25-10-13, 08:42 PM
Well, it's that time of year. The weather has now obviously turned away from summer, it's dark when I go to work in the morning and set to be dark when I come home after the clocks are adjusted soon. Any decent biking weather now will be confined to very short days. So I figure it's time to start saving for next year's fun. This year, I achieved the things I set out to do, largely because I kept my targets to sensible proportions. Last January, I told a work colleague that I would have a gen 1 thou by the end of June (got it at the end of May), this starting from bugger all money in the bank. I promised myself that I would get this one Ivanised, and in time to still get some decent rides in before the new winter approached. Well, it's done, and I didn't waste a minute of decent riding weather this year, over 6000 miles covered, a touch of camping, and new roads and areas explored, met lots of you guys and had a bit of fun. Yep, it's been a pretty good year for me - a quite large proportion of that is down to you Foccers so many thanks for that :thumbup .
And so, what of next year? Now is the time for me to start easing back on the riding, and begin to save for whatever next summer has to offer. I've got a couple of things I would like to achieve next year. Firstly, I'm hoping to do the R1 forks and R6 rear shock mod for the bike, plus a few more minor cosmetic touches. Secondly, I would like next year to be the one in which I finally crack my Euro-touring cherry. I feel quite driven to get this one under my belt as something of a priority; 30+ years riding and apart from 8 months or so in Germany with an FZR1000 EXUP, (largely wasted cos I was on the piss most of my free time :lol ) I have done very little on the continent. I did do a trip from northern Germany to Le Mans, a few rides to the Moehne See (which was the local-ish run for a couple of us on a Sunday), visited my brother at RAF Bruggen a few times, but that's it. So I've decided that next year is the year this must be put right.
And of course, still more places to explore and hopefully people to meet in good ol' Blighty.
So that's next year's goals. Again, not too ambitious - after all, I'll still be paying off this bike and, no doubt like many of you, I don't exactly rake it in money-wise. And I hope I might be able to achieve a couple more things on top of that, but unclear what else at this early date. Got all winter to think about that now!
Roll on 2014!
And so, what of next year? Now is the time for me to start easing back on the riding, and begin to save for whatever next summer has to offer. I've got a couple of things I would like to achieve next year. Firstly, I'm hoping to do the R1 forks and R6 rear shock mod for the bike, plus a few more minor cosmetic touches. Secondly, I would like next year to be the one in which I finally crack my Euro-touring cherry. I feel quite driven to get this one under my belt as something of a priority; 30+ years riding and apart from 8 months or so in Germany with an FZR1000 EXUP, (largely wasted cos I was on the piss most of my free time :lol ) I have done very little on the continent. I did do a trip from northern Germany to Le Mans, a few rides to the Moehne See (which was the local-ish run for a couple of us on a Sunday), visited my brother at RAF Bruggen a few times, but that's it. So I've decided that next year is the year this must be put right.
And of course, still more places to explore and hopefully people to meet in good ol' Blighty.
So that's next year's goals. Again, not too ambitious - after all, I'll still be paying off this bike and, no doubt like many of you, I don't exactly rake it in money-wise. And I hope I might be able to achieve a couple more things on top of that, but unclear what else at this early date. Got all winter to think about that now!
Roll on 2014!