BBR 2017 - DNF,
The Forum is very quiet on the Rally, I know Phil went off to Moscow, but was expecting more traffic on the site, results etc...so here is a brief account of my DNF...
Horrendous conditions, fog, low clouds, horrific rain, wind...about 6pm on B4407 East of Ffestiniog, Wales, single track, over a small bridge...maybe 30mph, and the RH turn was sharper than I calculated.
Rode into a very soft muddy ditch about a 1m deep, sat up before impact. Landing was soft but abrupt, damage was minimal, but enough to take me out, picking it up on Wednesday, pretty sure the forks are bent.
There was no shelter or signal on the high moor, I didn't want to activate Spot just yet, thankfully 2 London bankers out camping in their Range Rover came by and gave me a lift to a nice hotel in Ffestiniog where the phone calls started.
After retrieving and storing the bike that night, I got a taxi to Llandundo, (nearest Train Station) because of the Bank holiday, no hotels so I tried to sleep on a bench at the station. Trip back started at 8am, Sunday, which was 3 trains, 3 Tubes, 2 Taxis and 1 bus in 23C temps. carrying what I could, wearing my gear, got home at 4pm...buggered!
The Rally format was tough, some of those Welsh villages consisted of 4 houses and a village sign, wet gloves, score sheet wet, scouring for evidence...I had rain pretty much from Cardiff to Snowdonia all day.
Btw, new (to me) bike has been paid for, pick up next week, the VFR will be a donor bike, as I spent £1000's on extra's, Suspension, Exhaust, Sargent Seat, Clearwaters, Denali's, Engine Management, Peli Cases, New Fairings etc... and 100's of hours making it perfect...but the 120 mile range was killing me. All of the extra's will be sold...I'm totally fine with the outcome, my time on this planet is to live to the fullest whatever may come.
All in all a great adventure, that's what I wanted! Gutted I had a DNF, but at least that's out of the way now! Of course friends and colleagues are convinced I am certifiably a nutcase, but i loved it!
Hope everyone had a good time, I know I found the format very challenging.
Regards,
Kim