags which have worn well. So I checked out their stand at the recent Ace Cafe adventure bike day, got a quote and made up my mind.

The Stahlkoffer brand, despite the name, is British with all the manufacturing taking place in the Midlands. The price is lower than many of the big brand names and crucially Bernie and his team are exceptionally helpful. If they don't already make a rack to fit your model, you can take your bike to be measured up and they'll custom make a rack, no problem.

In the end I chose the Citykoffer Panniers. These are their mid size offering. I'm not going round the world, so don't need mega capacity, but want to carry a reasonable amount, while keeping the bike agile and being able to filter without too much concern.

Citykoffer stats:

33 litres per tin
Length 370 mm
Width 230 mm
Hight 390 mm
2mm aluminium
Powder coated in a couple of colour options

Stahlkoffer Citykoffers installed to the Triumph Explorer

The pros:
I used the panniers on a recent tour of Scotland and over the 2,500 miles:

They are completely watertight, even after 6 hours in driving rain on the motorway
Fitting and removing the tins is quick and easy
The locking system is very secure
They are solidly constructed - 2mm aluminium
Due to their design there is no wasted space - top loading is a plus
Well designed with no internal seams and mounts for strapping more luggage to them
The level of fit and finish is very good
The rack is not too obtrusive when you don't have the tins on
The inner bags are well made and make loading and unloading very convenient when you get to a campsite or hotel
They are well priced, representing good value for money
The Stahlkoffer team are very helpful - I have a first year Explorer where rear ends were made by four suppliers and the design varies slightly, but they were able to fit the bike no problem

The Cons:

There's a good bit of clearance between boxes and bike. This leaves a bit of a void in between the bike and the left hand pannier - this is so that the right clears the exhaust and the left is equally spaced to balance this out. I used this to my advantage and installed a Stahlkoffer tool tube to the back of the left hand pannier.

Stahlkoffer Citykoffer pannier and inner bag after a 2,500 mile two week tour

Stahlkoffer Citykoffer pannier and inner bag after a 2,500 mile two week tour - details of rear welding.

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 17 - the last day

2014-05-21T22:10:00.001+01:00

Our last day on the open road

From: Metz, France
To: London
Via: Guise and the Euro-tunnel
Distance: 320 miles

We woke up in the morning and were all a little sombre over breakfast. A few of the group wanted to push on and just get home at this point which is understandable after 17 tiring days on the road. The rest of us decided to start the day by sticking to our non-motorway ethos and see how things panned out. We had at least 320 miles to ride and who knows what could happen.

Our little group soon realised that we had made the right decision to stay on the backroads. French motorways are dull, yet the backroads are relatively traffic free and for the most part picturesque as you ride through an agricultural landscape only slowing for the seemingly deserted villages (does anyone live in France?). The day passed easily for the most part, pushing through the French countryside, filling up at little petrol stations and only doing the odd stint on the motorway when the weather turned on us.

Guise - so good they named it once, but we visited four times

Paulie was leading and as on the way we had managed to arrive at the little non-descript town of Guise. Having passed through it three times on the way, it was only fitting that he managed to surprise us with a route that also passed through the town on the way home.

Finally the time for our train was drawing near and we hit the motorway for the very last stint of our Balkans trip in order to make the train.

17 days on the road had taken its toll on our riders as we wait for the Eurotunnel home

Reminiscing already - or are we planning the next trip?

As is always the way, when the Eurotunnel doors open in Folkestone, it's every man and women for themselves as we break off to our various parts of London for a long awaited night in our own beds.

It's great to be on the road with such a great bunch of guys, but it's also good to be home.

If you have ever thought about a trip to the Balkans, do it. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to explore on a bike, do it. There's no holiday quite like it. If you have friends who will share it with you, even better. You'll be sure to have ups and downs on any trip, but there will always be way more ups and when you sit in a cafe 3 months later reminiscing about the trip it will be just the ups that you talk about.

Until the next trip...

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 16

2014-05-21T21:44:00.004+01:00

The B500 to Baden-Baden, not kind even to touring tyres on a Triumph Explorer

From: Augsburg, Germany
Via: The B500 to Baden-Baden
To: Metz, France
Distance: 300 miles

This was a mixed day for me. With the highs of riding the B500 in Germany and lows of dropping my bike in a petrol station, but all in all it was still an enjoyable day.

We set off in two groups from the hotel and were to meet at the next petrol station down the road to fill up. When the second group got to the petrol station the other group weren't there. Queue phoning to try and get the group back together. At this point I thought someone was filling up my bike for me while I was calling. We left the petrol station, found the other group and set off. At that point I realised I was almost out of petrol.

20 miles later and running on fumes I pulled into a station and was the only one who needed petrol. Rushing, I didn't notice that the forecourt was on an incline and as I filled up the bike, the weight of the petrol levelled out the suspension and the bike went over. It took three of the group to right her. So I had christened the bike - at least the only damage was an indicator and cracked pannier (and pride).

After that my leadership skills completely failed and I had us riding in circles following my confused satnav. Once again the group were split up. Finally in the late morning we got a groove on and I started to enjoy the day. A couple of the group split off before lunch to take a shorter route to the hotel and the rest of us found a nice spot for a long lunch.

The B500...an awesome 'must ride' road and well worth a detour

After lunch the sun was out, we got into a rhythm and the thought of the famous B500 lying ahead spurred us on. We arrived at the B500 fairly late in the afternoon. The sun was now behind the clouds and as we readied ourselves in the car park, a little drizzle began to fall. While this might have spoiled things, with the fact that all the traffic was treating the road like a race track and our eagerness to give the road a good run, the weather ensured that we didn't overdo things.

Getting ready to ride the B500 with rain clouds looming

The B500 runs from from Freudenstadt to Baden-Baden. It's a fast flowing road, with great visibility, good quality road surface that combines flowing bends and the occasional hairpin over a 25 to 30 mile stretch coming to an abrupt halt as you enter the town of Baden-Baden where there is an ice-cream shop ideal for recounting the tale of your ride while you and your tyres cool down.

The B500, the photo doesn't do it justice, but we were too busy riding it to take pictures

After a somewhat pacy ride we pulled in at the ice-cream shop and admired each other's peeling tyres. We talked about our experiences on the road, corners taken a little to energetically and all decided that the road was well worth the detour. Had it been better weather and earlier in the day, we would all have asked for a do-over.

After the B500 we hit the motorway to France for our last night on the road. We arrived in Metz, France to our stay in a rather odd hotel where we got lost between the basement car park and reception. The hotel was decidedly not as advertised, but it didn't matter as we got into the usual rhythm of a shower, a change of clothes, a swift beer and for a change an Indian meal in a local restaurant. Thoughts are now turning to home and our last day on the road tomorrow.

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 15

2014-05-21T19:37:00.005+01:00

Taking a break after brunch at Grossglockner

From: Spittal an der Drau, Austria
Via: Grossglockner Pass, Gerlos Pass, Achensee, Wallgau, Garmisch
To: Augsburg, Germany
Distance: 284 Miles

After a hearty breakfast our new riding budies headed off with one of our original team to go and get various parts of their bikes fixed. One specifically needed some aluminium welding which is quite specialist work, so, unexpectedly were were back in two groups.

Today was a heavy mileage day when we also rode the highest road pass in the Alps, Grossglockner. For the most part it was a steady ride in the valleys in order to cover a little ground and reach this famous mountain road.

Grossglockner is not the most impressive pass to ride, it's fun, sweeping and has great views, but from a bikers perspective it's also jammed with traffic, making the riding somewhat less than fun. Despite the fact that I've ridden it before over ten years ago, I was excited to see it again, to visit some of the places I'd stopped before and to recreate some of the photos I'd taken ten years ago on my last Alps bike trip. Note to self, I need to visit the Alps more often.

We paid the toll, stowed our pass booklets and stickers which you are 'given' as a memento with your 24 Euro toll fee and prepared to ride 48 kilometres of premium priced alpine road.

The Pasterzenhaus eatery on Grossglockner

On the way to the top we stopped at the Pasterzenhaus, this slightly kooky Alpine hut is often passed by so it's usually quiet and has a friendly owner who makes lovely homemade cakes. There's also plenty of room to park and take photos with the little chapel in the background.

After coffee and cakes we took some group photos and as with any tour we all took photos of our bikes in cool places. I managed to recreate a photo from ten years earlier.

Ten years ago on Grossglockner - on the worlds most chavvy GSXR-750

A slightly comfier ride for a biker ten years more senior

After lunch we ascended to the top where you can get a view of the glacier on one side and a massive multi story car park and visitor centre / tourist shop on the other. It's one of those places that is in some ways ruined by its popularity, yet still worth the visit.

Black leather and hot sunshine, we were melting faster than the glacier behind

Leaving the centre to join the road that climbs to the top of Grossglockner

Somehow we missed the other team who were playing catch-up after getting their bikes fixed earlier in the day. We moved on following the road round and headed towards the 'bikers lookout', a very windy cobbled stretch of road to a great viewing spot. After that we descended the road, which starts off with lots of switchbacks and opens up as you near the foot of the valley where the faster and slower riders regrouped. I still haven't figured how the slower riders made it to the bottom first!

Descending the cobbled switchbacks from the bikers lookout

Once we regrouped at the foot of the pass we began our way towards Germany. We had spent longer than expected enjoying the sights on the pass and by the time we stopped for lunch it was 4pm and we were about 20 miles from the German border at Gerlos. Somewhat sad, we had now left the last of the alpine roads behind us, so we consoled ourselves with Schnitzel and a cold beer.

Once over the German border we decided to keep to the back roads which were now fast and straight allowing us to cut through the countryside quickly. Despite this it was 7pm before we reached our destination at Augsburg.

It really feels like we are on the home stretch now. But we've planned a route back via the famous B500 in Germany tomorrow. We are really going to eek every ounce of fun out of this trip!

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 14

2014-05-20T21:55:00.003+01:00

From: Zagreb Croatia
Via: Ljubljana and Lake Bled, Slovenia
To: Spittel an der Drau, Austria
Distance: 190

Only one hundred and ninety miles to ride today, but we will pass through Croatia, into Slovenia and on into Austria back towards alpine roads.

The main event of the day was the riding itself for the most part. We were soon past Ljubljana as the route was pretty direct, though we skirted the main road on smaller quieter backroads through small farming villages.

Once over the border into Slovenia the going improved and we had fun on the sweeping country roads riding up through the hills and dropping into the valleys. I pulled ahead and stopped on a corner to photograph some of the group as they passed.

Alisa on the Triumph Sprint GT

Ben on the Kawasaki ZZR1400

Sarah on the Yamaha Fazer

Nat on the Kawasaki Er6

The group split into two as we headed towards Lake Bled. One team took the quicker roads, while the other team took a gamble on some very minor roads which appeared to be ridiculously bendy on the map. We were unsure if the gamble would pay off, but the road was not only paved, but was great fun to ride being massively technical, winding very steeply up and over a forested mountain. We finally dropped down into Lake Bled, with hot bikes, hot tyres and smiles all round.

Once at the Lake there was only one thing to do. Order a drink and jump straight in!

Cooling off in Lake Bled

Swimming in a Lake can now be ticked of the alpine biking checklist

Lake Bled, both scenic and tranquil - until we arrived

Bled was our lunch stop for the day and we stopped for a good few hours and had a leisurely lunch as had become our custom. After that we soon crossed the border into Austria and picked up more major roads heading towards Spittel an der Drau where we would find our hotel for the night and meet up with four other bikers - friends on a seperate tour who were meeting us for the ride home.

It turned out that they had a very interesting day. Two of them had crashed after coming down a hill and riding through what they first though was a large puddle of water. It turned out to be diesel oil. The bikes were damaged but rideable. They managed to pick them up and tried to flag down some other bikes which were riding into the same spill. Unfortunately there was a Harley Davidson Rally in the area at the time and the next 7 bikes that came down the road, all Harley's, crashed on the oil with some having to be taken away by pickup truck.

The not insubstantial oil slick

The not insubstantial damage

The rather substantial debrief

There was some speculation as to whether the oil was there by mistake or intent. The most challenging issue was that one of our new team would have to call his wife and explain that he had just crashed her brand new BMW GS.

That night at the hotel we caught up with our friends and shared stories of the adventures and misadventures of our separate trips. Swapping touring stories is an integral part of the biking experience.

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 13

2014-05-20T21:16:00.001+01:00

Fun times on a rest day in Zagreb, Croatia

From: Zagreb

To: Zagreb

Distance: 0 miles

Another much needed rest day, this time in Zagreb. The weather was nice and warm and for once we left the bikes at the hotel and grabbed taxis into town so that we could be 'normal' tourists for the day. We took tourist photos, explored tourist sights, visited tourist traps and ate in tourist restaurants. All in all a vert touristy day. Not like a biking tour at all.

We were surprised to find that all the locals dressed like this and were very friendly

View from the top of the funicular across the city of Zagreb

Statue of St George and the Dragon in the old town

Exploring the old town

St. Marks Church in St. Marks Square, Zagreb

A long lunch after a truly relaxing day in Zagreb

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 12

2014-05-20T19:58:00.002+01:00

Headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Defence with bomb damage from 1999

From: Belgrade, Serbia
To: Zagreb, Croatia
Distance: 285 miles

In some respect we had been returning home ever since we reached the southernmost point of the trip in Dubrovnik. However, it was now the 3rd of September and the route was taking us north again which increased this feeling. The good news was that we still had a lot of riding to do, things to see and fun to have.

We were escorted out of the city by a couple of the bikers who were not working that day, stopping in the centre of town to check out one of the remnants of the war, the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Defence which is right in the city centre and which was bombed by Nato forces on May 7th, 1999. Apparently, we were told, there is some disagreement over ownership of the building so it's been left untouched since the war while buildings around it have been repaired.

Making good time to Zagreb

Soon it was time for goodbyes and we filled up, checked tyres and oil and unusually for us we hit the motorway towards Zagreb. We took the motorway for the most part because it's the only route and because we were still tired from days on the road and unrestful rest days. It felt good to eat up the miles.

Later in the day a couple of the group decided to split off to ride some backroads due to the sheer boredom of riding the straight and fairly empty highway between Belgrade and Zagreb.

Another day another border post

Approaching the border later in the day we came across a massive tailback of cars and trucks waiting to get checked into Croatia. Some had been there for some time as evidenced by the fact that some of the truckers had chairs and tables set out in the middle of the fast lane and were playing cards. We filtered through cheekily right to the front and with our EU passports were simply waved into Croatia.

Another light lunch will keep us focused on the highway

We pulled into Zagreb in the late afternoon and found the hotel almost straight away. The day on the highway, while dull had saved time and energy and meant that we could relax for a while and make the most of the city that evening.

Dinner and drinks in a classy establishment

Followed by evening shenanigans

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 11

2014-05-20T19:25:00.003+01:00

Hangover penitence at the Church of Saint Sava

From: Belgrade
To: Belgrade
Distance: 0 miles

Sunday night after a long days riding came a long night of partying with our new friends. It started innocently enough with quiet evening drinks by the fashionable Ada Ciganlija area of Lake Sava. We then moved on to bars including rock karaoke in smoky downtown bar until it closed, forcing us to move on to Nasa Marina where one of the bikers owns a cafe, which doubles as the Serbian bikers club house, where we drank, danced and ate pizza until 5 a.m.

We were all glad that Monday was a rest day. I woke up with the mother of all hangovers and spent much of the morning trying to pull myself together (aka 'throwing up'). Those that could got up made the most of the sun terrace, lounging around, catching up on social media, work email and so forth.

The view from Belgrade Fortress

Later in the day a few of us that had regained a little composure walked into town to see a little of Belgrade. We visited the largest orthodox church in the world, the Church of Saint Sava. Though it looks nice on the outside, it's entirely built of concrete and is evident inside where it's yet to be finished.

Then it was coffee and relaxing in the shade before walking through the town centre to the old battlements of Belgrade Fortress where we were afforded a magnificent view of the city and the point where the Rivers Sava and Danube meet.

As the evening arrived we were all shattered so it was back to the hotel for a disco nap. At 9pm we met our Serbian biker group at the Marina Cafe for a dinner of Serbian soup, traditional BBQ and yet more beers. We would finish our rest day more tired than when we started.

Serbia - only for the serious BBQ aficionado

Belgrade Bikers meet the London City Bikers

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 10

2014-05-19T21:45:00.001+01:00

The Road from Sarajevo to Belgrade following the deep green River Drina

From: Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina
Via: Vrelo Bonse, Pale, Visegrad, Mecavnik, Mokra Gora
To: Belgrade, Serbia
Distance: 235 Miles

We left Sarajevo after breakfast knowing that today was going to be a fairly long ride. I had no idea how stunning it would be. The city very quickly gave way to countryside and we began following a tributary river through towns and villages throughout the early morning.

About 80 miles into the day the road turned to meet the River Drina at Ustipraca. This massive deep green river is a tributary itself, eventually feeding the Danube. It later forms part of the Border between Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia.

Chasing through the tunnels alongside the River Drina

We followed the river for many miles enjoying the wide road which punched its way through mountains, with each tunnel opening up to reveal more views of the emerald river as it cuts its way through the mountains.

Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge - Visigrad

At lunchtime we pulled into Visigrad where we crossed the ottoman era Unesco world heritage Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge. On pulling into the town we were met by a group of Serbian bikers which one of our team had met on a previous trip. They had agreed to meet us for lunch, escort us over the border and show us round Belgrade over the next couple of days.

We settled in for a long and very large lunch in Visigrad, getting to know our new hosts, sharing stories of the trip, while those that knew each other caught up.

A heavy lunch of BBQ'd meats and a cheeky beer in the afternoon heat - Visigrad

Your humble blogger meeting some of the locals

Impromptu photo shoot on the bridge

After lunch it was back on the road with our extended family. Despite the queues at the Serbian border we were through with minimal fuss and into Serbia. The Serbian bikers now upped the pace and we spread out following some of them up front, while others followed the slower riders at the back in order to keep the group from splitting up.

The next stop of the tour was Drvengrad also known as Kustendorf or Mecavnik, which is a mock traditional village originally made for a film and which has now become a tourist attraction. The village is a tourist trap and a real hotch potch of old buildings, nic-nac shops and cars from the Soviet era.

Kustendorf, part film set, part tourist trap

Some of the crew seeking a break in the shade with the locals

We left Kustendorf late in the afternoon knowing that we needed to cover about half the days mileage. We motored on towards Belgrade enjoying the open roads, but soon the light started to fade and the traffic started to build up as we swept through busy towns on what turned out to be the last day of the summer holidays before term started.

The driving in Serbia is noticeably worse than elsewhere on the trip so far. As far as I can tell, speeding (you got me there) drink driving and especially tailgating are national passtimes. The tailgating is very bad with one driver making contact with the back of my bike at about 50 miles per hour. Only to give me the thumbs up as he sped by to go on to tailgate another of the team.

I dodged a dog on the road and after looking in my rear mirror as it ran off, I looked forward again to be confronted by a truck tyre which I had to swerve to avoid. One of the team who was behind a truck was less lucky and had no time to react as the shredded tyre appeared in front of them. Luckily they hit is square on and managed to stay on the bike.

By about seven in the evening we pulled into a roadside stop for a cool down and some coffees to keep us going for the next stretch.

Coffee and petrol to keep us going before a long ride in to Belgrade in the dark.

After coffee and petrol we pressed on into the dying light of the evening. I watched more antics as a bus full of passengers slowly overtook a car on a blind bend. Soon we adopted the Serbian overtaking technique - the lead rider would pull out and overtake a car and to let you know it was ok to follow he would continue to hang out into the next lane indicating. As soon as he pulled in and stopped indicating, that was the signal that there was an oncoming car and to pull in.

The pace was pretty hot and we were flying past cars. When we stopped for a break I asked the guys why none of the police we had spotted that day had taken any interest. Apparently they don't take the risk of stopping larger groups.

Eventually we made it to Belgrade where, somewhat road weary, we parked the bikes in the underground car park under the hotel. We showered, changed and then met our hosts late in the evening where we went for drinks in a quiet bar by the manmade lake in the city before heading onto a smoky rock Karaoke bar where we sang and drank with our new friends into the early hours of the morning.

Celebrating with new friends in Belgrade

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 9

2014-05-19T20:06:00.002+01:00

The bridge at Mostar

From: Dubrovnik
Via: Trebinje, Ljubinje, Stolac, Blagaj Buna, Mostar, Jablanica & Konjic
To: Sarajevo
Distance: 170 miles

We had a fairly easy ride in front of us so we opted for a slightly later start in order to make the most of the last day on the coast with a swim and late breakfast.

Leaving the Croatia Coast as we head into Bosnia Herzegovina

Once we were ready to leave we headed to the Bosnia Herzegovina border as a single group. We had almost all taken out insurance which had been organised in Croatia except for one of the group. The rather stern guys at the border instructed us not to take photos and disappeared with our documents for some time, after which we were all stamped through.

Bosnia Herzegovina border post - no photos please

Moving into Bosnia you could instantly see the difference in infrastructure investment compared with EU countries. The landscape was rocky and arid and the roads fairly empty which allowed us to eat up the miles. We were forced to use the sign posts as despite most of our satnavs suggesting they had coverage of this country, non of them could find a route or the roads we were on.

The roads are empty and the scenery beautiful

The towns that we passed through were small and spread out leaving us with a shortage of places to stop and eat, so we decided to fuel up at the next available place before pushing on to Mostar for lunch.

With the roads pretty much derelict, we were pushing on at a good pace, though we soon decided to settle things down after one of the team was pushed wide on a corner after getting the wrong side of some badly rutted tarmac. She missed the front of an oncoming truck and slid the bike into a ditch.

Completely unharmed, we thanked our lucky stars and plastic panniers (grazed by the passing truck), calmed down for twenty minutes, bump started the flooded bike and pottered on towards Mostar.

Amazing views as we descend the Road to Mostar

Mostar is a stunning old town situated on the Neretva River and famed for it's bridge which was built in the 1500's and rebuild after the recent wars. Though the town is stunning, it like many of the towns and villages in the hills around it, still bare the signs of war, often riddle with bullet holes, and evidence of mortars or RPGs.

We parked up near a BBQ shack (what would be the first of many plates of grilled meat in this part of the world) and while some of us ate in the shade keeping one eye on the bikes others went to view the bridge.

The stunning bridge at Mostar

After spending more time than expected (but still not nearly enough) sight seeing and eating in Mostar we started to realise that we still had some distance to cover so we set off in the soon to be fading afternoon light for Sarajevo.

Riding the canyons and following the river to Sarajevo

The light soon faded as we got into the canyons and we each in turn stopped to take photos or put on extra layers and soon the group was spread out over many miles. We hit Sarajevo as it became dark and met the heavy traffic of this major city.

By sheer fluke we each made it to the hotel which was on the other side of the city. I was keeping one eye on the sat nav, one eye on each junction to see if one of the crew were marking a place we could turn, while looking behind meet at each traffic light to see if I could spot other riders. Eventually we all came upon one of the team marking the turn to the hotel where we would be staying the night.

True to form we got showered, changed into clean clothes and then hit the old town bars for a busy Saturday night. We got to bed late and woke to a fabulous view from our hotel room.

The view from our room at the Hotel Europe in Sarajevo

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 8

2014-03-23T19:03:00.006+00:00

The coast road from Split to Dubrovnik (Omis riviera)

From: Vodice, Croatia

Via: Split

To: Dubrovnik (Hotel Neptun)

Distance: 200 miles

Today is an easy days ride straight down the coast. As such a couple of team decided to take a lie in and set off a little later. The others headed off in two small groups in the morning.

Though the road is famous, the first leg out towards Split is heavily built up with holiday homes and hotels. Along with pretty heavy traffic the result was that the day was not initially the ride I had imagined.

As I rode I kept my eye out for somewhere to get a late morning coffee and found a lovely little beach hut. Three of us in the lead group settled in for an hour or so. While we enjoyed the sun, the sea and strong coffee the second group spotted our bikes as they passed and joined us for coffee.

A break for coffee at 'The Spirit of Croatia' bar on the Omis riviera

After Split the road opened up before cutting inland across some amazing scenery including mountain and lakes. We then hit flat farmland before getting back to the rugged coast road.

The road from Split to Dubrovnik is not short of views

The last couple of hours involved briefly crossing into a small stretch of Bonsia which maintains their connection with the sea, before crossing straight back into Croatia again.

The road hugged the coastline with stunning views with plenty of parking spots to take advantage of the scenery.

Stopping for pictures at one of the viewing spots on the road from Split to Dubrovnik

Riding into Dubrovnik, the road crosses a bridge which gives a great view of the old town and the massive cruise ships that frequent this ancient port city.

We negotiated the road system, following the satnav the wrong way down a one way street to the hotel. All three groups made the same mistake, the final group getting stopped by the police half way down the road. They played the tourist card, then went the correct route.

Our hotel in Dubrovnik was decidedly upscale with pools and a little private beachfront. Once everyone arrived we made the most of the afternoon sun lounging on the beach, sipping beers and swimming in the ocean.

At 8pm we took taxis into the beautiful old town for dinner and hi-jinx. But with all the fresh air and swimming in the afternoon we were all sleepy and an anticipated night of clubbing was abandoned for an early night.

The view from our hotel room at Hotel Nuptun - Dubrovnik

Its good to be off the bike and relaxing by the sea

Fun in the old town of Dubrovnik

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 7

2014-03-23T18:01:00.004+00:00

A sunset ride through lakes and mountains

From: Senj
To: Vodice
Distance: Group 1: 220 miles, Group 2: 150miles

Today we all woke up early for breakfast at the hotel Libra in Senj. We were all eager to hear from the rider. Worst news, it was a confirmed broken collarbone and the rider would not be able to continue.

We took stock of the situation and made plans for the day. Two of the team would go to the police station to hand in the receipt confirming the fine had been paid. Three others would check on the state of the crashed bike at the recovery yard.

It's in bad condition, dented tank, broken foot peg, lights, indicators, gear pedal, clutch and brake levers, clocks and a bent radiator. As the bike was old and might be more costly to repair than replace we discussed options for the rider. It could shipped back to the UK; sold to the breaker; left and collected when the rider was well etc. We decided to strip off the bike anything that could be saved, with items distributed across the team's luggage.

The stunning Croatian coast

After a quick chat with the team it was decided there was little more we could do. So most of the team set off to the next destination Vodice, Croatia while myself and one other would backtrack to the hospital to check on the rider and provide him with some clothes and items from his luggage.

The team that went onto Vodice had a good day riding a famous stretch of coast road following sweeping bends, keeping the sea to their right for the whole of what turned out to be a buetiful warm day with clear blue skies. Reaching Karlobag they stopped for a lunch stop at a sea side cafe, before rolling into Vodice in good time that afternoon. Though it wasn't too long a day, the sweeping bends and late night and stress from the day before meant the riders were all tired when they reached the hotel.

The lead group take lunch at Karlobag

Some post lunch chill-out time for the lead group
Our day was somewhat different. After backtracking down the same road to Rijeke, our first challenge was finding the hospital and negotiating the language barrier. We found our teammate, made sure he was OK, had clean clothes and kit and wished him well as he started to look at flights back to the UK.

On leaving we were faced with riding the same stretch of road for a third time. Rather than covering old ground we decided to take an inland loop. This would mean that we would miss out on some great coastline later in the day, but it would instead take us through the Plitvice National Park that we had missed the night before.

The roads we left town on immediately took us into the countryside. They were windy and empty and the tarmac was warm, perfect conditions for bikes and we picked up the pace leaning through the bends.

At Lokve, we joined, then crossed, the E65 and turned onto a backroad (the 5191) which wound through fields and small villages. Just after heading out of Mrkapalj the road reduced to a single track, climbed the hill and then started to break up. 200 meters later we were on a tightly twisting narrow dirt road that appeared to climb into heavy forest.

We discussed turning back, but neither of us had much petrol. The satnavs sighted one further down our route anyway and the dirt track propably didn't go far... we decided to press on.

Running out of road - the explorer and its rider get their first off-road test

The road climbed the hill and became a wide track running through fields where we passed the Matić Poljana Standing stones. The easy riding became a little more difficult as the road dropped into the woods, and eventually became a muddy logging road. With a good amount of off-road experience and a lighter bike my riding companion raced off to make the most of our unplanned adventure. He would stop every so often to let me catch up and then race off. Whenever there was a fork in the road I just looked for the line of turned up dirt that his bike had left and followed that.

Tracks lead into the boonies

Paul waits for the off-road newbie to catch up

Soon we began to realise that we might really be in the boonies and far off the beaten rack. Another 10k and we note there was a good way to go and we now have very little petrol. The satnav now says that it's 56k to the next station and we are showing ranges of 40 and 17 on our bikes.

Eventually we hit tarmac again and have hope of getting to a petrol station. We find another on the satnav. It's only 20k so we might just make it. On arrival it's clear from the broken down truck with plants growing all over it that it been closed for many years. We have no choice but to keep going to the next. Running on fumes and with Paulie's bike reading 0 miles left, we start coasting downhill with engines off. Finally another large brand new station looms. But it's so new they don't yet have petrol. But there's another station 6k down the road. We pull in both reading empty. Paulie riding a bike that reached zero 20k ago.

As all petrol stations here have bars, we settle in and treat ourselves to a break and a celebratory beer and snacks. 10 minutes earlier we were discussing how we might have to ask at a farm for petrol which would be tricky not knowing the sign language for petrol. Now we could laugh about it with a cold beer in our hands.

High up in the mountains

With full tanks we hit the awesome empty roads and national park, blasting across the country side smiling in our helmets. A coffee break at a roadside lodge is followed by a final sunset run through the mountains.

We meet the others at the hotel in Vodice after riding an hour down country lanes in the dark. A quick shower and change and we all head into town to eat and re-hash the stories of the day.

A view of the famous lakes

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 6

2014-03-23T16:23:00.004+00:00

Sunny back roads near Senj, Croatia

From: Pula, Croatia
To: Senj, Croatia
Distance: 175 miles

Day six started and ended with a bang. At 4 a.m. I was woken by a flash of lightening and a huge crash of thunder that set car alarms of in the hotel car park. I walked out onto the covered balcony of the hotel room and watched the pouring rain and flashes of lightening for an hour before putting my earplugs in and going back to sleep.

The day was to be an easy low mileage day, but things weren't to go to plan. The rain has stopped by the time we rose for breakfast. The air was thick as the the rain evaporated under the morning sun. After breakfast we started packing up the bikes, ready to meet a local biker and do some sightseeing. However, on the horizon we could see a thick black storm cloud.

Pula harbour and approaching storm - an omen for the day

Within minutes the storm was upon us, the thunder and lightening started and heavy rain began to fall. The local biker arrived on a scooter; he had left his sports-bike at home. We assumed that he was just precious about his bike, but soon discovered that the roads become extremely slippy when wet in this part if the world.

The rain would follow us all day

The local gave up waiting on the storm and headed home. We spent an hour or two waiting out the rain, and when it passed we started the bikes and headed into Pula town to view the amphitheatre.

The roads in town were really slick and a couple of the team spun up the the back wheels just setting off from junctions. But by the time we had walked around the amphitheatre and filled up with petrol the temperature was getting into the 30s and the roads had dried.

After the amphitheatre we got on the motorway by accident and were allowed to turn around at the toll booth. Crossing four lanes of a motorway in the wrong direction is a first for me. Once off the motorway we finally got on back roads following the coast.

In the early afternoon we decided to stop for a late lunch at the Hotel Flanona, a restaurant on a rocky outcrop looking out to sea on the D99 near Plomin, Croatia.

The group having lunch at Hotel Flanona, near Plomin, Croatia

Before our starters arrived (lunch was always a lazy part of our day) the heavens opened again. We sheltered inside through starters, mains, desserts and at least two rounds of coffee. The moment the rain started to ease we moved on again.

Following the coast for the next couple of hours to Rijeka was slow going. This section of coast is fairly built up and there's a single route that winds through town after town, and we crawled from traffic light to traffic light. A detour in Rijeka split the team up and made for an unscheduled break as the team collected itself again.

From Rijeka out the roads opened up and improved, we would follow the coast on dry sunny roads for much of the remainder of the day before cutting inland at Senj.

Enjoying the dry coastal roads

Happy rider in the afternoon sun

Late in the day before we turned inland

Your blogger

Cutting inland at Senj would take us to our planned destination, a lodge in the Plitvice National Park. As soon as we turned off from the coast, the road became a steep tight and twisty route, busy with traffic. The road was unexpectedly still wet as it was shaded by the forest. A couple of the team spun wheels despite taking it very easy.

Rounding a corner I came across a bike lying in the road. Our leader for the the afternoon had a had a slow speed spill. Unfortunately both he and the bike were damaged. A suspected broken collarbone meant that an ambulance and then the police were called.

Extremely slippy roads claim one of the team

A now slightly second hand Suzuki SV650

The emergency services arrived pretty quickly. Took statements from the rider and the driver of the camper, both agreeing it was a slow speed slip. Our injured teammate was then whisked away to hospital (about 2 hours drive back to Rijeka). The bike was lifted onto a recovery truck, the road was swept and soon it was like it had never happened.

As one of the team had gone with the injured party, we now had more bikes that people on the mountain, it was getting dark and no-one fancied carrying on on such a dangerous road. So most of the group headed back to Senj to find a hotel. The remainder used a pillion system to ferry bikes back and kit down the mountain. Late that night fines were paid at the police station, and we spoke to the recovery driver who said that tourists crashed on that road every time it rained. The conversation was soon cut short as he had to leave to pick up a German biker who had just crashed on the same stretch.

All that was left was to go to he hotel where we had a solemn debrief over evening dinner and beers by the ocean. Our hotel and plans for Plitvice was cancelled and we discussed the options available whilst waiting to hear on the status. What would tomorrow bring...

The view from our hotel in the morning...what would today bring?

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 5

2014-03-18T22:02:00.001+00:00

From: Aura, Italy
Via: Dolomites
To: Pula, Croatia
Distance: Approx 300 miles

Today the plan was to leave together for Cortina, riding a few interesting roads on the way. After Cortina, the group would split into two, one set taking a longer but easier motorway route for a good part of the final leg of the day and the others sticking to back road riding all the way.

As is often the case things didn't go exactly to plan and two of the group headed out to a petrol station and everyone else assumed they had just gone on ahead so left without them. We must have ridden past them while they were filling up. After the two waited a while they decided to press on.

The two lone riders without satnavs managed not only to make it to Cortina using road signs, but did so via the Ski resort town of Predazzo, the Passo di Pordo, with it's super tight switchbacks (all signed with the angle of the bends). After which they stopped at Arabba for a well earned cup of tea. Next was the amazing the Falzarego Pass and down into Cortina. In fact they made it all the way to Pula on signs.

Making the most of the bends

In the meantime the larger group followed the twisty roads option on the TomTom to ensure we stayed on the bendiest of routes. We also passed through Predazzo riding through empty, foggy roads that tightened as we climbed higher into the mountains. The cold, damp roads kept the pace sensible and everyone had a great time.

Rugged locals on Passo Valles

Highlights included Passo Valles and Passo Giau. On Passo Giau one of the front runners stopped ahead and used hand signals to tell us there was a speed camera, but we thought he was signalling to let us know he had stopped to take a photo of us as we passed, so we blasted past, straight through the speed camera (another photo for the collection).

The team celebrating Passo Giau and more scraped foot pegs

Descending into Cortina d'ampezzo

Arriving in Cortina, we parked up and walked into town to find lunch. On the off-chance I texted the two lone riders, who as it turned out were only 20 minutes behind us. As was becoming a theme we found somewhere unexpectedly swanky for lunch and dined on steak and seafood while we compared our morning routes.

After a couple of hours in Cortina it was back on the road. Heading south and into the lowlands, the temperature started to rise and wet weather gear made its way into panniers and under bungee straps for the foreseeable. Later in the day we hit the main roads down to Trieste.

After Trieste we rode briefly into Slovenia where the temperature continued to climb. After the heat of the motorway we pulled off for petrol and ice creams. This simple task was made harder by our team having no idea how to navigate the strange double roundabout system used here.

Things heat up as we reach Slovenia and stop for petrol, and ice cream off the motorway

The stop in Slovenia was a swift break before we arrived at the boarder of Croatia where we anticipated a long wait. However, we were waived through as Croatia had recently joined the EU.

As soon as we got onto the back roads it really did feel as if we were in a different country. The roads were empty with very long straights followed by winding tight bends and then more very long straights again. Sign-posts to Pula were in abundance, the sun was going down and the roads smelled of the pine and olive trees that were all around. It was the perfect end to a days ride. Although the Alps had been fun, we were all looking forward to the Mediterranean.

Arriving at the hotel at 8pm, there was confusion over the room bookings (they had the wrong month, despite calls by our team to confirm a few days in advance of the trip). But eventually we got checked in and made the most of the facilities. Al fresco beers followed by several bottles of Croatian wine in their fine dining restaurant and drinks at a beach bar marked the end of a very successful day.

A little sophistication for a change

The sophistication wasn't to last

Balkans Motorcycle Tour - Day 4

2014-03-17T21:57:00.003+00:00

Our rest stop for a day - Hotel Elefant, Auer, Italy

Day four was a well earned rest day. We all slept in late, sleeping off the beer and steak from the night before. The day was spent lounging around the neighbourhood, drinking coffee, eating, relaxing and making the most of WiFi.

Celebrating a successful day on the passes on arrival at Hotel Elefant, Auer

The morning after - coffees and beers

Making the most of rest day with another break

Our rest day spot viewed from the road above

VFR400 NC30 finished / ready to ride

2014-03-15T14:00:00.001+00:00

It's Saturday the 15th of March. The bike has been thoroughly cleaned, lubed, greased, metal polished, plastic restored, sprayed with anti corrosive and the bodywork has been waxed.

More importantly all the mechanical work is complete and it's fresh back from passing its MOT. In short, it's finished; she's road worthy and she runs and rides well. Just in time for Spring sunshine. This time tomorrow we will be weaving through country lanes.

I have really enjoyed the process of 'restoring' the bike, though it was never my initial intention. (Note to self: never impulse buy a bike off eBay after several beers). I've learned a lot and want to give a big shout out to Matt at Oval Motorcycle Centre for all the help and support with the mechanics; Rick Oliver for trick bits and rapid advice over email and the community at 400greybike for advice and a great resource for the 400 enthusiast.

Now less typing and more riding....

Finishing up the VFR400: Winter into Spring 2014

2014-03-15T13:45:00.003+00:00

One of the last big mechanical jobs to complete is to strip and rebuild the front forks. These are dismantled and all the components carefully cleaned. New Linear springs sourced from the VFR400 specialist Rick Oliver are installed along with new spacers and fresh oil. The air gaps are set and the forks rebuilt.

It's at this stage I realise that I should have sent the lower parts of the forks to be powder coated. I decide that it's too late and install them. They don't look as good as I want them to, so after all that I take them back out, mask them up and spray paint them. It might not be the ideal solution, but they look a lot better and won't appear so tatty when set against some of the other parts that I'm refreshing.

Next I send the top yoke (which at some point has been painted using a paint brush) and both wheels, (which are badly painted) to I Cleanz Macheenz in Penge, London. The yoke will be media blasted back to bare aluminium and the wheels which are also aluminium will be blasted, gassed and finally powder coated with the bikes original colour 'Honda Ross White'.

Yoke blasted back to bare aluminium

A week later I get a call from the media blaster. Once the front wheel was blasted back to metal it became obvious why the front tyre had been going down; there was a two inch long crack along the rim. I decide to play it safe and source another wheel....more unexpected expense. It feels like the bike is fighting me at every turn. That said, I've enjoyed the process and it's great when you start to see results.

Font wheel blasted back to metal shows a two inch crack

A new wheel is sourced, blasted and a week later the parts are back from powder coating. They look great! Now we are getting somewhere!

The paint needs to be carefully removed from a couple of areas in order that the wheel sits flush on the bike and the brake discs fit flush on the wheels. But as soon as they are built up I know the hassle has been worth it.

Finally after almost a year of ownership I can start to build what looks like a very tidy bike back up.

Almost there...

VFR 400 restoration continues into winter 2013

2014-03-15T13:19:00.002+00:00

Now that the carbs are sorted, I move on to replacing the coolant system. New radiators from eBay are sources and fitted. Well...the lower one is fitted. The upper turns out to be identical to the original Honda one, with one notable exception, it's not curved like the Honda one (one reason for the cheap price). It could be fitted with a little work to the radiator mounts, but I decide that the original Honda upper radiator is in pretty good condition, so it stays on the bike for now.

Keeping the Honda rads means that the new Samco hoses and clamps can be fitted with little modification.

Next, the rear shock linkage is removed, cleaned, bearings repacked and the Nitron shock is wriggled into place. This is far more tricky than it sounds. After much time, effort and skinned knuckles, the hose that leads from the shock to the reservoir comes loose, leaking the shock's oil which does not appear to be under pressure. The shock has to be taken back out. As it's new, though bought from a reseller via eBay, Nitron customer service are brilliant and re-gas the shock with a replacement hose for free.

While the shock is in transit I borrow a friend's shock so that I can ride the bike for the remainder of the summer.

Once summer is over the shock is taken out and given back. The the returned Nitron shock goes back into the bike, again with much effort. You'd think that with all the practice I'd be getting very proficient at shock removal/installation, but it's a fiddly and time consuming job. Knuckles are again skinned.

With the shock finally in place, the fairings are refitted so that all the panels join up properly. I spent some time cutting a section of out the front and replacing it with a metal gauze to let the radiator breath. Previously the panel had just been drilled which led to the engine running hot.

With the addition of the new stainless steal Pro Bolt kit (expensive but worth it) the bike is starting to look fairly tidy.

Some more trick bits for the VFR NC30

2014-03-15T12:47:00.002+00:00

The more work I do on the NC30 the more issues I uncover that require attention, or rather, don't 'require' work, but are worth addressing while the bike is in bits.

Suspension falls into this category. As it's pretty tired after 23 years, I decide to bring it up to date.

So I hit the internet starting with a great source for VFR400 riders, the 400greybike.com forum.

I'm soon able to source a set of of upgrades including linear springs for the front end from Rick Oliver (well known in VFR400 circles). Rick is a great source of upgraded kit, HRC mods, hard to find bits and pieces and advice for the 400cc enthusiast.

Also from Rick Oliver come a set of Samco Hoses to match some new Chinese radiators sourced from eBay. They are from China so a little bit of a gamble.

And a bit more keen eBay watching turns up this trick Nitron Shock. Can't wait to get them installed, something I'll do after our holiday to the 2013 Isle of Man TT.

Getting stuck into the VFR400 restoration

2014-03-15T12:36:00.001+00:00

So far, I've had two days to work on the VFR400 NC30 and though the bike turned out to have a lot more issues than I had envisioned, some pretty decent progress has been made.

The big jobs, 'so far', have been fixing the oil leak; After a bit of investigation it appeared that the oil leak was was coming from the top of the V and was a result of a sheared engine bolt. The bolt runs from the outside of the engine and is used to retain and stop vibration in one of the gears that run the cams. Ultimately it meant that the tank, carbs and engine valve covers had to come off and a couple of the gear cassettes had to come out. Luckily the sheared off end had been retained in its rightful place, so a simple replacement bolt and washer and the oil leak was fixed.

While I had the rocker covers were off, I thought I'd take the opportunity to do a full valve clearance. This is a little bit of a fiddly job, so I was glad of some guidance. After a bit of time and effort I was not surprised to find that only two of the sixteen valves were within tolerance. So fourteen had to be shimmed. It's a job that won't have to be done for another 30,000 miles or so and it should hopefully make the bike run better now that the valve spacing is correct.

Next, the Carbs. After dismantling them it was obvious why the bike had only been running on three cylinders...one float bowl was completely dry to the point that it had dust in it. The carbs had to be completely stripped down, thoroughly cleaned; the linkages which had seized were greased and the needles and floats reset. No wonder it was running like s**t.

Once this was done the carbs were balanced (by the more than helpful Matt at Oval Motorcycle Centre - where I'm renting bench time to work on my 'little' project).

Carbs done, I could move on to smaller projects. These included fixing the lights and gauges, changing the oil filter, air filter and spark plugs. The dent in the link pipe turned out to have been put there by Honda...Doh! I'm still learning. At least that's another job I can tick off the list.

Next session I plan to:

Source and replace a cam rocker cover bolt that I accidentally sheared off (once I find a replacement)
Replace the upper and lower radiators which have had it
Replace the worn and broken throttle cables
Replace the clutch cable
Get a news set of tyres

With any luck I've broken the back of the project...though who knows what else I will uncover as we progress.

So this is classic bike ownership!

2013-04-01T16:11:00.001+01:00

Day two and the NC30 it's already in bits!

After riding our new purchase 214 miles from back from Swansea to it's new home in London in the freezing cold, I knew the bike was a runner. I also knew that she looked nice (fairing, wheels and paint job) but I also knew that there were some pretty significant issues with it.

Essentially under the glossy paintwork lay a pretty tired 23 year old bike. God knows what kind of life it's had.

I parked her in the garage on Friday night and the bike smelled of oil and fuel, not a good sign. By Saturday morning there was a pool of oil on the floor. I thought to myself "this really is classic bike ownership" as I slid a Tupperware box under the bike to catch any further leaks.

I don't know much about engines, but I do know that the oil is supposed to stay on the inside. So, I rode the bike carefully down to OMC to get some advice and take a look (OMC is a self service garage. They have all the kit and a fully qualified mechanic on hand to guide you).

The obvious issues are:

Indicators and rear lights failed on the way home
Rev counter and temp gauge not working
Rear tyre needs replacing
Rear shock is tired
Dent in link pipe, the last guy had re-re-located the exhaust back to the left side of the bike
Flat spot rendering a third of each gear just about useless
After market can - probably making the flat spot worse
Oil leak
Bolts on the break callipers need replacing

So the fairing came off.

The lights were due to a blown fuse - 34p and that was fixed (fingers crossed there's nothing more serious causing blown fuses, we'll soon find out).

Getting to the beating heart of the VFR 400 NC30

Cam cassette out

One of the major gears that drive the cams

Then it was down to the more serious issue, the oil leak. After getting the fairing off, the leak turned out to be coming from the middle of the V so in no time the air box, carbs and then cam covers were off. The problem turned out to be one of the gear cassette retaining bolts which had sheered off. So we removed the cam cassettes and found the end of the bolt. Luckily it was retained in its rightful place and was not rattling around the cam gears. A replacement bolt should have this issue sorted :-)

I ran out of time that day, so had to leave the bike in parts. In a couple of weeks I'll take it back and handle the main issues.

Valve clearance - well the cam covers are off now, so might as well
Hose change - age and oil leaks probably haven't left them at their best
Carbs

No doubt I'll learn a lot (and spend a lot) during the process, but I'm enjoying fixing it and am sure to enjoy riding it.

The main aim is to get the big jobs done quickly so the bike is ridable for the summer, we can then work on the other bits next winter. By we, I mean my wife and I, this bike is a shared toy, so we are going to split the expense, the work and the riding.

More to come soon...

New old bike - 1989 VFR400 NC30

2013-03-30T10:28:00.002+00:00

Alisa and I have been talking about getting an NC30 for some time. I started my biking 'career' on a ZZR400 which I always enjoyed riding.

Since then I've ridden bigger and bigger bikes. The sports bikes were fun to ride, but could do far more than I was capable of and as I tend to do trips on the bikes I now have a tourer. However, we both wanted something small and 'cheap' that we could play around on, ride on country lanes in summer and perhaps take on track. The iconic little NC30 squarely fits the bill.

Since we finally got around to buying one yesterday I thought I'd say introduce the bike

So here it is. It's an eBay find, bought as these things no doubt often are after a few beers, and a very quick "what the hell, let's do it" conversation.

It's 1990 model with about 26,000 miles on the. The previous owner has added a new body kit which I was surprised to find is pretty good quality. He's also had the wheels powder coated and replaces a few bits and pieces here and there. So cosmetically she's not too bad...underneath...well let's just say she needs some TLC, "which is to be expected for a 23 year old sports bike" I quickly tell myself.

I picked her up yesterday and rode a cold 214 miles from Swansea to London. So the good news is she's a runner.

The not so good news (and this is before the fairing comes off):

Indicators and rear lights failed on the way home
Rev counter and temp gauge not working
Rear tyre needs replacing
Rear shock is tired
Dent in link pipe, the last guy had re-re-located the exhaust back to the left side of the bike
Big flat spot - so the carbs need sorting
After market can - probably making the flat spot worse
Small oil leak - hope nothing major, more than likely from the oil can
Bolts on the break callipers need replace

So did I pay too much?... probably

Am i happy with the purchase?... definitely

I'll sort the flat spot, tyres and lights first - I want to keep this bike in running order. I've seen too many teardown's that never come back together. No doubt, OMC London will see a lot of me and this bike over the next year or two.

New bike ready for the new season

2013-02-19T21:33:00.002+00:00

Well the Busa was finally retired. I loved that bike *wipes tear from cheek* but I'd pretended for far too long that it was a practical and comfortable machine.

I'm doing more long distance and touring style riding and had realised after a track session that I'm just not that sporty a rider. So the 2007 Busa was traded in for a handsome some at Carl Rosner Triumph in Croydon.

Essentially I was there to help my wife choose her new Triump Sprint GT, (she had fallen in love with the one she rode across the states) and I foolishly test rode the Explorer while I was there.

I'd thought of testing a BMW adventure, and a Ducati Multistrada, but I'm not a fan of twins, and this was a lot of bike for the money, it's well put together and the engine has some serious shove.

Here's me picking it up a week later, looking like the cat that got the cream, and slightly stealing my wifes thunder. The only downside? I darn't get mine in the blue, as she got hers in that colour, it would have been a step too far.

Here's to as many happy miles on this as on the Busa.

A more thorough review can be found here at Motorcyclist Magazine