I seem to be doing more spending than riding.

[robxxxx]

Only five and a bit weeks till we set off for Romania. But I seem to be finding problem after problem at the moment.
Chain and sprockets a couple of weeks ago, plus a new battery. My front Conti Trail Attack seems to have developed cracks in the bottom of the tread. And Just spent another £70 on back brake bits. And I'm still on the hunt for a tool tube to bolt on somewhere.
Add pre-trip-paranoia to this and things are looking grim at the moment, please tell me it will be OK.

[cdubya]

It WILL be ok. Have a blast!

[Spud]

I'm Going to France In Spetember, new boots rear brake pads etc it's just being sensible. have a great tripo cheers Spud  

[Bixxer Bob]

You'd be doing this stuff anyway so, as Spud says, it's just sensible.  I went to Scotland thinking I had enough tread on the back tyre then spent half the week worrying about it. I should've just done it before I went. :roll:

[oxnsox]

Rob you're doing the right thing simply by doing the required maintenance. Focussing too hard on the 'what-ifs' will keep the bike in the shed putting on weight.

Sounds like it's a trip you've planned and thought about so you've done the hard bit. Now there's just the enjoyment of the ride and adventure...... and telling us all about it.

[Sin_Tiger]

+ 1 Using my acute bad timing skills I've managed to have all 3 bikes off the road at the same time :roll:  the only thing that's revved up at the moment is my cheque book  :shock:
Every quid you don't spend now its easily translated to petrol or beer on the road  

[Chris Canning]

Always makes me smile when talking to folk who are non bikers,they have this image that bike travel is cheap,our week to Mugello came in with a credit card bill for over a grand travelling there and back,400 pound hotel bill in Florence plus food,and direct debit bill for the peage and the 600 Euros we took in cash.

Ontop of that,tyres that were all but brand new(always go away with new tyres),chain sprockets,various other bits and bobs fitted,took a R/R and spare clutch cable and left a brand new alternator with friends with instructions to DHL 24 hour it if needed,and a heavy weight credit card in case it all went belly up.

We live in a cheap country when it comes to bike bits and spares,buy e'm here before you go you'll save both money and a lot less grief.

4 weeks thursday will on the Portsmouth/St Malo ferry for Le-mans,just about recovered from the 140 euro's that it cost for a battery for my K1200 last year!!! :shock:

[Nick Calne]

Pah! That's nothing Rob, by a used Saab 9-5, like mine and know the true meaning of expense, utter unreliability and lack of movement / travel.
 

As for the bike, I suspect you are just worrying about it because the trip is coming up.  Better these little wrinkles show up now than later, when they are hard to fix.  I'd say this is actually good luck!

Enjoy your trip.

[metalguru]

Rob, if you were not asking these questions it would be worrying. I think it is something we all do before a run or even on the weekly/daily checks.

Once you hit the continent you will be fine, go and ENJOY, oh and BTW, pictures please.

[robxxxx]

It is just pre-trip nerves. And the thought that if this big blue thing fails then all bets are off!
To be fair, the wife has had a lot on her plate too. She cant decide what clothes to take. So I think I have come out in sympathy.
Got to agree with you Chris. We went off to Italy at the beginning of June. Last minute decision to see some family. I had half a mind to drive or ride. Once we did the maths, it was an easy choice to jump on Ryanair.

[Chris Canning]

Travelling on a bike is an art form,it's what we do it's an addiction,this year was different,by the time we were due to go to Mugello normally we would have done at least two shake down runs,Le-Mans has been moved from April to september and we didn't go to the NW200,so we knew the first 500 miles would be tough and it was,but what I enjoy,ride all day,decent hotel,good meal,go to bed,up for breakfast,out the door and ride all day,again!!

One of the advantages of being a little older!!,is when the dipstick behind the hotel reception views you with distain as you walk through the door with 600 miles of crap on you,the look on their face when they check the register they realise you've booked the Penthouse,you can see the cogs working thinking you've got a few more bob in your pocket than what they thought 20 seconds ago,pre concieved ideas and all that!!!.

Oddly enough I got jumpy about the bike as well for some reason,it gets ridden pretty hard but ran like a good'un,the down side of doing holidays and travelling Europe,I/we have zero interest in riding in the UK,I'll go out to mid Wales during the week with no traffic and no law,but ride a bike of a weekend  :( ,just a great way of getting banned,the way I ride a bike.

[Bixxer Bob]

Advise the wife (no point in trying to TELL her...) to buy some cheap T shirts and underwear from Mattelan so she can wear and then bin.  Tell her the hotel will have a hair dryer (lie if you have to).  You could do the same, but you'll only be allowed one half of one of the three cases you'll be taking anyway and mostof that will be tools and spares  :lol:

The guru is Chris C and his missus - she uses vac bags.

[Chris Canning]

Nothing to do with me,I ride the bike,my other half does the packing(I'm not allowed),it's a shame I didn't get to take some photos of what we took to Mugello and how we packed it,I know our blue pillow on the topbox looks daft but there's 25 years of R+D gone into that bag and the zip on the side,and the straps that hold it on.

As for tee shirts/socks/pants,anything during the year that we don't like not happy with gets put to one side and is used when we are on the road and gets dumped every day,even silly things like hair shampoo,why take a bottle when those small sache's will do,hair dryers,yep we take one I'll sort it out and take a photo,about the size of a pair of glass's case.

[Sin_Tiger]

Vac bags are to my missus are like a good torque wrench to me, Her bag is like sTardust when she starts pulling stuff out of it.

[cosmo]

Just got done with a 1700 mile trip to NY (Rochester) and back. Caned it the whole way (75-80mph for the whole tank, often, and two up) Not a hiccup.

What ARE you worrying about, get out there!!!

Cosmo