Monday 26 August 2013

No Pictures, the garage is flooded, and I'm not there!


When arranging to go abroad on the bikes you do the basic maintenance don't
you? You check your oil, brake pads, minor service if it's due and check
you've got insurance and an MOT. A couple of weeks ago I replaced the brake
pads, checked the oil levels, adjusted the chains and made sure they were
ok. I renewed my bike insurance as it expires while we're away, and then got
the tyres that needed replacing replaced. All done I here you say?

Not quite. 

Having taken the front wheel of the curvy, I went to put it back on and the
bike was sitting in a puddle of oil. Unfortunately that was the same day
were meant to be going to the Ace to meet Ginger (14th), so I went pillion
and off we went to the Ace. After the Ace, heading back the long way we
discovered Gaz seemed have an issue with his bike, the display kept
flickering as did the side lights, and it wasn't starting immediately like
normal. Home we went with another job.

I had a look at the pointy, it was charging within normal limits and the
battery screws were tight so he rang DBC to get them to look at it, and i
ordered a new clutch cover and o ring for the curvy as that was the only
place the oil could have come from. This was 15th.

The 16th the O ring I ordered turned up, unfortunately the dog decided to
eat the package. Not helpful. 

On the 17th my clutch cover turned up with another O ring, and DBC looked at
the pointy, turns out the wires weren't being held down by the bolts, so
that was an easy fix.  

I then spent the following week trying to stop my bike leaking oil, the
first 2 attempts had no luck so I was using the pointy to get into work...
up until Friday. 

Friday I woke up at 6am and couldn't sleep so got up, re-did the clutch
cover, and then went back inside and got ready for work. 7:50 I went back
out to get the pointy and though 'this is weird it's not normally this hard
to wheel the bike...' I looked at the rear wheel and it's flat, pancake
flat. Pointy is thrown back into the garage, and I cycle 3 miles into work
cursing the world but still managed to get to work for 8. Turns out there is
a tyre in the rear where and nowhere in Dunstable can fix it before the
28th, which is a bit of a problem as we go on the 27th. 

I rang Wickford Motorcycles (in Wickford) who answer the phone with 'oh
hello Emma' (it can only be a bad thing when the garage knows you by the
sound of your voice) and they said just post by Saturday and they'll fix it
and have a spare just in case. At this point I'd like to say the tyre is
only 150miles old and I'm praying to everyone that it can be fixed.

So today , I have ridden, in the pouring rain (my bike gear is soaked,
included my newer TCX's (they aren't waterproof again!)) to get the tyre
done. Luckily the puncture can be plugged (although the power went while
doing it which made things more interesting!) and the curvy hasn't leaked
oil. 
 
Now just to re-bleed my brakes again.. Oh and pack! Ginger has rung me to
tell me everything that he has packed already today, and Gaz is also packed.

Gaz has been saying that he's going to sell the sv, which is why i assume
the pointy is playing up. And i think my curvy is playing up just because it
can (same as normal really). I just wish they didn't choose the two weeks
before i go.

Tool kit to be packed:
  • Jump leads
  • Sockets to adjust chains
  • Allen keys to adjust chains
  • Selection of spanners to adjust chains
  • Gaz has chain lube
  • Bike's tool kit
  • 8ml socket
  • Brake bleeding hose
  • Brake fluid
  • Cable ties
  • Electrical tape
  • Ratchet
Here is hoping we need none of them!

(By Emma :))

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