What have you done with your V-Strom today?

[Barbel Mick]

Grandkids football was called off today & needed to empty the tank to re-fill with E5, the weather was looking good so instead of cooking my own breakfast had a ride out for one. Went to Factory Heads café at Donington Super Bikes via South East Staffordshire and North West Leicestershire. Nice run, but some dirty roads!
I wasn't impressed by the breakfast served at the café, expensive for the quality, I can't complain about the quantity though. It was sat under the heat lamps for 10 minutes while it was 'assembled' drying out the beans & eggs, plus Richmond's sausages, for £10.95 I'd want proper butcher's sausages. The Black Pudding was nice though.
A complaint was met with "We always do that and nobody else has complained."   
The place is only 15 minutes from home so too close, usually, to call on the way out or on the way home, but if I do call again I'll have for a burger, they didn't look too bad.
Deb wasn't happy with her sausage cob either. 
Plenty of bikes to look at in the shop but nothing took my fancy, rode home quite happy on the 650. 
Gave the girl a soapy bottom end wash when we got home.   

[Upt North]

I bet Deb enjoyed her soapy bottom wash down. Lucky lass.
Upt'North.

[Barbel Mick]

Not as much as me!!! 

[Rixington43]

Finally finished my 30k service, she died first turn, possibly due to lack of fuel pressure, but ran a dream from there. Throttle bodies were out a fraction so balanced them up. All good for another few miles I guess.

[MartinW]

I bet Deb enjoyed her soapy bottom wash down. Lucky lass.
Upt'North.

Guess what I planned to reply with while reading through Egon Ronay's Mick's post?

[UK_Vstrom650]

I spent an hour stood on the M1 just before junction 44 this evening as the police closed the road just in front of me. 6c was a bit chilly - couldn't run the heated jacket at idle, as it needs revs holding around 2-2.5k to charge the battery. Was tempted to unplug the left headlight but they reopened just as I thought about it.

At least it wasn't this morning which was only 3c - even the heated grips didn't help.
Today has taught me to dig out the woolly socks and carry a spare jumper/thermal liner in the topbox rather than just rely on using heated jacket over a shirt.

[graingerblaze]

It feels like Christmas today, so many new parts arriving! The most important were the EBC discs, which are the X rather than XC as they seem impossible to find.

I went on to the EBC website to check the proper part numbers for a K5 model, so ‘MD3088X’ for standard or ‘XC’ for wavy. The likes of eBay and DemonTweaks have the XC wavy options, but although they say they will fit they are not the part numbers EBC quote (MD3092XC). No idea if they would fit or not, but I wasn’t going to risk the hassle.

Also got new caliper pistons, seals etc. so I’m going to enjoy my weekend getting covered in grease and brake fluid 

[Rixington43]

Having decided the Vee is in for the long haul and having avoided buying any tat at MCL, I went all lifestyle twat and hit the Suzuki Merch Sale.
The mug may be better built than parts of the bike....

[The Doctor 46]

Are you going to have a Suzuki tattoo too? Go on, you know you should. That Suzuki very mug is nice but far to small for me, I love tea. 

[graingerblaze]

I’m in the process of tidying up my brakes, so today the callipers got wire brushed, wet and dried then soaked to be completely grease free and ready for primer. It was way to cold to spray paint so going to take the callipers into work and use their heated spray booth, so in preparation they are getting dried on the stove so I can mask up tonight 

[Asmith61]

Great work graingerblaze 

We have our wood burner alight today to

What is the top part of your wood burning stove ?   it looks like a pizza oven ?

[graingerblaze]

It’s a baker stove, so yes a top section for cooking in. We have it in our kitchen, we tend to use it for jacket potatoes or lunchtime goodies but don’t use it for cooking often as my kids eat so much… handy as a backup if the lights go out. If any one interested, link below.

https://deanforge.co.uk/baker-plus-5/

Not very bike related, but in these dark cold nights it’s a must.

[pichulec]

Bike put to sleep, battery out, full tank of petrol. New cover on order, this one is too small.

[graingerblaze]

Final coat of paint went on this morning, luckily my work have a heated spray booth as I couldn’t have done this at home with -10 outside. So that’s all three callipers done, will leave the paint to cure in the oven today then re-assemble this weekend if I find time.

The gold is a little glitzy but should look OK. I didn’t know it had metal flake in the paint, it’s proper caliper paint and I used engine enamel primer so hopefully this will last years. Fingers crossed 

[Upt North]

  Nice work.
Upt'North.

[Rixington43]

Powder coat your wheels and you've got an XT without the spokes to polish ;)

[Rusty Nuts]

Heated spray booth, eh? Room for a tent?

[graingerblaze]

It’s a nice idea power costing the wheels Rixington43… think I may have over done the bling with the callipers so I best leave the wheels black for now. Who knows, maybe next year 

[The Doctor 46]

I put my bike to bed today too. Took the battery off and now on a trickle charger indoors. It was starting the bike okay but when I put it on charge it showed on the lights of the charger that it was only half charged?

I'm going to Spain tomorrow until the 12 January then on the 13th the battery will go back on for a much needed ride.... Whatever the weather. 

[tonkie]

Got her in the Christmas mode