Where's the photos then?

Some photos from the previously blogged events:

Old and new Metzeler Tourances - new on the right I think ;o)

The TA gets some attention in Robs Workshop with new tyres, a front caliper rebuild with new seals and an oil + filter change. Note: Paula spent the whole evening fiddling with my rear end and swing arm - nice. Also note the touring screen - another eBay bargain.

Loaded up for our trial run down to Bournemouth Air Festival to scrub in the tyres.

Looking pretty overloaded, but the packs are just air mattresses a lightweight tent, the panniers are only half full of tools and camping gubbins and the top box is totally empty (for food, water and bike kit when we leave the bikes).

Our un-planned destination - Waitrose car park in Salisbury. Not quite camping in the New Forest or watching an air show on the beach, but we blew the camping money on food and drink and watched movies on the laptop instead. Kind of like a low budget drive in movie, while we waited for the AA (since we'd just fitted our spare tubes and not had a chance to put in the Ultraseal yet!?).

Having fitted another new tube yesterday, the culprit was a washer that must have fallen into the tyre when we were fitting the tyres and split the tube. :\ Doh! At least it's sorted now anyway and we'll get that Ultraseal pumped in this weekend before we tempt fate too much!

Caliper bolt is replaced again, after it shearing off. No thanks to Pro-Bolt who sent a 10mm head bolt instead of a 12mm (is everyone crap these days?) - at least it was the right size thread I suppose and I'll be carrying a 10mm socket anyway.

With any luck, this time next week, we'll be talking French!

Hmm, maybe I should collect up a few garden snails to trade when I get there ...

8 to go

8 days until departure. It's raining, I have a flat tyre on my bike, a snapped caliper bolt, battling PayPal for £270, no sat-nav and my unshakeable optimism that everything is going to go smoothly is starting to get a little frayed at the edges!

Our attempt to trundle down to Bournemouth last weekend to scrub the new Tourances in ended in a Salisbury car park with a pancake flat rear tyre (probably a pinched tube when fitting the new tyres). Since we'd fitted our spare tubes into the new tyres and left all the tools scattered at home, we didn't have many options and just got recovered home by the AA, after a few hours spent eating food from the nearby Waitrose deli counter and watching movies on the mini-laptop (supplied by work so I can connect remotely, but currently loaded with music and movies).

So I'm currently waiting for new inner tube and some caliper bolts, one of which sheared off while I was replacing the seals on the front brakes, before I can get back on my bike. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly this time!

As for the story of PayPal and the duplicated sat-nav payment, I'll just give you some advice: if paying for something using paypal beware there is a risk that their system will double the payment you make. Usually not a problem, but paypal have the worst system and after hours of phone calls over nearly 30 days, the only way I could get my money back was for my bank to force it back. Shockingly crap for supposedly the safest way to pay online!!

All challenges to be overcome, but hopefully nothing show stopping yet. We have our Euros and with just 4 days work to go after today it's all becoming one big exciting feeling of "holy &$^* we're really doing this"! I guess I'd better start brushing up on my French then! ..

-Mark

19 days to go!

and with the last wedding photos all done now it's time to check off the lists, start packing the panniers and do the impossible and shortlist my clothes pile to one pannier!.... try and sort out our way point wants and needs...try and mark some things on the map as the satnav thing has not gone to plan at all!...the secondhand garmin from eBay was hooky and the police will be over to pick it up any day now (I shit you not) pay pal are crap to the extreme on refunds but to add insult to injury they duplicate payed the satnav touting vagabond TWICE by mistake.........AAHHHHhhhhhhhhh - o - poo! *falls to the floor in a heap of despair and disbelief* If they do manage to sort it out this millennium we may try again...

Got a new pet to take with me :) name ideas will be greatly received...

No long distance bum ache...WOOHOOOO!

Marks fab footwear has turned up so we both are sporting Altbergs now even if Mark's need breaking in a bit, sure they will be fine in a few weeks time, this weekends paddle in the sea should help anyway :) Cant wait to get my new rubber on (tyres) that is...as sported here by the fabulous mark reading ghost rider (his newest motorbike influenced read) written by Niel peart....."drummer of rush"

...were just high on life in case you were wondering...

I'm not going to start about carole nash and our insurance stuff, all I will say is that this week after several months of corrections and paperwork dilemmas we now have all necessary documents..happy days.

Not sure I posted anything about my new front end but after two cans of Hammerite my forks are now black and much more sexy Grrrrr!

XP

New rubber

Having 4 new tyres delivered today so we can both start out on new rubber. Both the bikes were about half way through their tread and views were split between whether they'd last the tour or not, so we decided to roll out on fresh tyres and save the current ones for when we get back.

Paula had been running on Bridgestone Trailwings and the Transalp came with Metzeler Tourances on, with a 130/80 on the rear instead of the stock 120/90. After a good look around at various road biased dual-sport tyres we went for Tourances from blackcircles.com, which with their special offers came out pretty much the same price as most other tyres anyway. I've been really happy with my Tourances (when not on wet mud and clay up Salisbury plain), so I'm happy with the choice.

Mitas tyres were tempting due to our meagre budget, but reports of the hard compound being poor in the wet put us off those and the lack of an F650 size E-08 front also. Tyres being pretty damn important we decided we should put in the extra investment.

Saving money as usual, so we'll get a bit more practice replacing tyres at some point, put the tyre levers to more good use again and then get the Ultraseal/Puncture Safe pumped in too.

Got Robs garage booked for wednesday to do the Transalp's mini service and brake rebuild. Then just need to re-fit the crash bars and we'll be all set to go.

Thank you to all those who have donated to our fundraising - reckon we've raised around £600+ so far! Fantastic!

Off down to the coast this weekend for a final shakedown of the bikes and kit. The plan was to go fully loaded, but possibly not if we're on new tyres, but we'll see.

- Mark

Map test 1

Click here for map

Experimenting with logging GPS tracks onto the blog. Recorded this track on a jaunt over to bristol - not exactly scenic or particularly entertaining, but hopefully should get the hang of it before we leave.