W/E 6th September 2015

Gospel Pass

This weekend saw the annual ILOC Rally at Baskerville Hall. I try and pop in on the Saturday to catch up with friends – it’s only a round trip of 200 miles so a nice day out. I took the opportunity to ride the Gospel Pass just outside Hay-on-Wye as it’s down as one of the highest roads in Wales. Tricky coming from the Welsh side due to all the rubbish on the very narrow road but from the English side (Hay-on-Wye) it’s cleaner and more open. Great views into Wales from the top. I’ve put a few pictures on:

http://1drv.ms/1ISdvED

Still the week has seen preparation for next weekend’s Scottish Rally. I’ve put on the o ring 530 chain and inspected the front brake which moaned a bit when engaging. I found that running the bike with the incorrect 300 mm disc had worn a groove in one of the pads meaning it only worked on the final 10 mm of pad.

Note groove on upper pad

The good news is that the calipher appears to be working fine so maybe the new disc will now not only look the part but perform way better than the standard setup. The final thing with the brake was that there was no split pin retaining the brake pad pin…and it had started to loosen. Caught it just in time.

I loosened off the headstock bearings which I new were too tight but also in an attempt to correct what felt like vague handling. I think tho’ the true cause was low tyre pressures of 10 psi front and 20 psi rear! Not sure how that happened as they were both sorted when the front tyre was replaced. With the front I am wondering if there is a slow puncture. Something to keep an eye on but too late to change just now.

I’m off to Scotland on Tuesday so just an oil change and we’re done. The bike is running really well with the only niggle being a slight amount of clutch slip but I can live with that.

Bird Strike!

Strangest thing tho’ has to be the owl that flew out of a hedge and hit me full in the face (visor down luckily) having taken out the little screen! You’ll be pleased to know the owl was a bit dazed but then flew off leaving me to pick up the tab for the damage!

Nick 🙂