The start of the JJJ (Johns Jolly Jaunt)

Well skimad4x4 is on the way to mine for a little UK, IOM and Ireland trip. He is driving 650miles to mine with the VFR in the car. I'm only doing the IOM trip - went to Ireland in the 80's, got shot at & bombed so not heading back this time - lol.

Should also hook up with Manxvfr at some point out there & hopefully I'll get some good pics to share..

 

Lots of pics please, hope you have a great ride. Got shot at and bombed there in the '70s when Dad was stationed there. Got sent to the grandparents in Plymouth for the rest of the tour.

 

Awesome! Met Skimad at this year's R3 event. Scubalong and I picked him up at the airport. Sounds like you guys are going to have an adventure! Ride safe.

Cheers

 

Ok, this sounds like it ota be good. I'll stay tuned for more to come.

 

Pints ... I mean pics or it didn't happen!!!

 

Can I urge you to reconsider? As you probably know, Ireland is a lot different country compared to the 80s. Heck, aside from Belfast I'd say there's no chance of anything happening anywhere today. The reason I say this is that I spent a month in IReland a few years ago on foot, and my God was I jealous of the riders. Once you get outside of the Dublin metro area, almost the entire country is sweet, sweet back roads with gentle curves and little to no traffic. Hell, you could make an entire trip out of going to the West Coast and riding up one peninsula and back, pop up to the next, do it again, all the way to Donegal.

 

Sadly my time is extremely limited and although I would have no problem extending my journey my significant other might not be as happy as me if I did.....lol

 

Looking forward to catching up with you guys and showing you around the Island - that prob won't take long !

 

I'm guessing somewhere between 17 & 20 minutes - lol

 

Dam, too bad you didn't ask if anyone else wanted to go to Ireland. That sounds even better than L.A.! Have a good trip.

 

A little teaser for you guys, from TT week, unfortunately the mountain road won't be one-way for you like it was here (and yes that is an electric tram crossing the road and stopping the bikes !)
https://youtu.be/dsdGFuJy0P4

 

Ok so maybe 25 mins to allow for traffic - lol

 

Well so it begins..

After a quick local run down the Abondance valley to get the new tyre scrubbed in. The VFR was carefully loaded inside my VW Caddy Maxi for the 12 hour trip from the Alps to London - where I met up with Diving Pete and his impressive fleet of Honda's all lined up ready for my VFR to slot in at the end, ready for the riding proper to begin.





Today was a gentle shakedown run just to test out 2 x new GPS installs on both of our VFRs and make sure Pete's new top box rack was secure. Thankfully they seem to be working OK on a scenic trip beside the River Thames to Runnymede and Old Windsor. Tomorrow its an easy 120 mile run from London up to Nottingham where if the weather remains kind, I hope to explore some of the Vale of Belvoir.



SkiMad

 

A few photos from the East Midlands

Interesting parking choice - I guess there will be a slight delay leaving the filling station



After a quick run across the Vale of Belvoir mostly dodging heavy showers, we headed for lunch at a cafe beside the WWII Bomber Command Memorial at Woodhall Spa.



Returning to the bike - it was a game of spot the deliberate mistake..





Yes the entire rear brake caliper was hanging loose on that BMW - but thankfully nothing a few cable ties and duck tape cannot fix. (OK no idea where the two caliper mounting bolts had gone but with the caliper attached to the swing arm Dave was able to ride his bike to a nearby dealer to fix the problem.)

It seems there is rarely a dull moment riding motorbikes.


SkiMad

 

Awesome, keep the photos and reports coming!

 

Hopefully, you guys WILL have some dull moments! That is very strange, losing two bolts out of a caliper? Surprised it never got ripped right off! That could've been more severe on a bike with linked brakes, I bet?

 

Just a taster of what awaits you guys, clip from last nights races https://instagram.com/p/BHxxI8lB2oZ/

 

Well we are both here - in Douglas, IOM....
What a friendly place.
My 210 mile journey was interlaced with rain & pile ups - sometimes both together :sorrow:,
but it didn't slow me down to much so arrived at Liverpool Docks in Bright Sunshine & hours ahead of when I needed to get there!!
I just parked in front of the entry barrier & waited. The sea crossing was very calm (2ish hours on a fast LARGE cat) & the journey to the B&B is only 3 minutes from the dock.
Feeling the travel a bit now so will go to bed - i'll upload pics tomorrow.