When you're in the tunnel and the Nissan Patrol diesel 4WD next to you is making more noise than your motorbike is...
When you're waiting at the lights at an intersection and there's smoke coming out from between your tank and frame on your motorbike and people are giving you weird looks as if your bike were to catch on fire...
When the 27mm socket for the 27mm nut just doesn't... quite... fit...
When you've just booked $2,500 worth of airline tickets and leaving next week and noone can tell you what hotel you're booked into...
When you put wasabi peas in the communal nibble bowl at work and everyone complains about them, then asks if anyone is going to refill the bowl...
When you're typing something epic and you see in the corner of your eye that the net has gone down again and you're going to have to save everything into a Word document (again)...
When the instructions on an aftermarket motorbike screen say that you can't park in the sun - or if you have to, you have to park facing North so the screen doesn't melt anything on your bike...
When that same screen comes from a factory mould and still doesn't... quite... fit...
When the only colour of sticky notes available is pink...
When you have your bike running and can still manage to take the key out to open the boot and put the key back in without killing the ignition...
When you're going away for three weeks and your partner is also sent away and the trips overlap so you don't see them for over a month...
... its those moments when you just *know* there's something wrong!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Everything Happened Today!
Ah, lovely!
This morning my flights to Sweden were confirmed *and* all the rest of my parts from Motomummy arrived including the Puig screen, Pazzo levers and R&G oggy knobs.
EDIT @ 21:23
Well, as you can see from the photos above, the R1 is looking like it always should have looked... like new.
It's clean. It's shiny. It has no missing bits. It has a screen and oggy knobs now. And I'm glad its finally looking like it should.
Robin, thanks for your help in putting it all back together and of course for taking the photos of me on the bike this evening.
I've only got the rearsets and exhaust to go. The machinist still isnt' back from holidays, but at least my Akrapovic is ordered and should be getting shipped any day now.
This morning my flights to Sweden were confirmed *and* all the rest of my parts from Motomummy arrived including the Puig screen, Pazzo levers and R&G oggy knobs.
EDIT @ 21:23
Well, as you can see from the photos above, the R1 is looking like it always should have looked... like new.
It's clean. It's shiny. It has no missing bits. It has a screen and oggy knobs now. And I'm glad its finally looking like it should.
Robin, thanks for your help in putting it all back together and of course for taking the photos of me on the bike this evening.
I've only got the rearsets and exhaust to go. The machinist still isnt' back from holidays, but at least my Akrapovic is ordered and should be getting shipped any day now.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
I'm Going and No One Will Stop Me
Fuck. I'm annoyed and excited. The plans promised to me by work have changed. Up until about 9am, I was going to head over to Sweden twice this year. Not any more.
What it was meant to be:
Trip 1: MARCH 2008; Training in Sweden, 2 Days in Orebro in the classroom and 2 Days at the test mine = Total time about 5 days in Sweden, then add travel time.
Trip 2: JUNE 2008; Shaking hands, kissing babies, taking photos, meeting people (networking), dropping business cards, sightseeing, getting smashed, going to the Icebar. This trip was a "gift" to be from my company.
What it currently is:
Trip: MARCH 2008; Training in Sweden, 2 Days in Orebro in the classroom and 2 Days at the test mine, then slap another week on for leisure.
Now, what happened to my total of three weeks in Sweden? I'm now there for a week to do training then tack another week on? In the middle of Winter? There isn't even any snow! It's cold and raining the whole time!
What the final result should be:
Trip: Training in Sweden, 2 Days in Orebro in the classroom and 2 Days at the test mine, then two weeks (that I was "given") of leisure and sightseeing.
So yeh, I'm fucked off and at the same time busting my knickers to get over there and catch up with all my crazy Swedish mates.
Fuck.
What it was meant to be:
Trip 1: MARCH 2008; Training in Sweden, 2 Days in Orebro in the classroom and 2 Days at the test mine = Total time about 5 days in Sweden, then add travel time.
Trip 2: JUNE 2008; Shaking hands, kissing babies, taking photos, meeting people (networking), dropping business cards, sightseeing, getting smashed, going to the Icebar. This trip was a "gift" to be from my company.
What it currently is:
Trip: MARCH 2008; Training in Sweden, 2 Days in Orebro in the classroom and 2 Days at the test mine, then slap another week on for leisure.
Now, what happened to my total of three weeks in Sweden? I'm now there for a week to do training then tack another week on? In the middle of Winter? There isn't even any snow! It's cold and raining the whole time!
What the final result should be:
Trip: Training in Sweden, 2 Days in Orebro in the classroom and 2 Days at the test mine, then two weeks (that I was "given") of leisure and sightseeing.
So yeh, I'm fucked off and at the same time busting my knickers to get over there and catch up with all my crazy Swedish mates.
Fuck.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Yawning is a Warning
I yawn. My eyes are closing. My concentration is lapsing. I let my friend on MSN know that I'm going to crash out and go to bed. Nitey nite.
I get changed, lay in bed. My eyes are open. I can't focus. I'm wide awake. That Red Bull I drank over 5 hours ago is still kicking my arse. So I tell the story.
Earlier in the day I had told Robin that there was a ride on. I specially went and got fuel before I got home so I'd have a full tank in the 400 before going out and meeting at Scarborough. Mum asks me where the R1 is. (It's still parked at Robin's). I tell her that its still at Robin's and that I'm still waiting on a screen. She demands I bring it back home.
So the ride I was meant to go on, I was a pillion on. And good fun at that. My arms got a wicked workout and I enjoyed being on the back again. We left from Scarborough and headed to Fremantle for some food and a chat. We stopped in at Ginos and got some pasta. I was quite happy that I got the cannelloni. I've become a big fan of cannelloni, something about spinach and ricotta that I just love. To date, noone does it better than Cafe Martino on Beaufort Street in Mount Lawley.
After the ride, Robin took me back to his place where I cabletied my new numberplate onto the fender eliminator of the R1. I used blue cableties and tell you what, a bodgy "I'll cut it off when I get home" turns out to be a very tidy looking arrangement. So I'm going to keep it; but just trim the cableties.
I was a little scared at this point. It was going to be the first time I had ridden the R1 in four weeks. It didn't sound the same and sure as hell didn't feel the same. I thought that replacing the exhaust was more of a want than a need, but the factory muffler sounds dreadful and is right back up on my list of things to buy for the bike.
Over the last few days Robin had helped me fit (a few times) the rear tail fairing and nose piece of the R1 back together, and yesterday I got the rags out along with the Plexus and cleaned everything I could find. After that, I went over all the black plastic components (inside and out) with Maguiars Trim Detailer. That stuff really makes the bike shine. [I'll put some photos up of the bike during daylight hours].
I *hope* I didn't get any overspray on the tyres...
Robin rode with me to check my tyre pressures and to baby me around the block before I headed home, sans screen. Was a bit blowey on the bike, interesting riding without a screen, but I still made it home quite comfortably.
My levers, screen and oggy knobs should be on their way soon after *another* stock holdup. This time a purple iridium Arai visor was the culprit. It will mean that the bike will have equidistant levers unlike now where the clutch is different to the brake. Shits me off.
Even up until today, I'm still finding missing bits here and there. Another $20 today for two mirror bolt guides. Anything "genuine" sucks.
Either way, It's been a long time between rides on the R1 and the 400 has certainly served me well in the interim. I will now know that *both* should be equally respected and are just as much fun as the other. The R1 is now parked up next to the 400 in the courtyard again. It's nice to see them together again.
On a side note; a HUGE thank you to Robin for putting up with me over the last few weeks with the crash at Wanneroo. Tolerating my rabble, cleaning the bike, picking up parts for me (even when you didn't have to), helping me assemble things and identify missing bits... I wouldn't have a complete bike nor the smile on my face right now if it wasn't for you.
Thank you again Robin. Love you! :)
I get changed, lay in bed. My eyes are open. I can't focus. I'm wide awake. That Red Bull I drank over 5 hours ago is still kicking my arse. So I tell the story.
Earlier in the day I had told Robin that there was a ride on. I specially went and got fuel before I got home so I'd have a full tank in the 400 before going out and meeting at Scarborough. Mum asks me where the R1 is. (It's still parked at Robin's). I tell her that its still at Robin's and that I'm still waiting on a screen. She demands I bring it back home.
So the ride I was meant to go on, I was a pillion on. And good fun at that. My arms got a wicked workout and I enjoyed being on the back again. We left from Scarborough and headed to Fremantle for some food and a chat. We stopped in at Ginos and got some pasta. I was quite happy that I got the cannelloni. I've become a big fan of cannelloni, something about spinach and ricotta that I just love. To date, noone does it better than Cafe Martino on Beaufort Street in Mount Lawley.
After the ride, Robin took me back to his place where I cabletied my new numberplate onto the fender eliminator of the R1. I used blue cableties and tell you what, a bodgy "I'll cut it off when I get home" turns out to be a very tidy looking arrangement. So I'm going to keep it; but just trim the cableties.
I was a little scared at this point. It was going to be the first time I had ridden the R1 in four weeks. It didn't sound the same and sure as hell didn't feel the same. I thought that replacing the exhaust was more of a want than a need, but the factory muffler sounds dreadful and is right back up on my list of things to buy for the bike.
Over the last few days Robin had helped me fit (a few times) the rear tail fairing and nose piece of the R1 back together, and yesterday I got the rags out along with the Plexus and cleaned everything I could find. After that, I went over all the black plastic components (inside and out) with Maguiars Trim Detailer. That stuff really makes the bike shine. [I'll put some photos up of the bike during daylight hours].
I *hope* I didn't get any overspray on the tyres...
Robin rode with me to check my tyre pressures and to baby me around the block before I headed home, sans screen. Was a bit blowey on the bike, interesting riding without a screen, but I still made it home quite comfortably.
My levers, screen and oggy knobs should be on their way soon after *another* stock holdup. This time a purple iridium Arai visor was the culprit. It will mean that the bike will have equidistant levers unlike now where the clutch is different to the brake. Shits me off.
Even up until today, I'm still finding missing bits here and there. Another $20 today for two mirror bolt guides. Anything "genuine" sucks.
Either way, It's been a long time between rides on the R1 and the 400 has certainly served me well in the interim. I will now know that *both* should be equally respected and are just as much fun as the other. The R1 is now parked up next to the 400 in the courtyard again. It's nice to see them together again.
On a side note; a HUGE thank you to Robin for putting up with me over the last few weeks with the crash at Wanneroo. Tolerating my rabble, cleaning the bike, picking up parts for me (even when you didn't have to), helping me assemble things and identify missing bits... I wouldn't have a complete bike nor the smile on my face right now if it wasn't for you.
Thank you again Robin. Love you! :)
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sverige!
Just got an email (about 15 minutes ago) from my boss saying that I've been nominated to get training for a new product and that I'm going to Sweden between WK 9 and WK 11!!! That's the end of February to mid March.
HOLEY MOLEY! I'm so rediculously excited. Hopefully I will be able to find out more tomorrow.
In other news, my final fairing for the R1 has cleared Customs and should be delivered early this week, maybe even tomorrow. Just waiting on some final parts from the US; screen, levers, grips, oggy knobs and some helmet visors.
HOLEY MOLEY! I'm so rediculously excited. Hopefully I will be able to find out more tomorrow.
In other news, my final fairing for the R1 has cleared Customs and should be delivered early this week, maybe even tomorrow. Just waiting on some final parts from the US; screen, levers, grips, oggy knobs and some helmet visors.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
En Guarde, Bytchez!
Yep, I've put my money where my mouth is. This week I dropped $400 on membership with the Cavaliers School of Fencing where I was announced as the "most returned fencer" ie: the person who keeps leaving and coming back.
To add to the fencing excitement, Robin has joined up in the beginners group (to which I have also joined as it *has* been that long...) It's great to see him doing something he's wanted to do for so long! And he's getting the hang of it very quickly!
So watch out, because I'm buying some new gear today. A plastron, glove and probably shoes too. Then I'll be investing in some FIE standard gear (for competitions).
Woohoo!
To add to the fencing excitement, Robin has joined up in the beginners group (to which I have also joined as it *has* been that long...) It's great to see him doing something he's wanted to do for so long! And he's getting the hang of it very quickly!
So watch out, because I'm buying some new gear today. A plastron, glove and probably shoes too. Then I'll be investing in some FIE standard gear (for competitions).
Woohoo!
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