Preparation

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Way back in the cold, snowy days of Jan we spent two weeks test riding a range of motorcycles (Motoguzzis, KTMs, Hondas, BMWs) taking all of them on a circuit up and over the Pennines round Skipton & Malham on the little twisty back roads. There were a few exciting moments e.g. when it decided to snow really heavily on a particularly hilly, twisty single track road with nowhere to turn round and the only option was to keep climbing higher or when the KTM broke down in the middle of the busiest roundabout on the outskirts of Keighley. Still we survived and in March took possession of a shiny black BMW GS1200, with 3000 miles on the clock.

Between March and June a steady stream of parcels kept arriving all containing essential bits and bobs to be bolted onto the bike - well that's what Edwin kept telling me anyway!!! By July the mileage was up to 9000 and it was time to pack the bike up and parcel her off to Anchorage. She was none to pleased by this idea and on the day Edwin was due to ride down to James Cargo at Heathrow she flatly refused to start. A few panic stricken hours later she was persuaded to start and duly delivered to the air freight sheds at Heathrow and left in the company of several other BMW's with whom she will be spending the next 5 months (Edwin gets annoyed with me calling the bike 'she' he thinks the bike is an 'it'). Hopefully we will be reunited with each other in Anchorage when we arrive on 22 July.

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