RBLR 1000 takeaways

[JohnR]

Two things I took away from the 2023 RBLR 1000

Half a dozen sausage rolls stored in a Tupperware box and placed inside the tank bag will breakdown into 6 sausages and a box full of crumbs in less than 240 miles. Every cloud… it made the £3.40 Lesmahagow Tesco meal deal taste sweeter.

Don’t trust the TwatNav. Route A (north clockwise) my preference is to ride through Inverness, so ignoring the TwatNav’s suggestion to ‘turn left’ at Drumnadrochit I turned right staying on the A82 to Inverness. The TwatNav soon gets the idea and recalculates the route which I blindly follow, it wasn’t until I reached Aviemore that I realised in recalculating the route the TwatNav had skipped the Wick corner! That 64 mile Inverness – Aviemore – Inverness loop cost me 7 litres of go go juice, an extra fuel stop to get to Wick and 1¼ hours of down time.

Roll on 2024 when the target will once again be back before midnight.

 

[EricV]

Skip the Tupperware, wrap each sausage roll in wax paper or foil. If foil, leave a folded tab to grab for unwrapping. My lower left outside jacket pocket is the trash pocket, no trash back into the tank bag.

As for the TwatNav, sometimes you need to use a via point so it doesn't attempt to take the "shortest route" and cut a corner you wanted to go to.

Glad you completed the ride safely and made it home to plan for 2024! Well done.

 

[Megabuck]

Hi John,

I decided to trust my TomTom when, somewhat to my surprise, it told me to turn left at Drumnadrochit. Glad I did, it was a decent route, and a change from the usual trip through Inverness. North on the A833, then A862 through Beauly and B9169 through Easter Kinkell, rejoining the A9 about three miles before the Cromarty Bridge.

Regards,
Martin

 

[JohnR]

Thanks both,

Next year I'm leaving the Tupperware at home and slumming it with the Tesco's meal deals, I might just try the aluminium foil idea.

Last year I had an Inverness waymarker in place, I don't know why I didn't include it in this year's itinerary. I'll be following the Beauly, Muir of Ord route in 2024. I added the Inverness waymarker after 2013 when I encountered recently resurfaced gravel strewn roads, road works and diversions.

 

[Ian M]

Hi John,

I decided to trust my TomTom when, somewhat to my surprise, it told me to turn left at Drumnadrochit. Glad I did, it was a decent route, and a change from the usual trip through Inverness. North on the A833, then A862 through Beauly and B9169 through Easter Kinkell, rejoining the A9 about three miles before the Cromarty Bridge.

Regards,
Martin

i thought everyone knew that route

its a cracker and one to get rid of the chicken strips - warm tarmac (and it was new in places) hot sticky tyres, plenty of grip what's not to love

 

[Firstpeke]

There's a really nice cafe in Muir of Ord called "Bad Girl Bakery Cafe" which is well worth the visit if you are there at the right time......

Sarnies and cakes to die for, or literally "from" if you are diabetic.....

 

[JohnR]

Hmm... may have to sub that Lesmahagow Tesco meal deal for a diabetic sandwich

 

[Capt Sisko]

A few other lesson's learned by me.
Airhawk Pad. It made a huge difference, though can't take it all away, but my butt felt a darn sight better than last year without it.
Given the heat, drink, drink some more, and then take an extra slurp. Plus don't forget you to need to replaced the salts & minerals we sweat out.
Twat-Nav. Yep, somewhere around Edinburgh mine decided to take me off the motorway, up a slip road to the roundabout, and then straight back down on to the same motorway!! Then the voice prompts packed up somewhere north of Berwick.
Tents, and maybe it's an age thing, don't have a tent with a low entrance. After that many miles bending over to get into the tent produced many oww's, argh's and involuntry winces.
Lastly, Bug Wipes for the screen. I think that's the worst I've ever seen.

 

[JohnR]

...Twat-Nav. Yep, somewhere around Edinburgh mine decided to take me off the motorway, up a slip road to the roundabout, and then straight back down on to the same motorway!!
Lastly, Bug Wipes for the screen. I think that's the worst I've ever seen.

That was you three then that refuelled at Pitlochry BP and followed me into Dreghorn Link?

I carry a small 100 ml pump action spray bottle full of Rain X 2 in 1 glass cleaner and rain repellent, spray the helmet visor at fuel stop, allow to soak while topping up the go go juice and wipe off with a microfibre cloth.

 

[Capt Sisko]

One of the three yes. RT with the yellow daytime running lights.