On Wednesday 24th August I carried out a full scale trial run using all the luggage kit, including a can of fuel fixed to the seat with bungee cord. I followed a 90 mile circular route via Doncaster, Gainsborough and Worksop in the morning, and then did it the opposite way round in the afternoon, following a slightly different route. The bike stood up to it very well, and I was able to walk away at the end, and get up for work the next morning - despite doing the whole of the second circuit without a break. The only drama was the fuel can coming loose shortly after the starting the afternoon trip. Fortunately I was able to hang on to it, and stop safely one-handed. I think I have now worked out the right way to strap it on securely.
The first circuit covered 94.6 miles, took 2 hours 58 minutes and used 3.14 litres of fuel - 137 mpg and an average speed of 31.9 mph. The second circuit was 91.5 miles, took 3 hours and 6 minutes and used 3.42 litres - 122 mpg and a 29.5 mph average. In the morning I had been cruising at between 40 and 45 mph, in the evening I upped the speed to cruise at 50 mph, but had to drive through Doncaster in the rush hour. The lesson seems to be - cruising at 40-45 should make my assumed 30 mph average practical, but it would be worth not going through towns at rush hour.
Sunday 28 August 2011
Monday 1 August 2011
Trial trips and comfier seating
I need to get some practice in before setting off, both to get myself acclimatised and to find out what might go wrong.
The first trip provided more of the latter than the former. I decided to use the bike for a meeting near Barnsley, a 30 mile round trip, and was making good progress when I got a puncture in the middle of the countryside. Fortunately the AA arrived in 45 minutes and recovered the bike, which looked a bit forlorn in the middle of a large car transporter, to Jeff Halls. They repaired the puncture, sold me some spare inner tubes and allowed me to borrow the workshop manual so I could copy the bits about how to remove the wheels - so I can do it myself in future. I've also ordered a new rear tyre as the existing one probably wouldn't last 2000 miles - a choice between the original type at £105, or a European equivalent at £30 - no choice really.
My second trip was after work, going up to Featherstone to watch Eagles in a Thursday evening match, a 60 mile round trip. All went well except for an awful performance by Eagles, and it was raining most of the way back. It's not nice in the dark and the rain on unfamiliar country lanes. One good thing was the fuel consumption, which seems to be over 110 mpg on a long run. Not so good was how hard the saddle was feeling at the end of the trip. I made a visit to a place I found out about on the Internet, Bielawski's Sheffield Trimming Co., who do car upholstery. They said they could add some more, softer, foam to the seat, and as my trip is for charity they would do it for £40 rather than £60, with the £20 difference being their donation. I took the bike in on Monday morning and collected it with a wider, thicker and softer seat in the evening - it certainly feels more comfortable.
The first trip provided more of the latter than the former. I decided to use the bike for a meeting near Barnsley, a 30 mile round trip, and was making good progress when I got a puncture in the middle of the countryside. Fortunately the AA arrived in 45 minutes and recovered the bike, which looked a bit forlorn in the middle of a large car transporter, to Jeff Halls. They repaired the puncture, sold me some spare inner tubes and allowed me to borrow the workshop manual so I could copy the bits about how to remove the wheels - so I can do it myself in future. I've also ordered a new rear tyre as the existing one probably wouldn't last 2000 miles - a choice between the original type at £105, or a European equivalent at £30 - no choice really.
My second trip was after work, going up to Featherstone to watch Eagles in a Thursday evening match, a 60 mile round trip. All went well except for an awful performance by Eagles, and it was raining most of the way back. It's not nice in the dark and the rain on unfamiliar country lanes. One good thing was the fuel consumption, which seems to be over 110 mpg on a long run. Not so good was how hard the saddle was feeling at the end of the trip. I made a visit to a place I found out about on the Internet, Bielawski's Sheffield Trimming Co., who do car upholstery. They said they could add some more, softer, foam to the seat, and as my trip is for charity they would do it for £40 rather than £60, with the £20 difference being their donation. I took the bike in on Monday morning and collected it with a wider, thicker and softer seat in the evening - it certainly feels more comfortable.
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| Softer, thicker, wider - appropriate for the rider? |
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