Author: alistairl

New clutch in the Motorbike

alistairl

Mrs AlistairL got the call earlier from the chap who fixes my motorbike to say that he had fitted its new clutch. The clutch has been slipping in high gears since I got the motorbike so it will be really interesting to see what the motorbike is like to ride.

The clutch on the R1100RS is dry, like a car, instead of the type you get in most motorbikes which sits in the engine oil. Slipping the clutch on a motorcycle is essential to its low speed stability, hence most being set up to endure extra slipping.

I’m off to pick the motorbike up tomorrow evening.

Application Deployment and stuff

alistairl

Work continues to be interesting, I’m currently involved in a project packaging up a large application we wrote for a Financial Instituion. This involves scripting everything on and off the target machines using their chosen deployment API.

Another learning curve, but good discipline for the end of things that developers don’t tend to like. By the end of a project anything would run on our development machine because we’ve installed the contents of downloads.microsoft.com over the months, but show it a clean machine? Bang.

We’re making great use of Virtual machines to configure and test this stuff, they are just superb things even if they are a bit resource intensive.

Advanced Drive 1-4

alistairl

I just had my fourth drive with Observer Colin from Edinburgh Advanced Motorists. The Institute of Advanced Motorists existed at first to train and test Advanced Car Drivers and the other categories, such as motorcycles, followed later through the years as the need became apparent.

Edinburgh IAM are separate to EDAM, the car group spun off the Motorcycle group a number of years ago and both groups have grown to be two of the biggest voluntary road safety organisations in Scotland, with hundreds of full members (i.e. those who have passed the advanced test in the relevant class) in both groups.

There have been similarities and differences between efforts toward the IAM Motorcycle test and the Car test. Similar stuff is:

  • The System of Motorcycle Control and the System of Car Control are closely related, both with Information, Position, Speed, Gear and Acceleration phases.
  • Both emphasize safety over all other considerations such as smoothness and speed.
  • Positioning for corners and limit point analysis are similar, within the constraints of the relative sizes of the different vehicles.
  • Both are prepared for by means of the Observing arrangement, which isn’t quite training but more of a drive and comment arrangement.
  • Both are based on their versions of Roadcraft.
  • Both have specific starting and stopping drills to apply a systematic approach to beginning and finishing a drive.

Different things are:

  • Where the Observer goes. In the car they sit in the passenger seat alongside you and can make comments as the drive runs. For Motorcycles they follow on their own machine, and then stop and discuss the ride in a debrief before continuing. This is quite an important difference, as Motorcycle Associates usually contribute to the fuel expenses of their Observer.
  • Motorcycle Helmets restrict peripheral vision, so the System of Motorcycle Control also features the so-called “Head Check” and “Lifesaver” looks which are a quick look to the right or left (depending on the maneuver) or a look right round over your shoulder. This takes place before the Acceleration phase and is part of the Information phase which extends throughout.
  • Not a System thing but a group thing, Edinburgh IAM run 3 class based theory sessions which take place before the drive, and they also give you a CD-ROM and DVD with the course info. EDAM run a weekly homework system based on chapters from Roadcraft.

I might think of more differences, so I’ll post them if they occur to me.

Le Weekend

alistairl

Had a relatively quiet weekend, I’m really looking forward to my upcoming holiday.

On Saturday I popped in to town to assist a bit with some EDAM stuff, so I took the bike in – which was fun 🙂

And on Sunday I went along to the introductory session for the Autumn course with Edinburgh Advanced Motorists. It was interesting to see the mix in attendees, around 20 with a number of different ages, and a few women too! We had a presentation, a video, a demonstration run in an observer’s car, then another final presentation before we got our cheque books out. The run was quite reassuring, I think I should have a good chance of passing this one!

They covered a brief part of the history of the group in Edinburgh, apparently they were formed shortly after the IAM themselves in the late 50’s. They are obviously good eggs because they spun off Edinburgh Advanced Motorcyclists (EDAM) a few years back, which now stands firmly on its own two feet.

Fatal Accident Enquiry – Steve Hislop

alistairl

Its over three years since Steve Hislop, the motorcycle racer, died in a helicopter crash in the Scottish Borders. The BBC website has a news item saying an FAI is to be held.

He was an interesting chap, quite focussed like motorcycle racers are, and had a mixed career. When he was good, he was very very good, the rest of the time his demons held him back from the kind of success he had potential for. Last time I saw him was giving a television interview at Knockhill during qualifying for the British Superbike round – he was resting up after an accident, it was later that week that they discovered he had a broken neck.

There’s a good biography of him that has been out for a few years now, and the family and I visited the room dedicated to him in Hawick a few years ago.

2007 Evening Class programme at Borders College

alistairl

Just had a brochure through the post from Borders College, listing out their evening class programme for September 2007. There is a range of classes at their places in the Borders, from the Know Your Motorcycle course which I did earlier in the year to Belly dancing.

Another one that looks really interesting is mountain bike maintenance at Glentress – I know quite a few folks that go down there to use the trails.