Michel's Motors

[demag]

Fair enough I hope you're feeling better soon.

[Michel]

Fair enough I hope you're feeling better soon.

In fact, if the people who are coming first thing in the morning buy the C4 GP I've advertised *very* cheaply as I've mistakenly binned the service history and can't be bothered to argue the toss with buyers - it's £1500, take it or leave it - I will have the chip for the Multipla if yours was a 115 JTD and the price is right:)

[Michel]

Today I had cause to RG10 to SE27. It is an 80 mile round trip. Despite having to go either down the A4 to Earls court and over a bridge, or over Kew Bridge
and around the South circ via Clapham Common in traffic, I prepared my wallet for a battering on fuel and took the C4 GP.

Average of 37.6mpg on the computer I don't think that's half bad for a heavy old 1.8 Petrol lump and it was a lot more pleasant than the 107 would have been 3-up. £11.50 of fuel at today's prices, 14p per mile.

I'd use PT but it would have taken us hours and cost us £52 quid. That's just wrong!

Multipla is sorn on my drive at the moment. Both are for sale, both have interest, as does the motorsickle. Some of that will buy me a car so actually want and some will go in the bank.

Non-car related: people are weird..
Seem to have turned a second-hand £25 quid Halfords bike into a brand new white Fender Squier Strat....

I swapped an old push bike I was selling for a second-hand Fender Squier strat a while ago. I had paid £25 for the bike (in as new condition) which Adriana hated, so I advertised it for £30 a year later. The lady who bought it was selling the guitar, so we swapped. I had the guitar restrung and plucked it for a bit but got frustrated. Advertised it for £115 expecting to be knocked down to about £80. Man came today, played it, gave me full price without arguing and left. A new one is only £106.

I kind of like feeling guitars and playing a 12-bar blues badly, so I bought the new cooler white one and made a tenner

Oddly, I sold my Giant Bike to a guy who didn't argue about price either this week and that was overpriced too. Does anyone want to buy a £4000 08 plate C4 GP

My next vehicle will be a Jeep Cherokee 2.7 Diesel. Don't have to go far these days so I can have something a bit ridiculous as well as the motorbike and 107

[Michel]

Well, today the GP died, as detailed in my post in the Citroen area. Very annoying as I was halfway through a double trip to Huntingdon today, and had to make the second return journey of the day in the 107.

Conclusions : a 107 is not a motorway car. No siree. To be fair to it, I left Twyford at 7.05 and was back on my sofa 190 miles later at 10.15pm including a splash and dash for fuel near home. I must have been *sooo* close to running out as I chucked a tenner in as the light was flashing, and the light is still flashing with that tenner in!

The 107 would pass a numb bum test for me. It would also make me deaf in short order!

[Michel]

The GP seems to be working better now the battery earth is fixed. The dash doesn't go back to the basic mode every time I switch if off now and stays on my preferred option showing the trip mpg.

I filled up the motorcycle today. 8.42 litres to do 187.5 miles. That works out at 100.1mpg which isn't bad for a little 125cc single pulling 100kgs of me about and being used hard.

[Michel]

Today was a good, if tiring day. Firstly, I "worked" a night shift. Night shifts at my current role generally involve a six hour kip on my lovely air mattress with a duvet and pillow, seeing as the datacentre is being decommed and there's not much for us to do now. Imagine my distress when I blew my air mattress up to discover it had a finger-sized hole in it, and was useless. This was more of a disaster than it would normally be, as I had my mod 2 (i.e. last stage, full power big bike riding test) at 11.26am in Oxford. I really could have done with more than the 3.5 hours crap sleep I managed on the two beanbags I nicked from the atrium!

So, I got home 7:45am. Had a coffee. Set off to drop the 107 off at PTS for a new rear wheel bearing at 8am, forgetting that schools were off and expecting to be back home in the courtesey car at about 9. I was home by 8.25. So, I had a cold shower, protein shake and more coffee, and drove up to Lightning Motorcycle training based in the old greyhound stadium in Oxford. After a quick document check, I hopped on a bike I'd never ridden before (a CBF650, but not the one I had been using), had a quick training ride
and got to the test centre. 45 mins later, I was awarded with a pass, with no faults, major or minor at all. Well pleased with that, as my anxiety has been playing me up for a couple of weeks now, and it was quite tricky to force myself to get there this morning.

So, I happily drove home (in a C2 which would be nice, if it wasn't a bit courtesy car-ish). Got home, got the call that the 107 was now ready . Went to collect it, my wallet lighter by £168 for a N/S/R wheel bearing and hub assy, but what a difference it makes to the car - it's almost silent compared to how it was!

Now I'm away up to Oxford to collect my new toy. A 2002 Suzuki SV650, a 70bhp, 90 deg V-Twin. Lovely condition. Won't get chance to ride it much this week as we are off to Frejus in the South of France tomorrow morning, have to be at Gatwick for 5:25am!

[MikeT]

Congratulations sir!
If the bike doesn't have them yet, do consider a set of race cans to hear that lovely v-twin rumble in all it's glory.

[bobins]

Well done on the bike test. Here's to many incident free years of riding ahead ... or possibly

[Hell Razor5543]

I am glad that you got the motorcycle, in spite of me not being available to run you up to Oxford.

[Michel]

I am glad that you got the motorcycle, in spite of me not being available to run you up to Oxford.

Just got back about 20 mins ago

Had a coffee and a natter with the owner, nice chap, advanced instructor. Ride back taking it easy down the A40 and M40 then A404/ A4.

It even fitted through the back gate so it should be safe enough while we are away, though it has a Cat 1 immobilizer and alarm etc.

[CitroJim]

Congrats on passing your test and the acquisition of the bike It looks lovely Mike

I love it in yellow - a perfect colour...

[Michel]

Congrats on passing your test and the acquisition of the bike It looks lovely Mike

I love it in yellow - a perfect colour...

I'm going to have a ride up through the back roads to yours when I get back from France Jim!

[CitroJim]

Congrats on passing your test and the acquisition of the bike It looks lovely Mike

I love it in yellow - a perfect colour...

I'm going to have a ride up through the back roads to yours when I get back from France Jim!

Excellent! I'll be very much looking forward to seeing you and the bike Mike

A warm welcome awaits - as always...

Enjoy France... I'll be there in a couple of months for my holidays

[Michel]

Flew to Nice, it's raining

Hire car - Dacia Sandero Stepway. Brand new, as in 230km on the clock. Built-in Nav, bluetooth, nice leather steering wheel. Cruise control and more.

Cars at the budget end of the market have changed remarkably in the last 30 years. The plastics inside aren't of VW or Citroen quality, but they're certainly more than acceptable.

I don't think it's possible to buy a properly cheap cheap car now brand new. The days of the Perouda Nippa and CityRover are over.

[Michel]

Today I had chance to use the battery charger I bought from Zel. When I went to fire the 'bike up this morning, after it had been stood, it was reluctant, then just clicked. The previous owner warned me this happens if the alarm is left armed for a long time, it can drain the battery - it's only a tiny, 10A/h battery. Once I'd located the battery - under the seat, 4 bolts, and it's accessible, I jumped started the bike from the 107 easily. I then let it tick over for half an hour , but forgot to switch the headlights off, so it didn't really help. As the 107 had left by then, I dug out the charger, disconnected the battery and charged it. Being a tiny battery, I got a "charging complete" light within 35 mins, reinstalled it on the bike, and it's been fine ever since. I celebrated by having a 45 mile ride around Berks and Bucks, getting some more practise in. Need to do a few little adjustments to the bike to make it how I'd like it - adjust the brake and clutch lever reach for a start, and perhaps get some heated grips. It has got the wiring and plug for a battery conditioner on it - previous owner had one that he kept for his new bike, so I might invest in such a thing again. There's something about the sound and rideability of a V-Twin I just love, even if it does only have 390bhp/tonne.

Obviously, we got back from France, picked the Grand Picasso up at Gatwick and it simply started and we drove home. Nothing to report there. I would like to sell it, for about £1500, but it's such a bother selling cars to anyone these days, that I'm not sure what to do.

Tomorrow I'm availing myself of a Renault Megane Scenic 1.6 Petrol Auto on an 07 plate in decentish nick, with 100k on it, if any of you is mad enough to want such a thing. It's my sis-in-laws. They're moving back to the USA permanently on Saturday, so I said I'd do the necessary with the car when they'd left. Wish I hadn't, to be honest, but I'll be up in Huntingdon tomorrow morning about 10am picking the thing up. Perhaps I'll call on Jim, if he's about on my return..