She's Comin' Home - Vera Strom

In fact. She is home.  

Pick up time was 11am. As we set off late for the 20 miles drive, then Canterbury traffic it was gone 1120 when we arrived. Claire left me there to drive home and I went in the showroom.

Frank was finishing off with the guy before who had bought a used HD Sportster.  One they sold originally before they "lost" the HD dealership. Good nick but not my cup of tea.

I had time to look around the showrooms before it was my turn. Vera was in the shop right by Frank's desk and I gave her a look over. Nice and clean and ready to go.

The Indian Motorcycles products look really nice. If I had the money I guess the FTR1200 with light adventure bike accessories would have been a good looking buy.  The road going model of the FTR1200 also looks the dogs bowlocks.

In the "used" showroom they have the other yellow V-Strom 1000 I saw on the website. It was more than my budget but does come with the Suzuki aluminium three box system.  It is sold. If I had had the extra couple of grand I might have gone for that one.

Whilst I waited I updated the "My Ride" app from Yamaha and "retired" Red Pepé, and added Vera to the app.  I kicked it off on the way home.

In the end the paperwork and then getting the registration transferred to me and taxing the bike, all done online, took a while as the DVLA website was very slow.

Eventually, it was all done and I set off for home. The fuel tank was showing 3/4 full on the gauge but to get Fuelly up and running I decided I'd fill up ASAP.

I retraced the steps from the way up as far as Stelling Minnis where I popped into the Murco petrol station.  They still sell E5 Unleaded and also much cheaper than other stations in the area.  The tank took just under 10 litres to be showing just below the plate at the bottom of the filler. At 8746 on the odometer.

I then had a slightly circuitous ride home and took the A20 from M20 J11, towards Folkestone.  This is a nice ribbon of road with ups and downs and some nice sweeping bends.  Such a shame that it is so short.  I came home over Sene Valley, crossing over the Channel Tunnel rail link and the M20.

So how was the ride?  The bike is very stable over even the bumpiest Kent road.  Some are so cracked and potholed that even a tank would give a bouncing thudding ride.

What I have to learn is to change down. With the Rocket "the torque of the devil" meant even low rpm in higher gears means simply opening the throttle. Not on Vera. Too low revs and clunk-clunk.

Anyway we made it home in one piece.

Can you spot the main/centre stand?

Mark on end can as previous owner burned luggage on to it!

I need to look at fitting the satnav mount and the Givi tank ring. Maybe tomorrow.

Oh. And eagle eyed Claire noticed the bike has the main stand fitted!  In all my looks over the bike I hadn't even noticed it!!!! Better buy some chain lube I guess!