Mikes Big Adventure

Saturday 16th August 2003 - Day One

A whole year later to the day and I`m packed and ready to go. The bike has a fresh new look - black with chrome and gold trim. It also has a fresh MOT test certificate, so fresh the ink is still wet. In my haste to get the bike mechanically fit during the week, I`d overlooked its 12 monthly inspection. To my horror I found it had expired ten days previously! So, off to the nearest testing station I went, pleaded with the man behind the counter and he said it could be done later the same day. Thankfully, it passed but not without a cautionary note that the exhaust system would need attention before the next test was due.

I`d also splashed out on a new biker jacket. The previous one was bulky, heavy and not very comfortable. The "latest thing" was a jacket made from mesh fabric that allowed the breeze to flow through and cool the rider on a hot balmy day. Perfect! The temperatures for the previous weeks had exceeded all records. Whereas last year I`d been arriving like a sauteed kipper, this year Id have the modern, lightweight gear that kept me cool and comfortable.

I was determined to do the very best I could for this trip. The bike was in tip top shape (apart from a small hole in the exhaust, but I think the noise it made was a bonus) and I decided i`d look into buying a new crash helmet. The one I have has been very good. It has a flip up front which means I don`t struggle putting it on past my glasses. Only snag is, its about 18 months old and has grown loose on my head. With time the padding inside a crash helmet slackens and if it moves about on your head its almost as useless as no helmet at all. So whilst my bike was being MOT tested I checked out what the dealer had in stock. There were a couple of new designs similar to mine but fitted with an internal tinted visor. That would be great, I thought, when the sun is low but the price was double what mine cost. Another £100 just for the "luxury" of built in sunglasses? Hmm no, I`ll pass. They did however have a new helmet the same as mine. It was a size smaller and fitted much better. I decided to buy it. So, I called a sales assistant over and said I wanted one just like that. Off he went, back he came - empty handed. "Only got that one in, Sorry". "Oh, well how about discount on the price since its shop soiled, may have had 600 peoples heads in it and whats the chance one of them had nits?", I asked. "Nope, sorry can`t do that" was the reply. "But I`ll give you a new box". Oh great, a shop soiled helmet for the price of a brand new one - but WOW I get a new box. I passed again. Instead I bought a "Buff", £10 of high tech nylon like material that you can wear on your head in a hundred or so different ways, so said the advertising gumph. The idea is the material can breathe but not let wind through. Thats the best £10 Ive spent on biker clothing ever. I wore it as half balaclava and half neckerchief. It kept my neck warm, helped the helmet to slide on and off over my big flappy ears and since it took up some of the slack, saved me the price of a new crash helmet. Excellent!

The only other extra I took with me was my new toy / gadget. Its a global positioning satellite receiver or GPSr for short. With it mounted to my screen it looks like a large mobile phone but is used for guiding you to your destination. I had mine programmed in with the coordinates of each persons house I would be staying at. All I needed to do was follow the direction arrow on the screen, another display would give me information like average speed, distance from destination, time of arrival etc etc. Easy peasy! I knew if I kept a certain average speed I would be there at a certain time and you know what - it was right! From about 20 miles away the GPSr was telling me I`d be at my first stop, Southend on Sea at about 14.10. Sure enough I arrived on time, unflustered and in record time - about 240 miles in only 4.5 hours!

There was plenty of time before the carnival. I could relax and settle in, enjoy the company of my friends Paul and Jeanette before heading off to enjoy the evenings entertainment and gentle cruise along the seafront on our Raleigh Chopper bikes. Paul was kind enough to lend me one of his bikes, then later at his house along with Gary, Jackie and their children (whose house I stayed at last year) we feasted on a barbecue until very late. At least it was for me! With so much going on through the day I was absolutely cream crackered! I made my excuses and headed off to bed.