Warm hands at last.

After many years of riding I finally bought a set of heated grips for the bike. day off today so got round to fitting them. Easier than I thought, the good old washing up liquid was the key to removing the old ones. Wiring was all straight forward. The only problem I had was that a bought a piggy bag fuse holder which seemed an excellent idea. The problem I had not thought of was the clearance in side the fuse box. A plan B was needed and finally used scotch connectors in the headlight feed. First impressions are very good, using the bike next week so hopefully no more painful fingers.

Arthritis strikes

I have finished working in Wells, been a very good few weeks and a little sad to leave. Hopefully though, will be able to work there in the future. Have the weekend off and so far have had to have the tyre on the CBF replaced due to a puncture caused by a nail. 

Also had a trip to the vets with Harvey. He is nearly 14 and beginning to show his age. Getting slow, hearing poor and sleeps a lot. Anyway the vet checked him over and it seems he is ok for his age apart from it seems, he has Arthritis in his back legs, which explains why he finds it difficult to get in the car. We have some pain killers  which hopefully will ease things for him.

Working in Wells

Been looking for a change for a while and today I have had that chance. The Wells depot has taken on more work and needed more drivers short term so I have made a temporary transfer.Today, being the first day was spent learning where the tea is, who people are etc. I do know a few of the drivers so that has helped settling in. Route trained on the 376 service which runs from Bristol to Street.so hopefully on the road on my own tomorrow. Are some different fares and I will have to learn the fare stages and where some places are. Anyway it is going to be fun learning something new everyday.

A rather stupid overtake

I have always been proud on the fact that I ride my bike in a safe manner and take very few, calculated risks. Tonight on the way home I got a little frustrated following a very smelly lorry and went for an overtake. To say it was close is rather an understatement. It was one of those moments when you had two choices, hit the brakes and head for the hedge or give it everything and go for the gap. Fortunately I made the gap. So a lesson learned. Do not get frustrated, hold back and enjoy the view.

New Wine

Arrivals day for week 2 at New Wine. Last week was great with a fantastic team.However,the weather was very changeable and VERY cold at night. Been some changes to the way we work this year which has been great as it has made me look at the way I was working and not sleep walk through the week. No major incidents and a very good feel around the site, so God is definitely here this week. So, in to week 2 and hopefully even better than week 1.

New Bike

Much to my surprise the Insurance paid up and didn't leave me out of pocket. I still had the CBF500 which I have enjoyed using very much, in fact, so much so I have bought a CBF600SA-8 which I saw when I was picking up parts for the GS. I picked it up yesterday and although I have only ridden a few miles it seems very nice. Did need a bit of a clean which I have nearly finished so it is looking good. Hopefully it will provide years of service and fun both on the commute and ride outs.

The beast is no more

As you know I ride a rather old Suzuki GS500 which has served me very well over the last four years, until now. having just bought a new front disc, battery and rear tyre someone decided to reverse in to it while it was parked outside the house. Fortunately a neighbour saw them and managed to stop them and my Wife managed to get all the details, However, I still had to come home and sort out the insurance. Today the bike was picked up and a rather nice hire bike left in it's place. I now have to wait and see what I will get for the bike which of course will be less than the replacement cost. In the meantime I hope to enjoy the CB500F I have at present.

Driver Elite Silver Award

As you may know the company I work for has installed Green Road monitoring equipment. It monitors various aspects of driving and aims to improve safety and ride quality for passengers. each driver gets a running score, the idea is to get it as low as possible and to stay in the green. Which is a score below 20. As part of this there is an Elite driver award which is given to drivers who have had a average score of 5 for the whole year. This year I have achieved the Silver award which means I have had an average score of 5 for two years. I am very proud of this and hopefully will achieve Gold next year. I receive a tie pin and a letter from the boss.