Help needed for a lost soul

[londonbubble]

Hi Folks

I have been quite for a while, i split with my girlfriend in the summer . Thats enough for me no more relationships, fed up putting two hundred percent in and them taking two hundred percent with no contribution. I was a bit lost, i felt like a spider that had its legs pulled off, i was just sitting at home going through the motions. Not happy not sad just numb.

I was due to go to Iceland with my ex girlfriend but i could not be arsed to do it on my own. So last week i handed my Taxi into the garage for a couple of weeks and i had to make a decision for a holiday.

I loaded up the panniers with some clothing and got on the @ and rode to Dover, sailed to Calais and opened the map book when i arrived. Flicked through the pages of the map book and I decided to ride to Bratislava, nine hundred and seventy miles and 24 hours non stop riding later i was in Bratislava (Slovakian capital) found myself a four star hotel on a converted boat on the Danube for forty quid a night. This is the most unprepared trip i have ever indulged in, i am not even carrying spare light bulbs, very unusual for me.

Anyway i have left Bratislava now and have ridden to Budapest, very exciting here, i think theres a coup or something going on Anyway, couple of nights here and i am gonna ride to Vienna and on Prague for the weekend and then back to blighty.

Anyway lets get down to business, i have a slight problem with the bike, the speedo has packed along with the milometre. The electronic trip meter has packed up as well. The trip meter is lit up and showing figures but the trip meter numbers are not regestering there stuck on zero after i reset them

The clock was stuck as well but when i reset it it sterted working again, is it just the speedo cable that has gone? if so why has the trip meter stopped as well, do they share some component?

It is not a major problem as i use my GPS for kph readings anyway but it makes guessing the when the fuel runs out a bit of a haphazard affair

I think i have another problem but i am not sure, the steering feels a bit vague, i can,t describe it any other way. The bike does not feel as planted as it usually is. I have had the bike on the centre stand and checked for any undue movement and everything seems fine. The front wheel bearing was replaced a couple of thousand miles ago. There is no movent in the forks that i can feel up down or side ways.

I am just wondering, earlier in the summer i had a faulty tyre and i had three blowouts in two days on the motorway. I am just wondering that those events combined with my current state of mind, if a little bit of my my bottle has gone, and its all in my mind. One of the bar end wieghts has snapped off would that effect the handling much? would it contribute to this vagueness in the steering. I have been trying to get the wieght of off the otherside to balance it out but to no avail.

Anyway the trip has been great therapy, i have even more stickers to add to my panniers If anybody out there has bought the alpos boxes off of Paul cave and wants liners for them. I bought a pair of Givi ones that are a perfect fit from Hien Gerrieck, they are really good quality made with thick nylon and with pockets handles and shoulder straps, and under twenty quid each.

Anyway gonna go off and have a night ride around Budapest and do some night photography. If your watching the news of the riots in Buddapest and you see a geezer on a black british registered @ riding past the film cameras, you will know its yours truly took a wrong turning somewhere

London Bubble

[cabbage2404]

Stay safe Bubb, look forward to some pics when you're back.

[chronyx]

I had the same quite recently mate.

Want to meet up for a beer and a chat or anything, give me a shout.

[Phoenix]

Hi Londonbubble
Youll never be a lost soul while youre on xrv.org. as for the trip, its linked to the clocks to enable it to read the miles. If both have gone it could be the speed drive off the speedo cable down at the wheel. If its worn /broken it'll stop the clocks and trip working. And as for heading away try heading west to Ireland / N ireland next time, we'll show you a time to remember or forget if you prefer. As for the fuzzy feeling its (a) the bar weight (b) its a black @ and they are all like that have a good trip and we look forward to your return and you waxing lyrical about london life.
Phoenix

[cbcommuter]

hiya londonbubble
new member,never spoke before but have a great ride and stay safe
cheers darren

[Shep]

LOndon, keep your chin up mate, as a fellow divorcee never let tjhe bastards get you down. Get into a bit of East European "hospitality" if you know what i mean !!!!. I did and it was bloody great. If some exercise does not appeal then start hitting the Czech beer it is awesome. Or simply join in the riots, it is all kicking off today what with the Thailand Coup.

Good luck mate

[Simon]

enjoy yourself. Its funny but just yesterday i was thinking about you and that i hadn't seen any posts from you in while and was wondering were you were at. Glad you did go and didn't just stay in and sulk. Hope you get the bike sorted.

[Whealie]

Chin up, nothing like a riot to clear the mind.
Can't help with speedo but the missing weight would surely unsteady the handling.

[Maverick]

Hey matie cheer up your on your bike and some of us are stuck in lunnen innit Not sure how heavy your bike is packed or the thread pattern on your front tyre but that normally contributes to the vague feeling.

Give us a shout when you back and we can meet up for a beer, as for the girlfriend sorry that happened but there is always more fish in the sea and on the positive side if you have put 200% in the relationship you can certainly stand back and say gave it my best shot but obviously was not ment to be.

Ride safe and take it easy dude!

[londonbubble]

Thank you all folks cheered me up no end. I split up with my gal in June,and i must say this ride has been good therapy. Its always nice to look back at your problems from a far. As for me giving it my best shot, i always do, i thought thats what your supposed to do. And Ceri,about the eastern europe hospitality, I know all about it. The girl i was with was with that left me was Polish, alright i know its central europe but lets not split hairs. Although the one before her was Romanian

But my conclusion is this.........i have had white girlfriends, chinese ones,black ones,Fillipino ones bi ones straight ones
gals from all over the globe......except the indian sub continent, but i am working on it. It has come to my attention that there all firkin mad what ever the nationality.

I always rebelled against my parents, and mother used to say to me, 'Don,t be to nice to women and don,t do to much for them' So being a rebel i did the exact opposite, including putting my ex-wife through university. It pains me to say it but 'Ma you were right'

Firk all that equality ****e, they got the vote and what did they give us.......Tony Blair, now there a proving point.......over to you ladies?

Anyway had a great day today, i went to a park-museum where they have collected all the former communist statues after the collapse of the USSR and diplayed them in one open space. And boy those pinko,s loved a statue and knew how to make them big stylie. I lost my spare keys and mobile, thats very unlike me,and i don,t give a toss anyprobs coming will be resolved one way or another. The funny thing is i like being without the phone now i feel totally isolated

With regards to the bike probs,i have had a lot more wieght on than what i have now. i only have a few clothes with me. i have had a pillion and full
camping gear for two and tools/spare fuel etc and it never felt like this. Maybe it is the tread pattern or the bar end wieght. If i get a chance i'll try thrashing the bike with no panniers on to see how it handles

Vienna and Prague tomorrow

London Bubble