Long Way Roond

Category: Long Way Round

  • LWR day minus two

    In between work and a bit of play, I’ve been prepping the bike for her big trip. ‘Cos we have phones and cameras to charge, I wanted a secure method of hooking them up to a constant current whilst keeping them dry and safe.

    My Dad was an electronics engineer and among many other things, he taught me how to solder wire joints when I was about ten!

    So I’ve fabricated a charging dock inside the top box which can be disconnected when removing the box if needed. Now, I can leave the phone in the dry, connected by Bluetooth to the Carpuride Apple Carplay screen and have navigation info all day without worrying about battery life. There’s even the possibility of music and answering phone calls too if needed via the headset in my Shoei Neotec 2 helmet.

    Andy and I managed to get our headsets communicating with each other so we can talk to each other when necessary – we’ve each promised not to start singing…

    The other cool thing is that the stickers with QR codes for the website and Justgiving have arrived and have been applied. We won’t really have time to explain our challenge to folk en route – instead, they can point their phone cameras at the stickers and get full details as we drive off…

    Still got loads to do before Saturday morning – packing for one thing! Been receiving emails, WhatsApp & Facebook messages and phone calls all day from both folk wishing us well and also Scottish mountain rescue team members offering help, hospitality and plain, simple kindness. I’ve been overwhelmed to be honest – the whole thing has snowballed in the last couple of days as more and more teams have learned about the challenge and come on board.

    Did have a play out with Lizzie and Gyp yesterday morning in the Peak District. Nothing strenuous as our Gyp, like me, is still recovering from the car smash we were in over two weeks ago. But we had a very pleasant meander above Castleton followed by a chippy in the town…

    After Saturday, the planning and admin is over and the success of the trip is mainly down to luck, weather, CalMac ferries and a bunch of other things outside our control. All we can do now is to get on the bikes, try to ride safely, stay alert and do our utmost to follow the plan and raise those much needed funds which as the public now know, are going towards our vital Vehicle Replacement Project.

    Already, there have been several generous donations via the Justgiving site – can’t thank those folk enough…

  • LWR day minus four…

    Not long now before Andy and I hit the road to Scotland. So far, most of the preparation has revolved around the computer – writing the website, composing emails to the twenty four Scottish teams and then engaging in dialog with those who kindly replied with offers of help and hospitality. I think that those who’ve got as far as looking at the website realise that we’re serious about this challenge – it ain’t really a holiday! If it was, we certainly wouldn’t be looking at such a high mileage over such a short space of time…

    I’ve still got sore ribs but with enough paracetamol and ibuprofen I’ll cope OK. Andy’s going to jump in and help lift my bike onto its centre stand and wheel it around if necessary. Once moving, the weight isn’t really a thing.

    The OMRT Facebook page should get its first LWR post in the next couple of days and that’ll enable us to kick off the fundraising side of things in earnest. At the end of the day, that’s what this trip is all about along with getting to know a few of our Scottish compadres a bit better.

    The big bonus of course is that our route takes us through the most stunning parts of the Highlands and Islands – we’re looking forward to the scenery no end…

  • The art of blogging from your phone…

    Once Andy and I get going on the road, the idea is to update the LWR website with a blog post every night. And I’m hoping to do it with just an iPhone.

    I say just an iPhone – that’s a bit dismissive for a piece of kit that’s got more capability than the computers that got a man on the moon…

    Anyhow, as a test, I’m writing this from said iPhone in the hope that when I hit the ‘publish’ button, it’ll magically arrive on the website – photos and all!

    Yesterday, LWR day minus eight, Lizzie and I went for an e-bike ride over to Delph to see how I would cope after the car crash a couple of weeks ago. The idea was to stay on smooth surfaces but that soon went out of the window as the ride unfolded.

    Ended up calling in to see Mike at the old Heights pub above Delph and having a very pleasant hour in the sun talking motorbikes and dogs before heading home.

    Today, LWR day minus seven, I chanced a ride out on the big Voge 900 despite sore ribs and hand from the mountain bike ride yesterday. Didn’t go far admittedly, but it went OK and I’ll build up the distance through the week till LWR day…

  • Thoughts on a modern touring motorcycle

    It’s been a while since I toured on a motorbike – 2013 to be precise. That time, me and my buddy Spiny rode down through Spain to the Mediterranean, then onwards through the Pyrenees & South of France to the Alps.

    We were supposed to meet up with Lizzie and some friends for some cycling in the Alps but our Gyp the collie became ill and so sadly that didn’t happen.

    Instead, Spiny and I managed a stop off in Provence to hire road bicycles and ride the fabled Mont Ventoux in classic windy and cold conditions.

    I remember well the long ride back from Bourg-d’Oisans to Calais as we did it in a single day and it pissed down all the way!

    The bike at the time was my trusty old Yamaha XJR1300 with so much torque and power that you could practically drive everywhere in top gear! Super reliable and steady handling, the Yam has looked after me for well over twenty years – my only complaint relates to the mighty wind blast at speed that results from the ‘naked’ (non faired) streetbike design.

    But all there was in the way of electronic tech then was an early iPhone plumbed into the bikes electrical system. Still, that was far better than the previous Spanish trip in 2004 when we used a mix of paper maps and an antique hand held Magellan GPS unit.

    Spin forwards to 2025 and on the Voge DS900X there’s keyless ignition, cruise control, tracking, phone mirroring, sat nav, traction control, ABS, rain, sport & enduro modes, rear radar, blind spot monitoring and even a heated seat and grips. You almost need a university degree to switch the flipping thing on!

    But once the technology’s mastered, this is the bike for those like me of advancing years. Protection from the elements is great, particularly after adding a windshield extender, and the upright riding position is a boon for a bad back.

    There’s plenty of power from the fairly agricultural sounding parallel twin 95hp engine although it’s not in the same league as the silky smooth warp speed grunt of the Yam.

    Weight could be daunting at times but only when manhandling the bike around – once moving the handling is as sweet as anything I’ve ever ridden. To my eyes, the 21 inch skinny front wheel raised a bit of concern until I hit the first rough road. I needn’t have worried, think about going from a 26 to 29 inch wheel mountain bike – the effect is similar and confidence inspiring.

    In my opinion, as far as bang for buck goes, the Voge is a fantastic modern day introduction to how far motorcycles have come in the forty odd years I’ve been riding.

    Now let’s see if she can look after me on the Long Way Roond…