This isn't a post I would ever imagine having to write, but write it I must. 

After nearly 7 years of updating and nurturing, today I'm having to call time on Head Behind the Bubble.

It's certainly not a case of wanting to; I'm making this decision with a very heavy heart in order to maintain my professional integrity. 

I've been riding since 2007 and after many recent years working around the periphery of the motorcycle industry, I now work on the inside. Its a role I've wanted for such a long time and finally everything clicked and it still hasn't fully sunk in yet.

I love riding and I love Head Behind the Bubble, but even with really great audience figures, I cannot support the website in the way I would want to. 

I won't be deleting the site, instead allowing it to stand as a document for my adventures.

I've met and spoken to so many people thanks to this website and its an experience I have never regretted.

I'd like to thank every single one of you who have joined me on this adventure and I'll be happy to offer any advise or answer any questions about my bikes should anybody wish to ask.

To paraphrase Gary Cole in the 80s TV show: 'Goodnight, where ever you are'

So having started reviewing the kit I use, by discussing my leather suit and gloves, today I want to talk about what is, in my opinion, the second most important piece of safety equipment you can wear (behind the helmet); boots.
Following my crash in 2011, despite wearing race boots, I fractured my ankle in four places and as I have no desire to be limping for another 18mths,  whenever I ride, I'm wearing as much protection as I can around my feet as I can wear.

Having started riding wearing Sidi boots, which are excellent, I've found myself leaning towards the Alpinestars Supertech R as my boot of choice. I found the Sidi's traditional 'squeak' a fraction annoying and found they made my feet hurt if I had to walk any distance in them. The Supertechs on the other hand, are all day comfy and the only noise comes from the heel striking the floor when walking.

What they say.

Forged on the racetrack, the Supertech R is Alpinestars top-of-the-line road racing boot and benefits from the feedback of elite MotoGP and WSBK athletes. The Supertech features a redesigned inner bootie constructed from 3D technical mesh that further reduces the boot's weight while greatly enhancing breathability, comfort and feel.

• Soft TPU mesh front flex area
• Flexible accordion leather at Achilles
• Full-length micro-fibre panel on inner side of the boot
• Lightweight rubber compound sole for excellent grip
• Flexible, lightweight toe shifter allows feeling for changing gears
• Ventilation in the heel and shin TPU, and soft TPU mesh
• Zipped closure mounted on accordion stretch panel
• Micro adjustable ratchet top closure stows tab end inside calf TPU
• The removable anatomic footbed is sculpted for a precise fit
• The entire sole is of the Supertech R Boot is replaceable
• Fibreglass charged polyamide and technical mesh Bio-mechanical ankle brace
• Polyamide compound mouldings around the footbed provide impact protection
• External TPU shin protection wraps around to outer calf
• The separate inner brace works with outer boot to form a protective system
• Clip-on toe-slider (replacement magnesium slider are available)
• Replaceable TPU heel plate slider protects from impact

What I say

As I mentioned at the start, the Supertechs are all day comfy, both on and off the bike. When I was breaking in my first pair, I wore them all day in the office and I can't recall my feet protesting.
The soles are thin enough to get a great feel for the controls and the reinforced pad on the top of the foot provides the right balance between tough and feel, allowing a confident control of the pedal. Both the sole and pad have worn well.

The toe sliders are replaceable which is especially handy if you drag your toes on the racetrack. They are also quite handy if a car gets too close (not that I'm condoning that kind of behaviour) when riding in the city.

My current pair aren't ventilated and although not waterproof, my feet have stayed dry during all but biblical rain. 

As you would expect, they pair well with my Atem suit. The only issue to be aware of is that I have to make sure the leg armour is pulled into the correct position, otherwise it can be a struggle to zip the boot up. This is actually a good thing

Sizing wise, they are generous so I'd advise trying on a pair before purchase.

As with the previous pair, the weak points for the boots are the tabs on the zips (which easily come away) and the laces on the inside have a tendency to fray and then snap after rubbing on the metal cleats that make up the inner boot.

My current pair have at least another season in them and when it comes time for a change, I'll be confident in putting down a further £350+ for a new pair. Best boots I've owned? Despite their few shortcomings, absolutely.

A meeting on the far side of the county; beautiful Spring sunshine; a motorcycle and free reign about how I get there...welcome to my Friday!
A friend of mine asked me to help out her local hospital volunteer group with some of their PR and social media output, and being the lovely guy I am, I agreed. 
The meeting was a good hour away and with the UK enjoying a beautiful end to March, the car was staying very much on the driveway.
I will freely admit that up to this point, the amount of riding I've done in 2019 has been restricted to short little hops. All journeys of a significant distance have been undertaken in my German hatchback so it was was great relish that I rolled the FireBlade out into the March sunshine.
In a beautiful twist of fate, the meeting was held in the 'corner' of an amazing 100 mile route that links the Dorset towns of Wimborne, Sherbourne, Shaftsbury with the Wiltshire city of Salisbury. Of these 100 miles, I'd wager that no more than 5 miles is actually straight. Amazing twists, turns and elevation changes make the ride exhilarating, challenging and rewarding in equal measure.
Being so early in the 'season' there was plenty of debris on the road, be it mud from nearly fields, stones from verges or sadly a few late pheasants, rodents and foxes. Ahh the wonders of riding in the countryside.
To cap it off, what trip of mine wouldn't be complete without a stop at a Cafe Neros? The coffee is the best in the country (IMO) and it makes others taste like dish water. Saying that, it has nothing on the amazing coffee in Spain and Italy. That stuff is worth the trip over in itself.
I got home about 6 hours after I left, burnt through the better part of a tank of fuel, wiped several dead bugs (various sizes) from my visor and finally locked the garage behind me. Sometimes, I wish all Friday's could be like this.

With Spring on our doorstep, lets look at the gloves I've been wearing over the winter. 

These are the German designed Held Twin  gloves and getting straight to the point, at £175, are a pretty serious investment. 

The Twin name derives from their twin chamber design, one being 'Dry' and one being 'Warm'.

Reading up on several reviews from a range of manufactures, I was looking at replacing an equally expensive pair of Rukka R-Star gloves which I'd been using for several seasons. The R-Star is a great glove, but I wanted a glove that had improved thermal qualities, whilst retaining excellent levels of waterproofing, comfort and protection. I tried the Held gloves on Motorcycle Live and despite a long thumb, the Helds seemed to fit that bill, so believing the marketing, I brought a pair home with me.

This is the spec list:

• Goatskin leather palm
• Certified under norm EN 13594:2015
• Stretch fabric with leather detailed back
• Also has unlined waterproof compartment
• Gore-Tex waterproof, windproof & breathable membrane
• Gore 2in1 technology (1 side thermal, 1 side unlined) both waterproof
• Velcro fastening at the cuff and wrist
• Visor wipe on index finger
• Aramid fibre and ceramic protection at fingers and knuckle
• Waterproof, thermal compartment with Pique Push Pull lining
• Leather and foam protection on palm
• Superfabric reinforcement on edge of hand
• 3M Scotchlite reflectors
• 5 year warranty (registration required)

This is what I think and lets start with what I really like about them.

They are really comfortable, in both the Dry and Warm compartments. The terms Warm and Dry are a bit misleading however. Dry could have easily been relabelled 'Feel' as it reduces the amount of material on the inside of the hand, subsequently adding more material to the outside of the hand, giving a better feeling for the controls. Wearing them in the 'Warm' configuration means a universal amount of material around the hand, but thanks to the Gore-Tex lining, allows the glove to maintain its water proofing. The are easy to use in either the Dry or the Warm settings, even with that long thumb problem.

The cuff is really long, so sits well under the arms of my Rukka Matti jacket, or over the arms of my Alpinestars Atem one piece suit. The glove is well retained on the hand with two straps; one end of the forearm and cuff area, and one around the wrist for fine tuning.

The amount of reflective material amounts to a small area on the cuff, but due to how I wear them, this is hidden when wearing the Rukka gear, which is a shame.

The hard knuckle protection on the back of the glove feels very reassuring and cannot be felt when the glove is on and is supported with some hardened leather on the tops of the figures. 

They have been well tested in the rain and have never leaked.

So, what don't I like...

Well, these are not actually that warm. My hands certainly felt colder wearing these than when wearing the Rukka R-Star in similar conditions. They are pitched as a top of the range four season glove, but in this regard, I have been left a little disappointed. Since moving to the coast, and away from the well salted roads of a city, I no longer ride if the temperatures are close to, or at freezing. The risk is too high. I'm not expecting by any stretch of the imagination that when riding in 2 degrees that my hands would feel like I was holding a warm coffee, but I'd expect my hands not to actually hurt after about 10 minutes. It would take about 30 minutes riding in the Rukka R Stars before the tips of my fingers would hurt and go numb, which is considerably longer that with these Held gloves.
​
Please bear in mind that I don't use heated grips and riding a sportsbike, there is very little wind protection for my hands. So there is a very good possibility that this would greatly affect their performance when it comes to retaining the heat in my hands.

So in summary, overall the gloves are good, especially if being worn in the rain. The long cuff is excellent and they don't pop out from under the arms of my jacket when riding along, which is something that does happen with the R Stars. My biggest concern is this cold weather performance and for a top of the range glove, claiming to address this problem, I was left a little, well, cold. I will say however they are absolutely head and shoulders about gloves like the Alpinestars 365 gloves which are only marginally cheaper, but when I have to ride in low single digits, the older Rukka gloves are the ones I put on.

Huge thanks for Sportsbikeshop.co.uk for supplying the technical information on the Held Twin.

Let's talk motorcycle kit. It's the stuff that keeps us safe, warm and comfortable and the market is super crowded with garments from a multitude of manufacturers from across the globe.

Personally, when I started riding, the very first piece of kit I purchased was a set of Alpinestars gloves. This simple transaction has subsequently steered me in the direction of the Italian giant ever since.

Since 2007, I've purchased one pair of track pants, one vented jacket, one one-piece race suit, three pairs of boots and three pairs of gloves, all of which came adorned with the famous A-Star logo. I like the brand and I like the garments. So with that in mind, as I've decided to start a series of updates talking my kit, I thought I'd begin with the most expensive piece of clothing, biking or otherwise, that I've purchased; The Alpinestars Atem one piece race suit.

After crashing in an Arlen Ness suit on a trackday at Silverstone, I was in the market for a new suit and I took advantage of an online winter deal to pick up a black and white Atem suit for around £700, which at the time, was about £300 off.

This is what the blurb says: 

'The Atem is a fully CE-certified, technical one-piece leather suit offering class-leading protection for the street and track. Developed at Alpinestars specialist performance suit department and extensively tested in MotoGP and WSBK, the suit combines premium materials, safety features and ergonomic styling to give high levels of security and performance.'

This is what I've found:

Once I'd worn it a few times, the suit has proved itself to be extremely comfy. When on the bike the form of the leather actually supports the body when sat on the bike. Worth noting here, that both my bikes are sportsbikes so I'm sat quite far forward). When off the bike and walking / standing, the weight of the suit causes a slight discomfort in my lower back. I'm 6'3 and have long legs and arms, am fairly muscular and wear an EU size 56. I always wear the suit in conjunction with a Dianese D1 Wave back protector. I either wear a Buff or a high collar base layer so I get no rubbing around my neck.

When riding, the suit doesn't cause any additional turbulence, which is especially noticeable when wearing a textile suit on a sportsbike at speed.

As you would expect, the suit is compatible with both my A-Star Supertech boots and gloves, but because of the armour in the shins, it does make securing the boots a little tight.

White was a poor choice and is almost impossible to keep clean. The irony is that the contrast of black and white will actually make you more visible to other road users over a more traditional black suit.
​
No seams have come undone and all the zips work. Speaking of zips, the leather tab on the main zip gave way after about a year of use and some of the more intricate detailing to the suit, most notably the big logo on the chest have peeled away. I'm putting the later down to wearing a ruck sack and the friction between the two resulting in the damage. For what is effect a £1000 suit, this is disappointing.

Thankfully I haven't tested its crash performance so can't speak for it. General press coverage for the suit has been quite positive however and the armour in the suit never makes it uncomfortable and is present in all the major zones, with the exception of the chest.

The venting helps keep my temperature down, but even when its not exactly baking, I do find myself being quite hot in the suit, especially when not in motion.

I chose this suit over others primarily for the hard plastic armour on the outside of the suit on the shoulders, elbows and knees. My previous suit didn't have these and I prefer the prospect of the plastic sliding on the tarmac rather than the leather gripping at impact.

So am I happy with the suit? Well yes I am. Its my preferred piece of kit and will wear it whenever I can, even if there is a risk of rain. The level of comfort means that when riding, it doesn't register that I'm wearing it. The Atem is now onto it's third iteration is a still priced around the £1000 mark, so it's quite an investment. I'd certainly buy another one, but would probably steer away from one with such large white areas.

Nobody hates snow quite like a biker. Here in the UK we had a recent cold snap that resulted in a decent amount of snowfall and snow equals no riding, it's that simple.
Unless that is you're a) utterly mad b) an off-road fan who can rip it around some trails. Currently I am neither of those (although I am hoping to make inroads to the second).
So despite not making the most of the riding opportunities so far this year, when a break in the weather meant I'd need a dark visor, getting in the car seemed like blasphemy. 
The ride wasn't anything epic, nor especially long either. I needed to do some chores and well, I really wanted to get out on the bike. So out I went.
It was chilly, but not cold; Sunny, but not warm; short but not worthless. Simply put, it was an excuse to ride. Sometimes, that's all it takes.

There are a few occasions where I feel embarrassed, with even less where I feel genuinely ashamed. Today was one of those days.
With some free time this morning and an urge to finish an outstanding job, I set to work replacing the rear brake pads on the FireBlade. Initially I thought I could just swap them over, but if a job is worth doing, its worth doing right, so the job morphed into a caliper clean as well.
Setting to work, I initially feared I'd sheered off the retaining pin, but quickly realised that I didn't have to hunt down a replacement as it was just a cap protecting the main pin itself from grime. Thankfully all the bolts etc. came away quickly and easily allowing the pads to drop free. As they fell into my hand, my shame was complete. Just look at the state of them! They look almost mummified, encrusted in what could pass for decades of dirt and filth. 

The caliper itself looked a lot worse than it was and a following a decent scrub, the piston came up like new and I'd cleaned out years of muck from recesses of the caliper itself. Getting it back together was nice and easy, with the rear pads slotting into their retaining mounts without protest. 
The way I ride means that these pads are likely to stay in place for several years, so knowing the job has been done right, fills me with a little happiness on this wintry Thursday. 

So I caved in and ordered up some new rear brake pads in readiness for this mornings MOT at All2Wheelers (www.all2wheelers.com) in Poole. Despite asking for next day delivery when I order them on Monday evening, in readiness for a Wednesday delivery, they didn't arrive so I rode down to the shop this morning, fearing the worst, hoping the best.

It's a bright, chilly day today, with some grease and dampness on the road, but the ride was uneventful. In reality I hadn't ridden much since early December, so getting into my full Rukka kit felt like putting on a favourite old sweater. Ironically, just after I arrived, Caro text me to tell me my pads had arrived.

Rocking up to All2Wheelers, I was greeted by the owner and we had a nice chat and I mentioned the pads. He was going to see them anyway, and there is no point trying to pull a fast one.
​
It's a small little place that specialises in lower capacity imports like Sinnis and Reiju and they have a nice little range of the retro custom bikes from China such as Herald, Brixton and AJS and a few larger capacity used bikes for sale. Sitting in their shop area I quickly spot a lovely looking Suzuki GS1000 and a minty 1981 Honda Super Cub 50. Certainly worse places to wait for my MOT result.

Crunch time and the FireBlade failed. But not on the rear pads, she failed on a lack of rear number plate light. I've had the bike since 2014 and she has never had a light there, but thankfully, after a but of a clean, the circuit was clean enough to accept a new bulb. Power on and the little white light glowed away to it's hearts content. 

We chatted for a bit again and I mentioned how I had been following the progress of their restoration of an early eighties Kawasaki Z1100R. I was then invited around the back to see where they were. After being left outside for twenty plus years, the machine was a wreck, but kudos to the owner who is committed to the time and money its going to take to bring it back to life. There is a long way to go and it will never be worth the money spent on it, but passion projects never are. I for one can't wait to watch this journey from rust bucket to pristine show stealer. I'm a bit annoyed with myself for not asking if I could take a picture, but you can follow its progress through the updates on their Facebook page, which is here www.facebook.com/all2wheelers

If you're Dorset based and need a MOT for your bike, or any other bike servicing etc, I can highly recommend All2Wheelers. Give them a call.

So with the new bulb fitted and working I'm now the proud owner of a new MOT certificate, complete with advisories for new tyres and you guessed it, new rear brake pads.

With an MOT test this week, I took the time today to give the FireBlade a once over and while I was there, I had a rummage around to see if I could find the cause of the hot starting issue.
For a bike that will be 17 later this year (just let that sink in) she's done pretty well, but the hot starting problem is annoying to say the least. The last time it happened, it was a disconnected breather hose that seemed to be the problem, but today when lifting the tank, everything seemed to be in place. Cross fingers it was just a kinked line somewhere and its been sorted. Only time will really tell though.
Part of my prep for the MOT was checking the lights and the brake pads all round, which ended up being a minor strip down and included a clean of the front calipers and then a wash under the fairings. 
​So with the Ipod on I set to work. Taking the left fairing off, I was greeted by an engine bolt trying to make a break for freedom. Looking at it, it must have come loose some time ago (I know - bad Matthew) with the only thing keeping it in place, being the fairing itself. Very lucky.
With the bike up on the stand, my attention turned to the front calipers, which is never a clean job. They came apart easily enough and there was plenty of life in the pads for Thursday, so that was a good thing. With the pads out, I inspected and then cleaned up the calipers and pistons and started putting them back together. Thankfully I'd fully rebuilt these a few seasons ago, so they were still in good condition, with each piston moving freely. When I'm back out on the Ducati this season, I think I'll take the time one weekend morning and strip them back down again. 

Speaking of pads, I think i'll be getting an advisory or even a fail for the lack of material on the rear pads. I'll order some up and hope they arrive, but its fairly unlikely. I'm not one to skimp on rear pads, but in reality, some budget ones will suffice. The rear caliper is weak at the best of times and I do all my braking using the front wheel. I'll see whats on offer.
​Wish us luck everybody.

There are days when, even though you've planned to keep them simple, the simplest of things can subsequently mean that all plans quickly come unravelled.
The Saturday before Christmas is well known as a busy shopping day, so anybody in their right mind would be staying away. Right? Well, that was my plan anyway, but needing to head to the Supermarket in town to buy, of all things, dishwasher cleaner, left me with a decision. Car or bike? The choice was quick and easy. Bike.
Surprisingly for the 22nd December it was mild enough for full leathers, so even though the trip is one of only 5 or so miles, I took the opportunity to don my Alpinestars suit for one more time.
As I was already in town, I decided to stop outside a local model shop for some supplies first. Quick in and out and it was all good. Getting back to the bike, the intermittent warm starting issue that saw me stranded at a petrol station a month or so back, reared its head again. Knowing that it would be fine once it cooled, I headed a few doors down to the Coffee Saloon and picked up a take away. 15mins and one black Americano later and we were back on the move.
I'm due to give the bike a good clean over the Christmas break so while I have the bodywork off, I'll check to see if the breather has been pinched again like last time. Thinking about it, I really should have addressed this sooner. Oh well.

This is most likely my last post of 2018, so I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to anybody and everybody who pops past to say hi. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

See you out there in 2019.