InvictaMoto's Red Pepé Blog

The plan for Sunday 30th May is to complete the challenge.  In the latest "Nacelle" there was a reminder of the challenge and what needs to be done. I have chosen towns/villages but it could be places of interest as well.  Leaving home and looping around Kent with a coffee stop at H's. I have the route in the TomTom.

I decided to move the TomTom mounting from "in the wind" by the left side switchgear. As it is already removed what could be simpler? Easier said than done!!!! For some reason the spare RAM mounting kit I had in stock came with 11mm nyloc nuts. I hate nyloc nuts. Also who the **** uses 11mm! The supply spring washer too! In the end after what seemed like hours I finally managed to get it behind the screen and above the clocks. The area is so confined I could only turn the nut about a quarter each time.  It took wiggling and a jiggling to get it where I wanted it, also to be able to lock it in place with the anti-theft kit!  The key to the ram-ball mount is a little bit of a squeeze. The next job is to fit the new power cable and connect it to the battery rather than the accessory socket. Oh yeah. Baloo is back after a wash and brush up.

At the moment it looks as though the event could be cancelled again this year.  It's planned for July 3rd. This is after the Government relaxes the Covid rules that will allow us more freedom to move about the country. From June 21st we are supposed to be free again for the first time since March 2020!! In England anyway.  As I am unlikely to travel to Wales or Scotland I am not bothered what they do. I have planned a route up there as usual with MyRouteApp for the TomTom.  It's a round trip of about 230 miles so I have planned in a couple of petrol stops.  The first might be unnecessary but I like to have a full tank before setting off on the motorways.  I have an aversion to paying motorway services petrol prices! I might add a few other stops before the actual day. I am interested in a memorial to the WW2 pilots the flew Mustangs and Thunderbolts from Steeple Morden Airfield near Royston. 

After what has been a few weeks that could be described as "summer" the weather has turned into distinctly early spring weather. Low temperatures and rain.  The rain heavy at times and also with the odd hailstorm mixed in. The Greta supporters claim it's "global warming". The other side say "it is bollocks".  As I have no degrees in climatology I have no idea. Then again Greta also has no degree either. So today I wore the FT jacket over a t-shirt. A wool v-neck jumper went in the left pannier with a Triumph waterproof jacket and my Held overtrousers. It was another test day for my new Hood K7 jeans. They have been worn once before. They are quite tight and I am hoping they will "give" the more they are worn. Pepé started first push of the button. Not bad since it has only been used on the road once since November. That was last week when I had my MoT.  It was case of getting used to new tighter jeans. I guess inches have got smaller over the...

On the way back from The Meldrews meeting at H's near Canterbury I detoured off the A20 to get my first entry for the Triumph Club's photo competition for 2021. I had planned on "C" being Cheriton but couldn't think where the sign might be! Capel is also where the Battle of Britain Museum and Roll of Honour can be found. It amazes me when bikers travel all over the country there is no pilgrimage here.

I have been using the TomTom on Pepé since I have had the bike. Firstly with the old style Rider and more recently with the 410 model.  This one came with the locking anti-theft kit.   I now need to refit the RAM Mount etc.  I took it off to tidy it up (rust etc)  and then I discovered that when it was last serviced the very helpful mechanics at Laguna had routed the power lead along the frame rather than where I had it dangled over the top of the air filters.  Sadly it seems to have melted somewhere there was no power.  In the end I had to cut both ends off the cable to be able to tidy it up. I ordered a new power lead from TomTom and it arrived recently. I will be a bit more thorough with this one and rather than use a Hella DIN plug into the power output by my left ankle, I will connect to the battery. I can then let the excess wire coil under the seat rather than at the handlebar end.  I never like cutting wires. Too long better than too short...

Even though it happens every year there's always the sense of nervousness when MoT time comes along. Maybe the horn will have stopped working.  It barely makes a peep when working.   Maybe something else will have blown since you had a check around.... Except today it passed. It has an advisory on the rear tyre after it had the plug in it last August. The recorded mileage is 10137. Last year it was 9203. A total of 934 miles for the Covid affected 2020. Once home I taxed it. This year £96!!!!

Over a month since I cancelled the previously booked test.  With the dbPower Pepé fired up first time. I let it run as I refitted the panniers and unhooked the dbPower. Luckily it fired up without any help a bit later when I was fully bikered up. I needed petrol. It's so long since I last rode the bike I ended up stopping in Hythe and filled the tank. First tank since 17th August. Fuelly worked mpg at 40.99. Then off to Ashford arriving ten minutes late.  Now sitting in the socially distanced customer waiting area ... I squeezed myself into my new Hood K7 jeans. I either lose weight or the need to give a bit. Only one problem so far. Cramp in my right hand after I got off at Laguna.

As Pepé hasn't been out since January I thought it might be a good idea to get it out from the back of the garage and put Suzi to the back. Whilst I was at it, I decided to start Pepé and let it run for a few minutes.  I expected that after a lay-off it wouldn't start and so I had the dbPower 600A at the ready. I was right. Enough power to spin the dials and charge the starter but nothing else. I connected the dbPower and switched on.  Still NFG. Check the unit and the display showed 1%.  What? Even when used quite heavily to start Pepé in the past it has never got below 90%!  So I had to abandon tonight's test start and get it on charge.  Hopefully by the morning it will have enough balls in it to start Pepé and get me on my way.

This year's challenge from the TOMCC is to visit places and take a photo, selfie or just the bike, of places that have the first letter of each that spells out "Cup of Tea". I have a route planned on My RouteApp for when Pepe is back on the road.  That's not until Friday 7th May at the earliest. I am hoping that all the places I have found in Kent actually have a sign giving the place name otherwise this might take longer than expected. My route is simply a one off run in a loop around the county. It's currently around 42 miles and just over an hour to complete. Cup of Tea route