Let the Touring begin..

The time has come around already to start our pasty tour of Cornwall! With an evening of manic sorting and packing to do tonight, we should be heading out down to the coast tomorrow morning and then onwards to our first night wild camping in Dartmoor. Looks like it will be glorious weather for it, even if the long range forecast makes it look like we'll be catching a ferry home..

Purchased a couple more bits and pieces to make life easier, but still no Touratech frames for my panniers or Givi rack for P's top box, so it's dry sacks and bungee cords all the way this time.

I think our main worry is heavy and constant rain. Turns out Paulas new boots, that Frank Thomas is proud enough of to stick an "Aqua" label on, leak like a sieve. :( So some last minute Shoe Goo and NikWax repairs are underway as we speak. I can confirm that my HG Tuareg jacket is not waterproof also (its not meant to be). Got caught in a heavy downpour and actually it repelled most of it pretty good, except for the two front pockets that seem to just have water blown into them through the zip (which has a poxy little flap over). We did however grab a Hein Gericke All Seasons jacket for £30 too, which was due for P, but actually fits me better. It's untested so far, so if I'm lucky that might turn out to still be waterproof.

List of bits and bobs bought:

Waterproofing for boots

Conductive String (so I can use my iPhone with gloves on)

Para Cord - for washing lines and setting snares to catch the beast of Dartmoor

80L dry sacks to keep stuff dry

12V (non-BMW) socket for the Beemer

Reduced Vango pillows that pack down small and have a fleece outer. Luxury!!

New Gear!!

Got some more kit today, was like Christmas! A jacket and boots from our favourite kit-on-a-shoestring supplier - eBay. Won myself a Hein Gericke Tuareg jacket for £70, thankfully HG sizes aren't too variable and fits great, thanks to a visit to the HG Bristol a couple of weeks ago to check out sizes. Is pretty much brand new, just one broken zip pull thingy, which is no problem at all. Well pleased..

Paula finally received her Frank Thomas bovver boots too, which also look near new, really well made and fit great. Bargain for £17! Perfect for riding, lookin 'ard and kicking my arse no doubt!

We also won a bargain Hein Gericke All Seasons jacket for Paula, just £33 English pounds! Just have to hold out to hope it fits alright when it appears.

Touratech have said there's been a hold up in the German factory for my racks, so much for Kraut effeciency! Probably not actually, but will be irritating anyway if they don't show before the Pasty tour.

Westbury

Finally got to take the bikes out for some fun at the weekend, rather than just maintaining, cleaning and commuting for a change!   Headed up Westbury with the camera and now actually have some pics of us on the bikes, complete with catalogue poses and shades!

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Headed up onto the edge of Salisbury plain for some light off-road practice, a couple of miles of gravel roads and a neat little maze of forest tracks..  Both bikes bottomed out (or clattered tree stumps!), but no spills, punctures or breakages, so was all good.

Improvised camera tripod, Ray Mears style.

As for the farkling and kit progression goes, P is waiting on some new Frank Thomas boots - fingers crossed they fit this time..  I'm still waiting on the Touratech frames - at the end of their 7-10 working day delivery period now, so starting to fear of long delays..  just hope they arrive by Cornwall.  

Got some Goop, bar ends and Oxford 1.5m security cables on the way from M and P (surely we should get a discount for advertising them with our blog name?!).  

Just looking forwards to Cornwall now.  Hoping the weather is getting all the rain out of its system in August, ready for a sunny September..

Wrinklies and Racks..

We popped to Calne Bike meet weekend before last and had a great day drinking cider and wandering the streets full of bikes and stalls.  From old Enfields with leather panniers, to oddball 6 cylinders and thumping chops, it was a good little show.  Had a fantastically interesting chat with Colin and Dee Masters (Wrinklies wround the world), with their tales of Afghanistan, bike mod advice, views on panniers, how good Hein Gericke kit is and how overpriced BMW kit is!  :o)   Didn't realise they were fellow locals until we checked HU website later.  We hope to meet them again someday, maybe at the autumn HU Travellers Meeting in october...

Secondly, I celebrated my continued low APR on my credit card with some Touratech racks at the weekend!  So finally I will get to fit my bargain ZEGA's to the bike!  With the pasty tour of cornwall just a few weeks away now, I am sure they will be put to good use soon.  

What else is on the shopping list?  Well pretty much everything really.  From necessities to pure farkling extravagance.  Touring screens for both bikes.  Center stand for the TA.  Decent touring clothing all round.  Handlebar risers for me.  Givi top box rack for P's Beemer.  

I think the Cornwall tour will be the start of figuring out what we really need and what is just lust.

Update...

OK, the boot love has ended quickly.....wrong size and small hole in one :( BOO!....still looking for a bargain though ;)