On Friday I left work, jumped on the Daytona and headed south on a bit of a marathon:
- A46 from Cov to Warwick
- A429 south (Wellesbourne, Moreton in Marsh, Stow on the Wold, Bourton on the Water, Northleach, Cirencester, Kemble, Malmesbury, Hullavington)
- A350 south (Chippenham, Melksham, Westbury)
- A36 south (Warminster, Longbridge Deverill)
- A303 west/south (Mere, Sparkford Vale, Stoke sub Hamden, Marsh, Claypitts)
- A30 west/south (Honiton, Exeter and beyond)
I spent all of Saturday in the Exeter area, and, at the end of the day, as I was about to leave, decided to check the weather.
Tropical Storm Bertha sounded mean and moody and was forecast to hit southern UK all day Sunday.
My original plan was to break the journey overnight, and continue home on Sunday, but Tropical Storm Bertha changed my mind; I decided that not only was I going to head home straight away, I was going to use the *gasp* motorway.
I hopped on the Daytona, switched on the ignition, engaged the clutch, pushed the starter button and…
She didn’t start.
The engine turned over, the ignition tried to catch, but the engine couldn’t pick up and fire.
If I hadn’t refuelled at the Murco filling station on top of the Blackdown Hills, you would have thought the bike was out of fuel – which she wasn’t.
I tried again. I tried again several times. On the ninth attempt the engine fired up and, with the aid of a little right-hand action, roared in to life.
She settled back in to idle on a normal tickover.
Blowed if I know.
Anyway, I headed northwards, picked up the M5 and, in the deepening gloom, headed towards home (just under two hundred miles away).
Some time later, just west of Chippenham on the M4, I stopped to refuel at Leigh Delamere services. After tanking up, I’ll admit I was a tad nervous, but when I pushed the button the Daytona fired up normally.
I got home about 8.30pm, a little damp after having passed through two relatively brief downpours.
But when I woke up this morning and saw the monsoon-like deluge hammering down from the sky, I was very glad that I changed my plan yesterday afternoon.
Oh, the Daytona?
Fired up normally this morning.
Dirty petrol, maybe?
Well, it’s a bright sunny day down here in Yokelville! A bit breezy but still T-shirt weather.
Up here, not so nice.
You did good: The remnants of Bertha just swept through here and I certainly wouldn’t have liked to have been out in it.
Ahh, Leigh Delamere services. A regular weekly stop for me when I was working in Devon last year. ‘sfunny… I always stopped at Gordano on the M5 on the way down and at LD on the M4 on the way back.
Cheers. It was particularly vile when I woke up. I’m benefiting from a day of laziness 🙂
Interesting not wanting to start problem with Bumblebee. Who, incidentally, started first time this afternoon.