It’s the final count down. Ohhh oh oh ohhhh…

I know, I can’t sing.  But it’s not about that, it’s about the fact that I am days away from setting off on my ride from Amman, Jordan, to the UK.  To say I’m in a state of nervous anticipation would be about right.  I also know that I’m going to really miss my children and, of course, my wife.  So much so that I’ve put measures in place to mitigate it.  I’ve stuck pictures of them (and our dog) inside a pannier lid and spent a few evenings recording myself reading a selection of stories that my 2 year old son can listen to while I’m away.  I think that “War and Peace” and Stephen Kings “The Shining” will keep him engaged for a while and have the added bonus of keeping my wife busy trying get him to sleep once she’s explained what The Shining is all about.  She’s so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband.

With all due considerations towards family covered my next biggest concern is the first day of the ride as that involves getting across the Jordan / Israel boarder.  In theory everything should be reasonably straight forward as all my paperwork is in order and I have proof of onward passage etc.  However, the reality is guaranteed to involve minor annoyance, frustration, mild anger, despair, acceptance and passive smoking whilst drinking cup after cup of unpalatable tea and coffee, if I'm lucky.  I can’t wait.    

Looking from Jordan over the Dead Sea towards Bethlehem.

A testing ride...

Get the basics right.  It's a good mantra and, generally speaking, if you manage to get the basics right then the rest will follow.  Thats why I loaded up the bike and took her for a test ride.  It wasn't just enjoyable but also useful.  I discovered that the bike handles extremely well under load, better then when she's unloaded.  The rear grip off-road is hugely improved and the front remains planted.  Taking her up to motorway causing speeds she remained stable and settled.  I only discovered 4 small issues.  Firstly, if laid from stem to stern then my bag digs into my back.  It now sits across the bike.  Second, braking distance has increased and the front dives a bit more than normal so I have to start braking earlier.  Thirdly, when standing up off-road the tank bag gets in the way.  I can push it back with my knees but it's a bit annoying and I'll just have to get used to it.  Finally, the side stand is too long.  When the bike is carrying extra weight the rear suspension is compressed more than normal and the ground clearance is affected.  This means the side stand keeps the bike in a more upright position.  When I stopped and put the stand down the ground was not perfectly flat and the bike fell over throwing me into the rocks by the track much to my friend amusement.  It means that I have to either park the bike on a slope or use the centre stand all the time.  In my mind that is a major fail in the design of an adventure bike.  Well done Triumph!

[EDIT] Side stand problem solved:  http://www.tiger800.co.uk/index.php/topic,19228.0.html

It turns out that Gollum is my conscience…

Sitting in the middle of a desert in my red hot office “working” away I seem to have let my mind drift slightly.  Inevitably it has run aground on a motorcycle shaped island.  It’s one I know well, it’s my actual bike and my mind’s eye is taking a tour of her and coming up with all sorts of conclusions:

The base bike, a 2011 Triumph Tiger 800XC, is a very good bike.  It’s not the best but it is very good. 

“Then why have you spent so much time and money changing her?” A voice cries.  I think its my conscience wanting justification.  With the peace and quite shattered I go on the defencive.

“It is simple really.  I have either improved her survivability, rideability or reliability.  All things I need if I’m going to ride in inhospitable places.

For survivability I have added armour to the bottom, flanks and handle bars.  I’ve even cut the screen down so that if she flips it can’t dig into the ground and rip the front off the bike; it happened to a friends BMW.  And I’ve changed the rear brake and gear levers after they got damaged off-road.  Now they are better positioned and stronger.

In terms of ridability I have raised the handlebars, adjusted the foot controls, added a lovely comfortable sheep skin to the seat.  It has been amazeballs!  Cool in the heat and warm in the cold.  The cut down screen helps by keeping me cool.  Placing the GPS just below eye level, so I don’t have to look down and away from the road, this should increase my survivability!  To address the reliability I’ve added an extra air filter, replaced the OE filter with a freer flowing one and balanced this with a freer flowing exhaust.  The oil is changed regularly and I use a performance oil filter to help the engine work at its optimal level.  That’s where the money and time has gone.”

“oh, but what about the other stuff?  What about the action camera, the fancy luggage, the rotapax fuel carri…..  I get it.  We are a biker and that stuff is shiny.  We wants is don’t we, we needs it, yes… We needs it for my precious.  My preciousssss”

Taking on a new demeanour…

I have ridden motorbikes sine I was 11 and riding has always been a source of enjoyment.  I look at bikes as a way of expressing oneself, as a method of stress relief, a source of joy and (occasionally) as a great way to impress the fairer sex.  Just ask my wife!

I have, however, never had to rely on my bike for anything other than the aforementioned.  I’ve always had access to a car and I have been lucky enough to afford relatively new bikes that are unlikely to let me down, that said it has happened and every time a Triumph was to blame, to be fair it was the same bike each time.

My little ride across Europe into countries where I don’t speak the language and that will feel alien has changed the way that I look at my bike. For the first time in 21 years my view of a bike has shifted.  I have spent a lot of time planning, preparing and packing for this ride and the other night I went outside to tuck Loki in for the night and it struck me.  For 3 weeks she is going to be my home, complete with food, shelter, clothing and communication as well as transport and navigation.  Suddenly I wanted to look after her better than I had just in case I did something that might make her want to leave me stranded in Romania.  I wanted to mend the scratches and push out the dents and restore her to concours condition.

Of course I’m not going to.  I can recall how, mostly through my poor riding, each scratch got there and in some cases even see the drop or fall in my mind’s eye.  These cosmetic scars are what give Loki her personality and her name. Loki – Norse God of Mischief.  They make an adventure bike look like it’s been on an adventure not just to the shops and back.  It’s just like cutting a notch in the bedpost, why fix them?  Each one reminds me of a…. Enough of that, you get the idea, the scratches stay!  I have looked after her, she is an adventure bike and has the scares to prove it and Loki won’t carry me home she will be my home.