On the Road Again!

I can't remember the last time Vera was out on the road.  Looking on Fuelly I did a small fill up, and not a full tank, on the 12th September last year. So today I fired up the bike on the drive. I had my bike gear ready in case it started. It needed the dbPower 600A to get it started again. Of course, it maybe the low battery but the FI code appears alternating with the odometer mileage on the instrument panel. It usually takes three cycles of off and back on again. Not really bothered as I expected it was actually the exhaust valve again.  I got as far as the fuel station at Stelling Minnis to fill up. The FI was flashing still. The bike did feel as though the fuelling wasn't right so I was convinced it's the exhaust valve. I filled up there and once clear of the pumps I ended up with three more off/on cycles before the FI disappeared. From there I headed up Stone Street to Canterbury and onto the A2, back down through Hawkinge.  I went to find the Battle of Britain Mus...

We picked up "Molly" on April 1st. Paperwork sorted and the VED paid. Handover.  Rear cameras working. Solar panel working. Start mileage was 6500. Then I had to drive a mere 21 miles home. She was locked up on the drive for a couple of hours whilst we packed all the stuff we took out of "Suki" a week ago into her.  Then we went out to fill the diesel tank up. I opted for Tesco at Cheriton as it's the least rip off garage for fuel in the locale. The starting mileage for Fuelly is 6530. Yes. That is £106.00 to fin the tank that was a quarter full to start with. Of course there were a few teething problems. One being the hab door lock was a little tricky. Very stiff to open the handle when unlocked. Maybe a little squirt of WD40 into the lock might sort it? The other time waster was fitting the carpets. They had been rolled up in the underseat storage that made them hard to stretch and get on the press studs that keep them from moving about. What else? Rat...

When I got back on Sunday I was hoping the weather would stay nice in the week. And luckily it has.  From sitting in the sun surrounded by greyhounds yesterday, to plenty of warm sunshine today. I moved Baloo from Suzi Triplo to Vera.  Then thought as it was sunny and Claire was out at a friend's on her regular Tuesday afternoon gossip and craft session, I would tug Vera out of the garage and take a ride. A fifth bike for Mr Baloo! I hadn't intended to be out all that long. Just somewhere with a café for a coffee maybe?  I headed towards Canterbury and then out on the A28 (Sturry Road). This seemed like a good idea. After all, it was before the kids are out of school. Wrong. Traffic was at a standstill for a long way into Sturry from the Park'n'Ride on Sturry Road. There's no hope of slipping past as the road space for cars/trucks/buses and of course, motorcycles,  has been reduced by a three foot cycle lane on both sides of the road. The good people of Canterbury m...

After little cockup where I entered the wrong mileage, that gave an unbelievably large mpg, it corrected itself when I entered the right one the next time. The second was correspondingly low. So I removed the last two. Added the litres together and entered the last mileage and it comes out more realistically.

Nine fill-ups since I picked Vera up in what seems a long time ago in August. I'll hardly break any records for mileages again this year. I hadn't realised that the furthest I have been fill-ups was only 149 miles. 

For a number of years I have been using the Fuelly app and its desktop version to track the mileage and miles-per-gallon I get from the vehicles I own. It's easy to use and came about when I switched from an iPhone to Android and the app I was using on iOS wasn't available on the Android platform. I currently keep a log on the three vehicles that we own as a couple, the Juke has replaced the Insignia, Vera Strom has replaced the Rocket III, and I added the Kettle "Suzi Triplo" just to see how much fuel I use! It all helps when planning a trip. How? It gives me a pretty accurate idea of how far I can go on a tank of fuel.  I am one of those guys that likes to have a full tank when I set off on a ride/trip.  Belt and braces I guess. My metaphorical pants aren't going to fall down! When I am away on a longer trip this applies too.  I'd rather fill the tank, even if I have only done 50 miles on the current one before I leave the overnight stop. If that means tanki...

With all my planning I tend to not add in fuel stops to my routes. Neill does as he usually tours with his friend Patrick. Patrick has a Honda Shadow with a smaller fuel tank range. I have been through my outward trip and added some fuel stops.  Vera is currently averaging 50mpg dead on the Fuelly app and this is mixed riding in town and on the motorways when I do tend to push the speed limit to it's outer envelope.   With Covid-19 being rife (and cases on the increase!) across the EU countries and Channel crossing fares being a complete and utter rip-off, I haven't been away to test what sort of mileage I can expect "over there"! With a 20.5 litre tank I am looking at around 170-180 miles between fill-ups to ensure a margin of error. So far I haven't done more that about 149 miles on a tank.  With a non-toll route in each direction there will be some fairly low speed limits, but there are sections of non-toll motorways that can be experienced, and speeds might ge...

Today's Meldrews Sunday meeting was at the NAAFI Café at Manston Airport. More specifically alongside the RAF History Museum . I'd never been there before although many years ago I only visited the museum itself. I don't recall a café! On the way up I set the Yamaha My Ride app and decided as I had wasted too much time hunting for the keys to unlock my TomTom security mount, that I would forego the GPS instructions and use my own memory. This involved a "making progress" to arrive as near to 1030 as possible. I didn't want to be late. I chose the quickest route, not the shortest, but the quickest.  Up to the M20, the A20 into |Dover, the A2 and then the A256 all the way just inland from the coast to Sandwich. Then up the "new" Cliffsend bypass to join the A299 "Thanet Way". I didn't make it. The clock on Vera's dash said 1033 as I turned in. Had I not taken a wrong turning earlier into an new trading estate I would have been on tim...

On Facebook there is a local residents group for where I live and at the top is a pinned post about where petrol is available!  You'd think we were a small town in the middle of the desert rather than an affluent town in England, Western Europe. I saw a post from only 4 minutes before I viewed it and it said the station in Hythe town centre (the only petrol station in the area!) had both unleaded and diesel. It's the "good stuff" and BP. I togged up and hauled firstly the Kettle from the garage. Six or seven kicks and after a month of inactivity she burst into life. Suzy Triplo was awake.  I made the short trip into Hythe and queued behind a couple of cars before my turn.  Bugger. I was going to be one of those pillocks that fills up and already full tank! I had forgotten on the way back from Rye in September that I had in fact filled the tank on the way back!  So I was only able to squeeze (and almost overfill!)  in 2.38 litres!  Oh well. Now I know I have...

I just wanted to get out for a ride. The weather was supposed to be cool and overcast and yet the sun was out. It was dry and about 19°C. I took the Sene Valley but was stuck behind a roadblock aka motorhome.  The road too narrow for it but no doubt they have a car satnav to blindly follow. First stop Pebbles Kiosk at Dover. No tea. Loads of people eating Solleys ice-cream. A local farm made product  Damn. Pebbles Kiosk in Dover Then up to the White Cliffs. Too packed. I did manage to park but there were too many people. White Cliffs of Dover I did see this Harley but not the owner. A very impressive list of places visited? To visit? From there back down into Dover and a quick blast up the A2 to Whitfield and the Transport Museum. Another photo op. Dover Transport Museum From here Alkham Valley to Folkestone and Tesco to fill up. Mileage entered into Fuelly and mpg down this time! It must be the faster ride along the ...

I should have guessed that 44mpg was wrong! What happened is that I typed the wrong reading from the odometer the last time. I even wrote it down at the fuel stop, and still got it wrong. So tonight when I filled up the calculated mileage was much less than it should have been. Fuelly calculated consumption at 24mpg! The calculated mpg after six fill-ups is 34.7. It will all sort it out for itself. With 327 miles on the clock since the total rebuild I have started to push the revs a little higher and that's gone from 3500 revs to 4500 revs in 3rd and 4th. Suzi still feels a little sluggish in top gear once the 60 to 70mph mark appears on the speedometer. maybe it still needs to loosen up.

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.

Was a sunny day Not a cloud was in the sky Not a negative word was heard From the people passing by Was a sunny day All the birdies in the trees And the radio's singing song All the favorite melodies... Thanks to Paul Simon for summing up today and my first ride out anywhere on Vera Strom. Although there were clouds in the Kent skies.... Claire had gone out to a friend's house and I hauled out Vera to see about fitting the RAM mount. In the end I couldn't make my mind up where to put it. Instead I togged up and headed for Rye and the Strand. An area belonging to the Environment Agency next to the dock.  The ride out took considerably longer than anticipated. Holiday traffic and trucks delivering don't make for clear roads.   I took the direct A259 route there. A259 route almost door to door! Once there I got through the open end of the barrier and onto the Strand.  Putting my helmet and gloves in the capacious top box.   The Cafe I usually go to had closed ...

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 ...

After her spa break with Vince at Cheriton Motorcycles I brought Suzi home at around 5pm today. The work done has cost me another £110 on top of all bills that I have covered since August 2020 when we trailered her up to Phil in the Midlands. Vince has cleaned the rust out of the tank, ultrasonic cleaned the tap and the carbs. fitted an inline filter and replaced the original super fuel in the tank after filtering the crap out of it. Carbs rebalanced... When I went to get her, Suzi was ticking over outside the workshop. A regular beat at 1400 revs. She rode like a dream all the way home. I am dubious about E10 fuel and so I filled the tank with E5 Super Uunleaded.  The oil companies taking the piss with this grade selling it at 7p a litre more than 95 E10 Unleaded. Odometer reading 75752.5. Even with tall the fuel draining and running onthe bench Fuelly still worked the mpg out to 32! She is back. End mileage: Once back I moved Mr Baloo onto Suzi.  He has been ...

So today the Juke was showing 80 miles to empty and so that we can go out somewhere tomorrow I decided maybe we fill the tank today so that we are free to go, In the end we went to the BP garage in Seabrook and the tank took a little over 38 litres to full. I didn't brim it this time.  Preferring to let it click the pump to a stop. Once home I put the odometer reading into Fuelly and got 41.8mpg. A little better than last time. This maybe because we did a couple of longer journeys to some stately homes since the last fill-up and not just around town on the "urban" cycle. I was still expecting more. We'll have to see how it goes once we start going further afield.

We had the first fill-up after we had been using the car and entered the data into Fuelly.  When we picked it up I filled the tank. In the two weeks we have had the car we have somehow covered 292 miles. I hadn't expected with mostly urban driving for the miles to the gallon to be that bad.  In fact, for a small engine with stop/start and eco modes it has done about the same as my old two-litre diesel Insignia. 😱 Fuelly worked it out on odometer reading to 38.6mpg!  

I finished work at 4pm and went out for an hour or so.  As I expected the battery wasn't very healthy and so I had to use the dbPower unit to give it some charge and it started on the electric boot. With the choke engaged it starts but it needs clicking off quite quickly. I went up to Hythe and to the A20 and then over the M20 towards Canterbury.  I kept to the speed limits and also a 3500rpm maximum.  This equates to about 60mph in top gear. I only rode as far as the garage near Stelling Minnis and then came back to the motorway. I decided then to head to Tesco at Cheriton to fill the tank and see what the first few rides had achieved.  The tank took 6.68 litres of Unleaded 95 with no added oil this time. On the ride along the Canterbury road I got up to 60 and the bike felt pretty stable.  The Bridgestone BT46 front and rear seemed very good. Encouraging. The problem with the lights and indicators looks to be fixed.  No problems on this ride with the engi...

We picked up the Juke today.   It was a bit sad trading both the Corsa and Insignia in together but at least it's done and we can start again as a one car family. Claire at the wheel! Front view I took a short video as well using the Xacti camera.   It's hardly Cecil B De Mille though.... When we picked it up it had about a quarter of a tank of fuel and so on the way home via our friend's house to let them see the car, we stopped and filled the tank. I had already hooked the car up in the Fuelly app!  And of course "retired" the other cars. I have also ordered a new back seat cover so that we can keep the seat clean when Reggie is with us.  Despite one in the back of the Insignia the seats still got dirty. Union Flag roof

I had already set up Fuelly to expect a new bike in the stable.  So once I had noted the mileage on the odometer at Tesco and took a receipt from the pump, I was able to enter the details into Fuelly. As this is the first entry it simply makes a note of start mileage. On the next fill-up it will then start to calculate miles per gallon etc. As I have said before, with a Kettle and a Rocket III, the petrol/gas mileage is not too important! I also need to start recording start and end mileages of rides out.  This is simply to ensure that I don't exceed the 6000 miles I have set for my insurance.  Oddly enough, they never asked for my start mileage! The first fill up will be worth waiting for!!!!