Kawasaki 1400 GTR

Another owners site that I frequent has a continuous thread under this title for contributors to throw up a quick word or two and a picture of any short runs they have done on one of thier bikes rather than bigger trips that may be more deserving of thier own topic.

It would be nice to do something similar on here to keep up traffic and interest on the site; I'll post up a couple to get it started, it would be good to see others pitching in.

Pete.

08/09/2019

Having a couple of hours to spare I dug out the Z1300 from the back of the garage and it seemed surprisingly willing to start.

Not much of a ride really, but I did a small local loop taking in a cup of tea athe cafe in Quatford. Even at 36 years old the old girl still gets the odd look and comment from the regualrs.

07/07/2019

A long run on the Z1000 is a rarity, it is no touring bike and after 80 miles my backside complains like hell.

But it's a fun little thing to ride out on and sometimes you can't resisit pushing on even though you konow you are going to regret the journey back.

This time it took me to Raglan Castle via the Malvern Hills, Ledbury and Ross on Wye.

18/08/2019

The GSX got a turn out today.

A little bit of motorway to clear the urban areas and then through the Staffordshire Moorlands up to Macclesfield.

A cautious run through the Cat & Fiddle pass and then dropping in to Buxton where I took a break by the Grade II listed fan window at the end of the station.

Return was via Ashbourne and Blithfield reservoir before finding my way back on to the motorway near Cannock.

717 Cat & Fiddle pass
720 Buxton
723 Blithfield

A good day, shame there aren't more weekends in a year.

Why not just use the normal adventures, tours and ride out section and then start a thread entitled with your destination?

Good idea on both counts me thinks .... I am sure we are all guilty of going out for a couple of hours and thinking it is NOT enough to put on a thread .. so lets change that and get some short rides on here too .. good thinking Mr Ringlieder... especially in this fine September heat we have down here in The Souffff  ... reckon 26 degrees at the weekend ! :cool:

Ps ... having said that I had a choice this afternoon of A. Going out for such a described "short ride" or B. Stay at home and finish painting the side of the house ........
( I have admit the bike didn't move  :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: )

Shame on you, I would have expected that menial task to have been delegated to one of your servants.  :hammer:

 :mfr_lol: They are all too busy in the Orangery.

Thursday 14/05/20 - Wigmore Castle & Ludlow

I've been itching to get some use out of the bike and although the lock-down was partially lifted on Wednesday it was looking like Thursday was going to be warmer, sunnier and altogether better for a run out with the camera.

The GTR was chosen from the garage and before I had even pulled it out I knew that the first job would be to check the tyre pressures as it had been laid up pretty much since its MOT in December. Sure enough, as soon as the monitoring system got out of bed it started warning me about the front tyre but I was already headed for a supermarket in Kidderminster to get it sorted out and fill up with some fuel (which seems amazingly cheap at the moment).

From Kidderminster I took a familiar road that passed Tenbury Wells and beyond to the junction with the A49. At this point though I crossed the A49 and continued west into some uncharted territory. Now, you probably know by now that I like a good ruin and the destination for today was Wigmore Castle which I had selected from the English Heritage site as being unattended and accessible at all times. Wigmore was reached by a series of minor roads which were enjoyable enough to ride although I did seem to get more than my fair share of horse boxes, tractors and quarry wagons which dulled the speed a bit. On parking up in the village I found myself outside the small village shop which served up a fairly decent coffee from its machine which was a bit of an unexpected bonus.
The bike was re-parked in a less busy location and I took the 15 minute walk through the village, churchyard and up the hill to the remains of Wigmore Castle. The castle is not what you would call the most impressive of those in The Marches and has been largely reclaimed by nature but nevertheless it was nice to wander around to take my obligatory exercise (which is why the government were releasing me from house arrest after all).  I pretty much had the place to myself and after a quick smoke it was back down the hill to the bike.

The return route was via the outskirts of Ludlow where I parked up at the top of Whitcliffe Common to take a couple of pictures of the view over Ludlow's castle and town before heading back for home. My intention to ride back over Clee Hill was thwarted by a rod closure so in the end I returned pretty much by the road that I had taken my outward journey on which was a slight disappointment but did not really take anything away from the fact that I had been back out on two wheels again.

It looks like I am not going to be back at work until the end of June, so hopefully this will be the first of many opportunities to go exploring again.

Thanks for sharing... lovely pics too 

Very nice

I once had a holiday in Ludlow, very nice it was too.


Glad you managed to get out and stretch your legs.   :clap:

Lovely write up again .
I quite often Used to do the Ludlow/ Cleese’s hills Bewdley loop stop in Ludlow for a coffee.
Lovely trip

16/05/2020 White Ladies Priory, Shropshire

I was only going to take the Z1000 out for an hour but was enjoying myself so much I strung it out a bit.

A run through some local minor roads that I don't usually touch took me around and to the north of Wolverhampton where I parked the bike up at the start of the footpath to White Ladies Priory.

Like Wigmore Castle which I visited a couple of days ago this English Heritage site is unstaffed with free admission anytime during daylight hours so there were no social distancing issues to worry about; a lady playing with her dog and a couple of lads sat passing the time were easily avoided even though it is a tiny site.

After half an hour with the camera I was back on the bike and this time I chose a series of "A" roads to complete the circuit. When I reached Bridgnorth I found myself reluctant to take the direct road home (remember those days when you were a kid and your mom was calling you in for your tea but you just didn't want to stop what you were doing?) Instead I followed the Severn valley southwards for a while until felt the obligation to return to domestic life.

This is just about the right length of run for the Z1000 and the little Zed is great fun on minor roads -as long as you are not too far from home so that you can hear your mom calling  :smiley:

great pictures and report, thanks for sharing 

Beautiful

Tuesday 19/05/2020 – Minster Lovell & Evesham (140 mile round trip)

After dropping my daughter to work (I’m not happy with her being on public transport at the moment) it was time to take advantage of another furlough ride with a couple of short walks thrown in.

It was the turn of the GSX1400 today, the bike is easily comfortable enough for this distance and with a warm and sunny day in prospect I would not be missing a fairing. During its lay-up it had been polished and waxed so it was time to show it some sunshine.

My route took me south in the direction of Worcester before swinging east, passing Evesham and taking in the hairpins of Fish Hill near Broadway. From there it was a cruise through the Cotswolds before finally picking up the A40 at Burford. From Burford it was just a handful of miles before I turned off for the village of Minster Lovell.

Today’s destination (again, unrestricted access to an English Heritage site) was Minster Lovell Manor, the ruin of a large house on the banks of the river Windrush in West Oxfordshire. The bike was parked up in the lane leading to the church and it was a short walk along it and through the churchyard to the remains of the manor. There were more people around than I was expecting, but not so many that wandering round and keeping two metres apart would be a problem. A few shots were taken with the K50 and then it was back to the bike.

I had considered a circular route to get home, but I had enjoyed the roads that had taken me down there so was more than happy to return the same way. It was largely single carriageway roads with good opportunities for safe overtaking of anything that got in the way.

On the way back I stopped off in Evesham. It is a town I used to visit regularly but in recent years tended to pass by. Again I had the chance to get the camera out and take a few pictures of the older buildings as the place was fairly free of shoppers and people generally cluttering up my shots.

I’ve heard some people griping about those of us furloughed from work “treating it like a holiday” but my conscience is pretty clear, I have been dutifully staying at home throughout Aril and early May and what I am doing is not bringing me into contact with anyone. Added to this, in normal circumstances I would be touring France this week and next anyway. I’ll hopefully be taking advantage of a few more rides out before I get the dreaded call back into work.

But for tomorrow I have a lot of flies on my visor to deal with…

1] Map
2] Minster Lovell
3] Minster Lovell
4] Evesham - abbey bell tower
5] GSX1400, Evesham

superb pictures, lovely weather  and great report.....can'twait to get out myself...

Thanks for sharing    :yes:   

Lovely

Beautiful pictures and a lovely write up as the norm 👍.
Enjoy

Thursday 21/05/2020 Shresbury, Ellesmere & Whittington

Anouther furlough day ride out – I may as well take advantage of the spare time and good weather.

Under strict rotation it was really the Z13's turn out today, but although the old hippo is starting up with a bit of coaxing she is not running right, I'm pretty sure that there is not always the full six cylinders making a contribution to moving her bulk forward. She will have to stay in the garage for a while and I need to look into getting a top end service sorted out.

Instead, the GTR was pulled out again and just over 120 miles were covered, but it did not really seem like it. I think that it is because I used roads so often travelled in the psat and I didn't really get the sense of breaking new ground. The start of the trip which covers Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury was certainly nothing new, but I left Shrewsbury on the direct road to Ellsemere which at least was something fresh. It started out well until halfway along I caught up with a quarry wagon which was occupying three quarters of the road and the last few miles into Ellsemere were spent looking at its backside.

There's plenty of motorcycle parking at the edge of the lake at Ellsmere so the bike was left for a few minutes whilst I wrestled a coffe out of the machine in the perol station just along the road. Coffee and cigarette finished, I set out for the A5 near Whittington.

Today was going to be a "ruin free" day, but when I reached Whittington I could not resist parking up agaian and spending a few minutes around the castle with the camera. Strictly speaking it is shut due to the Covid situation but the owners (a charitable trust) are allowing people to access the grounds in return for chucking a quid into the pay and display machine which I was happy to do.

The run back down to Shrewsbury on the A5 was pretty swift affair as was the ride down the A458 to Bridgnorth. As I say, it is a road well travelled so I'd seen it all before – not that it was a problem, it's just good to be on the bike.

Like my previous vist to Shropshire I was reluctant to go directly home from Bridgnorth, so stayed to the west of the river Severn taking in Highley, Kinlet and Bwedley before a final fuel stop in Kidderminster and the last few miles home.

There's not so many flies on the visor today, that's the beauty of a bike with a decent screen.

 :clap: 

thanks again, lovely pictures.....more more   :yes:   

Minster Lovell, Fish Hill, Bourton on the water, very close to me, in fact VERY close to me, great countryside to explore.

Very enjoyable

Saturday 30/05/2020 Sutton Scarsdale Hall

Not such a good day on the bike today – the normally ultra-reliable GSX decided to throw a wobbly...

I'd decided to head north for a change, I may have said before but it always seems a waste of precious riding time to spend the first hour cutting through the urban midlands to get out the other side. Sure enough the day started with something like a commute until I broke free of Walsall and progressed to Lichfield.

From Lichfield I had an enjoyable run through fairly familiar roads taking in Ashbourne and up to Matlock which whilst not as busy as I have sometimes seen it still had a fair few bikes parked along the road running alongside the Derwent. I'd normally have stopped here briefly but being mindful that the police can still be funny about "gatherings" I carried on ploughing my own furrow to the centre of Matlock and from there travelled roads that were new to me through Clay Cross and on to my first intended destination of Sutton Scarsdale.

I found my way to the ruins of Sutton Scarsdale Hall, the roofless shell of a once grand manor house and enjoyed half an hour in the sun with my camera. Having had my fill of it I returned to the bike with the intention of perhaps carrying on to another destination in north Nottinghamshire – it was a bit later in the afternoon than I had intended, but I felt that I had the time on my hands.
Turning the key in the ignition resulted in – nothing. There was a quick sweep of the needles as I turned back to the "off" position, but several attempts at trying to switch the bike on went unrewarded. A quick check of the battery connections suggested a little play in the negative lead although it looked as if it should have offered a reasonable connection. I tightened it up with the Plasticine screwdriver supplied in the tool kit and this time the bike responded as it should to the turn of the key.

It looked as if there was no real drama after all, but I started to become a little cautious and decided to point the GSX toward the motorway which was not that far away and head directly home from there. The bike was running perfectly down the M1 and A42 so I thought that I would perhaps leave at Ashby de la Zouch and take the old road from there to Tamworth as it would offer more interesting riding.

As I approached Tamworth problems started to resurface; the bike started to "miss" or momentarily cut out, the needles kept dropping to zero and I was losing the LCD displays. I managed to get safely parked up in a residential access road whilst I had another fiddle with the battery connections. It did then fire up again and run nicely enough to get me home although the digital clock had obviously reset to 12:00 suggesting a total electrical power loss. It's parked up in the garage now, someone has offered to test the battery for me, but I suspect that the answer to the problem may be elsewhere.

The run through Derbyshire was great, but the other parts of the day I am more than ready to forget.

Sounds like you still had an enjoyable ride out though.  :biker3:

Intermittent fault in the ignition circuit ... side stand safety switch  ?

BTW I am definitely not an electrician... just wondering

Quote from: O.C. on June 04, 2020, 07:21:34 AM
Intermittent fault in the ignition circuit ... side stand safety switch  ?

BTW I am definitely not an electrician... just wondering

I think something like that is a greater probability than a battery issue, but I'm not particularly mechanically minded - I just enjoy riding the things  :smiley:

The local dealer who looks after the GSX for me re-opened on Tuesday but with the effects of the lock-down they have a 2-3 week backlog for the workshop (and it will get longer when people get to know they are back up and running).

I may have a tinker and see if I turn anything up, failing that I'll load the Karcher with WD40 and blast the whole thing!

At least I'm lucky enough to have another couple of mounts for a day out - there don't seem to be any noises about me returning to work at the moment.

If the trip mileage etc was reset, then the sidestand switch is not a likely culprit.  I'd check both sides of the battery connections and the earth to the frame

Quote from: Burchy on June 04, 2020, 11:12:12 AM
If the trip mileage etc was reset, then the sidestand switch is not a likely culprit.  I'd check both sides of the battery connections and the earth to the frame

Yep i agree.
I had a vfr that started behaving like a bucking bronco when i was out on a ride, and the gauges were going crazy too. Got it home, charged the battery as it was flat. Next day i checked the battery and output from the rectifier, couldn't find anything wrong. Left it to get hot and then the voltage dropped off the cliff. The rectifer was faulty but only when everything was hot. The bike would then run off the battery until it flattened it completely. That might also be worth checking.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Is the battery is fairly old and the bike has been laid up you could have a bad plate in it. Ignition on, lights and indicators on and see what the battery is doing. Will it start the bike? If the battery tops are removable is it bubbling?
If battery is OK, then rectifier /regulator as mentioned above would be next suspect.

Thanks guys, that's something to look at over the next couple of days.

The original battery that came with the bike lasted an incredible 14 years which means the one that is in there now is only 3 years old - so I'm hoping for at least another 10 out of it though  :smiley:

It's in the garage on a trickle charger at the moment which perhaps might not have been a good idea if investigations are needed.

Quote from: Burchy on June 04, 2020, 11:12:12 AM
If the trip mileage etc was reset, then the sidestand switch is not a likely culprit.  I'd check both sides of the battery connections and the earth to the frame

Sorry I don't understand the relationship between the side stand switch and trip meter      :eek:     .... some edification needed on my part please   :wink:   

That's exactly what I was saying.  Side stand switch working or not is irrelevent to a complete power loss

Quote from: Burchy on June 05, 2020, 02:38:21 PM
That's exactly what I was saying.  Side stand switch working or not is irrelevent to a complete power loss

Okay,  but doesn't the side stand switch perform a safety function by cutting power ? 

I think the sidestand switch cuts the engine but leaves the ignition on so the trip wouldn't reset. Any lights, indicators etc on at the time would still be on. Same result as the right handlebar kill switch.

Since the trip had reset (and I believe he said the clock went back to 12:00) , that would indicate total power failure.

Quote from: mcfroyce44 on June 05, 2020, 09:05:12 PM
I think the sidestand switch cuts the engine but leaves the ignition on so the trip wouldn't reset. Any lights, indicators etc on at the time would still be on. Same result as the right handlebar kill switch.

Since the trip had reset (and I believe he said the clock went back to 12:00) , that would indicate total power failure.

Thanks Stevie, .....  I reckon if you don't ask you don't know.... I get it now

BTW we seem to have wondered off topic somewhat .... at least I'm a little wiser, which is probably an improvement   :mfr_lol:     

Sorry, I should have cleared up the side stand query before - if you are unwise enough to put the GSX into gear with the side stand down the engine will cut, the FI warning light illuminates and the word "check" appears in the LCD display.

As I was was getting nothing or intermittently nothing on the clocks I think it will be a general power loss. The battery will be fished out today or tomorrow and droppped round to my sister who works at the dealers for a quick battery test. The Reg / Rec suggestion is then perhaps the next step, it looks as if I can get hod of a pattern one for the sort of money I would pay for an hours workshop labour so it might be worth having a go a swapping it out myself.

Something else has just struck me, I am going to check that there is no electrical interlock between the seat catch / lock and the rest of the electrical system, the problems only arose after I had removed the seat to lock my helmet onto the lug below. I don't think there is on this bike (there is on the Z1300) but I should check for the obvious!

Thanks for engaging with this.

Pete.

Tuesday 02/06/2020 Longtown Castle, Herefordshire (c.137 miles)

The next open (and free!) destination I turned up on the English Heritage website was Longtown Castle in Herefordshire. Dangerously close to the Welsh border, but most of the route down to Hereford was well known to me and was something of a favourite. Another warm sunny day was on the cards so it made sense to take advantage on my continuing Furlough.

The GTR was due a turn out and took me though Stourport, Bromyard and beyond to Hereford. I'd intended to drop into the city centre for a walk round the cathedral but the one way system had changed since I used to go regularly and I found myself quickly dumped back where I started. I decided to write it off for now as I didn't fancy the congestion for a second time. Considering the country is still in lock-down there seemed to be a lot of people going somewhere. Indeed, the queue for the McDonalds drive-thru was something to behold with staff trying to marshal the traffic on the A465.

Continuing in the direction of Abergavenny I left the A465 at Pontrilas where the village shop turned out a coffee for me whilst I had a break from the bike. At this point I turned west toward the Welsh border riding through what was for me virgin territory. The roads were now distinctly rural and called for some more cautious riding as many were more or less single track and the GTR was competing for space with agricultural machinery.

Upon reaching Longtown the bike was pulled up at the roadside at the castle entrance, the adjacent green provided a picnic table for a quick smoke and the cold drink I had been carrying with me before I started to explore the castle ruins.

There is not too much to see at Longtown Castle, but nevertheless it had provided me with a destination to aim for and a very remote and quiet spot to relax and get some use out of the camera. The view from the keep emphasised the castle's position at the side of the Black Mountains. There are a couple of similar border castles nearby but on the Welsh side and I'm looking forward to taking these in at some future date when we can all move more freely.

The return trip took me back the way I came to Hereford, but from there I varied the route to take me back through Leominster, around Ludlow and back home via Bridgnorth.
It had been a perfect day out on the bike, I had come pretty close to places starting with two "L"s, but I think I got away with it.

Excellent, thanks for sharing  :biker3:   

Indeed ... nicely done. Good little route there  :yes:

Monday 15/06/2020 Sharpness & Purton Ships Graveyard (c.145 miles)

The previous week had been a bit hit and miss with regard to the weather so the bikes had been left alone whilst I dealt with drudgery such as swapping out some failed double glazing units and other jobs around home.

I still did not seem to be wanted in my day-job and the sun was shining so it was time to pull the little hooligan bike out for yet another furlough day ride. I knew right from the start it was going to be the wrong bike for the job but I couldn't resist it. The Z1000 is always great fun for a short blast and although I am not a "quick" rider there is something about the little Zed that wants nothing in its way that is not doing at least every one of the legal MPH for the road and just pulls you into overtakes.

In more liberal times I have ridden the GSX and GTR down to my holiday chalet in Devon via the A38 and often wondered what lies to the sides of the route, so I decided to have a look at the Severn south of Gloucester.

I picked the A38 up at Worcester as I usually do and followed it down through Tewksbury where the high street shops were opening for the first time since lock-down. All of the high street parking bays had been closed off by plastic baulks to increase the pavement width where shoppers were queuing, but I was quite content to leave them to it and pass through.

From Tewksbury I continued south at which point I had a bit of a scare; I was pulling off from traffic lights behind three or four cars as the raod was opening up to a dual carriageway. As I accelerated for the overtake I was looking down the road and to the right and I was too late to see the car in front of me jig round something in the road which I then hit full on. Even now I not sure what it was other than it was black, about the size of a brick and bloody hard. It lifted the bike into the air for a moment but thankfully I managed to hold on and keep the front and back end of the bike pointing in the same direction.  Happily soon after I chanced upon a burger van that provided a polystyrene cup full of tea and achance to check over the bike. Continuing, I rounded the Gloucester bypass and eventually I left the A38 at Berkeley Heath for Berkeley and Sharpness, which up until then were no more than names I had seen on signs.

I found my way to the picnic area at Sharpness where I parked up the Zed for half an hour while I took some photos around the point where the Gloucester & Sharpness canal links with the Severn.

From Sharpness I navigated some fairly minor roads up to the tiny village of Purton, a little further upstream. There is no sat-nav set up on the Z1000 so it was back to the old days of memorising the route and looking out for sign posts.

Having locked up the bike on the village car park I started to walk along the banks of the canal back in the direction of Sharpness and as I expected after about 10 minutes came to the Purton Hulks. I was aware of them from seeing them on a map, but was unaware of their history or circumstances but there were various information signs along the mile or so of the bank of the Severn where they were resting and I got to learn that they had been intentionally beached along the section of the river as an aid to preventing tidal erosion of the river bank that could lead to breaching the canal that was running parallel and above. I now also knew what a "concrete lighter" and a "FCB" were. Life is wonderful – nearly 58 and still learning. A few souvenir photos were taken before walking back to the bike for the return journey.

The thing about the Z1000 is that it takes twice as long to get home than do the outward journey. After 80 miles my backside has had enough of it and I seem to need relief from it every half an hour on the way home. First stop was at Gloucester for a service station coffee, then again at Tewkesbury around the back of the abbey and two further random lay-bys were needed before I made it home. I should really look into seeing if there is a gel seat available for this bike, or perhaps more sensibly I should pick out one of the bigger bore machines when I know I am going to be out for any length of time.

Still, a really good day out though and so much better than working for a living.

Map
1425 Sharpness picnic area
1427 Sharpness canal entrance
1439 Purton hulks
1454 Purton swing bridge opening
1455 Z1000 Tewksbury Abbey

That is a nice little bit of diary .... so good to get out where and when you can .. lovely part of the world too. I chuckled when you said you locked the bike up in the village car park ... doesn,t matter where you are or where you go I would HAVE to lock the bike up too.. just couldn,t leave it ..  :angry:

another great report  :clap:   

A bit of a post-script to the run to Sharpness and Purton:

All four of my bikes were due MOTs in December, three passed without problems but the Z1000 failed due to a buckled front wheel. It was something that I had failed to notice myself, but as soon as it was pointed out to me the memory of hitting something in the road surfaced like an unexpected tax demand.

That little run has turned out to be expensive, a new front wheel is coming out at £700  :angry:

There are some on fleabay, which may be suitable

Cheers OC.

I'm looking on Ebay every 2-3 days but I haven't seen a decent front yet in the pattern I need.

There are plenty of rears available, I suppose I am just going to have to wait until some careless Z1000 owner backs into something at high speed.

Monday 22/06/2020 Guys Cliffe & Kenilworth (79 miles)

Following on from the last problematical run on the GSX I had pulled the battery out and had it tested, the result came back OK so it was dropped back into the bike and I decided to venture out on a relatively short run to see how it behaved.

There was a bit of a dull dual carriageway run to the other side of Redditch followed by some better riding out to Warwick. I've visited Warwick for work many times over the last few years and had always intended to try to find the time to investigate Guys Cliffe manor to the north of the town.

The ruin is in private hands and only open to visitors on odd occasions but the GSX was parked up next to the very attractive Saxon Mill pub where a public footpath runs alongside, past the water wheel and over the weir bridge. It is only a couple of minutes' walk from there until you draw level with Guys Cliffe House which is on the opposite bank of the Avon. Views for the camera were limited but I took a couple of shots anyway. Back to the bike and it fired up without any problems again so I took a short ride north to Kenilworth for another pause.

The return run was via Birmingham city centre as I was stupid enough to let the Zumo pick the route. That aside, it was a nice couple of hours out and whatever was upsetting the GSX last time out seems to have cleared up. Hopefully re-seating the battery and remaking the connections may have perhaps dealt with a dodgy earth. At least I feel up for taking it a bit further next time.

Thanks for sharing your report and lovely accompanying pictures.

It's  really refreshing and quite exciting to think about biking in these 'dark days'.

I'm now lookingforward even more to getting  out on my bike   

Wednesday 24/06/2020 Staffordshire Moorlands and High Peak (c. 190 miles)

I do like the Peak District but always seem to put it off as the urban West Midlands stands between me and the limestone. It was the GTR's turn out and still having a plentiful supply of time on my hands as I was not having to go to work I decided to take the plunge and took the M5 and M6 up as far as the Stafford North Junction to clear the sprawl.

From there the proper part of the ride started and I followed the A34 up to Stone where I could take the A520 for Leek; A ride though the Staffordshire moorlands is always a pleasure.

Having passed through Leek it had been my intention to do a slight detour at Upper Hulme to take in the view from The Roaches, but somehow I missed my turn and having decided the GTR was too big a lump to spin round in the lane I aborted it until the next time I was going that way.

I was more than happy to be on the GTR on the main roads though with views of moorland hill to the front and sides. First proper stop was just on the southern outskirts of Buxton where I parked up at Lower Grin car park and locked up my lid in the cases in preparation for a bit of a walk.

From the car park there is a path leading up one of the hills above Buxton (as usual a bit of a trek with the bike gear on as I had chosen yet another warm sunny day). After passing a cratered landscape formed by old quarry workings which nature has taken the trouble to grass over I eventually reached Soloman's Temple – a folly constructed in 1896 that looks something like a carelessly misplaced castle tower. After the customary smoke and photos I trudged back down to the bike – much easier going down than up. 

Next up was bludgeoning my way through Buxton and taking the A6 for as short while before turning off at Dove Holes for Castleton & the Hope Valley which is a beautiful ride, only spoiled by an excess of other people who are also out to enjoy it and consequently getting in my way.

Turning north, my ride dropped me down at the southern edge of the Ladybower Reservoir and then along its northern arm where I reached the Upper Derwent Visitor centre. This was my ultimate destination for the day and at least provided a coffee and toilet break even if there were not any decent views from there for the camera without engaging in another excessively hot walk. There's no denying it, I'm getting lazy...

On remounting the bike I decided I was not really done with my ride out, so added a little loop to my return journey which took me over the A57 Snake Pass, a road that I had not travelled for ages and felt the urge to ride again. Once I had dropped into Glossop I turned back in the direction of Leek on the A624 to enjoy a different set of views and then from Leek back the way I came.

All in all a good day out, the GTR, the scenery and the roads were a perfect match – a proper day's entertainment for twenty quid's worth of fuel.

Sounds like you still had a cracking day out despite missing your turn to The Roaches. Good photos too, when did you manage to get out of the bike?

Quote from: Lonewolf on February 23, 2021, 07:25:45 PMSounds like you still had a cracking day out despite missing your turn to The Roaches. Good photos too, when did you manage to get out of the bike?

As per the haeder that was back in June - due to the problems we were all having with posting last yaer I have a bit of a backlog of "Random rides" that I may post up (plus a trip to Scotland that may be familiar to you  :smiley: )

Perhaps I should let them lie, but there again a bit of traffic on the forum during these quiet times is perhaps not a bad thing?

29/03/2021 Edvin Loach Old Church, Bromyard (c. 65 miles)

The Covid shackles have been eased a bit and the weather was good enough to pull a bike out. I'm unsure what "stay local" means exactly, but as I have been as far north as Norway, East as Croatia and South as Spain on bikes I reckon Herefordshire is pretty local. I decided to take the GSX out and save the GTR for a longer run, the other two bikes are both on SORN at the moment.

Just 65 miles around familiar roads to start off, it's been 6 months since my last decent ride so I thought I should ease myself in. Destination was Edvin Loach Old Church which is a small unstaffed English Heritage site with unrestricted access so no advance booking, social distancing or crowds to worry about. The church is a ruin, last used around 1860 when the new church was built adjacent – there was not much to look at but as always it is the ride out that counts.

Return home was via Bromyard and Worcester. It was good to be out again, I'm just watching the forecast for the next opportunity.

More photos in the usual place:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rynglieder/albums/72157718810245646 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rynglieder/albums/72157718810245646)

It does the heart and soul good to get out doesn't it? A respectable little ride and some very nice photos. I do like the GSX 1400, I used to own an XJR 1300 which I think is from the same era, mine was a Y prefix, 2001, twas a very nice naked bike and I had some great rides on it. 

All being well I shall be out on the bike tomorrow, the drone is in need of a good flight too so that will be accompanying me.

31/03/2021 St Briavels, Forest of Dean (c. 138 miles)

Another nice day on the cards so it was time to pull out the GTR. Like most Englishmen I am currently banned from Wales but there was a bit of scope to flirt with the border.

My ride took me down the A38 through Worcester, Tewksbury and onward toward Gloucester. Aside from the couple of town / city centres this is a nice road to exercise the bike on as it was once the main artery between the midlands and south-west, before someone hit upon the idea of building the M5. It is therefore fairly wide and free flowing without too many hazards and has the bulk of the Malverns as a backdrop to the west and the Cotswolds rising to the east.

Once at the Gloucester bypass I swung onto the A48 and ran along the west bank of the River Severn. This is not a road I have used that often as when I am going the Forest of Dean or Chepstow I would normally go via Monmouth and the Wye Valley but the border restrictions at least gave me a chance to take a less familiar road. It turned out quite an enjoyable ride and I must factor it in again for a future run.

There was a brief stop in Lydney to feed the inner man before climbing up into the hills that form the Forest of Dean and then some B Roads into my planned destination of St Briavels. This small border town has a castle which in more normal times serves as a Youth Hostel although in these Covid days it is of course closed. I took a quiet walk around the moat and a few snaps with the camera before embarking on the return journey.

I managed to remain in England through the Forest of Dean taking in Coleford and Ross on Wye and then continuing north through Ledbury before climbing the Malverns. There was another brief break from the bike in Great Malvern where I parked up the bike to take a look at the exterior of Malvern Priory. I seem to have a lot of photos of ruined abbeys and priories in my photo collection, it is a bit of a change to see one with the roof still on.

In not much more than an hour I was back through Worcester and home again.

Additional photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rynglieder/albums/72157718520005184 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rynglieder/albums/72157718520005184)

Quote from: Lonewolf on March 30, 2021, 10:15:16 PMIt does the heart and soul good to get out doesn't it? A respectable little ride and some very nice photos. I do like the GSX 1400, I used to own an XJR 1300 which I think is from the same era, mine was a Y prefix, 2001, twas a very nice naked bike and I had some great rides on it.

All being well I shall be out on the bike tomorrow, the drone is in need of a good flight too so that will be accompanying me.

Did you get the drone up ?

Quote from: GLA55Y on April 05, 2021, 06:50:45 PMDid you get the drone up ?

But of course. You've seen the video haven't you, is your first name Mick?

Not sure if I've seen it.
Yes it's Mick.

Quote from: GLA55Y on April 07, 2021, 02:48:03 PMNot sure if I've seen it.
Yes it's Mick.

This one


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NU-QqYnMQM

Quote from: Lonewolf on April 07, 2021, 08:05:33 PMThis one


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NU-QqYnMQM

Ah yes
Must have had a brain fart !

Yep, great video and up to your usual high standards Steve   :clap:   

Yup, enjoyed that one Steve...and found the video on the heated jacket interesting

Quote from: Moogus on April 08, 2021, 06:37:17 PMYup, enjoyed that one Steve...and found the video on the heated jacket interesting

Many thanks.  :clap:

04/04/2021 The Cotswolds / Chipping Camden (c. 90 miles)

Easter Sunday – Somehow a lot of the day had disappeared in mundane things like washing the car and clearing away a lot of old decking we had ripped up to replace. All of a sudden it was three o'clock, but it was still warm and sunny so there was no way I was going to pass up the chance to use up the rest of the afternoon on the bike. It was only going to be an hour, but as usual I got carried away.

As two of my grand fleet of bikes are still on SORN due to Covid and work being needed I am alternating between the GSX and GTR, today was a GSX day (and probably the better bike for a warm afternoon).

I glanced over Google Maps looking for something that would take me in a different direction from the last two rides. My eyes settled on Chipping Camden and I couldn't remember if I had ever been there. A look at Google Street view confirmed that I had not, so I decided to set about filling this void in my life.

For variety I dodged Worcester by going through Droitwich and then on A Roads toward Evesham There is then only a short bit of the dull section of the A46 before I turned off to bypass Broadway but take in Fish Hill with its steep climb and the sort of hairpins that are rarely found in the southern part of England.

As it was late in the day most of the visitors had gone from Chipping Camden but at least there was somewhere open for a take-away coffee while the bike cooled down. I hadn't bothered to take out the camera as it was not intended to be a big day out, but the market hall and high street were recorded on the smart phone as a reminder of my visit.

To avoid going over the same ground my return took me through Honeybourne and up to Biford-on –Avon and then home via an over-familiar route though Redditch and Bromsgrove.

Chipping Camden has been crossed off the list, but I am now motivated to dig a bit deeper into the Cotswolds later in the year.

Quote from: Lonewolf on April 07, 2021, 08:05:33 PMThis one


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NU-QqYnMQM

I've just managed to set aside a bit of time for that - very nicely done again, looks like you had the perfect day.

24/04/2021 Flintshire (c. 180 miles)

Since my last ride out to chipping Camden the weather had broken down a little (and these days I have the luxury of time to be a fair-weather biker), followed by the partial ending of lock-down which meant that I could at last spend a week down at my place in Devon. The result was the bikes had been neglected for a couple of weeks and as the weather had picked up again I was itching to get out.

Although it was the turn of the GTR to come out I had another ride planned with friends for the following Tuesday so I thought I would save the camera for that run and pulled out the GSX again. (The Z1000 and Z1300 are still on SORN but hope fully will make their appearances next month).

As per my usual practice, a monument or two was picked off a map as somewhere to aim for and hopefully take me down some new roads.
Once I had cleared the over familiar run past Telford I was able to enjoy the roads of North Shropshire and the first stop on the itinerary was the Raven Café at Prees Heath, just south of Whitchurch and a popular biker's haunt. I was not sure that it would be open but it turns out that I was not to be disappointed and managed to secure a Covid complaint mug of coffee.

From here it was very new riding for me, I passed through the village of Malpas and continued on bike friendly B- Roads just over the Welsh border to the village of Holt in the Wrexham area. The bike was parked up in the centre of the village and I took the short walk along the footpath to the castle on the banks of the River Dee so that I could take a few snaps.

Once back on the bike it was barely two minutes before I crossed back into England over the Dee via the Farndon Bridge where I jumped off again to grab another photo.

The ride then took me to the outskirts of Chester before taking a quick blast down some of the A55 North Wales Expressway although it was not long before I left it to enter the village of Ewole. The bike was secured in a lay-by at the south edge of Werpe Country Park from where a 10 minute walk through wood land brought me to the remains of Ewole Castle. It's a very hidden and tranquil spot and the park would probably have stood a much longer exploration if I was not clad in bike gear on a warn day.

Having had my fill of it I returned to the bike and began the return journey. To make a bit of a loop of it I rode past Mold and on to Ruthin where I selected the road that would take me over the Horseshoe Pass and drop in Llangollen. I was expecting to see a few bikes at the Ponderosa Café at the summit of the pass but it looked closed up and no one was around. It is possible that it has not yet reopened but to be fair it was late in the day now (getting on for 5 O'clock) so they may have done their trade and packed up.

Once through Llangollen it was rapid spin down the A5 just stopping for a coffee outside Chirk (and a moment to ring the wife to explain that I was going to be late again). Even when this road is busy there are plenty of good safe overtaking opportunities on a bike so rapid progress was made back down to Shrewsbury. A quick fuel stop at Much Wenlock was the last event of the ride.

It had turned out to be another good day, the bike and the route that had linked the points I had selected had proved a good one.

Thanks for the write up and photos, a very decent ride out. Lynn Ravens looks very quiet, haven't been there for a while, I may have to have a wander over now you've confirmed it's open. I occasionally go via there on my way to Tewksbury.

Coincidentally I am anticipating a ride to The Ponderosa next Wednesday with 2kwacks so hopefully it will be open, even if just to use their loo's.

Quote from: Lonewolf on April 25, 2021, 12:03:07 AMThanks for the write up and photos, a very decent ride out. Lynn Ravens looks very quiet, haven't been there for a while, I may have to have a wander over now you've confirmed it's open. I occasionally go via there on my way to Tewksbury.

Coincidentally I am anticipating a ride to The Ponderosa next Wednesday with 2kwacks so hopefully it will be open, even if just to use their loo's.

The Raven did seem quiet but I think it is the first time I have visited on a weekday, so I guess it now the case that I am rubbing shoulders with the more limited numbers of the retired and unemployed! It did seem fairly well set up with a large canopy just out of shot on the left were they had provided some external seating.

I'm not so sure about the Ponderosa, I did not catch sight of any extra external seating set up but then again I was not crawling past and most of my attention was on the road, you know what the sheep are like up there. If it's not open there are pleanty of opportunities for your break down the hill in Llangollen, that did seem pretty busy.

Many thanks, I'm sure come chow time, we'll find somewhere.

25/04/2021 Ludlow & Clee Hill (c.78 miles)

I finally got to meet up with Pross of this parish, although I have been aware of him being based near me since I bought my GTR and joined the forum I had to run into him.

We met up in the village just down from my home and splendid fellow that he is, he gave me some advice on the possibility of fitting some risers to my bike as a quick sit on his machine showed me that they may be an improvement for me – something to think about.. We also looked at how we had set up our respective Innovv cameras to see if we could exchange any ideas for a better set-up.

Having got to the point that we decided that bikes were better for riding than standing by talking we set off around my usual default loop; the ride that I take when I want to be out but am not heading for a particular destination.

The ride out from Stourbridge to Craven Arms was always a blast, one of my favourite roads, although I soon found out that it had not been well looked after over the lockdown era and it was a bit of a bumpy ride despite this I think we still both enjoyed the ride to Ludlow.

In Ludlow we parked just off the castle square and made our way to the local Costa Coffee and hauled our beverages back to the main square for another chat. This is where we found out that although we did not know each other there were a few people that we both knew – a small world as they say.

We got back on the bikes briefly for a short run up to the summit of Titterstone Clee. I love it up there as the views extend for miles and although not that far in distance it seems worlds away from home. The domes and towers of the radar tracking station set above the derelict quarry workings and buildings add to the other-worldly atmosphere.

Our route home took us past around Bewdley before we split on the outskirts of Stourbridge. It was good to put another face to a forum name, hopefully we will manage another run out soon.

A most enjoyable meet up and ride out👍.
After the first few seconds when that woman didn't understand the idea of islands 🤦‍♂️  And later in the day when the idiot in the BMW nearly pulled out to overtake as we went down the hill towards Bewdley he must have seen you/us at the last minute 🤬🤬. But apart from that a most enjoyable day. Hoping to do it soon 👍.
Bike booked in for MOT Tuesday 4th after bank holiday
Ready for Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 

Sounds like you both had a great ride out.  :clap:

It was a nice ride out after all this covid trouble.
And to meet up with another Forum member 👍👏👏👏

30/04/2021 A Cotswold loop (c. 150 miles)

I got a call from a former work colleague to say that he had just taken delivery of a new BMW XR1000 and was itching to get out on it if I was up for a run. Steve, who accompanied us on the Elan Valley run last year was also supposed to join us but called off on the morning we were due out as he had suffered a dead arm as a reaction to his second Covid jab. The forecast was not perfect but even the prospect of getting his new steed dirty was not going to put Mike off so I duly took the GTR for ride down to our arranged meeting point in Pershore.

Mike knew this area very well having only recently moved from there so I tailed him on a loop around the Cotswolds. Initially I had the feeling I had picked the wrong bike for this run, his "local knowledge" included several tight and twisty minor roads that made the GTR feel very cumbersome, but eventually we broke out on to some proper A Roads where I was able to keep up with him a bit better. To be honest I struggle with my mental compass a little bit in following other bikes when the lead bike is riding "on the fly" rather than to a pre agreed route or waypoints, in fact it was only when I got home and reviewed my video footage that I fully understood where I had been!

There was a chance for a coffee, toasted sandwich and a catch up at Teddington Hands before we continued around taking in Stow-on-the Wold and Banbury. As we started to close the circle Mike suggested that we stop off in a town where he used to live for a coffee and cake and so I found myself back in Chipping Campden for the second time in a month and coincidentally he chose exactly the same point in the street to park up that I had on the GSX a few weeks earlier.

Having refreshed ourselves and agreed to arrange something for another run soon we finished off the loop to Pershore before splitting for our own runs home.

It was in the end much drier than the forecast had threatened and good to get another post-lockdown run done.

07/06/2021 Brockhampton

Back in December my Z1000 failed its MOT due to a buckled front wheel that I had been riding round on for several months without noticing. Due to the lockdowns in place during the early part of the year I decided to SORN the bike and keep an eye out for a replacement wheel on Ebay. By the end of April nothing had come up so I took the plunge and ordered a new genuine part – I got a good deal through my sister's contacts in the trade, but it was still a £750.00 thump on the credit card to get it up and running again. The bike was taxed from the first of June and now needed somewhere to go...

I chose a short ride out to the National Trust property at Brockhampton. The Z1000 is a literal pain in the arse after any distance and this property was not too far from home. As a NT member it costs nothing for me to have a walk around and you can usually rely on a decent cup of coffee at your destination.

Brockhampton is not that far from Edvin Laoch church that I had visited on the GSX a few weeks back, but it was still possible to vary the route to reduce repetition. As well as the medieval moated manor there were also the remains of a Norman church to get the camera out for.

It was good to have the Z1000 back on the road, just the job for a little blast.

The Z1000 looks like a fun bike but not built for comfort 

The properties in the first photo remind me of the small village of Forthampton just outside Tewksbury. A quintessential English village. (Thats a big word for me).  :mfr_lol:

Quote from: Lonewolf on August 09, 2021, 11:29:13 PMThe properties in the first photo remind me of the small village of Forthampton just outside Tewksbury. A quintessential English village. (Thats a big word for me).  :mfr_lol:

Village isn't a big word Steve  :mfr_lol:   

We were going to Mandello for the Guzzi 100th anniversary celebrations on our 1999 V10 Sport, but thankfully it was cancelled. So instead we went down to the UK owners club meet in North Devon as they had rooms as well as camping this year.
The traffic was terrible and there were heavy showers for all the journey down. But it was still good to get out for a ride and we met a friend down there who we hadn't seen for two years. As we were out and about we went to Blue Anchor Bay in Somerset on the way, really lovely. Pic of cafe at BAB with our heavily modified 1994 1100 carb Sport.

Good Post and great picture   :clap:   

Ray, I think everyone's plans have taken a hit this year but at lest we have decent country of our own to explore - it's good to get out.

08/06/2021 Talley Abbey & Dinefwr (c. 235 miles)

A decent sunny day was forecast and I decided to have a good long day out on the bike with a trip into Carmarthenshire in mind. The Z1000 was all well and good for the previous day's ride but something more comfortable was in order for this so it was time to stretch the legs of the GSX. (The GTR had only recently completed the Scotland trip so it was the time of another bike to get some mileage).

The route out takes in some stunning English and Welsh countryside on very useable roads, I was absolutely in my element all morning. The final approach to the village of Talley was a bit fraught, I had foolishly let the Garmin Zumo take me through the last 5-6 miles and of course it picked out a number of narrow lanes with grass growing up the middle, but I should be used to this by now.

At the edge of the village of Talley lie the remains of a medieval abbey to which there is free admission so I had a half hour in the sunshine with the camera and a bit of a rest from the bike.

Having done that I felt the need for a coffee and a public convenience, neither of which was immediately to hand. A quick search on the phone turned up a nearby National Trust property which looked to be the solution to my needs and so my ride out was extended a little further to Dinefwar.

As well as the manor house at Dinewfwr which offered the café and toilets there are the remains of a Norman castle in the estate. I was in no rush to return home so although it was a bit too warm in the bike gear I took the 10-15 minute slog through the estate and up the hill on which it sat. A bit more time was spent capturing some photos before the walk back down.

The run home was via Brecon and Hereford and I'm looking forward to heading down that way again later in the year to have a proper run around the Beacons.

It was well into the early evening before I got home, a long day but a perfect run out.  Regrettably it was slightly spoiled the next morning when my wife noticed the rear tyre of the GSX was completely flat. The traditional check with a bit of washing up liquid and water turned up a pinhole puncture. Ah well, back to two working bikes again...

Great post and pics... thanks for sharing   :clap:   

10/06/2021 the Cotswolds (again!) (c.110 miles).

Having missed out on the last ride to the Cotswolds due to his Covid vaccine reaction, I caught up with Steve at a motorway service area situated between us and we set out to cover a bit more of the Cotswold countryside. For my own sanity I picked a route that would take in some different roads to those that I had ridden recently with Mike and on my own. I also made a mental note to avoid Chipping Campden this time, it's a very nice place but a third visit would almost certainly leave me exposed to being charged Council Tax there.

I decided to take the Z1000 out again and "save" the GTR for a longer run that I had in mind and so I set out for the very attractive village of Broadway with Steve in my wake on his Honda VFR. Taking the A46 would have been a faster route but it is not the most interesting of roads so we crossed the Avon at Bidford and rode the more pleasant route via Honeybourne. Broadway was busy but we still managed to find a table at a café where we caught up on how life had treated us since we last met during our ride out to the Elan Valley late last summer.
Back on the road again we pushed on to Stow-on-the Wold but this time I looped toward the west where we stopped off at Bourton on the Water for a late lunch and short walk.

More Cotswold countryside was put under our wheels before crossing the Severn at Tewksbury and riding north for a while to reach Upton on Severn where we made our third stop of the day at bench overlooking the river.
Circumnavigating Worcester on our ride home was a bit of a nightmare, the roadworks on its outer ring road seem to have been going on forever and we would probably have been quicker straight through the city, however it was eventually cleared and we split for our respective homes just north of Bromsgrove.

It was good to have a ride out and catch up with an old friend again but I think I may leave the Cotswolds alone for a month or two now.

Some lovely photos in your Flikr account ... only looked at a few but nicely done  :clap:  :clap:

Quote from: Rusty on October 18, 2021, 09:11:17 AMSome lovely photos in your Flikr account ... only looked at a few but nicely done  :clap:  :clap:

Thanks, there are rather a lot now I have the time on my hands. (And at my age I need reminders of where I have been!)

15/06/2021 Newstead Abbey (c. 160 miles)

Another sunny and free day – I love being retired. It was time to break out the GTR as I had a suspicion that some motorway work may become involved today.

I was aiming for a destination to the north-east of home and as usual Birmingham was in my way. I decided to break through it by using the M5 & M6, basically my old commute to work. Nothing has changed – by the time I reached west Bromwich the matrix signs were advising of long delays on the motorway and in my opinion the GTR is too porky for filtering. And so I diverted through Walsall and up to Litchfield, an hour of suburban crawl before I could start to use the throttle.

Once in the Staffordshire countryside I was at least moving, but the speed limits seem to have dropped in this area compared to how I remember them. There didn't seem to be any option but to sit in the lines of traffic at 40mph or risk your licence when you came to a straight bit.

Eventually Ashbourne was reached so I took the opportunity to stop at Costa for a take-away coffee and a small cigar. After this break things cheered up a bit and the remainder of the run through Derbyshire and into Nottinghamshire was not too bad.

The bike was parked up at Newstead abbey and I enjoyed a couple of hours in the sunshine around its grounds with the camera. After a final coffee I walked back to the bike where a couple of peacocks seemed to take exception to its colour and looked to be sizing it up for a fight.

Due to my late start from home and the delays at the beginning of the run the day was running away from me and I left the Zumo to pick the fastest route home. This turned out to be the exceptionally tedious A38 dual carriageway followed by being dropped back into the rush hour traffic on the motorways around Birmingham.

Whilst it had been a pleasure to visit Newstead it had not been a particularly great day / route for the bike, a bit of a disappointment as a ride-out.

The will be others...

your day obviously improved,  thanksfor sharing,  and again brilliant pictures   :clap:
   

13/07/23021 Weston Park (c. 50 miles)

According to my rather vague and flexible rota It was supposed to be a day out on the GSX today but the tyre that had been punctured on the previous month's ride out to Talley Abbey still hadn't been sorted (the workshop booking time at my local dealer was still 4-6 weeks).

Not wishing to pass up on another sunny day the Z1000 was called out again to deputise. I can't face a long ride on that machine these days so I decided on a short loop that would give me a stop at Weston Park in Staffordshire.

Not a National trust property this time, so I had to put my hand in my pocket at the gate to get in with my camera and then again for my coffee before the ride home.

The bit of B Road riding on the way out was good fun on the little Zed, the return via Wolverhampton perhaps slightly less so, but it got a bit of oil around the engine and staved off any barbed comments from the wife about the number of bikes I have and how often they get used...

23/07/2021 Lake Vyrnwy (c.176 miles)

Time for a proper ride out today and Wales was calling to me again, one for the GTR I thought.

To avoid repetition I took a slightly less direct route out than I usually would, the route from Shrewsbury through Rhos Common was particularly enjoyable riding and I can't recall having travelled that road before which adds to the pleasure.

The day was warm and sunny throughout and I found time to park up at a couple of different spots around the lake for a short walk and my reward of a coffee and a smoke.

I did a complete circuit of the lake and then, being in no rush to go home, road back to near the northern end where I had spotted a sign for Dinas Mawddwy when I had passed previously. I had not realised that a link existed between there and Vyrnwy but it seemed worth exploring.

It's unsurprising that I was not aware of it, it's barely visible on Google Maps being a single track mountain pass - sometimes these roads end up being a bit of a fraught ride with grass growing up the middle, but it turned out OK, practically nothing else was using the road so I had it to myself and the scenery and views from the mountain tops was stunning and is a route I intend to ride again. Annoyingly my Innovv camera decided it did not want to record this leg of the journey, but I have included a grab from Google Street View below to give you an idea.

The extra bit of concentration that was required over that stretch resulted in me feeling the need for a break at Dinas Mawddwy but that was followed by some spirited riding without a further break to get me straight through to home at a decent time.

A really good day out for the GTR even though it did feel a bit heavy on the mountain road.

Lovely run by the sounds of it .
And a lovely writ up and pictures keep them coming Pete 👍👍

brilliant write up with great pictures Pete as usual, thanks for sharing

12/08/2021 The Malverns, Wye Valley & Severn Valley (c. 168 miles)

Although I am more than happy to ride out on my own at my own pace and in my own time it is nice to catch up with old friends and have some company now and again. I gave a shout out to a couple of friends, this time including an acquaintance from the GSX owner's forum. Having finally got a new tyre sorted out for the GSX it seemed right to use the day to break it in, so that was the bike that was selected for the day.

A rendezvous was arranged at Hopwood Park Services on the M42 and after introducing Chris to Mike and Steve we got one junction's worth of motorway under us before turning south to Bromsgrove and then Worcester on the A38. I took the guys through Worcester city centre to avoid the interminable roadworks on the bypass and then we began the climb of the Malvern Hills allowing us a stop and the first drink and chat of the day at the kiosk at British Camp on the A449.

From there we descended into Herefordshire where we skirted Ledbury and continued at good pace on the A4449 past Ross on Wye where there was a bit of dual carriageway riding to be done down to Monmouth.

On reaching Monmouth we took the A466 which meanders southwards alongside the River Wye, a good single carriageway road through pleasant wooded valleys. Eventually we reached the riverside village of Tintern where we parked up and headed into the Anchor Inn for lunch and a drink in their garden overlooked by the ruins of Tintern abbey.

Suitably refreshed, we continued south to the town of Chepstow to satisfy my desire for a quick view of the castle, a possible subject of a future ride out for myself.

My return route then took us north along the A48 with constant glimpses of the broad stretch of the River Severn all the way to the outskirts of Gloucester. From there it was a curvy stretch of A38 back to Worcester. Although a little out of my own way home I lead the guys up to Alcester as it seemed a convenient point to for everyone to break up and from there make their own way home.

The weather had been reasonable, there was a good variety of roads and landscapes involved and the odd monument passed, I'd had a good time and hopefully my fellow riders had too.

Sounds like awesome ride out will have to try to join you next time work hours permitting .
Keep the rideouts coming and keep safe 👍.

Quote from: pross on November 13, 2021, 03:01:52 PMSounds like awesome ride out will have to try to join you next time work hours permitting .
Keep the rideouts coming and keep safe 👍.

I'll look forward to that, keep in touch and let me know when you have a free day.

To be honest although I do ride through the winter months I need a bit of motivation, so a poke in the ribs may spur me on.

Thanks for another great write up with pictures,   :yes:   

Quote from: Rynglieder on November 13, 2021, 06:05:48 PMI'll look forward to that, keep in touch and let me know when you have a free day.

To be honest although I do ride through the winter months I need a bit of motivation, so a poke in the ribs may spur me on.

Will do Pete I'm the same trying to fit the fishing in aswell before the freeze .
A poke in the ribs needed but once setup and 🎣 fishing I'm as happy as a 🐖in💩🤣👍

16/09/2021 The Wirral (c. 197 miles)

A road I had not ridden this year was the A41 which takes me from the West Midlands, through Shropshire, Cheshire and onto the Wirral. The Z1300 was still indisposed (now in a local workshop for a major service and set-up), the Z1000 too uncomfortable over this distance and the last one to take a turn was the GSX so the GTR was the natural choice for the day. The A41 is quite an enjoyable road to ride once I have broken out of Wolverhampton, single carriageway flowing bends in the main rather than twisties and other than skirting Chester fairly free of major towns until the Wirral Peninsular.

Wolverhampton was cleared within half an hour and from there it was straightforward cruising until I reached the Raven Café just south of Whitchurch where I took the time for a mug of tea and fifteen minutes off the bike.

Back on the A41 I rounded Chester and continued on to Birkenhead. First proper stop was at Birkenhead Priory where I took an hour for a walk round the ruins with the camera. That done I continued onward to New Brighton where the bike was parked up whilst I took some photos of the outside of Fort Perch Rock and New Brighton lighthouse.

The final box to tick on the day's planned schedule was the Leasowe lighthouse, now land-bound as the shifting coastline had built up in front of it. Unfortunately I had chosen the wrong coastal road car park and was left with a 10 minute walk along the sea wall wearing bike gear in strong sunshine before I reached it. On return to the car park I dropped into a café where the bike was parked where I was served with a cup of lukewarm tea without the requested sugar – I shan't be going back there.

The return loop started with a run down the spine of the Wirral peninsular which is somewhat speed limited and stop-start progress but eventually I returned to Chester. As time was running out yet again I took what I knew to be a quicker route home, passing Wrexham and then joining the A5.

Nothing to complain about on today's ride out and the GTR was the perfect choice.

I thought for a moment that  your bikes reg  was FFS   :mfr_lol:   

Interesting report with the usual excellent  pictures   :clap:   

20/09/2021 Bridgnorth (c. 53 miles)

As usual I had been watching the weather forecast for the next sunny day to get out combine a ride on a bike with a few photographs, a short run on the Z1000 was in order.

The road to Bridgnorth was a well beaten path but although only a short distance from home I had never visited the castle. The run out was the sort of rapid blast that you can have on a small(ish) bike on roads that you are very familiar with and know every safe overtaking point and bend like the back of your hand, always a buzz...

The castle and gardens are not big, but looked good in the sun and the outcrop on which it sits offers views down the Severn Valley including the terminus of the Severn Valley Railway – well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Not quite ready to go home I continued northwards through Broseley and into Coalbrookdale where I stopped briefly at some old kilns that I had passed many time previously. There are a number of museums and heritage centres along this section of the gorge and I will no doubt return when I have more time to look a little more deeply. The intention of a further stop and a coffee at Ironbridge was initially thwarted by a road closure but I followed the detour through the suburbs of Telford and made a new approach to Ironbridge from the North. Rather than parking up by the historic bridge as I usually would I pulled into the visitor centre a little further up river where I managed to get my drink.

Return home was through Much Wenlock and Bridgnorth, a perfect little loop for the hooligan bike.

I really like your ride outs and pictures, thanks again for sharing

Nearest I got to that part of the world was many years ago (mid 1990s) when I was at a conference at the Telford Golf Club and Spa

Quote from: O.C. on November 19, 2021, 07:11:06 AMI really like your ride outs and pictures, thanks again for sharing

Nearest I got to that part of the world was many years ago (mid 1990s) when I was at a conference at the Telford Golf Club and Spa

Thanks O.C.

Within easy reach from home, but a chap on a motorcycle can easily find 2-3 days enjoyable riding around Shropshire.

24/09/2021 Coughton Court (c. 66 miles)

The "rota" made this a GSX day, but annoyingly as I tried to roll it out of the garage I very quickly discovered that a 2" screw had decided to make a nest in the rear tyre which was only about 250 miles old. I manged to get enough air into it to rearrange the bikes in the garage so that I could pull the GTR out, I had promised to do a small job for my sister out in Warwickshire so sorting out the rubber on the GSX would have to wait.

The GTR was a bit low on fuel when I got it out and I was aware there seemed to be a national panic going on over petrol supplies. Personally I refuse to change my habits when this sort of thing goes on, I will not queue for petrol that I don't yet need (it only adds to the problems) and I set off confident that I would find something along the way.

The direct route out to Studley where my sister lives is a very dull dual carriageway which is OK in the car but not what I wanted on a bike so I set out on a more circuitous but interesting ride. The first garage that I passed seemed to have the forecourt closed off and the next had queuing traffic spilling out onto a difficult junction which I did not want to involve myself with but I was content to press on through Hagley, into Droitwich and out on the old salt road toward Feckenham and Alcester. The LCD display on the GTR was now nagging me about the fuel level but may patience paid off, I pulled straight into the service station at Arrow, onto the pump and was filled up and on my way again without any drama or waiting.

Five more minutes on the road brought me to Studley where I discharged my family responsibilites by fitting a new garden hose reel and mending a dishwasher rack slide in consideration of a free cup of tea. These things have to be done.

There was time left in the day so I rode back south to Coughton Court where I spent an hour around the gardens and purchased the obligatory National Trust latte.

The ride back was again through Studley and a bit of back-road navigation through North Worcestershire back past Hanbury and then picking up the route I had come by.

Another enjoyable day, soured slightly by having to order and fork out for another tyre when I got home.

06/10/2021 Stokesay Castle (c. 73 miles)

Another ring of Avon rubber had been would round the rear wheel of the GSX so it seemed only right to make a start on the 100 miles of dry riding that they recommend before it is worked hard.

Not being sure where to go I decided that my favourite Shropshire loop would do, a combination of nice A and B roads through pleasant countryside.

To add a bit of interest I disregarded Ludlow where I would normally stop, but made a visit to the English Heritage site at Stokesay Castle. It is more of a moated and fortified manor house than a typical border castle, the grounds are quite small but there was a reasonable amount to look at within the castle and slightly unusually for an English Heritage property it did have a café by the car park where I took a break before continuing home though Cleobury Mortimer.

Nothing new or innovative about the route that I had taken, but I had put a few miles on the new rear tyre and it is always a good ride out there.

The Castle and the Gatehouse are both beautiful buildings...thanks (again) for sharing   :clap:   

21/10/2021 Bala & Llyn Celyn (c.172 miles)

I'd wanted to take the GTR out today but to get to it I would have to shift the GSX from the front of the garage as it was the one I had used last. UNBELIEVABLE – having just replaced the rear tyre twice within a month now it seemed to have a flat front tyre. Once again I got some air back into it enough to shuffle the bikes around, I was not going to waste a good free day messing with it any further just now.

It seemed that I had not been around lakes or mountains enough this year so today's destination was to be Bala. It's a place I have ridden to many times in the past but usually as a stop off when going deeper into Snowdonia, this time as I was working with reduced daylight in autumn I picked a more direct route that would take me over some "new" roads.

The road up to and just beyond Shrewsbury was all very familiar and routine but this time I broke away from the A5 at Nescliffe through the village of Knockin and the passed wonderfully named Knockin Shop. There was then a beautiful sequence of minor roads through places that I would not begin to try to pronounce, stunning Welsh countryside with alternately dry and wet tarmac under my wheels, it looked as if I had been lucky enough to dodge a series of showers passing before me.

I took a break with a coffee in the town of Bala and rested a while before carrying on the few hundred yards to the lake shore. As I often had before, I found myself wondering why I had bothered, the views from this main visitor car park don't strike me as being that special so after the length of a small cigar I re-mounted the bike and rode back through the town and on up to Llyn Celyn which I recalled had better views. I pulled up at the dam and walked its length taking a few photos, probably rather too many of a spectacular rainbow that I was being treated to.

The ride home was the way I came and I managed to push home in time to be back before darkness fell.
Another five star day on the bike, the days will now shorten with the clocks going back so there will probably be few such long days out for a while now.
 

At least you managed to get out on the bike, I'm suffering with Man Flu, not covid I've done the tests. Hopefully I'll be bike fit again by the weekend. Sounds like you had a great bimble out, personally I quite like Bala Lake but each to their own of course.

once again thanks for sharing and for brightening up my otherwise dull day, like Steve I've also got a slight bout of man flu (snotty nose - No big deal)   

I'm still unable to ride as my new hip isn't fully 'run in'   :mfr_lol:   

Quote from: Lonewolf on January 19, 2022, 06:23:07 PMAt least you managed to get out on the bike, I'm suffering with Man Flu, not covid I've done the tests. Hopefully I'll be bike fit again by the weekend. Sounds like you had a great bimble out, personally I quite like Bala Lake but each to their own of course.

That ride out was a couple of months ago Steve, I'm still catching up on my notes and photos..

There was not much riding in December except three trips out for MOTs on various bikes (all passed  :smiley: ).

Only one little trip out so far in 2022, more to follow.

Quote from: O.C. on January 19, 2022, 07:39:36 PMonce again thanks for sharing and for brightening up my otherwise dull day, like Steve I've also got a slight bout of man flu (snotty nose - No big deal)   

I'm still unable to ride as my new hip isn't fully 'run in'   :mfr_lol:   

I'm sure the man-flu will pass and hopefully the hip will not take too long to bed in. Hopefully I'll see you on the road when the weather picks up.  :smiley:

Quote from: Rynglieder on January 23, 2022, 03:10:55 PMI'm sure the man-flu will pass and hopefully the hip will not take too long to bed in. Hopefully I'll see you on the road when the weather picks up.  :smiley:

getting back on my bike is a big target for me....according to my consultant  my recovery is doing well, however he did remind me that it is a big operation  and will take some time to get back to normality,
he quoted "summer"  :shocked:   which is not what I  hoped for

So it's a day by day exercise at the moment 

Summer?  :wacko:

Better to be safe than sorry though, it certainly isn't worth jeopardising the healing process just for the sake of rushing things.

Quote from: Lonewolf on January 24, 2022, 02:07:01 AMSummer?  :wacko:

Better to be safe than sorry though, it certainly isn't worth jeopardising the healing process just for the sake of rushing things.

That's exactly what we thought Steve, time will tell with the healing process.

One things for sure and that is I'm not going to rush into anything and take backward steps or undo the good work that's been done

Some folk report that they are back to 'normal' after about 8 weeks or so, however we all repair differently and I am an old git   :mfr_lol:  so maybe it'll take a little longer in my case

22/10/2021 Bridgnoth (36 miles) & 30/10/2021 Clee Hill (60 miles)

The Z1300 is back!

It had spent most of the last 18 months firmly at the back of the garage and although it had been pulled out in late November 2020 for its MOT, it made sense to put it onto SORN as my area was still under lockdown and opportunities to ride it were limited even if I wanted to risk its very unreliable running.

There seemed no point in it just gathering dust in the corner so I decided to throw a few hundred pounds at someone to do a major service and get the carbs ultrasonically cleaned and set up again.

The ride home from the workshop bode well and once I arrived back home I was disinclined to just put it away again. Still not being absolutely certain of how it would be running I decided to go for the Very Short Loop which I use when I just have an hour and want to blow the cobwebs away. I took the loop in the opposite direction to usual as I needed to fuel with some premium fuel which I knew I could get from a supermarket in Kidderminster, given the general switch to E10 fuels I am not sure how the 38 year old Hippo would deal with running on stewed cabbage which seems to form the basis of new standard petrol.

I must say that I was very happy with the way it was running, I even let it cool while I had a coffee in Bridgnorth to see how it would behave on restart. All good, I really enjoyed the ride home although there was a bit of traffic in front of me and I had yet to get confident enough for overtaking on it.

The next opportunity to get out was a week later, during these shorter days it takes me a while to get motivated to go out and by the time I did the day was ebbing away but there was enough time to get out to Bridgnorth again but this time feeling a bit more secure I was happy to press on through Kinlet, on to Cleobury Mortimer and finishing at the summit of Clee Hill.

The Z1300 is a heavy old bike at low speed but not too bad when moving, I had good clear roads on this day and the six cylinders were singing to me again, all was well with the world.

Going forward I need to make sure it is used more regularly, I think it really does not like fuel sitting in the carbs going stale, so note to self – ride more!

Great to see the 'old' girl on the road, and I'm sure you loved every minute of riding the bike  :clap:   

Awesome looking old school muscle bike 👌.
Glad you had a good ride out 👍

17/11/2021 Wellsbourne & Hanbury Hall (c.88 miles)

Another sunny day was on offer and having replaced the front tyre on the GSX it seemed an opportunity to make a start on some steady mileage to scrub it in.

I'd enjoyed to road out east that I had taken to Coughton Court a few weeks back so I thought I would do it again but push on through and past Stratford on Avon. Beyond Stratford I made my way to the Touchdown Café on the edge of Wellsbourne Airfield. I had been there once before with a few members of the old GSX owners forum, one of them had suggested it as an add on from one of the April Fools Meets at the Motorcycle Museum and it seemed as good a plan as any to revisit it. It still seems a popular bikers destination, there were half a dozen there even on a weekday.

I spent half an hour with my mug of tea on the balcony watching a few light aircraft come and go before I decided to move on.

There was still a bit of the afternoon left so I took more or less the same route back but took the opportunity to stop off at Hanbury Hall near Droitwich to take a few photos and indulge in a National Trust latte.

Not a bad couple of hours riding in the sunshine, a bit of a bonus for November.

excellent.....I especially like the picture of Touchdown cafe with your bike   

31/12/2021 Berrington Hall, Herefordshire (c. 68 miles)

New Year's Eve and it looked like there would be a chance for one last ride in 2021.

It was to be a dry, dull day but not too cold for the time of year – nevertheless I was minded to take the GTR out and take advantage of the heated grips and a decent fairing.

The ride-out took me to Berrington Hall, near Leominster. It was another run down often travelled roads but despite the repetition I knew they would be roads that I enjoy. The days are too short at this time of year to travel far enough away from home and find much that is new.

Berrington Hall served up a walk, some photos and a decent coffee but it was not a long visit and the day could have done with being brighter for any decent pictures.

The ride home was by much the same route except for a short additional loop to take me to Tenbury Wells via a more minor road.

Nothing stunning, but every chance to get out in the winter feels like a bit of an achievement.

You say "nothing stunning" but the pictures of the House are stunning, I like a bit of architecture...thanks for sharing again   :clap:   

20/01/2021 Much Wenlock Windmill (c. 45 miles)

Strictly speaking, it was not the first ride of 2022 as I had taken one of the bikes out for an hour earlier in the month, but it was one of those quick blasts where I never actually got off the bike until I was back home. I know I went to Worcester, down one side of the Severn and back up the other, but frankly I can't even remember which bike I took – I need a souvenir photo these days to aid my memory...

But it was time for another run and the Z1000 was at the front of the garage so that seemed the obvious one as I was not planning to go far.

My ride took me up to Much Wenlock where my idle browsing of Google Maps had revealed a ruined windmill that I did not know existed.

Just over an hour on the bike all in and a bit of a walk up a hill, at least it was a chance to blow the cobwebs away.

The weatherlooks great, the bike looks great, the pictures are great...what's not to like

Again, thanks for sharing   :clap:   

Quote from: Rynglieder on February 13, 2022, 11:38:30 AM20/01/2021 Much Wenlock Windmill (c. 45 miles)

Strictly speaking, it was not the first ride of 2022 as I had taken one of the bikes out for an hour earlier in the month, but it was one of those quick blasts where I never actually got off the bike until I was back home. I know I went to Worcester, down one side of the Severn and back up the other, but frankly I can't even remember which bike I took – I need a souvenir photo these days to aid my memory...

But it was time for another run and the Z1000 was at the front of the garage so that seemed the obvious one as I was not planning to go far.

My ride took me up to Much Wenlock where my idle browsing of Google Maps had revealed a ruined windmill that I did not know existed.

Just over an hour on the bike all in and a bit of a walk up a hill, at least it was a chance to blow the cobwebs away.

A few years ago mine was in for repair after a young lady 🤬🤬 hit me and the insurance company delivered me a hire bike👍 It was a Z1000 with only 7 miles on the clock they hadn't even fitted the wing mirrors in position I had to run in the tyres it was an awesome bike 👌

Quote from: pross on February 14, 2022, 04:26:05 PMA few years ago mine was in for repair after a young lady 🤬🤬 hit me and the insurance company delivered me a hire bike👍 It was a Z1000 with only 7 miles on the clock they hadn't even fitted the wing mirrors in position I had to run in the tyres it was an awesome bike 👌

It's certainly good fun, enough for me to hang on to it even though it does not do may miles to earn its keep.

27/01/2022 Erddig (c.150 miles)

Time for a real ride, one worth digging the GTR out from the back of the garage for.

A fairly decent January day was forecast, there was supposed to be a bit more sunshine to the north of me than the south so I started looking for destination options. A lot of places that I had been eying up are closed at this time of year, many historic sites seem to be weekend only until spring which limits choice a bit.

In the end I settled on Erddig, a National Trust estate on the outskirts of Wrexham. I chose to push up through Shropshire on the A41 which I had used last summer on my run to the Wirral, The sun shone as promised and I had a steady run up to the Raven Café at Prees Heath which provided the usual biker-friendly mug of tea.

After continuing on to the Whitchurch bypass I then took the A525 in the direction of Wrexham until I picked up the NT tourist signs for Erddig. The bike was parked up and the membership card waved at the entrance before I set about my customary walk. That done and fortified with a pasty and another cup of tea I set about my return journey, and this is where my nice day out on the bike started to unravel...

I joined the A483 just south of Wrexham and was initially making good progress down the dual carriageway toward Chirk when traffic ground to a halt. I spent about 45 minutes sat in the queue as a procession of ambulances and police cars shot down the outside of the line, occasionally creeping forward a bit as vehicles in front of me were presumably turning round. Eventually I found myself third in the queue approaching the bridge over the river Dee which was clearly blocked. The air ambulance was circling and I could see that given the terrain its only chance of landing would be the road that I was standing on – sure enough the police walked up the line and directed everyone back in the direction of Wrexham.

I left the northbound A483 at Ruabon with the intention of going west and cutting underneath the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct – inevitably I was not the only one who had this idea and the road to the village of Trevor was heavily congested with the volume of traffic. The turning down into the valley below the Aqueduct was snarled up as HGVs totally unsuited for it were struggling to pass each other – I decided to give it a miss (the GTR is no fun to reverse up a hill if needed) and push on further west to Llangollen.

Llangollen was just as congested as trucks took it in turns to cross the bridge from either side, plus there were upgrade works going on at the A5 which further restricted flow. I'd lost a lot of time but I reckoned I should have an easy run home once I got back to Chirk.

And so it was – for a while... All was well until I left the A5 at Shrewsbury to take the A458 back home. Upon reaching the village of Cross Houses I found myself stationary once again and seemingly no traffic flowing toward me on the other side. Another crawl ensued and I eventually found myself confronted with the Culprit.

It seemed that a waste carrying wagon had shed it load on the westbound side of the road completely carpeting the carriageway with something that looked like ground glass or plastic. It looked as if every resident in the village was out with brooms or snow shovels trying to clear at least one side of the road so that the east-bound traffic could crawl past. The debris extended all though the village and started to thin a little at the other side, but it was far from clear – all the time traffic on the other side was throwing it up and I could hear it beneath my tyres and bouncing around under the bike's fenders.

With all of the delays I was now riding in the dark. I (and everyone else) was taking it very steady not knowing what we were riding on and we were often confronted by opposing traffic "off-siding" to avoid the biggest clumps. I became very aware that my visor was long overdue replacement; I can't remember the last time I did any night riding and vision was not great with the oncoming headlights. And so it went on, at the village of Cressage a police patrol was dealing with another large mound on a sharp bend in the village under blue lights and trying to direct traffic through. The torturous ride carried on to Much Wenlock where the problem cleared (and presumably had originally started) a total of eight miles from where I first encountered it.

Feeling the need for a break from the concentration of riding through it all I stopped at the service station in the town for a coffee and to ring home and let he wife know I was still intending to come back. I suppose if she was cooking fish tonight she could put it in the cat...

At least the final few miles were clear. I'd had a nice run up to Wrexham and an enjoyable visit to Erddig, but what a long day and sh1t ride home.

Well that was an eventful ride out   :wacko:   

12/03/2022 Bradgate Park (c. 140 miles)

The weather had not been great since my last decent ride, not even a proper winter, just cold dull and windy and other than a quick trip on the Z1300 to the local café I hadn't been motivated to get out.

This day promised to be better with some sunny intervals for the right hand side of the country so it felt like time to pull out the GSX and head for the Middle East. (OK, the East Midlands).

At the risk of repeating myself, I tend to leave that side of England alone as the first chunk of the ride is either a commute through Birmingham or a motorway drag. I chose the motorway, pulled down the visor and got on with it for 45 minutes until I could leave the M6 at Coleshill.

This was then the decent part of the ride, some nice roads through north Warwickshire and into Leicestershire, nice countryside and villages with the chance to stretch the GSX's legs past some slower traffic here and there.

My destination for the day was Bradgate Country Park, just north of Leicester. You may know by now that I like a ruin and I'd spotted that it had one... The bike was parked up on the car park and first job was to head into the café and "facilities" to set myself up for a walk.

There then followed a three quarter mile walk along the tree lined banks of a small river until I reached the remains of Bradgate House where I took a few shots with the camera. Much to my own surprise I felt I still had a bit of energy left so decided to walk across the deer park, up a hill in the direction of Old John Tower, a folly on the summit. The truth of it is that I didn't make it all the way up there, the sun had gone in spoiling the chance of decent pictures and I'd also been distracted by some deer that had wandered into the range of my lens so I spent a bit of time on those instead before returning to the car park.

As is so often the case it was later than I intended when I started back; a combination of heading out later than I should have and spending too long at the pace I was visiting, so to get home at a sensible time it was going to have to be motorway all the way home. At least I had escaped from the car park without paying, the barrier is about a GSX width shorter than the exit road it was guarding. The extra money in my pocket was squandered on a coffee at a service area on the way back.

In terms of a motorcycle ride it was not the best, only the section between Coleshill and Bradgate was really enjoyable, my car would have done just as well for the rest of it. But, I'd had a nice day out, done a bit of walking and there was at least some pleasure to be had from the bike along a section of the route.

 :clap:    excellent   :yes:   

Lovely pictures and write up once more enjoy and keep safe 👏👏👌

17/03/2022 Llandovery (c. 190 miles)

After my previous mostly motorway excursion it was time to go and find some proper riding roads and impose myself and the GTR on the Welsh, even though we hadn't been invited.

It's always a pleasure to start a ride out from home in the direction of Tenbury Wells and beyond and although very familiar it passes quickly. I crossed the A49 and continued west on a series of B roads through Herefordshire and crossed the border near Prestiene. Picking up the A488 I mixed it with the free-range sheep a bit before dropping down to Crossgates where there is a bike-friendly café at the rear of the service station at which I took the coffee I had earned and topped up the bike.

From there it was a case of following the A483 southwards, this has to be one of my favourite roads for riding a motorcycle, drifting through the hills and valleys. The full-on sunshine that the BBC had promised me never materialised but there was a bit of hazy sun through the high cloud and at around 12 degrees was pretty comfortable for the time of year. Somewhere in the middle of this the GTR finally rolled over 17,000 miles, it seemed to have taken a long time to get there on this bike but lock-downs and travel restrictions had curtailed many European adventures so I suppose it is no real surprise.

Eventually I reached my destination, Llandovery Castle, and stood the bike on the car park below the ruins. I could see there was not going to be much to explore so I decided to have a walk round the town first and pick up something for a late lunch. Back at the castle I took a couple of photos and then prepared for the return journey.

I varied the middle section of the return ride by taking in Leominster, in order to get back home before it got dark it seemed preferable to stick with the main trunk roads and skip the B Roads, this worked out OK and I made very good progress home, there seemed to be very little traffic in my way.

All in all a real pleasure to have had the day out, in many ways the opposite to the last ride – perfect biking even if there was not much to remember at the actual destination.

Another good ride out and interesting report...thanks for sharing     :yes:     

Quote from: Rynglieder on March 30, 2022, 12:27:59 PM17/03/2022 Llandovery (c. 190 miles)

After my previous mostly motorway excursion it was time to go and find some proper riding roads and impose myself and the GTR on the Welsh, even though we hadn't been invited.

It's always a pleasure to start a ride out from home in the direction of Tenbury Wells and beyond and although very familiar it passes quickly. I crossed the A49 and continued west on a series of B roads through Herefordshire and crossed the border near Prestiene. Picking up the A488 I mixed it with the free-range sheep a bit before dropping down to Crossgates where there is a bike-friendly café at the rear of the service station at which I took the coffee I had earned and topped up the bike.

From there it was a case of following the A483 southwards, this has to be one of my favourite roads for riding a motorcycle, drifting through the hills and valleys. The full-on sunshine that the BBC had promised me never materialised but there was a bit of hazy sun through the high cloud and at around 12 degrees was pretty comfortable for the time of year. Somewhere in the middle of this the GTR finally rolled over 17,000 miles, it seemed to have taken a long time to get there on this bike but lock-downs and travel restrictions had curtailed many European adventures so I suppose it is no real surprise.

Eventually I reached my destination, Llandovery Castle, and stood the bike on the car park below the ruins. I could see there was not going to be much to explore so I decided to have a walk round the town first and pick up something for a late lunch. Back at the castle I took a couple of photos and then prepared for the return journey.

I varied the middle section of the return ride by taking in Leominster, in order to get back home before it got dark it seemed preferable to stick with the main trunk roads and skip the B Roads, this worked out OK and I made very good progress home, there seemed to be very little traffic in my way.

All in all a real pleasure to have had the day out, in many ways the opposite to the last ride – perfect biking even if there was not much to remember at the actual destination.

This is one of my routes when I have a care free ride to stay with a friend who lives between Lampeter and Abereron ( before covid 🤬🤬) really miss that staying down there when a long weekend off 😥

Quote from: pross on April 06, 2022, 10:50:13 AMThis is one of my routes when I have a care free ride to stay with a friend who lives between Lampeter and Abereron ( before covid 🤬🤬) really miss that staying down there when a long weekend off 😥

Give us a shout when you have a free day, I'm sure we could do at least Crossgates and back  :smiley:

28/03/0200 South Warwickshire (c. 94 miles)

Despite being retired and having time on my hands I think I have become fundamentally lazy and it seems a bit of a chore to dig out the Z1300 from the back of the garage. At least the effort is a bit more worthwhile now, since the last work was done on it I feel a bit more confident in its reliability and minded to take it a bit further.

I picked out a couple of spots in south Warwickshire as destinations, for no other reason that it was the opposite direction to my last ride-out. Not too many miles were intended as it was well into the afternoon before I set out.

It all started with a fairly dull dual carriageway ride up to Redditch but from there it was possible to take some fairly nice roads through to Warwick, which being a smallish town is not too much of an ordeal to ride through. From Warwick I picked up the old A41 London to Birkenhead road which since the construction of the M40 is now downgraded as the A4100, but still an easy ride. Just before reaching Gaydon I left the main road and picked my way through the country lanes to the remains of Chesterton Mill.

The old zed was parked up at the side of the gated field and I took a fairly gentle walk across to the old windmill and absorbed the views including a sizeable earth mound in the middle distance which if it was not for a handy information panel I would not have realised that was the site of the Roman town of Chesterton.

Disappointingly the mill was without it sails which I believe are out for repair, it may well be worth a return visit in the future for another photograph or two when it is all sorted out.

At this point I decided that I would extend the ride a little further south to Dassett Hills Country Park just beyond Gaydon. This destination offered another hill, another old mill and another set of views. The approach to this one was over a cattle grid, a bit of a hill climb through sheep fields to a car park at the summit.

The return run included a stop off for coffee in Leamington Spa with the remainder completed on the M40 and M42 which was the price I paid for extending the ride and still getting home on time.

Not a bad ride and good to get out on the Z1300 a bit more this year.
 

Great to see the big Z out for a run and once again some lovely pictures for us all to enjoy

Thanks for sharing (again)   :clap:

Quote from: Rynglieder on April 10, 2022, 03:50:28 PMGive us a shout when you have a free day, I'm sure we could do at least Crossgates and back  :smiley:

Will do just rubbish at the moment 👍

Wroxeter Roman City (c. 60 miles)

Having wasted a morning trying to fit what turned out to be an incompatible new fan to our oven I decided that I needed something worthwhile from the rest of the day and rolled the Z1000 out of the garage. There is nothing quite like a hyperactive lightweight 1000cc bike for clearing a few cars and releasing a bit of tension

Only around 30 miles from home is Wroxeter Roman City, one of the few local English Heritage sites that I had never visited and today seemed as good a day as any, it's just about the right distance for the little zed.

Okay, most of the road out there is one that I can say without exaggeration that I have ridden hundreds of times but when you want a blast that's just fine, every overtaking opportunity, bend and possible speed camera location is logged in the memory allowing you to focus on the inevitable new potholes and MAMILs.

The truth is that you can see most of the Wroxeter site by looking over the fence if you are just passing by and don't want to put your hand your pocket, but for ten quid you also get to look around the museum with the usual collection of broken pots and pointy metal things. Also across the road is a reconstruction of a Roman town house which also can take your attention for 15 minutes or so – there is no plumbing, electricity and it is very badly insulated, however it is significantly bigger than other houses in Telford.


What I did learn is that Wroxeter was originally as large as Pompeii even though there is just about a football pitch sized area that has been exposed to view. Shropshire does not really have an equivalent of Mount Vesuvius but the mound of the Wrekin a couple of miles away does at least add a bit to the topography.

As Wroxeter lacks a café I took a trundle over to Ironbridge to find a coffee and for the sake of making a loop out of the afternoon I returned via the "Rabbit Run" road between Telford and Dudley.

I felt much better when I got home but still have a duff fan to package back up and return...

Quote from: Rynglieder on April 16, 2022, 11:13:47 AMWroxeter Roman City (c. 60 miles)

Having wasted a morning trying to fit what turned out to be an incompatible new fan to our oven I decided that I needed something worthwhile from the rest of the day and rolled the Z1000 out of the garage. There is nothing quite like a hyperactive lightweight 1000cc bike for clearing a few cars and releasing a bit of tension

Only around 30 miles from home is Wroxeter Roman City, one of the few local English Heritage sites that I had never visited and today seemed as good a day as any, it's just about the right distance for the little zed.

Okay, most of the road out there is one that I can say without exaggeration that I have ridden hundreds of times but when you want a blast that's just fine, every overtaking opportunity, bend and possible speed camera location is logged in the memory allowing you to focus on the inevitable new potholes and MAMILs.

The truth is that you can see most of the Wroxeter site by looking over the fence if you are just passing by and don't want to put your hand your pocket, but for ten quid you also get to look around the museum with the usual collection of broken pots and pointy metal things. Also across the road is a reconstruction of a Roman town house which also can take your attention for 15 minutes or so – there is no plumbing, electricity and it is very badly insulated, however it is significantly bigger than other houses in Telford.


What I did learn is that Wroxeter was originally as large as Pompeii even though there is just about a football pitch sized area that has been exposed to view. Shropshire does not really have an equivalent of Mount Vesuvius but the mound of the Wrekin a couple of miles away does at least add a bit to the topography.

As Wroxeter lacks a café I took a trundle over to Ironbridge to find a coffee and for the sake of making a loop out of the afternoon I returned via the "Rabbit Run" road between Telford and Dudley.

I felt much better when I got home but still have a duff fan to package back up and return...

A very nice little bimble on a beautiful bike 👌

14/04/2022 Gloucester (c. 100 miles)

My initial plans for a run out were to take myself further south, I had Malmesbury in mind but in looking for a suitable interim stop I started to look at the city of Gloucester. It turned up a number of places that interested me and although I had visited the city a number of times during my working days I'd never really had the chance to explore it so the fair city of Gloucester became the final destination.

Having extracted the GSX from the garage my ride down there took me through Worcester and down the A38 which I always enjoy. Parking the bike up in the centre was a case of trial and error, cruising the streets until I chanced upon a bike park near the cathedral quarter. First job was a walk to the ruins of Greyfriars scooping up a takeaway coffee as I plodded through the main shopping streets. I sat myself on a bench overlooking the ruins with a hopeful squirrel looking over one shoulder and a seagull looking over the other.

Greyfriars did not take long to view so it was off on foot to do a lap of the cathedral taking in the architecture and it its attendant close and gardens. Another five minutes on foot brought me to what is left of St Oswald's Priory, another monastic ruin now hemmed in by busy roads.

I fancied a different route back and managed to follow the western side of the River Severn up to Upton upon Severn, a road that I don't think I had taken before and all the more pleasure for being "new". The remaining part of the run is at the foot of the Malvern Hills which is nice riding until the fight through Worcester city centre.

A decent day out and Malmesbury will keep until later in the summer.

excellent as usual.... :clap:   

30/04/2022 Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings (31 miles).

A short run was in order for the Z1000 and somewhere I'd always intended to visit was the Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings. It was barely a ride out being just over 30 miles all in, but there is so much more fun doing the run on a bike than in the car.

I had a good couple of hours around the site where a charitable trust has dismantled several "at risk" historical buildings from around the midlands and re-erected them where they can be conserved and enjoyed – well worth a visit if you are in the area and like a bit of history.

There's a wide range of building types there, a good few were picked up by my camera and a lot more photos can be found on my Flickr stream (link in my signature strip below).

The return journey home was less direct, just because I could.  :smiley:

05/05/2022 Shrewsbury (c. 70 miles)

There was a bit of sunshine around and it felt like time to take the Z1300 out again. After years of little use it seems right to keep it moving regularly since I spent a few quid on it last autumn. Having taken it out a few times this year my confidence is growing in it a bit now and I'm even inclined to overtake traffic on it now and again without fear of it spluttering and dying halfway through a manoeuvre.

That said I'm still a bit reluctant to go too far from home on it, the GSX or GTR are a after bet for a long run but I was happy enough to point it in the direction of Shrewsbury so that I could enjoy the full complement of six cylinders for a couple of hours.

I pitched up the '13 by Shrewsbury Abbey and then walked over the English Bridge to take a photo or two. It was a bit too warm to slog up the hill into the main town in the bike gear so I returned to the bike and after a brief pause to view Lord Hill's Column made my way to Cantlop Bridge, a little off my usual route but another place I had been aware of for years but never got round to visiting. Of historical significance due to its design and association with the engineer Thomas Telford, it is at least possible to pull up by it for free even though you've seen it all within two minutes.

A very routine ride home was made more interesting by chasing down and passing the traffic built up by a couple of slow HGVs, the Z13 is still singing to me at the moment.

the big Z1300, sure is a beast ,,,, nice to see it being used though 

07/05/2022 Woodchester Manor (C.139 miles)

As the GTR had recently done the run to the National Memorial Arbouretum to meet up with m'colleagues from the GTR forum the GSX got the gig this time. I think I'm also being mindful of a forthcoming trip to France and wanting to conserve the GTR's tyres a bit.

Now I have time on my hands for riding I'm finding that there's a lot of repetition in the roads that I'm covering, especially close to home – there are only so many directions you can chose to turn at the end of your drive (in fact as I live at the end of a cul-de-sac I have no choice at all). I've bitten the bullet now and decided to spend the first hour of some rides on a motorway, it's not enjoyable riding but it gives a chance to get out to somewhere new as a starting point for some proper riding.

And so it was that I came to belt down the M5, past Glouscester where I had been a couple of weeks ago so that I could exit at Brockworth and start to dig straight in to the Cotswolds. I parked the bike up in Painswick as it is a pleasant little town to search out a coffee and having catered for that need continued on some lovely roads through and out of Stroud.

The destination chosen for the day was Woodchester Mansion near Nympsfield. The mansion is owned and operated by a charitable trust and sits inside land managed by the National Trust so it was a case of tracking down their car park – I didn't enjoy this bit, a long loose gravel drive that had un-compacted and over large stones that were sending the wheels of the bike in any direction but the one I was trying to point it in.

Once the bike was secure I was in for a three-quarter mile walk along a woodland drive down the valley to the Manor. Woodchester is a Victorian pile in the neo-gothic style that was never finished as the owner had run out of money. The roofed shell of the building stands and it is watertight but very little of the interior is anywhere near finished, still it was interesting to see what might have been... Not for the first time a scaffolder had got there before me to spoil my photos.

The walk back up to the bike was more challenging being uphill and I have a few health and fitness issues at the moment but I made it back with some time to spare for a return ride home leaving the motorway out.

Well done for making the effort with your bike along the tricky driveway and also for making the walk back.  ....Great pictures BTW    :yes:

20/12/2022 Croft Castle & Shobdon (c. 80 miles)

Just a day off the shortest day of the year but at least it was bright and mild after the two weeks of severe cold we had been through and I was feeling in the need for some Motorcycle Therapy.

The GSX had not been out since its new chain and sprockets and because of the grumbling from the old ones I had left it alone for much of the autumn, it seemed right that this was the bike to pick for a couple of hours out.
I didn't go far, just a blast along familiar roads out to Croft Castle near Leominster where I had a walk round with the camera and took advantage of the coffee shop.
From there, just a few miles further to the village of Shobdon where a private drive lead me to the parish church – very ordinary looking from the outside but the interior has been given the "Strawberry Hill Gothic" treatment by Walpole and is a lovely example of this type of architecture.

I left he bike parked outside the church and trudged uphill along a grass tree lined avenue to the Shobdon Arches. This is a collection of stone arches salvaged from the original medieval church before it was demolished and incorporated into a folly on the hilltop that also gives some good views over the Herefordshire countryside.

The ride out had been a bit odd, one of those days where I was not entirely at one with the bike – nothing wrong with the GSX itself, the roads seemed to have a lingering damp sheen despite the bright day and I seemed to be over-reading the road conditions, bends and potholes. Perhaps it's just that I hadn't been riding much over the last month... The ride back along the same route was much better, I was back in the zone and I didn't let much get in my way.

Back home before dark, but not enough time to attack the bike with the pressure washer, which would be tomorrow's job.

As usual there are more photos of this visit on my Flickr photostream.

Once again, great report and lovely pictures.....thanks for sharing with us   :clap:   

29/12/2022 Lake Vyrnwy (c. 170 miles)

It looked like there was going to be one useable day between Christmas and the New Year and I was minded to take advantage even in the bleak midwinter. A message from my mate Mike who was also in the mood to shake off the blues sealed the deal.

Usual thing, he proposed a rough idea of a ride and then as it was my side of the midlands I tinkered with it to include some roads that I knew he would enjoy – it works the other way if we head to the south or east midlands, I'm happy to bow to his superior knowledge of that patch.

The intention had been to use the GSX but as it was not looking quite as dry as the BBC had promised me I decided to hide behind the GTR fairing and bask in the heat from the grips. Having rolled of my drive at about 10:00 with his Multistrada behind me, we took the "Rabbit Run" toward Telford and dropped into the Severn Gorge at Coalport, ran along to Ironbridge and parked up for the café overlooking the bridge. Whereas I'm usually happy with a couple of cups of coffee on a day out Mike likes to be fed, so this is always factored into a joint ride.

A bit of "B Road" work brought us to the outskirts of Shrewsbury and we then had to tolerate the rather dull dual carriageway that orbits it, but it passed by quickly enough and we were back into some enjoyable riding through Knockin and into the land of the Celts.

Whilst we never got properly rained on the roads were constantly wet which encouraged a bit more caution in our riding but we eventually pitched up at Vyrnwy where I stopped long enough for a cigarette. (Mutual tolerance, I hang around during the double breakfast sandwich and he politely waits whilst I feed my own habit).

It was then time to tackle the mountain pass across to Dinas Mawddwy. As soon as we broke away from the road around the lake shore I stated to wonder if we were doing the right thing – the road is steep, narrow and there are virtually no passing places. Add to this a ridge of winter mud and debris up the middle of the road surface and a good deal of concentration is required with speeds down to a crawl at times. Once we had got above the tree line of the mountain the road surface became a lot cleaner and we could at least see a little further ahead for oncoming traffic.

There were still rivers running across the road here and there plus the obvious sheep infestation to deal with but eventually we were descending through the valley farms and into Dinas Mawddwy village we could park up for a quick break.

The return journey took us on the A458 where we could get along at a decent pace - I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this road and have now placed it on the list for a run out to the coast when spring arrives. Another stop took place in Welshpool where Costa Coffee had a bit more of my money and suitably refreshed we pushed on back home. It was the A458 all the way for me, Mike broke away at Shrewsbury to pick up the M54 and M6 and get him home without getting involved in the evening rush hour around Birmingham.

It was a lot more miles than I usually do at this time of the year but thoroughly enjoyable none the less. No photos this time as there was not a particular "destination", but here's a couple of screen grabs from the Innovv...

Good to see that you are making the most of any riding opportunity....I can see what you mean about the gravel down the centre of some of the roads

Once again thanks and I enjoyed that  :yes:   

13/01/2023 Normanton Church (c.200  miles)

I'd long wanted to visit Normanton Church on Rutland Water and once again waited for a suitable day. It turned up at short notice and I messaged Mike on the off-chance, although he had less than 24 hours notice he was up for it and proposed a small adjustment to the route I intended.

Although I had ducked out of using the GSX on the last ride it was really due a run and with little prospect of rain I was happy to give it a go. A bright day was forecast and although not too cold for January it was very blustery and there was a definite wind chill – inner gloves and an extra layer under the jacket was needed.

And so I headed out on 40 miles of motorway to our rendezvous at Costa Coffee, Leamington Spa. That run on the M42 is an absolute pain at 09:00 in the morning, the low sun strobes through the trees and as the motorway bends sits right on the horizon causing traffic to slow almost to a stop as those with dirty windscreens find they can't see where they are going – I always leave plenty of stopping room and try not to get involved with the Competitive Commuting.

At least, once we had tanked up with coffee and drawn some fuel from the adjacent forecourt we had a decent ride to look forward to. Mike had picked a nice selection of A and B roads through the Northamptonshire and Leicestershire countryside. There was the odd attractive village to slow down for but the only bit of congestion was through Market Harborough. There seemed very little traffic on the open road and what we did come across could be cleared quickly and safely and I quite enjoyed the challenge of hanging on to the tail pipe of the Multistrada.

Eventually we reached the car park at the Normanton visitor centre and parked up the bikes, there was then a half mile walk along the shore of Rutland Water to the church. At the point it was decided to flood the valley for this huge reservoir it was planned that the church should be demolished but local objections lead to a different solution; the crypt was infilled with stone and a new floor put in so that the upper half of the church could be saved as the water level rose. The effect in the end is that the remaining building appears to float on the lake – all very photogenic.

The strong wind across the reservoir was really whipping the water up into waves, it was almost like walking along the coast but very cold and we retreated to the café for a welcome hot drink and a late lunch.

The return home was by the same roads as far as Crick where I broke away to pick up the M1, M6 and M5. It was an absolute grind around the top of Birmingham but it is the price I pay for enjoying the roads of the east midlands. I got home at around 17:00, just before it was completely dark and warmed up with a hot bath, the bike will have to wait another day or so for its wash.

Give me a shout if you fancy a ride out to the Peak District, I live just outside of Burton on Trent so near to some decent roads

Quote from: Ianonortheast on January 14, 2023, 09:32:36 AMGive me a shout if you fancy a ride out to the Peak District, I live just outside of Burton on Trent so near to some decent roads

Thanks, I enjoy the Peaks once I have got through the West Midlands and will certainly be up that way soon. :yes:

10/02/2023 Upton House & the Cotswolds (c. 120 miles)

There looked to be one more run left out of the GTR's rear tyre and with a relatively fair day for February forecast I thought I'd have a Cotswold run.

The outward run was via Stratford upon Avon and brought me to the National Trust property at Upton House, not too far from Banbury. Being out of season the house was not open and there was not a great deal to see in the gardens but at least I got to have a walk and a coffee to warm myself up.

Not wanting to go straight back I set about a loop that allowed me a brief pause above Bliss Tweed Mill near Chipping Norton. I'd passed this many times before but never had the chance to get the camera out. The mill sits in the bottom of a valley; in such a location drainage was always going to be an issue, however as you will see from the picture the architect had the foresight to fit a giant sink plunger to the roof.

Back home via Evesham – not a bad ride for the winter.

 :mfr_lol:  :mfr_lol:   


Very good.....Victorian engineering kills at their best  :mfr_lol:   

14/02/2023 Elvaston Castle & Country Park (c. 137 miles)

54a.jpg

It was Valentine's Day so I thought I would give my wife the gift of having the house to herself.

The GSX was drawn out of the garage rather later than it should have been for a day out but it was a cold start to the day and I was hoping it would be warming up a little as the morning drew on.  Since its recent chain and sprocket replacement it has been beautifully smooth to ride again and I was even prepared to start off with a bit of motorway so that I could head north for a change.

Leaving the M42 near Tamworth I was at least able to get a few miles in on "proper" roads through north Staffordshire and South Derbyshire.

Once the bike was parked up I forked out for a pay and display car park ticket – usual problem, where are you supposed to put it? I tucked it under the fuel filler tab and took a photo of it in case anyone nicked it – it's never happened yet but you never know...

54c.JPG

I had a pleasant walk around the country park which is centred around a "castle" which is really more of a manor house, but the light was fading fast and there were too many long shadows for many decent photos.

54b.JPG

The penalty for my late start was a return home entirely on dual carriageway and motorway plus getting tangled up with all the commuters around Birmingham, but no regrets – it's always a pleasure to get out on a bike.

23/02/2023 Long Mynd (c. 70 miles)

55a.jpg

It was about time to set the Z1000 on the local scenery – naturally because it is a literal pain in the ar$e to ride something short was in order.

Although not far from home it had been some years since I had visited Carding Mill Valley  so I had a blast out taking in the views along Wenlock Edge. Carding Mill Valley was too busy for my liking but I parked up alongside the stream and hunted down a coffee from the National trust Café before going back into Church Stretton and commencing the ascent of the Long Mynd.

In a matter of minutes I parked up the bike again to spend some time taking in the views of the Shropshire Hills and back down into the valley I had jut left. The last time I was up here was on the GTR, just after I had purchased it and joined the owners forum; I had the pleasure of the company of "Brizzlebob" and "Icefever" during a ride that had been organized by "Snowy". It had been an enjoyable day so it's a pity there have not been many opportunities to get GTRs together since.

55b Z1000 Long Mynd.JPG

55c Bur Way.JPG

The road across the top of the Long Mynd is known as the Bur Way and after passing the fields used by the glider club there is a very steep descent with a precipitous unfenced drop to the right. Being a single track road one goes cautiously in case an unexpected car pounces from behind a hedge. The Z1000 was a much more agile bike for this sort of road than the GTR and I was soon at the Western edge of the road picking my way though muddy lanes back toward Church Stretton.

The ride home was pretty much as I had travelled out, but with a quick stop in Much Wenlock for another coffee...

55d Much Wenlock.JPG

Although the Z1000 never goes far from home it is always a pleasure and allows a little more spirted riding, the smaller bike is much more suited to my own build.

Great pictures and excellent narration as usual...thanks for sharing with us     :clap:   

02/03/2023 Shropshire Hills (c. 90 miles)


56a.jpg

A bit of a déjà vu ride really. Mike got in touch and suggested a ride out and having fresh and fond memories of my recent blast on the Z1000 I suggested to him that he may fancy a variation of the same ride.

As it was a sort run I decided to make use of the Z1000 again, whilst the heated grips on the GTR would have been welcome the big tourer's tyre was on its last few microns of rubber and was scheduled for a new Angel GT the following day.

We met up at my home and flicked through the A Roads via Bridgenorth and Wenlock Edge though to Church Stretton. My usual diet of coffee and cigarettes had to be adjusted to accommodate my companion so we left the bikes in a car park in the middle of town and settled down in a café we had spotted the night before using Google Street view – the internet is a wonderful thing.

Suitably refreshed I was pursued by the Multistrada over the Long Mynd and then picked our way through Craven Arms, skirted Ludlow and then (as I so often seem to do) ended up on Clee Hill summit to take in the views under the sunshine.

56b.jpg

We went our separate ways beyond Bewdley, it hadn't been too much of a ride – we are still in the season of cold, short days but I know there is better to come and these little rides help keep the mind and body ready.

Brilliant, and great pics (again)  :yes:   

Quote from: O.C. on April 23, 2023, 08:27:22 AMBrilliant, and great pics (again)  :yes:   

Thanks. Just trying to keep a bit of traffic on the forum.

Are you out and about on the bike now?

Pete.

Yes Pete I am,  although it depends on both the weather and my mobility on the day

You will see from my profile that I now have a Kawasaki Versys 650 which is a lighter and more manageable bike for me ...I must say it is also a surprisingly capable bike


Cheers Rog