Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Motorbikes are no exception. The Ducati is a nice looking machine but I compare it to a long legged, large chested female with perfect looks. We all dream of them but never have them because a) they don't exist b) we wouldn't know what to do with one if we found one, and c) if we did have one we wouldn't give it what it deserved. The Ducati is meant for the race track and it would be difficult on a public road, despite its looks, to treat it the way it deserves.
The Pan is different because it is a practical bike�.read on��
My bike was delivered to my door by the seller today. It is a '91 model with 59k on the clock and green in colour. The seller dismounted the bike and I stood and looked at it. (bearing in mind I hadn't seen one for 18 months and this, as I have said on my previous posting was a �blind� purchase)
I was quite�very quite�..the seller became nervous�
�Do you like the colour? he asked.
�Er�..yes�it's fine� I said determined to give a masculine reply. I wanted to say �It's beautiful� and IT WAS.
The colour was beautiful. The bike looked beautiful. The shape. The styling. The panniers. The fairing. The �dash� � all were beautiful. This was my perfect woman on 2 wheels. It looked stunning. I was gobsmacked.
How had this beauty evaded me all my life? I wanted to throw out the sofa and park it in my living room. Shame that the previous owner had put an old top box on the rear rack��..that will have to go.
I felt like a pubescent boy reading �Mayfair� for the first time and I was very, very happy.
The big moment had arrived where I had to try the Pan out for size and I climbed on board and kicked up the side stand. Something felt strange. I am 5'8" and both feet were nearly flat on the ground�..HOORAY!!.....and the weight�..where did it go?....RELIEF !!
I started the bike up and rode it 10 foot into my garage and put it to bed.
This has the makings of one of the most exciting periods of my life�..
February 28, 2003
February 27, 2003
I have a tale to tell...
I am 43 years young, 5'8'' and 15 stone (trying desperately to lose weight but resigned that the middle age spread is hear to stay). I passed my motorbike test some 25 years ago and to be honest know very little about the mechanics of either bikes or cars. My first bike was a Yam RD250LC which I bought because I liked the look of it. The bike caused a big stir amongst my friends at the time who were all running round on the old "Fuzz Peds". I did not understand what all the fuss was about until I needed to get across a X roads pre the 30ft juggernaut approaching from my right.I wound the throttle back, let the clutch out and then found myself looking at the sky whilst covering the junction and a further 10 yards up the road as I performed my first, last and only "wheelie". It must have looked spectacular but I absolutely crapped myself, pulled over to the side of the road, and spent the following 15 minutes vomiting and re-living the moment a thousand times. I sold the bike 4 weeks later after deciding that life was too short to end early on a "2 wheel deathtrap".
The years went by and in my early 30s I found myself short of cash with no car and buying a bike was the only financial option. This was some old Kwak 500 something and yes the buzz was soon back. I went from bike to car and back again over the next 10 years and (touch wood) never crashed my Suzzi 750, Guzzi California or BMW 100 (though I did drop the Guzzi one Sunday whilst in Matlock Bath in front of hundreds of other bikers when the side stand decided to slip back up at the last moment. I found unknown strength and lifted the monster up in a record 0.6 secs).
I prided myself at the time in being an all-weather 365 day biker and know all about getting sodden and frozen.
So, the Suzzi was nicked (lifted into the back of a van despite alarm, immobiliser, padlock and chain) the Guzzi was swapped for an old Rover car (I think I cried the day after and have regretted the swap ever since) and the Beemer gave up the ghost 18 months ago ( a few weeks after I tried to trade it in at the local BMW bike dealer and they laughed at me for not scrapping it !!Yes BMW Bikers are snobs).
I first saw the Pan E five or six years ago and have wanted one ever since and a few weeks ago after getting the all clear from the wife I started doing my homework and read every review/website/magazine I could find which all confirmed my thoughts that the Pan appears to be the best bike in the world (well I think so anyway). However, I could not find one for sale within a 50 mile radius of my home in the Midlands. I am hoping it will do everything I want it to do and more, that is weekend riding, riding to and from work sometimes and the odd short tour with the good lady on the back. I say "hoping" because I have not got my dream bike yet and, slap me round the head if you want, I have never even sat on one let alone test ridden the Pan. My heart tells me one thing and my head stays schtum.
Suicidal as it may sound I have now even paid for a Pan that I haven't even seen and hope to take delivery of it tomorrow (Friday). I won't say where I am getting it from or how much I have paid for it just yet in case this totally wreckless purchase backfires on me. (Come on - I am a bloke for Gods sake).
This Pan European site has been an absolute inspiration to me and will be happy to share my experiences with everyone over the forthcoming weeks/months. I am very nervous about the bikes size/weight but having read various stories I believe my 5'8'' frame will just about cope (remember the tale of the Guzzi - and that was no light machine!!).
My new toy will have full luggage and heated grips and a round thing at either end so it fills my requirements in the short term. I have just got my old leathers out the attic and given them a clean (I didn't know leather shrinks!?!?!?
To be continued.............
The years went by and in my early 30s I found myself short of cash with no car and buying a bike was the only financial option. This was some old Kwak 500 something and yes the buzz was soon back. I went from bike to car and back again over the next 10 years and (touch wood) never crashed my Suzzi 750, Guzzi California or BMW 100 (though I did drop the Guzzi one Sunday whilst in Matlock Bath in front of hundreds of other bikers when the side stand decided to slip back up at the last moment. I found unknown strength and lifted the monster up in a record 0.6 secs).
I prided myself at the time in being an all-weather 365 day biker and know all about getting sodden and frozen.
So, the Suzzi was nicked (lifted into the back of a van despite alarm, immobiliser, padlock and chain) the Guzzi was swapped for an old Rover car (I think I cried the day after and have regretted the swap ever since) and the Beemer gave up the ghost 18 months ago ( a few weeks after I tried to trade it in at the local BMW bike dealer and they laughed at me for not scrapping it !!Yes BMW Bikers are snobs).
I first saw the Pan E five or six years ago and have wanted one ever since and a few weeks ago after getting the all clear from the wife I started doing my homework and read every review/website/magazine I could find which all confirmed my thoughts that the Pan appears to be the best bike in the world (well I think so anyway). However, I could not find one for sale within a 50 mile radius of my home in the Midlands. I am hoping it will do everything I want it to do and more, that is weekend riding, riding to and from work sometimes and the odd short tour with the good lady on the back. I say "hoping" because I have not got my dream bike yet and, slap me round the head if you want, I have never even sat on one let alone test ridden the Pan. My heart tells me one thing and my head stays schtum.
Suicidal as it may sound I have now even paid for a Pan that I haven't even seen and hope to take delivery of it tomorrow (Friday). I won't say where I am getting it from or how much I have paid for it just yet in case this totally wreckless purchase backfires on me. (Come on - I am a bloke for Gods sake).
This Pan European site has been an absolute inspiration to me and will be happy to share my experiences with everyone over the forthcoming weeks/months. I am very nervous about the bikes size/weight but having read various stories I believe my 5'8'' frame will just about cope (remember the tale of the Guzzi - and that was no light machine!!).
My new toy will have full luggage and heated grips and a round thing at either end so it fills my requirements in the short term. I have just got my old leathers out the attic and given them a clean (I didn't know leather shrinks!?!?!?
To be continued.............
More grist to the mill...
As you may have noticed, we have another conributor to welcome. Richard Tucker has joined the fray...
February 26, 2003
The Panniers
Panniers are a standard fitting on the Pan and they're not bad at all.
They'll each swallow a helmet (my head is rather big, no comments please), gloves and waterproofs with ease although adding a jacket or boots becomes a bit of an exercise in efficient packing. They use the ignition key for the lock which is quick to use and (most importantly) is easy to get to. Note: That's each. When riding solo, the panniers alone can hold all my riding gear.
Removing the panniers is very easy. They are removed by using a simple lever release, again locked with the ignition key. Re-attaching them can be a little fiddly but never takes more than a minute or so.
When off the bike, he integrated carrying handles make it easy to tote the panniers about like a small suitcase. The unusual shape of the inside face means they can be awkward to carry unless you face this outwards. Then, you have to be sure that your trousers (or whatever) aren't going to scuff the visible side of the panniers.
Other stuff?? Well, they don't like being over-filled by bulky (as opposed to heavy) stuff and the lid seems to deform a little too easily, preventing it from closing properly under such pressure. They're watertight courtesy of a rubber seal which runs all the way round. Again, if you're packing them pretty solidly, you have to be careful not to interfere with the seal as this can prevent them from closing properly.
All in all, they're proving to be most useful. And have been much enhanced by the optional pannier bags I bought. These seem to be fairly rugged and, although they don't fill every last bit of the pannier, you can be sure that if your stuff fits in the bag, you can put the bag straight into the pannier.
They'll each swallow a helmet (my head is rather big, no comments please), gloves and waterproofs with ease although adding a jacket or boots becomes a bit of an exercise in efficient packing. They use the ignition key for the lock which is quick to use and (most importantly) is easy to get to. Note: That's each. When riding solo, the panniers alone can hold all my riding gear.
Removing the panniers is very easy. They are removed by using a simple lever release, again locked with the ignition key. Re-attaching them can be a little fiddly but never takes more than a minute or so.
When off the bike, he integrated carrying handles make it easy to tote the panniers about like a small suitcase. The unusual shape of the inside face means they can be awkward to carry unless you face this outwards. Then, you have to be sure that your trousers (or whatever) aren't going to scuff the visible side of the panniers.
Other stuff?? Well, they don't like being over-filled by bulky (as opposed to heavy) stuff and the lid seems to deform a little too easily, preventing it from closing properly under such pressure. They're watertight courtesy of a rubber seal which runs all the way round. Again, if you're packing them pretty solidly, you have to be careful not to interfere with the seal as this can prevent them from closing properly.
All in all, they're proving to be most useful. And have been much enhanced by the optional pannier bags I bought. These seem to be fairly rugged and, although they don't fill every last bit of the pannier, you can be sure that if your stuff fits in the bag, you can put the bag straight into the pannier.
February 25, 2003
Ten thousand miles...
And climbing. Finally passed the 10k mark. Over the next few weeks, I'll try to work out what running the Pan has actually cost to run.
Watch this space...
Watch this space...
February 23, 2003
Eight.
Eight. Eight. The burning Eight!
Between Sunday and Monday lies a day so Dark it will Devastate...
So, care to guess which film I've just been watching?
Between Sunday and Monday lies a day so Dark it will Devastate...
So, care to guess which film I've just been watching?
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