It's been a while since I last posted - mostly because not a lot has happened since last year. I've been for a few rides with friends and colleagues, and taken part in a couple of rides with the local IAM group (http://www.ngoam.co.uk/), none of which were worth particular mention.

Non-biking life has been busy, with sailing lessons and a bathroom refit occupying me somewhat.
In the last month, though, I've taken part in a couple of Martin Hopp (http://www.hoppridertraining.co.uk/) events.

A few weeks ago I did the Advanced Machine Skills course, covering off slow-speed riding, swerving and emergency braking, with a nod towards look, lean and roll. Oh, and picking up a dropped bike - we've all dropped a bike, this showed the most efficient way of picking the damned thing up. The instructors are a great bunch, and their bike skills are amazing. Even though this is the second time I've attended it was a really useful refresher.

The last week I took part in the Hopp Cadwell Better Riding day (see the Hopp website for more info'). Before that, though, the bike went in for a service.

After the service I went for a ride with some work colleagues and noticed clutch slip at about 9,000rpm in 3rd gear (that'll be 70mph, officer) as I accelerated away from a roundabout on the A47. Knowing that I had the Cadwell day ahead I booked the bike in to have the clutch attended to.

Picking the bike up from the workshop on the Tuesday evening I was advised to take it easy for 50-60 miles, so rode home steadily and parked up.

The next day I loaded the bike up with overnight gear and went to ride away. In gear, clutch out, the bike hardly moved. With a little coaxing I was able to ride to the workshop, 17 miles away, and the clutch seemed to fix itself - withstanding a couple of short, hard blasts of acceleration - so I rode to work all ready and enthused to ride to Louth to stay at Keddleston Hall ready for the day on track on Thursday. Once again, attempting to ride the bike after work, the bike barely moved - struggling to get me out of the underground car-park. Hard revving with the clutch slipping seemed to clear the problem; I managed to get to Louth by frequently gunning the engine to deliberately slip the clutch and clear the problem. Overnight the problem re-appeared, a call to the RAC ultimately resulting in being directed to a local bike-shop (Louth Motorcycle Company - top guys), who had a look - unfortunately unable to fix it. By this time I realised the only way to get the bike to go was to just accept that gunning the bike would (temporarily) fix the problem: down the two straights at Cadwell, for example ...

I arrived at Cadwell having missed the first two sessions. Luckily Martin Hopp remembered me from previous days and allowed me to register, bike noise check and a personal pre-track safety briefing. So, on the 3rd instructed session of the day (that'll be the "lean" session, follows the track familiarisation session and the "look" session, and preceded the "roll" session), I tucked myself behind the instructor to get a sighting lap and re-familiarise myself with the route. 2nd lap, put me in the sights of the instructor and then I was away. Of course, the morning sessions are really quite gentle, so the clutch didn't get worked hard with the result that it slipped, which meant I wasn't getting consistent drive out of bends, making it an "interesting" ride.

A long lunch didn't help, returning to the bike it struggled to get up to 30mph. Expecting to have to pull off the track, I rode down from the paddock to Hall Bends and opened the throttle, sure enough, it slipped but the bike accelerated enough that it wasn't left behind while everyone was on cold tyres. Out of the hairpin, another short, hard blast of throttle, gently around Barn and hit the throttle hard as the bike came upright .. the moment of truth ... the engine spun up for a second, then the clutch bit hurtling the bike forward. So the pattern ran each session, each lap. From Barn all the way to Mansfield, the clutch worked reasonably well following the initial slippage out of Barn, from Mansfield to the Hairpin and Barn, the clutch wasn't worked hard enough so slipped, giving just enough drive for the section to be covered at a good pace.

The bike will be in for the clutch to be sorted over the next week, then i'll be looking for another track event to ride to see what I can do without the clutch slipping! Oh, and a trip to Manchester to watch Oasis, Kasabian and the Enemy (via Snake Pass!!).

ps. No pictures - I have enough of me around Cadwell!