Black Stuff

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The season is certainly marching on here in the beautiful South West of the UK and although I have been pretty hectic work wise, Harley has not been forgotten and we have still been clocking up the old miles! The late summer sun and Mrs Dookes’ spearmint has certainly found favour with the butterfly population as well.
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Whilst carrying out a pre-ride check the other day I noticed that the tyres were starting to look a little worn, not at all dangerous as there is still plenty of tread depth left, but I don’t like to let them get down to the legal minimum before replacing them. This set of rubber were put on the old girl earlier this year around the time of her service, which got me thinking…

The tyres on a motorbike are one of the most safety critical components that there are. They have to handle every control input that you ask of them; acceleration, braking and cornering, and do it in all conditions be it wet, dry, hot or cold. Unlike a car they don’t just prop up the corner of the machine in a constant plane, they have to work just as well, if not better, when they are leaning over at speed through a bend as they do upright and trundling. They also have to do this keeping the motorbike under control with only a couple of square inches, or centimetres if you’d rather, in contact with the road surface. No wonder all sensible motorcyclists spend plenty of time looking after their tyres, keeping them at the correct pressure and checking that they are in good order.

If you drop in on most good motorbike forums dotted around the internet, sooner or later you will find pages of discussion on the subject of tyres. Yeah I know, it all sounds a bit sad and boring, but believe me when a motorbike tyre decides not to grip with you on board, boring it ain’t! So it’s not at all unusual to find discussion on the Holy Grail of tyres in a seemingly never-ending quest to find which is “best”.

For some time now I have come to the conclusion that this thing “best” is a very personal matter and it really depends just what you want to do when you ride your bike. For most riders, it is, like life, all a bit of a compromise! There are literally hundreds of different tyres on the market these days and finding one that does exactly what you want can take a bit of trial and error. Let me at this point be clear on one significant factor; providing that your choice of manufacturer and tyre model conforms to one of the international standards it is unlikely that you will find a “bad” tyre…its just that some are better than others, way better!

One slight disadvantage that us Harley riders have, is that our choice of tyre is quite limited as not many manufacturers cater for our big bikes. Original equipment and therefore Harley Davidson approved, is covered by just Dunlop and Michelin who supply “Harley Davidson” branded tyres that have been specifically designed for specific bike models. One common complaint that I have heard many times is that these branded tyres whilst excellent for longevity are a tad “lively” in the wet. Certainly my own experience with the bog standard Dunlops confirms this.

My quest for the perfect rubber for Harley has taken us through a number of manufacturers and tyre models, but now I believe I have found the best yet and its all down to my mate Kirk at Plymouth Harley Davidson.

…and so back to when Harley was being serviced in March. I knew that I needed to buy a new set of rubber, but I was not over happy with the idea of a standard set of Dunlop “boots”. In discussion with Kirk, he suggested that I try a different model of Dunlop tyre, the GT502, which it is claimed is more suited to the “sporty” Harley rider. Now, I have to say that I was a bit sceptical as the set of Dunlops that I was replacing were awful on wet roads and I wasn’t sure if Kirk was just going for a sale! When he offered to get in any other tyre that I wanted I was finally persuaded and in due course a new set of the 502’s were fitted.

I think I have probably said on previous posts that all new motorbike tyres need careful bedding in and so these were given about a hundred miles to settle down. Initial impressions were good, but as time went on these tyres just got better and better! They have now done over 5000miles in all weathers and temperatures, off-road in a desert even sleet in the Pyrenees and all without the slightest hint of loss of grip. I am both very impressed and very pleased. So thank’s to Kirk for the advice and guess what, I’ll be back for another new set soon!

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Please note usual disclaimer; other than as a very satisfied customer I have no connection to either Dunlop nor Harley Davidson nor am I saying that these tyres would suit everyone, but they work for me…

“This wheel’s on fire, rolling down the road…”

Dookes

 

Sometimes You’ve Just Got To Breath The Air!

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These last few weeks I have been mega busy, for all sorts of reasons.  A real plus is that unusually for a British summer, the weather has been pretty good and as a result I have ridden Harley nearly every day since returning from our last Continental trip! Yes sometimes even in the rain, it never takes the smile off my face when I’m on that motorbike of mine…

Although I have been riding so much and racking up the miles, it’s always when I’ve got to get somewhere in a hurry, which is OK, but no out-and-out pleasure rides. Last Friday, as I rode across Bodmin Moor in glorious sunshine, it occurred to me that it was time to stop for minute and just take in the beauty of the area where I live. I turned off the A30 trunk road and diverted only half a mile to Colliford Lake. This is the largest lake in Cornwall, a reservoir covering more than 900 acres and located in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
IMG_0409The morning was, as you can see, really very pleasant indeed. The fresh moorland air was scented with the coconut aroma of gorse flowers and filled with birdsong. I took a few minutes just taking in the beauty of the place and breathed in the fresh air. Yes, sometimes you do have to stop and just breathe it in, because it’s fantastic!

Harley looked pretty good in the morning light too! I think she appreciated the pause as well!IMG_0412

“We can run to the far side of nowhere, we can run ’til our days are done.”

Dookes

Silly Season and Slippery Stuff

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Living in the beautiful County of Cornwall in the South West of England has it’s advantages. For example, we are surrounded by sea, well on three sides anyway! The scenery is generally fantastic, not like the French Alps, but very easy on the eye. The local produce, particularly the sea food and the famous Cornish Pasty is renown the world over. All of which at this time of year leads to one thing, yep that’s right, hoards of visitors, holiday-makers…or as we call them in these parts, Emmetts!

Most of the time these in-comers are pretty benign. They add millions of pounds to the local economy, which in turn provides jobs in tourism, catering, hotels and other service industries. The cost, however, is borne by the infrastructure and most noticeably the roads. We have a joke around here about public holidays, the extra day off is provided because you need an extra day to get anywhere! The last week most of the schools finished for the summer, so this weekend has heralded the beginning of “The Silly Season” as the liberated masses headed off on holiday.

Harley and I hit the road very early on Saturday morning and headed West along the A30, the main arterial highway through Cornwall. Every lay-by across the fifteen miles of Bodmin Moor was jammed up with caravans and motorhomes and even at six thirty in the morning the traffic was both heavy and driving along like total morons! The outside lane was busier than lane one as the overloaded masses lumbered towards the seaside disregarding all laws of the road….you all know my views about most British car drivers by now, but this was my worst nightmares all rolled out as one and right on my doorstep! Oh the joy of another six weeks like this, until they all go home for the winter! That said the weather was superb and it was great to be out, mind you I have ridden Harley just about everyday since returning from France…I just can’t get enough of that bike!

Later in the day we headed up to Plymouth Harley Davidson, via the A38, to buy some bits and pieces, the traffic was still heavy, but as we were generally heading against the flow of holiday traffic it wasn’t too bad, especially in ‘street fighter’ mode! Unlike In France, the British car driver always seems determined to make life difficult for us bikers; little tricks like driving over to the right as much as possible, blocking at junctions and racing at the end of a dual carriageway. Pretty dumb really, as most motorcycle riders are going to be quicker, much more nimble in an overtake and yes, better trained to boot and also as car drivers ourselves know the difference in relative performance between the two machines! Rant over, for now!

I said I needed some bits, actually I wanted to give Harley an oil change as we have been racking up the old mileage since the service in Spring. It has been said that oil is cheap, but engines ain’t, and I certainly buy into that sentiment! This afternoon I jacked Harley up on the workshop stand and set to work. It’s not a difficult job, nor,  if you get it right, very messy…except for removing the old oil filter which is as messy as it gets, cos H-D designed the thing to lay on its side and when you unscrew it at least half of it’s contents of old oil have got to run out, it’s a gravity thing! This what it looks like when the filter is off.imageYes, I’d cleaned up the majority of the spill! And with the new filter fitted it looks like this..image

Three point three litres of this good stuff later.imageOnce all the work was done and the engine was bench tested it was time for a road test, just to make sure all was well. So we headed out onto Bodmin Moor for a gentle(ish) test ride.

She felt fine, but the Emmetts were still in evidence! As I put in an overtake on a heavily loaded Peugeot, with a big Wigan Athletic sticker on the rear window I was treated to cigarette ash being flicked out of the window into my face, nice. Passing the idiot, I gave the driver a suitable glare as he flicked more ash out of the window with his right hand, whilst holding a mobile phone to his ear with the left hand! I can only assume that he had very cleaver knees or was concealing a midget in his crotch who was steering for him!!!! Perhaps his name was William, William Anchor!

I stopped Harley for a quick check, all was well, so I grabbed a quick photo and headed back to Dookes H.Q.. Time to get the barbecue going!

image“I need a shot of salvation baby, once in a while…”

Dookes

 

Looe, Fish and Chips!

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One of my “must do” events every year is the HOG Plymouth Chapter (UK) annual ride to Looe, in Cornwall, for fish and chips!

Early last Friday evening, eighteen Harley’s met up and growled into the tight narrow streets of the small fishing village on Cornwall’s south coast. I suppose it is quintessentially British to make an evening of riding to the seaside for deep-fried battered Cod and Fries, but in Looe this simple meal is probably the best example of such that you will find anywhere. The fish is not just fresh, it was probably still swimming in the sea that morning and it certainly tastes that way. The restaurant is just a few feet, or if you like metres, away from the quay where the boats land their catch, so I guess that there is no excuse for anything other than fresh! Anyway enough of this blithering, the food was brilliant and the company pretty good too! There’s an alley next to the restaurant which is perfect for parking the bikes and always draws an admiring crowd as we pull up and later move off.

imageIt was nice to catch up with a few friends and share stories about our various travels over the meal. A brief walk to the quay followed before we rode off into the sunset, Biker Patch Phil and I having a spirited run back along the A38 to Bodmin before we went of separate ways. Harley’s wonderful V twin music filled my head as we tore the night air across the Moor, I had to muse that it didn’t get much better than that!

imageIt’s really good to do something like this, because sometimes when your are busy tearing around the fantastic roads in the Alps you’ve got to remember how lucky you are with what you have at home….. and I do count myself very lucky!

“Life’s been good to me so far….”

Dookes

 

Big Sky County

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With apologies to Montana, which is known as the Big Sky State, but our little County of Cornwall has some pretty big sky’s too, at times!

Sticking out into the North Atlantic and having sea on three sides gives us incredibly clear skies and fantastic sunlight effects that makes Cornwall a magnet for artists

This evening we had the making of what is known locally as a “Mackerel Sky” some residual storm clouds hung about to spoil the show, but I thought it was pretty impressive anyway…! Looking North from Dookes H.Q. at 22:00hrs BST.

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“Catch your dreams, before they slip away…”

Dookes

Le Tour 2014 A Commencé!

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Hey it must officially be summer, the 2014 Tour de France has begun!image

I suppose you could add that bizarrely it started in Yorkshire, England…

Will Britain’s Chris Froome be able to defend last years title?image

Who will be King of The Mountains and who will win the Sprinters Green Jersey?

So stand by for an exciting three weeks of cycle racing around France as “Le Boucle” visits most parts of L’Hexagone and these questions are answered on the Champs Élysée!

I’ve just gotta persuade Mrs Dookes that I will cut the grass, after I’ve watched the race on TV…every day!

Dookes

 

Froome photo courtesy of Reuters.

 

98 Years Ago Today

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The Battle of The Somme began, 1st July 1916.

It continued until the 18th November 1916, before petering out into a bloody, muddy stalemate.

In those few short months, over one million men, from both sides in the conflict, were killed, wounded or missing presumed dead.

Lest we forget.image

Sometimes, Even I Wonder How I Get Away With It!

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OK, this is the time line….I got back from France late Wednesday…slept a fair bit of Thursday, popped into the office on Friday…then yesterday, Saturday, it was Chapter Dealership Day at Plymouth Harley Davidson….

Guess what? I was there, so was Harley, we both looked a bit grubby, but hell we were both back from over 2000 miles of fun!

It was really great to see so many Chapter friends, catch up on who had been where and with who and just generally chew the Harley fat!

Our local needle lady, Dawn, was also on hand sewing patches as requested. I had five from our travels, so it was a good opportunity to get them onto my vest. I must admit that my vest is more like a travel map of the European Alps than a full-blown biker “cut” but who cares, it my record of where I’ve been.imageYesterday was not the greatest, weather wise anyway, we got caught in a couple of real downpours, but it still didn’t take the smile off my face as I rode back to Dookes H.Q. and racked up yet more miles on my wonderful bike!

Today it was time to give Harley that long overdue wash and polish!

imageI think she scrubbed up pretty well!

Catch you all soon.

“We’re riding out tonight to case the promised land.”

Dookes

 

PS Don’t forget that if you click on the photos you can see them full size!

Classics

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Taking on fuel near Carhaix, I had to smile when this little beauty trundled in, it’s pea-shooter exhaust pipe burbling contentedly.image

A couple of days ago I had written about how Citroën 2CV’s are often cherished classics these days…..et voilà! What a little gem! I really can’t believe I’m get so nostalgic over a bloomin’ 2CV, ah well, c’est la vie!

On a much more classic level however is this wonderful Austin Healey caught on Col du Galibier last Saturday.imageAs you can see, it’s straight six, three litre engine really didn’t like the altitude and promptly boiled at the Col. I caught up with it later at Col du Lautaret and chatted with the owner, a pleasant chap from Vannes, who told me that all was well once they had returned to thicker air! image

Cars don’t normally do it for me, but in the case of these two classics and for very different reasons I am prepared to make an exception!

Dookes

 

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…and Relax!

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We left the Chateau and were straight onto the wonderful back roads of Brittany in glorious morning sunshine.
imageAs we clocked up trip mile two thousand it seemed a good idea to stop and record the moment with a photograph.

I made a point of sticking to the minor roads, save for a last glorious sprint from Morlaix to Roscoff, where I must admit I really let Harley have her head! The staccato music of her exhaust ripping the Breton air brought a massive smile to my face, but didn’t do much for my tinnitus!

…and then we were on the ferry, watching as it pulled away from the jetty.image

We arrived back in Plymouth bang on eight pm last night after a pleasant crossing.

By the time I kicked down Harley’s side stand in my workshop we had covered 2152 miles, or 3463 kilometres, and topped 34 passes including the highest in Europe.

I stood next to her as she cooled down, ticking in the gentle metallic way that air-cooled machines do. I think we both felt very contented with a job well done and could now relax. That’s the thing about motorbikes, you can only really relax once it’s over…

I suppose I’d better give her a wash now!

“Freedom is a dusty road leading to a highway…”

Dookes