Just alive in spite of the weather here...

Try this for a wrist-slitting list.
It's Tuesday. Even the name of the day is ugly.
It's raining. Again. After months of non-stop winter rain it has started again. They predict 34 years of non-stop rain here in England. I read it on google.
I have bronchitis. I cough all night. The green goop bitter cough syrup does NOT work. How can it? It goes it's petro-chemical, poisonous route to my stomach. The cough is in my lungs you duffer doctors! This gunk is supposed to line your throat. The only thing that will stick in one's throat are Lima beans and fish bones. The antibiotics will work just before I die from lack of sleep.
Slit those wrists yet folks? This will cheer you up! I still really like my Aprilia RSV Mille.
See! The very mention of a bike and we are all happy, healthy and full of dreams to ride to far-flung places. (Who flung them there anyway?) What we Brits mean by far-flung places is anywhere the sun shines for at least 1 hour a week. So when the sun did pop out and the polar bears retreated I took my first real ride (over 2 hours each way). It seems a lot of people want me and my tools to do jobs so after promising to help an old friend I realised my old Golf was off the road and I'd have to lug some hefty tools in a backpack to Colchester way out in Essex. (I think they send space probes out there). It qualifies as far-flung not only on distance but because it apparently sees more sunshine than any other part of Britain.
So here are two photos to prove that Essex people have seen the sun and to maybe convince some of you adventurous Americans to skip Hawaii this year and call us about some fabulous British rides to historical places and pubs. (Who cares if the pub's historical?) The top photo is a popular pub near Colchester on the estuary to the English Channel and the second photo is Colchester Castle of which I know nothing. Actually, Colchester is the oldest city in the UK and was founded by the Romans so there is a lot of history in the town. There is a very old, oak half-timbered Inn where some chaps in boats shot muskets at some other chaps hiding inside (probably some Catholic versus Protestant fight) whilst rowing past. My then 13 year old son drily remarked "World's first drive-by shooting".
Haslemere to Colchester is not a very long ride but with about 60lbs of tools in a backpack I stuck to the dull but quick A3/M25/A12 route. Great coming back over Dartford. At the top of the bridge the views of the Thames are superb. Three things eventually emerged from my longish ride. Speed: I definitely ride slower on this baby. It may well prove a licence saver. The reason is because I enjoy the character of the engine so much I don't NEED to go as fast. The big thrill with the R1 was the RUSH of acceleration. The thrill of the RSV is in the sound and the handling. I'm all too content to burble along. I'm sure the Autobahns will alter that. Fuel Economy: I can't reach the R1's 45mpg but I can manage about 41mpg on the Aprilia. Whilst at the NEC bike show I reported that I had been given a fuel additive to test. Well I have not forgotten and after a few more tankfuls and some long runs I will see if that product helps. Watch this space.
Comfort: The R1 just has the edge on comfort as respects hand/pegs/bum angles so I will be looking at altering the gear-change and rear brake levers to see what I can do to suit my frame. The clutch/front-brake levers are fully adjustable. The mirrors are also to be commended as absolutely clear and sharp with no fuzz of vibration. If my cold-weather gear wasn't so wide on the arms as the wind flattens it I would have very good rear vision. Just tuck in the arm a bit and spot the copper! Wrist-ach was no problem. Oh, by the way, it seems the bike likes me as the constant resetting to Kilomtres has stopped.
My latest plan is to ride to Prague to Czech it out (couldn't resist that one) via Berlin where my daughter now resides. Then on down to Munich to see friends and home via the Black Forest (Schwartzwald) if I have the time/cash/stamina. For that ride I want my twin-lens video fitted so I'll be seeing Paul Coltman of Racing Creations about servicing and adjustments and fitting out the video camera.
See how bike riding plans can fight off rain/bronchitis-induced depression? That and a copy of Bike Magazine with a nice hot cuppa...