Somehow I'm not quite excited as I should be. Maybe its because there is so much else going on at the moment, trying to get the trip organised and get stuff together. The bike is in some ways just one of many things I need to get sorted in the next few weeks. Saying that, I must confess I enjoyed the ride home.
So what could be the worst start to your motocycling career? Getting on your first bike for the very first time and the bike won't start! Guess what I was imagining as the engine was turning over without it firing up? That's right - me by myself in the middle of the Sahara or Congo with a 200kg bike that won't start.
The bike I've gone for is the the Yamaha XTZ660 Tenere. It's hopefully built for the job, but this afternoon when it wasn't starting I began to wonder.
I picked up the bike from a great guy called Charlie in Edinburgh who has only had it a couple of weeks. He said the bike was just too high for him - somehow I don't think I'll be having that problem (I'm 6'6"). The previous owner to him obviously went all over Eastern Europe on the bike covering its alloy panniers with country stickers - which I spent most of this evening trying to remove.
So I have a bike. I'd better learn how to start it, ride it and fix it.
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