On the Road Again!

I haven't been out since Meldrews' Sunday and Vera has been sitting in the garage in the cold. So a quick visit out there to check and the tyre is still rock hard. Success!

Window Advert Valentino Window Advert Had a run up to FWR to get the tyre slow leak looked at. Nothing wrong with the tyre. So they removed it and cleaned the rim again and replaced the valve. No charge as expected. I need to keep an eye on it.

When it arrived on Monday afternoon I actually read the instructions and checked the photo on Amazon to see how it fitted together. I was a little surprised that the flexible pipe that fits into the unit screws into what seems like a rubber seal.  The other end has the valve depressor and is a screw fit. So with a suitable kneeling pad I switched it on and connected to the valve on the wheel.  It showed that the 34psi I had foot pumped in on Sunday had dropped to 27.5psi. I dialled 40psi into the VonHaus and pulled the trigger.  Man is it loud!! I think the pipe could do with being a bit longer but I guess with a car wheel there would be less reaching under the vehicle to get on the valve. I didn't have a stopwatch running but it was only a couple of minutes and the 40psi was reached. I have already arranged with FWR to go back on Friday and get the tyre checked over. The "experts" on the Facebook and other forums say that as long as there is no obvious hole or nail or ot...

First impressions. Once fitted I had this incredibly stupid idea of killing time before the football to go to the Ace Café on the North Circular and get a coffee and maybe see if there were any bikes there. TomTom decided to take me on some tortuous route that included going the wrong way on the A3 and then " make a u-turn " back past FWR!  As a result of mostly walking pace traffic and some even stopped dead traffic I aborted and decided to go straight to the parking at Brentford. I set the "Yamaha My Ride" app on most rides and this was no exception. I managed to cover 21.3 miles in 1h 13m. An average of 17mph!!! So no real data from that part of the ride. The front had become a little skittish and that was gone.   After the game the real test of rubbing the glaze off  came about.  Rather than slog through London I opted for a roundabout route that would involve motorway almost all the way. The M4 is right alongside the ground and an on ramp close by.  Th...

Michelin Pilot 5 Trail. Look identical to Pilot 5 Road ... Fitted at 9191 miles. The Bridgestone originals have done quite well. But for a while have started to be a little twitchy on bends. Enough was enough. 

The first part of the ride, 52 miles up to London took about 40 minutes, on motorway. The last 13 to FWR took over an hour. Traffic gridlocked whilst bus lanes and cycle lanes were hardly in use. Millions of pounds of empty tarmac. I had factored in an hour and a half from arrival to pay and leave. Instead there was hardly a queue, and I was out in 45 mins! It was just 1555 when I messaged Claire to say I was away. With 2h 45h before kickoff I set TomTom for Ace Café. Never got there. After a congested trip over Waterloo Bridge and God knows where I aborted and went back to the Brentford route.  Fuel near the ground was 50.9 mpg. Not bad considering the traffic and the fastish run up. Once parked I got my ticket and was in the ground a little after six .. As I write it's still 51 minutes to kickoff! Maybe another coffee or add in a pee?  

When I bought Vera I negotiated the price down a little as it was obvious that new tyres would be needed.  That time has come earlier than I  thought it might. The bike has done around 9200 miles and I guess these might be the original fitment! It is currently fitted with a pair of Bridgestone BW501 front and BW502 rear tubeless radials. I had a look on the Bridgestone website and according to them they don't make a fitment in that tyre for the V-Strom. 😨 Anyway, the front is about had it anyway and the rear may have life left, but if I am going to shell out a kidney's worth of cash, I might as well get them both done together.  Especially as I need to ride to London to get them sorted.  So what have I decided on to replace them. Loads of forum searching and I have decided as the chances of me "off roading" is minimal I will go for tyres that will reflect the majority of my riding - a pair of Michelin Road 5 Trail . I called FWR Tyres in South East London and they ...