Decent Weather

We seem to have been having a fair bit of good weather in the last few days and I have been out on the bike a lot. I discovered one handy feature of the back rest I installed recently and that is that my handheld GPS picks up a good signal when left in the pouch behind the backrest. This means that a tracklog can be recorded for later syncing with photos I take along the way.

I made a booking today for an off-road Course. I am wait-listed for a BMW course but was able to sneak on to a Honda course for mid August. I am sure it will be a good investment in preparation for Patagonia.

Saw this beauty in Steyning today.

Patagonia Preparations

This is supposedly a blog about my Goldwing experiences but the weather is keeping the lid on those at present! The great performance of the Wing in bad weather has shown me that I needn't fear a bit of rain but the skies and forecasts do nothing to encourage me on to it at the moment.

I did manage to locate a suitable pair of boots for my South American jaunt - a pair of Alpinstars Tech 7s seems to fit the bill and SWMBO has even agreed to give them to me for my birthday! I have also acquired a bunch of maps and even gone so far as to get a phrasebook and a set of CDs on Latin American Spanish. I need to learn some useful expressions like "Please help me pick this bike up - my arse is sore, can we rest a while? - I'm knackered, can we rest a while? - how much further is it?" and so forth.

I am hoping to get to the White Horse Wingding at Chipping Norton. I erected the new tent yesterday and I am glad to say it goes up like a dream single-handedly (although packing it up really needs two pairs of hands).

Patagonia Preparations

This is supposedly a blog about my Goldwing experiences but the weather is keeping the lid on those at present! The great performance of the Wing in bad weather has shown me that I needn't fear a bit of rain but the skies and forecasts do nothing to encourage me on to it at the moment.

I did manage to locate a suitable pair of boots for my South American jaunt - a pair of Alpinstars Tech 7s seems to fit the bill and SWMBO has even agreed to give them to me for my birthday! I have also acquired a bunch of maps and even gone so far as to get a phrasebook and a set of CDs on Latin American Spanish. I need to learn some useful expressions like "Please help me pick this bike up - my arse is sore, can we rest a while? - I'm knackered, can we rest a while? - how much further is it?" and so forth.

I am hoping to get to the White Horse Wingding at Chipping Norton. I erected the new tent yesterday and I am glad to say it goes up like a dream single-handedly (although packing it up really needs two pairs of hands).

More Bling!

Yes, I admit it there is more here than I have previously owned up to. The turndown exhaust tips are there as are the chromed intakes but the back rest has been snuck in. I was put on to it by a new mate, Terry, at the Thames Valley Winding where another bloke wanted to sell it. I bought it sight unseen but I am glad to say the the reality is advertised - in "as new" condition and it matches the seat very well. Terry kindly fixed it for me today and on test it seems to do a great job of offering enough support where needed - just the job for really long rides. Also, it doesn''t seem to get in the way of normal manoeuvres which I was slightly concerned about.

Mileage and Spurious Maths

Today I racked up 3000 miles on the Goldwing - I have had it now for 59 days and allowing for the 8 days when I couldn''t ride it (waiting for the 600 mile service) that equates to 3000*365/51 = 21,471 miles in a year if I ride at the present rate. Putting aside all that''s wrong about this sum, it is still more than I have ever put on a bike in a similar period (that is when not on a continuous tour etc.). I think it says something about how much I enjoy riding this machine. In many ways, it is a wolf in sheep's clothing - it handles like a sports bike in some circumstances (like flicking it through small roundabouts and in pure acceleration) but it also lets me relax and take in the countryside or listen to some music just as easily. As I get more familiar with it, I am learning to handle the weight better in tight slow speed turns although I also confess to dropping both feet at times when I have to make a sharp turn on a bad surface - worries about scratching all that Tupperware put me off countersteering and sliding the back wheel around...

Bike clothing

I am somewhat at a loss to know what to wear for the Patagonia trip. Temperatures can range from the 90s down to the 30s (Fahrenheit) apparently, it can also get very wet and windy. My money is really on the colder weather but we'll be on rough dirt roads for most of the trip so if past experience is anything to go by, I'll get hot wrestling the bike around. OK, it's not likely to be real motocross but even so the chances of coming off the bike, putting my feet down and so forth are probably quite high so I want appropriately tough gear. The last time I got really wet in my Aerostich Roadcrafter suit it let in some water (it is 14 years old) so I have been thinking about what I might replace it with. So far it seems likely to be either Rukka or BMW stuff. The Rukka SRO looks good but is hardly to be found anywhere for a trial fit, let alone to buy. So yesterday I took myself off to a new BMW dealer on the Wing.

It was a hoot to pull up on the Goldwing amongst all the BMW machinery and then to ask to try on the Rallye 2 Pro gear. It is a very close fit and very heavy with little in the way of chest ventilation although you can open up or even remove the sleeves although I see little point in doing that. The supplied Goretex liner is supposed to keep you dry (assuming it is zipped in) and any additional warmth will have to come from another layer. I tried adding the Airvantage waistcoat underneath (which is similar to the one Rukka uses for their SRO) - unsurprisingly, it adds to the feeling of constriction in the suit. I might add that I was already in a suit a size up from my usual fit! So - I am not sure about this thing.

This morning I was in Park Lane and went to the BMW Motorrad shop there - it's very small - but was able to try the Enduro helmet and the Motocross boots. The helmet looks the business and feels very light - it can be used with or without the visor but unfortunately, it folded my ears over and despite several attempts I couldn't unfold them and get comfortable. The boots, similarly were a touch too tight in my size and a real bastard to get off. They felt very secure for the feet and ankles when on but I wonder if I really need that level of protection for the riding I shall be doing?

First Wingding

This weekend I attended my very first Wingding - one of the principal activities of the GWOCGB. This one was organised by the Thames Valley Region and I enjoyed it a lot - learnt a lot too. Especially welcome was the change in the weather - at last we had some sunshine!

Some things - the folk are uniformly friendly, welcoming and helpful. I need a bigger tent and other stuff - did someone say "trailer"? Well yes they did but here is the important stuff:-

1. After a gentle initiation, including the DIY Happy Hour, the helpful Wing community will help you spend money faster than you dreamed possible, it''s therefore advisable to put a cable tie on your wallet.
2. The tent that looked big in the shop is actually smaller than a trike cover.
3. Even if food is available to buy on site, be prepared to cook your own, otherwise you will be continually embarrassed by the generosity shown to you by people who think you must be starving.
4. The smell of food being cooked if you aren't cooking yourself is guaranteed to make you desperately hungry.
5. It's nice to have a barbecue - think trailer..
6. Self inflating sleeping pads are no substitute for a good thick lilo - think trailer..
7. Don't agree to meeting at the next weekend without checking with the missus.. Contrary to my earlier thinking, I shan't be at the Whitehorse Winding, we have guests that day apparently..

Man with a trailer

My bike but not my tent and no trailer..

Various vendors are there - you know you need it!

I have more wheels than you..

Bikes in Marlborough

My tent was smaller than the trike cover next door!

Motorcycling is an expensive business!

I booked my flight to Chile today for the End of the World Tour. I also splashed out for another larger tent for camping - I'll give the other one to one of the grandkids. Used just once, it will be fine for the sort of camping they are likely to do in the next few years. The one I bought for motorcycling is the Khyam Freelander which, having checked out the tents in use at the Thames Valley Wingding, seems to be a good size (I can stand up in it) and easily erected whilst packing into a small enough size to take on the bike.

At the Wingding, I bought a couple of shiny bits - a set of Turndown exhaust tips and a couple of chromed air intake accents.I need to give the bike a good wash before I try to stick these on, I am told too that I need to be very accurate in lining the things up as the glue is very strong and you only get one shot at it. Sounds as if I need to do it before I drink too much coffee!