France is closed on Sunday

We started out this morning in a hotel outside Grasse. Breakfast was an optional extra charged at £10 per croissant so the idea was treated with the contempt it deserved. Now i'm no fan of hotels and the tent and bags are packed and eager to be pressed into action but my regular internet searches show that it's about 2 or 3 euros less to camp and once breakfast is thrown in, which it usually is then we're out of pocket so we're hopping hotel rooms for now.
We left the hotel for fuel as the bike was thirsty and eager, well... thirsty at least. Today was something i have been waiting for, we were crossing into the Verdon region national park. We were only going as far as Manosque but frequent stops meant it was an all day business. Within minutes we were seeing ADV style bikes everywhere, all mint and shiny spending more time polished than in dirt. Shame but that's life. nice to see them anyway and we saw a lot. Within 10 minutes we found out why.
We climbed onto some mountain roads and just kept climbing and climbing. I have an aversion to heights and a slight dislike of death so my nervousness was piqued slightly. My sat nav has an altitude meter but the road signs warned of 800 metres, then 1000 and so on. We looked back and just had to stop for pictures. The scenery was simply breathtaking and the scale simply can't be captured on camera. Every second we didn't stop was a wasted photo opportunity and the scenery just got better and better. We were literally up with the clouds today and every picture looked like a postcard. This area had hairpin bends on every stretch and some caught us off guard but generally it was just simply the best riding so far. I'll add some pictures but they simply don't do this area any kind of justice. This experience has to be experienced, it can't be viewed or captured or described or imagined. There is simply nothing like being immersed in a gigantic, ferociously austere ballet of natural elegance and to feel truly that you, as a human are a part of something so vast, so old and so big.
We powered through villages at the best pace we dared. We had to stop once to let my partner put on her waterproofs but the few drops of rain quickly passed and we never really had anything more than a few drops of warning. As we went deeper the villages fell away leaving little more than a few ramshackle dwellings dotted around inhabited by brave souls who can survive without any human contact. The buildings that there were gave the impression of a person pouring too much salt on a meal and some simply spills across the table, a few random grains dotted about before they're wiped away.
We made our way through this stunning area towards a village, Castellmaine where we stopped for a largely unsatisfying lunch surrounded by all manner of motorcycles. Nobody seemed interested in talking but at least the French riders take the time to wave. Mine attracted some interest, I presume because it's heavily modified and dirty. My partner looked at some shoes in town today and asked how French people can afford to live. I guess that's an interesting question, this place is insanely expensive, even compared to London. I guess what you don't see through shop windows is the taxation, wages and rental costs which paint more of a rounded picture. Obviously they have more disposable income so the shop prices reflect it. I guess this is why there are so many brand new bikes on the road and people scoff at mine, a 4 year old machine built by my own hand.
We explored a bit but were both keen to travel on. As soon as we left we started ascending again, more mountain passes and they grew increasingly dangerous. No pretense at side barriers, just a sheer drop to certain death. One mistake and you were a dozen different kinds of dead. I think this fact was realised by my passenger who behaved herself well today. Some of the lanes were just so narrow that we couldn't stop and these were ones with the most amazing views.
The road signs let us down by GPS stepped up to let us know we were on the wrong lane. We've reached an understanding now and it's a useful tool if not as useful as advertised.
We finally found signs to Manosque and I just powered on at a decent speed. The scenery was thinning out now as we approached the only major town in the park. What would have been stunning anywhere else now looked bland and we were both tired.
I'm not sleeping. I have carpal tunnel syndrome, an incredibly minor ailment which has flaired up painfully. Not to bore you with details it means I need to leave caffeine and alcohol alone and drink plenty of water. I don't do that and it's usually fine but with the added stress, exertion, exhaustion and everything else it's started up in both hands. Two ibuprofen sorted it right out for now.
We found Manosque fairly easily after some hassle with no road signs and what road signs there were matching neither my map or google maps.
We got sent in the wrong direction to the hotel but found it eventually after the usual hassles.
Interestingly it wasn't a hotel but a sports centre with accomodation. It looks more like a hospital but full of children who smoke. The bike is safe and I have a bed and frankly that's all I give a shit about right now.
We went back into town for a meal. My god, everything was closed so we ended up at a little bar. She ordered what she thinks was fish and I battled my poor french and the waitresses poor english and ended up with some pasta. It was the best pasta ever! We tried each other's food (apart from the fish, I'm a vegetarian) and everything was amazingly good.
It was also great to get out on the bike without the luggage. She felt more like her old self.
Tomorrow we've decided to make a long haul trip to Barcelona a day early. My bum is going to drop off with the saddle sore and she's starting to feel it too. We were going to do the trip over two days but we;ve decided to suck it down and get most of the way there in one so we have two days off the bike to recover.
It will be a boring run but we need a few days off to stretch it out...

PictureTrail: Online Photo Sharing, Social Network, Image Hosting, Online Photo Albums

Link to an album of pictures. Tired now and can't even figure out how to put titles to them but will work on that later.

Grinding gear

Today I have a little spare time where I’m not battling chronic exhaustion so I thought I’d blog a little bit about my equipment.
Everything I’m using was thought through and there is a reason for everything, even if they weren’t the best choices in the world.
My Jacket is a BMW Boulder, otherwise known as the poor-mans Touring jacket. Poor BMW equals expensive to everyone else and this jacket retailed at £300. It’s recently been replaced with the Boulder 2 which is a little bit different so some dealers still have the older ones. I was lucky enough to have an offer accepted on Ebay and got mine new from an over-stocked dealer for £150 which is a fair price. It’s got a tough outer nylon shell that’s fairly water resistant and a goretex inner liner. It’s a summer jacket really but so far I’ve dealt with 10 to 40 degrees and it’s never been uncomfortable. It’s just about roomy enough for a fleece inner and I have a waterproof jacket to throw over the top (army surplus breathable plastic suit). The armour is top notch and it has protection at the shoulders, elbows and back. It’s keeping me warm, cool and dry and is not restricting me at all. The main zip has snapped and the others are a bit fiddly but otherwise top notch gear and a great investment.
Trousers are Wolf Titanium Outlast. Not the greatest choice but they retail at £180 and I got them for £110, the limit of what I wanted to pay. They are a cut above most and I was impressed with the quality of construction when I looked at them. They look different somehow and more durable. They have an internal waterproof/breathable membrane like Goretex but without the cost and a winter lining. I’m running with the lining zipped in because otherwise they stick to you like glue. The lining is very thin anyway and I’m not hot in them. I was impressed from day one, there is no wind through them but they don’t get hot. The only snag is the sizes are generous and they are a bit big but that’s probably a benefit in keeping me cool and I’ve grown to like the way they fit now. Only other issue is that you struggle to take a leak.
Boots and gloves are easier choices. Boots are £20 Karrimore walking boots on sale in Bromley. They are doing the job, they give good ankle protection and are cool and comfortable... price also was spot on. Gloves are some old winter gloves that didn’t fit properly and I wore them once when my main gloves were wet through. The linings stuck and pulled out. I cut them out and now they fit brilliantly and are making good summer gloves. Price was cheap.
My Helmet is an Osbe adventure. Now it’s a good looking and well-made lid with Kevlar/carbon construction I got it cheap at £100 but it’s very noisy and the peak does nothing whatsoever. It’s starting to look tired now and I fancy an upgrade but touring kicks the crap out of your equipment and I’m dubious to spend out on a new lid when this one is decent enough. I don’t need the level of protection this one gives and replacing it with similar would be a waste of money. On a bike that does 70mph I’d be better off with a polycarbonate helmet that was just a bit more comfortable. I may change it out. I saw a very trick looking led on a German GS and it wasn’t something I had heard of. I will look into that when I’m in the land of big, ugly sausages and bigger, uglier women.
The rest of my gear is strapped or bolted to the bike. My sat nav is a Garmin Zumo 500. It’s the same as the 550 for less money and is exactly the same other than not having radio data updates which only work in the US. It’s water and shock proof (tested and proved) but European travel is limited. Granted it’s my own fault for not reading the instructions but I assumed it would just be a case of putting in the post code and getting navigation to the place, just like in the UK but in fact it’s much more tricky and the navigation is basic. Now I’ve turned off all the gadgets it’s like a useful modern compass and it’s telling me my KPH too which is a nice touch. It’s still better than a TOMTOM. I doubt later models are more advanced. I’m guessing for the sort of navigation I wanted I need to download new maps and pay for the privilege. I will find a way to do that without paying.
Luggage is Dirtbagz throwovers. They’re throwovers but they’re good quality. They’re heavy duty nylon and they have an inner rubberised coating so they’re even more durable and waterproof. They have heatproof panelling to avoid exhaust heating and plates to hold some degree of shape. They also come with metal support bars to rest on. Those bars are tough and have saved the bike from damage when she was kicked over in London by some unknown bastard. The bags seem excellent but I’m running a bungie around them too to support the weight, just in case. No trouble so far. I wanted metal so i could lock them but the alloy rear subframe doesn’t lend itself to the extra weight and boxes can be dangerous in a spill, especially off-road so this was a better solution all round, (cheaper too).
Upgrades to the bike were more costly. The first and biggest improvement came from a Wilburs rear shock. The showa standard unit is a piece of crap. They frequenlly pack up and bottom out, stressing the allow swing-arm. The Wilburs comes with a 5 year warranty and transformed the way the bike handles. They set them up for you and I’m a generously built guy in the first instance. Additionally I frequently carry a Pillion. My other-half weighs about as much as what happens when you dispose of a heavy curry the morning after a night out but I specified the weight of the luggage too. This all means it’s just a guess and it still handles brilliantly on or off road. I wanted to bring the front up to spec too so eventually went with Hagon progressive springs. I know some people think you have to swap out the forks but those people have more money than sense. I’m at home on a bike. I can push a sports bike to 180mph or throw a GS about off-road but I would never see the benefit of completely rebuilding the front end. I’m just not that good and outside of competition riders nor are most of us. The Hagons do the job. I noticed some difference. Not the same as swapping out the rear shock but some improvement nonetheless. I notice it more bumping it over stuff and I’m really glad to have these upgrades here now that the bike is loaded with heavy gear and two up. I wanted Hyperpro but coulnd’t get them in time. The ones I bought appear to be the same spec and were the same price. I doubt I would have seen much difference either way.
Other big changes were a new exhaust, K&N filter and Iridium plugs. All this freed up a little extra power and she has noticeably more snap than before. I didn’t do it for this reason, I did these changes for fuel economy and saving weight and I’ve seen a benefit in both areas. Exhaust is a GPR. Acceptable quality and one of only a few road legal cans you can get for these. The engine is a lean-burn type and runs hot so you can’t just stuff these full of metal wire, it will burn through it so this is a fairly high quality item but still heavy at roughly half the standard weight. It also doesn’t have a CAT which makes her able to breath.
The major weakness of the design of the bike, from my perspective is the small tank. It hold 9.5 litres in total, 3.5 of those in reserve. That still regularly delivers about 110 miles range without reserve. I fitted a 5 litre acerbic endure tank to the front. It’s meant to be bolted to the forks of competition endure bikes but I made a bracket that held the weight to a load bearing structure on the frame. The tank fits just under the exhaust at the front, right down on the ground. This means the extra weight is in exactly the right place to keep the handling sharp. The downside is the danger of damage in this spot. My answer to that is that these tanks are built to withstand a truck driving over them. Secondly if there is damage to them I only lose the front tank and keep on going with my main supply. No huge loss. It’s fitted to the breather at the back so the vacuum feeds the fuel directly, just the same as the costly X-tank which holds weight too high and in a weak place and upsets my luggage plans. The X-tank is over £500. Mine was fitted and functional for £70 and has boosted my range to around 200 miles before reserve.