It’s tour on the 500 fortnight

[Northern jock]

Nice trip, I get it, if I go away on my old XT600 nothing happens very quickly, the bike keeps going at it's own pace and you take the back roads to enjoy the trip.

And sometimes stop early for beer because some days 100 miles can justify it.

 

[stever1]

It’s good that you’ve had a good time doing it ‘differently’ to most folk.

 

[AndyB_11]

Home now.

We made fairly good time from Harwich when you consider I stopped after about 80 miles to change my gloves then stopped again 30 miles later to fill up with petrol plus have a Greggs steak slice and a can of Red Bull for breakfast. I know how to live the dream

I’d got it in my head that I wanted to get back for the MotoGP start and it turned out we were early enough for me to unload my bike, dump it in the back garden and have a shower and be in front of the tv just in time for the start.

I’ll work out the details tomorrow because as soon as the race finishes I’m away to Aberdeen for the night then onwards to Elgin to collect the eldest granddaughter and drive home tomorrow.

 

[AndyB_11]

It’s had a post holiday wash and it seems to have survived quite well. Obviously the Indians don’t give a fuck about things like water based paints which can only be a good thing.

 

[Wapping]

No blazing lights.

No bloody great panniers or top box.

No screaming exhaust.

No blasting horn.

No 100 plus BHP.

No TFT screen.

No massive windshirld.

No shaft drive.

This is a wind-up as it can’t be done.

 

[wessie]

No blazing lights.

No bloody great panniers or top box.

No screaming exhaust.

No blasting horn.

No 100 plus BHP.

No TFT screen.

No massive windshirld.

No shaft drive.

This is a wind-up as it can’t be done.

you just have to accept that Andy is a freak and any doubt evaporates

 

[steve hughes]

No blazing lights.

No bloody great panniers or top box.

No screaming exhaust.

No blasting horn.

No 100 plus BHP.

No TFT screen.

No massive windshirld.

No shaft drive.

This is a wind-up as it can’t be done.

Whats worse

No Esa , how did he manage the suspension.

No LED lights , a bulb could have blown wrecking the whole trip

No winglets or aero, Im surprised he kept the front wheel in contact with the ground on the motorway.

last but not least , no ride modes. He must have been a riding god to keep that rear wheel from spinning in the wet.
As stated above truly a freak of a riding genius.

 

[AndyB_11]

Whats worse

No Esa , how did he manage the suspension.

No LED lights , a bulb could have blown wrecking the whole trip

No winglets or aero, Im surprised he kept the front wheel in contact with the ground on the motorway.

last but not least , no ride modes. He must have been a riding god to keep that rear wheel from spinning in the wet.
As stated above truly a freak of a riding genius.

It's got suspension? That's news to me. It's got springs front and back with extra springs under the seat but to call it suspension is taking it a bit far. I've only got it for one more day because I've just traded it in against a 650 Interceptor

Joking apart; it surprised me with it's ability to put up with being heavily laden with luggage then forced to endure motorway rides to and from Harwich in pouring rain, it's been left outside with no need for a massive chain and started every time even though it's probably done over 1k miles in pouring rain over the last fortnight and it used about 0.25l of oil in 2k miles. I'd never suggest that it's the ideal bike for European touring but there's a reason why they're so popular on the sub continent and it's that they're reliable and the finish stands up really well to neglect. Does that sound anything like a modern BMW?

 

[Wapping]

Congratulations on the Interceptor, Andy. A way better bike than the GT.

I forgot to tell you that mine has had its standard suspension improved, front and rear.

 

[AndyB_11]

Congratulations on the Interceptor, Andy. A way better bike than the GT.

I forgot to tell you that mine has had its standard suspension improved, front and rear.

The rather vague handling was my only complaint with the bike but the tyres were brand new and messing with the pressures plus possibly loading the rear springs should help because I'd sooner have a bike that jumped around on bumps so you know what's coming rather than feeling bit soggy as the suspension took up the slack.

 

[Wapping]

I'd sooner have a bike that jumped around on bumps so you know what's coming rather than feeling bit soggy as the suspension took up the slack.

Snap.

I dislike the wallowing you get on some bikes, which some owners demand for ‘comfort’.

 

[AndyB_11]

Snap.

I dislike the wallowing you get on some bikes, which some owners demand for ‘comfort’.

Be careful because Wessie will start calling you a freak before too long.

I prefer the term Riding God but that’s probably not quite true.

 

[AndyB_11]

Well the bike has now departed and as I rode away from the dealers a potential buyer was pestering the dealer for a price. He’d been out for test rides on all the smaller capacity Enfields and was set on buying one so asked me what I thought of the 500 Classic, I told him it was ok if he could calibrate his brain for a gutless but fun bike and apparently that’s what he wants.

I told him my old bike would be up for sale because I’d just traded it in and that was it, he wanted a test ride but they wouldn’t let him have one until they’d got it on their books and given it a safety check so he asked if he could put a deposit on it so nobody else got a test ride! The dealer was less than impressed because he reckoned he’d already spoken to his wife about buying it so it’s not going to be there long. Maybe I jumped the gun trading it in

Anyway, I’ve always recorded the mileage on road trip so the final score was 2,612 miles, £341 spent including fuel, add ons and services (excluding tax and insurance) and it returned a shade under 87mpg. It dipped about £1,500 over 2.5 years and overall I actually enjoyed owning it but it was time for a change.