On the Road Again!

Suzi needed the dbPower to give her a jolt of extra power to get her to start this morning. The ride is only around 40 miles return. The original plan to breakfast at Jo's in Brookland was dropped as it seemed I was Billy No-Mates from my local riding buddies. Only two Kettles when I arrived and another, a nice greeny J arrived a bit later. A chat and a coffee later I set off back. This time she started after a few prods on the Kickstarter. The electric was useless. I couldn't remember how many miles ago I put petrol in and so decided to ride back where I would pass four petrol stations. I reasoned that if I went onto reserve I would stop at the next one and fuel up. In the end I made it all the way home. Reserve not needed. I also started the Yamaha My Ride for the ride home. With it being the last day of the children's summer holiday and good weather there was plenty of traffic on the roads.

This final meeting of the year was planned straight after the last Kettle Club and GT750 Owners meeting in July. It has been published on Facebook and the Kettle Club Forum. Common consensus is that if the weather is inclement that no one will go! I could be Billy No-Mates. Not unusual for anyone as experienced as I am in organising events for the SOC etc. Let's see!!!

My first stop was Jo's Café at Brookland. I was going to have breakfast with a couple of fellow Meldrews'.  In the event there was only Ian J on his 1250GS that made it and then we were joined by his friend Dee on her BMW. So I was late setting off and arrived at the biker parking in Rye about 1115 instead of 1030! I did pass the guy taking photos for bikerpics and saw he got a few of me from the right side. The lot was packed. I met a few Kettle owners from the Autumn meet and had a chat. Then I was approached by Ed B. I haven't seen him since the maybe the 1980's when he was the guy running the Kent Centre SOC.  He has recently got a surprise gift from his wife of a completely restored A model. It's the work of Peter Omerod. It is truly stunning. It's probably better than new. New parts that are probably better than when they made the bike in 1976. I spent too long chatting that I forgot to take any photos myself. Photography by Ed Bannock  I had also...

"Not another t-shirt" she'll say when this one plops through the door at the end of the week. "Not another bike one".  Well. Yes. If I am to ride up to London on August 7th to attend "Suzuki Sunday" on Suzi Triplo, then I need to be suitably attired. I could have done with it in a few hours at the Club's Rye meeting, but I didn't think about it quick enough.

In the end five Kettles turned up. Sadly my photography skills with my phone didn't match the quality of the bikes on show. I got four including mine and my feet instead of the fifth. And what should have been the fifth. Better luck next time.

Only the weather can put the mockers on the run to Rye this Saturday morning. Petrol finally located and tank filled last evening. Game on!

Today was the Kettle Club Ride Out to Rye that we organised on the Club Forum and on the Facebook page.   I arrived about 1030 and there were a couple of Kettles already there, Over the next 90 minutes or so more arrived and we had ten altogether. These ranged from a beautifully custom painted and lowered bike to some almost "as new" looking shiny tackle. I think mine wasn't the rattiest by far. Some with standard exhausts, some with Allspeeds of various generations and one with a Piper 3-1. With the engine and the wheels done, there's money still to be spent.  Sadly, I didn't take any photographs. The ride was around 25 miles each way and so we have racked up another 50 or so towards running in the engine. I left about 1255 to ride home and take Claire to her volunteering job with the local Guide Dogs team. It was nice to meet so many owners and have a chinwag. Hopefully we can do the same again sometime. I am also hoping that someone that took photos has posted ...

I'll have to stop going to the Murco Garage as they only do diesel and 95 Unleaded. The latter now E10 and I don't know how that will be in the Kettle. Looks like I will have to move to the less shitty E5 Super at other stations. The Strom and Juke both run on E10. The reason I went out is that on Saturday, we have an informal meeting of Kettle Club members at Rye Strand. It was planned then we got informed that there was an official club run the week after.  I can't go on the 11th and so stuck with the plan to go on the 4th. See who turns up. Anyway I entered the details into Fuelly as usual and was amazed to see  over 44mpg to that last tank.  I can't remember where I have been for 88 miles since the last fill-up but there you go, the computer never lies.

Officially known as "multi-functional headwear'. A gift from the club to celebrate 25 years.

From the Kettle Club shop. Not the Nike bit...  http://www.thekettleclub.com/regalia/

I rejoined the Kettle Club yesterday. I missed being one of the "Standlake Few" as I was a national officer of the Suzuki Owners Club. The official line was that the club was opposed to the formation of a new club at what had been published as an SOC camping weekend. Rather than it being a problem, I didn't attend. Up to then I had been involved in the setting up and publicity for the "Kettle Run" along with my dear departed friend John Storrie.  I was the SOC magazine Editor and John was membership secretary and technical officer. We had been two of the four people that took over running the SOC at an EGM at the Cross Keys in Pulloxhill in 1983. The others being David Greenhalgh as Chair and Graham Walker as Secretary.  John was the "face" of the "Kettle Run" events mostly held at the National Motorcycle Museum and once at Didcot Railway Museum. The latter less successful. From humble beginnings with around ten bikes we soon had as many as a...