Though today was a very nice ride and was a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions (more of a teacups ride than a 3g foot dangling scream-a-thon) we didn't get any photos of us out on the bikes.
The main function of today was to get Colin's bike through an MOT, the once yearly check-up to ensure standards are maintained. The trouble with the UK and the MOT is that some garages can take advantage and suggest some things which need doing can either be a 'get it done and I'll pass you' or 'no that has to be done...it's a fail I'm afraid'. So getting the test done by someone you trust is essential.
The good thing about the guy we trust is that we've been taking our bikes to him for the last five years now and the ride there was an excuse to get the leathers on and appear in public.
The ride this year was revolutionised by taking a short cut of all things but more on that later.
My bike needed a bit of work doing to make it safe, even though it isn't due an MOT until July I wanted to make sure it worked properly. I'd heard that a 'tamer' cam on the throttle makes the throttle response much nicer on bikes that have a snatchy throttle. This makes riding in corners much smoother and provides a boost to confidence.
Well a few weeks back I bought this 'tamer' but unfortunately I broken the throttle casing putting it back together. I tried fixing the casing with an epoxy resin but it wasn't strong enough sadly, so Iwas forced to get the OEM part which included not just the casing, but the throttle tube and a grip too, at what was four times the price of the 'tamer' throttle.
The only pic was taken at the KTM dealer, where just inside the front door was this...
I had a bit of a drool, but Colin was on hand to drag me away before my heart took hold of the idea....just as well because the price tag is hefty for such a thing.
Anyway I took the bit I needed off the kit and kept the tamer tube on and carefully tightened it, job done.
I lubed the cables and took the slack out of them at the same time. Meanwhile Colin was cursing about everything 'going wrong' but when I go to see if I can help he's already sorted it.
So with time ticking away we got into our leathers, I dusted off my Orange Tech 8 boots, Black Arai Astro-R Helmet with the ripsaw Mohawk and opted for summer gloves...my favourite Handroids.
The sun was out and after a little research on Google Maps I memorised a shortcut though I had planned to take the known (but boring and traffic strewn) route. We had to get fuel first (I do love to stand in a queue in full gear being looked at!) and time was slipping away so I changed my mind at the last moment and we went for the shorter (by 2 miles) and quicker (by 10 minutes) shortcut.
It might seem an obvious choice but when you're a biker you tend to enjoy the ride so much that 9 times out of 10 you'd go for the longer route.
The shortcut was mostly familiar to begin with, but after 10 miles we had to turn off onto unfamiliarity and together with the poor road surface I was dreading Colin's opinion of my choice.
Not long afterwards the road changed and turned into open sweeping bends which seems untouched by heavy vehicles or poor weather, they were great, dry and very nicely cambered, the sort of roads I could easily go overboard on.....which I did for a short while but managed to reign my enthusiasm back in.
It was then that I realised the throttle input was like I had always wanted, almost intuitive and very confidence inspiring. I posted to facebook that my bike scares me, but now it does it much more smoothly. If you have a bike I'd suggest adjusting your cable slack and get rid of it, it'll make such a difference.
I'm not sure the 'tamer' throttle made any difference but perhaps it helped a bit.
Anyway, we made it to the MOT testing station in time and Colin's bike passed with flying colours, though the guy did notice a small dent in the ZX's front rim, something to get sorted later and we both really enjoyed the return journey.
So now we just have to make sure we get some great pictures on our next ride out....and I won't fill up that post with quite so many words :P
Ride safe perverts!
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