Wednesday 22 September 2010 – I’ve got the bike! And its perfect. Took it for an inaugural ride after I picked it up and it runs like a dream. Feels light, holds the road well, and, now that they’ve replaced the exhaust with a quieter one, speeds along like a big yellow stealth bomber! Although I like the name Yellow Peril, I think I’ll just call it Yellow as Peril may prove to be a bit predictive!

My friend showed me how to get out of Melbourne but then left me to my own devices so coming back into Melbourne was a bit of a hair-raising experience. Its funny how roads look completely different when you’re in the passenger seat and not really paying attention. Nevertheless, I managed to navigate my way to the correct exit and back to my friend house again.

Thursday 23 September 2010 – for the last few days I’ve been suffering from an attack of the runs. They seem to be of the nocturnal variety and last night was a particularly bad dose. As a result I’ve not really been eating very much over the last few days and by the morning I was a bit of a quivering wreck. This meant I couldn’t go back to the bike shop to get the top box fitted in the morning as planned. However, after several cups of tea and some light hearted conversation with my friends, I felt well enough to go back to the bike shop again. By the time I got back I was feeling considerably better and it felt as if the previous night’s attack had been a final purge to cleanse my system for the journey ahead.