Hemi-demi-semi-oops...

Dropped the ST today. I'm not quite sure how it happened, either.

I'd just filled up at a petrol station, fired up the motor and was doing a U-turn to leave the station the way I'd come in. At the apex of the turn, the engine cut out and, even though I got my foot down, the bike was too far over for me to do anything but slow the fall.

After I'd picked it up, it turns out the kill switch was set to off. Now, the bike was under power, so I can only imagine I clipped the switch while filling up and it fell the rest of the way shut from the engine vibrations.

Plus points are: The sticky-out bit on the side works brilliantly and has small scuff on it now. No other part of the bike touched the ground at all. And I discovered I can pick the bike up unassisted, something about which I was unsure.

Downsides? Well, there a wee scuff, obviously. (Yes, another one. That makes three, so far.) I felt like a total arse as the bike keeled over underneath me. And, on the first day for three weeks without any pain in my knee, I've put way too much stress on it. And it's starting to seize up again... Bum!

PS My apologies to any innocent passers-by on the A215 who had to listen to the tirade of verbal abuse I was directing at myself.

Another "no biking" day.

More family stuff means I haven't been out on the bike again today. Not that I really mind as my little girl has been on a major charm offensive.

I did get to buy some summer gloves, though, from Hein Gericke. Over the years I've become a big fan of their gear, so I have high hopes. I bought a pair of V1 ventilated gloves which are definitively non-waterproof on account of the perforated armour.

On Monday, I'll probably go in search of a cooler replacement for my leathers, too. The stuff at H-G was alright but they need to order in stuff in my size. I'll probably look in at Aye Gee on the way home.

(It's probably worth mentioning that I have no hidden interests, no undisclosed agendas when talking about these companies. I'm just (fairly) honestly posting my experiences.)

A few figures...

OK, then. I've had the Pan for over a fortnight and this blog is supposed to be about owning and living with the Pan rather than (as well as?) my own soapbox.

Real life performance indicators, then...

Journeys have all been either a 40 mile commute or a quick trip to the local town and back. The commute is split fairly evenly between congested motorway/A-Road and stop/start/filtering through Central London.

Fuel consumption has averaged a pretty steady 38.5mpg (that's 7.3l/100km for our continental friends). Given that the journeys have been as mentioned above, this bodes well for longer haul journeys on more open roads.

The bike starts to bleat about needing more juice with about 5 litres in hand,so the average refill is about 26 litres and the range is about 220 miles.

Wasted day...

A beautiful weekend but so far, no riding. Too much other stuff to do.

Oh, and Mr Thickie here, who's been running in his bike for the first 500 miles (as advised by a casual scan of the manual)... Mr Thickie who thought, well, the first service is at 600 miles so I'll run it gentle till then. Mr Thickie who was looking in the manual and this time notices the running in time is 500 kilometres. Duh.

Never mind, I can't see how it's a bad thing. And I can start to enjoy myself with a clear conscience, eh?

I dropped off the loan bike yesterday (Thank you, God!) just in time to see some dignitary from Honda (Japan, that is) leaving the dealership. A slight delay in picking up the Pan, then, but no real trauma. The first (600 mile) service cost the princely sum of 30 quid and will certainly be the cheapest one I ever have done. And most of that went on oil.

What a fab ride home, comparing the new bike with the one I'd just left behind. Everything felt so, well, so right. Designed rather than flung together, if you know what I mean? Not really a fair comparison, I suppose.

Service Day

Dropped the bike in for a service last night and picked up the courtesy bike: a Honda Deauville.

If you're not familiar with the Deauville, it's a 650cc entry-level tourer in a broadly similar style to the Pan European. And this one is, I hope, a dreadful example of the bike.

Three years old with 28k on the clock, it's quite the worst bike I've ridden in at least 10 years. I suppose it's a good example of the reasons I bought a new bike and why I chose the Pan.

Reason the Deauville isn't a pleasant ride due to its age:
The clutch is appalling. It's really sloppy and everything happens in the last few mm of lever travel.
The gearbox isn't any better. You get no feedback on whether you've changed gear or not and neutral is difficult to locate.
The panniers don't fasten firmly on one side. God knows what would happen if it came open at speed, so I've tied it off with a bungee cord.

Reasons I prefer the Pan to the Deauville:
The riding position on the Deauville is, er, cramped. And my left foot always presses gently up on the gear selector.
There's no automatic choke.
The screen is inadequate and non-adjustable.
Oh, lots more stuff including power delivery, lights and all sorts of stuff.

Ah, well. It's only for a day. I get my bike back tonight...

Lots of bikes

Sort of went to that bike meet I mentioned last week. It's at a caf� (must get the name next time) on the southbound on-slip for the A2 at the Bean interchange.

I just got time to ogle the 60 or so bikes there before I was summoned home. Served as a reminder that I really should clean the Pan from time to time. All the bikes there were immaculate. Apart from mine, that is.

More next week, hopefully.