Cracking part of the country mate, I do rannoch moor a fair bit throughout the year and never seems to get boring, the a82 being another favourite
Warmer than I thought it was going to be. Must have been a couple of degrees at least. Maybe even four or five in the sun. What I was initialy after was the view of Rannoch Moor in the snow but yesterday's thaw was much stronger than I realised. By the time I got to Loch Lomond it was obvious that was off the cards. Merino base layer and HEAVY merino socks(£18 and worth every penny). TCX Boots(nice but nothing fancy). Shoei NXR2 - nowhere near as cosy as my old AGV Quasar. Richa Infinity 2 Pro suit. ...with the liner in the trousers but not the jacket, because I wear an Animal fleece that pretty much fills the jacket. The fleece is the secret weapon. I've had it for years, got it for winter canoe trips. They don't make them any more, don't even make anything like them. It's about half an inch thick with a real dense outer weave. Knox Zero 3 MK2 gloves - just the job - had some thin merino undergloves in the tankbag but didn't need them. Heated grips.
How could I have forgotton my absolute favourite piece of winter gear. 35 years old and still my outer of choice when the forecast says either really cold or really wet. Cut the liner out of it maybe 15 years ago so it fits over texdtile armoured jackets or my race suit(and fits in a tankbag - was pretty bulky before). Have the bib-and-brace trousers too but they're overkill 90% of the time. Mostly pair it with Palm drytrousers these days(more canoe gear).
Started off on autopilot - a well trodden path. Motorway, tunnel, pootle up to Milngavie, fill up and... Wohoo! Away we go! Always a choice to make at Strathblane depending on traffic. Cut left over to the Carbeth Road, cut right along to Lennoxtown then over to Fintry... ...or on days like today with barely another vehicle on the road - straight ahead and next stop Duke's Pass. Down the far side and along Loch Venachar - which was super-sketchy. Surface is pretty goosed(resurfacing has begun from the Callander end) and it was all slimy with puddles galore and three full width flooded bits. Was real pretty. Loch was mirror calm with scotch mist clinging to the hills. Toyed with stopping at one point for a picture but didn't want to lose the heat I'd just got back into the tyres. Then up Glen Ogle and along the Dochart to Crianlarich... ...where I've a mate who's doing up a wee pub. Stopped to blether for a couple of hours, Soaked in some heat by the log fire then back via Loch Lomond. Got the first bit in before dark because as expected the Ardlui stretch was also flooded in places(not too bad - it's pretty much always washed out somewhere anyway). Traffic down the Lochside was chugging along nicely so I just sat in the long red snake of lights and chilled. Hit Glasgow in rush hour - not so chilled but it was all basically at a standstill so the filtering wasn't too dodgy. Hit a huge pothole just a mile from home. Dark with a dirty visor - didn't even see it coming. Gave me a fright and I'll have to get the bike on the stand tomorrow and check that the front wheel's still round.
Was rummaging around youtube there looking for a decent video of Duke's Pass. Photo's don't do it justice and to be honest neither do most of the bike vids I just watched. Some have wierd camera angles, some annoying commentary and a good few have bits cut out where I'm guessing they had an in-too-hot moment and didn't want to show it. This is pretty good though. It's cars but the guy leading Hammond obviously has the same passion for the place as I've had over the years(decades). ...and the snips of drone footage are a great addition. I envy his confidence in believing he has it mentally mapped. I kinda know where the scary bits are but am afraid to start believing I've got it sussed. Don't do it often enough and it would only take one slip-up... Their debate over the best car for the road made me smile. My opinion on the best bike is well set - it's supermoto territory pure and simple. Fazer 600 handled it well and the ZXR400 does a decent job but it's seven miles of SuMo heaven. Nothing even comes close. Letting rip on the Blade would take more skill than I'll ever have and a pair of big brass ones. Still fun even taking it easy though.
I did the Dukes Pass for the first time this September and your take on it is absolutely spot on. Its a cracking road but not best suited to a Fireblade. Something small, light and flickable with loads of punch out of the slow corners is what you need. I rode it on my MT09 and it was perfect. In contrast, the A701 into Moffat (beef tubs) is perfect for a Fireblade.
The last t(and only the third ever) time I was along the 701 was just before covid with a couple of mates. Playing tail-end-charlie to a GSXR1000 and a Speed Triple. They knew the road and I didn't. Was just trusting that if they could go that pace so could I. Got my own back when I took point to come back up along the B7076. There were a few clenched buttocks all round that day.
Looking likely I'll be off the road until mid 2024, I've just had a reverse shoulder replacement to repair the skateboard accident damage from August 2022. Only managed six months this year, old age and stupidity are catching up with me.
Not far - fifty miles or so. Was big licks most of the way though. ...for maintenance purposes. The blade's been getting a little reluctant to fire up over the last couple of weeks. I don't think it likes pootling around barely off tickover for months at a time. Was fine most of the winter. It's as good a cold starter as any bike I've had(although I hate it's 'rev it's own nuts off 'till it's warm' routine). Done the same thing a couple of years ago and cleared up after a few good thrashes so fingers crossed it's just needing some carbon cobwebs blown off the plugs. One mild bummer is that opening it up a little confirmed that the CCT is shot. It's had a little cold start rattle for a while. A few months ago I had a fiddle with it which helped but today I was hearing a light rattle at high-load mid-range. Anyhow - 40k is a repectable age for a Honda CCT. I've already picked up a manual adjuster so all I need's another dry day to get out in the garden and fit it. Presuming it's just the tensioner. ...but if it's the chain that's cool too. Got a service coming up so the timing would be good. But yeah, - we're getting there for sure. Along with the tensioner I'll probably do the spring clean.
My 07 has that light rattle when starting from cold but goes completely after a minute or 2. Read online that that's quite common with that generation. I changed the CCT to see if it would help it but it didn't make any difference. No rattles when warm though. Haha know what you mean, I've genuinely considered pushing mine 20metres to the end of the road when I'm on earlies at work (leaving home 5am)....never have though .
A nice run along the coast from Brighton to Peacehaven to have lunch with my brother. Only six or seven miles. Met Office: Southwesterly gale force 8 expected soon, increasing severe gale force 9 later Trying to keep a loose grip on the bars so the steering geometry can keep me rubber side down but still feeling it lurch left and right up to half a meter as the gusts hit. The 'blade really doesn't like doing 20-25mph in sidegusts and much of the trip was traffic limited to just that. Not many people trying to kill me today which is a nice change. Well, except the guy on the roundabout that (I think) slowed down to "let me in". Probably with the best of intentions but don't be unpredictable. Please. Still it was a nice carvery and I didn't want to take the bus.
