6000 miles on bike at last...

Yep its true :-)
Another run out to Stranraer. Didnt see another bike at all :-(
Sunny on the way out , very cold and raining on the way back LOL
Very slippy to be honest and a lot of mud on the roads from tractors.
Bike still felt superb though, passed the six thousand mile mark on the way back.
For some reason it still only did 100 miles to a tank!!! and I was REALLY keeping the revs down. Wheelspin in 2nd under full throttle (didnt dare it in 1st!).
Bike was filthy and got the usual clean before being put back into the garage.
Also seems ok so far as far as leaving the alarm on (re:battery levels), that was 3 weeks left and it started on the button.
Summer gloves arent good enough in winter , my hands were numb. Reminds me of the heated grips on the BMW 1200R bliss :-)
So thats 6000 miles from 6th April (DAS test pass) to now 27th Nov , nearly 8 months , not bad me thinks , and of course I'm still here which is a bonus LOL

dirty rear .... / my old golf spotted / D600 phone update

Only 400 odd miles and the car looks like this!!!
And to think the GP doesnt have a rear wiper ! Oh dear...
But then maybe their owners wont plan on taking the car out in winter.

Also passed my old Mk2 Golf GTi 'E98 JNH' on the motorway last night :-)
Heres a reminder [taken when it put out 85bhp@wheels at AVA dyno]....

How cool is that? A great car that I remember really fondly. Hi to Euan if it was you driving. Funny thing is I just knew it was my old car coming up to it (it was dark), dunno why I just did.

Phone update : Its cool :-)
Much better than I initially thought , the screen really is great.
The cameras good (although the fact its not protected by the slide IS an issue)
The microSD is a must have , just put all your stuff on that and use a USB adapter to plug it into your pc to get photos , much easier and quicker than bluetooth that I used to use.

no way the bikes getting used in this weather , its way too slippy even in the MINI.
J

Lightweight GP with MO wheels...

so what do you think.....?


rip the spoiler off and get the window tints sorted and we might be getting there :-)

microSD card for D600 / Albums of the moment

bought a 512MB microSD (Transflash) card for the D600 (comes with a SD adapter) and also a USB reader from http://www.mobymemory.com/ , excellent service and delivered next day :-) Card is tiny... Dimensions: 15 x 11 x 1 mm (L x W x D)
Heres a pic of the phone.

So far Im a lot happier with it. keypad has a quality feel.
Alas Samsung have not fixed some glaring omissions like being able to set SMS tones.
Menu styles are even more retricted , however the GUI is quick and easy to use.
Slide mechanism certainly doesnt feel as high a quality as D500 , time will tell but so far , so good :-)

Recently been listening to

Jazzyfatnastees : The Once & Future
Jazzyfatnastees : The Tortoise And The Hare
Dr Jones : Groovelution
Dr Jones : Sugar
Five Point Plan : Rare
Kem : Kemistry
Kem : Kem II
Incognito : Eleven

All top notch and a real find in a Jazz Funk Style :-)

Car continues to run well , although some recent high speed continuous cruising I could definitely smell burning !! Lets hope it was just the exhaust.
Dealer also phoned me to see if I was interested in the Lightweight Works !?!?!
Severely tempted but @ 22k and not quite what I'd hoped style wise perhaps not.
Besides I want my next car to be an E46 M3 on 19's mmmm drooool
lots of cash though , so for now the MINI stays , and to be honest the longer I have it the more I love it :-) Superb car that makes you smile everytime you get behind the wheel.
J

MINI returns / Samsung D600 upgrade

yep after three days I finally get the car back.
They have also fixed the broken rear exhaust bracket (sweet) which I didnt even ask for. All in all top service from Henry Bros in Glasgow.
The only downside I can see for now is that the replacement screen strip they have fitted looks a bit of a dogs breakfast :-) So I may have to redo that myself.
Otherwise brill , not only that the brakes def feel better (fluid change) and the steering is waaaay better (track rod end change + KDS alignment)
Car just passed 28k miles.

Also got a phone upgrade today to a D600 from my previous D500.
Biggest diff is from 1.3 to 2 MP camera.
Initial disappointment ! It doesnt seem as well built, the slide mechanism feels much cheaper and the camera is not protected anymore.
However it does come with a TV output and a USB cable [chances of the driver working on XP64 ??? Nil probably :-(]
Anyway its charging just now and I will report back once Ive actually used it !

J

track rod end @ 27k miles????

mmmm well no car back just yet.
Oil Service , upper screen strip and also changing the brake fluid to be done.
Not only that they reckon it needs a new track rod end and KDS (realignment check)
, maybe thats why I felt the handling was a bit ropey???
Dealer was good tho and hopefully I will get it back tommorrow.

Bike gets an airing...

At last a semi dry day , so I had to take the bike out :-)
Absolutely sublime but a bit hairy at times, especially about 2 miles into the run while Im taking it very easy!!!
Going very slow because the bikes been stored for 3 weeks but even so ye olde back tyre gave an almighty wobble whilst mid corner , needless to say I needed new underwear. Anyway gradually lent the bike over more and more and got the feel back from the tyres , there were some dry patches to have some full throttle fun.
In fact today I had more 'headshake' from 1st and 2nd full bore accel than in the last 5k miles !?! go figure , maybe the colder air means the bike producing a few more horses.
Anways , I ended up down in Stranraer which was great , lots a nice sweeping corners.
Even drier on the way back so could open it up a bit. Back home to wash it and put some more scottoil protectant on, now its tucked up back in bed.
What a bike :-)
5900 miles just now btw

MINI in for a service tommorrow.

J