Pan European

New blog

2011-06-03T01:32:00.000-07:00

While you are welcome to browse the information on this blog, I've not got a 1300 any more, so there won't be much in the way of updates. My current blog project can be found at...

kirkcafe.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there.

Trick or Treat? It’s begging. Just go away.

2010-10-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

(or how to fail with the compliments of the season.)

A previous year, early in the evening of the 29th October and there is a knock at the door. I open, expecting the usual suspects of chuggers, double glazing, Mormons etc but instead I am met with a youth, not much shorter than myself, wearing a cheap “Scream” mask.

“Trick or Treat” he exclaims, holding out his hand expectantly.

I reply “No thanks” and gently close the door, for fear of crushing various body parts in the doorway. I wasn’t in the mood to educate the youth in his epic fail, but I should have let him know a few things…

First of all, it’s the 29th October. It’s not sweets or money you need, but a diary. Did you not notice the lack of similarly attired individuals in the area? I appreciate that this is a large housing estate, but it’s not a mail shot you are doing. If you really want to make a bit of money, speak to one of the takeaway proprietors and you could deliver a menu or two at the same time.

Second, aren’t you a bit old for this? The time to stop “Trick or Treating” is when you have grown tall enough to reach doorbells unassisted. You can resume when you are old enough to drink. Until then, please grow up.

And that mask, really… When I was younger than yourself, we used to spend weeks making our costumes, getting it all together, so if you’re not prepared to put as much effort into your costume as I would, then please darken my door. Oh, I’m sorry, it’s not a cheap “Scream” mask, as you actually spent a bit more and got the one that has fake blood pouring down the front. Tasteful. I see now that you have tried to speculate to accumulate.

Now that I’m on my rant, “Trick or Treat?” This is Scotland, it’s called Guising. If you want to use an American tradition to make some money, then go get a job in McDonalds. You will be less disappointed working there than when I refuse to contribute to your continuing economic development. I believe you will also get an occasional free burger.

Shall I even mention the tumshie lamp that you are clearly not carrying. Get a big one and you can go home to haggis, neaps and tatties knowing that you have contributed the core of your lamp to the evening meal.

And in looking at you, do I even know you? I know all the wee folk round here, and you don’t seem familiar. Casting the net a bit wide, aren’t we?

Were you trying to scare me? If you want a scare in return, I’ll answer the door with a chainsaw. I have done this before, and the caller went running. In my letter of apology I did suggest to the TV Licensing man that it was probably a bad night to make house calls.

And when we went out guising, we told a joke or two, sang a song or generally entertained. Yes, I am finding this entertaining, but for all the wrong reasons. So we’re getting to the crux of my argument. If you are going to knock at my door and expect a donation from me with no possibility of return, then you are not guising, you are begging. Now go away and stop bothering me.”

SLAM

International Rescue

2010-01-13T10:56:00.001-08:00

This blog has been reopened to provide a plug for the International Rescue Corps. They are a Scottish based charity that provides assistance in disaster affected areas. They are desperate to get out to Haiti to help out, but they are a bit short of cash at present. Can you please visit their website and see if you can spare some pennies.

I can't sit by and see an organisation called International Rescue fail.

Please visit www.intrescue.org for more information.

Thanks and good night

2009-09-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

This is going to be my last post on this blog. Since the collision in February I've not had anything much to say about the Honda Pan European as I've not benefited from owning one. Today I bought a used Honda Goldwing so I can't really justify keeping a blog about the Pan European going.

I enjoyed the Pan European, but I promised myself that when I traded up it would be to get a 'Wing. I took a new, airbag and sat nav equipped model out for a test run a few months ago, enjoyed it, but couldn't justify the cost of a new bike. Besides, I like someone else paying the depreciation. I bought a nice used model, low mileage and with minimal aftermarket "features" added.

Post collision I feel I have recovered very well and I'm grateful to all the NHS people who have stuck the two sick Gerbils back together. As I mentioned before, don't knock the NHS - they do a great job.

Finally, if you are looking for more information about the Honda Pan European, please visit www.st-owners.com where you will find a great community discussing both flavours of this great bike. There are plenty of articles there to help you get the most out of your bike.

Thanks for reading.

Ride safe.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Don't knock the NHS

2009-08-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days, the press in the USA have been suggesting the NHS is a sub standard service. I'd like to jump to the defence of an organisation that has served me well.

Now that I've had my last appointments, I think I'm finished with hospitals for a while, and I'm genuinely glad to see the back of them. I'm a big wimp, so the sight of people in white coats makes my blood pressure shoot up, although the standard of care I've received recently has been exemplary.

The good old NHS gets a lot of stick, but if we take a step back and see what we are blessed with, it really is outstanding. Mrs Gerbil and I were scooped off the road by a couple of paramedics who were at the scene of our accident within minutes. We've had multiple x-rays, scans and a quite complicated bit of surgery each. We didn't want for anything throughout our time in hospital, and the wards were clean, and staffed with genuinely caring people.

After surgery, we had good follow-up care including physiotherapy, more x-rays and more appointments with our surgeons to make sure everything was working fine. I've not had to pay for any of this, and I've not been left waiting for treatment. We were given a lucky bag full of some serious painkillers, which made the misery all the more bearable! In a couple of years, nobody will pay for prescriptions in Scotland either - I think they are free in Wales at the moment.

Folk might knock the NHS, and like any large organisation it will have its faults, but given the level of care I've had recently, I'm not going to defend it to the death. Preferably not my death!

Bottom line is, it's our NHS and its only us here in the UK that can discuss its minor faults. To those US "journalists" that know sod all about the UK, please get your facts in order. A bit of social healthcare never harmed anyone.

More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea

2009-06-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased to be able to Link to Tom Reynolds' latest book, "More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea" which was released into the wild this week. This is the second book from the bloke behind Random Acts of Reality. Unlike the book reviewers on TV, I'll not pretend to have read this book yet, however the original "Blood, Sweat and Tea" was an outstanding read, and should be required reading for any thieving polititian who cuts NHS funding while at the same time is fiddling their expenses. I'll be reading it this weekend, so please don't give away the ending!

Please buy the book here...

or...

assuming I get the embedding thing right, you can read the actual book below. I'm not ripping off a hard working author here, as it's published under a Creative Commons licence and Tom wants this published in as many places as possible. I'm only too happy to help. Enjoy.

The end of the blog?

2009-05-25T14:49:00.001-07:00

How can I call the blog "Pan European" when I've taken these two for a run? The DN-01 is an odd beast, but onceyou get out of the habbit of attempting to use the clutch, and you realise that there's no engine braking, it's a decent enough bike. It's built around someone a bit smaller than myself, so the ergonomics were not quite there. It is probably going to end up with a huge following, and an owners club that argues about whether the black or the purple model is the fastest.

And as for the 'Wing... Well you don't realise that you are driving around on a half ton of bike. I'm tempted...

2009-05-03T01:01:00.000-07:00

Please click here to vote for John at Lifeboat Scrapbook.
Given how much I hate boats, I've got a lot of respect for people who go willingly into the face of a storm.

I don't get anything for you clicking. You could win some museli.
John could win an attractive eggcup...

Collision update

2009-03-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

First of all, I've decided that I will never refer to my recent impact as an accident. This collision was caused by negligence on the part of the idiot driver. I'm not bitter. I've mostly got over the murderous rage that came over me a few days after the collision

The following is fudged together with some of the forum entries I've put up over the past few days
*********************************************************************************
Leaving a 30 limit and driving towards Gerbil Towers. I had right of way. Approaching a T junction where the minor road joins the main road I noticed a small car approaching. Visibility was good, Gerbil sense twitched and I was sure she wasn't going to look in my direction. I was doing 45-50 as I eased the throttle off, just to be safe. Surely she will look.

She didn't. ABS brakes got a lot of the speed off, but we hit, I'm guessing 20-30 mph at impact. Two flying Gerbils landed on the tarmac with a thud.

I heard Mrs Gerbil - she was still sucking air, and had stood up. My shoulder hurt. lots. I did the "power on self test" procedure. Brain - present. Legs - present. Arms - present, left not happy though. Male equipment - Oooowww. In circumstances like these I only move for the men in green. Ambulance people checked me out, removed helmet (gouged) and helped me to stand. Mrs Gerbil has similar issues. Big yellow taxi ride to hospital and we get checked over.

Mrs Gerbil. Busted collarbone, busted ribs, bruised hip. Alive thank God.

Spot. Busted collarbone,which I'm living with. What really hurts is the fact that the combined weight of the Gerbils landed on the fuel tank, using you know where as padding. I have grazed and bruised bits, things are very swollen, so I'm walking like a cowboy. you got to laugh.

Pan. Well the last I saw of it, the forks had bust the radiator. I don't think there's a panel intact as it went for a spin.

Other driver. Well enough to hear some bad words, although I feel sorry for her in a way, as she has seen a biker laid out, hardly moving. I think she has had a hell of a fright. Would have been nice if she'd looked though.

But I want to get back on the horse.
**********************************************************************************

Well that was posted on www.st-owners.com a few hours after the collision, and thanks to all on that board for their good wishes.

We were taken to Casualty where we were X-rayed, poked and prodded, and the broken clavicle was confirmed. Furthermore, I had three different doctors examining my male bits which were badly scraped and bruised

Sleep wasn't easy over the next few days. Mrs Gerbil was in a lot more pain than myself, due to her busted ribs and a bruise that was spectacular over her hip. I wasn't in continual pain, but movement was sore, breathing awkward, and due to the damage down below, walking, sitting and going to the toilet hurt. We could feel the displaced bone, and our shoulders changed shape as the muscles contracted.

On the Monday we visited the fracture clinic and we were advised that we both required an operation to plate our clavicles if we were ever to regain full function of our shoulder. The thought of surgery terrifies me - it's a totally irrational fear, but I hate hospitals, doctors and medical staff. I must state that all the people we have encountered so far, starting with Ali and Mike in their ambulance, the staff in casualty and throughout the Queen Margaret Hospital have been really nice. Genuine caring people. Surgery was booked for the Wednesday.

We revisited the scene of the collision, which is apparently good for recovery. Bits of the Pan's headlight and bodywork littered the roadside. We paced out the distance from the point of impact to the point that we landed. I flew 8-10 metres, Mrs Gerbil a more impressive 12-15 metres. She knew exactly where she landed as she landed in line with the gate of one of the roadside cottages. This brought into sharp focus the fact that we were, in an odd sort of way, pretty lucky.

Surgery was cancelled as soon as we arrived on the Wednesday. If there's someone worse off than yourself then they get the theatre, you get bumped. Our injuries were painful, but we could manage them with drugs. Someone else could be in real need of surgery. We were booked in again for the following Wednesday.

As the week went on, any numbness in the shoulder disappeared, to be replaced with more regular pain. Mrs Gerbil and I couldn't sleep in the same bed as contact with another person was hard to bear. In fact it was nearly a month after the collision before I could give Mrs Gerbil a hug. Throughout this experience, that has been amongst the worst bits.

Monday 2nd March and we visited our doctor. He was so concerned with my bits that I was admitted to hospital that evening. I was poked and prodded and the surgeon advised me that, while he had seen a lot worse, I would need an ultrasound scan. Fortunately I didn't have to stay in the hospital overnight, as long as I returned first thing next morning.

Tuesday was spent waiting for an ultrasound scan. Once this was done I was relieved to hear that I wasn't going to need surgery, but there was a reasonable amount of clotting which should go down over time. If not, or if the swelling returned then it would require surgery to sort the damage.

Then Wednesday came. It was afternoon before I was taken to theatre, and I was genuinely terrified. Hardly surprising then that my blood pressure was a bit on the high side. Fear of the unknown. I really didn't want to go through with the operation, but I knew that if I ever wanted to get back on the bike, or do half the things that I enjoy, then I had to go through with it.

Watch this video...
Think Bike Not for those who scare easily. (worth noting that I have not seen this as I don't own a TV)

I was on the trolley, in the waiting area before you get taken through to get knocked out and I'm lying there, watching on TV some heavily tanned bloke valuing antiques, when commercial break starts and the motorbike film comes on! I'm laughing about it now, but at the time I said a bad word, (the same bad word last heard as I ejected from my Pan) causing one of the theatre nurses to come over and check all was OK. I apologised for my expletive, and explained what had just happened. She was really nice, also a biker, and admitted that she wasn't too keen on that particular film either. I wish I'd been plugged into a BP monitor at that time, as I'd have blown it up! Those theatre nurses really helped calm me down. Shortly after this I was drugged up to the eyeballs and couldn't care either way.

I woke up about three hours later in my own private room off the main ward. Mrs Gerbil, who was supposed to be next in the theatre was bumped (again) to be first on the list for the Thursday morning. I was still floating on another planet, I don't think I had morphine, as it wasn't on my chart, but I was given a large dose of paracetamol, and another drug to prevent nausea. This was stuck into my thigh, and it is supposed to be one of the more painful injection sites, but I didn't even notice it going in. Mrs Gerbil had the same injection the next day, and she REALLY felt it go in.

Mrs Gerbil finally got bolted together on the Thursday morning. We spent all of Thursday in hospital before getting out on Friday, accompanied by some serious pain drugs, and some frozen peas to reduce the swelling. I never thought Captain Birdseye could be so comforting.

So we have spent the last two weeks doing not an awful lot. Thanks go to our friends for keeping us in pizza, DVD's, books, genuine home cooked Italian food (from a genuine Italian!) and for keeping on top of the washing.

Our surgeons saw us this week and had a look at the follow-up x-rays. We have a plate and eight screw each. I broke my clavicle in the middle, with two fragments, Mrs Gerbil managed to dislocate hers as well as break it. The best bit of meeting the surgeon is that for short periods we could remove the slings that we had been wearing since surgery. This meant that showering was possible. That was bliss.

We are getting better, but the pain has been regular, especially in the morning. Sleeping is getting easier, but there has been times when I need to get up in the night, pop some pills and wait for them to take effect. I don't like taking pills at the best of time, but there have been times when I've been at my wits end.

As regards our kit, well we were both wearing Shoei full face helmets, Raid II for her, XR1000 for me. I attacked my last Shoei lid with a pick-axe when it was retired. Not a bit of damage. We didn't come down on our heads this time, but there's still some scrapes around the left side of both lids.

Belstaff trousers and Spada jacket for me. Belstaff top and bottom for her. Full Knox armour throughout. Our shoulder elbow and hips took the impact. Very minor scuffs to the kit, and Mrs Gerbil had a 4" split to her inseam. Kept the Gerbil fur where it's meant to be. This kit saved our hide.

Given the bruising, we would have probably had multiple fractures to our shoulders, ribs and hips. With massive skin loss. Your kit doesn't stop all the damage, but it sure limits the misery. I wouldn't ride without a lid, but I would have bust my skull without it.

So what part of "all the gear, all the time" is hard to understand.

The Pan. May she rest in pieces.

2009-02-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

Taken out at a T junction by a Corsa. Gerbils have a bust collar bone each. I've got very sore bits.
Better post to follow.

Steam train Tornado

2009-02-10T15:39:00.000-08:00

This comes under the category of "it's my blog and I'll blog what I want to."

This is one for the engineers out there. It's been years since anyone built a steam locomotive, and while there are preservation societies doing repairs, nobody has actually built one, until now.

The photo is of the A1 class Tornado passing through York station on 7/2/2009 which is the first new steam locomotive to run on British Rail lines since the 1960's. This was her first outing south and into London and I was fortunate enough to be in York at the weekend. Very cool. You can't beat the smell, the sound and the sheer presence of a steam locomotive. The whole project to get an A1 back on the lines has been outstanding, and it's good to know that with motivation, willpower and some steel, anything is possible. More info to be found on the link below

http://www.a1steam.com/

Now I'd hardly call myself a trainspotter, more someone who can appreciate real engineering, however on the platform there were one or two members of the Militant Wing of the Trainspotters Liberation Front. Once Tornado had arrived at the station, they charged off over the bridge and down the platform, barging men, women and small children out of the way so they could get a closer look. (99.9% of people there were really nice by the way) Woe betide anyone that got in their way. Even greater wrath was reserved for the Transport Police who were managing the crowds and making sure that these idiots were not going to fall off the platform in front of the 0855 to Newcastle. Mrs Gerbil did comment that none of these sad individuals were wearing weding rings. Surprised?

Filth

2009-01-29T13:43:00.000-08:00

All that muck on the bike. It's still there.
Hoping for some rain and I won't have to wash it.

At the very least I rinsed the brakes off.

Reclaim the streets

2009-01-01T07:35:00.000-08:00

The 2009 riding season has commenced. Happy travels, and remember to wash the salt out of the brakes when you park.

Well done to Jack on the white Pan, and the other 10 or so bikes we saw on the road today. Also, the taxi driver heading west, I'm sure you were under the affluence of incohol, but there's never a bobby round when you need one.

Be safe.

New tyres (Brrrr!)

2008-11-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

The picture says it all really. The dashboard thermometer says -1c as I park the bike up after having new tyres fitted. And that thermometer tends to run about 2c warmer than the real temperature. So I was more cautious than usual while running on fresh rubber.

For a variety of personal reasons I've not had the time or inclination to drive the bike. It's still a good machine, but circumstrances beyond our control etc.
In other news, I think we've nearly raised enough to buy a second bike for Riders for Health. Woo Hoo!!!

1000th visitor

2008-07-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the person from France who was my 1000th visitor. It happened on the 1st July. It makes me feel loved.

Although according to the site figures, the majority of people visiting this site are looking for advice on what to do when they drop their bike. Quick answer. Swear a lot then get a friend to help.

And put the side stand down first, or you'll throw it over on the other side...

Riders for Health

2008-06-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

This year I've been helping to raise funds for Riders for Health (see link in sidebar) along with the members of the Young Church at Linktown in Kirkcaldy. Our aim for the year was to raise enough money so that riders could buy a motorbike for use by a health worker in the developing world. People within the church have really latched onto this project, as it's such an effective way of saving lives.

After a surprisingly successful fundraising effort, we sent a cheque for £1450 to Riders, being the sum equivalent to that needed to purchase a bike.

Now we have bought a bike, we need to keep it running, so we have launched the "Spanner Fund" to send them some money to maintain their fleet. The campaign ends at Christmas, and It's looking good so far.

Pan miles so far 007726

Pan Clan at the bike show.

2008-03-11T14:51:00.001-07:00

Wet and windy!

Riders for health book sale

2008-02-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a big plug for our book sale in aid of Riders for Health. To be held at Linktown Church, Nicol Street, Kirkcaldy on

Saturday 23^rd February from 10.30am to 2.30pm

Tea and coffee will be served.

Oxford Heated Grips

2008-02-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer - following these instructions may damage you or your bike. If in doubt, speak to a genuine mechanic.

The Honda grips at the front are great, especially over the past month, but Mr Honda hasn't sold a method of keeping the pillions hands warm. So I purchased a set of Oxford Hot Hands, which are supposed to velcro around the bike grips. The packet contains a pair of grips, attached to a switch assembly, and a lead that is supposed to be connected to the power supply somewhere on the bike. I have used Oxford grips on previous bikes, so I'm confident that they will be up to the job.

The kit can be connected to the battery, although there is a risk that you will forget to switch them off and run the battery flat. There is enough cable supplied with the kit to run the power wire all the way forward to attach to the Quartet accessory harness, where the front heated grips plug in. As pictured below, I obtained a couple of the Hitachi style plugs so I could attach to the quartet harness without cutting. One green plug goes into the socket that the OEM grips attach, the other green component is the new socket for the OEM grips. The bundle of black wire was then fed back to the rear left of the bike. The white plug attaches to the switch assembly for the Oxford Grips.

I had decided to fit the switch in the rear fairing, so the first step was to prise apart the switch for the Oxford grips. Inside there’s a waterproofed switch, a green LED, and a little resistor. Be careful not to break the resistor or the LED. The LED slides out of the holder if you are careful.

Before cutting a hole in your Pan for the switch, you need to find a location that is not only accessible for your pillion, but also does not foul the rear sub-frame A bit of trial and error is required, although on my version, the switch sits just below the left grab rail. You must make sure you have enough stretch in your power supply cable to reach the location of the switch. Once you have marked the location for the switch and the LED, your life will be easier if you remove the rear fairing to drill and position the switch assembly.

Once the switch is installed, carefully replace the fairing, wrap the grip heaters around the rear grab rail and pass the grip heater wires under the seat to attach to the switch assembly. You may wish to cut a small notch in the fairing, just under the seat to pass the heater wires through. Once I was happy with the installation I used the supplied cable ties to attach the loose wire to the bike frame.

A wee bit less than an afternoon’s work, resulting in one happy pillion.

Links
Oxford heated grips - http://www.oxprod.com/
Plugs for quartet harness - http://www.inter-bike.co.uk/inter-bikeshop/default.asp?categoryid=461

Pan miles so far - 005688

Winter stinks

2007-12-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

It's too cold, and too slippery. I want to go out to play. To think I was complaining about the heat in the summer.

Happy Christmas to one and all.

Pan miles so far... More than the last time I looked.

Horns

2007-11-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

The horn hasn't got a lot of presence on the Pan, partly due to being stuck in the deepest, darkest part of the fairing. The solution? One par of Motrax horns later, and the Pan has a bit more of a honk and less of a tweet. The horns themselves (round bit in the pic)are attached to the bracket that holds the mirrors on, and located in the space behind the dashboard where the stereo speakers go.

It's simple enough to get into to extend the wiring from the orginal horn, but a pain getting the plastic off to get access. From what other people have told me, there's enough room in there to fit some serious horns, but there may be a need to fit a relay, to prevent the wires getting fried.

Got to admit, they do look a bit sad when you start stripping the plastic off.

Pan miles so far... Loads.

For the newbies

2007-08-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

I wrote this for another forum a wee while back as advice for new bikers.

Here's my hot tips for new riders from someone who learnt the hard way!

Got a £10 head, get a £10 helmet. (saw this on an advert once) Never buy a second hand helmet, as you don't know whether it has been dropped. Not all damage is visible, so can you really trust the seller? And helmets have a date stamp inside. If it is more than 5 years from date of manufacture then you should get a replacement.

The same goes for safety clothing. Tarmac hurts, and everyone falls off at some time. Your clothing will dictate whether you swear, limp and hobble away from an accident or get carried away in an ambulance. You needn't spend a fortune, but make sure you have a jacket, trousers, boots and gloves, as well as a good helmet. And even though it is a lovely day, don't even think of going out without your safety gear. Denim offers no protection in an accident.

If you don't know where to go for bike advice, most motorcycle magazines contain advice for new riders, and the web has loads of information. But why not ask a biker? Try visiting your local motorcycle club, or if there is a motorbike show near to you, go along, and seek out the stands that belong to the motorbike clubs. For most bikers it doen't take a lot of effort to get them to start talking bike - in fact the hardest part can be getting them to stop! Ask them what got them into biking, what gear they advise, what bikes are best for a novice, and what dealerships near to you are the most trustworthy.

You will need to complete some sort of basic training. In the UK this is called your Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) and you will need a CBT certificate before going out on the road with "L" (learner) plates. The motorbike school will supply the bike and protective gear, and you will start off riding around traffic cones while getting to grips with the basics of using a motorcycle. The school will also be able to provide lessons to get you ready for sitting your full bike test. Whether or not you can already drive a car, I would advise you to take some lessons.

If you are going to buy a bike, I would advise against buying a brand new bike while you learn. If you buy a bike that is not too old, someone else has already paid the depreciation. If the bike school that you did your CBT with gave you use of one particular brand of bike, and you were comfortable with it, then you would do a lot worse than looking at that particular model. Take along a biking friend (perhaps one of your new bike club buddies!) to give you advice, and when it comes to the point that you actually purchase, please remember that half the fun is in the haggling. If you can't get the seller to move on the price, at least make sure that they fill it up with petrol, and if it is a main dealer, see if they will chuck in free servicing. But remember that you should always have money left ofer for your safety gear.

Invest in the Haynes or similar servicing manual for your bike. You really need to know how to adjust and lubricate your chain, but for the more technically competent, the basic servicing such as oil changes can be done by the home mechanic. However if your bike makes nasty clunking, grinding or coughing noises, then you really need to speak to a real mechanic.

Never answer a call of nature at the roadside. While you are attempting to do what comes naturally behind the bushes, thirty passing bikers will assumme that your bike has broken down and offer to pass spanners, go for a gallon of petrol, or make sympathetic noises about your broken bike. Just smile, wave, and be grateful that they thought to stop to help!

You will get wet. Very wet. You will go out when the sun is out, but the rain will come on when you are at distance D. D= the nearest point to your destination that still ensures that you get absolutely saturated. Some form of waterproof outer layer or a well waterproofed bike jacket will prevent most of the water getting in. If you are riding to work, and carrying a change of clothes in your backpack, make sure that your clothes are wrapped in a plastic bag, and always carry a spare set of socks. (Hitchhikers Guide fans will know about not forgetting your towel.)

Most importantly, get out there, enjoy riding, be safe.

Google

2007-08-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

On the side of this blog there is a meter that lets me know how many people have looked in on the blog. (and for those reading this, hi, thanks for dropping in.) It's similar to the counter on Ebay pages, but gives you details of the Google search keywords that were used to find me. For most visitors I'm usually found by a search on Pan Clan, or a variation of Honda ST1300 Pan European. For one unfortunate soul, they needed advice from Google on "how to pick up a dropped pan european bike." Hope it didn't cause too much damage to yourself or the bike.

For those who have never tried to recover from a horizontal parking situation I'd advise the following:

1. Use a few bad words.
2. Make sure you're not hurt.
3. remove unwanted baggage (tank bag, top box, pillion) but leave both panniers on. You won't be able to remove the pannier on the lower side, and you want it balanced when you pick it up.
4. Undo the steering lock, and remove any security devices (if applicable)
5. Assuming it has fallen on the left side, turn your back to the bike, bend with the knees and grab the handle bar with your right hand, and the rear grab rail with your left.
6. In one smoth movement, stand up, lifting the bike to its normal position. Allow the steering to turn towards you as it comes up. Don't let go of your right hand until you have got the bike on an even keel. Oh and make sure you don't go pushing it on to the other side.
7. Ensure your side/centre stand is still intact before you use them.

At this point you can work out how much the damage wil cost you...

Is there a problem here..?

2007-08-07T12:41:00.001-07:00

Put them away.

2007-08-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

I think I'm showing my age, but at least I'm not dated, unlike a certain portion of the motorcycle marketplace. Why is it that a number of bike accessory shops still insist on draping scantily clad ladies all over their webpage? There I am, surfing the web in work, trying to find new tyres, etc, when up pops the dealership from the seventies, and their "mechanics wives" section. So I've got to explain to the boss why some bare ar$£d bird has appeared on my screen. "Honest, I was only looking for tyres..." Yeah right!

This weekend, my other half bought her first bike, from a dealership that still has the token brolly-dolly on their webpage. Now we've both seen it all before, but it's a shame that the dealership still thinks that sex sells bikes. For once it wasn't me buying the bikes, so the dealer in this instance was targeting the wrong sector of the market.

I'm no prude, and ladies, I don't mind how much or little you're wearing. Sometimes, the less the better, but if I'm at a bike show, I'm only interested in talking to you if you have half a clue about the products you're hired to sell. If not, please put some clothes on and go get the me the hairy ar$£d bloke that can tell the difference betreen a crank shaft and a drive shaft.

Motorcycling - stuck in the seventies and proud of it!

Transformers

2007-08-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

Just seen the new Transformers movie. Pretty good, and not disappointing if you are a child of the eighties.

One fatal flaw that every movie with a car theme seems to repeat is the process of hotwiring a car. The hero reaches under the dashboard, pulls out two wires, usually red and blue, and as if by magic, the car starts. They drive off in a plume of blue smoke, and after saving the day, Roy Rogers drives off into the sunset with Grace Kelly. Or was that Gary Cooper..?

What really happens is any or all of the following.

A. Nothing,
B. A fuse blows
C. The airbag fires.
D. Your favourite "Top Gear Anthems" CD is replaced with a pan pipe compilation.
E. All of the above
F. None of the above.
G. Who cares anyway.

Ok, so I'm reading too much into this. I'm off to lie down.

Pan miles so far - Forgot to look...

Starcom Intercom fitting

2007-07-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

So now that I have the unit in place I thought I'd share how the unit was fitted. The unit itself, a Starcom Advance Kit B, is located under the rear seat in the space normally reserved for the Honda toolkit. There is room for the unit plus the toolkit, but I keep my tools elsewhere so the space was free. It's held down by Velcro. The headset cables are fed forward to point C on the picture, passed inboard of the helmet hanger and through between the fairing and the seat. There's enough clearance at this point so the wires don't get pinched, and they emerge on the left side of the bike just behind the driver. For storage they are curled up under the seat. I may in the future fit sockets into the fairing, but I'm happy at the moment.

I've used two methods to power the unit.

Method 1.
I've got an Optimate battery charger/conditioner which has a lead permanently attached to the bike. This socket is visible as the white block at point A. A Tamiya battery charger plug, obtainable from most radio control model shops, was fitted to the Starcom lead which allows the Starcom unit to be powered directly from the battery. The advantage with this method was that I didn't have to try to trace a pair of wires to connect to, and I didn't have multiple wires attached to the battery terminals. The disadvantage is that power would be permanently supplied to the Starcom unit, and I'm not sure if it draws any power when it's switched off.

Method 2.
On the other side of the bike, at point B there is an identical socket which was used to power the Oxford heated grips which are fitted to the rear grab rail. This socket is spliced into the Honda quartet accessory wiring harness. On the white plug of quartet harness, the red/black wire is live, the green wire is ground. These wires are only live when the ignition is switched on. The Starcom unit is now being powered from this plug, - I'll do something else with the heated grips.

Hope that makes sense. I'm not a bike mechanic, so if you follow these instructions and end up hurting you, your bike or anyone else then I'm afraid you've only yourself to blame.

Glencoe

2007-07-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

A good run was had by all yesterday. The Pan Clan organised a run starting from Kinross then on towards Fort William. Through Glencoe towards Tyndrum, down through Glen Ogle to Lochearnhead. It was a roasting hot day and it felt good to get the breeze. Only problem came after leaving Tyndrum when the group got split up, and didn’t regroup until near Gleneagles. Three of us were left scratching our heads trying to remember where we should go after Crieff.

On the subject of technology, the intercom is working great now, though it took a couple of stops to get the volume and microphone sensitivities set up right.

Off topic now, but it’s my blog... At one of the main beauty spots in Glencoe, and there’s loads to choose, someone had installed a statue and a memorial plaque. Now this sort of thing gets on my nerves. I’ve came out here to enjoy the scenery and someone has tried to claim our landscape with a memorial to an unknown person.

When my metabolic processes are history, I'm off the twig, have kicked the bucket, shuffled off my mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisibile I don’t want you to pollute the landscape in my memory with the sort of tasteless sculpture that gets sold off in the rejects section of a budget garden centre. And no, I don’t want a bench either - round here it would be used as somewhere to land when the Buckfast hits hard. These people are littering the hills. No it’s worse than littering, litter is thoughtless. Someone had to think up this rubbish. It’s pollution.

I can’t believe that anyone who loves the countryside would want to be remembered in this way. Whatever happened to “take only memories, leave only footprints” or is that optional? Is it OK for me to spray paint my name on the rocks? No. So it’s not all right for you to concrete, drill and chisel your memorial into a place of natural beauty. I think the right approach has been set in place with regard to Ben Nevis. See http://www.nevispartnership.co.uk/memorials.asp

I have no objection to memorials, but to spoil the landscape is taking it too far.

And on that note, the landscape can have the final word.

Pan miles so far 003047

Intercom

2007-07-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

First of all, it's good to see Alan Johnston is free. Hope the whole experience hasn't messed with his head and he is given the space to get things together.

The intercom for the bike has turned into a bit of a saga. Starcom seemed like the best solution, as so far we hadn't heard a bad word about it. When initially fitted, the sound was very clear, and it didn't take too long to get the levels set. We took a run to Glasgow and it was OK, with good clarity at legal speeds.

The next day saw us on a Pan Clan run, which was going quite well when we had an enormous feedback sound through the headsets. This was painful, and it was an effort to keep the bike upright long enough to get to the side of the road and to shut the unit off.

So off to Starcom went the unit, it was replaced and thus far we have not had a repetition. I'm still a bit iffy about using it, as that hurt. We'll see what happens over the next few runs.

In other news, some muppet pulled out in front of the car, so for the next few days/weeks we will be commuting on the bike until the insurance companies get their act together. How he didn't see me when there wasn't a cloud in the sky, on a dry clear road. I'm looking forward to the blizzard of paperwork that this will cause. I've decided not to use bad words on this blog, but I've used a few this weekend.

Pan miles so far 002574

Free Alan

2007-06-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

Not a bike update this time. Please sign the Alan Johnston petition calling for his safe return.

Awol

2007-05-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

No updates recently as I’ve been changing PC’s, with all the associated trouble that goes with moving between window versions.

Since the last post I’ve been keeping busy. I’ve been on my first Pan Clan outing – a short tour round the battlefields of East Lothian. All those exciting places where we fought off the old enemy. Occasionally we won.

I’ve even commuted through Edinburgh, and despite the size, it’s not too bad at fitting through the gaps in the traffic. It’s not as nippy as my old CB500, and it gives of a tremendous heat, but I got to and from work a lot faster than taking the car.

And I’ve even had my first damage. During the high wind the other week, the cover acted as a sail and toppled the Pan over, scratching the left pannier when it landed. To say I was spitting bullets was an understatement. The cover was only on to prevent damage from the elements. And to make matters worse, I had to spend ten minutes getting the cover off before I could attempt to pick the Pan up. The only plus was that I was needing fuel, so the upper tank (lower one too) was empty, so I wasn’t having to lift 30ish kg of fuel at the same time. Bend the knees, brace yourself and make sure when it is eventually up, you don’t go and push it over on the other side.

More rambling nonsense follows shortly.

Pan miles so far 001577

Update

2007-05-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

This is a short post just to keep the blog ticking over. Recently I've been off round in the Stirling direction, and on other occasions went for a short blast round Fife, interspersed with the odd local short runs. Rear heated grips and the lighter socket have been fitted, and instructions will follow soon.

Right now I'm in the process of moving over to a newer computer, so the photos that I'd like to upload are currently elsewhere. Watch this space.

For the newbies

2007-04-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

I’ve had a couple of occasions since buying the Pan when people have came over and asked for an opinion on this bike. Now any excuse to talk bike is OK by me. We went to Glasgow this weekend, with the convenience of bike parking for free right in the middle of the city (north side of the City Chambers) and were chatting with a couple who were contemplating a new bike. If you are that couple, in answer to your question, now I’ve tried driving it in town, it isn’t too bad, though the heat from the engine can build up and leave you with roasting knees if the traffic snarls up. (Even on a bike there’s no escaping the Forth Bridge roadworks.) The low centre of gravity is a bonus which makes urban driving all the easier, though a further progress report will follow when I’ve driven it to work during the Edinburgh rush hour.

I’m curious to know if people will still be interested in talking when it is covered in dead flies, road grime and the fairing is held together with gaffer tape from falling off the stand. Right now it is still shiny

Two things a new Pan owner should know.

1. You release the driving seat by unlocking the left hand luggage catch and pressing the lever that’s inside the grab rail. Honda includes this instruction in the users manual, and then locks this handy booklet under the seat…
2. Don’t leave chocolate bars in the fairing pockets, unless you like drinking chocolate.

Had a small bit of maintenance today. The Pan was mostly Datatagged, on the weekend I brought it home, however the blue marking compound had burst and solidified in the tube. Datatag sent a replacement stencil set and marking compounds, so now the bike is that little bit more secure. I’m not sure if the bike was Smartwatered at purchase, as there’s no label on the bike, and I couldn’t find out from Smartwater themselves.

Forthcoming events on the maintenance front includes the fitting of heated grips for the rear grab rails, and a 12v socket. Photos of the process will be included. No photos of the Datatagging are included here as I don’t want everyone knowing where I stashed the chips and microdots.

Pan miles so far 000682

Loch Lomond

2007-04-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

So the run that was supposed to take place last week went ahead today. From Fife, over the Kincardine Bridge and onwards to Drymen. It was one of those odd east coast days where the haar refused to lift until well inland, though once out of the fog, the weather was glorious. One of those days where you get moving quickly, just for the cooling breeze. A minor detour in the Blair Drummond direction saw us down a farm track giving the suspension a workout, but we soon rejoined the main road, pulling into Drymen around noon. Lunch was at the Drymen Pottery Café, which was very nice, if a wee bit on the steep side. Good selection of cakes gives a spanner rating of 3.5 out of five, let down by the fact that you only score above 4 if you sell fair trade teas. (It’s my spanners and I make the rules!)

From here it was off along the west of Loch Lomond, with a few layby stops. Should have packed a water bottle, as it was roasting. A short stop in Crianlarich sorted out the liquid situation before returning via Killin, Aberfeldy and the A9.

Only real problem was that my lid, which was the largest that Shoei made at the time is a bit tight, and my head was thumping by half way round. I have discovered that Shoei have gone one size larger, so Forth Gear may be getting some extra custom in the near future.

I really like this bike.
Pan miles so far 000469

Forth Gear

2007-04-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

I’ve had a lot of problems getting kit to fit. Huge head, large feet and a beer belly means that I need the upper end of the scale when it comes to buying clothing. And I have tried on nearly every helmet on the market before finally squeezing my head into an XXL Shoei Raid lid. Part of the reason that I had a problem finding a helmet is that where a manufacturer actually made a helmet in something approaching my size, the retailers refused to order them in for fear that they might be stuck with a large helmet on their shelves. One major dealership who will remain nameless, (I don’t like their cars either…) told me that they would order me the biggest lid they make, but I was expected to pay for it whether it fitted or not!!!

So I’m glad that a place like http://www.forthgear.co.uk/ exists. It’s a compact but very well stocked shop in South Queensferry and they keep a very broad range of sizes of kit, from kids up to someone considerably larger than myself. And here’s a tip for the shops that refuse to stock big kit – they can’t keep the largest of the helmets on their shelves. I only dropped in for a pair of gloves and a cover for the Pan, but they very nearly sold me a new helmet. If it hadn’t been for the purchase of the bike this month, I would have been tempted. To use the rating system from the Haynes manuals, they give a five spanner level of service – where one spanner is amateur and anyone can do it, and five spanners is for experts and the highly skilled only. Forth Gear rocks!

Not many extra Pan miles this week, but the Loch Lomond trip from last week looks like going ahead on Saturday. Weather, and battery permitting.

Pan miles so far 000264

Short run

2007-04-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

Just a short run to Kirkcaldy and back today. Parked up outside the church, and had a couple of the more senior members of the congregation commenting that they would love a shot. It does make a bit of a statement, as it's not the sort of transport normally found in a Church of Scotland car park.

Saw the local Easter egg run today at the Victoria Hospital. Well done to all involved, and I hope to be involved in future runs.

Then it was back home. Would have went further but the wind was picking up, and I'm not sure of this bike as yet to run it in a cross wind with a pillion.

Miles so far 000224

Not happy

2007-04-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

In hindsight I should have realised that the clock reseting itself twice was a bad sign...

After parking up on Friday night I gave the bike a good look over, including setting the clock. Saturday morning, while preparing for a run to a very nice cafe near Loch Lomond I was trying to work out how the various dashboard displays worked when I thought I reset the clock - in hindsight I think it was a cry for help from a dying battery, as, after filling up with petrol, the display went a little odd, the trip counters reset and, worst of all, the starter motor wouldn't turn.

OK, so now I'm annoyed. This is the bike that has been in my ownership for less than eighteen hours. I managed to get the bke going after coasting it down a short slope, dropped Susan off at the house and then carried on up to Perth for a new battery. But bang goes the trip round the bonnie bonnnie banks. We stil managed a trip to Callendar which was quite pleasant, and the bike was flawless all the way. I had to filter a bit through the bank holiday traffic and I was surprised how nimble it was. For a big bike it is still quite narrow. Stil think the electric screen is a bit of a gimmick.

Miles so far 000202

Got it.

2007-04-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

The vacant slot in the driveway is now filled. The problem with the screen was down to faulty connections in the region of the screen motor. So the bike was collected this evening, and is running very nice in deed. It's been a few months since I drove anything as big as a Pan, but it all comes flooding back. I opted to take the twisty route home, and then spent the rest of the evening finding out how the luggage goes on. as far as accessories goes, I've added the Honda top box, more to act as a back rest for the pillion, although the Honda radio is priced a bit on the steep side. I'll hum instead.

When I was a very young kid I got my first pair of red wellies. I liked my red wellies so much that I wore them in to bed (or so the family legend goes). I'm not sure if the Pan is as nice as my red wellies, but either way, there's not a hope of getting it up the stairs... ;-)

Miles so far 000031

Wot, no bike?

2007-04-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

For a variety of reasons, today wasn't the best of days for me.

Amongst other things, the bike that should have been mine as of this evening is in a number of bits as they try to work out why the screen isn't working. They thought it was a fuse, but it seems now that the whole windscreen motor assembly is on the blink. And there's a lot of plastic bits to remove before you can get to the motor.

The weather was great for biking this evening, and it looks like it is supposed to be nice all weekend. So I'm not a happy bunny.

Pan miles so far. 000000

Test drive

2007-04-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's not the first drive as owner of the bike, but it was my first time in the saddle.

Last Saturday saw me take the bike out for a short run to make sure the engine didn't have any odd clunking sounds. First impressions were very good. A short drive in town showed the bike to be very stable, managing the tight roundabouts in Perth with ease. The mass of the bike is very low down, so it's not an effort to throw around and feels a lot more sporty than a first glance suggests. The sun was behind me on the way up the A9, so the LCD part of the display wasn't the clearest, but I could make it out. Fuel consumption wasn't too bad either, giving 65-70mpg according to the display. I pulled over in a car park to give the bike a serious examination. There don't appear to be any major issues, though the electric windscreen wouldn't work once on the road - the dealership is looking into it. Storage is good for two full face helmets in the panniers, plus associated other rubbish in the fairing pockets. The Honda heated grips worked pretty well too, although they were not on for long due to the unseasonally warm day. Somehow I don't see me buying the official Honda radio and speakers - I think I'll just hum instead.

So I was convinced enough to buy the bike and have been like a kid waiting for Santa all week!

Photos of the bike will appear when it lands in the driveway.

First Post

2007-04-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to keep track of my experiences as an owner of a Honda ST1300Pan European. I'm planning on listing all the ups and downs, good routes followed and cafes frequented, and maintenance undertaken on the bike. For the first time in around 8 years, there isn't a bike in the driveway, as the last Pan (an 1100) was sold on Friday.

So a bit about me and the bikes that have been under me. I wasn't brought up around bikes, however in 1998 I changed jobs and realised that it was cheaper buying, taxing, insuring, maintaining and fuelling a motorbike than to pay for a rail pass to get to Edinburgh every day. And at least you could be guaranteed a seat on a motorbike. So the end of January 1999 saw me do my direct access before going out and buying a used Kawasaki KDX125. Ok I know I could have bought a bigger machine having just done direct access, but I wanted to find my feet (or wheels) first. That ran OK for about three months then it coughed up one of the exhaust valves on the way to work one morning. One complete engine strip later and it coughed up a piston ring. I decided to cut my losses at this point.

May 1999 saw me purchase a new Honda CB500s. I had learned on the CB500, but I thought that the extra bit of fairing on the S model finished the bike off nicely. Also it kept the wind down a bit as well. I had a set of hard luggage fitted as well which was great for touring, and Oxford heated grips which made cold winter commuting all the more pleasant. As well as the daily commute, this bike was my transport to Ireland, and all over Scotland and the north of England. I would recommend this bike to anyone, and can see why a lot of driving schools use them for direct access.

After adding nearly 40,000 miles to the CB500, I traded it for a 600cc Suzuki Bandit. Again a great bike, although some aspects of the build quality could have been better, and having to check valve clearances every 4000 miles was a pain. This bike survived the daily commute until I got a...

Wife!!!

Now she is not the sort of person that would say it's either her or the bike, quite the opposite, and she was very keen to go for a spin on the Bandit. (she must be an understanding soul- one of our early conversations was a brief talk on my favourite jet engine... ) However the pillion on a Bandit can be a pain in the proverbials, so we decided that we should look for a Pan European, for our mutual comfort. Besides, I'm more of a cruising, touring sort of person - one trip on an R6 was enough to scare me witless - and I've always liked the look of the ST1100.

So we found an L registration used Pan which we knew was a bit tired, but the engine was sound. We didn't really get the time to use it that much in the year that we owned it, as holidays in New Zealand and a charity trip round Europe in an old banger got in the way of summer motoring. We had a few good runs, but the knowledge that the 1100 needed a good tidy up set our minds that we really wanted a newer reliable bike. So with this in mind we have recently been Pan shopping.

Tomorrow we pick up a Honda ST1300. Used, but in very good condition. So from now on I'm planning on logging details of my thoughts on the machine, whatever maintenance I'm doing, favourite routes, and awards to cafes that are bike friendly and that serve fairly traded tea. Oh, and buns. Must have buns. Consider me as being a leather clad Cookie Monster. Now there's an image...