Oh dear, it broke down on me...

Today I set off on the ST heading for Scunthorpe to go and offer up a couple of screens to see which will fit best with my idea of mounting my sat nav above the instruments. Right from early on something didn't feel right with the running of the ST but none the less I carried on. It got me to my location where I tried the screens and decided on one which I then bought and fitted right there and then.
Then whilst riding on the homeward journey the engine started to cut out intermittently. I pulled over onto a narrow footpath along the side of the road, got off and I gave it a few minutes rest, and started the engine fine, revved it up and all seemed OK, so I headed off again. But it was not long before it started to cut out again so to check if I was losing electrical power I decided to flash the headlight to see if the blue main beam light lit when it cut out, and it did. But surprisingly it also picked up and appeared to run better when I did that so to get up the next hill I flashed my headlight each time it cut out which seemed to work bizarly! I soon came across a bus stop and decided this was the best place to stop and take a good look at what was going on.
Off came the seat and the fuel tank in just a few minutes. I then remembered reading a tip on the Moto-bins website saying that one of the very few unreliable parts for these bikes was the ignition coil and it could give an intermittent running behaviour. So out came the tools and I removed the coil. gave it a good clean up with an old duster I had stored under the seat thinking that if there was a slight crack any dampness would cause it to track. I removed the ignition leads and cleaned inside there too. There did seem a bit of dampness and I expect that is where I power washed the bike a few days ago, though it ran fine the day after the power wash. So with a clean coil re-fitted, I started the engine and all seemed well again, so I proceeded with re-fitting the tank and seat ready to ride off again and see what happens.
To my surprise it all ran very well, so I thought it must be that coil faulty. I then remembered that Moto-bins was in Lincolnshire somewhere and I was also in Lincolnshire right now too so I checked their website for the address and then used Google maps on my phone to see how close I was. It was in fact south east of me so still on my way home all be it away from my planned route. I decided to head over in that direction and see if I could make it, or close to it so I could buy a new coil. Well the bike went well and I popped in to Moto-bins and purchased one of the new type replacement ignition coils.
Not quite how I intended the day to go but a great learning experience showing that these bikes can be fixed on the side of the road quite easily!

Fantastic ride...

Today I had an unexpected, but truly fantastic ride on the ST.
It started out as a last minute ride to my local BMW dealer and after some slow boring congested traffic, I got fed up and took to some small back roads, many of which I hadn't been on before.


The sun was shining, I had no satnav, and was just making the journey up turn by turn. I found myself on some very small but paved roads in between fields of recently harvested corn with some open bends where you can see the road surface all the way round the bend and to the next one. The excitement of it all meant I carried on and on not thinking about my purpose of the visit for a while just soaking up every turn and bump in the road, enjoying biking like the good old days before lots of traffic about on a bike that was just perfect for these roads. I thought to myself, it doesn't get any better than this!


Of course, I eventually realised that time was ticking by and I had to get to the dealer and back, then pack my bags for a bike trip the next day to Yorkshire on my newer F800GT.

Back home...

That was an excellent four days at the HUBBUK event. Met some great people and got plenty of tips about the ST and overlanding. Bike went well on the way home and the dirty look quite suits it!

Great day with the TRF!

Wow, that was some ride. Think it may have been a bit more than mild off roading when we had to lift the ST out of the rut so I can ride on top and not get the engine stuck between the sides of the rut. Well at least I didn't need to use the side stand!
The ST is looking a bit dirty now, but at least it proves it has been on a mini adventure down less travelled roads/tracks!
A big thanks to Matthew, Mark & Paul of the TRF for getting us all through the day.

Out with the TRF...

Blimey, only the second day of riding this bike and I have agreed to go out with the local TRF at the HUBBUK event for some mild off roading. Well this will be a test for the bike...

Arrived OK...

Well I have arrived at Donnington for the HUBBUK 2014 event OK. Couple of minor issues with the bike on its first real journey since getting it back on the road. The trip counter gets to 9.9miles and then goes no further although the odometer still counts the miles OK, and it wouldn't tick over, but apart from that the journey was good and I am so glad I took the back roads route. Got the tent setup OK so I am now set for a fantastic fours days with other like minded people.

Oh' bugger...

Bugger, bugger, bugger, the latch to hold the left pannier to the frame has just broke. With just over 6 hours until I set off to the HUBBUK event I have no time to do a repair. So a ratchet strap is my temporary repair, doesn't look pretty but it will do the job, hopefully!