Kawasaki 1400 GTR
Kawasaki 1400 GTR Forum
1
Adventure, Excursions, Ride outs, Touring / Re: 2025 European trip
Last post by Rynglieder - January 22, 2026, 01:02:04 PMDay 14 Lugano [CH] > Vouvry [CH] (c.170 miles)
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I checked out of the Hotel Victoria au Lac with higher hopes for today's ride – I knew there was at least one good mountain pass and a couple of attractions in front of me.
My ride started out due north, following the line of the [2] motorway, but actually keeping to the minor roads for the entertainment value. At Cadenazzo my course shifted to the west and toward Locarno. It was something of a mixed bag of roads to ride, some slow urban passages, a few open sections and a quantity of fast trunk roads, but by about 10:30 I had left the valley at Ascona and began the climb back into the less populous mountain areas.
There followed an uphill run constantly flicking from left to right, my eyes were so focused on the bends ahead I shot past a layby that looked to be a promising viewpoint, so as soon as I could haul the bike around safely I back-tracked and took a moment for a cigarette and a photo of the lake below me, Lago di Palagndera, nestled in the forested slopes.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Minutes after setting off again I once more found myself at a border, crossing from Switzerland and back into Italy. Apart from the change of signage, the landscape and ride continued seamlessly to the small town of Re, my first planned stop of the day.
I took a few photos of the stunning Santuario della Madonna del Sangue church from a distance before walking into the town and ordering up a coffee where (unusually for Italy) one of the guys at the next table struck up a conversation – he'd noticed my bike with its UK registration as he had come into town and had guessed it was mine. I actually got a decent coffee as well. I'm not sure what it is with this marketing BS about Italian coffee, I really seem to struggle to get what I consider a decent drink, usually when I ask the patron will disappear out of the back and come back with a thimble full of something very dark. This woman seemed to get the idea though and served up a latte in a decent sized cup and was then rewarded by me buying another.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Back on route I continued my very enjoyable ride along the [SS337] until it spat me out onto a trunk road along the bottom of the next valley. It was only a short and very rapid ride until I was able to pick up on the signs for the Simplon Pass, which was the next bit of the day I was looking forward to. This road is curvy rather than twisty as it is a major artery frequently used by HGVs, but at least the nature of the well surfaced road allows opportunities to clear any slow moving vehicles that I came upon. I ploughed on alongside a river cleaved into the mountains, before the proper climb started I had to re-cross the border, back into Switzerland, I think this is the first trip that I have crossed more borders than the number of counties on the schedule.
There were nowhere near the number of bikes using this pass compared to the ones I had ridden in the preceding days, I don't know why. At the summit there was an obvious lack of tourist money traps, I parked next to Simplon Bellevue Hotel, which appeared closed so I contented myself with a drink from out of my luggage before taking a photo of the snow topped mountains opposite.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The descent was a nice enough ride, rolling the bike from side to side until reaching the next valley bottom near Brig, where I shadowed the route of the [9] trunk road, initially using the marginally more entertaining local roads, but eventually having got bored of all of the traffic islands, switching to the main road until I reached the town of Sion. On arrived there I attempted so seek out the Château de Tourbillon, but the pedestrian route to it eluded me and having seen the size of the hill it was nested on didn't fancy the walk up there in all the bike clobber anyway. I was also unsuccessful in obtaining a decent snap of it as the sun was behind it from my vantage point and the image was not much more than a dark blob. Ah well, it wasn't important.
I rekindled my relationship with the [9] and had a dual carriageway blast for a few kilometres to the nearby town of Aigle where another Château awaited. I didn't have much more success here, it appeared closed, but at least I got closer and had a short walk. It also struck me that my environment was changing. The really big Alpine peaks were now gone and the lower mountains around me were now planted with vines on their lower slopes, some of the vineyards being associated with the castle.
The final leg of the day's ride was also a short one, the small town of Vouvry was just a few minutes away with the Hôtel Edirol on its northern edge and I rode into its parking bays at the respectable hour of 17:45.
This was a good modern single storey hotel and pretty good value for Switzerland. Once I had made myself respectable, I walked up to the bar and ordered a beer. There was no restaurant available and my host explained that it was unstaffed after 20:00, so if I wanted another beer after I walked into town I could help myself from the fridge and just leave a note on the bar of what was to be added to my bill.
It was probably too late in the day to phone my bank and arrange a loan to cover another Swiss restaurant bill, but I managed to burger myself up at a fast food pace in town and ate in a riverside park before walking back to the hotel. The chap who had served me before was still there finishing up, so obliged with pouring me another beer. "On the house" he said... I'm not sure if he thought that if I took one myself I probably wouldn't pay for it, so he might as well give it to me anyway, but I think he was just being kind. Anyway, that was enough to drink and I was content to have a last smoke and head for an earlyish night.
Today had been a couple of very nice rides sandwiched between some mundane stretches, but no complaints.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
I checked out of the Hotel Victoria au Lac with higher hopes for today's ride – I knew there was at least one good mountain pass and a couple of attractions in front of me.
My ride started out due north, following the line of the [2] motorway, but actually keeping to the minor roads for the entertainment value. At Cadenazzo my course shifted to the west and toward Locarno. It was something of a mixed bag of roads to ride, some slow urban passages, a few open sections and a quantity of fast trunk roads, but by about 10:30 I had left the valley at Ascona and began the climb back into the less populous mountain areas.
There followed an uphill run constantly flicking from left to right, my eyes were so focused on the bends ahead I shot past a layby that looked to be a promising viewpoint, so as soon as I could haul the bike around safely I back-tracked and took a moment for a cigarette and a photo of the lake below me, Lago di Palagndera, nestled in the forested slopes.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Minutes after setting off again I once more found myself at a border, crossing from Switzerland and back into Italy. Apart from the change of signage, the landscape and ride continued seamlessly to the small town of Re, my first planned stop of the day.
I took a few photos of the stunning Santuario della Madonna del Sangue church from a distance before walking into the town and ordering up a coffee where (unusually for Italy) one of the guys at the next table struck up a conversation – he'd noticed my bike with its UK registration as he had come into town and had guessed it was mine. I actually got a decent coffee as well. I'm not sure what it is with this marketing BS about Italian coffee, I really seem to struggle to get what I consider a decent drink, usually when I ask the patron will disappear out of the back and come back with a thimble full of something very dark. This woman seemed to get the idea though and served up a latte in a decent sized cup and was then rewarded by me buying another.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Back on route I continued my very enjoyable ride along the [SS337] until it spat me out onto a trunk road along the bottom of the next valley. It was only a short and very rapid ride until I was able to pick up on the signs for the Simplon Pass, which was the next bit of the day I was looking forward to. This road is curvy rather than twisty as it is a major artery frequently used by HGVs, but at least the nature of the well surfaced road allows opportunities to clear any slow moving vehicles that I came upon. I ploughed on alongside a river cleaved into the mountains, before the proper climb started I had to re-cross the border, back into Switzerland, I think this is the first trip that I have crossed more borders than the number of counties on the schedule.
There were nowhere near the number of bikes using this pass compared to the ones I had ridden in the preceding days, I don't know why. At the summit there was an obvious lack of tourist money traps, I parked next to Simplon Bellevue Hotel, which appeared closed so I contented myself with a drink from out of my luggage before taking a photo of the snow topped mountains opposite.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The descent was a nice enough ride, rolling the bike from side to side until reaching the next valley bottom near Brig, where I shadowed the route of the [9] trunk road, initially using the marginally more entertaining local roads, but eventually having got bored of all of the traffic islands, switching to the main road until I reached the town of Sion. On arrived there I attempted so seek out the Château de Tourbillon, but the pedestrian route to it eluded me and having seen the size of the hill it was nested on didn't fancy the walk up there in all the bike clobber anyway. I was also unsuccessful in obtaining a decent snap of it as the sun was behind it from my vantage point and the image was not much more than a dark blob. Ah well, it wasn't important.
I rekindled my relationship with the [9] and had a dual carriageway blast for a few kilometres to the nearby town of Aigle where another Château awaited. I didn't have much more success here, it appeared closed, but at least I got closer and had a short walk. It also struck me that my environment was changing. The really big Alpine peaks were now gone and the lower mountains around me were now planted with vines on their lower slopes, some of the vineyards being associated with the castle.
The final leg of the day's ride was also a short one, the small town of Vouvry was just a few minutes away with the Hôtel Edirol on its northern edge and I rode into its parking bays at the respectable hour of 17:45.
This was a good modern single storey hotel and pretty good value for Switzerland. Once I had made myself respectable, I walked up to the bar and ordered a beer. There was no restaurant available and my host explained that it was unstaffed after 20:00, so if I wanted another beer after I walked into town I could help myself from the fridge and just leave a note on the bar of what was to be added to my bill.
It was probably too late in the day to phone my bank and arrange a loan to cover another Swiss restaurant bill, but I managed to burger myself up at a fast food pace in town and ate in a riverside park before walking back to the hotel. The chap who had served me before was still there finishing up, so obliged with pouring me another beer. "On the house" he said... I'm not sure if he thought that if I took one myself I probably wouldn't pay for it, so he might as well give it to me anyway, but I think he was just being kind. Anyway, that was enough to drink and I was content to have a last smoke and head for an earlyish night.
Today had been a couple of very nice rides sandwiched between some mundane stretches, but no complaints.
2
1400GTR Discussion / Re: Pillion Pegs
Last post by Bluesman - January 08, 2026, 04:51:19 PMQuote from: Kwikasfuki on December 30, 2025, 07:04:43 PMSomething like this maybe?
https://www.wemoto.com/bike/kawasaki/gtr/1400/2015/13330/footrest-rubber-pillion-rear?srsltid=AfmBOopJuzyBBkihu4z7wGPVTOHkx5Sub5ZK_453Xf4_hhJ0xKemkpoXVE4
She picked these, thanks for the help gentlementhe bike is SORN'd until the Spring
3
Adventure, Excursions, Ride outs, Touring / Re: 2025 European trip
Last post by Rynglieder - January 08, 2026, 11:32:42 AMDay 13 Sirmione > Lugano [CH] (c.150 miles)
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Just 150 miles between hotels today and during my planning some month back I had realised that there were no attractive riding options for the first part of the journey. So, as I had intended I left Sirmione, made a fuel stop and quickly picked up the Autostrada network to get myself up and around Milan.
Sunshine, heat, toll booths and coffee stops pretty much sums up the next couple of hours. There was a point where a car seemed to be cruising alongside me with the driver gesturing at me, I couldn't think of what I had done to upset him and after a while he cleared away. A short while later, the same happened again with another car alongside me. Fortunately, this driver had obviously attended a superior School of Drama and Mime and I twigged that he was trying to tell me I had spent the last hour or so with my keys dangling from the lock in the top case. These keyless systems are all well and good, but I need to fid a way of stopping myself doing this.
From the outskirts of Milan, I switched to the [A9] for the final motorway run into Como and the distant mountains that had been hugging the horizon to my right were now dead ahead of me again. Como was surprisingly easy to make my way through and I quickly found my way to the Monumento ai Caduti on the southern tip of the lake, just as I had anticipated. Although I have my reservations about Italy, it has to be said that due to the proliferation of scooters, there are always plenty of designated parking areas for two-wheelers although I had to breath in a bit to squeeze the bulk of the GTR between the concrete bollards.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
After the pleasure of 45 minutes off the bike and a stroll around the area I had landed, I resumed my journey. The morning's motorway ride was behind me now and I had all afternoon to cover a relatively short distance through the Alps into Switzerland.
Leaving Como to the north and hugging the western shore of the lake I rode on to Menaggio. It's a pleasurable enough ride, with the road shelved on the mountainside with glimpses down to the lake below, but once again, just a succession of towns and villages keeping the bike at an almost pedestrian pace.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
There were many places I was tempted to stop and take it all in a little more, many beautiful lakeside villas called to the camera but I resisted and made my stop at Menaggio as planned, pulling into a motorcycle bay at the edge of the promenade.
After securing my jacket to the bike I took another walk in the sunshine, sought out another cold drink and found a quiet spot for a smoke. After taking my photos I was ready to mount up again.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
I now broke away from lake Como and began to climb west into the mountains which form the border with Switzerland. After a series of urban hairpins I left the environs of Menaggio and hoped to be on open mountain roads again. It was however another disappointing sequence of small towns and villages all the way to the Swiss border - nice scenery, but nowhere really that the bike could be let loose.
Now riding along the northern edge of Lake Lugano, I once again crossed a national border without causing the slightest interest. Eventually, dropping down into the town of Lugano, I crept through the mildly congested town centre and out to the western suburb of Paradiso where I located the Hotel Victoria without too much difficulty and also managed to get the last motorcycle parking spot opposite the hotel entrance.
This hotel had looked quite upmarket at the time of booking but had seemed quite good value for money in what I knew to be an expensive region. It turned out exactly like that, a comfortable room and elegant common areas, staff all uniformed and very attentive. It was of course probably a mistake to have ordered my evening meal on their terrace – it was a vey good meal, but thirty quid for fish & chips and a pint!?! I walked off my dinner on the promenade before settling down for the night.
It had been an "okay" day, but no exciting riding and no particular points of interest, one of those days when I would have been just as well off in a car except having to park it.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
Just 150 miles between hotels today and during my planning some month back I had realised that there were no attractive riding options for the first part of the journey. So, as I had intended I left Sirmione, made a fuel stop and quickly picked up the Autostrada network to get myself up and around Milan.
Sunshine, heat, toll booths and coffee stops pretty much sums up the next couple of hours. There was a point where a car seemed to be cruising alongside me with the driver gesturing at me, I couldn't think of what I had done to upset him and after a while he cleared away. A short while later, the same happened again with another car alongside me. Fortunately, this driver had obviously attended a superior School of Drama and Mime and I twigged that he was trying to tell me I had spent the last hour or so with my keys dangling from the lock in the top case. These keyless systems are all well and good, but I need to fid a way of stopping myself doing this.
From the outskirts of Milan, I switched to the [A9] for the final motorway run into Como and the distant mountains that had been hugging the horizon to my right were now dead ahead of me again. Como was surprisingly easy to make my way through and I quickly found my way to the Monumento ai Caduti on the southern tip of the lake, just as I had anticipated. Although I have my reservations about Italy, it has to be said that due to the proliferation of scooters, there are always plenty of designated parking areas for two-wheelers although I had to breath in a bit to squeeze the bulk of the GTR between the concrete bollards.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
After the pleasure of 45 minutes off the bike and a stroll around the area I had landed, I resumed my journey. The morning's motorway ride was behind me now and I had all afternoon to cover a relatively short distance through the Alps into Switzerland.
Leaving Como to the north and hugging the western shore of the lake I rode on to Menaggio. It's a pleasurable enough ride, with the road shelved on the mountainside with glimpses down to the lake below, but once again, just a succession of towns and villages keeping the bike at an almost pedestrian pace.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
There were many places I was tempted to stop and take it all in a little more, many beautiful lakeside villas called to the camera but I resisted and made my stop at Menaggio as planned, pulling into a motorcycle bay at the edge of the promenade.
After securing my jacket to the bike I took another walk in the sunshine, sought out another cold drink and found a quiet spot for a smoke. After taking my photos I was ready to mount up again.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
I now broke away from lake Como and began to climb west into the mountains which form the border with Switzerland. After a series of urban hairpins I left the environs of Menaggio and hoped to be on open mountain roads again. It was however another disappointing sequence of small towns and villages all the way to the Swiss border - nice scenery, but nowhere really that the bike could be let loose.
Now riding along the northern edge of Lake Lugano, I once again crossed a national border without causing the slightest interest. Eventually, dropping down into the town of Lugano, I crept through the mildly congested town centre and out to the western suburb of Paradiso where I located the Hotel Victoria without too much difficulty and also managed to get the last motorcycle parking spot opposite the hotel entrance.
This hotel had looked quite upmarket at the time of booking but had seemed quite good value for money in what I knew to be an expensive region. It turned out exactly like that, a comfortable room and elegant common areas, staff all uniformed and very attentive. It was of course probably a mistake to have ordered my evening meal on their terrace – it was a vey good meal, but thirty quid for fish & chips and a pint!?! I walked off my dinner on the promenade before settling down for the night.
It had been an "okay" day, but no exciting riding and no particular points of interest, one of those days when I would have been just as well off in a car except having to park it.
4
Adventure, Excursions, Ride outs, Touring / Re: 2025 European trip
Last post by Rynglieder - January 07, 2026, 12:24:26 PMDay 11 Valdidentro > Sirmione (c. 160 miles)
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After breakfast and taking a shot or two of the Hotel Interalpen – which was now in sunshine - I set off with a similar milage ahead of me as the previous day (although I had little idea at that time of how many hours I had in front of me in on the seat). Despite being past the halfway point of my trip, rather than bearing west I would be riding due south to see some of the Italian lakes and cross those off the to-do list.
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I back tracked the previous evenings road down to Isolaccia, much of it behind a Ford Puma with typical Italian scant regard for which side of the road it should be on approaching bends; I sometimes wonder how I survive these trips. The road down to Tirano was back to the "valley floor" type of riding but fortunately many of the towns and villages had been bypassed including frequent tunnels, and progress was good.
There was a brief stop in Tirano in search of some ancient tower which I either could not find, or couldn't be bothered to get the camera out for; I can't recall now, but it gave me 10 minutes off the bike.
My journey continued on the [SS38] for a short while until I left it at Poletta and began another climb into the mountains, the amount of passing motorcycles hinted that I was on to a good thing. Another set of hairpins bought me to the ski resort of Aprica where I stopped off at a mini market to top up on the snacks and bottles for the top case.
I was back in the groove now and really enjoying the road ahead of me. At Edolo I joined the [SS42] which would take me over the Passo del Tonale, a route with good mountain scenery and plenty of curves, but not so much that it becomes tiresome. After a period of corkscrewing and ducking under cable cars I found myself at the summit where the GTR was pitched up on a large car park next to a literally monumental war memorial. I ambled off to one of the many outlets catering for bikers and tracked down a coffee.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The descent gave almost as much pleasure, but seemed to be a bit more congested in this eastward direction. Eventually I rocked up in Dimaro, which got no more than a cursory glance as I edged my way through to the [SS239], now riding south again. There was a quick stop for a snap of the mountains just beyond Folgarida. It's probably a good job that I do these trips alone, my frequent stops would probably irritate the hell out of a fellow rider, but I was on my own timetable and I thought I had plenty of time in hand.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
I got hopelessly lost in a small labyrinth of subterranean roads and junctions underneath Madonna di Campiglio, the Zumo was naturally unhelpful without satellites but fortunately some road signs led me out before I bumped into the Minotaur. I was now on another moderately busy valley road, but the snake of traffic was going thereabouts fast enough so I contented myself with holding my place in the queue until I reached Tione di Trento where I afforded myself a cigarette break – it was only 15:30 and the larger part of the ride was done.
I now had the pleasure of a quieter eastward winding mountain pass that would lead me to Fiavé. At least this one seemed mostly undiscovered by other bikers and cyclists and the odd car I came across was easy to clear. I was now facing south again on the [SS421] and entirely as expected I found myself on the road clinging to the mountainside above Riva del Garda where a layby afforded a decent view down the lake.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The final drop into the town became incrementally more suburban and eventually arriving at the lakeside at about 16:35 I found myself at the back of some slow-moving traffic. Not unexpected in a town centre, but it took me half an hour to cross town and as well as the frustration of humping the GTR forward 15 metres at a time it was getting uncomfortably hot again now that I was out of the mountains.
There was a bit of respite along the north-eastern shore and I still felt confident enough in my schedule to allow a stop at Cassone for a glass of Coca-Cola at a lakeside café. I only just got away with this stop, I found serious traffic at all of the major towns, particularly Peschiera del Garda and was even forced into some uncomfortable filtering in an attempt to make headway. The fact that it took me over two hours to cover 56km will give you an idea of the level of traffic and frustration I was enduring. At my last stop I had received a text message from the night's hotel stating in no uncertain terms that the reception was closing at 20:00 and I would not gain access after that.
I marginally overshot the Hotel Ganfo at Sirmione, but did a rather inelegant U-Turn and back-tracked on what I thought was a service lane but turned out to be a pavement, squeezing the bike into a parking space at 19:56 and throwing myself sans luggage at the hotel door. I'm not sure my host was pleased to see me, I think he was already counting on the booking fee for zero work, but he reluctantly handed me my key and pointed me to the staircase. This wasn't the best of rooms – there was no external window, just a curtained vision panel onto the internal corridor but at least it had air-conditioning and after peeling off a very sweaty shirt I was able to have a shower and start to feel human again. Naturally, the hotel's bar was locked up and there didn't seem to be anywhere open within a 10-minute walk, it was too late in the day anyway so I finished up by raiding the top case for bits and pieces before going to bed.
What had been a good morning and early afternoon had turned into a ride of endurance during the later part of the day, perhaps I should have been more conscious that it was a Sunday in a tourist hotspot, but I had the option of a rest coming up.
Day 12 Sirmione
This had been my only scheduled rest day of the trip. I'd left myself the option of riding along the western shore of Lake Garda, but after the previous day's painful excursion down the west shore I just didn't fancy it. The whole of the day was spent sat with my paperback under the airconditioning unit with just a few short walks out; up to the lake shore, to find things to eat and drink, a tobacconist and a cash dispenser. Not much of a day to remember, but I needed the rest and I still had a week's worth of motorcycling ahead of me.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
After breakfast and taking a shot or two of the Hotel Interalpen – which was now in sunshine - I set off with a similar milage ahead of me as the previous day (although I had little idea at that time of how many hours I had in front of me in on the seat). Despite being past the halfway point of my trip, rather than bearing west I would be riding due south to see some of the Italian lakes and cross those off the to-do list.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
I back tracked the previous evenings road down to Isolaccia, much of it behind a Ford Puma with typical Italian scant regard for which side of the road it should be on approaching bends; I sometimes wonder how I survive these trips. The road down to Tirano was back to the "valley floor" type of riding but fortunately many of the towns and villages had been bypassed including frequent tunnels, and progress was good.
There was a brief stop in Tirano in search of some ancient tower which I either could not find, or couldn't be bothered to get the camera out for; I can't recall now, but it gave me 10 minutes off the bike.
My journey continued on the [SS38] for a short while until I left it at Poletta and began another climb into the mountains, the amount of passing motorcycles hinted that I was on to a good thing. Another set of hairpins bought me to the ski resort of Aprica where I stopped off at a mini market to top up on the snacks and bottles for the top case.
I was back in the groove now and really enjoying the road ahead of me. At Edolo I joined the [SS42] which would take me over the Passo del Tonale, a route with good mountain scenery and plenty of curves, but not so much that it becomes tiresome. After a period of corkscrewing and ducking under cable cars I found myself at the summit where the GTR was pitched up on a large car park next to a literally monumental war memorial. I ambled off to one of the many outlets catering for bikers and tracked down a coffee.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The descent gave almost as much pleasure, but seemed to be a bit more congested in this eastward direction. Eventually I rocked up in Dimaro, which got no more than a cursory glance as I edged my way through to the [SS239], now riding south again. There was a quick stop for a snap of the mountains just beyond Folgarida. It's probably a good job that I do these trips alone, my frequent stops would probably irritate the hell out of a fellow rider, but I was on my own timetable and I thought I had plenty of time in hand.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
I got hopelessly lost in a small labyrinth of subterranean roads and junctions underneath Madonna di Campiglio, the Zumo was naturally unhelpful without satellites but fortunately some road signs led me out before I bumped into the Minotaur. I was now on another moderately busy valley road, but the snake of traffic was going thereabouts fast enough so I contented myself with holding my place in the queue until I reached Tione di Trento where I afforded myself a cigarette break – it was only 15:30 and the larger part of the ride was done.
I now had the pleasure of a quieter eastward winding mountain pass that would lead me to Fiavé. At least this one seemed mostly undiscovered by other bikers and cyclists and the odd car I came across was easy to clear. I was now facing south again on the [SS421] and entirely as expected I found myself on the road clinging to the mountainside above Riva del Garda where a layby afforded a decent view down the lake.
You cannot see attachments on this board.
The final drop into the town became incrementally more suburban and eventually arriving at the lakeside at about 16:35 I found myself at the back of some slow-moving traffic. Not unexpected in a town centre, but it took me half an hour to cross town and as well as the frustration of humping the GTR forward 15 metres at a time it was getting uncomfortably hot again now that I was out of the mountains.
There was a bit of respite along the north-eastern shore and I still felt confident enough in my schedule to allow a stop at Cassone for a glass of Coca-Cola at a lakeside café. I only just got away with this stop, I found serious traffic at all of the major towns, particularly Peschiera del Garda and was even forced into some uncomfortable filtering in an attempt to make headway. The fact that it took me over two hours to cover 56km will give you an idea of the level of traffic and frustration I was enduring. At my last stop I had received a text message from the night's hotel stating in no uncertain terms that the reception was closing at 20:00 and I would not gain access after that.
I marginally overshot the Hotel Ganfo at Sirmione, but did a rather inelegant U-Turn and back-tracked on what I thought was a service lane but turned out to be a pavement, squeezing the bike into a parking space at 19:56 and throwing myself sans luggage at the hotel door. I'm not sure my host was pleased to see me, I think he was already counting on the booking fee for zero work, but he reluctantly handed me my key and pointed me to the staircase. This wasn't the best of rooms – there was no external window, just a curtained vision panel onto the internal corridor but at least it had air-conditioning and after peeling off a very sweaty shirt I was able to have a shower and start to feel human again. Naturally, the hotel's bar was locked up and there didn't seem to be anywhere open within a 10-minute walk, it was too late in the day anyway so I finished up by raiding the top case for bits and pieces before going to bed.
What had been a good morning and early afternoon had turned into a ride of endurance during the later part of the day, perhaps I should have been more conscious that it was a Sunday in a tourist hotspot, but I had the option of a rest coming up.
Day 12 Sirmione
This had been my only scheduled rest day of the trip. I'd left myself the option of riding along the western shore of Lake Garda, but after the previous day's painful excursion down the west shore I just didn't fancy it. The whole of the day was spent sat with my paperback under the airconditioning unit with just a few short walks out; up to the lake shore, to find things to eat and drink, a tobacconist and a cash dispenser. Not much of a day to remember, but I needed the rest and I still had a week's worth of motorcycling ahead of me.
5
1400GTR Discussion / Re: TPM ............
Last post by Bluesman - January 05, 2026, 08:24:32 PMThe rear TPM sensor was full of tyre sealant to such an extent that when I removed the valve the tyre remained inflated! The sensors are the moulded type, didn't see a way to change the batteries. Hopefully the sensor will now work.
6
1400GTR Discussion / Re: Pillion Pegs
Last post by Burchy - December 30, 2025, 11:24:53 PM7
1400GTR Discussion / Re: Some info required please....
Last post by Burchy - December 30, 2025, 08:33:33 PMDid you clean/replace the fuel pump filter?
8
1400GTR Discussion / Re: Pillion Pegs
Last post by Kwikasfuki - December 30, 2025, 07:04:43 PMQuote from: Bluesman on December 29, 2025, 06:24:18 PMAnyone have any info on where I can find straight swap pegs, Mrs Bluesman has complained they are a little too narrow and should be rubber topped. I suspect she may not be the first. Why didn't Kawasaki fit decent pegs to a long distance bike?Something like this maybe?
https://www.wemoto.com/bike/kawasaki/gtr/1400/2015/13330/footrest-rubber-pillion-rear?srsltid=AfmBOopJuzyBBkihu4z7wGPVTOHkx5Sub5ZK_453Xf4_hhJ0xKemkpoXVE4
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1400GTR Discussion / Re: Some info required please....
Last post by Kwikasfuki - December 30, 2025, 07:02:03 PMHow did you find doing the valve service? How many were out of spec?
Looks like a comprehensive service
Looks like a comprehensive service
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1400GTR Discussion / Pillion Pegs
Last post by Bluesman - December 29, 2025, 06:24:18 PMAnyone have any info on where I can find straight swap pegs, Mrs Bluesman has complained they are a little too narrow and should be rubber topped. I suspect she may not be the first. Why didn't Kawasaki fit decent pegs to a long distance bike?