Category Archives: Planning

Death-knell for a town

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The beginning of the end for Visaginas started at 01:23 on Saturday 26th April 1986. The death-knell for this town, which was created from virtually nothing by the eastern European USSR economy started with the destruction of reactor 4 at the Chernobyl RBMK Reactor. Originally Visaginas was simply a small collection of houses with a population of a few hundred, that grew to support the construction and operational teams that run Chernobyl’s sister plant at Ignalina. Swollen at its peak to almost 34,000 individuals, the four lane roads, the infrastructure and the support services needed to support working families and the 5000 individuals involved in the operation of the RBMK are now decaying. The present from the power plant to the town in 1975 was a giant granite boulder which symbolised the towns birth on 10th August. Wandering around the abandoned grounds, riding the half closed and empty roads and watching children play in abandoned playgrounds amongst the soviet style concrete block housing was a surreal moment.

The town that died

Buying Off Plan

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The CRF1000 Africa Twin has now gone back to Honda. My second foray into ownership via PCP and for once in my life it worked out to my advantage. Honda slashed the price of the new original CRF with the introduction of the Adventure Sports version which addressed the shortcomings I identified in my Overland Magazine review way back in 2016. The new bigger tank, metal grab rails for luggage fitment and more stainless to avoid the much complained about corrosion… it’s not a bad bike just soulless despite my attempts to love it. Trying to part exchange the bike with 32,000 km on the clock was met with cries of derision ‘that much mileage’, and a slashed baseline price, heavy dealer discounts and service and luggage offers meant that no one wanted a high mileage 2nd hand bike. Along come Honda and the PCP promise – they collect the bike and I walk away, albeit with a small excess mileage charge. So what is going to take the place of the CRF? My original 260,000 km R1150GSA is with Cardiff Motorrad getting off a SORN and the XT660Z Tenere is getting a suspension overhaul at PDQ Motorcycle Developments in Slough. I am tempted by the XT700Z Tenere but its tank is too small and buying again off plan like the CRF is not for me – I will wait for 3 years until Yamaha bring out the refined touring version of the new twin and then maybe dip my toe in the water.

Yamaha T7 Tenere 700

GDPR Update

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It is ironic that GDPR has unleashed the biggest amount of spam since that fateful date in March 1989 when Timothy John Berners-Lee woke up one bright sunny morning and invented the internet… anyhow I promise not to sell, share or try not to lose any of your personal data on the basis that you do not subject my mailbox to unwanted junk mail offering me pills, retirement holiday homes or unsolicited HMRC refunds. Its all about trust people and I trust you all, especially the Nigerian princes offering me money in exchange for a small upfront payment, those telling me I have an inheritance and all those wanting to return my missing and winning lottery tickets.GDPR Compliance

So what is in my Africa Twin toolkit?

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I have had lots of requests to make up toolkits for riders and my advice is almost always the same, you only need to worry and carry the tools you both know how to use and will fix the bits on your bike you know how to fix… That said, as promised, apart from spare tubes here is what I carry in my CRF1000L toolkit…

  • 8mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm and a 15mm open end and ratchet spanner (all these will do the chain adjusters, and all the remaining odd nuts and bolts on the CRF).
  • Three MotionPro tyre levers (08-0284 12-13mm), (08-0288 27mm), (08-0286 22mm).
  • Two MotionPro Rim Shield II plastic covers.
  • 27mm and 22mm socket and drive (you will not break the rear axle torque with the MotionPro levers so either under torque your axle or carry these).
  • 8mm, 10mm and 12mm long reach socket and small driver.
  • HW5 Hex.
  • 17mm Axle key.
  • Flat and cross head screwdriver.
  • Tube patches, glue and rubber gloves.
  • Cable ties.
  • Spare brake lever (53170-MEJ-016) – the only thing that has stopped me dead on the CRF is a broken front brake lever.
  • All in a Kriega tool roll and wrapped in a Karrimore waterproof kit bag.

Africa Twin Toolkit

Sand… oh joy, the bikers nemesis…

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Today is different… the sometimes oppressive overhanging green canopy has broken away and the trees have been replaced with scrubby conifers struggling for purchase in soft sandy soil. The smell is different as well and the unmistakable fragrance of pine sap fills the air. Sand… oh joy the bikers nemesis… its hard packed but goes on for mile after mile and in the end I am glad when the gravel makes a return shortly to be followed by Spanish tarmac, not as smooth as the French type but very welcome all the same. Riding in sand is counter intuitive, going slower does not help and the Africa Twin is a heavy bike to rock back and forwards as she digs a trench with the rear tyre. The DCT gearbox is a revelation and Honda have certainly got that right and as Jeremy Clarkson would say “more power required” and the sand is a distant memory.

Sandy trails