InvictaMoto's Red Pepé Blog

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 n...

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 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....

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.