Page 12

So today's blog entry is probably going to be a long one, just warning you guys in advance! Lol
(I did say there were going to be some big changes in my life fairly soon, didn't I...?)

I've been a fairly busy chap lately, in the last couple of days I've changed my bike's chain (which still isn't finished by the way, more on that down the page), changed the oil and filter, given my bike a really good clean again (damn roadworks!), taken a good hard look at a 2009 CBR600RR (with ABS it turns out! Yummy!!!), given up my job at the V8's, found a new job (sorta), and been offered the opportunity for more work up north...!

So, to start at the top... My bike's chain has been pretty close to it's final days for a little while now, so I finally decided to go about replacing it. So plans are formulated, after a bit of hunting around for a good deal, I decide to rock on down to the local Honda dealer, and kill a whole bunch of birds with one stone. First off, we talk oil and filters, I say I like Motul oil, the sales guy says I should upgrade to Castrol Power1 oil, I say I can't really afford $170 for four litres, blah blah blah, we settle on my buying a new filter from him and I say I'll get back to him on the oil. Ah huh... Then we start talking about chains. He gives me a rough price range that I could spend on cheap versus amazing quality chains, I decide on a fairly good quality RK O-ring chain, it has to be ordered in but that's all good by me. So, $27 for the oil filter, $110 for the chain. Thanks mate!

After lots of talking about bikes and stuff, I head up to the showroom to check out the CBR600RR they've got, having seen it online (pics in my last post), just to see if it'd 'fit' me. The sales guy comes out of his office, asks me if he can help... Hehe... I ask if I can sit on it, no problem he says. It's only slightly more of a stretch to the 'bars than my CBR250RR, but it's a fair amount taller, I can just touch the floor flat-footed on both sides at the same time, although my legs are pretty straight out. On my little 250 I can flat-foot both sides easily with knees slightly bent. At this stage I'm really tempted to take it out for a test ride, but good sense prevails and I dismount after a few minutes. We discuss the intricate ABS system, how it handles, the upgrades, etc etc. It has a little over 100 horsepower at the back tread, reportedly does wheel stands in first, second, and third gear, weighs in at just under 200kgs (wet)... I could go on with all the technical stuff, but I figure most readers would be falling asleep by that stage so I'll carry on.

In the looks department, I must say it's pretty stunning close up. It has a bevy of carbon fibre add-ons, and the black frame and swing-arm look particularly cool. The half black, half red fairing scheme isn't entirely my cup of tea, I'd change it out for a Repsol fairing kit pretty quickly I think. As well as that, I'd give it a tail-tidy, and powdercoat the front and pillion footpegs. The only other part I wasn't too keen on was the huge mirrors, but I already have idea's with what I'd swap them out for: trick little teardrop carbon fibre jobbies the same as on my 250. Throw in a dark tinted windscreen and that'd about do it I think!

There was talk of Honda fitting an aftermarket exhaust slip-on, I'd have to hear a few comparisons before I decided on anything particular in this case. Factory, it sounded okay, maybe a little tinny, but not annoyingly so. The kind of tune that wouldn't bother me, but would gladly be rid of if I decided to get some more power from the motor.

Now, you're probably wondering why I'd choose a 600 over a 1000, my reasoning is split into two main areas: 1, I don't feel like I'd need the extra power of a 1000cc bike, or the weight for that matter, and 2, I don't feel like giving the government any more of my hard earned money for registering the thing! And currently, my funds are being squirreled away for my trip later this year, rather than for another bike, which is why I didn't want to go for a test ride. Because I know if I'd ridden it, even just down the street and back, I would've wanted it there and then! Let's just say, a trap I've fallen into a few times before...

So, begrudgingly, I opted to continue on my way, stopping only briefly to check out the selection of gloves in the showroom (I've found a really nice pair online but wanted to check sizing before clicking on a bid), then headed off. On my way home I passed another bike shop, one that sells Motul oil, so I decided to stop in and have a quick peek at lubricants... And HA! (without naming names, I don't believe in putting shops against each other, only finding the best deal for myself,) I've picked up a four litre of Motul 300v, for a considerable amount less than the Castrol oil that Honda wanted me to buy. Thank you! (Wow, they had some really nice bikes in there too!)

Off home now to do the oil change, pretty simple process: drain, let drain some more, go watch TV while the last few drops are draining, drop the old filter out, continue to let drain, flush, drain, drain some more, blah blah blah, soak new filter, install new filter, then refill (note to self: don't use a good kitchen measuring cup...) with the good stuff. Easy. Lol I should write manuals for this stuff! Hehe. Just in time to get ready for work for another night shift...

Hmmm work... the bane of my existence... :-(

Well, the story goes, as you might have read, the boss and I have been having a few personality clashes lately, and to put it simply, it all came to a head last night about 4 hours into the shift. Basically, I couldn't hear what he was saying because he was about 100 metres down the road from me, so I told him so, to which he replies "Open your ******* ears you useless ******* ******...!" Now, I'm not one to back down from confrontation, as some of you may already know, nor am I scared of voicing my own opinion when someone challenges me like that. So I let him have it. Both barrels, full buck-shot, if you wanna piss me off you better be well prepared to deal with the consequences. I make a very clear point of the fact that I've been working my ass off for him for the last two and a half months, that I've worked countless hours overtime to get tasks done on schedule, that he wouldn't be anywhere near his targets without my input, that he clearly has no idea what the hell he is doing, and that he is clearly out of his depth. And yes, I swore. Lots. Hell, if he has the gall to swear at me, I'll return the favour. So anyways, he says I may as well go home, I reply "gladly", he says "Leave your uniform in the truck" (our temporary office), I've had my fill by now and just walk off.

Now, you might say I was a little rash, or that how I handled that was wrong, or what have you, but in my defense, if I hadn't gotten out it would surely have driven me up the wall. I mean, I was at the stage where I literally hated going to work, the only reason I did it was out of some morbid sense of loyalty, or morals, or something in me that says 'even when things are completely shit, you don't give up'... Well, I guess that's not entirely true either, because what I did kinda was giving up... But looking back now, now that I've calmed down, I don't regret what I did, or how I handled things last night. Not a single one.

So, you may be asking, what's the plan now, Scott? Well, I'll tell you! I've already secured another job trial, through a friend, as a track rider for thoroughbred race horses, starting in two days time, and I've called my old boss at Traffic Management (the job I was at prior to the V8's) and been told they have plenty of work that I'd be more than welcome to go back to. And, as they have an office up north, there's work for me up there if and when I do decide to move back up. Also, this afternoon I received a phone call from the big boss man of the fencing company (the V8's contractor), and he asked my version of the events that happened, to which (after I explained) he replied "That seems to be a fairly common occurrence..." with my now ex-boss. It seems the last two guys in his employ both left after very similar situations. Hmmm surprise surprise... But, to cut a long story short, the big boss man has said that he'd be more than happy to take me on as a contractor up north (where he is based) if and or when I decide to move back up there! So it seems there are more than a few doors open for me to explore in the future. Which makes me feel a lot better about things right now. :-)

On a lighter note, today I've been back to the Honda shop, to pick up my new bike chain, come home again to fit it and discover that to tighten it I've had to pull the adjuster all the way out from the swingarm... That can't be right, can it? Check the box again, yep, correct number of links on the sticker, weird. Call Honda back, explain what the story is, the guy says "bring it in and we'll have a look, might have to take a link out of the chain"... Okay, cool, does that mean I bring the whole bike in or just the chain? Stuff it, I'll bring the whole bike in so you can see exactly what I mean. Cool. Gees, I'm gonna be real popular if they've got it wrong and have to pull the chain off after I've just spent an hour fitting it! (I hate those little clip things on the connector link! They just don't seem to wanna fit properly!) But, if they see the problem and correct it free of charge, I'll be well stoked and write them up a nice 'happy customer' report for everyone to read! The joys of freedom of speech, crossed with the powers of the Internet! Hehe...

All in all, I think that's a pretty good couple of days effort, so now that it's all out in black and white for everyone to condemn (or appraise), I'm gonna go have a beer and relax in the evening dusk. :-)



Until next time!

:-)