The last of the few jobs was done this weekend.....a new rear Metzeler Enduro tyre was put on the bike courtesy of Martin's Tyres in Lifford. It's like new and the difference was instantly noticeable. Also - the tightened up rear Hagon shock give less "give" and a stiffer suspension, which is what I like - courtesy of Kiv's hard work again!! (Where would I be without him!). We took in the roads of Donegal, and I was able to lean into the corners much more convincingly - it also emerged that the rear axle wasn't perfectly straight previously, also giving rise the the "squidgy" rear end....so this was fixed too.
The Donegal roads were a joy, also hearing the Yamaha 600E burble ahead was just something to behold!! The coast road especially (round Moville) was beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better. The "thumper" engine (especially on my Honda) doesn't seem to want to go above 80mph....but it is a 650cc and cruising is my bag, rather than speeding....if I had wanted that I would have bought a sports bike!!
We did our first spot of "green-laning", the new rear tyre coped very well, although there were a couple of sideways moments, it was all good fun, plus heading to see a restored pre-Famine cottage complete with wood burning stove made the journey up (and back down) the lane more than worthwhile. Although I wouldn't want to do it in the wet!!
I was impressed at the handling (even at relatively high speeds) on the narrower (and less well surfaced) roads. It is going to take me a bit of time to gain confidence fully....and this will especially need to be the case before any major trip is planned! But with a small buget (and a massive amount of help, patience and attention from a friend) it has been possible to buy the bike and carry out a lot of work to it for quite a small amount of money. I sit in work at the moment and look out the window and all I can think about is a long drive - especially on a day like this!
The Donegal roads were a joy, also hearing the Yamaha 600E burble ahead was just something to behold!! The coast road especially (round Moville) was beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better. The "thumper" engine (especially on my Honda) doesn't seem to want to go above 80mph....but it is a 650cc and cruising is my bag, rather than speeding....if I had wanted that I would have bought a sports bike!!
We did our first spot of "green-laning", the new rear tyre coped very well, although there were a couple of sideways moments, it was all good fun, plus heading to see a restored pre-Famine cottage complete with wood burning stove made the journey up (and back down) the lane more than worthwhile. Although I wouldn't want to do it in the wet!!
I was impressed at the handling (even at relatively high speeds) on the narrower (and less well surfaced) roads. It is going to take me a bit of time to gain confidence fully....and this will especially need to be the case before any major trip is planned! But with a small buget (and a massive amount of help, patience and attention from a friend) it has been possible to buy the bike and carry out a lot of work to it for quite a small amount of money. I sit in work at the moment and look out the window and all I can think about is a long drive - especially on a day like this!
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