John o Groats been there done that..
Discussion
Well I'm back from one hell of a road trip. I will put down some stats first then my favorite roads Finally I will just waffle on about how great it was just to make you jealous.
Total miles = 2126
Total fuel = 180.77(39.76 gal)
Average MPG = 53.47
Total Days = 7
Daily milage = 300-350
Total minutes of rain over 7 days = 30min (the rest was brilliant blue skys)
Favorite roads (see below for a full description)
Top of the list is the A816 from Oban to Lochilphead.
Next Would have to be the A835 from Ledmore to UllaPool
Then the A496 and A493 Harlech to Machnlleth
Then the A838 from Betty Hill to Scourie
And if you are going towards Aberdeen it is worth going on the A92 instead of the A90 because it has less speed cameras and it is prettier.
The roads around Loch Ness were stunning
The Lake district goes with out saying and so does the Brecon Beacons
Now the important bit - The Bike.
As an all round tourer it was great. I spent an average of about 6-7 hours a day in the saddle. And the only part of me that ached or was sore was my bum and my neck. I think that any bike short of a Goldwing would make your arse sore after that many hours. My Neck was sore because of Headbutting the wind all day. Even with a double bubble screen, it could have something to do with my height 6'5". Also I'm sure if I wasn't going at a great pace most of the time it would have been better.
As for handling, I think it takes time to get used to the weight but it handles superbly. I had her a year now and really had fun throwing it into corners with just as much confidence as the ZX6R. I had even more confidence as there was so much power on reserve. I put new tyres on just before the trip and can Proudly say that the chicken strips are less than 10mm.
As for the power, what can I say. Sometimes I would just ride along in top gear for miles and miles, as long as the rpms are above 2000 it would pull easily and steadily. but when I felt more exuberant I only needed to drop two gears and it would pull hard enough for me to have to hang on tighter. Overtaking became nothing more that a thought process and you could count the white lines it took you to get past anything.
B&Bs:
The Ivy Bank in Windemere (off road parking, garage if you want it)
The Betty Hill hotel in Betty Hill (Nice, Basic, but friendly)
The Ardgarry's Farm in Invergarry (very friendly, he used to be a biker, lovely surroundings)
Roads:
Top of the list is the A816 from Oban to Lochilphead. This road was fantastic. The number of times the left bar went down after the right bar made it feel like I was rowing a Kayak. I even had a bit of fun with the police. I came round a corner doing about 70-80 when I suddenly came upon the old Bill. There goes my fun I thought, but no. He indicated to let me past. so off I go at a steady 60 when I come across another car (Mr Plod right behind me). The road must have known I was there because it curved round in a perfectly with visibility all the way round. So I just leaned the bike over and off I went. Thinking that it would take Mr. Plod a while to get passed the same car off I went, but I soon spotted him in my mirrors again. So I thought, I don't want a ticket so I'd better stick to the speed limit. I did just that, but I also decided that I wouldn't brake or slow for the corners either. I just got into a rhythm and had a whale of a time. I know that Mr. Plod had to push it to keep up, and he did for 18 Miles. What a great road.
The A835, was fantastic in both its twists as well as its scenery, we had very high winds which slowed us down a bit. I was glad to be on a big heavy bike. It felt very stable the whole time except for two particularily large gusts.
The A838 was a constant fight to either pay attention to the road or to the scenery. But It was very pleasant, even the bits that were single carridge way were fine as there was so little traffic. And what traffic there was would immediatly pull over and let us pass.
Well I'm tired of writing now but will be glad to divuldge more if you email me any questions.
Kwacker
ps. there is more to/in John-o-Groats than I was led to believe.
Total miles = 2126
Total fuel = 180.77(39.76 gal)
Average MPG = 53.47
Total Days = 7
Daily milage = 300-350
Total minutes of rain over 7 days = 30min (the rest was brilliant blue skys)
Favorite roads (see below for a full description)
Top of the list is the A816 from Oban to Lochilphead.
Next Would have to be the A835 from Ledmore to UllaPool
Then the A496 and A493 Harlech to Machnlleth
Then the A838 from Betty Hill to Scourie
And if you are going towards Aberdeen it is worth going on the A92 instead of the A90 because it has less speed cameras and it is prettier.
The roads around Loch Ness were stunning
The Lake district goes with out saying and so does the Brecon Beacons
Now the important bit - The Bike.
As an all round tourer it was great. I spent an average of about 6-7 hours a day in the saddle. And the only part of me that ached or was sore was my bum and my neck. I think that any bike short of a Goldwing would make your arse sore after that many hours. My Neck was sore because of Headbutting the wind all day. Even with a double bubble screen, it could have something to do with my height 6'5". Also I'm sure if I wasn't going at a great pace most of the time it would have been better.
As for handling, I think it takes time to get used to the weight but it handles superbly. I had her a year now and really had fun throwing it into corners with just as much confidence as the ZX6R. I had even more confidence as there was so much power on reserve. I put new tyres on just before the trip and can Proudly say that the chicken strips are less than 10mm.
As for the power, what can I say. Sometimes I would just ride along in top gear for miles and miles, as long as the rpms are above 2000 it would pull easily and steadily. but when I felt more exuberant I only needed to drop two gears and it would pull hard enough for me to have to hang on tighter. Overtaking became nothing more that a thought process and you could count the white lines it took you to get past anything.
B&Bs:
The Ivy Bank in Windemere (off road parking, garage if you want it)
The Betty Hill hotel in Betty Hill (Nice, Basic, but friendly)
The Ardgarry's Farm in Invergarry (very friendly, he used to be a biker, lovely surroundings)
Roads:
Top of the list is the A816 from Oban to Lochilphead. This road was fantastic. The number of times the left bar went down after the right bar made it feel like I was rowing a Kayak. I even had a bit of fun with the police. I came round a corner doing about 70-80 when I suddenly came upon the old Bill. There goes my fun I thought, but no. He indicated to let me past. so off I go at a steady 60 when I come across another car (Mr Plod right behind me). The road must have known I was there because it curved round in a perfectly with visibility all the way round. So I just leaned the bike over and off I went. Thinking that it would take Mr. Plod a while to get passed the same car off I went, but I soon spotted him in my mirrors again. So I thought, I don't want a ticket so I'd better stick to the speed limit. I did just that, but I also decided that I wouldn't brake or slow for the corners either. I just got into a rhythm and had a whale of a time. I know that Mr. Plod had to push it to keep up, and he did for 18 Miles. What a great road.
The A835, was fantastic in both its twists as well as its scenery, we had very high winds which slowed us down a bit. I was glad to be on a big heavy bike. It felt very stable the whole time except for two particularily large gusts.
The A838 was a constant fight to either pay attention to the road or to the scenery. But It was very pleasant, even the bits that were single carridge way were fine as there was so little traffic. And what traffic there was would immediatly pull over and let us pass.
Well I'm tired of writing now but will be glad to divuldge more if you email me any questions.
Kwacker
ps. there is more to/in John-o-Groats than I was led to believe.
Fantastic stuff, I've never done a trip anything like that on a bike. Did you plan which B&B's you might be staying in, or did you just rock up and see what was around?
Anything you would have done differently with the trip or planning? Sounds like it all went perfectly from where I'm sitting
Do you reckon you could have done the same on your 6R?
Anything you would have done differently with the trip or planning? Sounds like it all went perfectly from where I'm sitting
Do you reckon you could have done the same on your 6R?
Yes I did a bit of Gooogling for B&B's after I didn't get and recomendations. Only once did I rock up as you say. I decided to stop at a random b&b in Ayr only because there was another bike out the front. It was basic, I can't say any more than that.
Would I do anything different, Yes. I would take more time. When I first planned this trip it was going to be for nearly two weeks, but work and family commitments forced it down to 1 week.
I might have been able to do it on the ZX6r but I think I would have definitly needed more time. I think the seat would have been as comfortable but my legs would have suffered.
Kwacker
I have put a couple of pictures up on Yahoo, as I don't know how to put them on here.
So hopefully, if you go to http://uk.photos.yahoo.com/daniel_cuk
you should see some pictures. If not someone will have to tell me how to get them on here.
Kwacker
It started off with just me and the other half, Then her dad joined us, then it was me on my jack jones.
I had a couple of mates that were up for it but just couldn't get the time off at the same time.
My advice is just do it, if you wait for anyone else you will be waiting a long long time. I met quite a few people on route so you are not really on your own except on the bike.
Do It!
Kwacker
I had a couple of mates that were up for it but just couldn't get the time off at the same time.
My advice is just do it, if you wait for anyone else you will be waiting a long long time. I met quite a few people on route so you are not really on your own except on the bike.
Do It!
Kwacker
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