Well. Erm...Hello!
Jeesuz, it's been a while.
Hands up who missed me? (looks round the room. No-one. Yeah. Thought so. Well, f**** you all then! LOL! )
But seriously, I cannot thanks you guys enough (
oh crap, not an Oscar speech....). Well, I'd like to thank
MacV2, and
Grumpyfrog, and
Sirch, and
JazzScot, and
AgentPineapple, and
Lloydie, and, well,
everyone who sent kind words many moons ago, when I last posted (before it all went tits up).
The offers of help for spares was amazing. I'm still not 100% there with the bike, but maybe a gnats chuff away.
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I
have been reading some of the posts, but just could not log in. It was kinda frustrating seeing stuff, and not being able to get stuck in. But, that's a good thing for you guys I suppose!
Never bothered with contacting anyone, as, like I said, no-one missed me, and the world kept turning without me. Altogether: awwwww.
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So. What's been happening? Well, a fair bit, which I won't bore the ass of all of you with the complete history (
"thank ferk fer that!" I hear you all scream).
Since coming back from me short "holiday" (referring to when me Storm got kicked over), I managed to get a fuel tank for it. A red one, and looked in nice condition. But, when it arrived, it was the wrong one, and it also had a dent in it. Not as big as the one in my tank, but big enough. They posted me the tank with fuel STILL in the tank, and the box arrived soaked, stinking of fuel and Christ knows how the courier agreed to still deliver it. It came from Germany too. Which means it was allowed through customs with fuel sloshing around. AND NO FILLER CAP. I reckon there was 1/2 a pint when it arrived with me. Not a lot it sounds, but the blanket it was wrapped in was soaked.
Anyhoo, with the dent, and not getting anywhere with the people I bought it from, I tracked down ANOTHER one.
It arrived, and I still haven't checked to see if it's a 16ltr or a 19 ltr. (it means I have to take my tank off and have a look at the fuel petcock fitting to compare 'em).
All I did was T-cut the scratches, polish it, and stick it back in the box. And I still have to see if it leaks before fitting it. But, meantime, the "new" tank just sits in a box, ready to go on. I don't want to fit it, for fear of the bike getting kicked over again, and then I've got another wombles tank.
But, the chances of getting it tipped over and danced on again are reduced, as I finally managed to get a decent lock up garage for it. So, WOOHOO on that side o things.
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However, I'm not riding it at the moment, as you've all read, the health went tits up in April. I wasn't meant to be riding after the health decline, but I took me chances and managed to get another decent rally under me belt. The DVLA asked for my licence to be returned before the 5th June (2015), and I am still waiting to hear back from them if I'm gonna be issued with a temporary one for 1, 3, or 5 years at a time. This is mainly down to having to use Insulin. But, I was advised to keep off the bike for 4 to 8 weeks after I got discharged in April due to the cardiac problem.
My GP has stated he doesn't want me driving bikes full stop. And if the DVLA are gonna go with anyones opinion, it'll be the GP. But, we'll see what happens with that.
The health isn't as bad as
other people on here. I mean,
Bigwinthing has had
THE shittiest time of things, and he's
still looking optimistic on things and sounding positive. How he can still smile is beyond me. I take my hat off to him. I guess some folk cope, and some don't cope as well as they think they would. I am ashamed to say I fall into the latter. Yes, I can still kick ass, but when floored with medical stuff, it makes you think yer not as invincible as you first thought.
I mean, I'll wade in to a bar full of Richard and scrap for all I'm worth, but how can I be bed-ridden due to a tiny lump of flesh no bigger than my thermal coffee mug?
No surgery was required. It was a serious warning that this Type 1 diabetes isn't something to take lightly. I still can't get round to accepting it, and to inject meself with needles everyday, to me, feels like a junkie. The docs said it's different, but to me, it isn't.
Back to the bike......
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I bought an Abba stand.
PROPER bit of kit that is! Well impressed. Although I'm fed up with folk who have seen it saying
"I could have made you one of them for less than 1/2 price". Yeah, well, you didn't, so, erm...ferk off and leave me alone.
So, with the Abba stand, I got round to taking the back end apart to clean. The bike was left out in snow, salt and shite when I was "on me holidays", and the sh1t that had to be cleaned off was unbelievable. The back end looks respectable now, and I was gonna tackle the front end.
Was going to remove starter motor to polish it and clean me oil lines etc, but guess what the starter bolt looked like?
Yup - one
solid lump of rust, and only 1/2 a nut on the top. Never felt a need to open the boot before, cos it always started fine. Now I have seen the state of it, I don't think the bolt is salvageable, so will have to cut the it flush with the starter and hope I can take the starter apart to replace the bolt, without wombles up anything else.
I'll follow Meester
MacV2s suggestions of packing with grease (under the rubber cap) and cable tying the rubber sleeve tight to seal it a bit better.
Y'see. I TOLD you all this was a bad idea. You don't get to hear from me in
months, and all-of-a-sudden, I'm on full waffle mode again.
Break out the Valiums.
Ok, nearly there (I have missed a hell-of-a-lot out, so's not to get banned for using up the forum owners space allowance for a single post).
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It's here I turn to
Grumpyfrog (if he's still reading this, and hasn't thrown himself off a bridge by now).
I can
vaguely remember driving that day heading into Elgin. Had an appt. with Dr. Grays. I do remember sh1t-loads of traffic heading out towards the LLanbryde direction.
My storm (as you may have glanced at) is the only red one here with a white number board. So, it's easily spotted. Just a pity the traffic didn't stay still long enough for you to hear the Blue Flame cans. Fruity, deep and well, lurvly! No baffles. Hell no.
But, (and this is me being optimistic...a rare thing indeed), if I
am still allowed to drive, I would like to "bump into you" for a quick natter and set the world to rights. Always nice to put a face to the handle. (I may even let you sit on the bike if yer a good boy)
My sincere thanks for offering your services (when Mac posted my email saying things were "a bit grim"). Not many folk would offer that, and I truly appreciate it. I haven't a clue what I would ask of anyone, but the fact that the offer of help was there was a humbling feeling.
Like Bigwinning said on his "health report" post, the fact that people DO give a damn makes a grown man want to shed a tear or two.
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Nearly done chaps - not long to go now. Although the snow may be here in a minute if I don't hurry up.
Other jobs that need done to the bike are to fit a new set of tyres. Bridgstone Battlax T30s. The
only tyres I'll use now.
It's what I'm using at the moment, and I've had just under 10,000 miles on this pair. And I don't hang about (at times). Ok, the knee doesn't touch the corners, but I've got about 20mm of "chicken strips" showing, which on the T30s, is leaving about 2mm of cut tread contacting the road. Not bad for an old fart like me. PAH! Chicken strips. I remember actually caring about stuff like that in my younger days. Not now.
Another oil and filter change is due.
This time, the oil of choice is going to be Silkolenes "V-Twin" specific oil. No, it's not just for Harleys, but all V-twin sports performance engines. I've heard bloody good reports from folk on top spec Ducatis (£25.000 stuff), and so, after talking to the service peoples at Honda UK, and Fuchs Silkolene tech guys, when Honda said they recommend it, then that's good enough for me.
So that'd be it soon, hopefully. New tyres, fresh oil and filter, new tank, overhauled starter motor (fingers crossed) and a good spit n' polish, she'll be ready for sale to a new home (should the DVLA put the mockers on me driving career.
If they don't, and they still let me ride, then the bike needs the stuff anyway.
Just a pity the summer will be over before they get their finger out of their butt.
MANY THANKS to everyone. For the support, the advice, the concerns, and for reading all of this shite.
Best regards.
Dave. 
Apologies for any schpelling mishtooks, but there's NO WAY IN NELLY that I'm gonna check all that blurby crap for errors.
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