Shortened ride in the Peak District........

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Tuareg

Race Dog
Joined
Nov 25, 2007
Messages
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Location
Cape Town
Bike
KTM 990 Adventure
Winter has finally passed, I hope, & I managed to hook up with a groups of guys to show me some trails in the Peak District, just over an hour's ride south of Leeds where I've been based for the past seven months.......
My task for the Easter weekend was to change my BRP from supermoto format back into an off-roader
On Friday I removed the Excel road wheels, dropped the forks in the triple clamp back to stock position & replaced them with an original set of off-road wheels, shod with Mitas C19 up front & C02 on the rear
Saturday was spent watching WSBK & MotoGP, so not much else happened
On Sunday I took the bike for a test run in preparation for the trail ride & was amazed / unsettled by the difference in the bikes handling
I had expected things to feel different, but was also plagued by "have I farked something up" in the back of my mind
After riding around for about an hour I concluded that it was all in my mind.......
Anyway, enough chit chat!
I set off at around 07:00 this morning in cold, rainy weather to meet up with the group that had invited me to tag along in the village of Penistone - no, there are no phallic rock formations to be found!
Greetings were exchanged, we mounted up & headed south to Bamford, topped up with fuel & headed off onto the first green lane
This was my first proper off-road riding since getting to the UK & I was like a kid with a new toy.......
We linked up a few dirt sections, including some left over snow, with short bursts of tar & headed off to The Yonderman for a late breakfast & coffee
Feeling fueled ourselves, we headed back out into the cold & wet for some more fun
On the next green lane, made up of rocky twee spoor & water filled potholes, my enthusiasm outstripped my talent
I locked up my rear going into a bend, stalled the bike & binned it into a puddle
I picked up the bike, laughing at myself for the school boy error & remounted, ready to carry on
It was then that I noticed my front brake lever had broken free of the mount, taking with it a chunk of master cylinder (typical)
By this stage the group had reformed & were a little more concerned about my right pinkie, which was peeping out of my torn glove & turning the puddle red......
We checked for sharks, luckily none were near enough to smell the blood
And with that, my first proper ride ended earlier than expected / hoped
I thanked my new friends for the ride, wished them good fortune, kicked the bike back into life & headed back to Leeds to get my finger sorted
The cold weather, barely above freezing, helped numb the pain for the ride home
Freeway riding without a front brake is disconcerting, to say the least........
After getting home, changing out of my wet riding kit & spending nearly three hours getting a tetanus jab & a finger dressing my (mis)adventure was over
Now I just need to get my finger stitched up tomorrow morning by the plastic surgeon (over kill of note!) & source a new front brake master cylinder unit (more difficult & more expensive, I'm sure) & I'll be harassing the gang for part 2........
 

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