Skippy

All four of them are cunts. Smug fucking faces need gouging with a blunt instrument.

Well another day and yet another set back. Had a decision from our health insurance company and they’ve decided that the operation my wife needs is not covered by our policy, in fact they don’t cover it at all on any level of policy they offer. Cunts. Went back to see the doctor/surgeon that identified the problem and advised that this is the only operation that will fix the problem. He cannot believe our company doesn’t cover it when many other companies do. He’s going to see if he can find a way around it to save us having to pay for it because it’s going to cost €10,500! Honestly, while I appreciate his efforts I don’t think it’ll happen.

That’s true that is

As planned a trip out on the old mountain bike this morning, covered about 35klms which isn’t a massive distance but about 80% of it was on dirt or gravel tracks and it takes its toll on my old bones! Set off about 0830 and the weather was ideal as it was cool(ish) and hazy but by the time I’d got home it was 34.5 Celsius in the shade……quite enough thankyou. Found an old railway station that sits on the Linea Verde close to me, falling apart, covered in graffiti and a bit spooky to be honest……..Pete would’ve loved it. Took a couple of photos for the old twat in case he drops in here to keep an eye on the place! Standing at the station and thinking about Pete made me feel a bit sad actually but then I thought he’d probably call me a cockney wanker and it made me grin. Stopped at the pub before heading home…….because I could.

Wow that’s some ride report @Pedro, great photos too. Thanks for showing me what a working DR600 looks like

No chance, my tv provider added a ‘free’ channel just for tonight. Someone’s paying for it but it ain’t me

Currently sitting on my arse waiting for the Joshua/Dubois fight…………I wish they’d just get on with it, all this hype before does my head in. Now Liam Gallagher is poncing about the stage fer fucks sake……..and his voice irritates the fuck out of me. ………….I’m grumpy as fuck because I can’t use my bike tomorrow, it’ll have to be pedal power instead.

I know mate, I won’t hold my breath!

Managed to remove the snapped item from the coolant hose so at least I’ve got something to take to the Yamaha dealers next week to see if they’re able to source a new one. The rest of it is still inside the hole in the cyclinder head so getting that out could be a bit tricky. Thinking of trying one of those easy-out bits that are supposed to enable the removal of such things. The other option is to remove the cylinder head and get the offending item taken out by a professional engineering company. Could be pricey but if I remove the head myself then most of the labour is free. While I was at it I flushed out all the remaining coolant……..what a mess that was. Christ knows what the previous owner(s) used but it surely wasn’t coolant! Finally removed all the crap so at least that’s a positive.

Yep that seems the easiest option, going to have more time on Thursday plus an extra pair of hands/eyes so I’ll let you know how we get on.

Almost certainly mate, well that’s the only thing I can think of. It’s not like it’s a moving part that has snapped, I would have expected the hoses to split over time but not what’s happened. I’ve got a mate popping around tomorrow to have a look and see if he can come up with a fix. He’s pretty inventive so fingers crossed.

Yeah she’s always been a tight fit

My day today went a lot better than yesterday! Went to the hospital with the missus to have a consultation with the arrhythmia specialist. Proper swanky hospital, first class service and definitely worth the monthly fee. The cardiologist has said she needs a small operation to stop excess electrical signals being generated and sent to the heart muscles which is what causes the arrhythmia. The way he explained it is that most people have one circuit that sends signals to the heart muscles to beat according to whatever your doing (resting, exercise etc) but some people (the awkward ones ) have an additional circuit that chips in randomly and causes the heart to go mental……hers hit 212 bpm last time it happened. Anyway, he reckons the operation is pretty straightforward and should be done fairly soon, possibly in the next couple of weeks (can you imagine that on the NHS?) They basically seal the end of the extra circuit to prevent it sending electrical signals. It’s a case of dropping her off one morning and they look after her all day with the op usually in early evening. She can go home the next morning. Thank fuck we can get it sorted because it’s really scared her and me too. However yesterday was a complete twat of a day……… had a lovely ride out in the morning, all went well until I got home………… Pulled up outside the house and noticed coolant pissing out at the bottom of the bike. Traced it to where one of the hoses fits onto the rear of the cylinder head. I’ve noticed that where the hose clamps to the engine there’s no stud and that’s because it’s corroded and snapped off. It’s probably stuck inside the hose but until I can lift the tank and take a better look I won’t know for sure. If that’s the case I’m not sure if it can be welded back on or whether I need a new head cylinder! If that’s the case then I think I’ll have to sell it for spares and repairs because the cylinder heads seem to be quite pricey and you never know what you’re going to get second hand. So now I’ve no working bike and the mountain bike is sitting in the corner of the garage looking smug. Double fucking bollocks.

Thanks for all your support folks. So, the cardiologist couldn’t see any signs of arrhythmia in the ECG she had today but has seen the results of when she’s had an episode and it’s evident during those periods. He’s now referred her to an arrhythmia specialist so they can try and get to the bottom of the matter. At least it shouldn’t take long to get an appointment but in the meantime she’s to remain on beta blockers and avoid certain foodstuffs and drinks…….no alcohol

Thanks mate, much appreciated

Off to the hospital with the missus to speak to the cardiologist about her arrhythmia which has been so bad she’s had to have an ambulance to get her to the hospital on two occasions over the past month or so. I believe there’s an operation she can have which has a 98% success rate and it’s only day surgery. Stressful times.

Good point

Look at his droopy chops, fucking saliva everywhere I bet. The poor dog must have been embarrassed to be seen with him.

If it’s confession time I’ve been looking at maxi scooters like the Yamaha Tmax……..can’t afford one of those but plenty of Far Eastern options such as the Kymco 500 xciting…….daft name but pretty decent by all accounts. I wouldn’t dream of one in the UK but they make a lot of sense down here as a runaround and saves using the car as much. Just to be clear……….its in addition to a ‘proper’ bike.

That is one of the most hideous bikes I’ve seen for a long time. It may be efficient, it may be considered cool by some people but it looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down! As Edmund Blackadder said “I'd rather spend an evening on top of a stepladder in No Man's Land smoking endless cigarettes through a luminous balaclava”

It all depends on what you’re doing at the time, mind you I’ve done some daft things with what could be considered an inappropriate bike. For example, I did a track day at Donnington Park on my bog standard Hayabusa, went touring on my XR650L across to the old East Germany, down through the Czech Republic, Italy (including wazzing it up and down the Stelvio Pass), Austria, Switzerland and France and also rode a naked muscle bike from Prague to Weston Super Mare in one hit covering about 1000 miles in the process. ……I’ve heard it said that you can’t beat the hit of a big in-line four but for me it has to be a single for off road and a big fuck-off twin for everything else.

Just been through my phone and realised I don’t have any photos of Pete. Made me feel quite sad actually.

Well spotted. It was a geography test and you passed. Keep up the good work.

Did you get on at Datchet?