2025 on the Horizon.
Geez, that was an errr... Interesting year.
It's funny how we tend to brush off a time thinking nothing much happens. When we stopped to gather up the threads of the annus, (no not threadworms) quite a bit took place.
I've watched a gorgeous 1-year-old take his first steps, recovered from a little hearty, made some momentous decisions like retirement, seen a daughter and an adoptive nephew get married as well as ridden some pretty interesting bikes. But... when I get asked what's happened this year? Most often, I will reply, "Ah, not much".
Maybe that's what John Lennon meant when he wrote "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans". Maybe that's what the new age, look at me, touchy-feely, FaceTok means by being present in the moment.
I reckon there's no better way to be in the moment than to ride a motorbike. It absorbs every part of our being, there's no room for anything but piloting that bike, safely smoothly and with spirit.
Maybe when we say... "Ah not much". We mean nowhere near enough riding! |
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This year I'm gonna be a bit selfish and take most of the Christmas period off.
Apart form Friday 27th (10am to 3pm) this little tinted teal will be doing anything but working.
So, there will be no-one home at Strapz HQ from December 20th to December 26th.
l'll be personing the oars on the Friday 27 and will bugger off again until the 2nd of January, when play will resume as normal. |
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As our daughter's wedding approached the costs and complexity seemed to expand inversely to the time left to prepare.
When I saw the quotes for the cake, my response was one of Copulate That!.
My immensely talented late Mother was a formally apprenticed Cake Decorator, grew up with icing in my hair (to this day I won't eat the stuff), so I got out the oiuja board, welder and drop saw and decided I could do it. |
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The wedding day itself was forecast to be drenching rain and sapping humidity. We managed to escape the rain but boy it was hot.
Half way through the ceremony it became the leaning tower of Strapz as the icing melted and the top layer listed dangerously.
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BMW R1300GS
Luggage Real Close |
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| Jigs and prototypes done but Chrissy and New Years intervene. |
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We finally got a hold of a new 1300 GS and designed the frame set to support our pannier system. The bike owner asked if we thought it would be an easy job, I reply to this in one way "I never use that word as Murphy is always listening".
And that sneaky bringer of barriers proved me right!
Our first issue was that the pannier mounts have electric locking and are hard wired into the loom. So we'll have to get another owner who doesn't have those mounts and we'll design two sets of spacers.
We started with the larger frame set and realised that the angle the gasses escape from the end of the muffler would impact the lower rear corner of the Avduro bags and cook them. Bugger!
My favoured pannier system for all bikes are our Avduro bags. However, exhaust systems play havoc with them sometimes, and it's nearly always the reason we have to employ Traveller bags for bikes like this.
The modern bike is so full of complex electrickery that welding on the bike was out of the question. So multiple rounds of measure, cut, tack, twist, adjust, remove and repeat saw us eventually get our set ready to create the jig.
We expect the first litter of pups to be ready for the road early February when the slako powder-coaters have finished relocating and having their Christmas break. |
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| A spray at this time of year risks me being tagged a Grinch, so I'll pack up grumble bum for next year. |
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| Thanks to all who've supported Andy Strapz and me personally this year, the well wishes and kind words are humbling.
The business is now listed with a broker as the initial interested parties decided that it wasn't in their skill set, so not for them.
As I embark on my last year of this amazing ride there'll be a few special things happening.
Strooff, we might break a long standing policy and even have a sale or two. Stay tuned to socials and the website for indications of madness.
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Christmas hours are;
Closed - 23rd to 26th Dec and 30th and 31st too.
Open - 27th, Dec - 10am - 3pm
Back to normal hours 2nd Jan including open Saturday 4th.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
Copyalater
Andy
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