On the Road Again!

I had forgotten all about this website that links to Flickr until I got an email when someone had tried to spam one of my pictures. Flickriver

I needed a new pair of bike jeans and as I am once again suffering myself to lose weight with Slimming World, I didn't want to spend too much. My budget was pretty low! I have a pair of black Kevlar lined cargo trousers but they have shrunk a little in the wash. Really.  And I have replaced the metal button already. So a quick search on eBay revealed Oggie76 .  I bought a pair (£39.95) and they arrived in two days. Just in time for British Bike Night . They fitted rather well. Included in the price are hip and knee armour pads that fit into pockets stitched into the jeans.  The Kevlar covers the arse section, down the thigh and around the knee area. The stitching on the seams looks pretty strong too.  Of course, you will only know how good they are when you slide down the road on your butt.   The only bugbear for me, and I have emailed and told them,  is that there is only one belt loop at the back in the middle....

Just a week to go until this year's Allied Memorial Remembrance Ride , I have managed to source a Royal British Legion car-poppy to install on Pepé.  I need to find a space for it now. I might put it on one of the screen brackets. After missing the last two years due to the heart attack and the Somme 100 I am pleased to be able to attend again.   It's usually a nice run up to Cambridge although to get there in good time it it mostly motorway plus the added hassle of the Dartford Crossing through the tunnel. The local RBL Riders group in Kent are setting off a bit too early for me as they are leaving the A2 Services at 0845. I am not planing leaving home until 0900 and the RV is about 45 mins from home! I might catch up with them on the road as I am not planning a stop once I have a full tank of fuel and they have a few meeting points along the way. On the way up I'll see if I can get the 410 to work on the bike! I know where I am going but some assistance with fuel stops w...

Tonight Pepe and I had a ride up to the Wagon and Horses in Charing for the annual bike night. We had a good run up and back in fact. A chance to park on grass and a bit off off roading was enough for me! A walk around the parking and grassy area.  I took a few photos and they can be seen here . For once Pepe and the other Rockets weren't the biggest bike when the Boss Hoss V8 turned up.  Boy is it fugly. More Pix!

The ride home after work was every bit as bad as the way in. In reverse. The ride down from sunny Islington via Hackney to sunny Darenth took over an hour but did include a fuel stop at Sainsbury's near the Millennium Dome. I rolled onto the drive at home two hours after leaving work. This included a nice fast run on the motorway as well as the miles of bumper to bumper traffic basically from Dalston to Kidbrooke.   On the approach to the Blackwall Tunnel I was filtering when the guy in the left lane decided to block me off. Result. My left bar end weight and his mirror interfaced. No damage to me but his mirror knocked back on its hinge. Oh dear. He was effing and blinding at me but maybe next time he'll not deliberately try to block off a filtering biker.  Somehow I think he'll be the same cretin for life. So was it #commutehappy for me. Was it buggery! On the road for the three hours fifty to cover 145 miles. Even with the drive to the station, hanging about a bit and th...

Pepé at work Ride to Work Week UK The idea behind this is to get people out of their cars and onto two-wheels,  It will reduce congestion, save on parking spaces and reduce pollution. As my commuting into London days were over a few years ago, once I came to terms with having to sell an organ to pay for the train fares every month,  it was a bit of a shock to see what the every day motorcycle commuter has to contend with.   Although saying that, the "ride" time is not much different to two years ago when I commuted on  Döra the Explörer . I made pretty good progress at first.   From home to the Darenth Interchange was just shy of 50 minutes. Google maps (below) has the time at 55 mins.  As this bit was pretty much free moving traffic that's no surprise. There was a little congestion where the cars were actually stationery on the M20 by Maidstone but I safely filtered through. Google maps is aimed at cars and not the more traffic slipping motorcycle. At leas...

Another shortish ride out today. It was Meldrews Sunday and also father's day so we had a reduced turnout. Still there were four of us in a pretty deserted Blue and White café. After a chat about their trips last weekend we went our own ways.  I headed back home via a loop across the downs on some roads that seemed new to me. Following signposts I must have ridden further than expected.  With temperatures hovering about 28°C it was great to be wearing my Joe Rocket vented mesh jacket. Stopped however. It was far too hot in Kevlar lined combats. Still nice to be out and about on the bike. My next outing might very well be a ride to work day on Tuesday. Why Tuesday? It's the only day my boss won't be there!!!