At least it wasn't freezing

 The day had finally arrived for me to head over to Cheltenham to pick up my new bike. My original plan was to collect it on the previous Wednesday, but last week's freezing weather put paid to that plan.

This morning I woke to a thick blanket of fog, which started to lift as the morning progressed. The sun was visible by the time 30% and I headed South down the M5, but patches of thick fog were encountered as we made our way towards Cheltenham.

I went through the various formalities at the Motoradd dealership before being shown the bike controls and features ... It is like a bloody space ship compared to my other bikes. I won't bore you with the specifications, but fully adjustable rider modes, hill start assist, and clutchless gear changes are but a few from the very long list* ... It's going to take me a good while to become familiar with them, and part of me is already wondering whether I should be fiddling with electronic gizmos when I should be paying attention to the maniac car drivers around me?**

Eventually the hand-over was completed and it was time for me to take the first ride on my new bike. A lower height seat had been fitted, which made me far more confident with the bike at a standstill, but I noticed how heavy she was compared to my other bikes. The starter button was pushed and she rumbled in to life. I pulled away, with 30% watching and then got cut up by a prat in a mini before I had even got off the car park!

I found her fairly easy to ride and the ROAD mode was unthreatening. However a busy motorway with periodic patches of fog was no fun. My helmet's visor needed regular wiping to remove the droplets from the fog and it was not a great ride. The roads were busy, the weather was poor and my shiny new bike was getting covered with a layer of filth from the road.

As first dates go, this wasn't the best!

I also found it challenging to find the right point in the rev range to change gears. It alternated between smooth changes and graunches that made me wince in mechanical sympathy.

I need warm weather, clear dry roads and I need that now!

TP and his mate Charlie are both keen bikers and were interested to know how I found the bike. I had to answer that I really wasn't able to formulate an opinion on a quick whizz up the motorway in shitty weather. As I've already said, I need better weather, less traffic and more miles to become familiar with her.

I did also pop in to see Buzzer and show off my new pride and joy. Buzzer was his usual lovely self and was both surprised and delighted with my new acquisition. Both he and Dotty came out for a viewing and to watch me head off after an hour of coffee and chat.

One might think that was enough for the day ... Hell No!

I then needed to spend a couple of hours with hose pipe, bucket and chammy leather to wash off the accumulated road salt and other filth.

As I write this the R1250R is now sat in the garage, and she is a lot cleaner than she was when she first arrived at her new home. She'll need a few hours with some polish and a duster, but that can wait for a day or two.

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* One of the features is that the bike is fitted with a multitude of sensors and these can detect whether it has been dropped or involved in an accident. If triggered, the sensors will contact a call centre via the on-board SIM card. The call centre will ask, via the motorcycle if I am alright. If they cannot get a response they will notify the emergency services, using the SIM card to provide location details.

** One wonders if this is why they installed the feature outlined in the previous footnote?