Commuting to work on a bike & AA

Been very busy for the past couple of weeks. I rode the bike up to Newcastle which was exhaustingly boring - it's like watching the exact same stuff coming towards you for 5 hours+. It did however, begin to dawn on me that riding a 250 isn't that bad at all. You have to really work the throttle to make it move whereas the 650 is a pain in the backside to keep its speed down. Regardless, when I got back to Newcastle, I took the Bandit out, knowing I only had about 3 days before I was no longer insured. I did welcome the better comfort and speed but kind of wanted to be on the 250, pootling around. My reason being, was that I didn't want to put more miles on my 250 when I could do them on someone else's bike instead.

My first day at work was hectic; I didn't know what problems I could face on the bike.. what was rush hour like? Would I get stuck in traffic? Will my shirt be creased? Will I get wet? Am I wearing enough protection? Will it all fit in a bag when I get there?

What was rush hour like? Slightly busier in places.
Would I get stuck in traffic? Yes but only for about 5minutes.
Will my shirt be creased? Yes, but not nearly as much as I thought.
Will I get wet? Yes, inside arms, lower chest, face, derrier, feet. Between damp and wet.
Am I wearing enough protection? Yes, although I think I will buy some cheap textile trousers.
Will it all fit in a bag when I get there? Yes, perfectly. Carry a cover too to stop the bike getting excessively wet.

The ride there is actually quite nice, in fact. Its split into different phases - it starts with slow street speeds, then goes into hectic city centre, then traffic on the Tyne Bridge and finally a mix of nice remote villages and country roads. People in the morning tend to be better drivers I think too. I also think my riding has improved from commuting, purely because after doing the same route time and time again, you begin to notice things that you didn't before and it makes you more aware.

I've chosen to not wear headphones anymore either. Its not distracting at all, it just makes me get a bit complacent. I also trailed some end-bar mirrors and took the screen off given the bike a totally different feel (a cold one!).

When I get to work it takes me about 5 minutes to get everything off and into a second larger bag. Fuel economy has improved too, I achieved almost 200 miles from a 15 pound top up (which is around 3/4 of a tank). The only thing I dislike is how wet I'm getting (serious rain issues in the UK currently) and my helmet hair that seems to last all day.

There seems to be a few regular bikes that I see on my way to work - I see a 650r everyday and I'm starting to think we're friends, the amount that we nod at each other.

In more pressing news, I have made enquiries into re-doing my tests at the start of June - should be very interesting and pressurising. I don't even think I'm going to tell anyone until I've passed! This will be my 4th attempt at MOD2 and 2nd attempt at MOD1.

Also worth a mention is my new/first summer gloves. They are Dainese Pro Carbons and cost £90. I have worn them twice but am keeping them at home currently as I don't want the rain to touch them! Very nice fitting gloves though, bit tight as I need to wear them in a bit.

One thing I've noticed is I don't have enough money/time/energy to go for random rides. I haven't once gone out just for the sake of it, always been a reason :( Hopefully as time goes on this'll change. I feel like I get my fix of biking doing 22miles everyday.

Bike claim is still in progress, finished physio though! Heres a picture of my lovely leg after the accident: