Well it's wotsit or bust if I am going to get a Mile Eater Silver as this ride is probably my best chance of achieving that!
So planning done, satnav route loaded, bike has had its first service and this will be my first IBA ride on the new NT1100D.....
Up at sparrow fart and out the door slightly later than planned but it was okay, got to Cairn Lodge services and topped off the tank for the receipt.
Off up the road then for Inverness next stop!
No issues heading northwards apart from the usual tourist and commercial traffic on the A9 although not too busy.
So glad they finished the new dualling of the carriageway north of Perth though!
Up to Tesco at Inshes near Raigmore hospital and fill up with the liquid gold, Tesco not really lowering their prices as much as some though......
Once again off I go and the new bike is going well, I did manage to get all the required accessories fitted, Satnav, Tutoro chain oiler, Spot and phone holder.
I had high hopes for using Apple Car play on the bike but discovered it was not going to be a positive asset.......
(From here is mostly what was on my submission for the ride)
Well….. thick har (that’s mist rolling in from the sea, think Paul McCartney) on approach to JOG made it an interesting ride…. that and spending a bit too long at JOG trying to sort out my headset, which had run down way too quickly.
On arrival back in Inverness I was greeted by lightning and seriously Biblical rain…. I just got under the canopy at Tesco in time, but it didn’t really help as the water poured through all the light fittings and flooded the area in minutes…..
On departure from Inverness the junction onto the A9 had flooding which washed over the engine and my boots….. but I got through… despite there being stones and gravel under it all…..
Apart from that the sun came out again and it dried up!
A reasonable run down to Shell Old inns to fill up. The new bike only has a 20.4 litre tank so stops are now definitely sub 250 miles... I may have to design a bracket to take the aux tank I had made for a previous Honda.
The ride across the A66 was not too bad, traffic was medium but of course fuel was again needed at Scotch Corner, I used the Shell station on the old north road, it's a minor detour and cheaper than the services.
A long and somewhat tedious ride down to my overnight rest stop was completed and I got to the Travelodge at Cringleford just after midnight.
A shower, a cup of tea and my last cheese roll then bed.... until 05:10 when I woke up. I had set the alarm for 05:30 but decided just to get after it.
Off to Lowestoft and a meal deal at Tesco filling station then away again. Didn't need fuel yet so...
Everything went well, until I chose the northern option via A14, M6, M42, M40, M5… only to find there had been an accident between J1 and 2 on the M6 and there was a delay which went from ten minutes to one hour in the space of three overhead signs….. too late of course to cut south from the A14.. I headed north up the M1 only to be greeted by a queue for the A5.
So round the roundabout and down the M1…
Things would have gone better had Apple car play on the new bike not eaten my headset battery in a few hours….. so took a wrong turning an ended up in Daventry… after filling up I deleted a couple of key route points, re routed via A45/A46 to the M40 northbound, then M5.
The M5 was a mobile car park….. northbound had standing traffic for what I estimate must have been 15 – 20 miles….. would this clear before I returned for the Severn Bridge?
Later the A30 northbound had standing traffic for maybe 5 miles….. same thought….
Then I had my first West Country thunderstorm…. There were several…..
After this everything seemed okay until the haul through Wales from St Davids….. in daylight this is probably pleasant. At night, not so much.
The M56 was shut and the diversion signage was cra…..erm.... poor.
Of course you always have to have one 24 hour unmanned petrol station that doesn't give you a receipt, from any pump... Asda Carlisle is one such place on this ride... I did smile as the instructions on the pump say to speak to a store associate.... not at 05:20 you won't!
It rained from Carlisle for the rest of the ride……
Tiredness had already caused me to stop at Westmorland services but a Harley rider wanted to chat so no rest was possible, so I got back on the bike and set off again.... it was a serious struggle with the rain, being weary and after Carlisle with such a short distance left, I shouted at myself a lot.... which seemed to achieve the desired result. It was close though, I nearly failed at the last hurdle and once I stopped I was so relieved to have got there!
There was a queue at Cairn lodge to pay and I couldn't remember exactly how long I had left.... as it happens it was around twenty minutes.... so I was okay!
After my only coffee of the entire ride, I felt well enough to continue, it was only 40 minutes to home and I didn't feel tired until much later.
Never been so glad to finish a ride..
A short report for a long ride but what can you say!
So, 2256 miles, slightly more than expected, but then I am not so sure the bike odo is that accurate given the speedo error at 70-75 being 5-6 mph!
Now the pause while I wait for verification, I have two rides in for checking currently.
I had tried for a EE2E after my tour in Norway, but had to knock that on the head due to fatigue, never felt so weary in my life.... after discussions back in the UK it was felt that I may have suffered heat exhaustion..... hmm... it was very warm for my whole trip to Norway so I guess that is entirely possible!
It was 24 degrees at 01:00 on the ride down through Norway, Finland and Sweden and in the 30's in Norway during my tour!
So planning done, satnav route loaded, bike has had its first service and this will be my first IBA ride on the new NT1100D.....
Up at sparrow fart and out the door slightly later than planned but it was okay, got to Cairn Lodge services and topped off the tank for the receipt.
Off up the road then for Inverness next stop!
No issues heading northwards apart from the usual tourist and commercial traffic on the A9 although not too busy.
So glad they finished the new dualling of the carriageway north of Perth though!
Up to Tesco at Inshes near Raigmore hospital and fill up with the liquid gold, Tesco not really lowering their prices as much as some though......
Once again off I go and the new bike is going well, I did manage to get all the required accessories fitted, Satnav, Tutoro chain oiler, Spot and phone holder.
I had high hopes for using Apple Car play on the bike but discovered it was not going to be a positive asset.......
(From here is mostly what was on my submission for the ride)
Well….. thick har (that’s mist rolling in from the sea, think Paul McCartney) on approach to JOG made it an interesting ride…. that and spending a bit too long at JOG trying to sort out my headset, which had run down way too quickly.
On arrival back in Inverness I was greeted by lightning and seriously Biblical rain…. I just got under the canopy at Tesco in time, but it didn’t really help as the water poured through all the light fittings and flooded the area in minutes…..
On departure from Inverness the junction onto the A9 had flooding which washed over the engine and my boots….. but I got through… despite there being stones and gravel under it all…..
Apart from that the sun came out again and it dried up!
A reasonable run down to Shell Old inns to fill up. The new bike only has a 20.4 litre tank so stops are now definitely sub 250 miles... I may have to design a bracket to take the aux tank I had made for a previous Honda.
The ride across the A66 was not too bad, traffic was medium but of course fuel was again needed at Scotch Corner, I used the Shell station on the old north road, it's a minor detour and cheaper than the services.
A long and somewhat tedious ride down to my overnight rest stop was completed and I got to the Travelodge at Cringleford just after midnight.
A shower, a cup of tea and my last cheese roll then bed.... until 05:10 when I woke up. I had set the alarm for 05:30 but decided just to get after it.
Off to Lowestoft and a meal deal at Tesco filling station then away again. Didn't need fuel yet so...
Everything went well, until I chose the northern option via A14, M6, M42, M40, M5… only to find there had been an accident between J1 and 2 on the M6 and there was a delay which went from ten minutes to one hour in the space of three overhead signs….. too late of course to cut south from the A14.. I headed north up the M1 only to be greeted by a queue for the A5.
So round the roundabout and down the M1…
Things would have gone better had Apple car play on the new bike not eaten my headset battery in a few hours….. so took a wrong turning an ended up in Daventry… after filling up I deleted a couple of key route points, re routed via A45/A46 to the M40 northbound, then M5.
The M5 was a mobile car park….. northbound had standing traffic for what I estimate must have been 15 – 20 miles….. would this clear before I returned for the Severn Bridge?
Later the A30 northbound had standing traffic for maybe 5 miles….. same thought….
Then I had my first West Country thunderstorm…. There were several…..
After this everything seemed okay until the haul through Wales from St Davids….. in daylight this is probably pleasant. At night, not so much.
The M56 was shut and the diversion signage was cra…..erm.... poor.
Of course you always have to have one 24 hour unmanned petrol station that doesn't give you a receipt, from any pump... Asda Carlisle is one such place on this ride... I did smile as the instructions on the pump say to speak to a store associate.... not at 05:20 you won't!
It rained from Carlisle for the rest of the ride……
Tiredness had already caused me to stop at Westmorland services but a Harley rider wanted to chat so no rest was possible, so I got back on the bike and set off again.... it was a serious struggle with the rain, being weary and after Carlisle with such a short distance left, I shouted at myself a lot.... which seemed to achieve the desired result. It was close though, I nearly failed at the last hurdle and once I stopped I was so relieved to have got there!
There was a queue at Cairn lodge to pay and I couldn't remember exactly how long I had left.... as it happens it was around twenty minutes.... so I was okay!
After my only coffee of the entire ride, I felt well enough to continue, it was only 40 minutes to home and I didn't feel tired until much later.
Never been so glad to finish a ride..
A short report for a long ride but what can you say!
So, 2256 miles, slightly more than expected, but then I am not so sure the bike odo is that accurate given the speedo error at 70-75 being 5-6 mph!
Now the pause while I wait for verification, I have two rides in for checking currently.
I had tried for a EE2E after my tour in Norway, but had to knock that on the head due to fatigue, never felt so weary in my life.... after discussions back in the UK it was felt that I may have suffered heat exhaustion..... hmm... it was very warm for my whole trip to Norway so I guess that is entirely possible!
It was 24 degrees at 01:00 on the ride down through Norway, Finland and Sweden and in the 30's in Norway during my tour!
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