I don't know if it was simply down to
age, lifestyle or maybe some defective gene or other but earlier this year
my beautiful BMW RT1150 had to be rushed in for a servoectomy. I loved everything about the bike: it's looks and style, it's handling, it's engine
and up till then, it's brakes. But there it was, complete failure of the
servo at the rear. Lights flashed and even with my right foot buried into the
pedal not a lot of stopping occurred. So in it went, and then out it came, a
couple of kilos lighter and with non-abs brakes. Painless in the long run – I
no longer have to worry about the inevitable, as the old, linked, servo
assisted abs was apparently flawed by poor reliability. Replacing the original
system was out of the question, both financially and for peace of mind, so the
whole lot came out. And with the right parts from Motorworks, which included a
diagram for some essential rewiring, the bike was back on the road.
It's always been a keeper, so I
decided on a post-op recovery ride in order to get used to the feel of
the new braking system. With this in mind I headed for Cafe 53 at Marsh Barton
in Exeter, South Devon (I like their coffee and the fact there's a Triumph
dealership attached) from where I would embark on a run west across Dartmoor
and then head south and take the coast road home, a circuit that would, I
hoped, give the BM's brakes a bit of a work out. The original system had given
reassuring, powerful stopping. Nothing phased it: late braking into bends, last
second decisions, it was safe. Now the bends, climbs and dips of the B3212 gave
me the first opportunity to see what the bike's new brakes would be like.
I joined the road a short distance along
the A30. From the start it twisted and swept, sometimes sharply, and despite
generally climbing it occasionally dropped suddenly, all the while being
shrouded in trees and hedgerow. Without a good view of the approaching road,
straightening bends was difficult. My right foot hovered over the rear brake;
my left foot over the gear change. I found myself relying on engine braking
more than I had done in the past. Gradually we headed up to Moretonhampstead.
In the village I stopped briefly. It's a
lovely place. On this summer Sunday there were many visitors. Walkers were
heading for the moor, a large group of cyclists refuelled in the Co-op. I
rode out, still on the B3212, passing the motor museum – a celebration of the
non-abs. I felt comforted. Not long after, the road became lined by stone walls
and the trees thinned out. I passed Clapper Bridge, an ancient stone
footbridge, busy with picnickers, and rode on to Two Bridges. Once you're over
the cattle grid and the walls disappear, that to me is the moor proper. The
40mph speed limit is no issue; why would you wish to go any faster. I sat back
and enjoyed views that extended for miles in every direction, stopping a couple
of times just to take it in. Even at a relatively low speed there was potential
for some sharp braking. Cattle, sheep and ponies lurked, but none decided to
evaluate our lack of abs.
I didn't stop in Princetown, although
there's plenty to stop for. Like all these villages in summer, pubs, cafes and
shops are all hoping to entice the holiday traffic. The famous Dartmoor prison
looked sinister. Originally built to house Napoleonic prisoners of war, its
dark walls loom large as you ride into town. From there it was onto Yelverton
and lunch at Vieira's cafe, found beside the first roundabout you come to. It's handy, and there's a petrol station close by should you need it.
I turned south onto the A386 but only briefly because a left turn soon saw me
back on the moor and heading on a lane towards Cadover Bridge and Wotton. For a
moment I thought I was in GS territory. The tarmac became lumpy, the lane
narrow and a bit bumpy. I passed groups of houses and then went over another
cattle grid. A vast panorama to distance valleys opened. Plymouth Sound and the
Tamar came into view way below. I crossed the A38 and continued south to join the
A379. This was the road that would eventually take me back to Exeter, passing
through seaside towns from Slapton to Dawlish.
The A379 would be the real test for the
BM's brakes. Fast in places, twisty and with big climbs and descends, I
wondered if, without the servo, there would be enough power in the system to
make it work effectively. After the long straight at Slapton the road climbed up
to Strete. I stopped to take in the view along the coast, looking to
the cliffs below from the high vantage point. In Dartmouth I passed the Naval College
and made my way down the edge of the river to the lower ferry. It's a short hop
across to Kingswear then a climb out next to the steam railway and on up
towards the next drop into Brixham and Torbay.
I was getting used to the new set-up.
The front brakes remained powerful and I settled into the apparent weak feel at
the rear. Through busy Paignton and Torquay the rear brake controlled us at
low speed, on the steep slope down to Teignmouth the front did the same. The
A379 has a number of roads leading off it that take you closer to the sea in
places and I took one of these in order to pass through Powderham, a ride
beside the mainline railway close to the Exe estuary. By the time I got back to Exeter I'd put 120 busy miles on
the trip.
The bike has since been through an MOT
with one advisory – rear wheel bearing play. It's now 15 years old and has
42000 miles on the clock. And for some reason, I still love it.
