Montgomery Ride Out

Nice ride through Shropshire last Sunday across Long Mynd to Stipersones and Snailbeach and then down to Montgomery with Lindsay and Ed. Me following behind for a nice change, admiring the scenery watching the 'Blackpool illuminations' as the two Jap bikes brake in synchronous harmony leaving me to just roll on roll off (wax on wax off LOL).

Great Cafe stop - The Ivy House. Recommended !

 A bit chilly nowadays though, glad I had heated grips. A Sunny day out with a sunny disposition, so here's the basic route waypoints:

 

Three counties ride and a famous Scotsman

Yesterday, (Sunday) myself and Lindsay opted for a local ride. My first ride since returning from the Alps and Lindsay's since his family holiday away, so we were both itching for a decent ride out, trying to avoid Shobden Cafe for a change.

Some of the best rides can often be spontaneous - the ones made up en-route so without a GPS I filled up with fuel and we headed out into Shropshire and took a right at Much Wenlock and onto Ironbridge. Not wishing to stop just yet we passed through Broseley and Jackfield and curled back toward Bridgnorth. Good, twisty road we rarely ride, sun shining and my GS feeling a lot lighter without panniers and luggage.

Flying Scotsman - Victoria Bridge nr Trimpley

On Saturday I had been out with my family to nearby Trimpley Reservoir to see the Flying Scotsman on the Severn Valley Railway line. This Great Steam Engine was visiting our heritage railway, and the last and only time I had ever seen it it was at the National Railway Museum in York with William when he was about ten years old. Unfortunately, back then it was in the engine shed being stripped for renovation and refurbishment. A bit disappointed back then (2006) so it was great seeing it steaming along between Arley, Bewdley stations and later on Victoria Bridge in all of it's splendour after it's £4.2 million refit.

 So, It just so happened on our ride we passed-by Bridgnorth station as steam was billowing above the platform, and it just so happened I had my camera with me and a copy of the timetable still stuffed inside my camera case. We couldn't resist stopping, parking the bikes on some wasteland and 'legging' up the station hill, paid the £2.00 each platform access fee to find the Scotsman surrounded by a mass of people taking photos. How great to see all of these people fascinated by this marvel of engineering. A living breathing icon from days gone by.

Surrounded Scotsman!

Queues for photos

Looks wonderful. £4.2 million well spent !!

'Magic !'

After our 'Scotsman' experience, dodging rain showers we headed up to Cleobury Mortimer for a small breakfast out the superb cafe there:

Cleobury Cafe

.. followed by a ride up Clee Hill, with a left turn down to Tenbury Wells and into Herefordshire and Bromyard, back into Worcestershire past Stanford Bridge and home via the Bewdley switchbacks. 

Excellent Sunday ride, back in time for Sunday lunch and a chance to see the Scotsman arrive back at Kidderminster station with Dad and William too. 

Back from the Alps ..

Arrived back 4pm on Sunday after a 429 mile ride from Sedan, mostly motorway all the way. Exhausted but with a huge smile on my face. Most enjoyable trip a good decision to go with a tour company for a ride around the Alps. Just uploading photos and videos over the next few days - see the 2016-Mountains:Alps tab to view them all along with the blog reports for each day..

Almost ready ...

My 'Cost a Fortune Mandatory Swiss Vignette'.
For the very few motorway miles I will be doing !! 

So, tomorrows the day I set off on my  next adventure. The Mountains:Alps tour with World of BMW Motorrad - riding through French and Swiss Alps for a week. I'm really looking forward to meeting Steve and the others on the tour in Folkestone and getting up high on the mountain passes next week.

I'm just trying to decide if I should go for the route to Folkestone Lindsay used on his Black Forest trip (looks good mate, thanks). It avoids the M25 race track and the windy M20 (as in windy miller not twisty !). I want to avoid any dodgy foot bridges too ! There's no rush to Folkestone so why not avoid that madness on the way down? Now I'm a National Trust member (thanks Dad), so maybe I will take a look around Bateman's (Rudyard Kiplings home) or even take in Bodiam Castle for lunch. Hmm, decisions, decisions - all depends on the weather I guess.

As is usual, with free wifi I will be blogging progress with pictures when I am able, See the 2016 - Mountains : Alps blog (tab above).

Stiperstones

Yesterday I went for a ride to visit Ian at Church Stretton Motorcycles in Shropshire. I'd heard good reports from Carl who works in our machine shop that Ian was the man when it comes to servicing and tuning BMW Boxers (and K's).

Nice chap he is too, I wanted a bit of advice on tuning now she's over 21k and has a bit more vibration through 3.5 to 4.5 rev range. I was concerned that since I modified the exhaust (see previous post) there was something not quite right, and phoned him earlier in the week where he suggested he take her for a short ride to investigate. I'm particularly keen to iron out any issues before the up-coming Mountains:Alps tour. Thankfully, nothing too much to worry about, apparently the vibes are more pronounced when the engine is cold, and might need a bit of throttle body/valve clearance adjust at the next service. His experience and knowledge of the flat twin has put my mind at rest, and I will definitely take her there for a service come the 24k interval where he described the comprehensive package he provides for servicing, and has the full BMW diagnostic equipment too. 

Afterwards, given that I had my field glasses and camera in my top box, I punched in 'Stiperstones' into my Garmin and headed up and over Long Mynd to the nature reserve. I parked up at one of the car parks and walked out along the excellent footpath. 

Great for wildlife, I could spend hours up here there is so much to look at.

Purple heather is abundant this time of year. Swallows darting about everywhere.

 The rocky outcrop known as 'The Devils Chair'. Stiperstones is one of the six Shropshire summits is mostly Quartzite stone.

Superb views across Shropshire and the Welsh Marches.

On my return to the car park I saw a brief flash of a bird with red underbelly and breast and thought it was a robin. However the reddish tail and longer tail length made me take a closer look through the field glasses. After looking up in my pocket bird guide realised it was a 'Redstart' I think in it's Autumn/Winter guise as they lose their black face and have a duller red tail.

This was about as close as I could get before it flew off into the trees behind.

Must return to Stiperstones Nature reserve again soon with walking boots and panniers to lock up my bike gear. Lots of people walking dogs on a Saturday, but I guess a quiet day in the week would be better. Maybe in the future I could identify the Raptors circling above the Devils Chair too !!  

Paul

This week while at work an unusual number came up on my phone. Normally, I disregard these and don't answer, but something told me to take this call. I'm pleased I did. It was an old mate Phil AKA 'Taffy' who I haven't spoken to in about twelve months. Really great to hear from him, made my day and he's still as mad as ever, what a laugh. Pleased he's happily married now and settled down with Carol over in Builth Wells.  

Taff as we all refer to him (even my kids do too) explained he had been out with Dave over the weekend to pay respects up at the road where our good friend Paul (Dave's younger brother) had his fateful accident on the road just outside Rahayder 8 years ago while they were out for a Sunday ride. How could I ever forget that awful news? So it was, Taff and Dave ended up in the pub afterwards to reminisce old times with Paul. 

Over the past 8 years my own memories with Paul have come flooding back on many occasions,  often while driving I'll have a Paul moment, or something comes on TV that sends me right back in time to another Paul moment, Oasis on the radio and I hear him singing Wonderwall on a night out after the racing in the Isle of Man. Mad nights in the Fountain pub, Squash games at the Glades and of course Dismantlers paintball team tournaments. So many great memories. 

             Paul, how I best remember him. A pint, some wit, wisdom, and 'Bond Cool'.

Paul, my old mucka, my best friend for so many years, I have so many memories of those great days and wild nights together (often involved slamming Tequilas). We shared the good of times, and the bad of times too. A true mate to all who knew you !!

                                        Paul Vale, In the Land of the Lounge Lizards. RIP.

... thanks again Phil :-)

Skinning knuckles on summer days

I

Busy time at the moment getting my Panzer ready for the up-coming Mountains:Alps tour around the Swiss Alps and Mont Blanc in early September. After the Scotland trip last month I noticed a slight fork seal leak developing so thought it best to get it looked at. New tyres are needed anyway since I want the best profile for all of those upcoming twisties and with a favourable 7000 miles out of the current set of Metzeler Tourance 'Next', decided to go for the same again ( that's the 3rd set now the OEM Tourance EXPs were good but only managed 4K). Last week thanks to Lindsay's loan of his professional tool kit I grabbed an oil filter from a Nippy Norman's and bought some 15/50 Semi synthetic Castrol through Amazon and did my first oil change at 21K - proving I can at least follow a Haynes Manual ! Also 'wipped' the front brake pads out to find two thirds of the pad left on all four, despite 21K, just goes to show how the GS Boxer braking helps, The number of times I follow Lindsay on his 650 and his rear brake light flickers on every bend !! I also removed the flappy valve from the exhaust (see earlier post) as it finally seized up and costs £200 to replace. The valve is for EU noise emission law only and not tested in the MOT, so managed to get an off cut of exhaust pipe from those nice chaps at A44 exhausts in Worcester to fill the space left behind and using some exhaust seal I now have a straight through section. I removed the Bowden cables completely too. Seems much smoother and less popping on the overrun now.

So, in for new tyres and fork seal at a Benhams Motorrad  in Wolvo' today, they lent me this F800GT after I asked for a bike I'm least likely to fall in love with. A few weeks ago I test rode the new LC GS standard from Blade Motorrad with that quick shift pro and did enjoy riding it for many reasons, great power delivery, zero buffeting from the stock screen and narrower profile seat. A few things I didn't like not least the £15k price tag and the tinny sound - I'd have to have an Akropovich fitted to make it sound like a Boxer,  but at least I know what my next bike is going to be if ever I get tired of riding 'Lupin Lou'. I didn't want to risk falling in love with a new bike before I ride the Alps, so wise decision to get a loan bike I'm not going to want to own. As for the F800GT? Well, nice machine. A bit cramped for my gangly legs though and doesn't quite have that punch I love from the 1200, but quite smooth with the belt drive and the inline twin, and goes round corners well too !

Just a quick note on a great book I'm reading in the garden on these hot sunny days where full on bike gear makes hard work of a ride out. The Mrs bought me another Neil Peart book (Rock drummer from Rush). Been a big fan of the professor since I was about 15, seen them live many times over the years and read many of his books ( he rides a GS too you know ha ha), this one is more of an autobiography, interspersed with his music influences while on a winter road trip in his Z8. Great to read how his idol was Keith 'the loon' Moon, but when he tried to follow his chaotic yet incredible drumming style didn't like drumming like that at all and forced him to create an original style of his own. If anyone has ever watched and listened to a live drum solo by the 'professor on a drum kit' you will know what he means. Good read!