Mini Adventure to Bristol

My confidence in Doris is increasing the more I ride her. I'd arranged to call down to see my good friends Clive and Sue in Bristol - not seen them for ages, so it was great to have the chance to catch up.

The original plan was to go down there on the Saturday, stay overnight, then come back via Stafford showground for the Classic Bike Show. When the weather forecast slowly started to improve through the week before, I started to think I might get a nice last weekend's riding in before Autumn bites hard? But I was a bit concerned about taking Doris - it's a 4.5 hour, 175 mile ride each way (avoiding motorways) and she is an old girl after all! I was all for taxing and MOTing the VFR for the journey - it was No 1 son Rob's blind faith that persuaded me to use Doris - he kindly pointed out that she'd never let us down in the Isle of Man, so would obviously be fine!

So I went with it and set off in lovely weather on Saturday morning. The plan was to take the A41 down through Cheshire, then onto the A49 to Hereford; A466 down to the Severn bridge and finally a little bit of the M4 to Clive & Sue's at Pucklechurch. I was in no rush and factored in 2 or 3 stops to give the old girl a rest :).

Well my need was the greater for the first (loo) stop! But it was a good place to pull in - at the Lockside Cafe at Grindley Brook locks on the Llangollen Canal. I have now visited the cafe by canal boat, walking, cycling and by motorbike!

Anyway, the journey was pretty uneventful but really, really nice. I stopped for lunch at Craven Arms in Shropshire and then continued south - the roads getting nicer as I got further into the journey. The A466 was particularly good.

As usual, Doris performed flawlessly. On the way, it occurred to me that this was not only my longest journey on Doris but my longest single motorbike journey ever as far as I can recall!

Clive and I have previously done a few visits to the Isle of Man for the TT but his Triumph Sprint has spent several years under a tarpaulin while he was converting his house and building his garage. It was nice to see that Doris has inspired him to recommission the Sprint and we spent a pleasant hour discussing what he'd need to do to return it to it's former glory (not a lot really - the pitted fork stanchions being the worst damage). He has been set a deadline of TT 2013!

Clive took Doris out for a spin up the road - the first time I have seen her being ridden!

The return journey on Sunday was more eventful. First of all I passed literally hundreds of Harleys coming in the opposite direction - not sure where they had been but obviously some big event. Then I tagged onto a gang of "bros" heading my way! It took me 10 minutes or so to pluck up the courage to overtake them - I thought they might hunt me down and tear my head off for disrespecting them, but they all peeled off into Tintern Abbey tea rooms shortly after, for afternoon tea and scones I assume!

The weather turned quite cold and misty as I got nearer home. I had upped the pace a bit, as I left later than planned, but was still only doing 55 - 60 most of the time (I'd given up the idea of heading to Stafford). For a short spell on the motorway, I had her up past 70 for the first time, which was a lot more relaxed than I'd assumed it would be.

As it turned to twilight, I noticed that the headlight was only on the sidelight. I pulled over, and the tail light was also out. I was only 10 miles or so from home and it was too gloomy to start repairing anything at the roadside, so I used main beam and angled the headlight down a bit, then wound up the stop light switch so it was permanently on and took it easy on the rest of the way home. 

She never missed a beat all the way, but a couple of issues have come to light that need looking at: 

• the horn stopped working - probably just a tweak of the adjuster.
• the start button has got progressively harder to use - needs pulling apart and cleaning. That may also be the problem with the headlight and taillight?
• most worryingly, the base gasket is still leaking. Not enough to be a huge problem but disappointing. I will pull the top end off again at some point and use some original Honda gaskets with sealant to try and cure that.

All in all though, a great journey. Loving riding her, particularly the sound pulling away through the gears around 2000 - 4500 rpm :),  and I'm so pleased that she did such a long journey without major drama. Probably not much use in store before Spring 2013 now :(.

Postscript: When I came to try and fix the bulbs, the battery was flat as a pancake and wouldn't respond to a charge. It looks like it boiled dry - classic symptoms of Regulator/Rectifier failure apparently - i.e. too much voltage going to everything. Maybe that long faster ride home over heated it? Anyway, I'll order a new one (and a new battery probably :( ) and see how we get on. I hope the battery is the "sacrifice" and damage hasn't spread to other components like the CDI.

Wednesday - last day (boo hoo)

The wind and rain really whipped up again over Tuesday night but, thankfully it was pretty clear by the morning, which really helped as Wednesday was our last day, so we had to pack the tent and all the gear away - so much easier if it's dry!

Soon we were all packed up and heading off for the, by now, customary breakfast at the swimming pool.

Two races on the programme today - firstly the 500cc Classic GP/Formula Classic, then the  Supertwin/Lightweight Manx GP. The plan was to head out to Ballacraine and watch the first race from there, then follow the back roads round to Bray Hill so that we were nice and handy for the ferry after the race finished.

So out to Ballacraine. I remembered watching TT Practice from there many years back and not being really very struck with it, but I really enjoyed it this time - I think it was the slower speeds of the older machines and the great sounds reverberating off the old pub walls as they headed off down the exit.

How good is this video?.......

(credit - Mr Rob S :))

Rob was very taken with this group of nicely restored sports mopeds. 

I think they were Austrian from memory and really hope they came over in a van!

So we then followed the back roads to Bray Hill. I have never spectated from there and thought it would be too fast to enjoy, but it was magnificent. A great view as the bikes hammered down that, oh so steep, hill then bottomed out in front of us and carried the momentum up towards Ago's leap. Truly spectacular. We saw some nasty weaves there. A rider had been killed just up the road in practice and I think that was the start of it for him :(

Rob at Bray Hill (hairdressers!)

This photo really doesn't begin to show how steep this hill is....

Exit heading off towards Ago's leap and then down to QuarterBridge. 

In case you're wondering, the barriers are moved before the race starts ;)

This gives a better impression of the hill and dip.

LOVED hearing those 2 strokes racing in earnest again :) and the Supertwin class is really good as well.

This turned out to be quite a sad day - In the first race of the day, Ryan Farqhuar (who Rob and I have both followed for quite a time) won the first race, the 500 Classic. Then in the second race, his team bikes were running first and second, when one crashed out. Nigel Moore went on to take the win for Ryan's KMR Kawasaki team. Sadly, it was announced after the race that the other rider (Trevor Ferguson) had received fatal injuries in his crash. Trevor was Ryan's uncle.....  Unsurprisingly, Ryan announced his retirement from road racing the following week. He has nothing left to prove after such a successful career.

Sadly, the journey was now over and we had to head for the ferry. Doris continued to perform flawlessly (apart from stalling on the way up the ramp - I'd forgotten to turn the petrol on..... (blush)), and before we knew it we were home again. A fantastic few days away and she came through with flying colours. Now Rob is as besotted as I am!!

So impressions of the Manx v TT? Well I probably preferred it I think. It's chalk and cheese really, but the slower pace and classic nature of the Manx swings it for me. Will we be back next year? Definitely! In fact we are seriously looking at going for longer next year and joining the marshalling teams for some of it. Watch this space.....

But I think we'll do a homestay next year - I'm getting too old for camping in the rain!!

Tuesday Race Day

This was more like it, Tuesday dawned fine and dry. The 2 races due to run today were the 250/350 Classic Grand Prix and the Junior Manx Grand Prix. 

We had breakfast at the Pool again and headed out to Ballaugh Bridge to spectate from there for the first race. We had loads of time beforehand so we also managed to do a lap of the course which was great for Rob as it was his first one. It was pretty hairy over the mountain and Windy Corner was ..... very!

Rob and Doris at the Bungalow

and me at the Bungalow

Ballaugh Bridge was a great place to spectate from and it was superb hearing the old sixties 4 cylinder Hondas and Manx Nortons being given their head in their natural environment.

Rob at Ballaugh Bridge

I'll let the pictures do the talking :)

Nice landing

Retirement at Ballaugh

On the exit from Ballaugh

From Ballaugh, we took the back roads up to Ramsey to watch the next race (Junior Manx GP) from Parliament Square.

the approach to Parliament Square

and the exit

One of the great things about the TT and Manx is that you can move around so freely and get a very different take on the racing from 100m up the road. We wandered a block further up towards May Hill and were SO close to the action:

Love this bit of slo-mo video that Rob took on his phone from there....

With the racing over we headed into Douglas, following the coastal road through Laxey. What a beautiful journey, though very busy as the roads were still closed and everyone was heading that way. 

We went for a wander around the paddock and merchandise area behind the Grandstand for the obligatory t-shirt purchases! It always surprises me how relatively small that bit is - compared to say the Thundersprint, it really is very un-commercialised (no bad thing!)

There was a small classic bike show on Douglas prom, so we grabbed the now obligatory ice- cream and spent a very pleasant half hour drooling over the machinery there.

Beautifully crafted Vincent

and equally exquisite Triton with Trident engine

There just HAD to be a Manx Norton there!

Rob's favourite bike of the week - Yamaha TZ

This sweet Honda 350 Four was parked up nearby

 - I have a real soft spot for them :)

and this was my assessment of how large your testicles

need to be to race the Mountain Circuit!

A cracking day all in all. We headed back out to Peel for tea and a couple of pints then collapsed into the sleeping bags!

The Tempest

On Sunday evening, I pottered down into Peel for a half decent curry in one of the pubs and killed a bit of time as Rob's ferry wasn't due to arrive till 11pm. 

Rob was all ready and on his way on the Manannan from Liverpool.

Eventually, at about 8.30 I decided I'd ride into Douglas and see what was going on there; maybe grab a pint in Bushy's on the Prom.....(Bushy's Beer Tent)

Ah yes, this is the Manx not TT week - Bushy's was nowhere to be seen - the Prom was .....empty. So I got myself a large brew in the ferry terminal and read the paper from front to back twice till I got kicked out of Costa!

Rob arrived on time and we rode back to the campsite and settled down for the night. My nice tidy tent, big for 1, suddenly became very untidy and small for 2, with gear scattered all over the porch bit. This was to become relevant during the night.......

We settled down to sleep. During the night the most monumental storm blew in. It battered down all night and there was a really strong wind raging down the valley. I was really quite convinced that the tent would go at some point - it felt like it was only the weight of us being in it that was holding it down. Morning came and the weather was no better. We flicked on the radio and were not surprised to hear that racing had been postponed to Tuesday. When we eventually dared poke our heads out the sleeping pods, we had one of those "ohhhh sh...." moments. The porch was under an inch of water; our helmets were sat in it and had soaked it all up the linings; our jackets were soaked - it was mayhem. We did the only sensible thing - zipped up and went back to sleep.

When we eventually got up, the place was like a disaster zone - there were tents broken and twisted all over the place. The place was a mudbath. The council run swimming pool next door was open and it became a refugee centre for displaced campers!! They did a good breakfast there and were doing a roaring trade. 

Rob's Manx Hot Chocolate at the Pool

We walked into Peel and managed to get some stuff to make up some extra guys lines to secure the tent.

The storm eventually subsided late in the afternoon and we were relatively unscathed. The big green 8 berth tent behind us (pre-Tempest, you can see it in the big photo at the top of this blog) was flattened. The guy next door with the Beemer used some of the debris to fix his tent, which had also collapsed, but he decided he'd had enough and changed his ferry booking to the next day.

Later on, it dried up enough for us to venture out to Ramsey on the bike for fish and chips. Good old Doris - she'd been out in the driving rain for the best part of a day and started first push of the button. The roads were really awash in places with streams running across them. Couldn't believe that this was the racetrack!!

The day after the Tempest - tent behind looking worse for wear;
the one to the left was by this time in the bin!

Jurby Festival

Suitably refreshed after a couple of hours sleep, I decided to nip to the local shop for some breakfast stuff. I stocked up on milk, coffee and biscuits, then headed back to spark up the stove and make a brew. Ah yes, I then remembered that I'd run out of room when packing and Rob had the pan set in his luggage but wasn't arriving till tonight! Never mind, a glass of milk and some Hob-Nobs made a decent breakfast!

Then I decided to have a quick shower - errrmmm yes, Rob also has my towel.......

So I gave up and followed every other bike on the island to Jurby Airfield to see the Jurby festival. The weather was fantastic and it would have been a good day just browsing round the car park to be honest -seeing so many classic and historic bikes out on track was a bonus! I also had THE BEST bacon and sausage bap ever from one of the stalls....

A very small part of the bike park at Jurby

Nice pair of XBR 500s - my next project (currently in bits!)

Ryan Farquhar trying out a speedway bike for size

Michael Dunlop and Dan Knean -
the beginning of a new sidecar pairing?

Remember Clarkson in this? It's TINY!

One of my favourite bikes - Honda 350/4

After Jurby, I headed back for a look round Peel in the sun and an ice cream on the prom!

Doris at Peel Harbour

...and so we arrive in another land (not so) far away!

I love that feeling of riding the bike on and off ferries - such a sense of adventure about to begin. ..

There weren't so many bikes on the ferry as I'm used to for the TT. Maybe partly due to the stupid hour in the morning (2.30am!) but I was also expecting it to be a lot quieter for the Manx - it's been part of the reason that I've wanted to go, as everyone says it's a lot calmer and more laid back.

We rolled off the ferry at 6am and, rather than head for the campsite at Peel, I hung a right at Quarterbridge, up Bray Hill to introduce Doris to the Mountain Circuit. We pulled over at the Grandstand on Glencrutchery Rd to take a photo to mark the achievement of Doris making it over to the Island :).

Then a quick spin round the circuit to Ballacraine, where I left the course to head for Peel and a return to Peel Camping Ground. It's been a few years since I last camped here but the site manager Phil was still here, as he has been ever since I first went about 12 years ago! 

The omens were good. While I was unpacking, a couple of old '30s BSAs put-putted past; next door was a 70's BMW and all around there were more classics than "modern" bikes. 

The guy camping next to me was delighted when he saw Doris -  "I've got a 250 version of that at home"! Turns out he'd only not come on it as a new seat had been delayed in the post and his old one had fallen apart. He had owned his for 34 years and it's done 60k miles - in stark contrast to Doris's 11k. He was on a VFR800 and was even more delighted when I told him that I also had a version of his bike at home (my other bike is a VFR750).

Half an hour later, the tent was up and I got my head down for an hour or so to catch up on some kip.

Safely at Heysham

Made it!  Though obviously I never had any doubt that Doris would deliver me safely on our longest journey yet! Just under 70 miles I think.

The weather this afternoon & early evening was terrible - constant heavy rain. My original plan had been to travel up here fairly early, just in case of any mechanical gremlins, but I delayed for a couple of hours to let the rain clear a bit.

So there were bits of drizzle and a couple of heavier spells, but nothing terrible. I was quite concerned that it was the first time we'd been out in the wet - my worry was that it might show up some electrical problems, but all was fine :) 

It's also the first time I've taken her any distance at night. The headlight was reported as being good in contemporary road tests, but it seems like a candle compared to the more modern bikes I've had. I adopted the same solution as for everything else - slow down and smell the roses! Most of the journey was on well lit A roads anyway so not a great problem. I have taken a vow to try not to go on any motorways - A roads are much nicer and I won't be tempted to rag her then.

Anyway 1 hour till boarding, then I can get some sleep on the ferry.