New Rear Seat 2

I emailed Elsemade today as I had replied to the messenger post with a picture of the seat I  had bought and an idea of what I wanted done. They hadn't replied but their reply said to email for a quicker response.

I wasn't too fussed about speed as I don't expect Claire to want to have a go until the Spring.  But I thought I would chase them up to get the ball rolling in case there is a long wait to get it back.

The seat I have comes complete to bolt-on to the rear fender and a quick measure could mean as much as widening the brick by around 2 to 2.5 inches each side of centre will give a wider perch but also still allow the pannier lids to open unobstructed.

Else quoted £140 for the job.  Let's see when I can send it up there.

Which oil to use?

With the pathetically low mileage I am doing I seem to hardly use any oil in Pepé! But I like to keep it topped up. I have always used a semi-synthetic oil in all the bikes and a 10w40 range oil.

The manual isn't all that helpful:

So having a look on the API website SH is a well out of date specification.

I know the Rocket is getting on a bit in engine terms but SH is positively antediluvian in comparison!

A bit more poking about on the various websites or forums it seems that Triumph shifted from Mobil to Castrol oils,

Armed with a 25% off "friends and family" voucher from fellow  Meldrew, Trevor Rice, I checked out the Halford's webpage.

I have ordered Castrol Power 1 4T Motorcycle Engine Oil. It's £39 for four litres and I guess it's formulated for motorcycles. The 25% off makes it less painful.

Not being an expert I have no idea whether the modern turbo car engine is more or less oil conscious than motorcycles!  We were told in the 80's that motorcycles needed a different polymer build up in the oil due to the higher revs and engine design. Truth or bowlocks?

Next.  Book the MoT for the last week or so of January and pray that it's not as freezing cold as last year!

Le Mans MotoGP 2019 - Tickets

With the hotel booked on the usual free cancellation/no prepayment basis we are in a dead zone until we decide that we are definitely going.

Today I had an email from the ticket office to say that tickets for the event are on sale.  Eagerly, I clicked to see what the prices are for 2019. General admission to the track are €80 for the weekend and Grandstands with a booked seat are from €135.

There are also a range of other stands for "fans". There is always a Valentino Rossi fan stand. I guess to sit there you need to make sure you have at least a yellow 46 cap and maybe say "for sure" in most sentences in English. But as for price. Who knows?

On the website all grandstands come up as "SOLD OUT". Already?

https://www.gpfrancemoto.com/en/grandstand/3-day-ticket

Le Mans MotoGP 2019?

It's a bit premature, but if you don't act quickly then the opportunity is lost.  I was looking at the "local" MotoGP dates in the calendar for 2019.

As we are going to Assen in September for the BSB Round in the car or by bike (to be decided) I discounted that round.  It doesn't leave that many within a few miles of the channel ports and so I thought of Le Mans and the French MotoGP.

It's the weekend of 17-19 May. 

It's not a school holiday and so I should be able to get the Friday and Monday off the "book-end" the weekend. 

I checked on booking.com and of course there's hardly a hotel in sniffing distance of Le Mans itself.  

So I have booked a hotel, on the usual "no prepayment/free cancellation" basis in Alençon.  It's called the Hôtel Inn Design Resto Novo.  Part of a small chain across France.

When Neill and I went in 2012 (!) we stayed at the Formule 1 hotel in Alençon.  We ate in the nearby Campanile and even watched the Champions League final there. None of  those are coming up as bookable.

Tunnel to Hotel

It's okay as a marker so that we have somewhere to stay, but as it's the best part of 75kms from the circuit I might look for something nearer but I won't pay millionaire money. More are likely to come online as we head towards the new year.

There are quite a few places in and around Le Mans itself but at over £500 for three nights is somewhat of a joke.  

Looking on the Accor and Louvre Hotels sites doesn't get any better.  There are loads of hotels available, but they are all about the same distance from the circuit as where I have booked, but some 75kms further west than Le Mans.

Hotel Premiere Classe used to be Louvres' budget hotel, in line with Accor's F1 or Formule Un range, but the one near Le Mans is the best part of £150 a night.  So unless there is a miracle, we'll be staying in Alençon and riding up and down each day!  

We have plenty of time to decide and of course, we can always cancel before May 15th.

Palingbeek 4

Finally, I have managed to get the gpx track that I recorded from the TomTom off the unit and onto the laptop so that I can open it n Tyre.

Previously when "sharing" from the 410 it failed. Now, and just a coincidence, after an upgrade to the laptop software and downloading the US maps, it worked.

I was surprised that the files was almost 5mb and once imported to Tyre showed over 30000 waypoints.  Luckily, the program manages to plot them by choosing one every 300 to 400!

The picture shows the actual trip I did. Including going the wrong way and around a block near the Eloi crater as "we" failed to find the Eloi 2 crater a few yards from the first one!!

I might try and use "record" again and see what happens.

Another short run!

Another short run out to the Meldrews meeting at the Blue & White Cafe at Smeeth.  As expected after a lay off and the weather turning very autumnal (and wet) during the week,  Pepe refused to start once the dials had done their flicker to check there was a semblance of battery power left.

Out came the dbPower unit and it was "boost-time".  I had charged it but since its last use it was only down to 98%! It took a few goes to get the big-boy running and I left him in the garage ticking over as I got my gear on.  It was a little chilly but once started he runs perfectly.

In the end there were five of us there for an assortment of breakfast and bacon sandwiches.  I decided to ride a longer way home via New Romney to give the bike a few miles under the tyres.  Once outside the cafe of course it was boost-time and then we were off. Down the A20, then Bad Munstereffel Way and home via Brenzett and the wide open roads across the edge of the marsh.  

Not a bad ride and my jacket and gloves made sure I wasn't too cold.    

New Rear Seat

Part of the plans to get Claire back on the bike next year, once her hip has healed after the operation, is to get the rear seat upgraded to make it more comfortable. 

Rather than having the current seat chopped up and widened and maybe dished a little to match the front, I was looking for a used seat on eBay and in breakers adverts. No sooner had I had the idea than both sources went quiet and then when some were advertised they were very expensive.

I have sourced a guy to do the job and effectively I think he really only needs the seat base to work on as he will restyle the "brick" that it resembles currently into something comfortable and wider.

The seller "triumphant20years" is well respected in the Rocket community.

So stage 1 will be completed sometime this week.

New Avon Cobra

A bit late for me as I had a new one fitted on the rear in the summer. I will need a front though soon enough.

https://www.avontyres.com/en-gb/news/d/!/503/avon-tyres-launches-new-cobra

If the suggested increased performance and longevity are true then it will be a hit with Rocket owners.

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