With such fantastic clear days this week it would of been wrong not to take the covers off the bike and make the most of it. As A result I’ve been commuting the short 50 miles to work  on the bike and really enjoyed every day. Sure, there’s always the usual few road users not paying attention that you have to look our for or dodge but i’ve realised even more this week that riding into work just puts me in a great mood and frame of mind for the day. The differing silhouettes of the Malvern Hills against the evening sky on the return journies have been amazing too.

One thing I have learned this week though is that despite having handguards, heated grips and some decent Aplinestar GTX gloves, the ends of my fingers have been baltic at the end of the ride and despite the Heine Gericke suit doing it’s usual fantastic job of keeping the chills out, I am going to have to give in and by a heated kidney belt at some point before the next winter as there’s always a noticeable chill around that area where the air manages to get under the jacket.

In preparation for the seasons riding and next years european tour, I’ve also fitted a mounting bracket and cabling for an external 2ft SuperFlexi Antenna from Thunderpole.co.uk. Most of us that rideout together now have Midland 42 portable radios and the new antennas will help boost the range and clarity significantly. I’ll post up some pics / details of the mount on the VStrom later.

Hoping to do a cafe / black mountains ride this Sunday.