GSXS 1000 - Mofo's Gixxus

[Skub]

Have a good one man,whatever the weather.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Good luck, I hope the weather is okay.

[ChrisW]

Bon voyage!

[Taipan]

Safe journey Amigo.

[Supermofo]

What I did on my holidaze!

Finally writing up my Devon/Cornwall trip. Saturday dawned bright and blue which was a massive surprise as the forecast was rubbish. Sadly in the 1.5 hrs of getting ready the skies came over darker and darker so, I decided I'd be best putting waterproofs on before I left rather than doing the dance of shame at the side of the road. Cue much laughter from my daughter as I struggled into them and by the time that was done I was sweating like no ones business. I had the last laugh though (of a sorts) as I stepped out the front door to the first spits of rain Hertford to near St Albans I thought we might get away with a light shower but as I joined the M25 the heavens opened and it tipped down the whole way to On Yer Bike. It carried on raining for the next 1.5 hrs, enough to cover the bikes in crap and make us huddle in our overgear but most importantly we were all still enjoying ourselves First stop was just before Marlborough in a nice pub. The waterproofs had worked, albeit my jeans were damp with condensation. Lovely. I abandoned the over jacket but left the trousers on as the clouds kept scudding over but other than 10 mins around Frome it was dry for the rest of the journey to Bridgewater. Here we met up with the (adopted) man from the North and his Triumph Tiger. Great ride all in and some much needed beer/food was consumed. Did about 190 odd miles.

Sunday morning was looking 50/50. Lots of sun but lots of dark clouds. 3 of the party were off from here so we said our goodbyes and checked bikes over/lubed chains etc.



The GSXS was minging.



Luckily though other than 1 or 2 spots of rain Sunday stayed fully dry and a fabulous ride was had. The views from Porlock over the top of Exmoor and down into Lynmouth were fantastic and we stopped for refreshments in Lynmouth.



The ride down to Cornwall was awesome, mainly well surfaced, not too much traffic and stunning views. Although the road from Tintagle to Port Isaac was barely worthy of the name with a foot and a half of grass up the middle and gravel everywhere but a small tyre width to use and steep climb/descents but good fun. I decided by the time we got to Port Isaac to say my goodbyes and head off to Wadebridge. I'd be on my Jones but really fancied some beer and comfy gear on. Did about 140 miles on this stretch.

Monday morning looked much like Sunday and I did briefly consider over trousers but decided to risk it. The run through to Dartmoor was great with some nice flowing roads although pity about a long stretch of average speed cameras but still enjoyable. Then I hit Dartmoor what a stunning part of the planet. Views forever.







I'd been looking forward to Dartmoor for years and it was everything I'd wanted it to be Them sheep, horses and cows don't give a fuck about the cars though, let alone a bike so it was a nice gentle bimble enjoying the place. Just passed Two Bridges I stopped for a drink and a rest and turns out the pub does 10% off for bikers, nice.





With time ticking on I headed off to Yeovil via the coast road passed Seaton/Beer etc. Not a bad road but lots more traffic. Got to my Uncle's at 2pm and we went for a great lunch in a pub and had a good catch up. Really glad we've stayed close Ended up doing about another 140 odd miles

Tuesday was a beautiful day and the ride planned was a decent one but there was the definite air of home time. I followed the As and Bs to Newbury and then spurred on by wanting to pick the kids up I jumped on the M4 for home. Got home before 3 for the school run with a hot bike and another 165 miles done.

All in all was a bloody cracking trip. Even the rain didn't spoil it on Saturday but we were so lucky with the rest of the days. The forecast had been for showers the whole time and we got 3 totally dry days. I did end up spending 2 hours cleaning the bike yesterday though

Maybe Wales next time

[MingtheMerciless]

IMG_5820.jpeg (958.54 KiB) Viewed 921 times

Can't beat Dartmoor, epic scenery.

[Supermofo]

IMG_5820.jpeg

Can't beat Dartmoor, epic scenery.

I wish I lived closer. It's when you go anywhere out of the south east/east anglia you realise just how flat it is! In the South West there's a vista round every other corner. My brother's mate has just moved back up north after living down here for a long time. He said he noticed once you hit Peterborough It's just horizon forever with nothing in the way.

[ChrisW]

There are interesting bits all over the place I'm glad I live within easy reach of North Wales & the Peaks.

[MingtheMerciless]

IMG_5820.jpeg

Can't beat Dartmoor, epic scenery.

I wish I lived closer. It's when you go anywhere out of the south east/east anglia you realise just how flat it is! In the South West there's a vista round every other corner. My brother's mate has just moved back up north after living down here for a long time. He said he noticed once you hit Peterborough It's just horizon forever with nothing in the way.

Same here, living in the "place where old people go to die" anywhere is a bloody trek on shite roads. East Sussex has no motorways and West Sussex only has a few miles of M23. Every time I go down to see my relatives in Bude I almost feel like I'm coming home when I see the rise of Dartmoor and the Cornish Alps on the north coast.

[Dodgy69]

IMG_5820.jpeg

Can't beat Dartmoor, epic scenery.

Did you get the wrong bike out of the garage.

[ZRX61]

I wish I lived closer. It's when you go anywhere out of the south east/east anglia you realise just how flat it is! In the South West there's a vista round every other corner. My brother's mate has just moved back up north after living down here for a long time. He said he noticed once you hit Peterborough It's just horizon forever with nothing in the way.

When you see the chevrons indicating a sharp bend in Cornwall, they mean it.

No trip to Cornwall is complete without a pint next to the stream at the Copley Arms in Hessenford.

[Supermofo]

Not a huge amount to report. Rode to work today as it's my day in the office and it's not raining for a change! The profile of the tyres going off is much more noticeable on the commute I assume due to the types of roads I'm on and more filtering over white lines etc. There's a few roads on the way in where there are ripples in the road following the direction of travel from how the surface has been laid, this is causing a fair bit of a squirmy feel a bit like when they've burnt the top layer off. I've been waiting for it to become noticeable but on usual blasts it's not too bad unless you have ripples in the road at the right (wrong) angle for the tyre, but on Sunday for example I didn't notice anything at all. Tyres have done about 4800 miles now and there's still a fair bit of tread left. Interestingly I think the fronts are wearing at the same rate as the rear.

I'm planning on finally servicing the bike tomorrow or Monday. I was going to do this before I went to Cornwall but decided against doing anything mechanical before I went other than adjust the chain. This was mainly due to other peoples mishaps with their bikes in the run up to the trip (like my brothers alarm catching fire!!) but I decided to leave well alone until I was back. I'm still only around 3k miles since the last service and service intervals are 7.5k so sure the oil is fine.

Also got a new R&G rad guard as the one I got originally had a bent bracket and wouldn't fit. Not had a go at fitting yet but hopefully all good now!

[Supermofo]

Bollocks



Not sure if I picked it up rolling the bike out of the parking space or this morning and the weight of the bike held the air in until I rolled it back but it was audibly leaking.

By some miracle I contacted the AA at 3.13 and they'd been and plugged it by 3.30 got me home OK. Now need to decide if I leave the sticky plug in for the rest of the life of the tyre, I get a permanent plug or a new tyre. As mentioned only this morning the rear has done 4800 now, got a fair amount of tread left but the profile is definitely past it's best. But then the front profile is off as well and 2 new tyres is ££££ decided to have a beer and leave that decision for another day

[ChrisW]

...and 2 new tyres is ££££

Was looking at tyres yesterday - Tweeks have an offer on Road 6 Pairs at the mo:

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/micheli ... e-5000157/

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

The nail has been in my tyre for 3000 miles now, I should really get round to getting it plugged.

[Supermofo]

The nail has been in my tyre for 3000 miles now, I should really get round to getting it plugged.

I'm way too nervy for that. I'm bad enough about whether I leave the sticky plug in!

In other news I check the pressure last night and was at 45psi, could be AA overfilled it or heat. This morning it's at 43 so dropped it to 42 as per book and will check over the next couple of days.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

If it doesn't go down, don't worry about it, admitably I do have a puncture repair kit under the seat for if the nail comes out.

[Skub]

...and 2 new tyres is ££££

Was looking at tyres yesterday - Tweeks have an offer on Road 6 Pairs at the mo:

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/micheli ... e-5000157/

DT have some good offers,but I don't buy off them because they try to fuck me in the arse with postage costs.

[Supermofo]

Pressure is as I left it yesterday morning so hopefully all good.

[Supermofo]

Oil change done, that's 250 quid saved from Suzuki. Nothing appears to be leaking fingers crossed