Thought I had a problem!

[BikerGran]

With the car, that is.

Left work at 10pm tonight and was driving out of the site when I heard this strange knocking from the offside rear wheel. It was obviously related to roadspeed, but I really couldn't think what it sounded like. It was a bit worrying so I turned round and went back to the car park where there's some light. No torch in the car and I wasn't really equipped for looking underneath (in my office clothes), tho I did have a quick look, lying on the blanket I'd just taken off the windscreen.

As this was the wheel that had a puncture the other day, I immediately thought of loose wheel nuts, although they were done professionally and the usual problem is that they're too tight to undo! But it wasn't that so I decided I'd better call someone out, which I did, and waited about an hour. The bloke did all the stuff I'd done, checking the nuts and the wheel itself for looseness - and the other wheels too, in case I'd got the location wrong, then took it for a run round the site. When he came back he said he'd had it up to 30 and it didn't do it, so I felt a real fool.

Then he said "I did take this out of the tyre" and held up a a couple of bits of zip-tie fastened together - it was connected with the new tyre cos it had picked up this rubbish in the tread which was zapping the bodywork each time it came round!

Phew, bit of a relief as Other Arf's car died the other day!

I see there are bits of zip tie like this all over the car park - prolly something to do with the painters that are on site, and their scaffolding!

[Manky Monkey]

Heh heh! At least it wasn't anything terminal Bobbi.
I'm lucky in that I walk to work each day. Takes about 25 minutes , (which gives me time to wake up a bit before I have to dive into the chaos of the sorting office), but means I don't have to rely on my transport. Used to live 20 miles away in Newbury & commuted into Basingstoke through rain, howling gales, fog, ice, 4 inches of snow etc. Had to ride the bike every day in all weathers. If anything went wrong with it it had to be repaired ready for work again the next day so it ended up being constantly bodged & ridden into the ground. Took all the fun out of riding.
Now I just ride for pleasure. Old enough not to care if I get called a fair weather rider! Left Rainbow's flat in Southampton this morning though, (it's my day off today), & the big Honda wouldn't start. First time it's let me down. Turned over but wouldn't fire. Tried bumping it but it's just too damn big & heavy to do that more than once or twice. Kept forlornly hitting the start button & fiddling with the choke & eventually it burst into life. Very cold here last night so maybe just a bit sluggish, or maybe I'd flooded it.
Ahh, the joys of winter riding eh?!