A week in Scotland

FatAl

FatAl

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I've just returned from a trip to northwest scotland and the Outer Hebrides on my Stelvio NTX. I was accompanied by two other Stelvio riding mates, plus another two riding a Harley Superglide and a Kawasaki ER6.
Motorway riding was kept to a minimum as we rode up from Lancashire to Edinburgh via Kirkby Lonsdale, Sedburgh, Tebay, Langwathby, Lazonby, Brampton and into Langholme in Scotland. Here we picked up the excellent B709 riding up to Innerleithen and into Edinburgh. The weather was cold, sunny and dry, with some snow laying about here and there. We stayed overnight in the Travel Lodge Belford Road, Edinburgh.
 
A week in Scotland part 2

On Sunday we met up with our friends who live in Edinburgh and set off for Uig on Skye where we were booked into the excellent Woodbine Guesthouse. We travelled through Callander, Crianlarig and stopped at the Green Welly at Tyndrum, then off to Rannoch Mor, Glencoe, Fort William, Spean Bridge, and Kyle of Lochalsh and the bridge onto Skye.
On Monday the ferry was delayed for a few hours, we got to the Lochmaddy hotel on north Uist about 5.30, then went off to explore for a couple of hours. We found an interesting military installation on a hill and a quaint crofters cottage. There is a distinct lack of trees on these windswept islands.
 
A week in Scotland part 3

Tuesday was another cold sunny dry day, after breakfast we rode south to Benbecula and south Uist, these islands have a tranquil beauty and riding here was a pleasure. We got the afternoon ferry to Harris then crossed by the causeway to Lewis, the scenery as expected was fantastic and the cold wind did not faze us (thank god for heated grips) We stopped over in Stornoway at the Hebridean Guesthouse as reccommended by fellow Tossers. We found a good Thai restaurant opposite the police station but there was no drinks licence, but we made up for that later in the pub.
 
A week in scotland part 4

Wednesday morning found us heading for the ancient standing stones at a place I can't spell or pronounce and then up to the lighthouse at the Butt of Lewis. On the way we found a whale jawbone with a harpoon in it in what appeared to be someones garden, we cheekily went in and took some photos. The ferry to Ullapool later that afternoon was a pleasant sailing apart from it suffering catastrophic engine failure and having to limp to Ullapool on one engine, needless to say it arrived late.
We stayed at the Riverside Guest house which was very good and the owner very enthusiastic about bikers staying.
 
A week in scotland part 5

We had booked two nights in Ullapool so on thursday morning we set off north up the coast via Lochinver and Drumbeg, then on to Scourie and at Tongue turning south for Altnaharra.
This northwest stretch of road is my most favourite ride anywhere in the UK, the scenery is stunning, the traffic very light, no speed cameras or cops, a good road surface and clear views, it is motorcycle nirvana.We stopped at the Altnaharra Hotel for afternoon tea then pressed south towards Larig and turning north back to Ullapool. The weather again be cold and sunny. We ate in the Seaforth pub/restaurant the first night and then in the Arch Inn the second night, both decent places.
 
A week in scotland part 6

It was Friday morning, the weather forecast for the first part of the day was ok, but as we were to get nearer the cairngorms and Perth it didn't look too good. We set off for Inverness, another good fast route although Rob on his Harley Superglide was still in 'driving miss daisey' mode. The Stelvios as always took all these roads in their stride, being fast, comfortable and returning 50mpg (well mine was :) ) The latest model seems more economical than the earlier versions.
We went into Nairn, Grantown on Spey, then up to the Lecht ski area, Braemar and Glenshee, it was a bit weird seeing people with skis waiting to cross the road when on a bike tour. The sky had started to darken and threaten snow, we managed to persuade Rob to use the other three gears on his Hog and to speed up so as to beat any snowfall.
The Travel lodge in Edinburgh was reached about 6pm without us getting snowed on and we went out for a curry and few beers.
The trip back to England was via the bikers cafe at St Marys loch, then Moffat and onto the B7026 which I believe is the old A74. This is a fast road with little traffic and no speed cameras. We continued to Carlisle and went south along the A6 until Carnforth when we jumped onto the M6 to finish off thelast 40 miles.
We did just under 1500mls, My 2011 NTX constantly averaged over 50mpg despite the occassional hammering. All bikes were totally reliable and the three Stelvios we were on were the only Guzzis seen all week, in fact we didn't seemany bikes at all on the trip.
 
2010 /2011

Great thread .
Just had a thought whilst reading , Whilst the Two bikes are side by
side are there any discernable differences ?.
Apart from the Fuel Capacity ?..
 
the civil one said:
Great thread .
Just had a thought whilst reading , Whilst the Two bikes are side by
side are there any discernable differences ?.
Apart from the Fuel Capacity ?..
Click to expand...

My later model is a lot smoother than the 2009 model which has a noticeable power step around 4/5k rpm. I think this was because the early motors had the Griso engine fitted. The silver model is a 2010 NTX, this has different fuel mapping again compared to my later model, but is smoother and the power more linear than the 2009 model.
The black 2009 model in the pictures has done over 12000 miles, and stands outside in all weathers, its not even covered up, never fails to start and according to the owner the finish is lasting better than his previous BMW r1150 ADV which he had for six years.
 
fatal said:
The black 2009 model in the pictures has done over 12000 miles, and stands outside in all weathers, its not even covered up, never fails to start and according to the owner the finish is lasting better than his previous BMW r1150 ADV which he had for six years.
Click to expand...

It was the first thing i noticed on my first Stelvio , The Finish is way ahead
of any of the BMW Gs,s i have had.
I have a 10 NTX and i really like the Bike.
I also noticed on a Journey the Extra MPG , which matters these days.
 
Nice one Al. :thumb

The finish on my V1200 Sport is similarly classy .

Unfortunately shes not been used for nearly 5mths. Winter maintenance involved petrol stabiliser, a once monthly o/night batt' charge and monthly rotation of the tyres. On Saturday i took her out of the garage hit the starter button and she INSTANTLY fired into life.......rumble , rumble.
 
Great thread and fantastic pictures ... some of that sea looks like the Caribbean ... although a tad colder ! I am off to Skye and the westy bits in late June ... looking at your pictures I am even MORE excited ! Thanks for sharing that with us all ........
 
Rushy said:
Nice one Al. :thumb

The finish on my V1200 Sport is similarly classy .

Unfortunately shes not been used for nearly 5mths. Winter maintenance involved petrol stabiliser, a once monthly o/night batt' charge and monthly rotation of the tyres. On Saturday i took her out of the garage hit the starter button and she INSTANTLY fired into life.......rumble , rumble.
Click to expand...

Took my 1200 Sport out this evening for the first time this year and as always it burst into life first touch of the button. It was misfiring a little for the first half mile and then smooth as anything. I really like the Stelvio and if I was staying in the UK this is so high on my list as I'm moving to the states it has to be a harley (and Honda XL650R:green gri).

Fatal - great write up. You almost passed my door step and sounds like you did pass Gerry's doorstep on Glenshee, great trip and report:clap:clap:clap:clap
 
I had a run up to Ullapool last wednesday with my daughter. The repairs to the ferry in Ullapool caused the Seaforth to be a bit busier than normal although there were a few bike jackets in the crowd. Still worth the wait though as the food is always good.

We saw your group on thursday as we were walking to breakfast. It was nice to see a few Guzzis for a change and Erin was quite impressed by the exhaust note. Glad you had a good trip.
 
Thanks. The exhaust note on the standard pipes is nice, but I may put on the Quill end can I had on my first Stelvio, that was very 'fruity'.
I love the NW coast of scotland, if it wasn't for the midges over summer I would seriously consider living up there. My uncle used to live on the outskirts of Ullapool in a bungalow overlooking Loch Broom, we had many family holidays up there when I was young. I remember as a kid looking down on the RAF jets doing their low flying exercises, and fishing with my dad on the loch. Happy days :)
 
Good report there,Fatal. Me and the Missus (on my recently acquired Stelvio NTX) are off up there in a couple weeks time.
Its a belated birthday treat for the Missus,she was the big 60 back in December. She's never been to Scotland,so I thought I'd treat her before she gets old!
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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