Anticipation

There is a certain amount of fear in the air, in addition to considerable quantities of moisture.  A typical September morning in the suburbs of Manchester and perfect conditions to embark on a two-hour ride on an unfamiliar and very powerful motorcycle.

O.K. Maybe not that powerful compared to some modern bikes but a 1997 Honda CBR600 can still put over 90bhp through its back tyre.  I think I did the sums once and calculated that the CBR had the same power to weight ratio as an Audi R8 V10.  I have driven an R8 V10, it was lovely but did at times feel too powerful and now (at a fraction of the cost of an R8) I can enjoy the same sort of performance with half the number of tyres, a quarter of the number of driven wheels and none of the crash protection.

It doesn't help that I have to ride home so that I can swap bike for car to travel down to Exeter and go on holiday.  I don't want to miss the holiday and in between I need to take the bike for a (pre-booked) MOT.  Just have to make sure I leave in plenty of time and take it easy on the ride down.  As long as I'm sensible it will be fine.  After all, as long as I'm sensible with the throttle the CBR need be no more fearsome than the Suzuki GS500E on which I passed my test; or even the CBR125 that I ride almost every day.  And I'm glad I have ridden a 'junior' CBR, it means that the bigger bike does at least feel instantly familiar.  The riding position is similar, the controls are where I expect them to be and everything will be fine.

On the off-chance that it isn't and these are my last words I'd just like to say, "Thank you, it has been fun and I love you all".