Beta Alp 4.0

Flat battery

2012-02-19T18:36:00.002Z

Wow, a long time since any action on here, I'm very sorry. I can report that our utility room conversion is great, but at a cost of many of my hours.

The last few times I've ridden the Alp that e-start has been rather reluctant although the battery charged readily when I got home and connected the Optimate. Today I decided to do the right thing and estimate the condition of the battery (FTX7L-BS). It had been on the Optimate for weeks and had an open circuit voltage of 13.4V. A good start but not great when directly off charge. I had a 20W bulb on a lead so popped that on - measured 1.75A load. By 1 hour the onload voltage was below 9V, so disconnected it and it rose to 10.1V. The minimum depth of discharge of lead acids seems to be quoted between 10.0V and 11.8V so it was 'empty' by any method, giving a capacity of under 2Ah . The nominal capacity of 6.5Ah is at 10 hours (C/10 ie 650mA) so although I was loading the battery at about C/3 I should have expected a run time of at least 2 hours. It's dead.

I had wondered whether a Hawker high cranking current battery would fit but the specifications suggest not. There is a Lithium battery that should fit but they are silly money currently. So, which conventional AGM battery? Yuasa's offering has a cranking current of 85A whereas the Varta is advertised at 50A; there's a WestCo at 85A too. I feel this is important as the DR350 lump takes some turning over and with the lean jetting a good spin is important. The best price I could find was for a Yuasa was £38 at mds (usual disclaimers).

Routine service

2009-10-10T16:02:00.003Z

Today, at 15700km, I got a new MOT certificate for the Alp. The bike has only done just over 2000km since its last test and service.

I'm struggling to keep up with such things since last years illness, but hopefully I'll stay on track now. Whilst out I bought oil and a filter and changed it on my return. Later I cleaned and re-oiled the airfilter and a fair bit later, once the engine was cold, rechecked the valve clearances. One of the inlet valves was on the maximum clearance of 0.1mm but it didn't seem worth interfering with it to make it 0.02mm tighter. The chain needed a little adjustment too.

As I did a fair bit of tidying in June 2008 the tyres and sprockets are in good condition. I don't feel the brake fluid needs an annual change!

Incidentally, the LED panal lights are failing. So much for solid state reliability.

Alp in Bologna

2009-10-07T17:24:00.003Z

I have just returned from Bologna, Italy, where I went with the Morini Riders Club to see the factory. I traveled by train and so can't say much about the journey. The company is possibly close to bankruptcy but with machines retailed at around €10k how can you expect to sell a lot? The scrambler is a pretty machine, but better for posing at the pub than tackling the dirt, except perhaps in expert hands?

Anyway, whilst in town I spotted an Alp 4.0 with a few minor modifications:

Raised front mudguard
Neoprene fork gaiters
Givi throw-over pannier rails - being a luggage nerd, these interested me the most.

Let me know if this is your bike! I hope you didn't mind me photographing it.

Motorbike weights

2009-06-16T07:40:00.004Z

I've been thinking of trading the Beta Alp in to buy a new Tenere so as to have a bike mopre suited to trips to France etc. Last year the sub-200kg dry weight was quoted but now it's over 200kg; but at least that is 'on the road'. That got me to thinking about the weights of raod/trail bikes and over a lunchtime I compiled a little chart. It's far from complete but gives a good impression of what's going on.

A notable observation is that their is a clear trend that new versions of a model get heavier - in each case:

Kanguro X1 to XE

Serow 225 to 250

Yamaha Tenere 1980's to 2008

BMW's G/S series

Only in the last case did the manufacturer's realise that enough was enough and make the 1200GS significantly lighter than it predecessor. Also the new twins appear lighter than the single cylinder machine they replaced.

The outcome of this? The Tenere is heavy!

I'll aim to add to the table as I've a chance.

A long weekend in Northern France

2009-03-09T20:21:00.011Z

Last summer I had to cancel my trip to the Pyrennes due to illness, but changed my EuroTunnel tickets to March 2009 so as not to lose them. As the time approached my plan was to investigate some easy lanes within an easy day's ride of Calais and see some of the little villages that are so easily ignored.

My preliminary research on riding of what we might call 'French green lanes' took two tracks. I posted an enquiry on the Adventure Rider forum (which has a French section) and did a bit of online research. The first source suggested that the French might be a little more laissez-faire than the English and just to ride quietly and take account of any prohibiting signage. Online results were a little more worrrying. As in England, there are strong lobbies to keep engined vehicles out of country areas and especially the mountains. Well I wouldn't be going to the mountains, but there are Reserves and Natural Parks. Most significantly I found a download of the relevant French law, which is explained here. Basically one can only ride on a 'road', and if you read the small print, that could require legal testing for the most minor tracks. The driving force behind the not-quite legislation appears to have been the vast number of 'Quads' that have been sold and registered in France over the last few years. Look at the title of the 'circular':

"Circulation des quads et autres véhicules à moteur dans les espaces naturels"

There are a number of tour companies but I hadn't booked a crossing at the appropriate time, and anyway, I like to wander slowly, rather than blast a set route.

The 1:100000 IGN maps show a number of cart-tracks although I was also told that the 1:25000 are more useful. I took a couple of the 1:100000 but found that in 3 days I couldn't cover everything around St Omer. My key rule was to never cross a prohibition sign:

Secondly, to avoid anything technical as I was by myself, and, importantly, my understanding of the legislation is that a 'road' can be driven by a normal car. I assumed that is a French car, driven by a farmer. If you've ever been to France, or indeed Spain, you'll see Renaults & Citroens in places that an English 4x4 would never go.

So what did I find? As noted above, some 'Communes' have been very active with their signage and everything is closed. Some farmers have placed 'Chemin Privee' notices on tracks, whilst in other places I found the excellent:

What could be better than that? A lot of the terrain was flat, but potentially muddy:

There were also some very traditional looking sunken lanes:

Look at the wear and tear on that! During my travels on the lanes I met 1 family walking a dog, 1 cyclist and passed by 3 farmers going about their business. The farmers acknowledged me, the others ignored me. Certainly, in this area, in March, there is not a lot of use.

There's no way I'm going to suggest that readers repeat this trip as it's built on flimsy legal foundations. However, I'm now more tempted to try a commercial operator to learn more about the lanes and to try other areas. It is worth noting that the previously mentioned law does allow access with their landowners or Mayoral permission so a well-known local guide with a good reputation is likely to have a far wider range of tracks to use.

Incidentally, France has an active organisation protecting the right to travel on rural roads called Codever. They are also linked in to a route appraisal system that allows users to record events whilst using the roads. They also issue a code of conduct which should keep a rider out of the worst trouble! I recommend a rummage around their website if you intend doing a rando.

Safety rules in France

2009-03-02T23:27:00.003Z

For a while I've wondered if I needed a fluorescent jacket and warning triangle when riding in France. Well now I have a definitive answer from an official French government website and the links from it.

The simple answer is that drivers of 2 wheeled vehicles are exempt. However the fluorescent clothing seems a good idea. The approved warning triangles would be impractical.

Carb Icing?

2009-03-02T17:09:00.003Z

A reader of this blog commented that his Alp 4.0 suffers from rough running after some time at speed on longish (say 200mile) journeys. Here's what I think:

I have had bouts of odd running on some of my longer journeys but I have tended to feel it was rain in the petrol/airbox/electrics. 18 months ago on my return from the Stella Alpina (as I wrote in my blog) I drained water from the carb bowl and then a little petrol. No wonder it wouldn't run! Of course, on such trips you do tend to run close to the bottom of the tank. I also think it runs a little lean and perhaps at speed the cylinder is getting cold and mixture a spot weak? Altogether I've never found it a totally smooth runner...

I suppose I'm discounting carb icing as such as I've not heard of it as a DR350 issue and the carb/airbox/head is straight off the Suzuki. However I suspect it is jetted a lot leaner than a DR to get it to Euro regulations - really it is a very low tech motor to be still legal! one day I suppose I should find a dyno and get it jetted properly, which I'm sure will be richer.

Back on two wheels

2008-10-04T11:21:00.002Z

Thank you for the kind messages of support that I've received since my last post. It's harkening that someone does read this blog, and even more so that you care what happens to me.

The radiotherapy finished just over a week ago and I no longer feel tired and nauseous all of the time. As well as doing full days in work I've also taken the Alp for its MOT inspection which it passed easily. After all, I'd fettled it for the HUMM and not ridden it since. The first 100 metres from home felt very unfamiliar but after that I started to settle into the machine and the routine of gear changes and looks over the shoulder became second nature once again.

Today I went for a short spin to take a look at the Edinburgh Trial as it passed close to home. It was a cold night last night and I'm quite sure that I'd have found the whole thing too tiring. The section I visited is a fairly long, steep ascent with numerous small steps and loose stones to challenge the tiring competitors. This year though, for the tougher classes a 'restart' was included on a section of polished, slippery rocks. Whilst some riders had no problems, a number found themselves on the dirt as the rear wheel slid out sideways rather than propelling the machine upwards. Very soon it will be me dusting myself down I hope.

Thanks again for getting in touch.

A Major Disappointment

2008-07-29T18:57:00.005Z

This week I had booked annual leave off work and prepared the Alp for a long journey. You know the kind of stuff, new chain and sprocket set, new TKC80s and super HD tubes and of course the basic service items. I had booked myself onto the HUMM which seemed like an excellent opportunity to get some long mountain trails ridden in Spain with the added excitement of a little competition.

The event looked to be very well organised with nearly 70 points to locate all without the use of GPS. My team-mate and I had done a fair bit of route planning including the production of sectional maps. The Spanish and Catalan mapping agencies make 1:25000 maps available free of charge on line and they can be manipulated for your own use quite easily.

Anyway, I'm writing this at home having cancelled my arrangements and being unable to ride the motorbike. Two weeks before I should have been leaving for Spain I was diagnosed with a probable testicular cancer which was a bit of a shock to say the least. Well, I guess that's not strictly true, I had noticed a swelling a few weeks earlier and visited A&E but not got very far. As I was unhappy with the lack of progress I arranged to see a specialist privately and within 5 days was admitted to hospital.

The surgery isn't a big procedure but I was forbidden from lifting heavy things afterwards (for how long is rather unclear). Knowing my skill level and usual performance I knew I would have to lift the Alp at least once during the HUMM. I didn't fancy tearing a not-quite-healed wound whilst on a Spanish hillside; and of course, any travel insurance wouldn't have wanted to payout as the consultant had specifically said that I wouldn't be fit. To my surprise, 2 weeks after surgery I am still feeling weaker than usual and can only just stand up without a twinge of pain. So that was the end of the holiday!

Anyway, knowing that the most likely readership of this blog is male in the 4th decade of life I would urge you to be vigilant and seek advice from your doctor if you suspect any lumps or swellings to be present (testicular or elsewhere).

The pathology report diagnosed the tumour as a seminoma which is the best I could have hoped for. I have more follow-up appointments booked and may well need radiotherapy but there are other blogs on this so I won't bore you...

Annual Service

2008-06-10T15:31:00.004Z

Now that it's summer it was time to tidy the Alp after its winter trials and prepare it for summer journeys. The current mileage is 13700 km so not a lot really. Over the last week I've done a service and other odd jobs:

Oil The engine oil and filter were changed. Both were discoloured, no bits of metal.
Air filter The filter, air box and breather hoses were thoroughly cleaned. As I wasn't in a rush I could clean the filter in paraffin and then detergent and then leave it a day to dry. Then I oiled it, squeezed out the excess and left the filter oil solvent a day to evaporate. Just as the instructions say!
Chain A complete chain and sprocket set was fitted with standard 15/48 gearing. As usual I fitted the rivet link, I find it easier than the spring clip. I cut the chain with a pair of links longer than last time. This place the rear axle in the centre of its travel and made it easier to fit the chain. It'll be near the back with a 14 tooth front sprocket. However with 2 fewer links the chain is hard to fit and the rear wheel close to the end of its adjustment. Perhaps moving the wheel back 1cm will increase the stability of the chassis?

The chain roller was grooved and had an irritating squeek and so was replaced. The item is a standard 32mm so easily available. The mounting bolt doesn't have a very positive end point so I used a spot of Loctite on the cleaned thread and tightened it until there was no discernible movement of the roller along the bolt but it could still turn freely.
Brakes The front and rear brake fluid was changed by expelling the old oil via the bleed screw and topping up the reservoir. I ran two complete reservoir volumes through. Again the oil was a little brown unlike the new straw-coloured fluid. The rear brake pads were replaced as one was well worn. This seemed to require the back plate of the caliper to be undone. The front pads were fairly thick - there was enough body to allow the same wear again and still not to be at the limit.
Valve clearance I removed the tank and washed the frame and outside of the cylinder head. A lot of muck gets trapped under here and it doesn't go in the engine. The next day the tappets were checked and found to be basically fine. As the exhaust was just above the stated clearance I decided to close it a little. I'd left it loose last time I checked them but as they aren't shifting between checks it seemed safe to close it a spot.
Tyres I refitted a used TKC80 to the front rim and bought a rear from a local dealer who fitted it. I went for 4mm Ultra Heavy Duty Michelin tubes. These are thicker than the normal enduro ones I have used in the past, and naturally more expensive, but they seemed worth trying. Anything to reduce the risk of a puncture.

Naturally everything was cleaned in the area of what I was working on so the machine is looking a little tidier. Whilst ordering the parts I also bought a spare gear shift lever - £39!!

Odd running

2008-05-01T13:14:00.004Z

A correspondent with an Alp 4.0 is travelling through Spain and has complained of rough running of the engine. He feels it is something to do with ignition but can't be sure. The engine runs but at a certain rev range it's noisey. A mechanic he saw suggested that the CDI needed reprogramming. This seems a bit unlikely as it's doubtful if the ignition on this sort of machine is reprogrammable, and why should it change?

My suggestions of things to look for were:

The microswitch on the carb butterfly valve - what happens if this is jammed?
Open circuit plug cap - I've had this problem on other bikes and it is a pain
Over-oiled airfilter causing richness
Excess oil in the sump causing fouling of the air box
Open drains in the airbox causing loss of vacuum
Loose connectors or water throughout the circuit
Foreign object in the float bowl

Other possibilities were:

Improperly seated kick start lever partially engaging the ratchet
Timing chain or tensioner problem
Lack of tappet clearance
Something, anything (sump guard, bit of fairing, luggage etc etc) vibrating
Loose engine bolts

I hope I'll hear what the problem is so I can be aware of it...

LED panel indicators

2008-04-20T19:08:00.002Z

During the night of the Lands End Trial I found that the headlamp and main beam warning lights were dazzling me by making glare in my helmet visor. I'd replaced the minature bulbs with LEDs during the summer but they were obviously too intense during the night.

The series resistor was 680 ohms so I've replaced it with 1.4 k on these 2 indicators. I suppose I'll have to test them properly but with the lights out in the garage they seem suitably dim.

New gloves

2008-03-28T21:53:00.002Z

I always struggle to find decent gloves for motorcycling; to complicate matters I don't wear leather so that rules out a large sector of the market. Last month Trail Bike Magazine ran an advert for Klim gloves that sounded pretty good. They claimed good protection, some warmth and waterproof for £51.

The UK distibutor for this US brand is Adventure-spec which seems to be a smallish eRetailer outfit based in Leeds. On the online shop the cost was £60 including VAT which is getting a bit pricey, but not too out of line of the competition. The gloves arrived within 5 days, but not to the dispatch address that I'd entered on the website. The gloves appear well made with tidy seams.

I'm never sure whether to order Medium or Large sized gloves; I have long but slim hands and so really need Large so that my fingers aren't caught at the ends, but Medium would give a better fit across the palm. This is a problem with online shops - but I went for large. This isn't ideal as the neoprene cuff isn't all that firm. I suspect the width is rather excessive in relation to the length for anyone. Since I ordered my gloves Adventure-spec have posted a size guide on the website which would put me on a Medium for width.

I've only used the gloves in the dry so far and for that they have been comfortable enough. As the fit was loose I wore some cut resistant gloves as liners for both the extra protection and as insulation (see the Ixion website for a discussion on Kevlar liners). I've had one low speed tumble in stones/mud and that hasn't done any harm to the gloves (or me).

I'm not going to wish for bad weather but some rain will be needed to test their water resistance!

Lands End Trial 2008

2008-03-26T22:26:00.002Z

After winning a Gold Medal on last year's trial there was a probability that I would be disappointed this year and I wasn't wrong.

For signing on at Plusha we had to make do with writing on the freezer in the service station as the cafe has closed down again. The rumour is that the rent is far to high to make a go of it, now that travellers don't have to break their journey on the widened A30.

This year Easter was on the 22nd on March was as early as it has been for years. The earliest possible is 21st so naturally it was dusk by departure. On the way to Bridgewater my headlamp bulb blew twice. The spare I fitted the first time had been carried for years so perhaps it had been vibrated far too much before fitting. Luckily the bulb is a plain H4 item so widely stocked. I was rather fed up with this though, the 6 small cross-head screws aren't the easiest things to deal with on a cold night. Also the LED lamps in the lighting indicators which I fitted during the summer are far too bright at night and dazzled me. They'll have to be adapted. You can tell I don't ride much during the night can't you.

I usually consider the first section to be easy, but this year it was the first that I failed, in common with many others. A restart box had been place on some slippery rocks and I took the wrong side and ended up sliding off. That was a bad start. Before day break I footed rather carelessly on a rocky section where more determination would have seen me through. At breakfast I gained a bit of a boost and thought that a bronze was still within my reach if I didn't fail another section. The tarmac approach to Crackington was littered with clods of clay suggesting that it might be a little gloopy at the top. As it turned out the clay was in neat piles easy enough to steer around. Thus all went well until Bluehills.

The 2 bluehills sections are traditionally tough but they can be cleared. The first has a watery pit and then a restart on a steep cobbled ramp. As I approached this I could see a dry band and amazingly manged to stop on it and do the restart. But then I under-revved and messed up my 'strategic' footing on the 90 degree turn to the right and managed to stall. What a waste! That made me lose any interest in working on Bluehills 2 and basically paddled to the top.

In theory the weather hadn't been bad. Certainly it was windy and this made the night cold but there was no rain nor fog. During the day I hadn't felt very well, alternately nauseous and with a headache but there was no obvious cause for this and I do feel as though I'm making excuses.

Although my score is poor I should take away the positive message that I very nearly cleared Bluehills 1...

New Tyres

2008-03-05T16:22:00.003Z

It's only 2 weeks to the 2008 Land's End Trial so the TKC80s must be replaced with MT43s. I've a new rear tyre as last year's was a little worn by the time I'd done the whole 700km. The job is getting easier with practice and I manged to do both front and rear, on a cool day, within 2 hours. That's including changing to a 14 tooth front sprocket too.

Northern Trial revisited

2008-01-04T14:25:00.001Z

Just before Christmas I was sent a picture of myself on the 2007 Northern Trial. It won't be long until the 2008 event now!

This was the easy exit of a section if I recall correctly. I suspect I'd messed up by not weaving through the marker posts.

Video of a Beta Alp 4.0 on YouTube

2007-10-23T20:17:00.000Z

So there is someone out there with an Alp 4.0 and a video camera. As it's just a road trip it's not very exciting. The sound is LOUD! There's a series in Italy by MeliusEsseQuamVideri but I've not watched them all and can't be sure if it's a 200 or 4.0 model.

Oil change

2007-10-20T20:28:00.001Z

Rather belatedly, today I changed the oil post-Stella Alpina. It can never be part of the service as the engine must be cold for valves but hot for oil. OK, so it could be done as the last job, but it's always lunchtime then!

It had just under 4000km of use and was dark but the volume was only just under 2l and there was no obvious swarf on the filter. So not much being burnt and nothing failing too dramatically.

GPS reborn

2007-10-08T21:04:00.000Z

On the first of May 2000, President Clinton ordered that the GPS signal be unscrambled, increasing the resolution available to users considerably. A resolution of 20m became quite realistic with the basic handheld receivers of the day. As a keen hill walker I'd contemplated GPS previously but suddenly I felt it was the way ahead.

I purchased a Garmin 12XL which is waterproof and will work off external power supplies of up to 30V. At the time it was a well reviewed unit, but even then, low on functionality. For some time I experimented with saving tracks and waypoints using GPSu which is an excellent little Windows application at a low price. However I didn't get into a habit of doing this, mainly due to its limited mapping facility. I bought an Anquet map package which was pretty good but heralded the death of our Windows box. It was replaced with a G4 Mac Mini as I was tired of Windows crashes and didn't want to trouble my SO with Linux. Two years ago there didn't seem to be anything simple and cheap for using a GPS unit with OSX. The 12XL was then back to being an excellent source of grid references when I was 'unsure of my position'.

For the last 18 months I've been documenting the local Rights of Way for my own use by taking digital photographs of signage and the track condition but it was a bit fiddly remembering which image was which. Then I heard of Geocoding and that seemed to be a way forward especially if it could be coupled with Google Earth.

Now there are a lot of freeware or open source programs for using GPS units with OSX. The ones I've tried out are:

GPS Connect - a basic upload and download utility
GPSBabel and its GUI frontend for OSX - a utility to convert between 'every' GPS file format and communicate with GPS units
Exiftool - the perl script responsible for stuffing GPS data into image files

I was working towards a chain of programs to tag my images but stumbled across GPSPhotoLinker which does it all. Easy to use and a good introduction without getting into too much OSX setup trauma. I've only done a trial walk near home so far but it's looking good...

Edinburgh Trial cancelled

2007-09-21T21:47:00.000Z

On no! The forthcoming Edinburgh Trial has been canceled. The foot & mouth disease is still not well controlled in the South East of the country and the MCC's executive have decided that the club must be as responsible as possible and not risk spreading FMD around Derbyshire. The day that the decision was released there was a suspected outbreak in Solihull, which isn't a million miles from the start of the event in Tamworth. Later DEFRA stated that the tests for the virus were negative but it shows how touchy the farming community is at present.

I was in Derbyshire last week nice and early and found it as beautiful as ever.

I took in a few lanes that I'd neglected for a while, partly due to post-NERC uncertainty and found them dry. This one is so obviously an old road, perhaps one from the Inclosure Acts of the first half of the 19th century, where roads were specified to be either 40 or 60 feet wide?

If all that is a little too peaceful for you, how about some noisy cars from the 2006 trial getting stuck on Litton Slack?

Leicestershire lanes

2007-09-08T14:29:00.000Z

Last night I worked my way through a lot of sections of online OS maps and found a dozen byways and ORPAs within Leicestershire. These made up a convenient loop just to the west of North Leicester Motorcycles, the Moto Morini dealership.

The weather has been dry recently and so the tracks were easy. Some heavily rutted, but firm at least. Leicestershire appears to have started a programme of placing accurate signage (despite the careless spelling), even to showing where a BOAT stops. The byway element was lovely to ride.

Some tracks are county roads and therefore not signed; this bridge shows that they may be quite old carriage routes:

The ford looked deep so being a coward, and liking dry feet, I took the little bridge.

I now need to contact the council to check the status of some routes I passed, but didn't take, as I wasn't confident from the signs that vehicular use was permitted.

The area is an hour down the motorway from home, but at least that's easy going on the Alp.

Gold at last

2007-07-21T21:43:00.000Z

After 3 months I've received my GOLD medal from the 2007 Land's End Trial at last.

I was just a little disappointed that it's the same as the bronze medal but with a gold layer. Is it paint or a few microns of precious metal? Anyway, a year ago I'd never have expected to win one; even if it was an easy trial for many, it was tough enough for me.

Air filter sealer

2007-07-21T18:22:00.000Z

My local Suzuki spares agent told me that the DR350 fiche showed the airbox seal and lid as a single item at £££. I therefore doubt that the seal was available as a Beta spare. So for a DIY solution. Saves waste too!

A template was made by tracing the airbox lid outline and it would just fit within a piece of discarded mouse mat. Some crafty work with shard scissors and I had a new sear.

Naturally it was a tight fit. If you do this I'd recommend cutting well inside the pencil line.

Whilst messing I re-drained the carb and checked the valve clearances. All OK.

Air filter

2007-07-12T20:46:00.000Z

I've started the post-trip tidy by giving the Alp a thorough wash and look over. Nothing seems broken or to have dropped off although there are lots of tar spots on the engine, from the few new areas of road in France I assume. They'll take a while to clean off with solvent. But not today.

The airfilter looked fairly dark and grubbby from the outside. It's hard to judge how blocked it might be. I gave the air filter two rinses in a dribble of paraffin and then repeatedly worked detergent into the foam and rinsed it out until it was lovely and clean. The airbox sealing foam is torn however and will need replacing. I wonder if it is easy to obtain the official strip sealant or if it will need an aftermarket solution.

Day 10 Arras to Home

2007-07-11T19:39:00.000Z

Breakfast was running a little late at the hostel this morning and then the bread was defrosted in the microwave. That's not very French; but it is a relief that the French can be as idle with regard to cooking as the English. The jam was excellent anyway so I managed to get a good fill for the day.

There was a little dampness in the air, but for once, not rain and I set off for the Autoroute to Calais. I'd decided that the final 110km were always slow and dull and that it would be best to get them over with. The toll was just under €4 and so not a major cost. At 200km the reserve fuel light came on and I hoped to reach the Chunnel terminus without a stop, just as well as there wasn't anywhere to fill-up. The check-in formalities were rapid and we were boarded well in time for departure. Then there was announcement that we would be delayed due to a 'technical problem' ... and another. After 20 minutes they decided we would have to be transfered to another train, of course the next departure had already been loaded. So the doors opened and we all drove off. Just outside the train the Alp's engine died and wouldn't restart. Out of petrol! I quickly found my spare 1 litre bottle and poured it in, after a pause pressing the starter to get away again.

The starter spun the engine but it didn't fire. After a few attempts one of the staff came over and asked what the problem was. I explained that I was out of fuel and that my top up must have been inadequate. After a few minutes the recovery LandRover arrived without a fuel can and we drove off to get some; I was hoping that this would get things going. Eventually we got back to the Alp with 5 litres of petrol and poured it in through the world's slowest nozzle. Still nothing!

By now the next train was about to leave, luckily from just where I was parked so they let me push on to the train. At least I'd be broken down in England. What could the problem be? I'd just ridden 110km without problem, restarted and then nothing. Surely there couldn't be a serious fault. As the train set off I thought about the simple combination of sparks and petrol. I couldn't check for sparks as the train has some sort of flash detectors. The plug lead was dry and the plug looked fine, it's colour was perfect. What about petrol? In the service before leaving for the Stella Alpina I'd backed out of draining the float bowl as the screw was stuck. Now it had to be done and with my self-gripping wrench pressed firmly on the screw cracked open.

I ran some liquid onto a tissue, it didn't even smell of petrol. That might be the problem. I found my lunch box and ran the whole float chamber into it; refilled the chamber and drained it again. The run off was 50% water and full of bits of debris; this might have solved things. I was desperate to try to start the engine but couldn't until we reached England. As soon as we stopped I pulled the enricher out and spun the engine. It ran! Importantly it stayed running and settled into an idle as the train was unloaded. I agreed with the recovery that they would follow me to the edge of the tunnel area which they did. I topped up and decided to try for home.

After I'd completed the M20 I was relieved until I realised that I'd have to risk the Dartford tunnel. Four lines of lorries and no hard shoulder. The engine ran fine through this and I pushed on to Cambridge where I refuelled, flushed the float chamber again and continued homeward.

Occasionally I believed that the engine misfired but I can't say for sure. It certainly maintained an idle at junctions and picked up to higher speeds in every gear. At last I was at home and could relax.

It's always said that you shouldn't get down to the bottom of a fuel tank but as there's no real reserve on the Alp you're always drawing from the bottom. Secondly, I often run it close to empty to get the range out of it; I'd done it at least 3 times on this holiday. I blame water in the carburettor (and conceivably in the fuel tank) and possibly a critical grain of dirt in a jet for the acute lack of running. The misfires, if they really exist, might be due to a slightly clogged airfilter as the tracks in Italy were very dusty. That will be revealed at the imminent 12000km service.

110km in France, 380k in England

Day 9 Vesoul to Arras

2007-07-10T20:17:00.000Z

Three quarters of the distance has been covered in rain and unfortunately that has been the defining characteristic of the trip. Only as I started to head west today did the sky clear and the air get dry. This was fortunate as i was delayed for an hour due to a road closure for the Tour de France. The gendarme told me it would be clear in 15 minutes - well it took over an hour for numerous official cars to pass. Then more police and the 2 front riders, then a break and a few police and the peleton. After yet more support cars we were allowed through, before the lorries.

This was the only photo for 2 days as it was wet for the photogenic sections. With this weather I don't think I could have managed Cambrai to Les Rousses as I did last year. I wasn't really travelling slowly more that I was cold and fed up with every stop involving wet gloves.

At one dry stop I checked the airbox drain and found that the engine side was almost full of oily water, so that was a job worth doing. In general the Alp was running fine but on odd occasions I felt a roughness. Was this a misfire or simply roughness of the road?

The Arras hostel was busy so not a lot of space. The shared room is €21 cheaper than being in a Formule 1, which equates to a meal or the day's petrol. So that's a real saving but I think in future I'll be limiting myself to the best hostels such as Les Rousses and La Clusaz.

498km

Day 8 Bardonecchia to Vesoul

2007-07-09T20:02:00.000Z

I managed a fairly prompt start and was actually on the road at 09:00 with only a little rain. I'd decided to take the Frejus tunnel to avoid the risk of the cycle race I'd nearly got stopped by last year, to save 100km and finally to put me in line for the Col de Madelaine.

At €21.40 the tunnel isn't cheap, nor easy to have the right change for, but did speed me along. I was soon at the col and it is very pretty and less severe than most. However it was wet and misty which made it hard to find any photo opportunities.

As I headed north the ski brightened which made the slow slog through Annecy just about bearable. Soon I moved into the Jura again and this gave rapid progress and very pleasant surroundings. It wasn't raining much either! After some sun and the idea that I might dry-out a large black cloud descended and it was obviously raining underneath. It was quite a little storm. Strong winds, lightening and lots of standing water on the roads. I wondered if there was anywhere to stop and shelter. Very soon the decision was made as the engine died and refused to restart - quite obviously a lack of sparks. I was still 80km from Vesoul but apart from that it couldn't have happened in a better place. The road was quiet, level and the failure was only 100m from a hardware store which was open. I pushed the Alp into the carpark and went in search of WD40 in the assumption that bike OK, then rain, then stopped implied water in something and probably nothing serious. I squirted the sidestand switch, up around the HT coil, plug, cap and lead. Then all that again and it started first press.

A local policeman arrived and I wondered if I was to be in trouble for not wearing a fluorescent waistcoat (I wasn't on the road anyway). But actually his Citreon had died and he telephoned for help before pushing it into the carpark too. That was a good time to leave.

In the light rain to Vesoul the Alp ran fine so hopefully the problem was limited to a wet plug cap or such. In two days time I might wonder otherwise; but who can predict the future?

It really was my lucky day as restaurant within sight of the Formule 1 did a set vegetarian menu of salad, tofu stir fry and sorbet for €12, the half bottle of rose was extra.

471 km

Day 7 The Stella Alpina

2007-07-08T19:39:00.000Z

After normal 08:00 breakfast I set off from my lovely hotel without my remaining mirror and lower tyre pressures. Already there was a procession in both directions.

Just beyond Rochemolles I found an Italian gent stopped on his Alp 200. Somehow his petrol cap had come undone and fallen onto the road where it was smashed. He'd decided to cover the hole with his handkerchief but couldn't hold it in place. He readily accepted 2 rings cut from inner tube to keep it in place. I tend to carry a handful of these bands. Now I've found a purpose for them. I didn't see him later so don't know if he continued or made his way home. Pity no-one in front of me stepped in first. This is perhaps symptomatic of what I feel is wrong with the the event today.

The basic ascent had only 2 even vaguely difficult spots - a small rock step that caught out the big trailies on road tyres and the cruisers with very limited ground clearance. The second spot was snow just beyond a hairpin which needed one to align on the a[ex of the bend to take the firm line.

Whilst on the hill I opened the idle screw just enough for the engine to maintain an idle. That stopped the engine stalling every time I shut the throttle. (On the way home on Monday I turned it back little by little as I descended).

Close to the col was a band of snow which was stopping most. A few light enduro bikes made it through so I deflated the tyres more and cleared it with the help of 2 other UK riders (thanks chaps!). After that was a few metres of a scree ascent to cut out another snowbound hairpin. That was the col reached.

O the col was another band of snow but I couldn't clear this without help so I couldn't reach the peak. The stone on the cold was actually a very loose gravel suspension or mud an dthe bike kept wanting to fall into it. So with a little paddling I retraced my route and regained the route.

This year it seemed busier and faster traffic on the hill than last year and that made it less enjoyable. Too many trailered enduro machines were treating it as a training session, they didn't have to ride 1500km home on the same machine.

The afternoon was spent chatting and comparing notes on which cols can be done on a trail bike and whether the whole event should be done on a road bike anyway.

60km

Day 6 Into the Hills

2007-07-07T17:57:00.000Z

Pramand is signed 21km east of Bardonecchia on the Susa road so the route is easy to find. A few km out of the village you're warned that the road is poor- proceed at your own risk. Here I met a Swiss rider (who'll refer to as CH as somehow I never got his name) on a loaded-up Tenere. We agreed to go to Pramand and possibly further.

The track is of good quality and afford excellent views of the Susa valley. CH kept up a good pace which on some of the stoney sections I found hard to maintain. At the fork for Pramand fort he wanted to go straight to Jafferau. OK, I wanted to go there but would have liked to do the short detour to Pramand too. CH assured me that he'd done the route 5 or 6 years earlier with his wife on the back of his TT, so it can't be too bad. The track was all fail sound dirt track typical of the region but there is the famous tunnel which was having some maintenance work done on it. It's a new experience to be riding on wet stone in a dark tunnel - at least it's well surfaced. The tunnel has a pool at the west end which is apparently always there; it was only a few inches deep.

The track crosses a col on the ridge at around 2000m and continues along the ridge fro where the fort can be seen on the peak.

Some of the last 800m ascent is cobbled and shook the limited suspension of the Alp. The final 200m was quite narrow and a little exposed on the ridge. I took the odd dab for my own peace of mind but really the track was sound.

The summit afforded excellent views of the Susa valley and Bardonecchia.

We discussed our route into Italy and the various motorbikes we'd ridden and owned. Turns out that he'd only had 1 KTM - that was in the Dakar in the early 1980s. His favorite bike is a rebuilt Yamaha TT600 which he uses for 300km enduro events in Germany and has taken twice to Africa. Are you getting the picture of why he rides his Tenere with confidence?

We both preferred the idea of a circular route so on the advice of an Italian who'd ridden up on his step-thru we went to Fort Foels. By this time the track was gettig quite busy and we didn't fancy meeting a 4x4 in the tunnel. CH's luggage had vibrated loose so while he mended that I watched the traffic. Our vantage point gave an excellent view of the track leading into the tunnel/galleria.

Naturally on the descent I met a 4x4 which had stopped on a hairpin to let us pass. Being far too over cautious I dropped the Alp and broke a mirror mount. Why hadn't I removed them?

One descent from Foels is officially closed but another is open, so said some locals on trials bikes. But yes, the open track was small, passable with care. After a few km it became 18 inches wide across an exposed scree slope. I'd have been anxious to ride across. Luckily CH stopped and said it was too dangerous - we needed "the chicken's way". I agreed, I was a chicken. Yes, him too, he never does drop offs above 2.5m when he is doing downhill MTB competitions. Why can I never find anyone more incompetent or timid than me to ride with? Perhaps there isn't such a person or perhaps they don't ride 1800km to an European rally?

So we turned the bikes, which wasn't that easy, and took the closed route. The sign had been previously demolished and only applied for a km or so. I took these hairpins too carefully too I'm sure.

At the base we said our goodbyes and I headed into Bardonecchia where I met up with some other riders from the UK. Some of them had done the Stella Alpina 27 times, in a few cases on the same machine every time.

Here's a link to a video that shows some big KTMs doing the route in reverse. They come up the narrow route - it looks far wider in the video of 2006 than I felt it was in 2007.

During the saturday afternoon many machines appeared in the town. Naturally there were plentiful BMWs and KTMs but there was the occasional oddity.

81km of which 50km was on the dirt

Day 5 La Clusaz to Bardonecchia

2007-07-06T19:37:00.000Z

Most of today has been cold and wet until the afternoon when I crossed into Italy. The air was wet and the roads wet. The cols at Beaufort and Iseran both windy and misty. No place to stop and linger. I had planned to try an unsurfaced col out of Beaufort with the intention that I could retrace my steps (17km each way) if need be. I missed the turning and considered turning back. The weather was foul and I didn't fancy picking my way along a trail in hail so decided that fate had made my plans here. Perhaps next year?

The sky started to clear from Lanslebourg on the ascent to Cenis. This pass is well surfaced with broad sweeping bends, easy but fun. After a coffee I decided to take a look at a track to the west of the reservoir.

I'd heard that it was closed but the start was signed to a restaurant. I got all the way round without going through a barrier or past a prohibition sign. There were turnings that were clearly forbidden or had signs for electricity vehicles only but the main track was open as far as I could tell. There were also a number of cars parked up around the route. The end of the track is at the derelict customs house and from there the sun shone. I was getting hot just motoring along, quite a relief after being cold for 5 days.

On the approach to Bardonecchia I spotted a sign 'Pramand 11km' and was tempted to follow it then and there, but the thought of a cold beer at the hotel drew me on.

263 km, 1770km in total

Day 4 Les Rousses to La Clusaz

2007-07-05T19:09:00.000Z

At last, a beer!

La Clusaz FUAJ is lovely in a location providing a fantastic mountain view from my bedroom window. However all but the very centre of La Clusaz is dead.

I had time to spare before dinner but the road doesn't have a pavement and is quite busy. There are 2 bars in easy reach of the hostel, both looked closed bot one was open. Hooray. Judging from the newspapers around, I don't think they'd tidied up since the end of the ski season in March though.

I'd planned a scenic route from Les Rousses with a few roads marked as unsurfaced on the Michelin large scale map. Early on I made a wrong turining by misreading my instructions and being too wet to care, Nonetheless it led to a pleasant ride though the forest. Once I realised exactly where I was, I rejoined my route and went on to the first track. this led to a mast. Only km each way but good to be off tarmac a little. There should have been a great view but it was misty.

Next it was into the woods again for a short 'RF' leading to a short length of Michelin's dotted red road, indicating difficult terrain. At the start was a sign which I loosely interpreted to say "This is provate land, you can come in, but if you hurt yourself then tough."

Actually all but the first few hundred metres were well surfaced and none especially treacherous. A large sign seemed to show which other tracks had seasonal access. There were a number of dear running around, but this one stood so still that I thought it was stuffed, until I rolled almost up to it.

At a cafe at the base I was wished good luck for my journey and took the main road for some distance. I'd chosen to do a minor pass across to La Clusaz with dirt on the col. Unknown to me the plain at the summit is a major tourist attraction as it has a memorial to the French Resistance and a few cafes.

The various visitor boards mentioned restrictions on vehicles and I feared that the 2km link across the top would be closed to me. No red signs though. I checked in the tourist office and she said that I could go, just take it easy.

So off I went the occasional van and car making their way across too. The descent was steep and knowing the number of cars and lorries at the summit one had to take each blind bend anticipating that a truck could be oncoming.

That brings me back to the beginning of today's report. A ski resort out of season isn't a lot of fun. Even the hostel warden complained that he only had 3 people staying.

219km

Day 3 St Dizier to Les Rousses

2007-07-04T17:54:00.000Z

In view of the likely bad weather I planned a fairly straightforward route. I'd had a good night's sleep and with an early breakfast was off by 07:40. That did mean that i arrived at Les Rousses at 15:00, but more on that later.

After Chaumont the area of Terre-Natale was very pleasant. On a good day a walk in the woods might have been a good idea, but not today. Easy navigating into the Saone area with a very welcome coffee stop at a bar at Vaite and shopping for lunch at Seveux. These spots would be worth returning to another year, although I failed to get a a telephone card from the bar even though they advertised them on the door.

Besancon was hard to get through. I thought I must be going around in circles. Eventually I saw a sign for Pontarlier and then it was easy to follow on for Laussane; that was the best thing to follow. When I'm writing my routecards it's hard to predict which town will appear on the signs - sometimes it will be the next 2 house village, other times it will be a city in the next country. Perhaps there is a logic but I don't know the French system yet.

Once on the N57 I decided to detour via the d57 which was exceptionally pretty and sheltered as it was in a valley. However by the time I reached the turning for Source de la Loue it was raining again; this illustrated the source all too well so I pushed on. The next scenic section was perhpas not such a good idea as it put me on a high, open plain. Lovely for the hail stones to fly across. My initial plan had been for back road detours but that was before the weather; so onwards to Les Rousses.

There were 2 hours before opening time of the hostel so i went into town. After a cup of tea the rain had stopped so I took a little look around and bought, wrote and sent postcards. There's a luxury. The post office had a weigh and print machine which I used to avoid the queue.

Later I waited for cooked dinner in the hostel as I didn't fancy returning to town. It was rather dreary, perhaps it;s more exciting in the ski season? Dinner got off to a good vegan start with soup and then beans and vegetables but later courses were rather cheesy. Still excellent value though.

Over dinner I spoke with a retired French couple who were walking the periphery of France. They estimated 6000km over 8 months. Now they were half way round. That's quite a trip.

After the meal I took a little walk towards the ridge, but naturally it started to rain.

384km

Day 2 Arras to St Dizier

2007-07-03T18:00:00.000Z

Today is best described as wet! On departure it was mild and damp so mistakenly I didn't wear my heated waistcoat but by the time I wanted it my outer clothes were wet and it was so cold I didn't want to bother putting it on. I'd a little dirt detour planned for 20km or so into the trip. The first took me to Two Tree cemetery from the summer of 1914.

This is a small memorial in the middle of farm land. It's size of around 30 graves made it more poignant to me than the large cemeteries. The large ones reflect the industrial war that was being waged. Hundreds died, too many to read them all. At Two Tree all the stones could be read and the site is clearly 'some corner of a foreign field'. After returning to the village I took a track to the next village, a simple farm track, just a little wet but no mud to speak of.

Then it started to rain properly so onto my route to St Dizier. The route passed through some picturesque areas and villages. Really I didn't feel inclined to stop but needs must. Frites and coffee at a layby isn't much of a break but at least they had a cover from the rain for a few minutes.

The forest around St Gobain was lovely shrouded in mist. but wet too! Worth a return visit I think. Petrol was advertised at a supermarket on one route or another but none of them were mine. There was time anyway. Numerous towns came and went, even some with derelict petrol pumps but eventually the reserve light was on all the time. I was going very gently by the time I reached Epernay, convinced that I'd need my emergency 900ml any minutes. Nonetheless I did get there at 230km with a 8.5l fill-up. Theoretically the tank holds 10.5l so perhaps I had 50km in reserve. this will become a common theme! Incidentally, my odometer appears to read low compared to the signed distances.

Worse still, I was getting wet. I had the traditional wet crotch and both knees were damp. The right knee could be explained by yesterday's little spill; duct tape isn't a great wet weather repair; but it can't explain the others. So last year's MSR pants aren't very waterproof now. As they are just over a year old and damaged I doubt that it's worth pursuing any claim on a guarantee. That doesn't make them very good value (actually as the trip continued I only got slightly damp so perhaps they aren't so bad after all!).

I'd forgotten to leave the directions to the hotel accessible but I did recall that it was on the Bar-le-Duc road. Also it was signed from my approach to St Dizier so no problem. This was only a 7hour day.

This was my first stay in a Formule 1 and recommend it. €32 is twice the price of a FUAJ hostel but at least I've got my own room and the showers are clean. The worst thing is that they are all on out of town developments. The adjacent Courtpuille grill did a good casoulet followed by mango and coulis so I was spared a walk into town along the busy road.

During today's journey as I sped along a 100kph dual carriage way I recalled how much vibration I suffered whilst the front rim lock was in place. Unless you're going to be dropping the pressure in the front to trials levels it really is best removed. I'm not sure I'll refit it for the
MCC trials as the front doesn't get that much torque.

Then it was time for bed, it was raining ever so hard and lightening. I'm glad not to be camping.

323km

Day 1 Home to Arras

2007-07-02T17:43:00.000Z

Against the forecast I had a mostly dry journey down although it was heavy showers over the QE bridge at Dartford. One of my new LED dash lamps managed to bounce out of its socket after 2 hours and was readily refitted. The fuel light works, at one point I wondered if it was oscillating (184km) but it did come on eventually. I refilled with just under 7litres at 195km.

Check-in at the tunnel (it took just under 6 hours to get there) was quick and security checks easy for me although every third car seemed to be being unpacked. The train was by no means full and I was the only motorcycle on that crossing. Last year on leaving the tunnel I accidentally turned towards Boulogne and found some pleasant eastbound roads so this year I planned to go that way but the road was closed.

I quickly regained my chosen route and continued to an area where the map showed som eunsurfaced roads. Unfortunately as I pulled away from a map-reading stop I spun the rear wheel in the mud and promptly came off. the only damage was a small rip in my 'best' MSR waterproof trousers. No other harm or damage (HD handguards excepted) so that was a fair outcome. After that little mishap it felt unwise to continue as I was clearly tired so rejoined the more major roads. The final 150km to Arras were a long way and a petrol stop turned into a big job as the supermarkets are so inconvenient to use.

The YH is on the Grande Place in the town centre so easy to find but a fight through traffic. There was a row of UK registered motorbikes on the pavement outside so I joined them.

The clerk said that she thought there was a risk of a ticket from the Police but the group had parked there in previous years on the advice of more established staff so we all stayed put. Arras is a pretty, and therefore touristy, town with many bars and restaurants so perhaps preferable to Cambrai, my stop last year.

550km

Route card holder

2007-06-24T18:41:00.000Z

In the past I've written about my home-made illuminated route roller. However I do have use for a card holder when I'm making the route as I go along or to hold instructions given at the last minute.

My previous card holder snapped due to fatigue at a thin bent section so I decided to clamp a plastic board directly onto the handlebars. I fabricated to clamps, rather like handlebar clamps from some fairly soft plastic that I had in stock. Black might have been better.

These were a little fiddly to make and aren't excellent, but are hopefully adequate. My wish was for an A5 cardholder but the only place where it could be mounted without covering the instruments (I do occasionally look at the speedometer) or foul my tankbag left it rather exposed to the wind.

I didn't need to take it for a test ride to realise that it would vibrate in the short term and probably crack in the long term. A pity. So plan B is A4 wide and third of A4 tall. Grovvy rubber band retainers though!

I left an extra space to reveal the trip odometer - I'll have to lift the card and peer over, but at least there isn't a big piece of black plastic covering it. The black sheet is supposedly some sort of high resilience material so it should resist vibration and bending as it's used.

LED lamps

2007-06-23T18:00:00.000Z

I've been through a phase of bulbs blowing and decided to replace as many as possible with LEDs which have better resistance to vibration and a much longer life. OK, so they are believed to dim as they age, but a burnt out bulb is pretty dim too!

The speedo illumination lamps had both gone so that was the first job. I'd ordered a bunch of LEDs from Ultraleds in the 286 size, that is 5mm width push-in fitting.

For the back lighting I chose the wide 120 degree variant. This photo shows the silvered dead filament bulb and the slightly longer LED replacement. There seems to be plenty of space in the instrument unit for the slightly longer parts. I also swapped the neutral, lights on and high beam lamps.

Yes, they are a little bright, that could be a problem at night! I know that the turn indicator lamp could not be converted to a DC LED as current flows through the lamp in one direction for left turn and in the other for right turn.

Next up was the amber low fuel indicator. When I tested this by shorting across the float valve connector at the petcock the lamp only glowed dimly. The voltage was only 5V, but ramping up slowly. What was going on? Inspection of the the circuit diagram revealed a delay unit in series with the switch. This must act to smooth out the movement of the float valve when the petrol level is getting low. On replacing the bulb there was an 8 second delay between closing the contacts and the bulb illuminating. My main reason for fitting LEDs was for reliability, not current saving so I reasoned that I needed to draw more current through the delay circuit - just like when you fit LED turn lamps. I didn't want to add to the wiring so looked closely at the LEDs - they are just an LED, series resistor and reverse-current blocking diode stuffed into a piece of plastic.

So all that is needed is to fit an extra resistor inside the unit that will allow the delay to work. The bulb is a 1W item so passes about 83mA. There's no way that a 1W resistor will fit inside the LED case so I picked the lowest resistance that would not exceed 0.4W - the rating of the resistors in my electronics box. That gave me 330 ohms. It only passes 36mA, in addition to the 18mA drawn by the LED, but would that be enough? We'll have to see.

With a little care I was able to fit the extra resistor across the connections without it shorting. I squirted epoxy resin into the gaps between the wires and replaced it in the yellow housing. It protruded an extra mm but that's OK. It works, with a 15s delay which seems fine. In case you're interested, the delay component is a black box about 8mm x 15mm x 15mm just to the right of the airbox infront of the relay area. Only time will tell if this works.

Knowing that the LEDs are built like has 2 aspects. One, they may not be all that robust - the soldered joints are obviously hand done and are a weak point. Second, I can double up the construction to make an AC one for the turn indicator lamp; but not today.

The front sidelight had gone too. OK, so maybe it's pointless as the 55W lamp is on all the time, but perhaps, if the main bulb goes it would save a complaint by the Police? The bulb is close to the headlamp and Ultraleds warn that some LEDs will melt from heat. They do sell a metal bodied 1W item which is supposed to be heat resistant.

It has a large forward facing LED and gives off quite a lot of light. If you've disabled the headlamp this would be a worthwhile sidelight.

Whilst ordering LEDs I went for a red stop/tail light too. There are lots of these on the market, some with multiple LEDs, some that emit in all directions, some with white LEDs for the number plate. I elected to go for a single 3W rear facing unit.

This gives off a lot of light and must illuminate at least 120 degrees. I hoped the lens would give a good beam spread. I was pleasantly surprised at the beam pattern once installed. I had expected a very hot central spot with little to the sides, but actually, the facets on the lens spread the beam widely and the centre is not the most intense area.

It's hard to illustrate the distribution but this photo does show how much light is emitted to the sides. It's a lot brighter than the standard 21/5W item too. That should keep the cars away! Finally I swapped the dead number plate bulb, the frosted LEDs doesn't illuminate downwards much but is better than the nothing it replaced.

9000 km

2007-06-10T18:25:00.000Z

This weekend I've been doing a routine service of the Alp at just under 9000km. The exhaust valves were a little on the loose side at 0.15mm so I took those closer to 0.1mm which is dead centre on the recommended range.

As usual cleaning the air filter was a messy job. I spread it over a few days so that it had time to dry. My usual routine is to rinse it in paraffin, squeeze it out and then give it a few washes in a strong solution of household detergent. After several rinses I leave it to dry on a wire loop over the washing line outside. I have a zip poly bag and some thick rubber gloves that I use for oiling. I pour some on the filter, drop it in the bag and then massage the filter oil in. Then I have a cycle of checking for uniform colour (I use a blue oil), adding oil if required and then working it in in the bag. After that I squeeze excess out between sheets of newspaper. This phase also helps to distribute the oil within the filter. Finally I leave it on the line for a while to let the solvent evaporate. This is a good time to clean out the airbox.

I put the TKC 80 tyres on for summer and the rear trials tyre is worn out anyway. I'm getting quicker at tyre changing; I'm well below an hour for the rear now. The rims on the Alp are a bit odd, but once you're aware of the extra 'tubeless-style' rim you just have to work the bead over it. Whilst the front wheel was out I removed the rim lock and balance weights. The Alp has always suffered from a vibration of the front wheel at motorway speeds which I'd assumed to be due to imbalance caused by the rim lock. Last year I fitted some adhesive balance weights but these didn't remove the problem. Really they weren't heavy enough. So I took all of that lot off and covered the hole in the rim with adhesive aluminium tape and then gaffer tape. Over a short test journey it seemed that the vibration had gone. Once winter returns and the trials tyre goes back on, I'll refit the rim lock; but not bother with the weights.

Whilst the rear wheel was off I took the opportunity to fit a new chain set with a 15 tooth sprocket; I won't be needing the reduced gearing until the Edinburgh trial. The rear chain wheel was quite noticeably worn - it was the original one. Doesn't it look shiny now? This time I placed a rivet link as there was one in the kit. I've put the split link in my tool kit.

I considered replacing the front brake pads but when I compared them to new ones it didn't seem as though it was worth it as yet. They have only lost 1mm or so and still have 3mm left. So at least the same again before reaching the recommended 2 mm limit.

Along side doing these jobs I've been cleaning things with WD40 and/or polish so each job has taken longer than it maybe 'should' but at least it looks nice and clean once again.

After numerous trial drops the handlebars had a slight (additional) bend. I wasn't very aware of it but another competitor had noticed it. On comparing the old bars with a new set of Renthal Daker high bend bars it was obvious that they had deformed, but only dispalced by a few millimetres. With everything to refit there was no way I was refitting the old ones though. Anyway, how much bend can they withstand before breaking? The removal of bits only took 15 minutes, but cutting just over a cm off each end and then refitting levers etc took well over an hour.

At the end of these tasks I went out to get the oil nice and hot prior to changing it. I went on a little trip to the local Japanese motorbike dealer to buy a DR350 oil filter to fit on my return.

BMW make a real dirt bike?

2007-06-04T11:56:00.000Z

This weekend I went to see the BMW X-challenge. Ok so this is a big bore machine but it is listed with an unladen wight of 156kg which makes it significantly lighter than the old F650 which weighs in at 191kg unladen. Quite where the 35kg have been saved as anybody's guess. A little bit everywhere I suspect. For comparison the Alp 4.0 is listed at 133kg dry. I'll put it on the scales sometime, but you could assume 10l of fuel and oil add at least 10kg.

A tough decision

2007-06-04T11:20:00.001Z

A reader of this blog has asked me what I believed the other options are instead of a Beta Alp 4.0. Of course there are a myriad trail bikes to choose from but I'll give an outline of the decision process I went through.

To begin with, where are you starting from? I had a well-loved Yamaha Serow and a much maligned MotoMorini Kanguro. Both are old designs and not sophisticated. The Serow is tiny and very easy to handle and is well known to be better than the sum of its parts. However mine was showing its age, was painfully slow on long journeys and finally I was bored with it. The Kanguro is just an indifferent machine, hard work and best ignored for the rest of this post!

So to improve on the Serow I wanted something that was still easy to handle but with a little more grunt for both on and off tarmac, so perhaps a modern DOHC 250 or an old-school 350. A bit newer so that parts weren't worn out but perhaps something with a little quirk to stem the orange tide. Naturally it had to be electric start and also affordable. Let's think of a quick list...

DR350, all old and many possibly worn out.

DR400Z, a good possibility, a number of add-ons available, a bit tall for trials?

XR400, supposedly an excellent machine, lots of add-ons, not electric start unless you spend lots on an upgrade

KTMs, all excellent, light competition machines but owners seem to dislike the service schedules, a bit of a cliche?

New Serow, a 250cc now, but not quite as well thought out as the venerable XT225

TTR250, a possibility, a bit more umph, nearly all grey imports, a bit tall?

Alp 200, excellent LDT machine, poor finish, lack of power and road speed

Alp 4.0, heavy, mediocre build quality, few add-ons, dubious spares, costly new

Husaberg/Husquavana, like KTMs only more so?

I'd seen a review of the Alp 4.0 in TBM which was fairly favourable. They specifically commented on excellent road manners and good low speed control but that conversely the suspension couldn't cope with high speed use. The DR350 engine is well respected and importantly means that engine-related parts can be obtained from your local Japanese dealer. I watched eBay for a few weeks and a 4.0 appeared with low mileage, no off-tarmac use and at a significant reduction in price from new. So fate put me in that direction.

To date I feel the biggest problems with the Alp 4.0 are its excessive weight and very average suspension. However it is a difficult compromise between a machine that will do hundreds of kilometres per day on tarmac and one which will climb up a muddy bank when requested.

I don't think I'd pay new price for an Alp 4.0 as due to their unpopularity and lack of 'credability' resale values are modest.

They ARE out there

2007-06-01T19:52:00.000Z

I've been doing a bit of web browsing and found a few Alp 4.0 things that show that the machines do get used.

Here's a chap who has taken his Alp to the Sahara and on trips in Italy.

A video in a dusty bit of land.

Exams

2007-05-30T08:31:00.000Z

Phew! 10 months of revision, panic and stress have come to an end today as I have heard that I've passed the third and final part of an exam that I was doing from work. Prior to the 2006 Stella I collected all the books and papers together that I needed and left for Italy, knowing that the revision would have to start the minute I returned. Since then it's been part of my life and cast a shadow across more interesting activities, such as taking the Beta out or taking a summer holiday with my SO. Anyhow, now I've no excuse for my rotten trials technique and must get some practise done.

Over the years I've taken numerous theory and practical exams and can honestly say that this has been the worst. I'm sure it's something to do with increasing age and the number of other things in ones life. So the moral is, don't put off an exam today to do it next year, it'll get harder!

Not a good day

2007-05-21T16:38:00.000Z

Yesterday I participated in the Ilkley Clasic Trial and had hoped to do fairly well. However it wasn't to be - second to last! I won't list each section but give an overview of how things went. Mostly the Alp behaved itself and was a pleasure to ride. As the weather had been wet for the last week, but dry before that I expected the ground to be little more than damp; and thus may old tyres would be adequate. Well that was the first mistake. Although they had some tread on by the end of the trial they were pretty flat in the centre. I think that will have lost me some grip and thus some points. Of course, once a bit of grip is lost a slip becomes more likely and then you get tired etc etc.

I also lost 27 points on three sections where I didn't follow the poles. I suppose they are there for all to see but I think I was looking for the easy route up a hill and didn't spot the detours which weren't obvious. On 2 sections you got the points to where the lesft the course, on one they awarded the maximum of 12. Very mean. Naturally the better riders had enough spare concentration to watch the poles and everything else.

The third problem which lost me points on the 2 final sections of the morning was that I felt terribly weak by lunchtime. Is this due to being a pasty vegetarian, that I don't feel very well at present, or just that 'it's one of those days?'

Lands End Trial 2007

2007-04-14T21:32:00.000Z

The classic trial took place a week ago but it since then I've had a bit of holiday and done a few jobs. This year Easter, and thus the trial, fell late in the year so we were blessed with relatively long daylight hours. Moreover it has been an incredibly dry month across most of the country and so the sections were firm. However I'm getting ahead of myself a bit...

Before the trial I didn't have time to do much fettling of the Alp due to work commitments. I checked the oil, squirted external moving parts with WD40, inflated the tyres to road pressures and placed the route in the roller. The battery is connected to an Optimate charger so that would be OK. On visual inspection everything looked fine, so that marked the end of bike preparation.

At the sign on there was the usual array of interesting machinery, in addition to the common Serows and Alps.

The cafe at Plusha has reopened under new management after being closed in 2006 so we had a good base for signing on. As usual we had 3 hours scheduled for the journey to Somerset for what I always call 'the real start'; but I hoped to complete it in just over 2 hours, within daylight hours. I didn't quite manage to do this but enjoyed the clear roads wherever possible.

This year's facilities at Bridgewater Rugby Club were more restful than those we are used to at Graham's Truckstop but moving on does feel to be the end of an era. One of the scrutineers suggested that my rear tyre was a little bald; nowhere near the legal limit but perhaps lacking in bite for the sections. I can't afford fresh tyres for each trial and don't do enough miles to wear a tyre out between events.

The first 2 sections are always straightforward, even for me and so I reduced tyre pressures at Bridgewater to around 12psi (cold). The ride across the moors to the County Inn was pleasant and illuminated by a soft pink moon. In previous years I've had rain and fog, as well as dry cool nights, so the break was welcome, but not essential this year! After letting a bit more air out the tyres towards 8psi (cold) I continued some distance to the first of 2 new sections, 'Rodney's Revenge' which was in forestry and replaced a very rutted section. From the start it was hard to judge the section, there was a sharp bend 30 metres or so into it, but what happened after that? Not a lot as it happened, no motorcycles footed on it although it did stop a couple of cars.

Another few sections were dispensed without difficulty although the restarts needed a little attention. Then we had a restart that needed to be approached carefully. There were some small rock steps and some loose areas. I managed to get the front wheel just over a little step and with a gentle clutch off I went, making use of a foot for a metre or so. Tricky and a fail point for a number of riders, some of whom I know to be quite competent. The next section that I was thinking of can be very slick as the residents like to put clay on the hill and run water down it. This year it had a few small ruts and a couple of areas that tugged on the wheel but by keeping the engine spinning, and with soft tyres, I made it up with just a few slips of the rear wheel. If the mud had been a little softer or deeper I'm sure I would have dabbed, probably unnecessarily.

During the early morning the motorcycles reached a long hill. If you keep your bottle it's easy, but this year's restart added a little trick as it removed a chance to gather momentum. Halfway up is a track that speedy riders almost jump; but this year the exit was smooth rock (the restart point for the special cars) which would have been very slick in the wet. As it was only damp it made a nice flat area to run into the second part of the hill. I'm sure second gear would be worth a try next year, the engine was revving a bit.

The second special test was the usual 'around the cones' exercise. I took it slowly to ensure no faults. Having achieved that I knew I was in line for my first Land's End Trial medal as there were only 2 sections remaining. What a great feeling. OK, so the next 2 sections are my most feared ones, but I'm ahead anyway.

The trial always ends on the Bluehills tin mine. The first section involves a restart on wet cobbles, only this year they looked almost dry. Anyway I wasn't going to take a chance so let a bit more air out of the rear tyre, now down to about 7psi (hot). I managed to stop low down the restart box, which opinion suggested is the best spot. And off I went, taking a strategic dab, within the 3 metres of grace, on the inside to steady the turn out of the box and then off to the end. I reckon I cleared that; another first. The final section is long, steep stony and with an awkward Z-turn near the top. A few cars have rolled in previous years at that point and I've gone close to the (safe) side of the track so this year there was a restart just on the bend. A few of us had discussed that this might just be a help, by dividing the hill into two parts. I hoped to hold that in my head. So off to the box, it was a bit rough but nothing unmanageable, then a little pause. As I pulled away there was a little rear wheel spin and the front settled in the gravel just a spot and then off I went. I thought I'd cleared it but would the restart marshal think so? I was elated and took a few minutes breather.

At the finish I claimed my first ever Gold; no sections failed, and expected that if I could achieve it then so would many others. As it happened, there were only 9 Golds awarded out of the 49 Class B starters. Likewise only 9 finishers without an award, so really it had been a good year for medals. The results showed a similar pattern for the cars, and half the Class O entry gained a Tin medal (which is apparently the most costly medal to the club).

So for 2007 the dry spring, good weather on the night, 3 days holiday before the trial, lower tyre pressures and a spot of good luck all combined to make me a happy medalist. Now I hope to take the knowledge that the sections can be cleared onto future years to improve my confidence even if it's a little wetter.

Northern trial

2007-02-18T20:11:00.000Z

I've just returned from the Fell Side Auto Club's Northern Trial.

For my second year competing in the Northern Trial the weather forecast predicted a cool sunny day which for the Lake District seemed impossible. However I understand that for the last 7 years the FSAC have been blessed with dry weather for this trial. They, or at least the marshals, must have friends in high places. This year I had mixed feelings about predicting my performance in the trial. On one hand I thought that my skill level had improved over the year but conversely I felt fairly low as I was suffering from a horrible cold and had slept badly for most of the preceding week. So that’s the excuse in right at the beginning!
As previously, the entry and joining instructions were clear and well managed and I received an email of the route in advance so it could be set up in the route roller. This only needed one minor correction on the day, presumably due to a change in the field where the second special test was to take place. Admirably the written instructions were correct suggesting that the club only copies these once every detail is correct. I suppose that is possible with a smallish entry.
Saturday morning was brighter than I could have hoped and the journey to the first special test gave ample opportunity to get accustomed to the cool and damp air. At the first special test there was a little confusion as to whether motorcyclists were allowed, or required, to foot whilst stopped astride line B, but by placing the 3 lines in a curve the test presented some challenge. Although the sun was developing some strength Black Hole lived up to its name, you couldn’t see into the woods beyond the 11 marker. The section looked muddy but this was deceptive as in reality there was plenty of grip. Nonetheless I nearly spoilt it as the restart marshal fidgeted and made me wonder if I should have stopped. No surely not…Ouch! That was a lesson not to look at my route instructions whilst on a section. Luckily I fell off after sections ends, although unluckily the previous 6 riders were waiting to descend the hill and found some humour in my mishap. I should have remembered, and learnt from, this event until the afternoon as it happened.
The Cockups didn’t quite live up to their name. Big Cockup was firm and straightforward whereas Little Cockup had a loose rutted beginning where I managed to slide and foot in equal measure. It finished easily enough though and had I mastered the first half a clear would have been in my reach. The approach to Routen Romp afforded lovely views over the northern lakes but then there was the debate of whether the central grass or edge ruts offered the best route. A bit of both got me to the very short restart box and although the hill progressively steepened there was enough grip.
I recalled Falcon’s Crest from last year. The stony first few yards are easier than they luck and the last bit steeper. So I set off with a little caution and tried to gain some momentum over the roots to have a chance at the ascent. My success was achieved in part by technique and in part by the drier conditions. A few riders went missing in action on the exit from Falcon’s Crest as the continuing path looked so welcoming. I hope they managed to get back to the Stocksman.
Lowry’s and Ladyside posed similar hazards, the major one being restart boxes in damp mossy areas. Aren’t the organisers cunning? Luckily the bikes could ride through Ladyside and otherwise I don’t think the final ascent would have been possible for me. With a handful of throttle it passed easily enough.
So until lunch things had gone pretty well for me and after an excellent sandwich and cake I set off feeling pretty confident. Lord’s Seat started solid enough but the slime got thicker and my forward speed got less and less as the engine speed increased. These weren’t good signs and. I slithered to a halt by the 9 marker. There was some grip as after a little paddling I restarted; perhaps a slightly better line or a little less throttle and I could have cleared the section?
Ullister hill is long, straight and the only catch is a sudden lump at the top around the 2 or 1 markers. Unlike last time I kept my bottle and saved some valuable points. This saving was crucial as I was to lose 7 on Sheepfold. What an easy section! It was a fairly smooth soil-covered loop with a teeny-weeny lump at the 7 marker where I managed to take a complacent and totally unnecessary dab. At least I watched another rider do the exact same thing and the score sheet showed that others had been equally daft.
The restart on Forest Yump was slippery but I believe I maintained forward motion and things felt good. Perhaps the cake or my blocked sinuses were weighing me down but Darling How became my nemesis. It’s a firm, albeit rutted section with a tidy restart box that I totally ignored even though the marshal stepped out with his flag. Having not learnt my lesson from Black Hole (had you remembered?) I rechecked my route and ended up cross-rutted and most decidedly stopped. Just a few yards along the track Widow Hause can cause problems as the start is wet and slimy and the finale steep and cambered. Actually, for me, the descent is the hardest part!
By now the sun and exercise had got me pretty warm so I removed a layer before setting off on the 20 mile road journey to Sandale. Once again an example of muddled thinking. Sandale is notoriously muddy and lacking in grip, but this year it was firm enough for the best riders to clear it. Of course that wasn’t me and I did worse than last year as I persisted in riding on the right even though the left of the track, I discovered after stopping in the quagmire and getting pulled out by helpful hands, was relatively firm. Quite simply I was tiring and lacked the stamina to focus on the section.

The second special test was laid out in a stubble field close to Wigton. Line B was a fair distance away and offered the opportunity to gain considerable speed. It was apparent that the test would determine the rankings at the top of the motorcycle class as a few had managed to clean every section. Speed was of the essence; but so was stopping on the line as overshooting it would lose you everything…
Of course, that wasn’t me; I was the slowest!
I am very grateful to the members of FSAC and the marshalling teams for setting such an excellent trial once again and inviting MCC members along. I promise that next year I’ll have learnt from a few mistakes, even if I make some fresh ones.

Minor maintenance

2007-02-11T12:11:00.000Z

Today I checked the oil - none used and the chain - needed tightening a fraction. Of course that adjustment took longer than expected as I always forget that it tightens as the axle is retightened. I have a set of 24mm and 22mm ring keys with the handles cut down for this task and as they travel with me I should be able to undo the nut on the road if required.

Rear indicators

2007-02-10T11:45:00.000Z

In previous posts I've mentioned that I'd cracked the OE indicators and suffered multiple bulb failures in the soft silicone ones I'd replaced them with. My perfect indicators would be LED, E-approved, impact resistant, water and dirt-proof, low cost, easy to obtain lenses and easy to fit.

Of course, I couldn't find such an item and have had to settle for a compromise. I
bought a pair of fairing mount-D 'Yamaha' indicators from a local shop.

These are E-marked which specifies an acceptable pattern of spread and intensity. However it was clear that they have a relatively limited beam width and that it is basically to the front of the device, despite the moulded lens.

Ideally I wanted a mount point that is shielded from dirt and impacts and that didn't involve cutting the bike, but once again, I couldn't think of such a place. I chose to fit them either side of the rear light which had a suitable angle. As the plastic is curved here I carved two pieces of plastic to make mounts. I suppose you could you 'plastic metal' to mould a similar item, or if you have the facilities set-up some sort of casting process!

The first took 2 hours to make, the contra-lateral one was far quicker as I could make it as a mirror image. The picture doesn't really show the curvature required. The indicator units have a 10mm stem through which the wires enter and this seemed to be a path for the ingress of dirt and water and so I injected epoxy adhesive into the space.

The indicators were fitted with Japanese-size bullet indicators so euro ones had to be fitted after sliding on some cable sleeving. I always crimp and then solder them. The plastic covers from the resistor/extension leads supplied were reused; of course these have to be fitted first!

Then the indicators and spacers were fitted, with a smal lsmear of grey outdoor sealant between the spacer and mudguard. After rethreading the sleeve into the rear light unit and making the connections it was time for a test.

Naturally the flash rate is too fast as I've not chnaged the relay yet. The relay is an electronic one but appears to be an 'intelligent' one that has a fast flash rate to tell you if a bulb is blown.

Here's the rear view:

My only concern at this stage is that the left hand unit is a little susceptible to impacts; and the plastic is brittle. Time will tell.

Broken "fender extender" mounting

2007-01-23T18:44:00.000Z

I'm pleased to report that these pictures don't relate to my Beta Alp 4.0 but serve as a warning to all.

This machine is reportedly a 2003 model but my late 2003 Alp has an additional steel frame welded in place; presumably as a strengthener. As the rear mounting point of the official rack attaches to this steel piece it would be wise to limit how much weight is put on it.

In this instance the owner gas welded the parts back together.

Front wheel bearings

2007-01-23T18:27:00.000Z

I've not replaced these myself but have been informed that the required bearings are:

	bore	OD	r-min	width
6004	20	42	0.5	12
6904	20	37	0.3	9

both double shielded. It's unusual for bearings to be different sizes, but there you have it!

Medallion man

2007-01-13T17:47:00.000Z

At last my Bronze medal for the 2006 Edinburgh Trial has been delivered. It's far more impressive than I'd expected. I hope to gain another one day, perhaps a silver even?

Go east!

2006-11-08T16:56:00.000Z

Today I had the opportunity to take a day off work and decied to head east - well into North East Derbyshire and Nottingham to have a look at their lanes. As some of the area is an hour's ride from home I don't go there all that often. I certainly haven't been since the NERC bill and so it seemed worth a look.
I took along a camera and GPS unit as well as my marked map so that I could record any signs that gave hints on the current legal status of the routes I went to. In the end I only managed to cover 4 lengths of lane (although some of these stretched for miles at a time) before I got cold and wet. For some reason I had left home in my 'old' gear which is no longer waterproof. It did remind me why I bought new!
I've logged where I've been and written to a council for more information on two of the routes. Mostly the terrain was very flat and easy. In one spot I got caught in mud that had been turned into a quagmire by horses but I was too busy pushing to take a photo! I did record this ford though:

The ford was shallow and fairly flat bottomed so not a problem. I have more information on the area and will have to go again as it seems to get little usage which must be a good thing. On a few occasions I was a very short distance from the terribly busy A1 and yet I was bimbling along a tree-lined avenue.

Edinburgh Success

2006-11-03T14:11:00.000Z

At last I have reached the medals in a classic trial. I have been awarded a Bronze medal (ie 2 faults) and because I had 1 stop and 1 foot I have been listed ahead of all of the other Bronze medalists! Great, 9th out of 39 starters! I hope this is a sign that at last I'm progressing, can I maintain or even improve upon this? Time will tell.

Incidentally I've just seen photos of the new BMW G series and think they could be perfect for me. See:

BMWMOA's site.

Too bright!

2006-10-09T19:04:00.000Z

I had made a new route roller with three improvements on my original.

The VHS case is of a more transparent plastic and so the text is easier to read. That is sucessful except that the design of the box is less easy to adapt into a route roller.
I have included a pulley system to reduce the unwinding that the paper rolls tend to do when left alone. Discs of aluminium were glued onto the shafys and joined with a thick elastic band. I tried to use Lumiweld for this but it was too hard to align the pieces. This is 90% sucessful, meaning that there's a little roll back but not enough to worry about.
Thirdly I fitted 2 strips of white LEDs to give a brighter and more uniform backlight then the half dozen red LEDs had provided. This looked good in the garage but was far too bright outside at night. It caused a terrible glare in my visor. This needs to be modified.
I have done a quick test and estimate that a series resistance of at least 300 ohms is reasonable, but less than 1 kohm. Perhaps a potentiometer is needed?

83rd Edinburgh Trial

2006-10-08T17:50:00.000Z

On Friday night I left home to compete in the MCC's trial, which would actually run during the early hours of saturday morning and into the afternoon. On the way to the start I was wondering if I was going to enjoy it and why hadn't I stayed at home in bed; it had been quite a busy week at work.

The facilities at the motorway services were disappointing as usual. No food, poor quality hot drinks and disinterested staff. Anyway they do give the club permission to use the car park for meeting and scrutineering and so we can't complain too much. After refueling I checked the lights and discovered a dead indicator bulb - that had to be replaced before scrutineering. I need to find an alternative to the wobbly ones I fitted as, on this bike, they seem to have a habit of rotting and destroying bulbs.

Once underway I became more committed to having a good trial and the 40 miles to Ashbourne passed rapidly. The roads are really quiet at 3am! I let the tyres down to 10psi in a laybay and cleared the first section easily. As we passed through Matlock Bath we gave the clubbers leaving for home something to look at as they waited for taxis. The second section is one of my favourite lanes but is also a place I've had problems in previous trials. It's a lovely hill but can be slippery and with a restart I knew I needed to be careful. No problems this year. Then it was on to a gravely but very easy hill, so easy I'm not really sue why they use it as i should think almost anyone can clear it on any machine. Years ago I took a BMW raod bike up it without any problems.

After a pleasant 10 mile ride I arrived at a section that I knew would be very slippery. The hill rises as a grass bank at the end of a valley and is a classic concave hill; becoming steeper towards the end. Of course this means that it must be entered with some speed if you're to exit cleanly. However this year my class had a 'restart' part way up. I watched a few riders struggle at one part or another of the hill and no-one cleared the restart. On my attempt I reached the
restart cleanly and felt I had a good chance at the rest of the hill. The rules permit 'footing' for 3m beyond the restart box so I gently opened the throttle trying to keep some weight on my feet, hoping to get a bite on the wet grass. No luck, the wheel spun furiously and I just could not make any headway. Oh well. After some shoving and assistance from a marshall I managed to turn the bike and take the escape route back down the hill.

There was another easy section before breakfast and I heard that few riders had been through. Already the trial was getting delayed, presumably by the wet hill. Breakfast was not great for a vegetarian and it seems odd hosting such an event and expecting everyone to take off muddy boots.

I had thought about the next section a fair bit. The hill is slippery limestone and with a restart it could have a sting in the tail, but the problem for me was likely to be the flat, but muddy and rutted approach. Luckily for me, over breakfast I'd been advisd to deflate my tyres a little more. On checking they were 12psi - the pressure had increased, due to the heat generated by flexure of the tyre carcase I assume. At 8psi the increased contact patch was clearly visible. Before entering the muddy strech I snicked into second and aimed to clear the rutted area gently but not too slowly. Within the ruts were small stone ridges but unlike the preceeding rider I managed to slip over each of them whilst maintaining my balance and then the ascent was in the bag. It seemed that my new soft tyres were on my side.

19 miles later I arrived at a section that is a bridleway and therefore normally off limits. It is an old pack horse track and was laid with rough setts in places but there are also areas of sloping stone slabs with small steps between them. The restart box encompassed some of these. The stone was ever so slimy and the start marshall commented that he'd had trouble walking up. Thanks for the encouragement. Anyway with a bit of care it seemed to go OK. I stopped early in the restart box to get a bit of speed before the exit step and on the side with the easiest step. Great. I did do a little dab but I'm sure I was well within the allowed 3m.

The we had a long stone and concrete ascent. This is pretty easy for solo motorcycles so long as you keep your nerve and maintain a fair, but not excessive speed. The concrete steps aren't bad and the loose stone that follows can be cleared. I understand that the hill is another matter for cars as the combination of steps and need for speed can damage chassis and steering components. Although I've implied it's an easy section I had a few 'moments' but that's just how I am. next up was one I knew that I'd fail. Other riders reckon it can be tough. There's a muddy start that even experienced riders can slide into and after a fair ascent the final 20 yards is rough and stony. This year the two were separated with a restart - OK that gives time to look at the rough bit but does that help? No, not really for me, I made it across but with lots of footing, but deep down I felt it could have been cleared. Another indication that fewer psi means fewer dabs as previously I've felt that I could never clear it.

As I rode to the next section I reviewed my performance. Two failed sections for sure, the very least I'd expected before the trial started, but nothing too taxing to come. Could I clear the remainder and gain a bronze award? It felt possible. At the hold point before the next section it was evident that riders were delayed as two of us were told to wait for a few more and then we could move on to the section. When no one else came after some minutes we were allowed on. The marshall cheerfully told me the section was a motorway and dead easy. But he wasn't under pressure to clear it, anyway it was easy.

After stopping at a village hill for lovely tea and cakes there was a section that I recalled as steep and stony. This time the start line gave a good view of the short hill and its restart box and thus an opportunity to plan an attack. Last year we were made to start on the road with an acute turn into the hill thus entering potentially off balance and certainly ignorant of the lumps and bumps. Once again I stopped just where I wanted in the box and avoided an exit over a stone step. Unluckily the engine that had cooled during the tea stop decided to stall in the box. Luckily it is electric start and I was off as the flag fell. I didn't roll back and I hope the marshall considered that I started within the permitted time.

I know the approach to the penultimate section is muddy, even in dry weather, and so I had fears for clearing it. However the start was on a relatively dry area, just as well as I slithered horribly reaching it. The Morgan car infront of me (How did he get to here? Everyone else is delayed...) got up the hill although there was a little tyre smoke at a sharp corner as he lost traction on the stones. Much to my surprise the hill was relatively dry and the restart straightforward. Had the start been placed 30m earlier I would have failed the section.

All that needed to be done was the special test. Now speed is not important here for me. What I needed was a clear. If you're after a class award then a short time is used as a sort of tie-breaker, but that wasn't an issue for me. As I stopped on line B I looked the marshall for a flag for the restart, no, there isn't one, get going! So next stop was 'line C'. Ok, so that should count as a clear, albeit a rather slow one. I don't think there's a limit on how long you can stand astride 'line B'.

With a 3mile ride to the finish point I reviewed all of the little faults and thought that subject to the marshalls' interpretation of the rules matching mine I would get a bronze award. A first for me. Anyway, even if they think I footed at 3.01m it is my best performance to date. How do I account for it? First it was undoubtedly due to the low tyre pressures and I'm very grateful to the riders I was with, or met at rest stops, who kept encouraging me to let more out. They do seem to inflate themselves! Second the weather was pleasant with only light showers. Third, I wonder if it was an easier trial than sometimes due to fewer sections and only 2 'killer sections'; which were perhaps bad enough to delay the whole trial.

When the results are published I'll see if I got my award and if my opinions on the trial are correct.

PS. I've deliberately not told you the names of the sections as they aren't all byways and I wouldn't like anyone to use them illegally.

MOT time for a newish machine

2006-10-01T18:35:00.000Z

This week I took the Alp for its first MoT test. As I'd expected there were no problems and I got my piece of paper. Nowadays the real data is on the Ministry's computer and the 'certificate' is little more than a receipt. This does mean that you can renew your tax disc online as they have MoT data and insurance data. There is now a database of vehicle insurance so the certificate of insurance isn't all that important either. Whether you see this as progress that saves a trip to the post office or a worrying development of 'Big Brother' is up to you.

Wolfman Expedition Tankbag Review

2006-08-11T17:56:00.000Z

Unlike many motorcyclists I’m not a fan of tankbags. I appreciate that they put weight within the wheelbase, are easy to access and are often good value for money but they also restrict the rider’s movement, prevent easy access to the filler cap and add high-up weight to an already top-heavy machine.
However for my trip to Italy for the 2006 Stella Alpina Rally I needed to maximise storage on my little motorbike and an internet search revealed a product from Wolfman. Their Enduro tankbag was designed for sloping, narrow tanks on road legal enduro machines and was well reviewed by a few US magazines. The price paid for a good fit is that its capacity is around a mere 5 litres – my last tankbag would hold 30 litres! I made a cardboard mock-up of the bag and found that it really did fit my tank and may even allow refuelling without removal, just as the website suggested. I also checked and estimated that it would hold a water bottle, GPS, multitool, spare gloves, maps for the day and leave space for an apple.
The UK distributor for Wolfman is Winding Roads, a small company specialising in importing motorcycling touring goods ignored by the big chains. Importantly their prices are far better than the usual £1 = $1 conversion used by some companies. I placed an online order a month or so before departure but on the next working day I got a phone call from Martin, the owner, saying that the Enduro bag was out of stock and that delivery from the US was often slow. We discussed options and I decided to wait a while. Over the next few weeks we exchanged a number of emails and phone calls. Martin was very apolgetic that my fist choice of bag hadn’t been delivered from the US and at the eleventh hour I decided to try a Small Expedition Series tankbag that Winding Roads had for evaluation.
The Expedition bag is a very similar size and shape to the Enduro model but made of materials and to a design to be as water resistant as possible. When I received it the bag was clearly well made from quality materials but in places had a slightly amateur look about it, for example the stitching wasn’t as straight as usual. The bag was easily fitted by threading a webbing strap under the rear of the tank and fitting 2 clips to it into which the rear of the bag clipped. At the front the bag looped under the headstock, again held with plastic clips. The three mountings each had adjustments so that the bag could be centralised and pulled down firmly.

The top wallet has a transparent window but it’s far to small to use for a map, maybe just a list of waymarkers. I used it to hold a hiking compass which I find a helpful navigational aid even on the road. The lid of the bag overlaps the base by an inch or so to help water resistance. The extent of overlap can be altered and thus ‘expand’ the bag. Inside the lid is a removable soft bag that seemed ideal for elastic bands, a spare pen, that sort of thing. However it’s not wise to put a multitool or cutlery into it if you want your compass to follow the earth’s magnetic field! The base bag, which has foam supports within the walls, can be closed with both a drawstring and a strap/clip to hold it firm.
A shoulder strap is supplied and it could clip onto either the lid or one of the retaining straps. When attached to the lid everything falls out when you try to access the bag whilst you’re carrying it. No matter what, using the bag in town looks pretty geeky; the dangling strap for under the headstock adds to this a bit.
During my 3000km, one week journey the bag was exposed to torrential rain, hot sunny days and dry dusty tracks. It stayed dry and dust-free internally and nothing came undone despite having to move it every 140km to refuel. It got a little grey in the dust but cleaned up well once home.
All in all the bag does what it says and I’ll be suggesting to Martin that the bag could be a stock line.

http://www.windingroads.co.uk/

http://www.wolfmanluggage.com/

Stella Alpina Day 8 - Cambrai to Home

2006-07-12T19:53:00.000Z

After packing for the final time I set a course for home. I'd planned to follow the same route to Calasi as I'd come but lost on the Arras ring road and ended up doing a little detour to Vimy. In spite of this I arrived in the company of 4 other motorcyclists at the Chunnel terminus an hour early. The auto check-in machine gave me the option of an earlier train at no charge which I was very pleased about. This train ended up being delayed 15 minutes or so but was still an hour ahead of schedule. During the crossing I spoke with a couple who'd been on a World of BMW trip to the meeting at Garmisch on their newish R1200GS.
They'd had a good time and enjoyed the passes but like me got a little bored with the flat lowlands. Unlike me, this morning, they'd gone on the peage and done 150km in a thoroughly legal 90 minutes; it had taken me 3 hours and not on a pretty route.
In England I made good progress on the M20 and M25 with a rough ride a t70mph. My route on the Old North Road went exactly right this time and I was soon at Peterborough. However the last 100 miles home was so slow it seemed that I'd never arrive. My bum hurt, my ear hurt, I was hot and I thought I'd got an insect inside my helmet. The final 10 miles were the worst as I arrived in town at rush hour but didn't feel like dealing with the hustle of commuter traffic. Why are there speed cameras? 30mph, you'd be lucky!
It was great to be home, maybe that's the best bit of going away, even for a week?

Stella Alpina Day 7 - Dole to Cambrai

2006-07-11T18:11:00.000Z

I had a broken night's sleep as the hostel was nosiy but the garage was secure in the morining and the Alp still there. Breakfast was fine, but in a restaurant building that smelt of baby poo. I'd give Dole FUAJ hostel a miss in future.
I'd planned a simple route and in that regard it worked well. Together with my detailed route card I only needed to refer to the map once. The first third of the journey in the edge of the jura was fine and quite picturesque but Ardennes is an arable desert; long straight roads in plains of crops. Apart from on the N74 I wasn't unduly bothered by traffic. Close to Rethel there was a policeman with a radar gun but that was of no worry to me as 1) I'd been warned by a motorist i the opposite direction and 2) I was going well below the speed limit anyway.

A few days in the saddle were getting to me in that I was getting saddle sore, even with the AirHawk pad, and my left ear was painful from the ear plug. I found another signed unsurfaced road and followed it to a cross at a junction and then down a wooded track which approached a farm; at that point I turned back. I need more info on these lanes as there are obviously very many of them and some parts may be interesting and the others worth some exploration.

I saw many of these roads which didn't have restriction signs and even though they are dull where they adjoin the road the few that I have followed have gained character within a km or so.
The 'dull' routes of the last 2 days have certainly been quicker and shorter than the 'intersting' outbound routes. It is better to be in at 17:00 and have time for a hsower before a pleasant evening meal rather than to arrive focussing on sleep. Whilst thinking about the speed, on European local raods the Alp can easily cruise at or above the speed limit and the lack of range is the limiting factor. A bigger machine would probably be more restful on long raods but I'd have to watch my speed. Maybe some AutoRoutes would be a good idea; as it is I've striggled to maintain an average of 55kph with no real meal stops and certainly no museum stops or visits. So I've had lots of motorcyclin gbut no tourism. Maybe that's OK? Today some faster roads would have been helpful to get across the centre of France.

A pretty easy 492km

Stella Alpina Day 6 - Bardonecchia to Dole

2006-07-10T21:15:00.000Z

This was another hot and sunny day apart from the first few miles in the shadows of the valleys to Cesana. Setting off on the road to Col du Lautaret I realised that the road was being closed by the Police for a cycle ride. I suspect that they were stopping all traffic a few km behind where I was and that if I stopped I'd be made to move off the road and wait for it all to finish. As the road headed for the col the scenary became ever more impressive. I turned to Col du Galiber and the cyclists were to go straight on so there was a photo opportunity. My route holder broke it this stop so now I had no map case and nowhere to keep my route visible. It took me until tomorrow to think of a solution.

These roads needed a little concentration but not too much. It would have been tough on a pushbike. My plan to avoid Annecy and Albertville worked well but I ended up on a 'Route Barée' on a D road in the Massif des Bauges and had to make an expected detour along some pretty country roads.

However this brought me to the latter half of the day when I travlled to Dole on major N roads a little up the Rhone valley and then north west towards Dole. These were surprisingly traffic free and I could make good progress, although it was sometimes dull. Near to Dole the road passed between forests and there were occasional unsurfaced side roads into the trees. i spotted one with a '50' sign and turned into it thinking that it must be legal, or why else have a speed restriction? A km or so along there was a restricted turning, again, the restriction hinted that the main track must be legal.

After some water and chocolate, a balanced diet, I continued to the next turn on the mai track. Here there was an information board which said no motos or 4x4. Did it mean here, or actually in the woods? I wasn't sure so returned to the road and continued to town.
I found the hostel very easily but as I'd already been told that it wasn't very nice all of the defects were made very obvious to me and I even imagined more. A was given a garage key; was that a considerate gesture aor an indication that the moto would be stolen otherwise?
As I'd only been riding for 9 hours i wondered if I should go on, or have planned to go on. But no, that really is plenty.
This evening I started to see why you might cross France on the motorways. I reckon it could be done in a 12hr day at 120kph with some fuel and rest breaks. That would leave time to have a tourist day somewhere interesting.

442km without difficulty

Stella Alpina Day 5 - The event

2006-07-09T21:15:00.000Z

I got an early start at around 08:30 as I'd not had too much Italian hospitality and I'd heard that the hill got busy later. Certainly on the initial ascent from Bardonecchai to Rochmolles there were motorbikes coming towards me. I assume they were going into town for breakfast as they didn't have enough gear on board to be breaking camp.

I took the first half very easy as the surface was clay like and damp and every hair-pin seemed to have an adverse camber. (Later in the day these would be ploughed up.) I imagined that the surface here could be quite treacherous in the wet, even at the relative base of the climb.

The campsite in the valley wsn't quite as extensive as I'd anticipated, but I suppose more than you'd find in the average alpine valley. A few tents were also pitched in other flat spots in the valley.

Gradually the track became more stoney, in places rock falls had spilled onto the track. Nonetheless, with care a rock-free path could be negotiated with only moderate care. As the track levelled towards the valley I took a little break. Some riders on road bikes were contemplating the sanity of continuing.

Beyond this point the track could be just discerned zig-zagging across a scree slope towards the col.

As the weather was warm and sunny there was no snow nor ice on the track but apparently as little as 2 weeks earlier the route was impassable beyond this point. With a quiet track and a small bike I quickly reached the col which was flat and very barren. The refuge that was to have been the start of a hotel complex has been demolished and all that remains is a ski-lift pylon and an information board.

A couple of KTM riders had gone off-piste and were tackling the sides of an arete, leaving an orange trail in the gravel, occasionally attaining the crest, mostly tumbling off.

Adjacent to the col was a small hillock on which a German flag had been planted by an Africa Twin rider. As I watched someone on an LC8 tackled the ascent. After a few drops and help with lifts and some bravura he got there. I decided to walk up. The first section comprosed substantial stones, with no serious gradient, the second section was loose gravel with a longish steepish ascent. Not easy, especially on a big bike.

From the top however it was possible to see another route from the back of the hillock - apparently that was the way the German had made his ascent.

I reckoned that I could manage either route but didn't want to break either the bike or myself. After walking back down to the col I watched a few attempts on the hillock, some successful, some not, some on BMW GSs, some on 2 stroke MX machines. After what seemed like ages I decided to have a go. Try the rocky bit and see how that went - others had turned back at that point, I could too. Not many of the GS crowd had the guts (or muscle or money) to risk it.
The rocky bit was dispatched readily with plentiful paddling - I wasn't going for elegance but knock-free results. Then across the mud and snow bit and the track to the back. Easy! Now for the final ascent; from th rear of the hillock it was shorter and importantly less ploughed. Most folks had taken the obvious route. There was a good flat run up area too; plenty of throttle, weight forwards, shut off at the top and job done. Why had I thought it would be tough? A few Italians on trial bikes pootled up a verical face of the hillock and some other Brits arrived on DRZs and KTMs. I still claim the first British ascent of the day.

LC8 man stalled on the descent and skilfully skied the scree on the long face. I didn't fancy that and dithered down the shost face. The engine kept stalling but i eventually did what needed to be done and gave it a bit of gas and rolled down into the run-off area. Then it was simpel to cross the mud/snow area, the stones and regain the col.
I headed for Bardonecchia once again. The track was now pretty busy and this was the biggest hazard. At each bend there was a cluster of big bikes with riders contemplating the next leg, and blocking the best lines. I nearly dropped the Alp on one such corner where I was forced onto the steep inner corner but with a firm foothold and a substantial heave the weight was caught. Couldn't have done that with a bigger, taller machine. The local bike club had set up a stall at the valley head, close to where I'd rested earlier and were selling badges, T-shirts and snacks.

This was the decision point for those on road bikes. This was a fair achievement but others reached the col, amongst them a Honda Silverwing, Ducati Monster and various UJMs. Well done.
I got caught in a convoy on the descent and got terribly dusty; reached the hotel at 12:30. This wasn't a 4 hour journey - I'd just spent lost of time absorbing the atmosphere. I topped up with petrol and air - of course I'd let the tyres down - once to 20psi for the track and then the rear to 10psi for the hillock.
During the afternoon lots of riders were leaving town and I did wonder if I should have planned to do 100 km or so before the day was out. This year it would have been easy, but if it had been cold or wet it would have been less of a good idea.
Later I met a group of riders on various classic machines, Matchless, R51 BMW, Honda XL. Inbetween discussions on politics, the 'green revolution' in farming and whether trail bikes should be allowed in MCC events we discussed there are stories about the Stella Alpina on the internet (like this one and mine!) but very little information. When I've finished this I may try to provide some info.

Stella Alpina Day 4 - a trail ride and meetings

2006-07-08T18:44:00.001Z

This morning I discovered that an indicator had ceased to work. A blown bulb I assumed but not the case. The ground lead from the bulb holder had broken. I managed to find enough slack to strip back a little and trap it between the bulb and holder. It doesn't look like a good long term solution but maybe it will last a few days.
Then I went off on my little trail ride (50km in all). Annoyingly, within a few km I'd lost my map and case; I retraced my steps but there was no sign of it. Luckily I was carrying a spare map but the absence of the case could prove to be a nuisance on the journey home as I had used it on the way to Italy.
I did a very easy ascent to a tiny chapel, well within a few hundred metres, I walked the last bit.

There was a stunning view from this little ridge.

I met a local Beta Alp rider who visited the area every weekend from his home in Turin. He felt like me about the machine, pretty good already but too heavy and not great suspension. We discussed the local legal trails a little before we both went on our seperate ways.
My descent took a different route to what turned out to be a nearly abandoned village. There I helped a French family move their Renault Kangoo which had become stuck on a steep slope
with one driven wheel off the ground. By wedging a stone under the free wheel and clearing dirt from the other we got it moving.
Then I continued uphill but the track steepened and narrowed. Either I'd gone the wrong way, or it was right but becoming potentially tricky, and maybe too narrow to be able to turn around safely. No sooner had I thought this than there was a nice level area in which I turned and headed back to the village.

Below the houses there was another track, which actually went thorugh one of the buildings. It was steep and stony but easily done feet-up at a slow pace. Then there was an unlocked barrier and just by the main road the red ring sign - so maybe not legal. Anyway I made a quiet retreat. Back to Bardonecchia, but I couldn't help going past where I'd last had my map. It wasn't there.
On the tarmac stretches I'd seen a few big trail bikes so it seemed that the event was getting going. Back in town it was evident that this was the case. In front of the 2 bars near the station was a posse of motorbikes.

Of course there were the obligatory BMWs

as well as less typical trail bikes

I introduced myslef to a group of English motorcyclists who in turn introduced me to Mario who'd started the whole thing 40 years ago. This group had been up to the col today as they thought tomorrow, Sunday, would be far to busy. I'll find out tomorrow.

Stella Alpina Day 3 - Les Rousses to Bardonecchia

2006-07-07T18:45:00.000Z

Quite a day despite doing 'only' 331km. The first section continued through the Haut Jura and this is a superb area. Hilly enough to be dramatic but not so musc so to be frightening. I can understand why it is a popular walking area. The hills levelled ot to high pasture land with a very alpine appearance.

Next came the valleys. The first few were tight and narrow with the roads following the fast flowing rivers. The gradients and corners were relatively gentleand as usual, fairly traffic-free.
Eventually I came to Annecy and despite my concerns managed to pass around it without problems. The following section to Albertville was the most disappointing of the day. The lake at Annecy was a lovely colour but in the bid for tourism the road was lined with bars and small hotels, and all the traffic jmas that come with such attractions. Luckliy Ugine, juts before Albertville marked the beginning of my route into the Alps.

This is not one of the most famous passes but very fetching and cold enough to have a little glacier.

Next up was the famous Val d'Isere where I was concerned that I didn't have enough petrol to clear the pass. I met some German motorcyclists at a closed petrol station (English creit crads still won't work in the machines) who had come over the other way and they reported that there was no fuel for 40km. I'd risk it...The ascent all that I expected; steep tight bends and quite cold. I'd been warned about this so put some extra clothes on. I took the road pretty steady, this was no place to come off. There were a lot of cyclists too working their way up - no wonder the continentals do well in the Tour d'France.

It was also the first place where I got any hint that other motorcyclists were heading for Italy.

The petrol stattion was actually 50km from Val d'Isere but I reached it without problems. I thin one rides quite gently when it's a 1000m drop at the roadside. The Mont Cenis pass was straightforward and was followed by a pleasant descent into Italy where the sun was shining on the Susa valley.

Throughout the day the Alp had done well, of course I'd been passed and mostly when I was at the speed limit. There was nothing to suggest that on such a day that the machine was the limiting factor. Maybe a flashier machine would have increased my confidence and flattered my ability but I doubt it. At altitude, such as the 2700m col, the idle was unreliable and maybe there was a splutter when changing speed but on every corner I had power to pull away. I'm not sure that I was that happy with the tyres, they always felt a little remote. Perhaps the pressures were too high.
Somehow, in Susa, I ended up on the Autovia and so experienced a 5km tunnel - and a €4.50 toll.
It didn't take me long to find my hotel but somehow my deposit hadn't been paid. Anyway, I got my room and after a shower headed into town.

Well where was everyone? Maybe they were camping and most people don't arrive until saturday? Anyway I had a good meal and an excellent glass of Il Rosso.

The 1574km here has been a long way but enjoyable. I wonder what the weekend will bring?

Stella Alpina Day 2 - Cambrai to Les Rousses

2006-07-06T18:02:00.000Z

The main element of today was its length at 620km, a little less than I'd estimated, but I did use a short cut to avoid Besancon.

The first 100km or so were much like yesterday with large fields of green crops or ripening wheat. Then gradually the undulations became small hills and in each hollow was a copse of trees.

A little later the principle agriculture became forests on both sides of the road which now ducked and dived in and out of valleys. After a while the land became flat, almost as a pause before the green hills of Jura could be seen on the horizon.

It took me all afternoon to reach them and some heavy rain washed the roads down. Somewhere amongst this I noticed the lack of a headlight which I decided must be mended soon as it is required to be on in France. At one of my all-to-frequent petrol stops (less than 180km each one) i asked if they had a bulb - like the one in a car pack. Oh no, that's for cars not motos. The mechanic persisted and wouldn't sell me the bulb and so off I went. It was only a few km to the next place and they had a H4 bulb, as often fitted to cars, and aftre a bit of hassle finding the price it was mine. 6 fiddly screws later I'd got it fitted under their forecourt shelter. This has put me off 'extra bright' bulbs; there's obviously a shorter life.
After what seemed like ages i was down to the final 100km and the ascent into the mountains started. In Salins there was a frontier town attitude and the petrol station sold large petrol cans. I assumed it was the last petrol before Switzerland, but later realised that this was not the case as every town had at least one petrol station.

The hills were great, well surfaced even bends, a good gradient and no potholes to be found lurking around the corner. The hostel at Les Rousses is beautiful and highly recommended.

By following the minor roads I have often been at the 90kph speed limit, but with all of the villages and junctions my average was only 55kph .

Stella Alpina Day 1 - Home to Cambrai

2006-07-05T17:28:00.000Z

After a lot of worry and debate I'd decided on a packing system with soft bags, putting the bulk of the weight on the pillion area. I estimated a total load of about 15kg total.

Off on a sunny morning, of course being a weekday it was slow going getting out of town, and that was to be the guide of the day. As usual the run through Sherwood to Ollerton was lovely and the following A46 slow and busy. As I left the A1 and headed to Melton Mowbray the sky was darkening and it was obvious it was going to rain heavily. Just entering the town there was a little drizzle and for a moment I thought "is this it?" No, in a few minutes a was getting wet and pulled into a side road by the railway to wrestle my overtrousers and waterproof socks out of their bag as the rain continued to drip down my back.
Once on the way again the rain persisted and with only a T-shirt under my jacket I could feel the pressure of the heavy drops on my arms and chest. Visibility was poor, even white vans were going slowly. Fortunately I could head south on "The Old North Road" which is a pleasant route not yet spoilt by excessive road furniture and roundabouts.
Somewhere near Bishop's Stortford I missed my turning for the A120 towards the M11 and ended up following the A10 onto the M25. As well as not being such a direct route the M25 junction eastbound was closed and so I had to detour to the west and back again through standing traffic. This must have added 20 miles or so extra.
Then just across the Dartford crossing the rain started again. At least the Toll was free so no messing about to find coppers; soon I was on the M20 and the final leg to Folkstone was fairly dry. On the motorway I'd been going at an indicated 70mph, this felt plenty fast enought, any more and a rather alarming head shake sometime set in. Not nice.
All day I'd been concerned about being in time for my crossing on the tunnel but timing was fine - 6.5 hours from home. Checking-in to my internet-booked slot was easy but by the time I was near the facility block it was time to get ready for boarding. This was a bit chaotic and could have been tedious in the wet, but it was dry! All of the motorcycles boarded a carriage after the last of the cars and had to park in echelon on sidestands; no special area nowadays. The train was very smooth and I just kept a hand on the Alp whilst the train brtaked to ensure it didn't topple.
Naturally I headed the wrong way out of the railport, partly because the roads seem to have been renumbered since my map was made, but this did give me a picturesque route to the south of Calais. The evening's ride was along a presumeably Roman road - dead straight.
Sometimes it was lined with trees, sometimes with Commonwealth war cemetries. No navigational problems except that on 2 occasions my preplanned distance was less than that on the road signs. The destination was getting further away...
In Cambrai I saw a HI sign but not one ofr the railway as I'd been advised and fearing that I was becoming lost I consulted a tourist map - on a traffic island of all places. That showed I was just a few corners away and in no time I was shown to my room and had the bike parked up.
After a quick shower I headed into town - it was starting to rain again. I ate in a pleasant Pizzeria and listened to chears from local bars as France beat Portugal in the World Cup semi-finals.

583km today

Anti-tamper

2006-06-30T18:40:00.000Z

As I'll be likely to be leaving the Alp outside youth hostels and hotels I was a little concerned that idle hands might investigate the quick-release seat. I fabricated a 'guard' from 3mm lexan that fits under the rack mounting bolts. There was already this much space as it's not a perfect fit and normally springs down.

Now someone, including me, needs a 8mmWAF spanner to get under the seat. My current toolset isn't there.

Testing...1, 2, 3...

2006-06-25T22:19:00.000Z

I changed the brake fluid in both front and rear systems. It's often said that it should be done annually as the fluid is hygroscopic; I don't think I've ever managed that. The fluid was distinctly discoloured and there were sediments in the reservoirs. Whenever I do this job I'm always slightly concerned whether I'll end up introducing air bubbles and making the brakes worse. No problems did occur.

After all of these interventions a test ride seemed sensible and so I took a little trip along some local roads and byways - being careful to stay on ones that I believe are legal after the recent NERC restrictions. The new higher bars are definately an improvement and everything else worked fine. Perhaps I should check if the steering head beraings have bedded in? The TKC80 tyres were at a road pressure of 28psi. On raod they were fine although at one point I did feel a tiny slip and for most of the dry stony tracks I didn't have a problem. On one particular steep lane that has been covered in very fine grit by the council road crew I did find that the rear tyre lost traction and fish tailed a bit as I ascended in second gear. That isn't soeething I'm used to but coped fine.

Number plate refit

2006-06-23T18:49:00.000Z

In the UK there we don't get registration plates issued by an official authority. The vehicle gets its number when first registered and you get plates made up to an official standard. In theory these should be done on British Standard materials and to a specific size, which for a motorcycle seems to be huge. One of contemporary the reasons for this standard is to facilitate the use of number plate recognition systems for the issuing of fines and toll collection. Also the plates have to be made by an apporved company so as to reduce the chance that someone accidentally puts the wrong number on their car...Anyway, I decided I needed a legal-size plate including the 'GB' logo in a 'Euroband'.

This blog entry is to promote a compnay that can be found on 01995 602513 that at the time of writing will produce flexible 'show plates' for £12-50. Order today, delivered tomorrow. Excellent service. The material looks normal but is fairly flexible unlike the legal acrylic which is incredibly brittle and totally unsuited to a motorcycle used on unsurfaced roads.

High bars

2006-06-19T19:37:00.000Z

Over the years I've sometimes wondered if I needed higher bars on a few of my dirt bikes as I always seem to have a reach to them. Now I've fitted some Renthal Dakar/Enduro High (pattern #613) bars to the Alp. These give around 60mm more height and a bit more sweep than the original bars.

The cables are adequately long - the clutch only just - so bear this in mind if you're planning to fit some sort of bar risers.

As the OE bars are around 800mm end-to-end I cut 15mm off each end.

In the UK I always order Renthal products from B&C express as they are very efficient.

Naturally it took quite a while to transfer the controls and brush guards.

Only time will tell if they are more ergonomic.

Steering bearings

2006-06-15T21:07:00.000Z

I'd a belief that the steering bearings were very slightly loose as they had a subtle knock and the bars 'fell' very easily when the bike was on a stand. I also wondered if they had been greased at the factory, and from my experience with a BMW F650 there is always the worry that the heat from the oil reservoir makes the grease run away.

The handbook summarises the tightening procedure but I wanted to do more. I put the bike on a lift and held it in position with a ratchet strap. First was too loosen the triple clamp bolts (10mm WAF) and then undo the handlebar clamp bolts (6mm WAF Allen). The front instrument/lamp support must come off too. With the headlamp nacelle removed (10mm WAF) it's easy to get a socket on an extension to the 3 retaining bolts (8mm WAF). Try not to let things dangle on the wires, but that is easier said than done.

Then remove the rubber bung from the steering centre and with a 30mm WAF socket (ideally a 6 sided one) undo and remove the thin nut. Then with a length of softwood and a hammer it is easy to gently knock the upper triple clamp off the forks. Underneath is the adjuster nut. This nut was loose which suggests to me that the bearings were loose too. Remove the nut, protective cover and washer.

With the front wheel an inch off the ground gently tap the steering bar downwards with a hammer via a piece of softwood. This knocks the upper taper bearing off. Eventually the wheel will touch the floor, the lower bearing will be exposed and the upper bearing free. All the bits were pleasantly clean and lightly greased with no signs of damage to the bearing races. Everything can then be cleaned and regreased with a high melting point chassis grease.

Reassembly is the reverse process after cleaning everything and adding a dot of copper grease to everything; but two things to be aware of.
1. The triple clamp bolts shouldn't be tightened fully until you've bounced the folrks up and down a bit to align the fork tubs.
2. Tighten the adjustment nut until the bearings feel a little too tight. With the bars on the extra leverage usually makes the assembly swing more freely.

Check brakes, lights etc...

I was a bit disappointed that there aren't any protective seals or such in this assembly, but the upside of that is that they are off the shelf bearings and thus cheap to replace.

Oil change

2006-06-12T19:51:00.000Z

I took a quick spin for 10km from home to get the engine really nice and warm. On a short stretch of open road I managed to reach 60mph and I think the front wheel balance is improved now I've fitted 50g of weights opposite the rim lock.

Anyway with nice hot oil it poured out very rapidly, dark but no visible particles. Likewise the oil filter - that's good. Refilling was a little of a concern: I put in 1.8 litres but after a minute of engine running it didn't reach the dipstick. Added another few hundred mls and then ran the engine for the official 5 minutes and it was part way up the stick. Another 100mls brought it to the 'max'. On checking the handbook says that 2.1 litres is needed after oil filter chnage - so spot on!

Check valve clearances and a few observations

2006-06-11T19:22:00.000Z

This is the first time I've checked the valves on this machine. It's quite a big job to take off the front body panels and the tank; follow the instructions in the handbook. However they don't mention that there is a retaining point in the middle. It just clips on and off once you know it's there.

Whilst the tank was off I also noticed that the carb full-open-butterfly switch was clearly disconnected.

The socket was even taped into a position to make it impossible to connect!

From a DR350 website it seems that this is some sort of power/rev limiter. Maybe it's disconnected at the factory?

Anyway, to the valves. These are under the usual bolt-retained (10mmWAF) inspection covers. This area was pretty dirty so i washed it down and left it to dry before opening up the covers.

Inside are the usual tappets, exhaust to the front, inlet to the rear. The handbook states:
inlet: 0.05mm to 0.10mm
exhaust 0.8mm to 0.13 mm but I'm sure they mean 0.08 to 0.13mm!
The engine can be rotated to TDC on compression with a 19mm WAF socket or offset ring key. Note that this isn't in the toolkit, likewise there isn't a 17mm even though it's needed for the oil change. Through the front inspection cover a 'T' appears which seems to correlate with TDC as judged by poking something down the plug hole.

As luck would have it my valve clearances were at 0.10mm and 0.12mm the top end of the tolerance. I prefer loose to tight on an air colled engine, but a bit noisy than binding!

Then everything was reassembled and the airfilter wshed, dried and reoiled.

Split link nightmare

2006-06-06T23:30:00.000Z

I decided a new chain (520x112 links) was advisable as the OE one had lengthened a very litle and was incredibly dirty from a few trials. The sprockets looked perfect, even the rear alloy one so I chose, perhaps unwisely, to leave these. Rather, I refitted the OE 15 tooth front sprocket that had done a clean 1500km.

The problem came with the split link. it took numerous attempts with 3 pairs of pliers to get it too seat until all of a sudden it was one. Maybe I was too tired to be messing. Does anyone make a set of pliers for thsi job or perhaps I could grind some down for the job?

More tyre changes

2006-06-04T18:48:00.000Z

In preparation for a longish trip I replaced the MT43 trials tyres with Continental's TKC80s. These are supposedly hard wearing and being designed for bike machines such as the BMW R1100GS they should cope with the demands palced upon them by a mere Beta Alp 350.

The tread is fairly open but puts more rubber on the road than the OE Karoos which should help longevity. The compound felt fairly soft to my thumb - I hope they aren't too soft!

I'd been told that the difficulty with changing tyres on the rear rim is that it has a ridge. Now I've seen it and could work round it. The trick seems to be to use a lever to push the bead over the ridge and into the hellow to assist breaking the bead. Likewise when refitting i made an effort to keep the bead below the ridge on the side opposite where I was levering. I think it worked. The sunny weather would have helped too. (It was too good to be working really but I know to take advantage of heat to fit tyres.)

While the wheel was out I decided to strip and grease the suspension linkage.

It was pretty easy to dismantle - it's important to loosen the shock bolt first so it doesn't move around. I used a luggage strap between the swingarm and grab handle to support the swingarm. I was surprised to find that all but the shock joints are needle rollers. I wasn't surprised to find a lack of grease.

Ilkley Trial

2006-05-21T18:39:00.000Z

For the second time I took part in the Ilkely Classic Trial this sunday. As usual it was very well run, with sections on private land. The weather started fine but after lunch it started to rain. As the previous week had been very wet a few sections were cancalled. Of those that remained a few were dry but most were wet and slippery.

My final result was 12 out of a class of 16. The winner cleared all sections on his new Alp 200. Before lunch I was doing well and was placed 9th but after lunch I scored a few '10's where others did better. Near Pately Bridge there is an inlcine which as number 1 I was due to be first up. I picked a line and it was the wrong one. The left of the track was muddy, the right fine - I should have cleared it!

The Alp did fine and took me home, but not as far as the winner had to go - he headed off on a 150 mile trip!

Lands End Trial

2006-04-20T17:31:00.000Z

Over the Easter weekend I competed in the Lands End Trail, organised by the MCC. This is an event of around 350 miles with 15 observed sections, most of which are on public, unsurfaced roads.

The start was 60 miles from the excellent vegetarian hotel that I was staying and even before reaching it a knew the trip would be a trial. The saddle was hurting me! To make matters worse the cafe was shut. Then it was a further 98 road miles to North Petherton for the proper start of the event.

Here the machines were scrutineered, for the second time, we had a compulsory hour's rest and had excellent cooked breakfasts at Grahams' Truckstop. This was also the time to let the tyres down, I went for 11psi. After a brief road run the sections started. I won't list them in detail but will say that I didn't do very well.

Importantly though I didn't feel any section went badly and I thought I could have done better if I'd tried a little harder, or had more confidence. In previous years I have felt that there was no way I could have cleared some sections. Whether this subtle improvement was due to the Beta or due to the relatively mild weather remains to be seen.

The Beta performed well, as mentioned above, the fails were due to rider error rather than inadequate machinery. I must remember to

focus on the rear brake when stopping for restarts
keep on the throttle and keep standing for Blue Hills 2
keep up a bit of speed in mud to minimise tyre clogging

Including the ride back to the hotel the event took me 688km and by then I hated the seat. That is the only fault with the motorbike. After a rest a had time to explore other aprts of beutiful Cornwall, including St Ives.

Connecting my route roller backlight

2006-03-26T09:21:00.000Z

Before my first Long Distance Trail (LDT) I made a roller for the route from a VHS cassette carton. It's illuminated by half a dozen red LEDs, at that time white ones were pretty rare. Now I need a connection on the Beta Alp for it. I dislike damaging the OE wiring loom on motorbikes so had to find a suitable point.

The front lighting wiring can be accessed by undoing the black bezel (3 screws) and thne removing the headlamp shell (another 3 small screws). This is also the route for chnaging the bulb. It seems that it is possible to set the headlamp for left or right hand drive by altering the bulb position.
The 'sidelight' seemed to me to be an ideal connection point as it was possible to tack tinned wires onto the copper terminals having pushed them out of their rubber housing. Also, it makes sense to have a backlight on this circuit.
As you might expect the black wire is ground and the white/blue +12VDC. The tinned wires were soldered, and heatshrinked, into a piece of audio coax as this is nice and round and very flexible. In turn, that is connected to a 2.5mm power plug.
It works too:

Northern Trial on 18th Febuary

2006-02-23T22:13:00.000Z

A report submitted to Restart the magazine of the ACTC

I’ve been competing, in the loosest sense of the word, in classic trials for five or six years now but this was my first ‘Northern’ and indeed only my second of this relatively short format. Like many of the other motorcyclists on the trial I had responded to the invitation to MCC members. It was also my first event on a recently acquired Beta Alp 4.0, which although only just over 2 years old carries the venerable DR350 engine in a fairly heavy frame and is thus well in keeping with my understanding of the ethos of such events.
My first pleasant surprise during the week before the trial was that the weather forecast predicted sunshine. Fair enough, during the week there was rain to make the route worthwhile, but I prefer being warm and dry to cold and wet. On leaving my hotel in Carlisle on Saturday morning the forecast seemed as though it would be correct as a thin layer of ice covered every surface and a cold sun was lifting into a cloudless sky.

At scrutinering I was pleased to meet up with Craig who I’ve known, mostly as an email correspondent, for what must be close to a decade. He assured me that the trial would be easy…for him maybe! After the usual signing on and chat about the route everyone was availing themselves of the hot drinks and cooked breakfasts. I limited myself to coffee as I was starting to get a little apprehensive and anyway, I had eaten at the hotel. As the other competitors arrived there was the usual mix of beautifully polished antique vehicles, lightly modified but purposeful saloons and the cunningly constructed specials. I suppose the motorcycles covered a range of decades, two and four strokes, trials tyres and otherwise, but to me they have more similarities than differences. As the motorcycles and solitary combination had the early numbers there wasn’t too long to linger.
After a mere 7 miles, no 100 miles of touring assembly here, I arrived at the first special test. A basic A-B-C line test was placed on a firm-packed gravel track in Forest Enterprise land and provided a gentle warm-up. When the preliminary results arrived (only 24 hours after the trial!) I was amazed to find that I wasn’t the slowest. Black Hole should have been an easy section but hard a slippery middle section that caused the inevitable dab. Once above that the ground was dry and I suspect a score of ‘1’ would have been no harder to achieve than a ‘3’ or ‘4’. Indeed this set the tone for many of the sections in the various forest areas: After a slippery but gentle ascent there would be the treacherous loose mud hill, followed by relatively dry and traction-providing grass. So there’s my explanation for scoring far too many points! To highlight this, four out of 10 of the motorcycles cleared Little Cockup, the rest came unstuck at the ‘9’ marker, on Routen Romp the catch was the restart box.

Falcon’s Crest started with a tricky-looking rock ramp at an angle to the track. With a straight approach it would have been easy, but you either crossed it an angle or used the edge of the mud as a berm, or maybe a bit of both. While a few of us were debating this, the marshall said that a lad had used far too much throttle on it and they were sure he’d come a cropper, he proved them wrong by clearing it. I think he knew what he was doing: I’m a coward and so I like trickling along just on the gas using my minimal skills of balance. This worked well on the rocky areas and the nearly level soft sections but was a hopeless style on the steeper hills. On these I put too much power into the wheel, far too late, lost grip and failed the section. I needed more speed on the flat part or a far lighter bike. I couldn’t have let more air out of the tyres without risking a dented rim or pinch puncture. My first ‘clear’ came on Lowry’s which was a very pretty length of single track through trees. I wonder how the cars squeezed through, but they must have done as many of them cleared it too.

The lunch stop was at an excellent forest centre although myself and the other motorcyclists I arrived with weren’t sure how the eating/timecard/break system was supposed to work. Nonetheless I did have a lovely tofu sandwich and a choice from a range of vegan cakes. That doesn’t happen very often on these events!

Swinside, Ullister Hill and Widow Hause were quite dissimilar sections in terms of terrain, I did well on them, but strangely enough are the cause of my only complaint on the trial. Each of these sections finished in a steep climb to a dead end, which on a motorcycle presents a bit of a challenge. As the ‘section ends’ you have to decide whether to stop or go on a little to a spot that looks a little flatter to help with a turn. As this decision is made near instantly I got it wrong 3 times. As one of the ever-helpful marshals tried to tug my machine around I asked him if it was better to go up a little. “Well the previous rider did, and he had trouble, the others didn’t make it to here”. I’ll admit to being a poor rider compared to others on this trial but, in my opinion, cul-de-sac climbs are not safe for motorcyclists. If someone could mark a ‘T’ at the top where the ground is firm that would be a great help.
Riding around the forest on the fire roads between sections in the sunshine was a very restful ‘trail ride’ and afforded fine views across the northern lakes and mountains.

Skiddaw and other unidentified mountains had a delicate dusting of snow that contrasted with their black bulk and the green valleys. In the end though we had to rejoin the roads and travel to Sandale for a section that is notoriously ‘clarty’ Just to be on the safe side I let a little more air out of the tyres and went for it at middle revs. Eventually the mud won and I had to foot, but much to my satisfaction, in the area where others did too. There was a small audience to watch our attempts to conquer this Unsurfaced County Road but I don’t know if the farmer with a big tractor who owned the adjacent field was among them.

Apparently it was quite flat before he’d made a few journeys. It’s probably just as well he did or the cars would have found it boring.
On this, like every other trial I’ve been on, all of the marshals were incredibly patient and helpful when manhandling fallen bikes and riders and I’m very grateful for their help. In view of current RoW issues, some of which are especially acute in the Lake District, the use of Forest Enterprise land appears to be essential for trials to continue. Although I can’t believe that many of the sections have particular historical significance they provided a range of terrain and difficulty. No-one cleared the trial which shows that it wasn’t too straight forward, but a few competitors came close, so the experts can strive for 15 clears next year.

Testing, testing

2006-02-11T16:31:00.000Z

Took a little trip today to try out the MT43 tyres, 14 tooth sprocket and raised rear brake lever. Great! Although the bike is more buzzy at higher speeds (which restricts speed a bit, 65mph still easy) at lower speeds on harder trails I found a great improvement. On a nearby rocky ascent, that I find a bit tricky, the lower gearing and soft tyres gave me more confidence and the bike felt more how I'd expected it to be. To be honest, I have been slightly disappointed by its lack of low speed friendliness until now. As the rear MT43 is a 'tall' tyre there can't be very much net reduction in gearing, but maybe just enough?

Today I didn't go near any real mud, partly due to the route and partly because the little I found was frozen, so I can't comment on whether there is a mud clearance problem with the MT43s.

14 tooth at last

2006-02-10T20:13:00.000Z

I obtained a 14 tooth sprocket from Leisure Trail and it fitted easily. They tell me it's a DRZ400 item. They offer very good service. This also improved rear wheel clearance.

It's worth noting the difference in the splines between this one and the DR350 item. The front sprocket with the finer splines is the correct item.

Whilst I was outside I raised the rear brake lever a little bit once again. Hope I've not made it so I'm always resting on it now!

Not a new sprocket

2006-02-07T21:29:00.000Z

Today I tried to fit a 14 tooth sprocket. Previously a 'local' Beta dealer told me the official sporckets were on a long back order and so I had acquired one that supposedly fits a DR350. But the splines were of the wrong size and pitch. I suppose the issues are:

Was the one I had really a DR350 fitment?
Is the Beta 350 output shaft unique?
Does anyone have the Beta Alp part?

I adjusted the tyre pressures too, they still had a lot of air which suggests that I'd not nipped the tubes.

Trials tyres

2006-02-02T22:30:00.000Z

In preparation for a forthcoming trial I've fitted a pair of MT43s. These are fully road-legal trials-pattern tyres in a relatively soft compound.

The front was straight forward but the rear tyre was a bit tricky. For some reason, which could be due to the 3.00x18 rim, it was very difficult to get the bead into the central dip to permit the rest of the bead to be levered over. There's clearnace for the tyres between the front mudguard and the rear shock splashguard, but no space for mud.

Pleasant saturday ride

2006-01-28T14:50:00.000Z

I'm using my excuse to get to know the bike as a reason to get out as amny weekends as possible. Today was beautiful weather and I covered someof my favourite Derbyshire lanes.

This is a view from what is probably my ultimate unsurafced country road. There's an ascent that needs a little care, lovely views, old pack horse paving stones and at the end a farmer with a pretty good attitude.

The bike ran well and once my arms had warmed up I felt pretty coordinated. The OE rear Karoo tyre was struggling for grip at many points where there were wet rocks and tree roots. No offs though.

I'm still thinking the rear brake lever needs raising a little more, I wonder if the adjuster is long enough?

Kick start kit

2006-01-23T08:23:00.000Z

I've noticed that a kick start kit was available from a vendor on ebay.fr. All the 350's in the UK seem to have come with it, but this shows that it is available as a bag of bits if you don't have one. Incidentally it sold for 50 Euros.

I find it prety hard to use the kick start whether the engine is cold or hot.

Short rides

2006-01-22T20:27:00.000Z

The last 2 sundays I've gone out for short trips to try to get used to the bike and to improve my negligible skill. In particular I've been practising trials-style turns having seen a very good online video (Trials Training Center). The key is to tilt the bike against your inner leg and twist your shoulders into the turn too. Push down on the inner bar, outer elbow high. I've not got full lock circles or figure-8's yet but am getting closer. The clutch is heavy!

This week I also tried a local limestone ascent and a muddy valley trail. I don't like the now-worn Karoos on limestone, there's almost no grip. On the mud I found the bike stable and if an occasional puddle was ridden too, the tyres stayed clear. Without a puddle they clogged quickly and the they'll spit you off. I feel happier letting the back end go its own way than I have been on other machines and hopefully I'll get more used to it.

I tried the mud in both 1st and 2nd. Just as slower in second but with a tiny anount of clutch slip. The engine felt close to stalling on occasion but the reduced torque at the wheel felt to give less risk of slipping the wheel due to an inadvertent throttle blip.

With the new mini indicators and flexible plate the drops didn't damage anything.

I'm also getting used to the too-long-sidestand. With care it is possible to find a raised spot for a wheel and then the stand seems fine.

Small indicators

2006-01-08T18:07:00.000Z

A week or so ago I fitted a set of not-quite-legal wobbly indicators. These are silicone-bodied and really quite small. They mount with a 6mm bolt and the wire exits separately.

The broken bracket was repaired with solvent glue and then a brass sheet trimmed and overlaid.

Naturally the wiring job was a little more complex than it should have been...

The indicators are fitted with bullet connectors and so is the bike's wiring loom - unfortunately they aren't the same diameter! The indicators are fitted with 'Japanese' ones wihich are a spot smaller than 'European'.

Oh well, that's what soldering irons are for. For neatness I used heatshrink tubing as sheathing as the originals had a rubber cover which I couldn't find a replacement for locally. The front indicators connect behind the headlight, the rears within the rearlamp assembly having passed through sealing washers. Putting WD40 on the wires helped removal and refitting.

The end result looks pretty good and works fine. The flash rate is slightly faster as the bulbs are lower wattage but not a silly speed.

Rack

2005-12-21T21:38:00.000Z

Soon after buying the Alp I ordered the Beta carry rack (part # 20.08236) as I don't like carrying tools and such in a rucsac on my back. I was a little disappointed to find that fitting required the 'fender' to be drilled and suspected the job would take some time. The kit looked quite well finished, although a little expensive at £70 by the time I'd had it posted home.

This week, over the course of a few evenings I have fitted it and here's what I found.

The first step is to remove the lifting handles and the rear mudguard, or fender as it's labelled in the instructions.

A steel bracket was readily fitted between two mounting points to provide the mountings for the rack. This fitted well. The spring clip mounted nuts seated with the use of a fair bit of force, and I lightly greased the metal to ease them and reduce the amount of paint scraped off.

The instructions then required 3 15mm holes to be drilled in the plastic. The fundamental problem was that the cutting template provided in the kit could be fitted onto the plastic in many locations, with a fair range of movement. It also appeared to be asymmetric even though the subframe is symmetrical. Measure twice cut once!

After much deliberation I decided to draw through the subframe to mark the rearmost point on masking tape stuck inside the guard. I then drilled that point out in stages to 6mm. When I checked with a bolt I decided the hole was a little too far back so filled it forwards. I then used this mark to locate the template and then marked the other two holes, even to the extent of marking a rangeof places where the centre could be.

With a little trepidation I drilled these to 6mm and tried bolts in the hole. Although the bolt looks quite straight in this picture is was in fact binding, suggesting that the hole was off-centre.

I then enlarged the holes a little, maybe to 8mm using a rat-tail file to try to centralise the bolt and remove areas that were binding. The idea was to use the bolt mountings as a sort of jig. Once this was achieved I placed a piece of 6mm studding in the holes and slotted the spacer onto the studding. It was then quite easy to draw around the spacer onto the plastic. Actually I drew on masking tape!

From then on it was a matter of gently filling the holes out to the line, testing with the spacer and occasionally refitting the plastic and repeating the fitting. As the spacers are 13.3mm diameter this should give a betterfit than drilling a 15mm hole. Naturally the longer you spend the closer you'll get it. Itook a few hours to get to this stage and was fairly happy with it:

After that it was a simple matter to clean up and fit the carier.

It looks pretty neat now, although having seen the kit I could now make one from scratch without too much trouble. I am thinking that the mounting points may serve as rear fixings for a pannier system...

No reserve!

2005-12-06T19:31:00.002Z

I'd almost fogotten about this! As I set off on last weekend's ride the fuel reserve light was lit. 'No problem' I thought, there's still nearly 2 litres left. Well after a little period of the machine being horizontal, a few km down the road we spluttered to a halt. Just need to switch to reserve...there isn't one...Argh!

After a moment of hrsitation I decided to roll down the hill towards a petrol station. The freewheel was easy but the little incline at the end was quite major when pushing. Then I gave the bike a few shakes and it started! Great! So I managed to do another km or so with help. It was further than I recalled so I was very thankful.

I'm used to a reserve position on the fuel tap of motorbikes and assumed the light supplemented that rather than replaced it. I may have to look into altering that.

Warning Fragile!

2005-12-04T18:07:00.000Z

I've just done an easy trail ride and found a few things.

On a positive note, my rear brake pedal adjustment is a great improvement. I may even raise it more. The shortened levers are fine too. However....

the side stand caught me out once again, this time allowing the bike to fall to the left! What is wrong with it? I'm thinking that I dare not shorten it now. A front indicator lens was smashed, no doubt this will be costly to replace.

The rear of the bike took the most impact and this cracked the regulation number plate and broke an indicator off its mount.

The problem seems to be that the 'E' marked indicators are now required to extend beyond more substantial parts of the bike. I'll be repositioning them and finding some of the wobbly ones to fit instead!

Levers

2005-11-13T19:52:00.000Z

As I'd mentioned before, the levers are at risk of catching on the brushguards. Why do manufacturers fit such long levers? Anyway, I obtained a spare pair from the UK importer, Lampkin Imports Ltd at great expense: they were £20 each!! I now need to take them to my local dealer and find out if what pattern part will fit.

I then sawed around 1cm out of each lever, on an angle of 45 degrees and replaced the ball on the end with Techno-weld, the low temperature alloy brazing system. The joins then needed tidying up with a file and emery paper, the end result is marked with a yellow arrow. Of course, the shiny laquer burnt off! I then swapped the shortened levers for the OE ones, including a little water-resistant lithium base bicycle grease.

I've used this approach before and found the levers to be plenty strong enough, Actually if the join were to break it might protect the lever perches.

Rear brake adjustment

2005-11-06T20:37:00.000Z

On my little ride out I'd had real difficulty applying the rear brake whislt standing. I could barely feel the pedal, never mind tilt my ankle enough to apply it.

In the manual an adjustment of pedal height is shown via a locked screw inboard of the lever. How can you get to it?! I removed the return spring and brake lever and turned the screw (lock nut is 8mm WAF) in to lift the pedal. I was aiming to have it level with the footpeg. However this removed the piston actuator from the cylinder, so miles of free play. The actuator then needed adjustment. The lock nut (10mm WAF) was fine but the actuator needed a bit of persuasion with penetrating oil to unscrew. It was screwed fully home. I took it out, wirebrushed it, placed copperslip and replaced it about 5mm higher than before. With a trial assembly I felt I'd achieved a higher pedal, with just 5mm of play, as suggested in the manual. Fresh copperslip and grease on the pivot and it could all go together. To be tested...

In the dirt

2005-11-05T17:04:00.000Z

At last I've managed to do a ride along some unsurfaced tracks. Not far, but a good introduction.

On the first grassy track, with a few short grassy steps, I felt the forks were a little firm and harsh, and the whole frame a bit skitish on the little steps. Then I went along an easy stony track, here I was impressed that nothing rattled and the forks felt OK here, especially on a pebble-strewn descent that can make quite severe vibrations.

My next ascent was on a dirt/worn asphlat track, again where vibration is the main problem. Here the bike felt very planted. On a flat grass area I tried tight turns. The turning circle must be small, I didn't get to the stops. What I did find was that the brake pedal is too low to be used when standing, that's not a good plan.

Then I went on to a rocky ascent that I often find a challange. Here the fork action felt only a very little firm and I was very impressed by the bike's stability on the loose rocks. Occasionally I wondered if I needed a lower first gear but the engine didn't stall and pulled well at very low revs. After a mile on a potentially slippery dirtroad I took a short track uphil that can be very easy, but can be slippery in the wet. Easy - I tried to go very slowly and found plenty of torque. Next stop was a slippery lane, the bottom is firm, but covered in slippery leaves, the top gives two choices - stone steps or muddy ruts. The lower half was easy and I was thinking that it was impossible to stall the engine. The stone steps proved me wrong! I took these far to gently and found myself sliding backwards with no grip what so ever. Really I know that these have to be attacked with more power and lower tyre pressures. The bike came to rest horizontal in mud. It wasn't too heavy to lift and started after a few spins on the button. To be honest I was a little shaken so took the muddy ruts route out with some needless dabs.

After an initial doubt I found the bike confidence-inspiring. On ascents the position seems good, but standing whilst riding on the level it was a long reach to the bars.

The over-long sidestand was OK on the dirt as I could find a little dent to plant it in the few times I needed it.

Actions needed

Raise rear brake lever rest position

Shorten levers so they clear brushguards with ease

Slightly higher bend of handlebars

Strip off pillion pegs & nearside mirror

Possibly try lighter fork oil

Oil change

2005-10-30T22:08:00.000Z

On purchase my Alp had 1200km, 1500km by the time it was home. I didn't think that the previous owner would have done the 1000km oil change so that was a priority.

The owner's handbook details the job pretty well, but it's worth pointing out that the sump plug is 17mm, frame plug 8mm, strainer plug 18mm and strainer hose clamp 7mm. The 'sump guard' mountings are 8mm too. I'd also add a few points:

1. Take care when draining the frame - have a jug present as the oil has a fair hydrostatic pressure and will squirt a long way as the plug comes out.

2. When removing the brass plug with gauze I would suggest removing the blue hose from it. Start it sliding by rotating a large, smooth flat-bladed screwdriver at the pipe's cut end. After starting it slid off readily. The manual seems to suggest undoing the clip and then letting the pipe rotate whilst attached. This works to a degree but does make it hard to withdraw the gauze.

The gauze had collected a bit of swarf and in the absence of an air line I manged to remove it using WD40 on a kitchen paper towel. The sump oil was carrying an obvious level of debris despite the paper oil filter so the job was essential.

The oil filter change was easy and exactly as described in the manual.

Including a 10km warm up trip the job took 75 minutes, some of which was cleaning up after the unexpected oil squirt!

Sidestand

2005-10-23T19:24:00.000Z

The side, or prop, stand has been mentioned in some online reviews as being too long. I can now confirm that it is! I had difficulty finding a good place to leave the bike on a short trip on saturday and then 10 minutes later a draft from a truck blew it over. Drat it! Very little damage as the leverguard took the impact. However that was then too close to the lever (I've already had to bend the guard on the clutch side as the PO had left the too close). A bit of bending sorted the guard as a temporary measure but this means that 2 jobs are needed:

1. shorten the stand by 1cm or so - but not too much
2. get a set of shorty levers or cut and lumiweld standard ones

Unfortunately I haven't had time for a proper trip out

Legal

2005-10-18T07:57:00.000Z

OK, got my vehicle tax yesterday so now can take it on the road without concern. I also cleaned off some dust and polished the fork stanchions. That revealed a few tiny spots where chrome has been chipped off but nothing too severe.

Home time

2005-10-15T18:49:00.000Z

So I rode home 300km on my new Beta Alp 4.0. Why is it a 4.0 when it's 350cc? Could be that it's a 4 stroke? No, the 200cc 4 stroke model is called a 200!

The seller was pretty surprised that I didn't have a van for the journey and said 'it's a trail bike'. Yes it is, of a kind, but I will want to do longish trips too. Anyway no problems once I'd got air in the front tyre.

Insurance

2005-10-14T07:44:00.000Z

OK, so I've committed to buy this bike and assummed that it would be cheap to insure. On calling my current insurer they wanted £220 to add it to my policy for 8 months. So much? "Oh, it's a group 8 bike, quite new, blah, blah blah".

A bit of research and I found a quote on line from ebikeinsurance with a lower excess, very similar terms & conditions, recovery etc for £130 for the full year including another bike. A big enough difference to make it worth canceling the other policy and losing 'administration fees'. The moral of this story is to keep shopping around. My previous insurers were a good deal for the bike I had and insured 2 years ago, but not just now.