My First Spill (and the results)

It wasn't raining when I left home, but it was grey and threatening.  I had been riding for about three months, and was starting to feel confident.  I knew there are stages to confidence levels in new riders, and I was ever so worried about the inevitable knock it would take.  It was just a matter of when.
Well, it was the first of October.  I was riding along, doing my thing, when I approached a T junction.  I indicated, applied the brake, geared down and before I knew it I was on the floor.
I captured it on video - here for your viewing pleasure.

When I watch it carefully, all seems fine - I'm not going ridiculously fast for the conditions.  I was doing maybe 10mph when I spilled.  I wasn't asking the bike to do any physics-defying manoeuvres, I was just slowing down for a stop/turn.
I went down, landing largely on my hands.  The bike pinned my left leg, twisting it slightly.  It wasn't bad, there were no broken bones, and virtually no scratches.  On me, anyway.
The bike's gear selector was bent, and the left footpeg was bent at a rakish angle - a close examination showed the metal had cracked on impact, and the peg looked ready to break off.  There was a scratch on the 'CG' sticker on the side panel.  The bike was still running, until I put it upright and the wheel touched the floor and it stalled.
I pushed the bike off the road, and sat down in a slump.  That was my first spill.
I of course called my missus and let her know - she was obviously upset, but she quickly realised that there was no real harm done to me, and my bike - which she plans on inheriting - was pretty much okay.
I had to take public transport to work - in full gear, with hands and knees throbbing, it was not the most fun.  The worst was just leaving the bike behind....

On the weekend, I went to collect it, bringing along some tools to see if I could straighten it up enough to ride.  The first thing I did was fire it up - he started right away!  What a champ!
I then removed the gear selector, and hammered it until it pointed more or less in the correct direction.  The footpeg was a bit more delicate - I was worried I would snap it off, but after some gentle persuasion, it too, soon enough was close enough.  I gave it a quick test ride, and it seemed happy.
So off I go, riding again after a few days of train hell.  It was awesome!

Before I got back on the bike, I knew I would have to buy a new helmet.  It's expensive, but I knew I would prefer to keep my head in the same shape its in now if i could help it, and thankfully my wife agreed with me.  We went to Helmet City, and I picked out a bright yellow HJC helmet, which was a bit more expensive than my previous Box helmet, however proved to be worth the difference - much lighter, better ventilation, better field of vision, better Pinlock, and much more comfortable overall.

Also on my no-bike hiatus, I was worried I would have to deal with the possible fear of not being able to ride.  I had only been riding for a few months but I was already addicted.  I loved riding, and I didn't want to lose the experience to some silly fear.  I had a bicycle crash a few years ago, where I was hit by a car.  It was almost a decade before I got the nerve up again to ride a push bike.  I didn't want that to happen again.  So, I got on, and rode away.

However, after a week or so, I began to notice there was something missing.  I was riding with my heart in my mouth.  When it was time to put my gear on at the end of the day, my stomach would turn, and my palms grew sweaty (like Eminem before a rap battle!).  When I was riding, I was ever so nervous around corners - it always felt like the bike was about to tip over again.  Going over the slightest bit of road paint made me nervous as it seemed the bike was threatening to slide out from underneath me.  Riding had become a chore, and worse than that, it was frightening.

I spoke with a colleague, a seasoned rider.  He was sympathetic, and offered a few suggestions.
One, he said the bike was probably out of alignment.  Indeed, if I was riding at 20-30mph in a straight line and relaxed the grip on my handlebars, the bike wanted to drop left very alarmingly.  I realised I was spending a lot of energy keeping the bike upright.
I also mentioned about how it felt like I was riding on ice when on the road paint.  He claimed that was normal - to a point - but if it was really bad, I should look at the condition of my front tyre.

That evening, I stood in front of the bike, and braced the front wheel between my knees whilst gripping the handlebars.  I twisted and pulled in an effort to get the wheels in line.  As the bike was pulling left, I pushed the left handle (the one with the clutch) away from me, and pulled the throttle side close.  I had no idea if I had any effect until I started to ride.  At the first opportunity, I got up to a steady speed and relaxed my grip - the bike was no longer so determined to lie down!
I replaced the foot peg bar altogether a few days later, which broke off during removal - glad that didn't happen going down the road.

So, with a steadier bike, I made my way home, feeling better; however the list of things I was worried about was growing:
- I was worried about riding over painted lines - every time I did, I tensed up, waiting for the bike to slide out from underneath me.
- I was worried about turning corners - the bike was still skittish going round bends.  I couldn't navigate them unless it was at walking speeds.
- I was worried about cracks in the pavement - if they ran parallel to me, I would worry I would get stuck in a groove and fall over.
- I was worried about patches in the pavement - any irregularity was an open chasm waiting to throw me.
- I was riding in the rain a fair bit, and there seemed to be a huge amount of oil on the roads - rainbows everywhere.  I was nervous to stop in the '2' position at a junction, and nervous around corners, and nervous on straights.

In short, I was still nervous.

This went on for about a week.  My wife happened to be walking past me as I biked past a corner, and she noticed that I looked nervous going round a junction - not smooth or steady in any way.
Then, a realisation hit me - I knew why I was so nervous.
It was when I was describing to my wife, as we were driving in our car, all the perils I was nervous about. 'There's a bump there, and some oil there, and a crack in the road there, and a gentle corner here..' it was a non-stop barrage of perils being thrown at me.  What was I doing differently, compared to what I was doing before I spilled?
I was focusing on the road.  My head was down, scanning the pavement 5 to 10 meters in front of me.  When I was going round a corner, I was looking at what I was about to run over, not at where I wanted to go.
The next time I rode, I forced myself to keep my head up.  I talked to myself - 'look up!', 'look around the corner, where you want to end up!'  This made a world of difference.  I wasn't nearly as nervous as before!  Corners were not a problem.  Cracks in the pavement disappeared - I wasn't looking for them, so they weren't there.  Suddenly the joy of riding came back to me.  I could feel my confidence come back.

It isn't back to full strength.  I still get a bit nervous around rainbow colour puddles, but its much, much better now.  I am not as confident as before, but I'm not sure its because of me - I think it might be because of the bike.  So, there is a weekend of work ahead of me, trying to sort it out.

I will try and do more updates; I haven't really been feeling the full positive experience of riding the last month or so, removing any motivation to write about it.  In the works are a few posts I would like to make, and hopefully they will be coming soon.  Topics will include:

- Removing a rounded-off aluminium oil drain plug on a Honda CG 125
- Repairing indicator wiring so the right turn signal works consistently (I will let you guess why I need to do this)
- Replacing a side stand (well, the spring at least)
- How to align the wheels on a motorbike
And a real big one:
- How to remove and replace worn cush bearings!
This one is going to be a pain, I can tell.  Riding at any speed, with a steady throttle, results in a bucking bronco of a ride.  Pulling away smoothly from any junction or corner is nearly impossible - the bike wants to just jerk ahead.  The rear sprocket is physically loose on the back wheel, which is making the chain wobble and stressing it out - its stretching constantly.  So if things go right, the job will include instructions on how to replace the sprockets and chain as well!
Gosh I have a great deal to do....

My First Unsafe Manoeuver

So as I learn more about the bike, and get better at handling him, I have grown more confident in what it can do.  I am doing a bit more filtering in moving traffic, which allows me to get ahead of slow moving traffic or vehicles that make me nervous.  I am very much aware that I am taking a few more risks, and I'm being as careful as possible.  However part of being a safe rider is knowing what your bike can do and what it can not do.
So I was following a few large vehicles, and felt I had enough power and space to pass them.  I passed the bus, and then went to pass the lorry.  As I was beside it, the driver decided he wanted to move across the center line, and forced me to go into oncoming traffic.
I would not have attempted the manoeuvre if there were vehicles coming toward me, so the lane was empty.  However, there is a central reservation, so I had to swerve right to avoid it, as there was a car in the left lane (in front of the lorry).
Anyway, I kept on going, my heart racing a little bit faster.  I took a moment to think about it, and realised I should not have attempted this move; there would have been opportunities moments later that would have allowed me to pass safely.
Lesson learned.
Here is the video.

The Day My Bike Caught Fire

So a few weeks ago, I was looking online at all the different things people have written about the Honda CG 125.  One of the things was the poor factory headlight - many people were saying the original incandescent bulb was weak to the point of being dangerous.
So I looked for a replacement - I hadn't yet been riding in the dark, and I was a bit fearful of doing so with the original style bulb in place.  I found a bulb on a well-known online auction site (I won't say what it is, but it's name rhymes with 'mee-bay') as a suitable replacement.  It's rated as a 35W/35W bulb (meaning the dipped and main elements were the same rating of 35W), in an 'extreme white blue xenon' colour.  It was cheap, and thought what the hell.
So I undid the two screws at the bottom of the chrome headlight surround, and popped the cover off.  Inside I found a warren of wires.  I disconnected the 4-way mini connector for the headlight, and removed the incandescent bulb.  The new bulb slotted right in, which made me happy!
The main reflector has a small hole in it for a pilot light - a small, five watt bulb which is meant to light up the headlight just enough to make the bike visible - sort of a daytime running light.  The bulb in mine was burned out, so I removed the bulb and set it aside to find a replacement.
I then crammed the reflector back in place, moving the wires around until it all fit, put the two screws back in, and switched on the light.  It looks really good!  It is a much white light, and seems brighter - I don't know if this is true or not, but I thought I may aw well test it out.  It was getting close to dusk, so I thought I'd go for a short ride.
Here is a portion of the ride - check out what happens as a stop at a junction, right about 22 seconds in:

Yep, my bike was smoking!
Seeing as it's only ten years old, I figured I better pull over and have a word.  I went back to the garage, shut the thing off, and this is what I saw inside:

Yeah, the wire for the pilot bulb?  I never put it back in.  The bulb socket was rattling around loose, and  short circuited with the headlight casing, and melted all the shielding off.  It was warm enough that it melted a bit off a few mini connectors as well.
What an idiot.
So, my test drive cut woefully short, I parked the bike, and went off to sulk.  I looked online to purchase a new wiring harness for Hank, and ordered one.
By Saturday morning, the harness had not arrived, but I thought I would go and have a closer look at the damage.  After looking at it, I realised it's not as bad as it looks - one wire was melted, and there was a bit of damage to the shielding of maybe two other wires.  I had a look around the garage, and found an ISO wiring harness for a car stereo.  I wondered if this would work.....
I looked at the existing wiring, and compared it to the stereo wiring.  The stereo wiring was thicker, and more robust than the original, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  What's the worst that could happen -  it catches fire again?
I cut out the burned wiring, and replaced it with the new cable.  I soldered it properly, and wrapped it in shrink wrap, and crossed my fingers.....
I put it all back together, and switched on the ignition.  I then waited for the smoke to start pouring out.  None did.
Hooray!
It would appear that I have fixed it!  So I thought I'd go for another test ride!
It all looks good - however the indicator on my gauges that tells me my main beam is on tends to flicker on and off - even though the headlight itself does not change - it just gives a steady beam, and switches properly.  I guess there is a wire loose in there still, or a mini connector that is a bit wobbly.
I have since received the new wiring loom, so I will tackle the process of installing the new wiring soon - another Saturday wasted when I should be out riding, I imagine....

Fun with Petrol

After running out of fuel, I thought I'd have a look at what mileage I was actually achieving on the bike.  Websites have claimed anywhere from 70 to 120mpg on these, with 100mpg being the norm.  Fantastic!  My car is good for 50mpg if I'm careful on the motorway, and I do enjoy paying less for fuel as I am a miserly old man.
There are a few things that can really affect the mileage of a motorcycle, such as wind and tyre resistance, the weight it has to pull, and driving style.
It seemed to me the bike was a bit thirsty - When I bought it, the chap said it wasn't good for 100mpg, but he put that down to him being 'a fat bloke'.  I'm not the trimmest of athletes, and I thought I could do well with it.  He said it had a full tank when he sold it to me.  I hadn't written down the miles completed or anything, so I had no idea how much it was using.  I looked in the tank before setting off on my first commute, and it looked okay - however I had no idea what nearly empty looked like.
It ran out, and it would not light up after turning to reserve.
At this stage, I was worried it might be something else preventing the bike from running.  So I parked the bike, locked it up, and walked to the nearest train station (in full gear, carrying a helmet, on a very hot day!) to get to work.  I spent the day being humiliated by my coworkers, and worrying my bike was useless and a waste of money.  I also worked out a plan.  I went home (via public transport, with the great unwashed of London), hopped in the car, and drove to my local garage.  I bought a petrol container and some petrol, and drive over to where I had abandoned the poor thing.  It took the full 5 litres, and after a few tries it lit up!  I breathed a sigh of relief and knew I didn't have to worry it was something other major issue.  I now know the petrol gauge well and truly does not work.
So, I drove the car back, caught a bus back to the bike, and immediately topped up the tank with some Esso Supreme petrol, and noted the mileage.  As I'm now fully aware that the gauge does not work, I kept my eye on it, and after four days of commuting, I topped it up again.  I had done 85.2 miles, and used 4.14 litres of fuel - this equates to 77.9mpg.  Not bad.  I'd like to see better, but looking online, it would appear one the best things I can do for my mileage is lose weight.  Sigh....
There are some other things I can do as well.  I've ordered a new air filter- the original is still in place after eight years and thirty thousand odd miles.  I also checked the tyre pressures and discovered the front tyre was at about 17psi, and the rear was 22.  The recommended for this bike is 25psi for the front, and 29 for the rear, so out comes the hand pump....
I am still too inexperienced to notice a difference in the way the bike handles after putting the correct pressure in the tyres, but I'm sure it helps.
After a few more weeks of glorious, trouble-free rides to and from work, I have a fairly accurate idea of the mileage I can expect.  I get a bit nervous, and top up every 80 miles or so.  I've bought petrol five times, and the average mileage is 76.4mpg.  Not the 120mpg I was hoping for, but still pretty good!  In the time I've had the bike, I've spent about half of what I would have spent giving my money to TfL, so I am pleased about that!
Next up, a new air filter...

Motorcycling In London

Hi!
I've been living in London for a while now, and I've spent plenty of time fighting my fellow commuters in various forms of public transportation.  I've done walking, bicycling, trains, buses, trams, cars - everything but longboarding.
A while ago, as I approached the big four-oh, I began thinking about my daily commute to work.  My wife and I have always chosen places to live according to how easy it is to get to work - we've preferred to live closer to mainline aboveground railway stations than tube stations.  Neither of us could ever stand the idea of using the underground everyday.  Miserable.
So after many permutations, and trying to find the least expensive and easiest methods, the idea of motorcycling came up.  No surprise, really; I've wanted a motorbike since I was little.  I suggested it to my wife, who was adamant that I was not to go on a bike - far too unsafe!
After a few gently prods and watching Easy Rider (thankfully she fell asleep before the end), we decided that I could look - JUST LOOK - at what insurance etc would cost.
I'm from Canada, where motorcycling was reserved for the rich men who had too much money, or their  spoiled kids who wanted to show off.  It was a strictly four-months-a-year sport, the use of salt and grit made the roads too dangerous to use until the sweepers went past in mid May, and too cold to use after September.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I priced a bike and insurance!
As a starter, and having never ridden before, I did a fair bit of research.  Here in the UK, one must take Compulsory Basic Training (or CBT) before they are allowed on the road on a bike - and there are restrictions.  Max 125cc, no pillion passengers, no motorways.  Not a problem, I only wanted to use it for commuting, so no passengers required, and I'd only go 30mph!
So I narrowed down my search to either a Honda CG 125 or a Yamaha YBR 125.  I looked around on the internet, and figured I would have to spend about £1,000 on a decent bike - and another £500 on kit.
I looked at insurance, and I was amazed!  My car insurance is about £27 a month for a 2 litre diesel saloon, and for a CG I was quoted £9 a month!  I thought for sure bikes would be about £100 a month - I had an MX-5, and it was £80 a month.  And road tax on my diesel is £180 a year - on the bike it's £17....
So I excitedly told my wife, and she suggested I book in for the CBT training, just to see if I would like it.  'No point in spending all that money on a bike and kit if you don't like it,' - fair advice.  So I booked into LMRT for a Sunday's worth of riding.
I did my training, and man, what a blast!  It was so much fun.  We were on Honda CG's, and my instructor suggested that it is a better bike than the Yamaha.  I enjoyed riding it - it was no nonsense, easy to ride, lightweight, forgiving, and had electric start.
I was won over.

So the search began for the perfect bike for me.  I trawled through eBay, Gumtree, AutoTrader, all sorts of websites.  Most of the bikes I liked were either up north, or too expensive.  Then, there was one based in North London that looked just right.  It had electric start, a bit of shiny chrome, and it was black - it looked cool.
It was on eBay.  I watched it, but it ended without a single bid.  I thought I'd try and contact the seller to see if they were still interested in selling, and happily, he was.  My wife and I went to view it, and she fell in love with it before he completely got it out of the garage.  Yes, you read that right.  She fell in love with it.
The chap selling it was great - he showed me all the bits and pieces on the bike, and was willing to throw in some spare parts.  I couldn't resist - and neither could my wife.  I bought the bike for £650 - well below my budget!
The next day, we went out and bought some kit - a new jacket and gloves from 21st Moto in Swanley, and a helmet from Helmet City.  I recommend these places, as I found the staff at both locations to be very helpful and the opposite of condescending - they were eager to help me, as a new rider, get the most out of riding.
I went to bed, exhausted, my brain going full speed like a six year old on the day before Christmas.
The next morning, I got the train (and the tube - yuck) to pick it up.  The fellow offered to ride with me part of the way, as he knew I had literally no experience.  We also needed to get some learner plates, so I rode pillion on his massive ZX-R, looking for an open shop!  Man, he rode fast!
Anyway, the time came, and away we went.  He rode with me through to London Victoria - past Buckingham Palace, down Park Lane and Edgeware Road - very exciting and scary!  I didn't filter through traffic - a little too scary for me at that stage.
The bike performed flawlessly, and by the time we got to Sloane Square, I was confident enough to go on my own.  We shook hands, went our separate ways, and off he went.
I rode home on my own, unaccompanied.  It was a bit scary, but man, what a rush!
I got home, and promptly spent some time staring at it.  My wife told me she wants it when I'm done with it!

The bike is decidedly small - there isn't much road presence, and it is not the fastest ride out there by a long shot.  But, its mine.  My first ride.  They say its better to learn on a bit of beater, because when you inevitably drop it, you won't be so heartbroken.  I hope I don't drop this bike!  His name is Hank, after two awesome Hanks - Hank Williams Jr, and Hank Schrader from Breaking Bad.

Photo courtesy of Bluzog and  AMC Networks respectively

I decided I wouldn't start using the bike to commute until my train ticket expired, and after I had spent the evenings doing some ride-arounds, just to get a good feel for the bike, and to gain some confidence.
So, the following week, after I felt comfortable, I struck out on my own, commuting in style!
I made it about 3 miles before I ran out of petrol.  It would appear the gauge is not entirely accurate.
Harumph.
So, in full gear, carrying a helmet, I walked to the nearest railway station, emailed work, and headed off.
How embarrassing.
Anyway, that was the start of my motorcycling journey.  I hope to use this blog as a record of works I do to the bike, and to write down my experiences with riding.  I have been at it for a few weeks now - still very green! - and I enjoy it immensely.  Hopefully as I learn about riding, you  may find something of interest here.
Thanks for looking!