Ecstar Suzuki Poster

Featuring Alex Rins

Hoping after peeing rain on the way down it's this dry!!!!

Vera packed and ready to roll ..

Fitted the new tank-bag as well. Plenty of room in there for those essentials to save me dipping into the panniers and top box.  It is also expandable and I may need to do that on the way back!

Once loaded I checked the TomTom clearance and fitted the security strap in case the Givi bag decided to fly off.  

The view from the saddle isn't too bad and the new bag doesn't obscure the TomTom at all. I had to make a few changes so that nothing clashes with the steering especially when using full lock to manoeuvre.

The speedometer is digital on the right side of the clocks and so isn't obscured. I can change that to kilometres when I land in France.

One thing I have packed in the tank-bag is a towel!  I have learned from experience over decades that waterproof gloves with a variety of linings, from Goretex to other copy versions, don't like wet hands going into them! So a small towel to dry them is essential.

According to the miles to empty display I have 123 miles before a fuel stop. I was going to do it on the way to Eurotunnel, and still might if the local garage is open, but it appears that French Unleaded 95 is about 30p a litre cheaper than locally in this part of Kent. We are royally ripped off down here!

With the weather hardly looking to have improved since I last looked on the BBC Weather app it looks as though we will be in waterproofs for the first couple of days.  First overnight stop is near Tours on the Loire.

Luckily it looks as though it improves to mid-20's in Spain and seems to be something similar for the ride back up the A20/N20 route towards Cahors and Orleans. 

Our last night in France on the way back is in Chartres.

So an early start tomorrow to make sure that we are on the train we have booked. It will be a miracle if that actually happens as my experience with Eurotunnel over twenty plus years isn't favourable! Whether in the car or MoHO or indeed, on the bike.

Neill's Aragón Blog

https://ndtea.blogspot.com/2022/08/aragon-here-we-come.html

My brother has his own travel blogs to cover the trips he goes on. Most usually with his Route 66 mate Patrick.

I have then linked all on the right panel --------->

His are usually always one-off blogs for a particular trip and so this one linked above is different in that it covers different trips.

The Routes - So Far

In blog-time it's not that long since I made the first post. I have been working on this in reality for the best part of two weeks though!

So where are we at the moment?

Day 1 - Shuttle or Ferry to Calais. Overnight - Tours Première Classe

Day 2 - Tours to Bayonne. Overnight - Bayonne Première Classe

Day 3 - Bayonne to Morella. Overnight - Morella El Cid

Day 4 - Morella to Motorland Aragón to Morella. Overnight Morella El Cid

Day 5 - Plan A - Morella to Motorland Aragón to Morella. Overnight Morella El Cid

           - Plan B - Morella to Motorland Aragón to Lleida. Overnight TBC

Day 6 - Lleida to Cahors. Overnight Cahors Campanile

Day 7 - Cahors to Chartres. Overnight Chartres Hôtel Inn Design Resto Novo

Day 8 - Chartres to Shuttle or Ferry - Overnight Home.

There are a few ends to tie up but this looks like this could be the final plan.

If the weather is still nice and warm, hot even, I might get to wear my bandana again!  Without anyone laughing!

It's rude to laugh!

Bucket List

A trip in 2022 to the MotoGP at the Motorland Aragón circuit is a bucket list trip.  

It night not be on my wife's list of things for me to do in 2022 or any other year.

I have wanted to "do" a Spanish round for a few years. Until lately that has meant only Jerez or Catalunya.

It looks as though the Spanish organisers want to have as many Spanish rounds as possible.  Aragón is really the only one that would fit in with my other commitments in 2022.

As I said in the first post. Covid-19 is very real. It is still a threat to life as we know it.  Even those of us with THREE vaccinations! Yep, two plus the November 2021 booster.

So let the planning commence!

First Post - Aragón MotoGP 2022

A first post has to be the start of what's to come.

This blog is meant to be for a single motorcycle trip that is at the planning stages in November 2021.  There is a 50% chance that it might not happen and maybe another 50% that it will.

The bike to take the trip on will be Vera Strom, my 2018 Suzuki DL1000XT L8 V-Strom.

Circumstances change.

In November 2021 Covid-19 is still about. 

It is still hospitalising people all across the world.

It is still infecting people

People are still dying.

With all that in mind, this trip may just turn out to be a bit of fun working it out, and never take place.

Thank you for joining the circus..............