Lets not forget the Suzuki Burgman AN 400

Lets not forget the Suzuki Burgman AN 400

The Burgman is still going strong in Portugal , here I am at the airport after dropping Jackie off . It needs a new exhaust so I need to find a reasonably priced third party one as the original Suzuki part is more than the scooter is worth .It has now done 38,000 miles and runs well.

The King is dead , long live the King

"The King is dead , long live the King "

     My bike failed it's MOT and I decided to get shut on E bay .

And now for something completely different

Need to kit it out for touring now ! .

The beginning of a new era

Richards view and comments . Ride to Faro Bike Rally 2014

For me this was a dream trip , riding during the day having a few beers at night and talking bullshit till bed time . Get up and do the same again . Obviously you have to add good weather, roads campsites and company .On a serious note from past experience the things that can spoil a trip are , clashes of personality ,repeatedly  getting lost in large towns and cities (with or without sat nav!) , riding too many miles in a day and route disagreement . Pre- planning can eliminate most of these . I like a few beers at the end of the day and we had some memorable discussions covering everything from the use of the back brake to re-incarnation .Saying this everyone was ready to go at a reasonable time the next day . A kitty worked really well for us and took away the hassle of paying individually , and I think we all did our bit round camp . DIDN'T I ?HA HA .

The Guys

The Bikes

Portuguese Hospitality free food and beer

 Ok now my favorite moment . My worst moment was waking up and finding my rear shock had gone completely . Initially I thought the bike was not  ride able and I was GUTTED !! An hour later on good roads it was manageable if driven with care . I felt I was spoiling the days riding and would have been happy at my own pace at the back , but my comrades were having none of it , yes I  WAS spoiling their days riding but we all stuck together . Until we filled up with petrol that is ! And Brian issued the Immortal words "CRACK ON AND WE WILL CATCH YOU UP. ITS A STRAIGHT ROAD FOR 60KM"
     I won't say how fast I went but I waited for them after 60km helmet and jacket off relaxing in the shade under a bridge . I laughed into my helmet for the whole 60k and for some time after . They were not amused but it got rid of my frustration at the bad luck of my shock going . In all fairness there were warning signs but I missed them and put it down to sloppy riding !

Thanks for reading the blog .

Respect Ha Ha

If you would like more details of this trip please contact me .

Ride to Faro Bike Rally July 2014 Sat June 28th to Friday July 11th

Ride to Faro Bike Rally July 2014 Sat June 28th to Friday July 11th

   This ride is something new for me, I am meeting two friends in Santander on July 9 th 2014 and leading a ride to Sagres in Portugal. We are then visiting the Faro Bike Rally before returning by ferry to the UK on 22nd July 2014 . I hope to update the blog on a daily basis , giving information of route and accommodation. My journey starts in Sagres arriving in Santander by the 8th July to meet the ferry the following day .

 Saturday 28th June :
     
                  Only 3 days before I fly to Faro now . I just need to buy some earplugs and some new cleaning solution for my visor .

 Tuesday 1st July  :

    "SURVIVING A FERRY SEAT "

This is not me !Lets call him Dave .

  
Having a seat/chair instead of a cabin can save you £80.00 , seats are not available on all crossings but if they are I go for it . The simplest way to board the ferry is to do as you are told . At the Ferry Port you will be told to attach a label to your bike and join the bike queue. You will be told when to board and where to go and park . I put my bike on the side stand in gear and make sure I haven't left the parking light on. Alarm and lock's are not a good idea, and certainly not necessary . An employee will  strap it down, some people do it themselves but I wait for the experts.( On embarking its usual to take your own straps off , someone will help if you struggle).I leave as much as possible on the bike , I fasten my helmet  to the bike with gloves inside . I have a pre-packed small rucksack with everything I need . Towel , toothbrush etc , trainers and shorts and a tee shirt . A book, sunglasses , sun cream and of course passport and money , which I keep with me at all times . In full bike gear I take note of the deck and go to find my seat which is allocated . Its like a small cinema . Outside the door is a toilet with shower and washing facilities . There is storage where you can hang up your bike gear . Having rode down from the north of England I am usually pretty tired but I wander round the boat have something to eat and a pint or two and go to sleep as late as possible . I usually sleep ok , but  some may say different .( Lets call them Dave )With the night over I spend the following day relaxing  , looking at maps etc .

I know its on the centre stand , but I have since been told the side stand is best !

       
        
  Wednesday 2nd  July  :
      
         I have arrived safely in Sagres . The apartment is fine , my ZZR started first time and the weather is perfect . However I have to confess to feeling a little nervous . I have to ride to Santander and I really don't know where I am going or where I am going to stay . We can not go the same way back , firstly it could be boring but most importantly we need to get back quicker to make the ferry . I am allowing 3 days and two nights camping to get back to the ferry . For the last night we have booked an Ibis hotel near the ferry port in Bilbao . The ferry leaves early in the morning . Anyway the plan is to leave this  Saturday morning , so I will have to see how it goes .

 Friday 4th  July  :

         I set off tomorrow morning . I am heading for a camp-site at Merida in Spain . I had a couple of routes in mind but I think I will get on the Motorway at Evora . This will allow me to check out a camp-site near Beja which we may use on the journey back down. Had a trip to the race track at Portimao today , the WSBK's is this weekend and it was practice day . It is a 65 mile round trip from the apartment .

 

        This is the entrance to the apartment . I have lost the key fob . When I can't climb over in full bike gear I am going to declare myself "past it"

The "PAST IT TEST"

 Saturday 5 Th  July  :
   
  Change of plan !! I had a late night but that's not the only reason . I just wasn't ready . Shouldn't have gone to the WSBK'S really. I could have left 11 ish , but decided to leave early tomorrow . I am now packed and organized . I am heading to a camp-site 250 miles from Santander, further on than my original plan . If it works out I think we can do the journey back in two days without too many problems . This is a bonus as we will have an extra day here to relax .

 Sunday 6th   July  :

  On my way ! At first coffee stop in Beja . Done 120 miles and  its warm but cloudy so good for riding . I will be joining the motorway soon and heading into Spain . Its now 11.30 am .Last night I booked the Hotel in Trancoso for the 12th July , so we have a comfy bed to look forward too after 6 nights camping .
     
   Arrived at camping Las Canadas . Its just 2 minutes off the motorway and about 100km from Salamanca nr Hervas. Its a top site www.lascanadas.es and ideal for our journey back . Done 376 miles but it was fairly easy . A full day but good roads and easy riding . I will detail the route later .

Its been cloudy all day and even tried to rain !!

Monday 7th July:

        Packed up and ready to go . Slept ok as well.Should make Santander today . The clouds have gone and the sun is shining.

BEFORE!

AFTER!!

Ok the story behind this is I arrived at Camping el Molino de Cabuerniga and it was amazing, I chose a quiet spot in a huge field, with plenty of room for Paul and Brian nearby. I went to the shops and returned to find 2 Spanish families camped within 10 ft of me . I can hear them now ! Its BED TIME!!. They had a whole field to choose from ! I DON'T GET IT !
        The camp site is 40 minutes from the Ferry Port in Santander. The ferry arrives at 6 pm on Wednesday so we will be back here in plenty of time to set the tents up before dark. We will be eating late , and chatting late into the night no doubt !!
       The journey here was all motorway, the first 200 miles pretty boring , but the ride through the mountains is pretty spectacular for the final 100 miles or so and I am looking forward to doing it again on the way back.

 Tuesday 8th  July:(day off)

  Despite my moaning about my space being invaded , this is the best camp-site I have ever stayed on .It even has a robot to cut the grass.

Route up date ; Sagres to Santander

Day 1 376 miles
Day 2 316 miles
Total Mileage    692 miles

Fuel bill 22.97 Euros
             23.34 Euros
             21.20 Euros
             20.00 Euros

Total Fuel  87.51 Euros

Toll charge 4.90 Euros.

Accommodation

Day 1 14.40 Euros
Day 2 18.50 Euros

I took the IP2 to Evora in Portugal then the A6/IP7 (toll) to Badajoz on the Spanish border, then the EX100 (relief to get off motorway) to Caceres, where I joined the A66 motorway to Salamanca, leaving at junction 436 for the campsite. (96 km from Salamanca). Day 2 Took the A66 to Salamanca, then the A62 to Valladolid and Palencia, then the A67 to Santander.

     Easily manageable in 2 days , some of the motorway was a bit tedious , but not a bad route to get to Santander quickly .

EEEE AWWWWW.

 Wednesday 9th  July:(ferry arrives 6pm)

The arrival. Then there were 3 !

 Thursday 10 th   July:

   Yesterday was exciting , we had a late night catching up with tales from the Ferry . We retreated to the

 bar at 10.30pm( after our fist gourmet meal) to watch the football and penalties meant extra drinks !!The only plan we had made was to discuss things in the morning . We had already decided to spend another night here rather than get straight under way. We were still having breakfast at 11.00am so we planned a short ride . We took the CA 280 to Espinilla , which was a great warm to get used to the roads. From here we took the A67 motorway back to complete a circular route of about 100 miles .

Tomorrow the journey proper starts , we need to be ready a bit earlier than today , and its going to get hotter !!

 Friday 11th   July:  Cabuerniga to Palacios de Sanabria.

   Today has been rather eventful. We gained a new group member Peter , and became 4 , unfortunately after the lunchtime stop , Peter parted company with us and we became 3 again . Also my bike started leaking oil AHHHHHHHHH!!!!. After input from Brian and Paul  we narrowed it down to the rear shock , not the end of the world but it needs attention . Hints of mutiny also surfaced with rumbling complaints about the distance being excessive ,and the route to obscure . I managed to talk them down and after food and beer the mood was diffused .

We became 4

Is that Jeremy Clarkson

I  will update the route tomorrow , Night Night .

Ride to Faro Bike Rally July 2014 Sat July 12 to

Ride to Faro Bike Rally July 2014 Sat July 12 to

Friday July 11th 

This is the update of the route from yesterday

Mileage: 216 Miles

From Cabuerniga take the CA 182 to La Herrmida then the N621 to Riano. Follow this road to Cistierna, then the N625 to Mansilla de las Mulas. Stop for dinner.

After dinner we continued on the N625 going through St. Maria del Paramo and Baneza before taking the LE 125 to Puebla de Sanabria on the Spanish Portuguese border . Though this was a demanding route everybody agreed the N 621 and the LE 125 were built for bikes and traffic free.

Saturday July 12

   Things started badly , alcohol saved the day yesterday!! Can it do the same today ?

             Too tired to venture into town we ate at the camp site in  Puebla de Sanabria and had a reasonable nights sleep . With another longish day ahead we packed up reasonably early .Packed up I sat on my bike and it became obvious the rear shock had gone . As the other two had already left the camp site I had no option but to follow . On the rough road it was like a bucking bronco and it felt impossible to ride . On catching up with my buddies the vibes were" thank f**k its not not my bike , what are you going to do ". I was pretty devastated , lucky I had my buddies to offer advice and support !! I decided to ride . Can you ride a bike with no rear shock ? Yes as long as you avoid bumps !! Unfortunately we had to adjust the route and after taking the N103-7 into Portugal we took the faster and smoother road the IP4 and then the IP2 coming off at the N226 for our night in a hotel in Trancoso .

Mileage; 173 miles ( includes detour for petrol)

Other things that happened that day were :

Brian got to use his Sat Nav

Paul won the looking cool in £300 sunglasses competition

Brian came 2nd

I was last

 Also a certain not to be named person traveled at 120 mph on the smooth and traffic free IP2 and claimed it was because cars were up his backside !!

Oh and Paul won the first game of blackjack .

Brian ignored my advice NOT to put his bike in the garage

Sunday July 13:

   On the advice of the hotel owner we attended a 50 cc bike meet last night . We were invited on a rally with them today , decided to go , staying another night in the hotel . Here are the pics of a special day .

A knocking a 6 inch  nail into a tree trunk competition

the barrel at the front is for wine . 

Brian and Paul are here 

The ones that didn't make it !!

Monday July 14:

Another hard day on the road

Peters Marinate Jerk Chicken 

Paul is after one of these 

Mileage;  139 miles

The route : Today was always planned as the easier day , with the majority of the route on motorway . From Trancoso we took the IP2 /E 802 towards Guarda , then the E80 motorway signposted Corvilha before joining the A23 to Castelo Branco and Portalegre. We left at junction 20 took the N18 through Vila Velha Rodao and Nisa to Alpalhao then the N246 to Marvao. Campsite Pomarinho is on the N246 as it heads towards Portalegre.

Vila Velha Rodao.

Find a spot with shade, at Pomarinho

Tuesday 15 th July 

Arrived in Sagres 6 pm today , long hot day but great to be here . Total mileage from Rakewood  1267 Miles


Will be updating the route soon , not had time !!  Bike is now fixed with a reconditioned shock. Paul and myself are off to the rally Friday , Brian is staying in Sagres .

The route Pomarinho to Sagres  256 miles

Leave the campsite and take the N246 to Portalegre, then the IP2 to Estremoz and then to Evora on the IP2/N18/E802.. Follow the same road to Beja. From Beja stay on the IP2 till it reaches the IC1 at Ourique.Take the IC1 in the direction of the Algarve leaving at Sao Marcos da Serra for Monchique on the N267. From Monchique take the N124 to Portimao till it reaches the A22. Join the A22 towards Lagos leaving at signs for Villa Do Bishpo. Then follow the N125 signposted Villa Do Bishpo and SAGRES.


Wednesday 15 th July and Thursday 16th July in Sagres

Washing Day

Serious stuff

Friday 18th July at Faro Rally

Saturday 19 th July at Faro Rally and return to Sagres.

Nice pic of my bike , with new rear shock .

Paul deep in thought at 8 am , after 2 hrs sleep 

Shower block 

Brian had this ready for his boy's on their return .

Sunday 20th July to Monday 21st July 

We left early to do the journey to Bilbao in two days ! I have covered the route at the start of the blog .

That's it we catch the ferry in the morning .

Come back later for , thoughts on the trip .

Richard Mason: