Do you ever have those days when something just doesn't feel right? I'm not talking about days when you've picked the wrong shoes, or shirt, but those moments when you can sense something, something not quite right. Almost like a sense of foreboding? I only ask as I had one of these a few days back and I've been thinking about it ever since.
On the day in question, work was pretty busy. The weather was fine, but during the morning rush, I ended up reporting of at least four crashes involving bikes, three of which really didn't look very nice at all, which included a biker down on the M25. Thankfully none of these, to my knowledge, were fatal, they were just horrible. I really didn't enjoy my ride out of London as I almost started to feel like the odds were being stacked against me. My rider friends know that I'm a fairly competent rider and there will be those, Mike and Artur I'm looking at you here, who will mock me for saying it, but hey, it's fair game I guess. Anyway, even though I was safe in the knowledge that I have a pretty good idea of what I was doing, I just couldn't shake the feeling.  Thinking about it sat here and now, it's probably the reason I didn't take my bike out this weekend despite having plenty of opportunity.
Crashing really isn't nice and annoyingly/sadly I've eaten my fair share of tarmac and trust me it bloody hurts. I've still got burns to my left arm following my epic fail at Silverstone at the start of the month.
So what am I saying? Well, I've started listening to my gut instinct a bit more to be honest. When you break it down, we're animals; monkeys on rockets if you will. 'Society' and 'civilization' have done their best to quash our natural survival instincts which eons ago, mankind relied on to survive. 5000 years ago we were rarely above walking pace, but now we rush around as fast as traffic will allow, but were are just as fragile. More so if you have to use moisturiser twice a day. 
Those instincts are still there, but they are hidden, but you can still find them if you want to.

I spent most of the afternoon playing about on my bike through the roads of Beds and Bucks. My mate Dave had showed me some nice roads a few months back around the back of Hemel Hempstead, which were great to ride on the 'Blade. I had agreed to meet a mate for a drink in Aston Clinton, which is between Tring and Aylesbury and we had a thoroughly lovely afternoon at The Bell www.thebellastonclinton.co.uk, which I can highly recommend.

Not a huge amount else to say really. I picked up some chain cleaner and another part for the upcoming rebuild. All in all, a rather nice day.
Oh before I go here's an utterly pointless fact for you. Of the bikes I own or have owned, there have now been two Hondas, two Kawasakis and two Ducatis. Must get a bike more variety in my life.

Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry i've pretty much been away from my PC for a week so couldn't update things as I went. To mark this somewhat small and insignificant milestone, I've got around to building up the FireBlade page, which is now under the My Bikes - Past and Present banner at the top of the page.
Today the new owner picked up my Ducati Monster and I wish her all the best with it and hope it gives her a great deal of fun and enjoyment. For me though, that chapter is over and I'm enjoying getting to know my Blade more and more.
In book news I've added a review of The Limit by Michael Cannell, which although not actually about bike racing, its still a fantastic book and one thats well worth your time.
In Ducati crash news, the parts have been ordered and the bike is scheduled for the workshop at the start of July. The damage could have been a whole lot worse and thankfully the engine seems to run fine, but only a proper ride will confirm everything is alright after the rebuild. I hope so as in a month, I plan on being in Italy.

Well its now been a week since I started using the FireBlade as my regular ride and I have to say that its quite simply the easiest bike I've ever ridden. The journey to and from Poole on Tuesday proved that the bike is comfy at speed and over distance and a week's worth of commuting into Central London has proven the bike is a simple as you like when navigating the queues. The metal tank is a godsend as I can use my tank bag and with a flipping rear seat, my Kreiga tailback sits snug on the back too. Despite getting on really well with the bike, there are a few little things that I would like to change, which although nothing major would help the riding experience a little. The first thing I want to do is get some Stomp Grips for the sides of the tank. As I have them on the Ducati I've come to rely on the additional grip they provide and have noticed that with the 'Blade my body slides forward under breaking and I have to take more weight through my arms and hands. Not that big a deal, but helps non the less. The second is I want a louder lighter smaller end can. The original item has been likened to a popular missile launcher that was used by Iraq in the first Gulf war and is a bit of an eyesore. Its also very quiet. Yesterday I nearly hit a pedestrian who just stepped out into the road without looking and I cant help by think that if the bike was as loud as the Ducati, they would have heard me coming.
So apart from two minor changes, the FireBlade is proving to be an almost perfect bike for what I need it for. Its fast, its fun, its comfy and it's relatively economical, well as much as a 150bhp Sportsbike can be. My girlfriend even likes the colour.

Today was very much a 'getting to know you day' between me the FireBlade. Until today, the longest I've ridden it for was about 45mins and that was during the test ride, so today I headed down to Poole Quay for the Bike Night. Meeting some mates down there is always a good thing, but due to work commitments tomorrow, I couldn't stay long, which was a real shame. I've been to Bike Night before, but never actually on a bike, usually because I was down in the area on holiday or spending time with the in-laws, who I get on really well with.
The bike performed really well, but after the second fuel stop, about an hour before I got home, the bike started to generate a high frequency vibration and a noise that suggested an issue with the way the chain was running over the front sprocket. In all likeliness the chain probably got very hot and subsequently very dry, but I'll keep an eye on it over the next few days. Here are some pics, including one of my dinner. I'm knackered, I'm going to bed.

These things always take longer than planned, but thankfully, despite the early start, basically all I had to do was yesterday was to collect two bikes and bring them home. My original plan was to be near or at Silverstone to collect the Ducati by 10:00, but that turned out to be the actual time I left the house with the van packed and ready to go. I'd picked up the van at about 08:15-08:20 and picked up the straps I needed, but I had to hang around until 09:30ish to collect the planks I was going to use as a ramp. A quick dash home to collect my stand and some cushions and the two hour 'delay' was complete. So in the pissing rain I headed up the M1 (via Scratchwood services to get a half decent cup of coffee for the journey) and made my way to the Northamptonshire circuit for the 2nd time in five days.
The journey went well and by the time I'd reached the A43, the coffee had run out and the rain had stopped. The Ford transit I had borrowed was, once I'd got used to it, incredible easy and comfy to use. Quite fancy one to be honest. Would be very useful. Anyway, I pulled up to the circuit, explained why I was there and was directed to the Experience Centre that had been my bikes home since Monday afternoon.
I wandered into the garage and there, just where I had left it, was my bike but it was now joined by the track instructor bikes and a few race cars including a striking Aston Martin. As the circuit was live, I had to wait for around for 30mins until a few of the mechanics were free to help load my bike, so I killed the time by reading a magazine, texting my mate and eating an expensive, but disappointing burrito thing. It was 12:30.
Soon enough the bike was in the van and strapped down. It was the first time I'd had to do that and to be honest you could tell. The main thing was the bike was secure enough for the trip across to the M40 to where the FireBlade was waiting.

The sun was shining now and Graham Norton on BBC Radio 2, who had kept me company on the Northbound leg, had handed over to Tony Blackburn and I trundled across and down the M40 listening to poppy sixties music and for the first time since the previous Sunday, feeling very positive.
A reasonably quick collection of the Honda followed and Rob, the man who sold it to me, helped by loading and securing the bike in the van and I was back on my way home on the M25 when Mr Blackburn handed over to Dermot O'Leary at 15:00.
I eventually got back to Metropolis where Mike helped me unload both bikes and we propped the Ducati on the Abba stand and wheeled the FireBlade to one side. I took the planks and van back, walked back to my car, drove home, sponged a lift back to the shop and rode the Blade back home. It was 17:30. It had been a long day.

So the damage to the 1098 will be assessed at some point in the next few days and despite the weather being superb down South today, all I did was gently ride the Honda to the petrol station and filled her up. To be honest I wasn't really in the mood and my arm still hurts from the crash.
Over the next few days, I'll re-jiggle the website a little bit and get my FireBlade page up. In fairness to the bike, I'm looking forward to getting to know her.

Well if everything goes to plan tomorrow, I should have the FireBlade in the garage, the Ducati in the dealership for repair and some money in my pocket following the sale of the Monster. I've arranged to hire a van tomorrow morning from local van rental firm Wheels www.wheelsltd.com for a very reasonable fee and the plan is the head up to Silverstone, collect my thoroughly busted up Ducati, drive over to Oxford, pick up the FireBlade and bring them both back to Barnet. If I have time, I'll try and arrange a coffee with my mate Neal who lives in Wantage, who always has the ability to make me smile and at a time like this, I will really need it. Cross fingers it all goes to plan.

Well, I think its fair to say that's I've just had a torrid 24hrs. Those of you who follow me on Facebook will have already seen what happened, but for the rest, let me tell you a story. 
Monday started out well, if a little damp. A mate and I headed up to a Silverstone trackday early, where we enjoyed some good dry roads in little traffic. We got to the track nice and early, by which time the sun was covering the circuit. Looked like a great day was ahead of us.
It was all going so well and three sessions came and went without incident. The bike was going well and I was getting back into it. Sadly, it all came to a thumping end on the super fast left Farm turn, when I lost the front flat out in forth. This was the result.

I was down before I knew what was happening and thankfully the bike stayed on one side, but destroyed anything that was sticking out. Left clip on, sidestand, rear set, gear lever, switchgear and of course the fairing were smashed into pieces. It wasn't so easy for me on the other hand. I was tumbling for what felt like ten minutes. I thought I was coming to a stop, but then reached the gravel and tumbled four or five more times. God know how fast I was going. Thankfully my head stayed clear of the tarmac and my gloves and boots did exactly what they are employed for and are still able to live another day. My leathers on the other hand, are mullered. The whole crash could have been a whole lot worse.

My theory about the crash was basically down to a cold(er) front tyre. I had a Supercorsa on the back, which was probably hotter that the Rosso Corsa on the front. Long story why I had mismatched tyres, anyway, the Supercorsa was probably gripping a hell of a lot more than the front and just ended up pushing the front of the bike too far, so down I went. Running a Supercorsa with the Rosso Corsa was probably fine for the the road, but clearly isn't advisable for track running, even at my level.
After spending an hour in the medical centre, with a great medical team, I hobbled back into the paddock, all taped up and already feeling very sore which is where I started making some phonecalls. So here where we stood. Im stuck at Silverstone, with an unrideable bike. The AA wanted £350 to come and get it, SOS Motorcycle recovery wanted £240 and I had to wait three hours and my insurance company apologised, but said they couldn't help at all. The great team at Silverstone agreed to hold my bike until I could come and get it, but that left me, with the problem of how to get home. One plan was to get a cab to the station, which I was very against as I only had my leathers on. I could go pillion on the back of Bens '08 Fireblade, which sounded exceedingly dangerous. My folks were hours away or I could get a hotel. Thankfully Sarah came all the way down from Birmingham and I ended up spending an impromptu night with her. Every cloud.
By morning, it was a struggle to walk so I had to spend the morning in her house keeping her cat company. Once she got back from work, she gave me lift to Birmingham New Street where I got a train home. This time I was wearing jeans and proper shoes, so it was a slightly better prospect. I arrived home just after 18:30 injured and shattered and my bike is ninety miles North of me.
As I was already due to head North on Saturday to collect my '02 FireBlade, I'm going to tie it all together, rent a van and go and get both bikes in one hit. Having the 'Blade at home, will give me time to fix the 1098s. I've got six weeks before I'm going to Italy and I dont want to ride the Honda.
So there you have it. A rubbish few days, but this is the photo with which I will remember the day for. I just like it. If I only knew what was just around the corner.