Sunday 25th October....

...we went to Shalbourne Manor for a classic car and bike show, and very nice it was, too.

There were a few bikes, lot's of cars from vintage to fairly modern, and a lovely garden to look round.

Weather was ok, it showered once quiet hard, but we managed to shelter in a barn.

When we got home we (me, Julie, Tash and Simon) were all knackered! Weathers been realy nice and hot these last few days, breaking records for the hottest day in September then doing it again for the hottest day in October, some 29 odd degrees! For some reason we have not really taken advantage of it, doing some cleaning round the mother in laws on Saturday. In the evening we went to Mine's a TReble by the Bellinger Players at the Memorial Hall, and very good it was too. Did some gardening Sunday morning and bike work in the afternoon. (because it was too hot!). Managed to get the Enfield going on Sunday, I had taken the timing cover off, and the carb and the electronic ignition. Fitted a new plug, when it started it gave out plumes of white smoke! Took it up and down the road, in shorts, T shirt and no gloves, felt a right rebel, it ran OK but backfired when I shut the throttle, also struggled to find neutral. Yamaha is off the road as well with a front puncture, have an inner tube on it's way from Ebay. So no bikes at the moment. Just did an hour of the weekday morning show, Rick is on leave, not sure when I can do it again, depends on Dan's work I guess. That's all for this quick catch-up, will do more soon...

Ok....well here we go.......

Having written last time about the Honda, I have gone and sold it.....personally I blame Ebay. No but really any of you that have been reading this since way back will know I went back to bikes by buying a Enfield Bullet, well I have gone a bought another one, and the Honda had to go to make way for it. As usual I found and bought the Enfield before selling the Honda, but I was lucky. The pic below is the Enfield on Ebay.

Having bought/sold the bikes I had one busy weekend on the 2nd/3rd September when I went and collected a single motorbike trailer from Upavon and then went (with Dan) to Caerphilly in Wales to collect the Enfield from Lucas Bori, who turned out to be a very tall Polish motorcyclist. Lucas had bought it from a guy in Poole, Dorset, just some months before. I think he had quickly realised that the Enfield was too small for him, and he had bought a sports-bike instead. Loading the Bullet in Wales.

The bike was brought out of the shed, and he even started it. I thought it looked great, it looks older than it is (1992), all black and no chrome. After a cup of tea and a chat with Lucas and his wife Dan and I set off home, which was about 100 miles away. The bike on the trailer behaved just fine, and we got home without incident. After unloading the bike I hid the trailer in our unit at the business park, and went to bed. The pic shows all three bikes in the garage "for one night only".

Sunday it was time to take the Honda to it's new owner, who happened to live in Stockbridge, some 10 miles away. Only is was raining! Anyway, gear on, I took the bike with Julie following in the car off to it's new owner. Now his shed was full of Honda's and a Ducati Monster, very nice! The Honda just before passing it to it's new owner.

After delivering the bike Julie and I had a walk through Stockbridge and then lunch at the pub there, The White Hart Inn, which was very nice, then a walk along the River Test. When I got home I had a very brief look at the Enfield but then had to think about the pending trip to Amsterdam for IBC, which took me away for nine days. When I got back from Amsterdam I had a look at the Enfield, and tried to start it, which of course I could not do. I had charged the battery but it was prefty knackered, so I ordered a new one. I had started the Enfield by jumping it from the Yamaha battery. and I had gone up the road and back, but it was jerking when it ran and did not seem happy. But It was great riding it! The new battery arrived, after adding acid and fitting it last night, I tried to start it, and it's no better. Plan is to spend some time on it tomorrow (Saturday), Julie is going out for the day with her mum. Fingers crossed. I need to look at: Earthing, clean the carb, timing (although it has electronic ignition), fuel mixture, my technique. Once I can get it to start properly I can get it MOT'd and taxed and use it, although winter is drawing in, as they say. Meanwhile I had found out a lot more history, including the contact for the guy who sold it to Lucas. But more about that on the next blog. Here's a picture from the owner before Lucas, this is how he got it.

New/Old Honda passed it's MOT!

Must think of something better to call it. Took the Honda CB550 in to MOT Supercentre and it passed, with no advisories. One comment, it has the dip and main wired back to front, must have a look at that one day, next time I am in the headlamp shell. Pic shows the bike at work before the MOT, it does not look any different now it's passed.



All I did to get it through was left front fork seal, the seller gave me the seal (which I think is still leaking), and sorted out the horn (bought a relay and waterproof switch on Ebay, total cost 4.13). MOT cost 29.00 pounds, Road tax (when I get it, today hopefully) is 53.00 pounds per year or 29.15 for six months. Pretty cheap bike to get on the road!



Riding it in this morning it still felt slow in the lower gears at lower rev's, open it up though and it is fast, nearly went to 70mph, did not want to risk it so early in my relationship with it. Will now try and spend time cleaning it, need a passenger grab handle or rack for it (V rare on Ebay and expensive), have got tickets to display it at the Oare Steam Show on the 12th (http://www.wapg.co.uk/rally-public.html), which will be an early Fathers Day treat (tempted to take it to Shipton Bellinger Fete the day before, but have to tow the RRRR as well).

If I am luck it might not rain today, although it is in the wind. Long weekend again, Monday is BH, nothing planned. Tash has announced she is moving out, her last day at H4H today, she is going to work at a beauty salon other side of Basingstoke, and live with Simon and his mum until they can afford a place of their own. Dan's waiting for his last try at selection, sometime early July.

Radio is, to be honest, getting on my nerve's, too much politics/organising/budgets, not enough fun. Did get a 5 year extension from OFCOM which was good news, and the new studio build is under way. Couple of fete's comming up soon, so that will be good. And we are off on hol's as well, to Ibeza, can't wait.

Bye for now......

Royal Enfield Video from Jay Leno's garage...

Found this great Royal Enfield at Jay Leno's Garage, bit drawn out but worth watching for the test ride at the end...

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/at-the-garage/motorcycles/2011-royal-enfield-bullet-g5-deluxe/

Just cut and paste the link into a new browser window, all the other types of copying links did not work for some reason.



Quick update on the CB550, the horn button was nearly sorted last weekend, I know what to do and how to fix it, had it working with a spare relay, decided to order a new relay off Ebay. Hope to get it sorted when I get back form this work trip to Sweden. Have already got a pass for the bike to go to the big bike meet at Popham in August, have applied to take the bike to the steam show at Oare next month, and if it's ready may even take it to the Shipton Bellinger Fete.

Bye for now....

Video of a CB750 test ride

Hope mine goes as well, although mine is a 550, and his is a 750....very nice it is to!

Oh, by the way, got it home OK on Royal Wedding Day (29th April), sorted the leaky fork seal on Monday 2nd May, just waiting for a horn switch to get it ready for an MOT. Been using the S10 for work these last two day's, sun is out but it is chilly, everyones praying for rain!

Well just look at the date!

Don't know what happened but I just stopped blogging, it feels like ages ago! Anyway, I'm back, with a new bike project!



It's a 1979 CB550 Supersport, or at least that's what it say's on the Ebay advert. Bid on it and lost it last Sunday, I went up to 655.00 and a mysterious other bidder won at 675.00. But then the winner did not want it (so the seller said) and contacted me, I went and saw it yesterday, made my original offer of 400.00, and it was accepted!



It's a bit rougher than it looks, with a high mileage, 60K engine, and a rusty frame. Hopefully I can do it as a running project. Why did I buy it, well partly as a reaction to the fact that I manoeuvred myself into not being able to go to the Super Tenere national meet, which is in Yorkshire this weekend, and partly because I still harbour this idea of attending classic bike shows, and the Super Tenere does not fit that mold.



I am saying at the moment that I will fix up this Honda (at least it's running, unlike the military CB250 I bought, and sold at a profit last year), and, once it's MOT'd and taxed, run it for a bit, and see it I like it/can live with it. The Super Tenere has 69BHP and run's like a train, the CB has 50BHP and is an unknown.....I shall probably sell one or the other later this year, although second hand bike prices are a bit depressed.



Anyway as usual have to dash, should be doing something else, radio stuff, and then there is the Royal Wedding, and the bike to go and collect......although it is Sorned, not MOT'd or insured, and I should be getting the trailer out......

Day out to the sea side.

Took the bike and Julie down to Bournemouth on Sunday, Dan was at cadet camp and Tash off with Simon so on our own, decided not to have Sunday lunch at home, Julies idea to go out on the bike. Went to Hobbycraft and garden centre first, then headed for the beach. It was very busy at the pier, quieter as we walked down towards Poole.



Had a nice lunch at Harry Ramsdens famous fish and chip shop on the seafront, walked along the beach and then checked out the pleasure gardens.



Dans away at cadet camp, last week he came home form sports leadership training with the beginnings of an idea to go back to college, and get a part time job.



Been doing a lot of radio stuff, training mostly. Also busy at work with the big launch at IBC........