Kawasaki 1400 GTR
Kawasaki 1400 GTR Forum
91
The Dark Side / Re: ZZR 1500
Last post by Boomer - December 31, 2024, 01:30:24 PMIt appeared on one site only so almost certainly AI generated bull 
Kawi won't be designing new large capacity bikes any more. The future is super/turbo charged or electric.
Kawi won't be designing new large capacity bikes any more. The future is super/turbo charged or electric.
92
The Dark Side / ZZR 1500
Last post by O.C. - December 30, 2024, 10:08:13 AMI've seen some reference to a ZZR 1500, however I'm not totally sure it will ever happen or that its factual
Anyone else ?
Anyone else ?
93
Introductions / Re: New to forum.
Last post by Boomer - December 26, 2024, 02:25:05 PM
Peter and Merry Christmas94
Introductions / Re: New to forum.
Last post by O.C. - December 22, 2024, 04:28:09 PMWelcome along Peter, this is a great friendly forum with plenty good advice if needed all you need to do is ask
95
Introductions / New to forum.
Last post by Peter T - December 21, 2024, 04:18:32 PMHi fellow 1400GTR owners.
Had my bike for a couple of weeks now and very happy apart from one issue which I'll discuss in the appropriate section.
Also got an XVS1300 which my wife likes and an Aprilia 125 scooter which spends its life on the back of a camper.
I think ive found my ideal machine though.
Best wishes
Peter T
Had my bike for a couple of weeks now and very happy apart from one issue which I'll discuss in the appropriate section.
Also got an XVS1300 which my wife likes and an Aprilia 125 scooter which spends its life on the back of a camper.
I think ive found my ideal machine though.
Best wishes
Peter T
96
Adventure, Excursions, Ride outs, Touring / Re: 2024 Motorcycle tour to th...
Last post by O.C. - December 18, 2024, 08:39:45 AMOver the years I've owned a couple of GTRs, they are an amazing bike I wish I was able to still 'manage' one, alas a combination of advancing years and health issues mean that my GTR desire is no longer realistic. So thank you for your reports (keep'em coming please)
97
Adventure, Excursions, Ride outs, Touring / Re: 2024 Motorcycle tour to th...
Last post by Rynglieder - December 17, 2024, 02:06:00 PMDay 4 Köningswinter [D] > Bad Fredeburg [D] (c. 100 miles)
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Another low milage day was ahead of me today leaving plenty of time of sightseeing. Normally 100 miles is not much more than an afternoon out when I'm at home -it's debatable whether my wife would notice I'd gone - but this sort of trip is not just about grinding out miles. Breakfasted, loaded up and then a very short ride to start the day.
The ruins at Heisterbach Abbey were probably not much more than a challenging walk away from the hotel, but they were on an adjacent hill. To get there on the bike I needed to run the twisties down into Köningswinter again, and then back out and up on another curvaceous road. There is still an active abbey here and I found myself competing for space in the car park with a wedding party. Fortunately, the gardens were free to enter, so I was able to steal in and take my pictures of the older abbey remains while the wedding guests were still getting their ducks in a row.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Next up was another very short ride to Schloss Drachenburg – also nearby, but once again on a different hill and requiring a loop in and out of Köningswinter. There was a walk of about a kilometre uphill after I got the bike settled so I was grateful for a rest in the gardens after I had parted with a few Euros at the ticket hall. With ample time in hand, I took the trouble to have a look around the inside of this German Imperial era castle. It looks very impressive from the outside with its many towers and turrets, the interior is what we British would probably call "late Victorian" and not really my thing. What made entering the castle worthwhile though were the views from the balcony over the river Rhein below. Once I'd had my money's worth, I began the walk back down the hillside but somehow managed to miss my path to the carpark. I'd reached the edge of the town before it dawned on me that something wasn't right, but there was no choice but to slog back up and down again.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
It struck me that there were many other possible places to visit in this region, it has gone down in the ever-growing stack of notes for revisits. There followed a series of well paved and signed roads through the German countryside, exactly what these travels were all about.
And so it continued until I reached the very attractive village of Altwindeck where my intention had been to view the ruin of Burg Windeck. Now, I won't lie to you, I couldn't find it, so ended up just having a cigarette by the bike. I'm sure it was around there somewhere; it will probably turn up one day when I'm not looking for it.
More than happy to continue my ride, I saddled up again and had a most agreeable time tracking the Sieg and Westerbach river valleys. As I joined the [256] I encountered another "motorcycles prohibited" sign, but it was advance warning of a restriction 4.3km ahead, I trundled on hoping that my route would diverge before it became a problem. Although slightly irked that as a biker I was prohibited from taking the road that I wanted, I will grudgingly concede that they had put in a signed alternative route for bikes and the surrogate tarmac was a perfectly suited to my purposes. It wasn't a long detour and I soon rejoined the [256] and kept it company to Brüchermühle where I turned toward my next waypoint. It was a ride through the hills and above a large reservoir that led me to Aussichtspunkt Wiehltalsperre – nothing more than a roadside layby with views over the lake that I had pre-selected as somewhere to dismount for 10 minutes and hopefully take a picture.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Snapshot gathered; it was time to climb back on for more of the same. It had mostly been an overcast morning, but temperatures were about right for riding and it looked as if things were brightening up, I do like a bit more sun on my pictures. There was a period of perfect riding with roads sweeping left and right through countryside, woodland and villages until I found myself unexpectedly dumped on an Autobahn again. I'd love to know why this happens when the pre-programmed routes are all selected to avoid motorways, but as I had spent a good chunk of the morning sightseeing, I decided to roll with it and make some progress. It was only a few junctions on the A4 and A45 in the end and I was let back loose into the surrounding topography near Olpe.
After another short period on the good stuff, I arrived at the connected reservoirs of Biggetalsperre and Listertalsperre and took a few moments off the bike at different locations to view the dams. I was now well into the Sauerland and it was everything I hoped. Just after 5 o'clock A McDonalds sprang out from the roadside and as I was not sure what was going to be available that evening it seemed a good plan to wrap myself around a burger and fries.
Having fortified myself, the bike was starting to drop a few hints about needing feeding. I'd certainly have comfortably made it to my hotel, but with a garage to hand I thought I may as well get the job out of the way. Onto the last leg with the sun throwing long shadows in front of me I finished the run with a meandering road to Bad Fredeburg.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The parking bays outside the hotel were all full, but when I checked-in the manager opened up their garage for me so the GTR was nice and secure for the night. There were a couple of beers on the side terrace before settling in to a good sized room with a balcony offering views over the town to the hills beyond. It seemed very good value for money at £323.00 for 4 nights, including breakfast, a good base to start exploring the region from tomorrow.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Another low milage day was ahead of me today leaving plenty of time of sightseeing. Normally 100 miles is not much more than an afternoon out when I'm at home -it's debatable whether my wife would notice I'd gone - but this sort of trip is not just about grinding out miles. Breakfasted, loaded up and then a very short ride to start the day.
The ruins at Heisterbach Abbey were probably not much more than a challenging walk away from the hotel, but they were on an adjacent hill. To get there on the bike I needed to run the twisties down into Köningswinter again, and then back out and up on another curvaceous road. There is still an active abbey here and I found myself competing for space in the car park with a wedding party. Fortunately, the gardens were free to enter, so I was able to steal in and take my pictures of the older abbey remains while the wedding guests were still getting their ducks in a row.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Next up was another very short ride to Schloss Drachenburg – also nearby, but once again on a different hill and requiring a loop in and out of Köningswinter. There was a walk of about a kilometre uphill after I got the bike settled so I was grateful for a rest in the gardens after I had parted with a few Euros at the ticket hall. With ample time in hand, I took the trouble to have a look around the inside of this German Imperial era castle. It looks very impressive from the outside with its many towers and turrets, the interior is what we British would probably call "late Victorian" and not really my thing. What made entering the castle worthwhile though were the views from the balcony over the river Rhein below. Once I'd had my money's worth, I began the walk back down the hillside but somehow managed to miss my path to the carpark. I'd reached the edge of the town before it dawned on me that something wasn't right, but there was no choice but to slog back up and down again.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
It struck me that there were many other possible places to visit in this region, it has gone down in the ever-growing stack of notes for revisits. There followed a series of well paved and signed roads through the German countryside, exactly what these travels were all about.
And so it continued until I reached the very attractive village of Altwindeck where my intention had been to view the ruin of Burg Windeck. Now, I won't lie to you, I couldn't find it, so ended up just having a cigarette by the bike. I'm sure it was around there somewhere; it will probably turn up one day when I'm not looking for it.
More than happy to continue my ride, I saddled up again and had a most agreeable time tracking the Sieg and Westerbach river valleys. As I joined the [256] I encountered another "motorcycles prohibited" sign, but it was advance warning of a restriction 4.3km ahead, I trundled on hoping that my route would diverge before it became a problem. Although slightly irked that as a biker I was prohibited from taking the road that I wanted, I will grudgingly concede that they had put in a signed alternative route for bikes and the surrogate tarmac was a perfectly suited to my purposes. It wasn't a long detour and I soon rejoined the [256] and kept it company to Brüchermühle where I turned toward my next waypoint. It was a ride through the hills and above a large reservoir that led me to Aussichtspunkt Wiehltalsperre – nothing more than a roadside layby with views over the lake that I had pre-selected as somewhere to dismount for 10 minutes and hopefully take a picture.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Snapshot gathered; it was time to climb back on for more of the same. It had mostly been an overcast morning, but temperatures were about right for riding and it looked as if things were brightening up, I do like a bit more sun on my pictures. There was a period of perfect riding with roads sweeping left and right through countryside, woodland and villages until I found myself unexpectedly dumped on an Autobahn again. I'd love to know why this happens when the pre-programmed routes are all selected to avoid motorways, but as I had spent a good chunk of the morning sightseeing, I decided to roll with it and make some progress. It was only a few junctions on the A4 and A45 in the end and I was let back loose into the surrounding topography near Olpe.
After another short period on the good stuff, I arrived at the connected reservoirs of Biggetalsperre and Listertalsperre and took a few moments off the bike at different locations to view the dams. I was now well into the Sauerland and it was everything I hoped. Just after 5 o'clock A McDonalds sprang out from the roadside and as I was not sure what was going to be available that evening it seemed a good plan to wrap myself around a burger and fries.
Having fortified myself, the bike was starting to drop a few hints about needing feeding. I'd certainly have comfortably made it to my hotel, but with a garage to hand I thought I may as well get the job out of the way. Onto the last leg with the sun throwing long shadows in front of me I finished the run with a meandering road to Bad Fredeburg.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The parking bays outside the hotel were all full, but when I checked-in the manager opened up their garage for me so the GTR was nice and secure for the night. There were a couple of beers on the side terrace before settling in to a good sized room with a balcony offering views over the town to the hills beyond. It seemed very good value for money at £323.00 for 4 nights, including breakfast, a good base to start exploring the region from tomorrow.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
98
Adventure, Excursions, Ride outs, Touring / Re: 2024 Motorcycle tour to th...
Last post by Rynglieder - December 17, 2024, 01:42:29 PMQuote from: O.C. on December 14, 2024, 07:10:25 AMPete, I wholeheartedly agree with brizzlerob when he says "you should write a book" as your posts are so enjoyable
I would add that whilst biking here in the UK is temporarily halted due to a combination of miserable weather and liberal coating of road grit your posts are expecially timely
Thanks again, keep them coming
As you say, there's not much opportunity for riding this time of year, so it's now that I'm reviewing the video I captured and writing up.
I get get 120 miles done on the GSX yesterday though, you have to grab the those days while you can.
Thanks for your comments.
99
Adventure, Excursions, Ride outs, Touring / Re: 2024 Motorcycle tour to th...
Last post by O.C. - December 14, 2024, 07:10:25 AMPete, I wholeheartedly agree with brizzlerob when he says "you should write a book" as your posts are so enjoyable
I would add that whilst biking here in the UK is temporarily halted due to a combination of miserable weather and liberal coating of road grit your posts are expecially timely
Thanks again, keep them coming
I would add that whilst biking here in the UK is temporarily halted due to a combination of miserable weather and liberal coating of road grit your posts are expecially timely
Thanks again, keep them coming
100
Adventure, Excursions, Ride outs, Touring / Re: 2024 Motorcycle tour to th...
Last post by Rynglieder - December 12, 2024, 10:39:47 AMDay 3 Kanne > Königswinter [D] (c. 105 miles)
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The GTR was heaved off the forecourt of the Hotel Limburgia at about 09:30, it was a relaxed start to the day as there was very little milage ahead of me. I was also confident it would be better riding than yesterday as I had stayed in the Eifel / Ardennes region in the past, it's where I usually billet myself on the occasions I have attended the Belgian Grand Prix.
Fist up though was the short ride up to Fort Sint Pieter just the other side of the hill, through the mist and into the Netherlands. The suburban edge of Maastricht was given a clipping and I was soon climbing the hill to the car park.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
A good walk around the site and particularly a visit to the extensive tunnel system would have interested me, but it was by guided tour only and as the first one was not until 12:30 I would be hanging round like a reserve bride at a wedding, so I contented myself with a short walk on a public footpath that followed part of the perimeter and took the best photos I could through the murk.
Back down into Maastricht for a round of Dodge The Cyclist and then it was over the River Meuse and breaking out of town on the N278, hopefully that would be most of the urban riding behind me until I neared the trip's next hotel. I left the N278 at Vaals and skirted the town as I turned south to re-enter Belgium. Finally, there were a few hills to look at (or more realistically, hummocks that pass for hills around here) after yesterday's flat riding.
The purpose of being here was to get a lensfull of the Moresnet Viaduct, but when I finally arrived at the road that would take me below it, I found it to be closed to vehicles (and in case anyone was bold enough to ignore it there was also a CCTV sign to assert the point). The bike was abandoned at the kerb in front of the prohibition signs and after locking on the helmet I set out for a walk. I gave it 10 minutes but despite the low cloud and murk it was uncomfortably warm in the bike gear and it was becoming obvious that the views were not going to open up for me unless I strayed a fair way from the bike – I decided it was not that important to me and graciously withdrew from the scene.
There was a pleasant ride out toward Roetgen and due to a twist of history and a cartographer's nightmare the Belgian / German border had to be crossed about five times before I was finally settled into the German Eifel region. Now there were proper hills, some nice curvy roads and the odd glimmer of sunshine from between some threatening shower clouds.
It was three hours after leaving the hotel and I was about ready for a coffee when the Biker Ranch Eifel came into sight. It was moderately busy there, but the car park was big enough to find a spot to nestle the bike and take a break.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The riding now was much more to my taste, through the countryside in the northern Eifel National Park on uncongested roads where I could open the throttle a little more. I did notice that one of the turnings into the heart of the park was prohibited to motorcycles at certain times, but that did not worry me today as I was pointed firmly east.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The next almost inevitable road closure forced me off the programmed ride along the L246 and sent me toward Heimbach but it turned out to be a bit of a win as I now got to ride down a forested hillside through some twisties at the end of the Rursee. I enjoyed the substitute ride on to my next destination just as much, overall, the detour had completely failed to frustrate me. More by luck than planning I found a car park with a large empty motorcycle bay and once again the helmet was locked on to the bike while I set off on foot with the camera.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
There was a short walk through town to Nidiggen Castle where I caught a few shots of the ruins and took in the views over the countryside then it was back to the car park where I had noticed an Imbis bar where I could get something to eat before setting off again.
The next chapter of the day's ride took me along the L33, not quite so interesting now the National Park was behind me, but fast flowing and perfectly suited to the GTR and some potential to make it sing during the odd overtake. There were a few damp stretches on the road but still enough patches of blue sky to suggest I should not be in for too much of a soaking.
For reasons that I found perplexing, the Zumo then directed me onto the A1 Autobahn for about 1 kilometre before turning me onto the A61 - but again, only for about one junction. Looking back at the map I now realise that the Zumo was trying to avoid Weilerswist. I don't know why; it had never been there before so it must have been sheer prejudice.
The ride continued along unremarkable roads under skies that were giving mixed signals until I reached Hemmerich. This was a planned brief stop for an exterior castle photo and a smoke whilst I braced myself for the city of Bonn where I would be crossing the Rhein. A brief shower made a spirited attempt to extinguish my cigarette, but I found a small tree to lurk under.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Once the shower had passed, I hit the highway again on wet roads, I passed through Waldorf (which is presumably where salad was invented), and let the Zumo lead me toward Bonn. The rain had caused big shiny industrial units to sprout from the landscape until I found myself in the city's residential nether regions.
Riding through Bonn was not quite as traumatic as I had feared, the GTR is a heavy lump in traffic and it was now raining heavily so I took the pace right down so that there was plenty of braking time for those traffic lights that seem to jump out from the side of the road. Eventually I crossed the Rhein on the Kennedybrücke with a bit of blue sky ahead of me.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Hanging a right, I tracked the Rhein southwards and the Zumo lead me onto the [42] which turned out to be like a shopping mall car park on Christmas Eve with everyone trying to jockey for position as routes merged and were further strangled by roadworks. An unpleasant 20 minutes was spent playing the clutch like a pinball machine before I was finally disgorged near Königswinter. At least there was then a more enjoyable curvy ride up the wooded hills to the east of the Rhein valley, this was obviously a favoured area for hikers judging by the car parking areas that were laid on at the roadside.
It wasn't long before I reached the night's hotel, VILLA FIRST im Sophienhof, and moored the GTR on their car park. Before checking in I grabbed the opportunity for another smoke on their front terrace where I noticed a stream or cars and a mini-bus arriving and about 20 people making for the entrance doors. Some sort of function tonight I thought...
Once in my room, showered, changed I was ready to see what the bar had to offer. That's when the drumming started. It seems that the percussionist community of the Rheinland had booked the function room for the night, one would rap out something and then the other 20 would repeat it. I was pretty sure I was not going to be able to endure it, so I found myself literally drummed out of of the building and took a walk up the hill in the last of the day's light to join one of the forest trails that lead around the hillside. I'd hoped an hour's walk would see me clear of the disturbance, but when I got near the hotel there was no denying they were still at it. I bought a drink or two from the bar and sat out in the back garden as far away as I could in the company of one or two other refugees.
Once they had finally desisted from their collective pounding I went back up to settle for a night's sleep. It had been a good day today on the whole and there should be another one ahead of me tomorrow.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The GTR was heaved off the forecourt of the Hotel Limburgia at about 09:30, it was a relaxed start to the day as there was very little milage ahead of me. I was also confident it would be better riding than yesterday as I had stayed in the Eifel / Ardennes region in the past, it's where I usually billet myself on the occasions I have attended the Belgian Grand Prix.
Fist up though was the short ride up to Fort Sint Pieter just the other side of the hill, through the mist and into the Netherlands. The suburban edge of Maastricht was given a clipping and I was soon climbing the hill to the car park.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
A good walk around the site and particularly a visit to the extensive tunnel system would have interested me, but it was by guided tour only and as the first one was not until 12:30 I would be hanging round like a reserve bride at a wedding, so I contented myself with a short walk on a public footpath that followed part of the perimeter and took the best photos I could through the murk.
Back down into Maastricht for a round of Dodge The Cyclist and then it was over the River Meuse and breaking out of town on the N278, hopefully that would be most of the urban riding behind me until I neared the trip's next hotel. I left the N278 at Vaals and skirted the town as I turned south to re-enter Belgium. Finally, there were a few hills to look at (or more realistically, hummocks that pass for hills around here) after yesterday's flat riding.
The purpose of being here was to get a lensfull of the Moresnet Viaduct, but when I finally arrived at the road that would take me below it, I found it to be closed to vehicles (and in case anyone was bold enough to ignore it there was also a CCTV sign to assert the point). The bike was abandoned at the kerb in front of the prohibition signs and after locking on the helmet I set out for a walk. I gave it 10 minutes but despite the low cloud and murk it was uncomfortably warm in the bike gear and it was becoming obvious that the views were not going to open up for me unless I strayed a fair way from the bike – I decided it was not that important to me and graciously withdrew from the scene.
There was a pleasant ride out toward Roetgen and due to a twist of history and a cartographer's nightmare the Belgian / German border had to be crossed about five times before I was finally settled into the German Eifel region. Now there were proper hills, some nice curvy roads and the odd glimmer of sunshine from between some threatening shower clouds.
It was three hours after leaving the hotel and I was about ready for a coffee when the Biker Ranch Eifel came into sight. It was moderately busy there, but the car park was big enough to find a spot to nestle the bike and take a break.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The riding now was much more to my taste, through the countryside in the northern Eifel National Park on uncongested roads where I could open the throttle a little more. I did notice that one of the turnings into the heart of the park was prohibited to motorcycles at certain times, but that did not worry me today as I was pointed firmly east.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The next almost inevitable road closure forced me off the programmed ride along the L246 and sent me toward Heimbach but it turned out to be a bit of a win as I now got to ride down a forested hillside through some twisties at the end of the Rursee. I enjoyed the substitute ride on to my next destination just as much, overall, the detour had completely failed to frustrate me. More by luck than planning I found a car park with a large empty motorcycle bay and once again the helmet was locked on to the bike while I set off on foot with the camera.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
There was a short walk through town to Nidiggen Castle where I caught a few shots of the ruins and took in the views over the countryside then it was back to the car park where I had noticed an Imbis bar where I could get something to eat before setting off again.
The next chapter of the day's ride took me along the L33, not quite so interesting now the National Park was behind me, but fast flowing and perfectly suited to the GTR and some potential to make it sing during the odd overtake. There were a few damp stretches on the road but still enough patches of blue sky to suggest I should not be in for too much of a soaking.
For reasons that I found perplexing, the Zumo then directed me onto the A1 Autobahn for about 1 kilometre before turning me onto the A61 - but again, only for about one junction. Looking back at the map I now realise that the Zumo was trying to avoid Weilerswist. I don't know why; it had never been there before so it must have been sheer prejudice.
The ride continued along unremarkable roads under skies that were giving mixed signals until I reached Hemmerich. This was a planned brief stop for an exterior castle photo and a smoke whilst I braced myself for the city of Bonn where I would be crossing the Rhein. A brief shower made a spirited attempt to extinguish my cigarette, but I found a small tree to lurk under.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Once the shower had passed, I hit the highway again on wet roads, I passed through Waldorf (which is presumably where salad was invented), and let the Zumo lead me toward Bonn. The rain had caused big shiny industrial units to sprout from the landscape until I found myself in the city's residential nether regions.
Riding through Bonn was not quite as traumatic as I had feared, the GTR is a heavy lump in traffic and it was now raining heavily so I took the pace right down so that there was plenty of braking time for those traffic lights that seem to jump out from the side of the road. Eventually I crossed the Rhein on the Kennedybrücke with a bit of blue sky ahead of me.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Hanging a right, I tracked the Rhein southwards and the Zumo lead me onto the [42] which turned out to be like a shopping mall car park on Christmas Eve with everyone trying to jockey for position as routes merged and were further strangled by roadworks. An unpleasant 20 minutes was spent playing the clutch like a pinball machine before I was finally disgorged near Königswinter. At least there was then a more enjoyable curvy ride up the wooded hills to the east of the Rhein valley, this was obviously a favoured area for hikers judging by the car parking areas that were laid on at the roadside.
It wasn't long before I reached the night's hotel, VILLA FIRST im Sophienhof, and moored the GTR on their car park. Before checking in I grabbed the opportunity for another smoke on their front terrace where I noticed a stream or cars and a mini-bus arriving and about 20 people making for the entrance doors. Some sort of function tonight I thought...
Once in my room, showered, changed I was ready to see what the bar had to offer. That's when the drumming started. It seems that the percussionist community of the Rheinland had booked the function room for the night, one would rap out something and then the other 20 would repeat it. I was pretty sure I was not going to be able to endure it, so I found myself literally drummed out of of the building and took a walk up the hill in the last of the day's light to join one of the forest trails that lead around the hillside. I'd hoped an hour's walk would see me clear of the disturbance, but when I got near the hotel there was no denying they were still at it. I bought a drink or two from the bar and sat out in the back garden as far away as I could in the company of one or two other refugees.
Once they had finally desisted from their collective pounding I went back up to settle for a night's sleep. It had been a good day today on the whole and there should be another one ahead of me tomorrow.