Messages

Agree with you on the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry versus slog down to Dover ... Hull every time, esp if there's time to avoid M62 and go via Buxton etc.

I spent a year working on a farm in Norway, long long time ago .. had my GS750 with me and working 10 days on, 4 days off meant there was time to explore. The scenery is stunning, the roads are great, the people are wonderful and the booze cost a fortune!! The lads that I played amateur football with had a still which produced rocket fuel, which seemed the only sensible option.

Two years ago we went down to the Black Forest via Arnhem and then the Eder Dam (Dambusters fame .. one of our group had been a para, and another in the airforce ... hence the culture!) .. we then came back up the Rhine valley. Providing we kept away from the cities and the motorways it was great.

We are planning next year's trip .. which is always half the fun .. the only trouble with Norway is that they've stopped the ferry from Newcastle .. catching the ferry to Santander and then Northern Spain is looking favourite at the moment. If time isn't a problem then trip down over the Alps to Croatia looks fantastic!

I suffered for 3 years with the flashing "low battery" .. v annoying, but no way was I going to pay a fortune to buy new sensors, when it was only the batteries that caused the prob. In the end, J and S Cheshire (Kawasaki main dealer where I'd bought my bike) were brilliant. They replaced the batteries free of charge (I just supplied the new batteries) when they put new tyres on. Understandably they said that there could be no guarantees and that Kawasaki do not sanction splitting the sensor and then supergluing back together, but its worked perfectly. Just wish I'd done it 3 years ago.

I've had 1 puncture in 8 years ... on west coast of Scotland, miles from anywhere ... the Tyre Pressure sensor was great ... started flashing as soon as pressure got down to 30 ... I was then able to pump tyre up to 42 and carefully ride the 100 miles to Inverness watching the pressure fall v slowly. Personal preference I know, but I usually leave the display on "tyre pressure" and find it reassuring that they are at least approx right?

Hope you have a great trip ... hoping to do Spain next year, so will look forward to hearing how you get on ... have fun

You are correct O.C. ... and as a bonus, if you remember to turn them inside out every 3 days, you'll never need to wash them!!

regarding "base layers" ... you can't beat a cheap pair of cycling shorts for comfort on long trips ... they might not look cool, and you'll be walking like John Wayne with a slipped disc whenever you stop for a brew ... but they add at least 50% to the distance that you can travel before numbness sets in!

Thanks for the welcome PRD ... bit surprised (and a little shocked) that you describe McGuiness, Scottish roads and Kawasaki GTR as "dubious tastes" ?? !!

Hi .. you seem a friendly, if "eccentric" lot, so have decided to tag along if that's OK? By way of intros:
Name: Dave.
Live near Chester.
Age: Old enough to have seen Mike Hailwood ride at TT (i.e. Not as young as I'd like to be!).
Best bike ever: GTR1400 owned from new 8 years ago ... Love it.
Other bikes owned: BSA Bantam 175cc. Matchless G12 650cc. Triumph Bonneville T120 650cc. Suzuki GS750cc. Ducati 900ss. Triumph Trident T150. Suzuki Bandit 1200cc.
Best roads in the world: Scotland ... closely followed by Germany and Norway. (Never got to see the Pyrenees, it rained so hard for the whole week that all we could see was the river that had once been a road)
Best band in the world: British Sea Power
Best football club in the world: FC United of Manchester
Hero: John McGuiness

All the above are merely my opinion and I welcome debate on any of them ... except for British Sea Power and FC United ... please just humour me on these, I'm easily upset!!

Have fun, Dave

Hi ... 1st post on here ... Have had my GTR1400 for 8 years and love it ... however, for the last 3 years the flashing TPMS battery low warning light has driven me MAD, but I refuse to pay to replace with new sensors. Needing new tyres I persuaded J and S at Northwich to have a go at splitting the sensors and soldering in new CR2032 batteries. Its all working perfect!

J and S made no charge at all for swapping the batteries (which I supplied) ... so although the tyres cost a little more that Buckley Tyres would have charged, I'm v happy. Just wish I'd sorted it 3 years ago.

So, if anyone is suffering with dead batteries in the sealed TPMS, give them a shout. Have fun, Dave