The bike is fixed!

A couple of weeks have passed since I wrote the first post although only just posted it up.

After much faffing, I decided my mechanical knowledge wasn't quite up to it and put the bike in the local garage. New brake pads and a front wheel bearings plus a new front tyre and the bike is running fine.

Shock, I picked up the bike yesterday and crapped myself on the half mile journey going home? Have I forgotten how to ride my bike?!?

I've also lost my neck tube so off to the shop this morning to buy another one and headed out for the first ride of the year. Riding nervously towards the dual carriageway, I couldn't resist.... Using the slip road as a drag strip is too much fun! I forgot how fast the bike accelerates and before I'm even thinking of leaving the slip road I'm close to breaking the speed limit! The grin turns into a manic laugh as I thunder down the road remembering every reason why I love biking! The fresh air, the sun shining through my visor warming my face through the cold winter air! I put 100 miles on the clock and regain my confidence in the bike and myself.

We've also been looking at the sat navs and intercoms and the Scala Q2 looks good but is expensive considering that we're on the same bike. The sat nav will most likely now be the Garmin 550. It appears that Tom Tom do not do maps to cover eastern Europe...

With the accessories decided on, the next step will be to figure out the hard luggage options for the bike and to start looking properly at where we may go in Ireland!