Well after a four day hiatus,  I returned to two wheels on the coldest day of the year. You know its bad when there’s even frost on the pavement. This cold snap has given me a better understanding of the quality of my Rukka gloves. If I’m honest with myself, my fingers were still very cold, but they were warmer than if I’d been wearing my Alpinestars 365 gloves, which are only advertised as a three season option. Having had them on both my ZX7R and my Monster, heated grips are probably the only real answer, but I really wanted to avoid putting them onto the FireBlade. My feelings may completely change by this time next year, so stay tuned.
Today I ordered myself an aluminium bike ramp which I’ll need in the New Year when I move out of London. Thinking about it, I should have probably ordered up some ratchet straps too.
If I don’t speak to you beforehand, I hope you all have a great New Years Eve and a fantastic 2015. I hope the New Year brings you everything you need and desire. 

Well the somewhat warmer weather has been continuing all this week, but this has been accompanied by some strong gusty winds, which as we all know, are no fun on a bike. As 75% of the UK work force seems to be off work, the roads in the mornings have been very quiet, but the downside to this is that during the middle of the day, the roads are filled with people. Its crazy out there man! All you can do is weave your way through the traffic in the full understanding that the road is probably the last thing on these peoples minds.
I gave the FireBlade a cold water wash down when I got home as it appeared the council had put a fresh load of road salt down during the afternoon. The bikes wont be used over the next few days, but the 'Blade will be called back into service on Monday morning, for what will be my last week of working in Central London. Will I miss riding the bike in the City? Highly unlikely my friends.
Finally, I just want to wish one and all a very festive Christmas. I hope you all have a nice relaxing time doing what you want to do. Take care and stay safe and enjoy the holiday.

What is it about Christmas that ensures that we run around for a few weeks trying to meet friends and family who we have hardly seen throughout the year? So in the true spirit of Christmas I headed on out to the Ace Cafe to meet my 999 riding friend Kevin.  In what will most likely be my last visit to the Cafe for some time, what followed was great company, good food and good tea. 

So the first impressions of my Rukka R-Star gloves are good ones. The leather is lovely and soft and the fit it also very good. They're double layered gloves which allows you to either surround the hand with the warm material, or line it all up along the back of the hand, leaving a thinner layer for a better feel of the controls. It hasn't been freezing of late, more chilly, but the gloves have still done an excellent job and the Gore-Tex lining also stops my hands getting sweaty, but I think I prefer using the warm 'setting' to the feel setting as this stops the material being a little too thick on the back of my right hand. This is only a problem as after fracturing my knuckle in my accident, I have limited flexibility of my outside knuckle. Now looking at the forecast tomorrow, I might not need any winter kit at all, which is clearly the result of me buying some quality winter kit, so feel free to send your thanks and donations to the above address.

Well my end of season, new kit spending binge came to a conclution today with the arrival of a pair of R-Star Rukka gloves. I've basically just raided my savings and taken advantage of the end of season prices. 

As it stands, I've picked up an Arai Chaser V, an Alpinestars Atem one piece leather suit (to replace the Arlen Ness one I destroyed at Silverstone), Rukka Focus trousers, a Rukka Matti jacket and these R Star gloves that arrived today. I think I've spent more than enough and fingers crossed, this lot should last me for a good few years at least.

The alarm went off at 03:45, 03:50 and again at 03:55. I laid there for a few minutes, feeling the pain that these early mornings bring. I staggered across the room, flicked on the light and wandered off to the bathroom. I splash some water on my face and look into the mirror. Errrgggg, not pretty. I hear the wind and the rain peppering the window, so I know what lies ahead.
The journey to work was just as expected, extremely wet and very windy. The bike was being blown about a bit on the roads, but there was still plenty of grip available, so it was just a case of picking clear lines between the standing water.
I walk up the stairs to work, rain water dripping off my Rukka kit, but inside I'm dry and warm. As a friend of mine is so keen on quoting 'There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing'. Isn't that the truth. Sometimes its just makes sense to buy the expensive good stuff.

Its been an interesting week. I originally wrote a post on Monday about a very hard day at work where I witnessed paramedics trying to save the life of a scooter rider who was involved in a horrible accident in East London. Ever since I started riding and especially following my big accident I've really struggled internally when reporting on these accidents. Despite the system not publishing the post, the actual act of writing it helped exorcise a few demons, so it wasnt a total loss. The good news is that I won't have to report on these accidents for very much longer as I have got a new job down in the South of England, away from the hustle and bustle of London. To say I'm excited and relived is an understatement. Its a whole new chapter and there are lots of route to explore on two wheels. Its going to be great.
In actual biking news, my Hel Performance braided hoses and my new tyre pressure gauge arrived this morning. I keep losing pressure gauges and its bloody annoying, but as they are vital, I feel its a must to always have at least one in the toolbox at any one time.
The weather has been turning very cold in the mornings and my Alpinestar 365 gloves just arnt warm enough for the task. I'm looking into getting some full on winter gloves, but with my change in circumstances, I might not initially be riding as much as I would like. Only time will tell.

Ahh as John Steinbeck wrote 'The best laid schemes of mice and men....' I was planning on keeping on top of this, but life has been getting in the way again. In short not a huge amount has been happening, but what has has been pretty good. After going to Motorcycle Live and not finding the suit I wanted for the price I wanted to pay, I took advantage of the 'Black Friday' offer at Demon Tweeks www.demon-tweeks.co.uk I bought myself a new one piece Alpinestars Atem leather suit as a replacement for the Arlen Ness one I destroyed earlier this year. I've tried it on a few times and I don't know if its because it new, but the cut and the quality seem to be an improvement. I'm very much looking forward to the warmer weather so I can wear it on the bike.
The cold weather has been continuing and today, in an attempt to keep my hands warm on the way to work, I put my Nike running gloves on underneath my 365s. All it did was make them tighter and I didn't get any real benefit from the extra layer. This resulted in more than one internet search for some new winter gloves. Must stop spending money.
The weather looks pretty good tomorrow and with Sarah in London treating herself, I may take myself down to Box Hill for a mid morning coffee, but as there's no petrol...and I do mean NO petrol, in the Ducati, the 'Blade will be called back into service for a little spin on some better roads. Must lube than chain though.