Preparations start all over again!

Friday 6th of March will see me starting off again. I plan to head off late afternoon and stay overnight in a small guest house outside Bridport called, Eype’s Mouth Hotel, the write up is very nice. Then on Saturday Night I am currently looking for something in the Torbay area, which should then get me to something between Salcombe and Plymouth before I head for home.

Unfortunately the weather forecast is not as good as the previous weekend but I will have to make the best of things and at least take a full change of clothes.

I am hoping to get as far as Lands End before the clocks go forward on the 29th of this month when l hope to start camping in the main. 2 weeks after that it is Easter weekend, unfortunately I am committed to a work related event on the Sunday in Birmingham, I am therefore planning to set off on Thursday to Cornwall and then ride until Saturday evening then head to Birmingham to stay overnight, then Sunday evening head back to where I left off, then take a few extra days off and ride as far as I can which I am hoping will be somewhere in Mid to North Wales.

Before all that however last weekend saw me giving ‘My Baby’ the TLC she deserves. The chain had worn loose and needed adjusting back up, in fact it is getting to the point where it will need to be replaced within the next few thousand miles, a sprocket and chain would normally last between 15-16,000 if looked after correctly, mine is close to 20,000 and if I get it to 24,000 I will definitely be changing it probably just after the Easter weekend. At the same time my front tyre is getting very low on tread and will probably only last me this coming weekend before I have to change it. I can see another round of begging letters coming on for discounted services. The tyre will cost about £75 and the Chain and Sprocket about £120

After doing the chain and adjusting the chain oiler, then had to fix my horn which stopped working last time out. I checked the fuse, then thought it was the horn itself and went and bought a new one, however in the end it was corrosion on the contacts in the switch itself, which was very fiddly to take apart file off the corrosion and then rebuild. Well at least I now have a spare.

I then checked the oil, tyre pressures, fluid levels and brake pads etc. so in the end it was a bit of a mini service but I am pleased I did it ahead of next weekend, finally a quick wash and polish and she was put to bed until Friday.

Take care and as Mick says ‘I started out with nowt and still got most of it left’