The Sun is shining and I'm out biking

Hi everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog.

Wow... what a beautiful week its been in Newcastle. The sun has been out everyday and so has my Suzuki :) So much so that my back tyre is getting very close to the legal limit so before I do any more big runs out I will definitely need a new one. I think its got just enough in it to get me around the doors for another few weeks so more biking for me.

I hope you have been able to keep up with my 'This time next year...' blogs. If you haven't seen them yet they go over where I will be and what I will be doing for each day of my trip next year from Day 1 leaving home, to Day 13 arriving in Nordkapp. Click on the links or see the Blog Archive on the right hand side of the page.

Also, I have been blogging about 'The Route Home' as I haven't quite decided which route I will take to get me home for my trip next year. This is partly because I want to experience as many places as I can and also that it depends if I'm making good time by the time I make it to Nordkapp so I know I need to have a few options to get me home. So far I have blogged about options for Sweden and Finland... click in the country names to check out about them and watch out this week for more options.

On Friday morning this week I was surprised by an email from Motorbike Helmet maker Reevu. Reevu are based in the North East of England and have kindly offered me help with my trip. As all bikers know motorbike helmets serve one purpose - to protect. Reevu have taken this concept further, producing the world's first motorbike helmets with an integrated rear vision system that helps prevent accidents.

To me this seems like a no brainer and I'm shocked that no one has thought of this idea before. I can't wait to try it out and, of course, use it on my trip. For more information about the Reevu helmets visit their website http://www.reevu.com/

This week I got my top box rack through the post and I set aside Saturday morning to fit it. I bought it second hand from eBay saving myself near £90 on the RRP price and from the pictures it look in good condition. When it came through the post I checked it out and it all looked good. However, when I came to fit it on Saturday morning I noticed that there were 4 spacers/washers missing form the kit meaning if I was to fit the rack without them my tail fairing would take a battering and get very scratched and dented. So its now a waiting game to see if the eBay seller still has the spacers otherwise I'll be off to B&Q to get some washers and do some DIY on my rack.

As I was thinking about my topbox and luggage in general this week I got my top box out and created a draft version of where my stickers and logos are going to go when I received them.

Top Box Logos

Side Boxes

As you can see there is still some space for more sponsors. If you know of anyone who might be interested please get in contact with me. I can offer at a lot in terms of exposure and the funds I am looking for are relatively low.

Finally this week my mate Paul popped in with his R6 for a cuppa with me and the wife so I thought I best get a picture of the bikes.

Thanks again for reading and please keep spreading the word and following me on my social networks and if its just been payday and you can spare some cash please donate to a great cause. All links below:

Twitter - 'Follow' @arcticride2014
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Donations - With 100% going to charity Cerebra
CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Ride Safe,

Gordon