Cover, Locks and Clothing

I had a free afternoon today, and with the bike's arrival date getting closer (maybe even closer than I'd originally planned), I thought it a good idea to go out and get some physical security for the bike. Aprilias are quite nickable - well, their more glamourous models certainly are - and I want to make sure no-one makes off with mine.

There's a Hein Gericke very near to me, and I've already bought from them a couple of times before. I got a rather cool HJC matt black helmet from there, and later some boots and gloves. The intention is to wear these when I do my training, rather than wear items that have been worn by many others before. Over the last few weeks I've been wearing my boots around the house to get used to them, occasionally the gloves too. And yes, sometimes the helmet...

Hein Gericke's catalogue is a good guide, and after picking the brains of a few biking colleages, they seem to be a reputable shop. The staff have certainly been very helpful when I've been in before. Anyway, I went down today and bought their Storm bike cover, plus some heavy duty security gear.

The only thing that's left for me to get is a suit for riding. I've alternated between wanting leathers or a textile suit for a while. Recently I've been thinking leathers - they look cooler, and apprently have better abrasion in the event one falls off the bike. I think this would be my ideal choice, but I have to be practical. If I get on the road sometime in November or December it's going to be cold, wet and very likely will not change until about March. I'd looked at some cold weather leathers at Hein Gericke a few months ago, but I fear they'll be a bit too hot when summer comes. I'll probably get the advice of the staff when I'm ready to buy, but I'm kind of thinking textile at the moment, and then maybe when summer comes I'll invest in some lighter and cheaper leathers.


All being well I'll be off tomorrow to go pay for the Pegaso and arrange a date for delivery. I was thinking of getting it delivered in about 2 weeks time, just before I'm due to do my Direct Access course. But I might get it sooner, and just spend a bit of time getting to know it. I ordered a workshop manual from ebay today, so I can get acquainted with it a little better.