Back in the middle of last summer, the zip on my Alpinestars track pants, that attaches them to the jacket, broke. Doing the typical man thing, I folded them up, put them on the rail and used a different suit instead. Now with a much shorter journey, the prospect of putting on my one piece suit for such a short ride has led me to use my Rukka suit instead. The only problem is, that suit is designed for Autumn and Winter and is therefore a little too warm for summer.
Doing a Google search, I found a local tailors that specialised in leather repairs, so took it over to them, handed over my money and that was that. I pick them back up next week, so will give you an update. Hopefully I still fit them.
Driving home, Carolina and I drove past Bournemouth Kawasaki, a shop I'd been meaning to go to since I moved down here. I will admit the site was a little smaller than I expected, but the bikes inside made up for it. Amongst some of the latest Kawasaki models, like the Z1000, 1400ZZR and the ZX-10R was Chris Walkers ZX-7RR race bike (sadly sort of wedged in the back of the room with the used bikes) and the above, James Hilliers H2R that that he rode around the TT course. Its a beast.
What was really cool was its just sitting quietly in the back of the shop, surrounded by some clothing on the rails. With nobody else around, I was able to get really close and explore the engineering, beautiful carbon fibre, striking green frame and that paint. Whenever I been to a bike show, they have been on a turntable and I was always surrounded by like minded people.
Would I buy one if I had the money? Yes, but only if I had money to burn. You can't use the R on the road and the vast majority of tracks won't let you anywhere near their circuit when its running.
I wouldn't by an H2 either. Yes its an amazing piece of kit, but its no faster the aforementioned ZX-10R which handles better anyway and I'd always know that there was a better version available.
Sadly, the H2Rs in this country (which isn't that many), possible the pinnacle of current motorbike design and engineering, on par with the Honda RCV213, will sit like this one. On a stand in a room, a full sized model to be looked at, which is a bit of a shame.

A very quick update today, mainly just to publish these amazing shots from my California Superbike Day earlier this week. Massive thanks to Mark Manning for my 'silly' request. You sir are a gentleman. 

After far too little sleep, I left the house at 04:40 with the intention of getting to Silverstone for 07:00. The bike was loaded up into the van the afternoon before and I was ready. The weather forecast was decidedly unsettled, but those who live or work around the circuit and the small Northamptonshire Village that has donated its name, know full well that a weather forecast doesn't mean a thing.
After stopping for a coffee at Cherwell Valley Services I get to the circuit, unloaded the van and signed on for my Level 2 course at the California Superbike School (CSS) by 07:20.
The sky was looking positive and it looked like we should get at least one dry session in.
In all practicality, if it was wet, it wouldn't have made any real difference as the skills being taught are especially effective when grip is at a premium.
After the warm up laps, I met my instructor Duncan who was fantastic. Throughout the day I built up a great rapport with him and found the way he instructed very similar to Sam, my instructor from Level 1. For me this highlights one of the key the strengths of the CSS and the depth of their knowledge and the accessibility of the lessons. The difference between the way that Sam taught me a month or so ago and Duncan's technique was negligible. They both delivered the information in a clear, concise manner, asked me questions about a varied of different factors, all of which challenged me to think analytically about my riding, combining to improve my bike control across the day. They could have been the same person, their teaching styles were so similar.

During lunch, I overheard a man talking to his partner. He was on level 1, using one of CSS's 959 Ducati sportsbikes and he was clearly unhappy. He was saying that he couldn't get used to the bike and that he was so self conscious that he was getting in the way, holding everybody up and wanted just to leave. I just had to say something. I said that he wasn't holding anybody up and that this was his day as much as it was everybody elses. If somebody wants to pass you, its their responsibly to pass, not for you to get out of the way. Just relax and give it another go.
I've been there myself and I don't know why, but I didn't want to think of him, in an hours time, regretting his decision to be at the school or regret leaving early. He decided to stay and give it another session. He stayed right until the end and I caught up with him a few more times during the day and his attitude has clearly changed. He was out there doing it and enjoying it. Dude, seeing you out there in the afternoon was one of the most amazing parts of my day.
With five dry sessions under our belt and six classroom sessions delivered, the wind, that was keeping the monstrous storm clouds at bay since lunch, slowly changed directions and finally brought the rain. 

 At first I wasn't going to go out. The rain was getting harder and I wasn't alone; several other riders decided that enough was enough. I saw Duncan, who was just getting ready to give feedback to his other students and he was surprised I wasn't going. He knew that riding in the wet would really highlight and be the perfect proving ground for the lessons I'd been taught. However, I really didn't want to get soaked. I'd had a good day, learnt a great deal and didn't want to end the day on a sour note like last time (you may remember the bike fell over in the van on the way home).
I put my helmet and gloves on with the intention of riding straight to the van, but I then found myself lined right up at the end of the line. I was going.
With fewer riders and a a lot of water on the track, I took it very easy, but I worked on my drills. Three Step. Turning Point. Pick Up. A lap in and Duncan came past me on the back straight waving his arm in the air in celebration. I waved back with equal excitement. Following him for a few corners and being out there was a real highlight. I had totally control of the bike and it wasn't going anywhere I didn't want it to. After four laps though, the surface water was getting silly. Turn three was under water and fearing an aquaplane, I headed to the pits. A few minutes later the session was red flagged and that was that. It was just too risky for everybody.
Having parked my bike at the end of the garage, I was walking back when Duncan came it. He strode over and gave me a massive man hug and I will admit, having never hugged another 6'3 man in full leathers, it felt like the right thing to do. He was genuinely pleased that I'd gone out and put my new skills to the test and despite being soaked, so was I.
I'm so glad I plucked up the courage to start the CSS levels and really cant wait to get back on track again, test those skills and then return for level 3. Yesterday was one of the best days I've had in years.

On the eve of me attending the California Superbike School (CSS) Level 2 at Silverstone tomorrow, I thought that now would be a good time to review Level 1.
I'd been sceptical about CSS for a number of reasons. Firstly was their level structure. Like a 'normal' school you have to start at the bottom and work your way up and having done a few years of trackdays, the Ron Haslam school, the Chris Walker school and had a few little sessions with instructors at MSV events, I was worried that I wouldn't learn anything in Level 1. This first point also influenced the second and that was the price. At over £400 for each level, attending the school is a serious financial investment.
Acknowledging this was a long term investment and feeling that I'd more likely benefit when I got to level 2, I decided to take the plunge.
How wrong I was? I didn't know just how much I didn't know. Split into small sections, the aim of the day was to 'stabilise the bike' and each hour was split in classroom session, break and then a track session to practice what we were just taught. At the start of the first session we were allocated an instructor who would follow us around and through a series of clear, easy to remember hand signals would communicate turn in points, when to open the throttle etc. After each session we got a debrief, further explaining what they could see and what to work on.
It would be nearly impossible to get everything I learnt down into this post, but needless to say the instructors are a great bunch of people, they know their stuff and I left the day a much wiser man than the one that arrived. If Level 2 is as good, its going to be worth leaving the house at 04:30.

Today the Blade went in to have its chain and sprockets done in time for the California Superbike School Level 2 course I'm going to on Tuesday. Needing a bike to get me home again while the work was being done, Howard at Conquest let me borrow this beast of a bike. It a 1995 BMW RT1100. This bike represented a few firsts for me. It the first BMW and out and out tourer that I've ever ridden and is actually the oldest bike I've ridden too for what that's worth. After the disappointment of the TDM a few weeks back I let me eyes dictate my feelings and I looked at it as just something to get me home. I was a little concerned about its size too, however even from low speeds the bike was perfectly balanced and hid its weight well. By no means sportsbike fast it could certainly hustle along and was very easy to ride. The riding position was very upright and having read about it during numerous tourer group tests, I got to experience the negative pressure that bikes with big high screens can cause. A very strange sensation, the pressure actually pulls you forward and down into the cockpit. 
The brakes were okay if not amazing, but they were slowing down a big old barge of a bike so that can be forgiven. It has loads of features like ABS and a radio! A flippin radio. Not bad for 1995. If I still needed to ride up and down the motorway for work then I could do a whole lot worse than this. Powered with a full on drive shaft, the bike trundled along and just to test her out a bit, I took her down the awesome Wimborne to Cranborne Road, which is one of the best roads in Dorset. The Beemer took it in her stride. 
During the ride, a pheasant decided that I and the ugly Beemer were the last things he wanted to see. Thankfully, for me anyway, the bird just bounced off the left side of the bike and left its last meal all over my leg having clearly panicked at the very last moment. The Beemer didn't even notice. Really an awesome piece of kit.

Finally today, I just wanted to talk about something a little more serious. Yesterday saw the conclusion of the Isle of Man TT races for 2016 and sadly this year we lost four competitors: Paul Shoesmith, Dwight Beare, Ian Bell and Andrew Soar. Coming off the back of the Pre-TT classic where Dean Martin was killed, the NW200 where a Malachi Mitchell Thomas died during the final Supertwins race and the loss of Billy Redmayne during the Scarborough Spring Cup meeting, there have been renewed calls to cancel road racing. Couple this with the very recent death of Spanish Rider Louis Salom at the Catalan GP last weekend, motorcycle racing has come back into the spotlight.
I find the responses of those, some of whom are suggesting, others demanding the cessation of the Isle of Man TT races very interesting. On the whole, the people who are talking about this dramatic change have rarely raced on a circuit, let alone the roads and so, in my opinion, have no right to make comment.
The races at the Isle of Man stand well above the rest, as the most dangerous series of races across the motorsport calendar. Each and every rider who has ever sat on the grid of a road race is there because they want to be there. Racing is, financially, very expensive, however, they are all fully aware of the dangers, but still they wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
I recently saw a very interesting statistic regarding the number of deaths of climbers who have died attempted to make the summit of Everest. Since 1922, sadly, approx 280 people have died on the mountain. Its an approximation as several bodies have never been found. This is just one mountain and for the record, when you die so high, its almost impossible to recover the body, so most of them are still up there. We mustn't forgot the other dangerous peaks. Annapurna, which has claimed 61 climber lives compared to the 200 or so who have reached its peak. www.grindtv.com states that for every three people who reach the top, one climber attempting it will die. Then there is K2, Everest's neighbour and the second highest mountain in the world, where on just one day in August 2008, 11 climbers were killed, adding to the eighty climbers who have died since 1939. I could go on and give you a list for Nagna Parbat in Pakistan or Kangchenjunga in Nepal but you get the point. With all these statistics and despite all these deaths, the call to cancel mountain climbing doesn't get very loud.
We all know biking is dangerous and race racing even more so, but so is life. You can die getting out of the bath, you can die crossing the road or you can die eating peanuts. These deaths are absolutely tragic and my heart goes out to the family and friends of those riders, but they were doing what they loved and it's not for you, or indeed me, to tell anybody what they can or cannot do. We should all remember that.

With no car, my bikes are my only transport. This means I need to use them for food shopping (when required), going to the gym and heading to the park run in Poole Park. As you can imagine, putting on bike kit after the run and or the gym isn't the most joyous of experiences, but needs must.
You may notice from the picture to the left, that the magazine on the table is a few months old. I'm still subscribed to two, Bike and Performance Bikes, but following the monster commute and lack of post gym coffees, I've been falling behind. As it stands, I've got four months of magazines to catch up on. There was a time when working in London, I was subscribed to four magazines and would finish one in around three days. Must catch up before it gets out of hand.
The FireBlade has now passed 32,000 miles and it needs some attention, most notably at the rear end. The chain is shot and the rear pads need to be changed. I bought some pads at the bike show without checking the actual bike and although I was sold pads that indicated they were for a 954, they weren't. Bit of a pain, but not the end of the world. The new pads should arrive in time for the chain and sprocket job taking place this weekend in time for my CSS Level 2.

​Today is Tuesday which means Poole Bike Night. Now working just behind The Quay, I'm able to have a little wander around after work without having to wear heavy, hot bike kit, which is what I did this evening. I didn't stay too long, but managed to get some picks of some great bikes. Just a few of the bikes on display. A V-Max, new R1 in Yamaha America colours, a Buell Lightning, a pristine 1198s and yes, a classic C70 Honda Cub in mint condition. Poole Bike Night isn't all about the cruisers you know.