The Black Bullet 6.6 – Miles Covered 224.0

Plans are being hatched to take the Black Bullet to France. It’s not quite a ride into the Arctic Circle but that was beginning to feel like the failed expedition to North Africa. In fact, the new plan is just what my girlfriend’s dad suggested when he first heard about the Africa trip. “What’s wrong with Europe?” he said. What indeed. I wouldn’t consider the old man’s advice because Europe didn’t offer enough of a challenge, in my mind, to prove all the things I felt needed proving. Beware the ego is what I’ve learned in the thirty years since. I suppose it’s like nerves, ego adds edge but too much of it turns your brain to jelly.

In six months another little baby will arrive and my wanderlust will be on hold, at least in the motorcycling sense. My shares have all dived so there’s no extra cash to spend on a big push north and I’ve only ridden a couple of hundred miles since the Black Bullet was pulled out of storage, so a proper trial of our relationship can only be a good thing. There are lots of sensible reasons why I’ve downgraded my ambitions and if hard is part of the glory of achievement, well, this has been hard. Learning from your mistakes is an awful lot harder when your ego is invested in the outcome.

By putting your balls to one side and using your brain, it is possible to change tack without pain. My cheap-as-chips vintage bike insurance policy includes repatriation of the machine from Europe - a big tick for the new plan. A bunch of friends are going down to Le Mans for the 24Hrs and I intend to ride down with them. I will be the only biker in the bunch but going with friends is another boon. It’ll cost less, be less time consuming and I’ll be able to get into the circuit without having to sit in traffic, perfect. This is a good starting point, more than enough potential to build confidence in touring the bike. I like France too, it’s a blessed land.

I need to order a few bits from Hitchcocks; spare points, inner tube, headlight bulb, that kind of thing. The kickstart needs a new rubber, although this is non-critical, and I guess I should schedule in a de-coke. Luggage will be minimal, with cars going, but i'll need some basics in case we get seperated. Bruce recommended a tank bag with a map window and I'd like to get the Jerry can fitted if possible. The more I think of it the better I feel. I'd set my heart on Iceland but if the bike's got any surprises in store, it'll be better to find them in France.

I have a new improved portal www.theblackbullet.net