And she's home! :-)

Hatcho

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
May 29, 2017
Messages
848
Reaction score
40
Location
Kilcullen, Ireland
And I loved every bit of it!

So she's finally home... :aidan To cut a long story long this is how it happened...warning - grab a cuppa before you start...:) This is a long one!

Early start (3:50am!) on Saturday morning and after shovelling some Weetabix and tea into me it was off to the airport for a 6:30 flight from Dublin to Bristol. Usual rule of having a sneaky pint of Guinness :beerjug: was applied (ye never know...could be my last one!) and then onto the plane. You just can't beat Ryanair legroom with full leathers on :p But at €28 euro I can't really complain.

I hopped onto the train from Bristol to Plymouth (£50!!) and settled back for the few hours journey. Train wasn't cheap, but it was very comfy with plenty of space to spread out gear etc. Nice views along the coast too once we passed through Exeter.
I'd managed to catch an earlier train than expected so when I texted the guys in Ocean BMW they said their van and driver wouldn't be available for an hour. Fair enough - my bad for turning up earlier than I said I would. Options were to wait for him or else just hop in a taxi as its only 10 or 15 mins away. Wait?? While my new bike was sitting there waiting for me? Not possible my good man! So off to the taxi rank I went. A nice stroke of luck had me chatting to a chap from Swansea who was buying a Burgman scooter just around the corner from Ocean, so with us both being helpful friendly bikers, we shared the taxi cost.

Arriving at Ocean I was met by Jason who I'd dealt with over the phone/by email several times. We had a chat, did a walk-around of the bike (phwoaarr!!) and went off to fill out some paperwork. Have to say the lads in Ocean were great - Jason spent time with me going over the bike and its various bells and whistles (of which there are many). Some collection of gorgeous bikes in the place - several times I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. Finances had all been sorted in advance so all it took was a few signatures and I was now the owner of a 2016 R1200 GS Triple Black (still pinching myself to check it's real!). Oh, and just to treat myself (and fully achieve heavy debt) I opted for a Navigator VI to complete the package.

Jason kindly wheeled the bike to a level spot which was greatly appreciated by my newbie self. Loaded my bits and pieces into the top box and off I went after getting a quick photo of me and the new steed.

I'd ridden a few GS's back home to help decide what bike to go for. After 2 or 3 mins I was happily settled in and getting a feel for the bike's handling, acceleration and braking. All of which are awesome. Even the fact that I was sweltering in the 30 degrees heat wasn't preventing the stupid huge grin on my face :)

My plan was to nip up to Weston Super Mare and stay Saturday night with a friend there. Then kick off Sunday morning and take the long way to Holyhead to catch the evening ferry. I could have just bimbled up to Fishguard, but where's the fun in that?

Dave had the kettle on within 5 mins of my arrival (my kinda man!) and we spent the cuppa poring over the new bike. So far I'd stuck with the main roads (M5) and hadn't really had a chance to play on the bike. But first impressions were very very promising indeed. Highlight of the evening was sitting the back garden eating pizza and drinking even more tea whilst we watched the Red Arrows put on a display as part of the annual WSM airshow. Champion! :thumb2

After bending Dave's ear for an evening and the following morning it was time to hit the road. I left Dave's around 10:30 and pointed the bike due north. Just before Newport I joined the A449, then onto the A40 and next the AA479. Once I got into the Brecon Beacons National Park I'd left the dual carriageway behind and the roads tightened up nicely. Just what I was waiting for. Little did I know that the best was still to come...

The heat got stifling as the day progressed - this was savage hot for a Irish lad more used to rain and clouds. Last time I could remember 30 degrees was on my set square in technical drawing! So every now and then I stopped off to get out of the gear and grab a drink of water. Found some nice wee spots just away from the road where I could take a 10 minute breather and call the war office at home too. One such spot was Pont Minlynn – an old packhorse bridge from the 17th century. Came across it totally randomly which made it all the more sweet.

Back on the bike refreshed and ready for more. And boy was there more to be had! As I headed closer to Snodownia the tarmac just got more and more fun. And what a bike to do it on. Comfy, agile and plenty of poke too. I’d been in Dynamic mode for quite a while and was well impressed.

I’d heard the road from Lake Bala to Trawsfyndd was not to be missed and it didn’t disappoint! Lovely flowing curves and excellent surface mad for a crackin’ spin. The A470 to Betws-y-Coed is a road I’ll be re-visiting soon. I was the proverbial pig in sh!te at this stage! The landscape as you ride through Blaenau Festiniog is breathtaking - like something out of Lord of the Rings. Stopped into the ziplining place to get some brochures and have a drinks of water.

Betws-y-Coed was my dinner stop – loads of bikes, walkers and people out enjoying the sun. Really like this town – I’ve been over mountain biking and walking Snowdon a few times and it never disappoints. Being well ahead of schedule I lazed about a bit and chatted with a few others out for their own spin. Good bunch of lads gave me tips for which route to take – turns out that’s what I had planned in the GPS already – happy days!

Last stop along the way was at a carpark on the LHS on the A4086 a little after Snowdon House. Stunning views of the surrounding hills made for the perfect spot to while away the time I had to spare. As I lazed about a few hill walkers were returning to their cars and heading off. Place got emptier and emptier which made it even nicer!

Back onto the bike and I was still in plenty of time for the ferry. So into McD’s in Holyhead for a bottle of water and a double espresso. I was tired at this stage, mostly from the heat, and the coffee was a nice pick me up.

One of the first onto the ferry, bike strapped down in a couple of minutes and it’s up to guest services. I’d treated myself to a cabin when making the booking. Well worth the few extra quid it meant I could get out of the leathers, grab a shower, drink more tea and watch the telly for a few hours. Nice view out the front of the boat too – sunset on the sea is always class.

Off the ferry at 11:45 and it was a short blast home to finish an epic trip. 726km (454 miles in old money) from Ocean to home. And not an ache in sight - that GS is one comfy bike!

Thanks to all who helped out – lads in Ocean BMW, Dave (and the Red Arrows) in Weston, bikers in Betws y Coed, girl in the ice cream van (can’t remember where!). :thumb
 

Attachments

  • IMAG3964.jpg
    IMAG3964.jpg
    110.4 KB · Views: 482
  • IMAG3966.jpg
    IMAG3966.jpg
    127.8 KB · Views: 544
  • IMAG3968.jpg
    IMAG3968.jpg
    126.9 KB · Views: 557
  • IMAG3970.jpg
    IMAG3970.jpg
    143.9 KB · Views: 515
Few more pics

Some more pics...
 

Attachments

  • IMAG3974.jpg
    IMAG3974.jpg
    237.8 KB · Views: 462
  • IMAG3978.jpg
    IMAG3978.jpg
    139.6 KB · Views: 470
  • IMAG3983.jpg
    IMAG3983.jpg
    145.2 KB · Views: 457
  • IMAG3980.jpg
    IMAG3980.jpg
    140.7 KB · Views: 455
And more...

Nearly there! :)
 

Attachments

  • IMAG3986.jpg
    IMAG3986.jpg
    205.8 KB · Views: 511
  • IMAG3989.jpg
    IMAG3989.jpg
    238.4 KB · Views: 505
  • IMAG3993.jpg
    IMAG3993.jpg
    202.7 KB · Views: 532
  • IMAG3997.jpg
    IMAG3997.jpg
    229.1 KB · Views: 538
Last ones!

I promise! :)
 

Attachments

  • IMAG4002.jpg
    IMAG4002.jpg
    120.6 KB · Views: 523
  • IMAG4004.jpg
    IMAG4004.jpg
    105.3 KB · Views: 519
  • IMAG4006.jpg
    IMAG4006.jpg
    94 KB · Views: 537
  • IMAG4008.jpg
    IMAG4008.jpg
    107.1 KB · Views: 477
A great story of a journey that will stay with you long after the bike has gone.

Would make a nice change to the usual trip articles in bike mags, why not submit it.

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk
 
Congratulations on the new bike, good report and great photos.... thanks for posting.
 
Great report.

Beautiful bike.

Well wear........ as we say over here.

Sent from a OnePlusX.
 
Good man Hatcho - gorgeous new bike, lovely spin & your first ride report :clap

Welcome to the world of GSing & hopefully we'll meet you out & about (especially as we're almost neighbours)
 
That's a nice ride report. It's a lovely feeling to have a good ride home on a new bike. This reminded me of my trip home from Germany when I bought my GS - especially the part about Wales. :)
 
Great post Hatcho! The bike looks great and sounds like you had a very enjoyable spin home - looking forward to getting out for a spin and seeing the new machine in the flesh!
 
Great post Hatcho! The bike looks great and sounds like you had a very enjoyable spin home - looking forward to getting out for a spin and seeing the new machine in the flesh!

Popping out with Al after work if yer around - be a shame to put all this loverly sunshine to waste! :)
 
Good job. :thumb2

I've done this several times over the years, if anything, its a mini adventure and adds a different level to picking up a new bike.
 
Fantastic, and make sure you have 6000km on the clock before bringing it to the VRT crowd.
 
Cracking piccies & write up.... :thumb2

Enjoy & ride safe...
 


Back
Top Bottom