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I've
traded the Z for a 2008 Buell 1125CR
and my final thoughts? The Z was OK for what I paid for it which
was less than £4k and I got £2.9K trade in 2.5 years
later. On smooth tarmac at legal speeds there was not a lot wrong
with it but on bumpy roads, etc it was not so good. I did about
6,900 miles in total.
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I
went by motorcycle to Power
bike show at The
Hub in Milton Keynes and then on
to Motorama show
in Olney village square and took a few photo's which you can see
more of here.
I have been to the MK show once before and it is OK considering
it's free but now prefer the Olney show which I'd not seen
before. On way back spotted my first common tern of the
year.
The late May bank holiday weekend I only had
Sunday off work but enjoyed a ride to Old Hunstanton on the Z
where the weather was a bit mixed but still enjoyed the ride. The
previous weekend I was off with perfect weather and rode the Z to
Wells-next-the-Sea with the Oakley MC and the following day an
evening ride with KTM Kev to Sywell Aerodrome for a pint and I
had a day out on my Serow. Good
times.
Fitted a cable to my bike so that I can plug it
in to a trickle charger. Only taken me 2 years to do a 5 minute
job! Bike has now done a little over 6k miles. I had a test ride
on a Triumph Street Triple 675 and wrote a little blurb and
couple of pic's here.
Good
start to May with a meet up at the Jaffa
Orchard cafe in Bedford and a
ride to Cooperb
motorcycles to look at a bike
I was thinking of buying but it had been sold anyway nice ride in
the sunshine plus I had been to neither place before. Then a
drink at the Oakley Social Club and a coffee at Supamoto
where I liked a new Kawasaki Z1000
but it
is £8,500, heavy, and the Triumph Street Triple is only
£6,300 with interest free finance!
Picture
on left shows Z covered in de-greaser at Motorcycle
Republic where it was
cleaned, dried, & then covered in ACF-50 protective coating
by Nooj from All
Year Biker.
Also
had a ride out with KTM Kev to Skins
Cafe in Brackley to have a
look at some new bike gear and a coffee. Some idiot in a Corsa
tried to kill me on the way back but I had seen him coming so
went round him. I picked up my new Spada Enforcer hi-viz gloves
from Stevenage Bike
Stop. I had a nice ride over
there in the sunshine with Mark and Helen to collect my gloves
and a coffee al fresco! The snow of a few weeks ago feels like a
distant memory. The following day we had a little ride to the
Woburn
Triumph dealers to have a
look at a Street Triple.
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Front
tyre replaced with a Bridgestone BT016 as it was down to 3mm of
tread at Bedford
Wheels. Z had a service at
Supamoto
last week. Also spent money on the my Serow.
Busy and expensive month so it is just as well I have a job
now!
I had three rides over Easter the first just to
pick up my new gloves from Bike
Stop but the gloves were too
big so had to re-order. A run out with the Oakley Motorcycle Club
to deliver Easter eggs and finally a trip to the Tea
Shop on the green at Westmill
with KTM Kev and his daughter Louise. After Westmill we visited
Nasty to take a couple of pictures (see left.)
In
March I had a few short rides on the Z including one to Barton
Mill on the A6 between Bedford and Luton for lunch with a mate.
I've ordered some Spada Enforcer gloves from Bike
Stop with hi-viz on them so
all should see me coming!
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The
Z has now done about 5,500 miles and I have had it over 2
years.
In September '09 I had a weekend away in North
Yorkshire that included a visit to the Gold
Cup races at Oliver's Mount
Scarborough and a ride around the North Yorks Moors in the
sunshine then a coffee on the front at Scarborough.
I
bought a new rear Bridgestone from Bedford Wheels. The original
lasted about 4,700 miles & front still has maybe 1,000 left
in it? So will last me until Spring. The new rear is a BT016 &
I might get something a little more sticky for the front when the
time comes?
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I've
had a couple of evening rides with "KTM Kev" firstly to
Sywell
Aerodrome & to The Boat
Inn canal side @ Stoke
Bruerne. Both much enjoyed on warm evenings although noticed the
evenings are getting shorter already! I had an observed ride with
the local police which was "interesting" and got me
thinking about my riding. I went to the Brackley
Festival of Motorcycling which
was good on a sunny day. Surprising amount to see.
I've
bought a cheap stainless steel radiator cover which I have fitted
& will take a picture of before it gets all filthy.
I
rode the Z to the Ace
Cafe then on to Wembley to
see Oasis... The security moron dropped my helmet instead of
searching it. Where do they find these "special"
people? The filtering coming out was "interesting."
Went to the Oakley Carnival with the Oakley
MC. and I had a ride out with
Oakley
MC to On
Yer Bike near Aylesbury. Bit
showery but nice ride anyway. Plus I had a very short ride on a
lowered BMW F800ST belonging to another member. Nice bit of kit
but pricey & could do with a few more ponies?
Z
on the front at Barmouth in North Wales. BTW that's a small wall
& a small palm (or yucca?) but not a giant motorcycle.
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On
the B4391 near Ffestiniog in North Wales. Nice road on a nice day
think Top Gear film up here. Also rode to Gigrin
Farm to see the Red Kites
being fed.
When I went to On
Yer Bike I spotted first 1 Red
kite being mobbed by some crows then 3 more circling. Who needs
to go to North Wales?
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Rode
to local bike show "Power" @ The Hub in Milton Keynes.
Not much there but it was free & weather was good.
Late
May Bank Holiday I had a ride out in the sunshine with Oakley MC
to Jacks
Hill Cafe on A5 near
Towcester. On way there I spotted a red kite.
I had a
couple of rides over May Day Bank Holiday. The first to Crowland
in Lincs with the Oakley
MC & the second with
Kevin & his daughter to the Old
Swan Tea Shop near
Buntingford
21st March I rode down to Bedford Fire
Station for the second bike safety event. I have put my name down
for an observed ride with the police in August which should be
educational.
I had a ride out with a mate & we
went to Midlands
Superbikes in Market
Harborough & back via Sywell
Aerodrome.
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Z
in the car park of the Black Swan in Pickering Yorkshire with
Oxford soft luggage bought used from a well known auction site.
Enjoyable weekend including a visit to Oliver's Mount for racing.
Plan to go up that way again sometime in '09.
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Parked
in Silverstone car park for 2008 BSB race. Note the yellow
"Grip-Lock"
which is better than a disk lock as you can't try to ride away
with it still on. See my BSB pictures here.
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Waiting
for the A507 safety ride to start. The event was organised by
Motorcycling
Matters.
The
magnetic tank bag is from Lidl. If you have it too far forward
when you turn to right full lock it hits the kill switch
otherwise very happy for such a small outlay.
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New
Years day 2008 at Ireland (as the sign shows) which is a village
in Bedfordshire England.
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What
my bike would look like clean...
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...and
in a studio.
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