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I've recently moved to Ireland for work and brought my GTR across a couple of weekends ago. My first foray involved 24 hours riding between 4pm Friday and 8pm Sunday, and some 730 miles covered.

The South has some great views, some good roads, and some stinkers... Subsidence seems to be the biggest problem with very large dips and tranverse land slips giving tracking issues once you are off the major highways.

The ferry across from Holyhead is a good crossing and reasonably priced too.

I had previously always gone to Europe. It now looks like there's plenty to explore around Ireland too !

Contrary to my understanding, it doesn't always rain either..  

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Hi,

Anyone know where I might be able to find the posts mentioned below please?  I've just brought mine out of hibernation and htese two could be relevant. Also, anyone got any experience of a reluctance to change gear after being laid up? Just been to the MOT station in 1 st and 2nd gear. CAme back and able to hook into 3rd. Might it just be a case of needing to get thoroughly warmed up and the oil recirculated?

Any guidance appreciated!

Andy

I appreciate I haven't been around for a while and need to update the useful information of this thread.

Two I can think of:

1. Viper's instructions of preventing warped discs
2. How to prevent the suspension adjuster from seizing on 2010+ models

Any others?

Hi Mike,

What height are the " Origonal bar risers" please?

Andy

   I have found lots of expired drop box links for WORKSHOP manuals for CAF1400 2010 models but all teh ones todate are expired. "404" pages.

If anyone could tell me where to find a live link that would be great please?

Happy holidays y'all

I've 2 cat 17 bikes plus 1000 plus 650 on  tpft for 300 including the policy extras listed. 56 yo man max.through the broker Carole nash

Nice description and pictures thanks!

Could you please tell me places to buy a workshop manual for a 2010 model please?

Thanks
Andy

Agree that there's highly unlikely to be any thievery from the bike deck and I just thread a thin cable lock through jacket, trews and helmet, as much as anything to stop them getting brushed off as people squeeze by. Sadly that can't be said of every where. This summer I stopped a scrote with bolt cutters trying to remove two nice helmets from a bike parked next to mine whilst in Split in Croatia.

Nice write up Pete and thanks for the Flickr link to the pictures too.

The last year or two I've travelled too hot as well, this year though I bought some ventilated Dainese gear and that proved a great help touring Croatia in the summer heatwave there. That said, the heat in Dubrovnik was too much, even with vented kit!

NW200 in May, possibly preceded by Tandragee again, possibly IOM TT although that'll definitely be foot passenger as I want to get the key week somehow and I have left it late. Will take a couple of weeks in Europe during summer and decide last thing as to where based upon weather, mood and what happens to tickle my fancy.

Not done much BSB chasing around the country as I've worked overseas a lot the last three years. Am now back in Blighty so may make better use of the GTR's mile munching ability at weekends perhaps. I have to be mindful of her indoors needs though as I've been given wide scope to do as I wish the last few years and don't want to push my luck!

I've only done a few routes around NW Spain and Mid/Northern Portugal but did thoroughly enjoy the roads. We went as two bikes and 3 people with me giving a pillion ride to my best mate who had never ridden before (apart from a 50 mile trial the week before we went!). Bit of a gamble that paid off pretty well although my pillion seat on the old Cagiva Raptor was a bit hard and after 3 X 200/250 mile days the pillion as in some pain! He needed a few cold beers each night to anaesthetise the area......

The national parks other then Picos De Europa are very quiet. Back roads in Portugal especially seem to have had boatloads of cash spent on great tarmac.

I've never been as late as September but had a bit of mist and rain in July too. Guess it comes with the mountain climate when going through the National parks?

On the overheat and fuse topic, it was only last week I found out the partner of someone at work who has a GTR and went to Portugal last year had exactly the same thing happen. Cost him an hour and 45 euros so a bargain too. I suppose the cooling fans don't get too much full-on exercise in the UK normally so, if there's a bit of corrosion or some other weakness it's likely to show when stressed in hot traffic in a hotter country?

Better luck with the company another time!!

Thanks for the comments guys. In hindsight I was probably a tad  or  But, I had a debit card in my pocket and was going to stop before it got too dodgy and kip over in a travel lodge or Sunny/Days inn beside the motorway, and if I hadn't picked it up then having already booked bus tickets it would've been weeks before I got around to getting down and back again.

Apart from 50 miles across Brum that were a bit rough the other 230 were just about doable with 5 layers on top and 4 on my legs. I don't think
the GTR would be the tool of choice for an entry in this rally though! http://bsc-winter.superlative-adventure.com/bsc-winter-home-en.html. Probably more suited to my M reg DRS 650.

Here's looking forwards to some +0 deg C days and some winter sunshine!

  Am now officially a GTR1400 rider. 

Picked up my bike yesterday at 4pm from Bournemouth kawasaki and rode back to Lancashire last night arriving just before midnight.

Conditions were a bit poor: very wet in the south with road closures due to floods; freezing fog around Taunton; worryingly little non-white covered road around Brum, and then down to -6 Degrees in Lancashire close to home. Very glad the gritters had been doing a good job!

Am looking forwards to some less inclement weather to get a better feel for what it's like!

Andy

I have the M&G waterproof cover for large tourers/adventure bikes, fits the GTR with luggage still attached. Good quality cover IMO.

Do you mean these guys please?   M&P Direct Ltd. Phoenix Way, Garngoch, Gorseinon, Swansea. SA4 9HN

They've got various covers including one that looks big enough here -https://www.mandp.co.uk/tech7-waterproof-motorcycle-bike-cover-extra-large-xl.html that's cheap as chips.

Thanks for that tip!