Its the regulator/rectifier, which will be roughly £100 fitted. Thank god for that, I was convinced I was about the shell out £400. If all goes well, I should be able to have the bike back on the road by the start of next week at the latest.
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I took a call yesterday from that ivalidate place, the people who have been writing the insurance report following the theft of my Ninja. At the end of the second phone call, over a week ago, I was asked to supply the address of where the bike was stolen from which was missing from the file. I was able to get the address from Sarah about an hour later and emailed it over. So yesterday the call came in and it was the same woman who I had spoken to before, but she was still asking me for the address. Somewhat dumbfounded I explained that I had already emailed her the details and was able to give her the exact time that the email was sent. Her reaction was less than comforting. It turns out this has been dragged out for so long because of her. I'm not going to call here incompetent, because that would be unfair, but I am very disappointed with the whole thing. I'm glad that I have at least one alternate form of transport, although if I had a courtesy bike, I'm damn sure they would be dealing with the matter a lot quicker.
Still no news on the Ducati, hopefully I'll hear something later today, cross fingers I was reading through my diary yesterday, that's the kind of diary where I see what's coming up, not the kind of diary where I secretly express my love and affection for the chemistry teacher and I see that I had noted down earlier in the year, that the MOT for my ZX7R expired today. Not that it makes any difference at the moment as I still have no idea what is going on. I don't have the bike, the Police haven't found it and the insurance company have gone quiet. All very annoying. I spent some time yesterday looking at alternatives and the Van Van still interests me, but I've started having little doubts about the power and the practicality of it. What remains the same thou is just how cheap it would be to run and that is still a huge positive. Could I stretch the finances to get a KTM Duke 125? Possibly. It would certainly still rack up the fun factor and be equally cheap to run and insure. If I wanted to sell it on, there would still very much be a market for one. Its orange too, which is no bad thing, although if I had the money and I really wanted an orange bike, there are really only two options. I could stick with KTM and get a RC8, or get myself at 08-09 ZX10R. Now we're talking. Not the most common of winter hacks. Utterly impractical and expensive....bugger!
Well it turns out the tempting fate actually works. I was utterly amazed when fate stepped in and ruined yet another day. Instead of a letter from the insurance company, the fickle finger of fate pointed it's bony finger straight at the electrical system and halted my bike in its tracks. The ride home from work was fine and the bike was running just as expected. I needed to fill up, so I used the pay at pump station just around the corner from home. I paid my money, filled the tank, hit the starter and then nothing but the horrible noise of the starter motor trying to push the pistons up and down filled the air.
I tried to call the dealership, but there was no answer so my only recourse was to call the AA out...again. The chappy turned up within 20mins and as it was easier, I whipped the left fairing panel off in a few mins for him using his rusty tools. Turns out the battery wasn't receiving enough juice to get recharged. The battery was hooked up to a booster and the bike fired up straight away. My plan was still to ride to the dealership and the AA man said he'd follow. We left the fairing panel in the van and I rode on ahead....for half a mile. That's when the bike spluttered and ground to a halt. Turns out the battery had now completely discharged itself so now a top up was needed. After about 5mins we were back up and running and when we encountered traffic, Mr AA told me to head off and told me he'd catch up. I got to Metropolis 10mins before him and I found out why they didn't answer the phone. They were flippin closed. Mike was in Italy looking at the new Ducati models (exciting stuff) and Leyton couldn't cover. In a brief moment of good luck, Artur was there doing some freelance stuff so I was able to leave the bike with him. The theory being it was one of two things: the alternator or the regulator/rectifier. On the three mile walk home, in full leathers, I started thinking about the bike, my bikes, the theft of the Ninja and pretty much all that is associated with my bikes. I love the Ducati and I loved my ZX7R, but I can't be dealing with all the hassle of them breaking down. Maybe a PCP deal would be a good idea. Jack my Ducati in and put the value towards a brand new bike and subsequently get a new one every three years. Its a very temping prospect. No breakdowns, everything under warranty. In three years, all I would have to get would be new tyres, break pads and a few fluid changes. It's very temping, but a hard decision. To finish I found out how much the repair may cost. If its the Reg/Rec its £80 give or take. If its the alternator it £400. Which my run of luck, how much do you think I'll be shedding out in the next day or two? Yeah, me too I've noticed of late, ie that last few days, that the Ducati seems to have been struggling to turn over. Normally its a case of one jap of the starter, dugga dugga, boom, roar, clatter, clatter, but these last few days its taken three stabs of the button to get the bike to burst into life. I thought I'd start the problem finding nice and simply so I hooked the bike up to the Optimate last night, but this morning the bike seemed to be struggling to turn over. When I next pop to Metropolis, which will probably be next week, I'll ask and see if I can get some suggestions. I know I have a rather large service looming so, hopefully its not going to be a major problem.
I still haven't heard from the insurers (this is me tempting fate to try and have a letter on the doormat when I get home) regarding my Kawasaki. Its really annoying because it been nearly a month now That was a good weekend of riding. Admittedly I was only really Friday and Sunday, but it's the thought that counts. I was able to ride out London in 30mins on the Friday, which is a good 20mins better than I've managed before. Although one little only lady in her beaten up bright green Micra did try to drive me into the van next to me whilst filtering along Chelsea Embankment. I made a point of passing her on the drivers side and smacking her mirror with my hand. Yes, not exactly friendly, but if she didn't see me right in front of her before, maybe she needs that kind of wake up call.
I powered out of town down the A3 filling up for fuel down at Liphook services just after the Hindhead tunnel, which must have been designed by somebody who likes noise. They should have named it after the tunnel at Rockingham and called it the Hindhead Exhaust Appreciation Tunnel, or HEAT for short. Knowing just how busy the A31 through the New Forest can get, I pretty much always stop at Rownham Services on the M27, mainly to pop to the loo and fill up on fluids and sugars etc. Friday was no exception and after a great run along the A272, I stopped and I noticed that one of the bolts holding my right heel guard on, had worked its way loose and was now probably sitting in a grass verge in Hampshire somewhere. The other bolt seemed secure so I left it, which was a mistake as when I finally stopped in Poole, the second bolt and the heel guard has pissed off into the distance. On Sunday I visited an open day at the RNLI down in Poole and I picked up two buffs for £1 each. That's at least £10 less than they're available in the shops. Bargain. I could have easily bought the ten that were there and turned a tidy profit on Ebay, but a) I didn't have a tenner on me b) It's best to let somebody else be able to get a bargain too. The Ducati passed 10000 miles on the way down on Friday, which is a nice milestone. Sadly it also means the 12000 mile Desmo service is looming. I should be hearing from my insurance company within a week or so in regard to the theft of my Ninja. Once I get the official nod that the bike is no longer mine, I'm going to have to change the front page. Not the photo, I like that too much, but the text. Still no very happy about the whole thing to be honest. |
MeMy name is Matt Brown and I'm a UK journalist formerly based in London, but now calling the South of England home. I've been riding bikes since 2007, but got hooked straight away. Nothing gives me the feeling of freedom, even when stuck in a city. In 2010 I became a RoSPA gold rider, but when it comes down to it, I'm Just a normal man, riding his bikes as often as he can. Archives
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