I now have my raditator cover - 45 quid off ebay - in place. It's shiny, and sturdy. What more can you ask for.

I'm thinking of combining my new one & the original holed Kawasaki one, for extra-paranoid protection. In these times of heightened security...

A new radiator for a Kawasaki ER-5 will set you (or more accurately me) back an eye-watering £372 & pennies.

How many goats can you get for that kind of cash?

But I'll have the bike back on Friday, and I will be getting a radiator cover. Should be about £40, making it about a tenth of a radiator. Good investment!

On the way into work this morning, I noticed plumes of smoke coming off the back of the bike. Best course of action being to get off the motorway, & the best way to get off the motorway was to follow my usual route to work.

Highways agency traffic officers (directing traffic at the M4 / M32 junction - lights out of action) didn't point anything out to me, Ducati rider at M32 / A4174 junction didn't say a word, no other drivers hooted, flashed, waved or anything.

Had great difficulty getting the bike started this morning. Well, not starting, but getting going...

Ignition on, press the starter, bit of throttle, engine ticking over. Into gear, bit of throttle, let out the clutch, stall. Into neutral, start again.