My blog has been inactive for some time now and I am willing to bet that most of the (3?) people who used to follow will not remember the existence thereof...Unless I very carefully tell them about it, of course!
I realised that one needs to find time to blog if you want to ensure that it remains successful and "followed". I also realised that I can't sit still long enough to collect my thoughts, thus allowing them to run around unchecked in the confines of this baggage claims department called my head.
So.....To try and get back into the swing of things...let me tell you a little about what's been happening for the last year, or so.
Work-related issues:
As of January 2010 I was still looking for some form of fixed employment. I was doing "piece-work" in the form of Consulting jobs here and there, as well as some soft skills training for an FET (Further Education and Training) College.
This all started drying up a little towards the end of the first quarter, but God was good and provided me an opportunity when I heard of a Factory Manager's position open at a small-ish business in Pretoria North. Went for the interview and was offered a three month contract, even though it was a little out of my "normal" field of expertise.
During the last month of my contract, I started getting worried about that thing called "unemployment" again, since there was no indication that this position would become permanent, or that the contract would be extended. In fact, it seemed that the honeymoon was over at the end of the second month of the contract.
One morning I get a phone call from a Personnel Agency and they ask me whether I would be available to go for an interview with a Client that found my CV on a website. I had forgotten that I'd put my CV on any website, but decided it would not be a bad idea to go and hear what this new offer was all about. Long and the short of it is that I got employed by a Certification Body in July last year and I'm still there as of the date of this post.
Bike-related issues:
My Yamaha XJR 1200, which I've been riding since somewhere in 2003, started giving me trouble about two years ago. About a year before I had the accident with Thereza's bike in 2008, I'd rebuilt the top part of the motor on my 1200. After the accident I didn't have the opportunity to ride any bikes for about 7-8 months and when I did ride the Yamaha it started smoking every now and then.
I never had the guts or the time to actually strip the motor myself again and eventually got around to taking it to a workshop to try and find the source of the problem late in 2009 and the workshop owner got around to fixing it for me early in 2010. Turns out that one of the valve stem seals had disintegrated and they had to replace them all along with the associated "gasketry".
Had the bike back for exactly a week and I was on my way to a training "gig" in Kempton Park (Johannesburg) when it started making a "funny" noise. I originally thought it may be a loose timing chain and kept on riding, even though it was at a much more sedate pace. I was about 5km from the client when the motor locked up solid as I was pulling away from a traffic light and that was the end of that. Fortunately I have some good friends who were willing to fetch their trailers, pick up my bike, drop me off at the Client AND still come fetch me afterwards to take me home.
It took me about 3 weeks to get the courage together to start stripping the bike and when I finally got around to it I was stuck with a blown crank and an engine in pieces...a state in which it remains to this day, because I just have not had the guts to find out how much it'll cost to repair, or replace, the motor.
Here in SA we have something called the Road Accident Fund (RAF) which all road users (The legal ones, of course) contribute to through various levies and taxes paid on fuel and license fees. Anybody that has been involved in an accident can claim from this Fund, specifically where there has been loss of income, etc. Most of the locals know that these claims can drag on for years and I know of some people who have been waiting for more than 5 years for their cases to be heard.
My case was heard and finalised in less than three years! AND...the money was paid out less than two months after that. Wow! (By the way. If you wanted to know how much I was paid out...Sorry. Won't be happening!)
This leads me to the best news of the year...in my opinion, anyway. After nearly three years I was FINALLY able to buy Thereza a new ER6-F! AND...Thereza "forced" me, she was quite adamant actually, that I should first get myself something to ride, or else I may feel tempted to ride her bike again. AND...she was very kind and polite and told me to make sure it would be something that I would really like so that I would feel less tempted to ride her bike even when I've had mine for a while.
People that know me well, would tell you that I've always been a Yamaha-fan. All my bikes that I've owned...Uhmmm...All four of them...have been Yamaha's, so they would have thought I'd go out and buy myself the Yamaha Fazer 1000, which has been on my wish list since I rode the first one in 2001.
When I worked as a Salesman for a Kawasaki Dealership in 2009 I had the opportunity to ride a couple of the demonstration models and I soon realised there were more bikes out there to consider. I got the opportunity to ride both Kawasaki and Aprilia motorcycles and it was during this time that I realised I quite fancied (and have for a long time) the Kawasaki Z-1000. This was reinforced when I had the opportunity to ride the demo bike for a couple of weeks. The 2009 model I rode was the white and silver one, which was such a pleasure to ride. The fact that it virtually wheelied itself, of course, had nothing to do with my like for the bike!
At some stage I saw the white ER6-F (2010 model) on the showroom floor and next to it was a white Z1000 (2010 model) and the two bikes just looked so "right" next to each other that the dream started taking shape. The only problem I had in the end, was that the white Z1000 had been sold by the time I got the money together to buy the bikes and I had to settle for the last black and silver one available in the country.
Turns out to be better for me in the long run, since I realised I would have become frustrated with the white one and keeping it clean! As it is the black one is difficult to keep clean, but at least it has black seats all around and not like the white one that has a white pillion seat!
I got the bikes in early October and mine already has more than 9300km on the clock, which seems to indicate that I am actually enjoying it a little. :-)
OK...That's about it for now. Watch this space for some more later.
