So finally arrangements are all made!
This Sunday I leave Nottm for a round trip to John O Grots taking in Loch Ness, Loch Lomand et all 😀
I've packed for all occasions inc plenty of base layers ( that's long johns to all you older gents)
The route is flexible but basically
Day 1 Notts to Perth via Newcastle and East Coast.
Day 2 Perth to JOG stopping over in Wick
Day 3 wick to Loch Lomond taking in Loch Ness and Fort William
Day 4 back home via Lakes
I'll put more details on here as I progress, had to have an emergency repair to the seat today as I broke one of the prongs at the front end last weekend. Feel better now that's done.
Like a dog with Two!!!
Red
Have fun :onya:
Have a great trip Red.
Will look forward to a report and pics. :cheers:
Good luck Red, hope it's a great time for you. Keep safe mate.
Look forward to the pictures Nigel. Take care and have a great trip :onya:
Sounds like a great trip coming up mate.
Have a ball out there & stay safe. :onya:
Wish i was coming with you.. Can you pick me up from Nuneaton on your way past?
Thanks guys!
@ proteus yeah not far from me! I work 2 days in Solihull so pass you regularly on the M69 👍
Has anyone used those cheap £5 throttle aids? Are they any use?
Cheers
Mc Red
The little plastic thumb thing? Yep they work & are ok, but five pounds? thought they were a couple of bucks on e-bay.
Quote from: Red Biker on Wednesday, 27 September 2017, 04:24 PM
Thanks guys!
@ proteus yeah not far from me! I work 2 days in Solihull so pass you regularly on the M69 👍
Has anyone used those cheap £5 throttle aids? Are they any use?
Cheers
Mc Red
You mean the heel aid? Yes I've used one, great if you do a lot of motorway work, but a PITA around town as they get in the way (IMO). I tried mine for about 250 miles took it off and never refitted it
Quote from: KiwiCol on Wednesday, 27 September 2017, 04:34 PM
The little plastic thumb thing? Yep they work & are ok, but five pounds? thought they were a couple of bucks on e-bay.
Hi Col, Yes that's the things. I was in a shop where they were £5 but dont have time to order on line now!
Tought they'd be worth a try for the money :)
Quote from: gsxbarmy on Wednesday, 27 September 2017, 07:10 PM
Quote from: Red Biker on Wednesday, 27 September 2017, 04:24 PM
Thanks guys!
@ proteus yeah not far from me! I work 2 days in Solihull so pass you regularly on the M69 👍
Has anyone used those cheap £5 throttle aids? Are they any use?
Cheers
Mc Red
You mean the heel aid? Yes I've used one, great if you do a lot of motorway work, but a PITA around town as they get in the way (IMO). I tried mine for about 250 miles took it off and never refitted it
'Proofs in the pudding' Dave as my dad used to say. For what they cost I'll give it a go :onya:
Started packing today, I hope I've got everything 👍
Red
non matching set of underwear... tsk tsk :thumbs_down:
Are you trying to scare the monster away :mwink:
Underwired ear muffs, you expecting it to get cold :confused1:
oops dont know how they got there!!!
1 change of undies? how long ya going for again? :stir:
Come on Nigel, that bra is yours isn't it! We're all friends here . . . it's ok, you can tell us. :rofl3:
Come on red, you can tell us, are you the first GSX 1400 owning tranny :whistling:
Urm! I can assure everyone my blood is as Red as my site name suggests 🤘
Mrs Red has sabotaged the shot!!!
All set to go early in the morning,
praying to the Sun gods tonight.
Ride safe.....enjoy your trip :onya:
Thanks Kiwi,
Persisting it down tonight so gonna be a wet start 😩
Ride Safe Nigel - its gonna be wet n windy tomorrow up here so good waterproofs are the call of the day
Del
Set off yet?? its not raining here in Sunny Nunny... so things might be looking up for you.
It's raining in Donny.
Hope you packed some long johns too, on another forum someone in the Highlands has posted about de-icing their car today. Which should keep the midge away...
So set off at 9:00, Notts to Donny peed it down, but currently at Alnwick and not seen rain since Donny!
First bit of drama already!!
Was scooting along at 80 when my right mirror ejected 😩
Well it's wet and very gusty wind in Edinburgh. I wouldn't fancy being out in this.
At least the new Queensferry Crossing should still be open, not like the original Forth Road Bridge in this kind of weather.
very windy at aviemore so take it easy :onya:
Arrived in Perth to Blue sky's but forecast is for 60mph winds tomorrow 😩
Day 2
Bring it on!
60mph winds forecast 😩
We'll be doing the middle more scenic route 😎
How does that rhyme about red skies go....
Good on ya for posting as you go Red, mind you, you're probably more of a 'pink' now, being washed out n all that.
Is Mrs Red on her own bike?
Hi Col,
No Mrs Red on this trip, just me and a mate👍
Quite proud of my mirror repair job, found a B&M store in Perth this morning
and in there they had a little girls glamor kit in which I spotted a little mirror. So I thought I'll open it up to have a closer look make sure it's flat on the reverse so I can glue it on to the old mirror pad.
I was struggling to open this kit with sparkly lip stick and eye shadow when one of the staff coloured me and asked if I was going to buy it!
Bugger! she only led me to the till and in front of all the customers said this gentleman would like to buy this!
So stood there in my leathers getting really strange looks as I paid for the glam kit.
Felt I had to explain, I was only after the mirror, honest ladies!!
Anyway mirror was just the job and I donated the rest of the kit to a young mum who was just entering the shop 😀
Didn't quite make it to John OG
Tonight, we're stopping in Wick and are pretty wet so gonna go for it in the morn, it's only 20 miles.
Stopping in a house at the harbour.
Gear all over the place drying out.
Gotta say very pleased with my Jacket,
It's waterproofed leather as opposed to the waterproof liner kind and it's held up under some pretty serious hammer over the Grampioms today.
My mates Richa textile gave up the ghost completely and he was soaked to the skin, so we had to find a bike shop in Inverness where he spent £500 on a Gortex and threw the other away😩
Red! Are you sure you're not trying to tell us all something? First the bra, now a glam kit with lipstick & blusher & glitter!
This isn't looking too good for the black stealth weapon, it'll probably be candy pink next summer!
Col!
Desperate times call for desperate measures, is this more your thing 😀
Hell yeah! Apart from the double chips, 1's enough.
Is that what you've got for breaky today? Lucky bugger!
Just last week I made burgers at home, I had a triple meat patties, 6 pieces of bacon & 3 layers slices of cheese, mustard & mayo! Yum, so good I had 2 of them & washed down with a few beers. Great.
Ya have the bun, mustard, meat patty, cheese slice, 2 bacon, then another meat patty, cheese & 2 more bacon, then another layer the same, triple stack. Now that's a feed! Too much for breakfast though, can't move too far with 2 of them in ya.
Jesus!
that is a feed😀
Had the local delicacy of 'Haggis tates and neeps' today was bloody lovely.
Here's me caught in a tender moment ❤️
Pleased you got the little glammy kit Red. I was starting to worry how you were going to put your lippy on without a mirror. :facepalm:
Quote from: Kiwifruit on Tuesday, 03 October 2017, 07:03 AM
Pleased you got the little glammy kit Red. I was starting to worry how you were going to put your lippy on without a mirror. :facepalm:
I'm beginning to guess why "Red" Biker now - colour of the lippy - or is it the blusher :happy1:
Pity the weather is so shite for you Red, but i'm sure your having a good time anyway. Good to see your feminine side showing through, not sure if i believe the part about giving the rest of the pack away though :whistling:
Its a nice shot of you at the window,but i can see what your thinking. "Wish it was a B&W" :stir:
Keep the updates coming and have a safe trip :cheers:
So Wick was a bit quiet last night,
Went in two pubs where we were the only clients!
Same for the curry house pictured below!
Nice shot of the bikes looking back to Wick harbour and the bike shop at Inverness
That street the curry house is in looks a bit grim, no wonder no one else was there.
Thanks for the update Red, keep 'em coming. :cheers:
Quote from: Sweaty on Tuesday, 03 October 2017, 07:56 AM
Pity the weather is so shite for you Red, but i'm sure your having a good time anyway. Good to see your feminine side showing through, not sure if i believe the part about giving the rest of the pack away though :whistling:
Its a nice shot of you at the window,but i can see what your thinking. "Wish it was a B&W" :stir:
Keep the updates coming and have a safe trip :cheers:
Do you know what sweaty, we were chatting last night and both agreed, if we were offered a 2 week cruise to the Caribbean as an alternative we wouldn't take it!
The roads here are nothing short of spectacular, the 20 miles leading to Wick have the North Sea on one side and the mountains on your left, just awesome 👍 The rain is insignificant 😀
Ps
If I was on a B&W I would defo have kept the Glam kit 😀
Today's the one I've been looking forward to!
Quick ride to the summit before breakfast then start heading south to Loch Ness, Fort William and Loch Lomond. 😎 Grey route
Do you know what sweaty, we were chatting last night and both agreed, if we were offered a 2 week cruise to the Caribbean as an alternative we wouldn't take it!
Great to hear mate & glad your both loving it. Keep the photos coming :onya:
I agree with you mate.. i would rather be with you guys doing that than be on a cruise....
I tell you something though.. Something i have noticed over the last few years.. Where ever there is a 14, there is always a Triumph of some description very close by... Its like they go hand in hand somehow.. I mean i have both as i know others have too.. hmmm something to ponder..
Was at a Triumph dealership the other day - just lots of wonderful looking bikes. Very impressive line-up. If I were to compare the current Triumph line-up to the Suzuki one, Triumph would win the beauty contest.
If I were in the market for a 2nd bike, I would give Triumph some serious thought.
Nothing more pleasurable than a cruise combined with a noro-virus break out and a storm. Makes for lifetime memories.
Quote from: Andre on Tuesday, 03 October 2017, 08:18 PM
Was at a Triumph dealership the other day - just lots of wonderful looking bikes. Very impressive line-up. If I were to compare the current Triumph line-up to the Suzuki one, Triumph would win the beauty contest.
If I were in the market for a 2nd bike, I would give Triumph some serious thought.
Well as the owner of a Triumph Explorer........ :onya:
Suzuki line-up right now is quite old and out dated IMO, they need to invest in sorting themselves out a little and refresh the range entirely.
Quote from: Proteous on Tuesday, 03 October 2017, 07:14 PM
Snip
Where ever there is a 14, there is always a Triumph of some description very close by...
One of my regular driving / drinking mates rides a triumph Bonneville, the fuel injected one. Being a Cloggie... We call him the English patient :whistling:
Quote from: gsxbarmy on Tuesday, 03 October 2017, 09:15 PM
Well as the owner of a Triumph Explorer........ :onya:
Saw one there. Much nicer looking in reality than on pics (mostly true for any bike imo). Good choice by the looks.
"Other mothers also have nice daughters", however I am extremely pleased with my 14 :smitten:
You're missing out all the best bits! the NW corner has some of the best roads I've ever seen, let alone ridden.
i did say that too the roads north of ullapool are fantastic.
but I'm sure they'll be back north again it gets addictive. :cheers:
Fantastic Fay today, had all kinds of weather including Sun!
Set off at first light for JOG, wow it's grim up there!
Ride through the mountains was spectacular, and the twists around Loch Ness just unbelievable 😀
Now in Balloch Loch Lomond knackered by buzzin 👍
Red
it has a rugged charm up there .
you are going through some amazing countryside tho.
:cheers:
Quote from: seth on Wednesday, 04 October 2017, 01:24 AM
i did say that too the roads north of ullapool are fantastic.
but I'm sure they'll be back north again it gets addictive. :cheers:
Will definitely be back Seth, no time to do it all, loved every minute so far👍
Today's destination is Hardknot pass,then Windemere overnight stop
😀
Quote from: Proteous on Tuesday, 03 October 2017, 07:14 PM
I agree with you mate.. i would rather be with you guys doing that than be on a cruise....
I tell you something though.. Something i have noticed over the last few years.. Where ever there is a 14, there is always a Triumph of some description very close by... Its like they go hand in hand somehow.. I mean i have both as i know others have too.. hmmm something to ponder..
Hi Pro,
The Triumph in the pictured is actually my old bike my mate bought off me, fantastic hooning machine.
Quote from: Red Biker on Wednesday, 04 October 2017, 05:35 PM
Quote from: Proteous on Tuesday, 03 October 2017, 07:14 PM
I agree with you mate.. i would rather be with you guys doing that than be on a cruise....
I tell you something though.. Something i have noticed over the last few years.. Where ever there is a 14, there is always a Triumph of some description very close by... Its like they go hand in hand somehow.. I mean i have both as i know others have too.. hmmm something to ponder..
Hi Pro,
The Triumph in the pictured is actually my old bike my mate bought off me, fantastic hooning machine.
You're right there Red, still have mine. Keep the pics comming.
I LOVED hardknot and all the roads in the lakes. we spent three days touring every road in the lakes last year.. if you go anywhere near, look out for the struggle too.. nothing like Hardknot, and its very short, but something about that road we loved we spent an hour just going up and down it lol. Hardknot however scared a few of our guys, there was only 2 of 10 that wanted to go back and do it again.. (I was one of them by the way..) Enjoy mate.. Enjoy
Currently sat in a cafe in Lockerbie, pissing it down, gear is holding out.... just!
#livingthedream :thumbs_down:
Now in Ambleside, rained all the way from Glasgow!
Gear is on the edge 😩
Just sat in Costa debating if we should do a run on Britains most dangerous road!
Well because im a bit of an arse, i would still go just because its not something i would have chance to do again for a while.. Im not there but i have been and let me tell you it was a warm dry sunny day and 8 out of 10 of our group did not like it and did not want to do it again... You have shit weather after a hard day of shit weather... no one would blame you for not taking the risk..
*EDIT*
Your at the struggle!!!! Ambleside is where the struggle is... do it do it do it...
Lol bailed out I'm afraid
It really isn't pleasant, we have another chance in the morning 👍
Having a few cold ones as I type 😎
Cheers
Red
Anyone seen a GSX!
It's a Black one....
Dunno what ya all worried about. First time I did Hardknott was on a well loaded RF600 with carb issues so it didn't work below 5k rpm. I got to the end, turned round & went back :D
Think i would rather be enjoying a beer as well Red, rather than riding further in that shitty weather. :cheers:
Hope it clears up :bugga:
That's the problem Red, you're looking for a black one, you should be looking for a grubby black one!
Red.....which colour, so many to choose from. :whistling:
Morning all,
What a difference this morning, it's dried out and bright and 😎
Very funny Fruit 😡
Last day today, started with a continental breakfast ( you'd like this Col) known locally as 'Grafters pasty,
Hardknott here we come 🤘
sorry scotland didn't welcome you with great weather but glad you having a fantastic and safe time away on the bike. :cheers:
only 1 thing to watch from today's post is dont bite your fingers off as your very close to them on that grafters pasty
:stir:
Glad to hear the sun is shining Red & have a great trip back :clapping:
Hi Nige - loving this thread
wish I knew you were coming to Glasgow mate could have offered you the use of a tumble drier and free nosh
Enjoy the final day with decent weather mate
Del
That's a good looking & substantial pasty Red, that'll set you up for a while.
Have a grand day & be safe. Have to start planning a wee jaunt of my own after reading your adventures. No potholes though.
Cheers.
OMG HardKnott
Very challenging but what a road!
You don't really get a feel for it from the pics but it had everything a biker doesn't normally like: water,gravel, 1:3 gradient with extreme tight turns
but loved it :notworthy:
Quote from: Del on Thursday, 05 October 2017, 08:31 PM
Hi Nige - loving this thread
wish I knew you were coming to Glasgow mate could have offered you the use of a tumble drier and free nosh
Enjoy the final day with decent weather mate
Del
Thanks Del, Jolly decent of you, could be West Coast next Year so hold that thought :onya:
I love Hardknott, it's a damn fun road.
Great photos Red....... very much enjoyed your trip reports. :onya:
Quote from: Red Biker on Friday, 06 October 2017, 06:28 AM
Quote from: Del on Thursday, 05 October 2017, 08:31 PM
Hi Nige - loving this thread
wish I knew you were coming to Glasgow mate could have offered you the use of a tumble drier and free nosh
Enjoy the final day with decent weather mate
Del
Thanks Del, Jolly decent of you, could be West Coast next Year so hold that thought :onya:
Not a bother mate even a cot for you if you need a stop over
Great day to finish on, Sun was out all day!
Back home safe and sound now, had a fantastic time, bike is soaking in WD40 overnight before full on deep clean tomorrow.
Loads of footage to sift through, so if I can work out how to get a link up I'll put a best bits together. I'll sleep tonight :salute:
Re
Good stuff Red & look forward to the footage.
Glad it finished off with some sunshine. :boogie:
Good on ya Red!
One to remember aye Red.
I really enjoy touring, so many cool places to visit, so many different people you meet......
So many wishing they were doing what you are doing.
Getting out there doing it in any weather. Guess thats what motorcycling is all about really.
Like Col said......good on ya :onya:
So right Kiwi,
I've only been on FB since I got the bike, it was the only reason I joined really but whilst on the trip everyone who commented had an air of 'good on ya' about them. The fact I've now 'ticked off' several of those we must go there one day places and on a bike gives me a warm glow all over. I'm sure it's something me and my mate I went with will recall time after time for many years. Looking back now the weather just added to the sense of adventure really👍
Been at the garage all morning cleaning, she looks something like now but looks like I have a couple of scuffs on the rear cowl from the panniers.
Could be my excuse for a re spray 😀
One thing I was worried about were the downpipes, I'd sprayed them Black using high temp paint last spring so they'd this far not had a test anything like this 'as in high speeds for 7-8 hours a day'. Need not have worried! a quick wipe with a soapy cloth and as good as new 👍
Happy Red
Nice Bra! :devil:
Are you only on page 1 Global!
You still have glamour kit to come 😀
Glad you enjoyed the trip, thanks for sharing.
Pete.
Been at the garage all morning cleaning, she looks something like now but looks like I have a couple of scuffs on the rear cowl from the panniers.
Could be my excuse for a re spray 😀
What colour are you thinking to re spray Red :whistling: :rofl2:
so many shades of black :stir:
Quote from: seth on Saturday, 07 October 2017, 05:44 PM
so many shades of black :stir:
Triumph used to list 12 different shades of black :confused1:
Red probably knows 15!
Yeah! was thinking a nice Black would look good! You don't really see it in the photos but the tank has a few blemishes now 😩
The wheels are going 2 Tone this winter
Primary colour as the swingarm/fork bottoms, with Black centre rim 👍 Probably Calipers going Black too, the Red is difficult to keep looking nice.
Cheers
Red
Doing a big trip next year then? ;) The Alps are nice.
Hooked now Hooli,
First suggestion is Croatia but also want to do Ireland!
Ireland is great, I've been over a few times.
Croatia etc is on my list too, as is Transylvania and all the Nordic countries.
Ireland did you say
let me know I'll meet you at the ferry
:cheers:
Ireland - Wild Atlantic Way - Brilliant. Healy Pass over there as well - one of the best bits of road ever to ride. Fantastic. I love the place.
One of the more interesting trips I've done in Europe though is up past Nurburgring, lovely roads around there, then on to stay at Colditz Castle (now a hotel) and back again.
So many places to look at!
Is spring the best time of Year for Ireland?
Red
Quote from: Red Biker on Sunday, 08 October 2017, 09:58 PM
So many places to look at!
Is spring the best time of Year for Ireland?
Red
Doesn't matter when you go Nigel, it's going to rain! I've only been late June/early July when we've had reasonable weather throughout the week, but it can easily be sunny in town and foggy or wet up in th emountains or at the passes you never know - it's Ireland!!! But doesn't matter, its a great place to tour and visit
Thanks Dave,
I guess if I go spring time, I may get another late seson jaunt in as well! :boogie: