January 06th, 2015

In typical fashion, this week I got my days mixed up. I thought I was due to take the FireBlade in today to have the head race bearings changed, but in fact it was due in tomorrow. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem were it not for the fact I'm putting both bikes in the back of a van tomorrow and driving South. Luckily I found all this out yesterday and the team at Metropolis were able to fit me in on short notice. 
What was originally just the one job turned into a few little jobs as it turns out my front brake pads were worse than I thought. This resulted in a quick return to the dealership with the Ferodo pads I bought from the NEC, but whilst Artur was working on it, it made sense for him to install the HEL braided front brake lines too. Bonus.

Whilst the 'Blade was being worked on, I was able to take a Monster 821 out for a spin. As you would expect, its very much a 'Monster'. The engine is fantastic, quickly picking up speed when needed and the exhaust note is highly addictive. The bars are nice and high, but the riding experience was really ruined for me by the restrictions of the pedals and footrests. Artur said that he didn't notice a problem, but Mike, who like me is 6ft+ and rides on the balls of the feet, found the same problems. Due to the casting of the rear foot peg hanger and the exhaust, its impossible to pull your feet far enough back. Its not a problem when needing to change gear or use the rear brake, but the problem arises when wanting to put your feet into a more relaxing riding position. Shame really as the rest of the bike is faultless. 
Finally a little bit more good news, well for me anything. After entering a Fast Bikes travel competition as a bit of a joke, I got my story published in the Feb 2015 issue and I think I've won a Kreiga rucksack. Cool