With dreadful weather conditions and a particularly lovely day spent with friends on New Years Day, yesterday was the first time I was able to ride the bike in 2016. It also marked the first time I used one of my Kriega tailbacks as a tankbag. The adapter was already in place (as previously documented) so it was just a case of getting the straps in and the bag on. All very neat and tidy.
As with any tank bag, its a bit of a pain when you need to refuel, but you can't really do very much about it, so why worry.
The ride itself was thankfully uneventful. As its winter, its pretty much all motorway, but the odd entry slip and exit slip road combination and a few roundabouts help break up the boredom.
These longer regular rides, are highlighting potential issues with my helmet and ear plug combination. I use these kind, which are Guardrite, mushroom styles plugs.
I first started to notice issues with my left ear when wearing my Aria Chaser V, where my ears were getting very sore after about an hour, which was made worse when I moved my head for lifesavers etc.
It didn't seem to affect me when wearing my collection of HJC helmets, but then I started to get similar pains even with those. I start to feel the pain after about an hour in the saddle, which isn't terrible if I'm out and about on country roads because after an hour or so, I usually fancy a coffee, but on the long commutes, its a bit of a pain (excuse the pun).
At Motorcycle Live I picked up lots of leaflets about personalised ear plugs and I'm leaning towards giving them a try. Yes they cost, but quality often does.
As always, I'll keep you updated.