Had myself a rideout today

[fizzwheel]

Just by myself. Roads dry, sunny but not to warm, the Gixer is calling to me, nasty voices in my head, tempting me teasing me. Off with the bike cover, check the bike over yep all OK, reset the alarm out of sleep mode, wheel the bike out of the garage down the drive. Kit up, dark visor is essential today with the low sun, start the bike, and let it warm up and we're off.

Head out of Yeovil on the A30 to Crewkerne, umh.. I havent ridden this for a while, I'd forgoten what its like, and how front endy the riding position is. Also how quickly the power comes in. Its started to rain, this could be fun, cold tyres 144bhp, and I'm not familiar with the bike. I take it steady, no need to rush, I only want to put some miles on the bike and get some charge into the battery etc as its been stood for ages. Flick past a few cars, and get buzzed by a bloke on an R6, hadnt seen him in my mirrors at all. Normally I'd chase or follow for a bit just to have a play, not today though, I've got no feel from the tyres they are still cold and the roads wet from the rain, with leaves and all manner of slippy stuff. So discression is my middle name and I let him go. I flick the bike through a series of bends, revelling in the pin sharp turn in, and the roll on roll off torque and power delivery after the SV this is bliss. Not for long a mypoic car driver hasnt seen me and pulls out in front of me, I shake my head and urge the bike passed him I hold the bike in 3rd and let the power pull me by, grinning to myself as I take in the howl from the Yoshi and the airbox. I drop down into Crewkerne and get snarled up in traffic, bikes properly warmed up now, and I pick my way through the traffic and back out towards Dorchester for a bit of twisty fun.

Rain spoils play though, as do the leaves and muck on this bit of the road, also served up with a side helping of gravel. I pick my way gingerly through it, not gingerly enough the front washes out a couple of times, could have been nasty if I hadnt kept my speed down, but we're OK, tyres are cold stlll and its hard to get feel from the front of the bike. I leave the bike in 3rd or 4th and just let it spin and ride it like a scooter and pick my way through the wet. I get out onto the more open sectin of the road and am greeted by the low winter afternoon sun and a dry road. I open the bike up I know this road well, long straights with wide sweeping roads. It howls round the rev counter in the lower gears, I've got more temperature into the tyres now as I'm riding harder and I've got more feel I let the bike have its head a bit more the speed picks up as does the grin under my lid.

I'm not riding crazy, just smooth as I can be and just having some fun, 14'500rpm's worth of fun its addictive. My speed is reigned in by the 40mph and the 30mph limits for a village, a few locals look up from their chores and watch me pass by, I get the impressin they'd gladly swap places. I wouldnt though, more leave litter and wet through the village gives way to an opening road again and its the same as before, short shift through 1st, red line in 2nd and 3rd then short shift through the rest of the gears and drop back down to a more appropriate speed for the next set of twisties. Then I'm out onto the A37 towards Dorchester, theres a few cars but they are despatched without thinking about it. Turn the bike left at the entrace to the town and take the road back to Sherborne, some silly old bat in a Ford Ka has other ideas though and she panic right turns across my path into the petrol station, peering through the windscreen at me but she is determined to get fuel and doesnt stop. The passenger eyeballs me out the window and then tries to climb out through the floor of the car, I blast on the horn and roll the throttle off and then with a deft flick of the bars I'm round the back of the car and away. This is a road I know extremly well, through the traffic lights and out into the rolling Dorset countryside. Long straights with sweeping turns again await me. The bike catches air over a few crests in the road, not a huge amount, but enought to get the bars to go light. The steering damper removes the fear of a tank slapper, nothing to worry about, just more of the same, revs, redline, gear, revs etc I'm getting used to the bike again, for me I take just about a perfect line through a few corners, placing the bike where I want it and smoothly winding the power on and using the torque to fling me out of the corner leaping forward to eat up the next section of straight road. 15 minutes later I'm dropping down off the hills into Middlemarsh, I follow a couple of cars throught the 40mph limit and give myself a rest. Then its out again onto one of the longest straight sections of road I know of, open the bike up hard in 2nd hunching over the front to keep the wheel down and we're off again, redline in 2nd and then 3rd, I select 4th just before the rev limiter cuts in, bliss. Now we're moving.

2 or 3 minutes of this is what I'm allowed before I have to brake for the 30mph limit at longburton and stop for the traffic lights there. Whilst I wait for the lights to change that wanderful smell of hot engine, Scotoiler FS365 and wet downpipes. The pings away to itself and the lights change and were off again out through the 30mph and then an open road again. I damp my speed down through this bit, theres two or three bumps, one has me out of the seat and theres a car at a junction waiting to pull out I know that the visability where the car is stopped is poor and I roll the throttle off and prepare to brake, but its OK the driver has seen me and stays put until I have gone past. I urge the bike through the set of bends the road takes as it drops into my childhood town of Sherborne, I hang off a little and wave my knee about in the air for all the good it does. But it does feel good to move around on the bike again and feel the bite and response from the tyres. I stop at the next set of lights and think about popping in to visit my parents, I expect as its Saturday they are out so I pass the junction by and eyeball with a couple of chavs in a Corsa that I'm following, I'm flicking the bike from side to side in its lane and chav boy responds in kind whilst his mate leers as me out of the window. What am I being taunted with yep 1.2 litres of Corsa SXI power. Yep nice one. The next junction is a give way, but if you don't know it you think that the turn left is also controlled by the lights but its not its a giveway, but they think they have to stop as the lights ar red. Oh dear.. I roll back to give myself room to get round as I'm not waiting, and nail the throttle away from the junction, Yes I know its childish, but I get the launch spot on, just enough front wheel lift to make the bars go light and turn in my hands and then the wheel touches down again, only to lift again as I wind the throttle on still in first all the way to the redline, into 2nd and I'm hunching over the front again to stop it lifting, then shift back in the seat give traction to the rear, then more of the same in third, OK I've childishly proved my point, Corsa boy is a silver dot in the mirror and I know there are speed camera's on this bit of road as I got flashed in April. I back off down to 80mph and try and work out when corsa boy will come hairing past me, he doenst fail to disappoint me 4 miles later here he is. He overtakes me and I pull out behind him, his mates looking out the back window at me again and I'm laughing under my lid I sit behind him until his car runs out of puff and then I pass him again, I take the racing line through the long sweeping bend and then brake hard for the 30mph limit and the roundabout the welcomes you into Yeovil.

I have a little play with the traffic, fill the bike up with fuel and then home for a cuppa. Days like these are what I live for.

Very well written Fizz, I know just how you feel.

This afternoon the Optimate was disconnected and once again the bike was wheeled out from the garage. Only went for a short (60 miles) blat giving plenty of time to get used to the cold tyres an the cool road. AFter about 5 miles I was back up to speed, maybe slightly quicker as I was just on my own. Hard to believe that in December I managed to wipe the chicken strips back to within a few milimeters of the edge. Lucky for me it stayed dry with only a few wet patches on route to worry about.

I love this bike just like I loved the SV, any speed in any gear and it dispetched the chav ridden ringroad of Bristol with complete ease. Although wareing textiles that restrict movement on my bike, I had a cracking afternoon. I kept the top speed down a tad with only short blasts to unleash some of the ponies although I'm sure most of the claimed 178 of them stayed in the stables.

Looking forward to Spring, but it won't stop me using the bike in the Winter. My stock of ACF-50 arrived and will be applied tomorrow morning to keap the salt at bay.

I'm glad I took the decision to rejoin the two wheeled croud this year. I missed it a lot.

Still grinning of Chippenham,

Beenz

i been out too

What tyres were u using fiz??

[fizzwheel]

The Gixer has got Michelin Pilot Power 2CT's on it. It was bloody cold here yesterday I'm not surprised it took a while to get some heat into them.

Very well written fizz, enjoyed reading every bit of it

Pete

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

The Gixer has got Michelin Pilot Power 2CT's on it. It was bloody cold here yesterday I'm not surprised it took a while to get some heat into them.

Ahh Michelins, that explains everything!!!

[fizzwheel]

They are much better IMHO than the Bridgestone 014's it had on it when I bought it, better grip more consistant when its not baking hot and they last twice as long.

Come the spring I'm going to try something else though. I'm thinking either Dunlop Qualifiers next. Though something sticky Pirelli wise is begining to appeal.

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

They are much better IMHO than the Bridgestone 014's it had on it when I bought it, better grip more consistant when its not baking hot and they last twice as long.

Come the spring I'm going to try something else though. I'm thinking either Dunlop Qualifiers next. Though something sticky Pirelli wise is begining to appeal.

Dunlop Qualifiers?

Supercorsa's are great in warm weather, but even the race compound ones surprisingly seem ok in the winter and the wet (as long as you don't get too carried away in the wet as the tread runs out pretty quick ).

[fizzwheel]

Yeah the D208 Replacement, I cant remember the proper name of them, but all the bike press refer to them as a Dunlop Qualifier, its the tyres the R6 cup boys run. I'm going to keep trying different tyres till I find a brand / model that I feel comfortable on. I like the MIchellins but sometimes they give a vagueness from the front that I'm not keen on.