December 10th, 2017

Crickey, has it really been a month since I last posted anything? Its not like there hasn't been much going on. On the contrary in fact. Following on from my chain snapping on my FireBlade last month, I had a local tradesman weld part of the engine case back on, which will now allow me to put the newly acquired cover back on the bike.
You may recall that when the chain went, it shattered the part of the case in front of the sprocket and rendered the current mounting point useless. After about twenty minutes, and a bit of welding, the repair was complete. Its not the prettiest weld, but then, it was never going to be and never had to be either. Its not load bearing so this is fine for me. With the case welded I could get the new chain and sprockets on. Well, that was the plan anyway.

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So I got the two sprockets on without too much problem. Using an old tyre to hold the rear wheel still, I was able to torque up the nuts and set to work on the chain. Purchasing a chain fitting kit at Motorcycle Live (some coverage to follow in the next day or so) I set to work. The instructions on both the final drive kit box and in the chain kit were a little limited and I couldn't get the pins to turn over once it was all together. Cue a call to Kevin of Motor Vehicle Services, a friend who has helped me out numerous times in the past, and we agreed a time and date. Turns out the issue was the fitting kit wasn't really designed for the type of final drive kit I ordered. A little bit of experience goes a long way that's for sure. Kevin really is the man if you're in or around the Poole of Bournemouth area, he continues to help us letter skilled neanderthals on a daily basis. Highly recommended.

With the chain and sprockets all done, it was able to get the bike up to Bournemouth Bikes for the engine work that had to be suspended after the chain snapped. I think it's fair to say that I've ridden the Blade pretty hard since picking her up, ploughing on some serious mileage over the last few years. Miles which have started taking their toll, highlighted by a slightly noisy start up and an appetite for oil. The bike ran well, or so I thought, before it went in, but it was well past a valve check and filter change so the work was unavoidable.
While she was in, I borrowed a 2006 ER-6 Kawasaki to get me home. Despite rock hard tyres, the edge of which had never seen tarmac, it was a fun little ride. The single disc up front was plenty sufficient to pull the little thing up and the mirrors were filled with elbows, but I get that with most rides.
I hadn't ridden a 500 since passing my test and I can remember how powerful a 500 felt back in 2007 on those cold November days being schooled by North London Motorcycle Training. Riding it today, when owning a 1098s and a 954, it felt pedestrian, but I did enjoy the experience. It was nimble and quick enough to keep up with and often pass the traffic, so for a few rides it was fun.

Picking the FireBlade up after its service, which included four new plugs and a new air filter (my Pipercross one fell apart in the bike, probably caused by poor fitting), the Blade felt tight, taught and good. This was probably accentuated after riding the little Kawasaki, but either way, it was money well spent and the FireBlade is good to keep propelling me to work throughout the winter and into the summer.