The Bikes First Service

600 miles – That’s when the first service was due and marked the end of the initial running in period. Speedaway motorcycles serviced both of the bikes by prior arrangement whilst we went and sampled the local delights. I thought that I would treat Sarah and so, no expense spared, I took her to a proper Black Country fish and chip shop in Blackheath with eat in tables. I know, I know, but sometimes extravagence is justified where your beloved is concerned!

Of course I went for Faggots, Chips, Mushy Paes and Gravy. Sarah, being somewhat more refined, ordered Fish and Chips and was offered mushy peas and gravy to go with it. She politely declined, which so suprised the woman serving us that she had to double check, “Are you sure? They’re included!”. It’s fair to say that Sarah wouldn’t eat mushy peas, or a blob of purest green as she refers to them as, even if she was starving. She’s also not convinced about the idea of gravy with fish…The food was very good and the service excellent.

We returned to Speedaway motorcycles and Sarah’s bike was ready, resplendant with it’s heated grips and KTM hand protectors, but mine was not. A small oil leak needed more time to identify and resolve and so I was loaned the same white Moto Guzzi V7 that we had ridden as a demonstrator. It later transpired that a clamp joining a breather tube had been slightly squashed at the factory when the starter motor had been fitted and that this was allowing some oil mist to escape. This was easily fixed and I was soon reunited with my bike which now also had it’s heated grips and hand protectors. The hand protectors are obviously there to protect my fingers from impacts when off roading but I have found that they also keep a surprising amount of wind and rain off my hands. Not so good for keeping cool in hot weather but a boon when it’s cold or wet.

So what were the bikes like to ride now that they had been serviced? Well I have to say that mine is noticeably smoother. Even at just 600 miles the engines and gear boxes were bedding in well and loosening up nicely. It was great to be able to go that bit faster and even though we continued running them in over the next 400 miles the job was easy.

We’ve got the bikes!

Things have been really hectic, what with picking up the bikes and doing loads of last minute stuff for our wedding, and I’m afraid that I have been crap at updating the blog. Sorry.

Picking up the bikes was exciting and I have to say that Speedaway Motorcycles have done us proud. Their service and very helpful attitude was beyond all of my expectations. Well done guys.

We have got lots of modifications to the bikes in the offing but now that we have got them we have decided that we want to get some miles in on them and run them in first. This is for a number of reasons not least being that nether of us wanted to delay riding them. So immediately after picking them up we set off for Oxford in order to visit friends and did a couple of hundred miles. I had to come back on the Monday morning to go to work but Sarah stayed on until Tuesday. Unfortunately for her it rained on Tuesday and she discovered that her new waterproof trousers weren’t. I know that they were fairly cheap but they ought to do what it says on the tin the first time that they are worn. Me thinks that she will be taking them back to the shop very soon!

With regards to the bikes. Initial impressions are great and we both feel that have made a choice that is good for us. Running in is always tedious but is worth it in the long run, particularly given the miles that we are going to be putting on these bikes, sometimes in very difficult conditions.

More to follow soon… honest 🙂

We’ve Ordered the Bikes!

I’m a very happy man. We have just put a deposit down on two new V7 Moto Guzzi’s. Speedaway Motorcycles in Blackheath have done us a good deal, so buying two bikes does have its benefits even if it is quite scary. They are coming with the optional main stand, crash bars and rear luggage rack. Speedaway are going to fit the hand protectors from a KTM, which are available in black as well as orange, together with heated grips. They are also going to see if they can source a re-usable air filter to replace the standard paper one. One less thing to carry.

We have also decided on our luggage. After some discussion we are going with hard panniers made by Stahlkoffer who are based in Stourbridge, West Midlands. The guy behind Stahlkoffer is called Bernie and a nicer, more helpful bloke you couldn’t hope to meet. He drove over to Speedaway to meet us and to show us his very well made aluminium panniers and mounting system. He looked over the V7 and we discussed fitting them to the little Guzzi, which shouldn’t be too difficult.

So all in all a great day and major steps taken forwards, and only a month to wait for them to arrive from Italy!