Let's talk about confidence. How a lack of and indeed an abundance of, are potentially very dangerous. 

I was riding to work a few weeks back and it was wet. Very wet. I've invested in some good quality Rukka gear, so riding in the rain doesn't bother me so much, in fact it's something a quite enjoy. I'm dry and warm so I'm able to concentrate on what I'm doing. The bike, the FireBlade in this case is also wearing tyres suitable to all weather conditions, so when it is wet, the bike performs in a predictable manner. Anyway, back to my point. I was riding to work as per usual and I came up behind a rider on a 125 little scooter. They did not look comfortable at all. They were all over the  lane and were clearly not happy riding in the wet. The 'kit' they had on, certainly didn't match the conditions, so one can assume they were both cold and wet, which was sapping their concentration. This particular route takes in a few mini and proper roundabouts, so there is plenty of direction changes. As we rounded one of the larger ones, the scooter rider, practically stopped, turning what could, and should have been a smooth arch, into something resembling a hexagon. Their speed was inconsistent where at every minor change of direction, the would halve their speed, making following them really difficult. A car driver who wasn't paying attention could have easily run into the back of them for example.

I put this riding down to a real lack of confidence in both the machine and the conditions. When we are nervous, we tend to look down and when riding this means about 15m in front of the bike and therefore, not looking where we are going, which then compounds the situation, making the ride even more nervous and unpredictable. 

When it comes to riding in the wet, the best way to build up confidence is to actually ride in the wet. As I mentioned earlier, I quite enjoy riding in conditions that a large percentage of riders wouldn't even consider going out in. I've had some of my favourite rides in poor conditions as I picked off slower vehicles down good biking roads, but it's this level of over confidence that can and does cause problems, often tragic.

Just like my ride how a few days later.

I was riding home from work. It was dry and I was wearing a hi-viz vest as 90% of the route is unlit and on single track, twisty roads. I knew the route well and knew where the passing opportunities were, so when I came up behind slower vehicles, I knew where I would need to position myself to get the best view of the road ahead to pass safely.

I'd just come off a large roundabout onto a single lane national speed limit road, so a 60mph limit. The road bent slowly to the right, but you still see enough of the road ahead to pass slower vehicles. There were two cars ahead with nothing coming the other way. I easily passed the first one and scanning the road ahead and not seeing any lights, started to plan on passing the second in the same movement. It was when I'd committed to the manoeuvre on the second vehicle, that the car with a broken driver side headlight came around the corner. It was being followed by something big and German and its super bright LED headlights were being diffused by the car in front, but also giving a false impression of what I could see. I was in trouble.
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As you can tell, I got away with it, but that doesn't make how I approached the situation better. My over confidence nearly got me killed and I'm ashamed to admit that. Bikes are great and you know I love them because I've been running this website for 6 years now. Their manoeuvrability and speed make them addictive, especially if you don't like travelling at the pace of the vehicle in front.

Some people would say that a scare does you good as it reigns you back in, but I really should have known better. In this particular case, it was unnecessary and ultimately foolish. We often lambaste the poor car drivers, distracted by phones, radios, kids or whatever in their car, but we need to take more responsibility for how we ride.

99% of the time, I'm a good rider. Swift, but good. I respect 30mph limits and I took pride in knowing what was going on around me. I achieved the Gold RoSPA standard twice, but this incident shook me and I'm not ashamed to say that. I could have ruined many, many lives in a single instant.  

We all ride for different reasons, but I hope my experience makes the question 'Is this overtake' worth it, just sound a little louder in your head.

Earlier this week I headed up to Motorcycle Live with long time friend Lucinda. From where I live on the South Coast, the drive to Birmingham is a long one and by the end of the day, we'd spend nearly 7 hours in the car. 
I've been going to the show regularly now and it never fails to impress. Its now a case of if you really want to see everything, sit on everything and explore everything, you'd probably need two days. 
The show is really well supported by all the main manufactures and the big companies are starting to really present very large, dominating stands. Honda for example seemed to take up a third of one of the halls by themselves. It was all very impressive.
There were a few bikes that were getting a lot of attention; the new Ducati V4R, BMW1000RR and Suzuki Katana to name just a few. Personally it was great to be able to sit on the new Honda Cub after seeing the prototype last year. I'd love one, but being 6'3, they are tiny and the rocker action of the gear change would be problematic for my massive feet.
The new bikes  were mixed in between old classics, genuine race bikes from Kawasaki and BMW and the traditional MotoGP 'shells' from Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda, which now almost seem mandatory.
Here are some pictures from the day. Not everything by any means, but a few of the bikes, in no particular order, that took my interest

As motorcyclists, we all know, well at least, we all SHOULD know, that good observation skills are paramount to a safe and enjoyable ride. As we've started on our 5 month journey through the winter, how we employ those skills becomes more and more important.
In the dark, our biggest advantage is greatly restricted and in some cases (being blinded by cars cresting a hill or coming around a corner with their full beams on) temporarily removed. This lack of visibility, coupled with often damp and greasy roads in the morning, results in a completely different riding style and approach to each journey.
I don't know about you, but when its damp, there always seems to be much more oil laid down on the tarmac. In reality I know that there is no reason why, when it's wet, other vehicles will leak more, because they don't. Its just that, in these damp conditions, the oil spreads itself on top of the surface, rather than staying in a concentrated droplets. Its this spread that makes oil the number one danger when your visibility is taken away in my opinion.
Now when the police and riding instructors talk about using our observation skills, there is a tendency for us to only think about the one sense; sight. That's totally understandable as we get approx 83% of our information through our eyes. But there are more senses as our disposal that could save us from a fall.
The first of these we all use without actually realising it. This is our sense of touch. When it's cold, we can feel it all over, so we know that there will, more than likely, be less mechanical grip. We therefore slow down and don't try to lean the bike over so far. To a lesser extent we use our hearing as well. Although often muted by earplugs, we can still hear the vehicles around us, be they a car travelling too close, or an emergency vehicle approaching from the distance. This is all good and one of the many reasons why I don't listen to music on the bike. The sense that many people ignore though  (and the actual reason for this blog post) is our sense of smell.
When we are riding, we are exposed to so much more than the average car driver. We can smell the countryside, we can smell that 150,000 mile Vauxhall Zafira pumping our toxic diesel fumes a few cars ahead, but we can also smell spilt fuel and large quantities of oil, well before we actually see it.
As part of my riding gear, I always wear a Buff neckscarf. Its a simple fabric barrier that I wear over my nose and mouth to help toxic fumes out of my lungs, but it still allows me to pick up that all too familiar smell, roll off the throttle and take a far more conservative approach to my speed an line. 

I never thought I'd be getting me knee down today, but down it went. The left puck glanced the surface and I got to feel the positive pressure push my left leg back towards the bike.
The ironic thing is that I was doing about 4mph and I was filtering between two lines of stationary traffic approaching a roundabout.
The surface in question was the right wing of some old boys piece of s##t Vauxhall. Not a fan of Vauxhalls at the best of times. Not content that me, the biker, was able to squeeze between the traffic, they decided to hit me with their car as traffic briefly started to move.
Now, I will happily admit that the gap was small and that he may not have seen me, however, I was already in front of him (probably only a few feet), on a bright yellow bike with a shockingly bright hi viz jacket on, so yes, he may not have seen me, or as I fear, he thought 'Oh no you don't, I'm going to teach you a lesson!'
Interestingly, when I stopped and waited for him a few meters further up in the traffic, he pulled up next to me, wound down his window and repeatedly referred to me as 'A F##king Maniac! Conversation I fear, would have been tricky. So after listening to his tirade and watching his blood pressure rise, knowing I wasn't injured, I casually rode off leaving him to steam in his own hatred.
Playing Devils Advocate; maybe he's had a really bad day and having been stuck in traffic for the last 20mins his temper and patience were already low. Then, out of nowhere, from his perspective, this biker was either cutting him up, or had actually struck him, rather than the other way round. 
It takes two to tango as they say. We were both just trying to get to our destination and this was just the result of a really busy road network, the dark, rush hour and a split second decision.
Or failing that, he was just an a##hole!

It's been very much an Indian Summer of late, with fantastic autumn weather resulting in dry, clear tarmac. The biggest problem has been the rising and setting sun though.
My two daily journeys mean that for sections of each, I have to ride straight into the sun, which is both uncomfortable and dangerous. 
In the Bikerdown! course where I volunteer, we discuss this issue and ways in which we can help ourselves, both when heading into and also away from the sun.
If the sun is behind us, our visibility won't be compromised, but any drivers coming the other way, aren't going to be able to see a thing. As such, we need to ride in a smarter way to really limit the risk.
Being invisible is not a new problem for bikes and now, here in the UK, the clocks have gone back which means that, for me, every journey home from work until April, will now take place in the dark. 
I often see lots of riders who are covered head to toe in black kit. My Rukka kit is black, but has reflective strips built into it, however, I don't think this is enough, so I have the added colour of a hi viz vest. Its nothing special, but it helps raise my presence when on the road.
The vest helps the driver see me as they following in a line of vehicles. Its so easy for us to disappear into the lights of the vehicle in front when favouring the right side of the lane as we position ourselves for maximum personal visibility.
For a small section of our sub culture, hi viz is not cool and so, they won't wear it, but it really does make a difference. For me, I find it helps me stand out against the background. I ride in an area with very little light pollution from shop fronts  or street lights, so the bright colours and reflective panels work. In the city however, this may not be the case so much, as the bright yellow itself can blend into the background.
My only advise when it comes to making yourself visible on the road, is to evaluate where you are riding and then select an option that will maximise how people see you. Don't just rely on them seeing the tiny rear light, or your headlight. If you are riding in a mixture of environments, then wear a mixture of different colours, so that during any one instance, there is always one part of you that is dramatically contrasting against your background.

As Autumn starts to take hold here in the UK, I've been enjoying my time back on the bike. 
My commute isn't the longest, but has enough variety to keep it interesting, which is handy. 
The early week sunshine gave way to clouds and rain towards the end of the week, so for the first time, in a long time, I suited up in my Rukka textiles. 
As is good practice, over the summer I'd stripped out the armour, gave them a wash and a Nitwax treatment to boost the water repellent qualities of the garments. Nitwax is a fairly common product and is a 'wash in', meaning you pour the right quantity into a clean washing machine and wash your jacket, or trousers on the required spin. I know, super exciting stuff right here!
The water repelling works well enough, but the biggest issue, especially on those first few rides, is just how little physical grip I get on the bike through my legs. Both of my bikes have Stomp grips stuck on the side of the tank and they work amazingly well with my leathers, but not so much with my textiles. It's not the end of the world, but what this does mean is I have to alter my riding style a fraction, especially if on fast sweeping bends to stop my backside sliding around too much.
The second biggest issue is something I've mentioned before. Turbulence. Leathers are great on the bike as the air simply slides across your back when riding, not so much with textiles, especially on a sportsbike. Its perfectly fine at lower speeds, but when the road and speeds open up, the vibration from the air rushing past the jacket starts to actually blur my vision.
It's not that the jacket is too big either, so to counter this effect, what I tend to do, is either use my Kriega rucksack or a hi viz jacket to in effect keep the fabric strapped down depending on what I have to carry. I guess it's one way to help keep the speeds down, so there is that I guess.

So it's that time again. Six years ago I started this website and well, as you can see, it's still here. There have been some ups and some downs along the way, but my passion for bikes and the site is as strong as it was on day one. 
I'd like to personally thank each and every one of you who have visited the site and joined me for part, if not all of the journey. 
The last 12months have been far from perfect but I'm still looking for ways to really expand what I do and how I do it. I'm feeling really positive going forward and I'm in a good place personally.
I hope you'll continue to join me as I continue my life with my head behind the bubble.

To quote Dave Grohl 'It's times like these you learn to live again'. So after a few months of limited riding, I'm now back out in full swing, enjoying the last of the summer, with dry roads, amazing views and a renewed purpose. 
I cannot deny that I live in a truly beautiful part of the world and I'm just as lucky to get to enjoy some amazing roads that cut their way across the landscape, on some very enjoyable machinery. 
As a biker, sometimes the only justification you need to ride, it to have a destination; any destination. And so it was this morning. Leaving the house earlier than usual, the rising sun was just starting to appear over the trees and houses as I pointed the Fireblade East away from the hustle and bustle of Poole and Bournemouth, down towards the coast and the Isle of Purbeck.
Purbeck is an interesting place. With villages and towns like Corfe Castle and Wareham seemingly stuck in a time warp, with their pace of life harking back some forty years, it's easy to forget that the little peninsula jutting out into Poole Harbour, is only 20mins from the biggest and busiest towns in Dorset. 
The biggest town by far on Purbeck is Swanage, a familiar holiday destination for generations and today's target. During peak season and the school holidays its rammed with holiday makers mixing it with the locals, but when I arrived there this morning, the only people on the seafront were me and a chap sat outside his beach hut, seemingly asleep.

The only problem about Purbeck in any serious way, is that there is only one road in and out. As a result you're often a slave to the driver in front as they travel within their comfort zone along the twisty and windy roads. There is one little gem however, and this is the slightly longer route through the picturesque villages of Kingston and Langton Matravers. The road's only purpose is for local traffic wanting to access these two villages and the smaller Worth Matravers from either side of the main A351, so traffic is often very light. But as the road has great elevation changes, a half decent surface and forms a ribbon of challenging tarmac,  it certainly raises the heartrate. Its 5-6 minutes of biking nirvana when the cuffs come off and I remember why I love to ride so much.

So just over a week after discovering the problem with the plugs on the exhaust servo motor, I was able to call upon the engineering skills of my mate Dean to help swap them over. I've never been a very good solderer, normally making a mess akin to a 4yr old playing with spaghetti, but Dean is. His work is always top quality and when he put it all together, the joins were beautifully crisp and neat all individually wrapped afterwards. One hit of the starter and the bike burst into life, now with the preferred non-raspy exhaust note and without any warning on the dash. 
With the FireBlade all fixed, all I needed to do was put it back together again. Everything clicked together as expected, with the exception of the last fairing retaining bolt, which just so happened to be in a fairly inaccessable area at the front of the bike. When tightening it up, I managed to cross it and not being able to get a suitable grip on the nut, had to resort to violence. Out came the Dremmel, on went a cutting disc and soon the head of the bolt pinged onto the floor of the garage. I didn't even mark the fairing. Sorted.

In other news, I've been spending a little time exploring some of the ranges of custom retro bikes from manufactures such as Herald, AJS, and Brixton and visited a local dealer called All2Wheelers.
Situated on an industrial estate, the team were very welcoming and on the mezzanine of their garage they had a cool little showroom area with the bikes taking pride of place. 
The bikes are really interesting and are fundamentally uncomplicated bikes that are highly customisable. With a simple frame and 'old fashioned' engine configurations, these little things allow the owners to have the type of bike they want, but don't have to pay the earth for. The bike here for example, is the beautiful Herald Maverick 125 and its not a physically small bike. Learner friendly, it doesn't put out huge power, but then its not designed to compete with sportsbikes or tourers. These bikes are great way to potter around on and/or provide very affordable transport. How affordable you ask, well this Herald is £2600 brand new!
In our world there will always be a place for the £20k missiles, but these little retros are forging their place in the market. Not only will they provide new riders with an affordable bike they can feel proud of (no longer being forced to ride around on a knackered CBF125), but they are also providing the experienced rider something fun and different to ride just for fun. Isn't that what biking should be after all, fun.

Sometimes it just isn't your day. Things may look like they are going well, but the final hurdle catches your trailing foot and pulls you down to the floor in a heap.
With the faulty exhaust servo successfully removed from the FireBlade I searched for a reputable dealer and ordered up a good second hand unit, saving nearly £200 over a brand new part.
It arrived quickly and today I had some spare time so I made about getting the replacement part installed.
I'd made good notes regarding the arrangement of the servo cables and managed to slide the new part in without too much hassle. There is a fair amount of space under the tank of the FireBlade, but I still had to make sure that I hadn't snagged any cabling or tubing. It was here that I realised my problem. The replacement part has come off a 2003 CBR954RR, which is for all intents and purposes the same bike as my 2002 CBR954RR. However, the problem I've encountered is that the block plugs, used to connect the servo to the loom, are slightly different. 
The block plugs themselves look very similar from the outside, but one is wider than the other, meaning it won't fit. I'm feeling a mix of disappointment and anger as I only noticed this after I did all the hard work. I can't blame the seller, because in reality it could very easily be my bike that is the problem. All very frustrating really, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I should, with a little help from a more electrics comfortable friend, be able to swap one or both of the blocks around and get everything up and running as it should. Well, that's the plan anyway.