My OperaThursday
Sunday, May 31, 2009 8:47:47 PM
I knew Thursday was going to be a busy day from the outset. What I didn't know was that it was also going to be eventful, and in places completely and utterly random. Fate surely had something to do with it.
I woke up at 8, which was commendable for me, and got myself ready for the day ahead. The plan; work from 11:30 til 9ish then set straight off to my Mum's on the bike. I got everything packed and the mp3 player I found the night before just disappeared. Never mind, I had everything I needed for the journey, so I would just have to do without.
Work was uneventful, yet tiring. While I was there I took the liberty of fitting my new flyscreen.
I ended up finishing around 8:45, my first port of call being a mate's house to tighten the tiny nylon nuts on the screen. I jumped on the bike, and the battery was flat. Bugger. Not to worry, my friend's house is literally a stone's throw away from work, so I pushed the bike over there for a jump.
Bike started and screen bolts tightened, I was ready for the off. Just a brief ride to Skegness to fill up before I set off, then I was on my way. I ended up sitting behind the slowest arsehole on the road in front of me, doing around 30-40mph all the way. By the time I officially set off to my Mum's it was about a quarter past ten.
I was relieved when I finally set off for Preston. After a quick ton-up blat along the Burgh bypass courtesy of Lincolnshire County Council, I spotted a gent with a CB750 at the side of the road who looked stranded. I took a U-turn to see if there was anything I could do. Turns out he'd blown his main fuse and the RAC man was on the way. I said cheerio and carried on.
It was getting dark, but the sunset was beautiful. Riding through the twilight was a great thing to behold. In fact you could say I was riding into the sunset. I took the A16 north toward Grimsby, then turned off toward the M180. I saw a pair of bikes parked up on a side road that looked very familiar, but I couldn't quite work out why. It was probably a bit silly to turn round and check it out this late, but something instinctively told me to, so I did. Turns out it was my mates Mark and JB, Mark aboard his Hyosung GT650 and JB on his City Fly. What a coincidence it was bumping into them. By now it was ten past eleven.
I took a quick ride with Mark and JB up to where the A46 crosses the A15 and I tooted goodbye to them as they turned off back to Grimsby. There's a bit of a gash left-hander on the A15 going towards the airport, and with it being so dark I couldn't really make it out, but managed to scrub off my speed to a safe 30mph when I did spot it. I made a mental note for the journey back.
From seeing my mates it took me an hour to get to Hartshead Moor services, where I stopped for fuel and a piss. Walking into the motorway service station at midnight really showed it up for the shithole it really is, the lack of crowds of people leaving the grotiness nothing to hide behind. I decided against stopping for something to eat.
From here it was a straight, easy run to my destination. A steady 100mph ride via the M62, M61 and the last mile or so of the M65 which terminates about 3 miles from my Mum's house. I arrived at about 1, 80 miles in 45 minutes thanks to the lack of traffic. I will definitely consider riding motorways at night again if I want to get somewhere quickly and efficiently. There's no way I could have made that progress in the daytime. The screen did nothing to help my neck, however, and got me dreaming of alternative bikes again.
I woke up at 8, which was commendable for me, and got myself ready for the day ahead. The plan; work from 11:30 til 9ish then set straight off to my Mum's on the bike. I got everything packed and the mp3 player I found the night before just disappeared. Never mind, I had everything I needed for the journey, so I would just have to do without.
Work was uneventful, yet tiring. While I was there I took the liberty of fitting my new flyscreen.
I ended up finishing around 8:45, my first port of call being a mate's house to tighten the tiny nylon nuts on the screen. I jumped on the bike, and the battery was flat. Bugger. Not to worry, my friend's house is literally a stone's throw away from work, so I pushed the bike over there for a jump.
Bike started and screen bolts tightened, I was ready for the off. Just a brief ride to Skegness to fill up before I set off, then I was on my way. I ended up sitting behind the slowest arsehole on the road in front of me, doing around 30-40mph all the way. By the time I officially set off to my Mum's it was about a quarter past ten.
I was relieved when I finally set off for Preston. After a quick ton-up blat along the Burgh bypass courtesy of Lincolnshire County Council, I spotted a gent with a CB750 at the side of the road who looked stranded. I took a U-turn to see if there was anything I could do. Turns out he'd blown his main fuse and the RAC man was on the way. I said cheerio and carried on.
It was getting dark, but the sunset was beautiful. Riding through the twilight was a great thing to behold. In fact you could say I was riding into the sunset. I took the A16 north toward Grimsby, then turned off toward the M180. I saw a pair of bikes parked up on a side road that looked very familiar, but I couldn't quite work out why. It was probably a bit silly to turn round and check it out this late, but something instinctively told me to, so I did. Turns out it was my mates Mark and JB, Mark aboard his Hyosung GT650 and JB on his City Fly. What a coincidence it was bumping into them. By now it was ten past eleven.
I took a quick ride with Mark and JB up to where the A46 crosses the A15 and I tooted goodbye to them as they turned off back to Grimsby. There's a bit of a gash left-hander on the A15 going towards the airport, and with it being so dark I couldn't really make it out, but managed to scrub off my speed to a safe 30mph when I did spot it. I made a mental note for the journey back.
From seeing my mates it took me an hour to get to Hartshead Moor services, where I stopped for fuel and a piss. Walking into the motorway service station at midnight really showed it up for the shithole it really is, the lack of crowds of people leaving the grotiness nothing to hide behind. I decided against stopping for something to eat.
From here it was a straight, easy run to my destination. A steady 100mph ride via the M62, M61 and the last mile or so of the M65 which terminates about 3 miles from my Mum's house. I arrived at about 1, 80 miles in 45 minutes thanks to the lack of traffic. I will definitely consider riding motorways at night again if I want to get somewhere quickly and efficiently. There's no way I could have made that progress in the daytime. The screen did nothing to help my neck, however, and got me dreaming of alternative bikes again.
