Where this time?

 After a great Scotland leg of our 'Lands End to John O'Groats' trip last year, Konrad decided that he would be heading back to Scotland in May. After sharing his plan with me, I decided to tag along.

We are now essentially doing an anticlockwise loop from Balmoral in the Cairngorms up to the North-Western Highlands and then back down via the Outer Hebrides and Western Islands down to Mull and Arran before heading back home.

Konrad is taking his Yamaha XT660X again despite it's advanced years and despite being chucked in the shed after last year's trip without so much as a wash.

I purchased a Honda Africa Twin at the last minute to replace my Kawasaki. Have had a busy couple of weeks purchasing and fitting accessories to make the bike more suitable for my needs. 


Konrad's bike has been serviced but has a tight spot on the chain that I have been attempting to improve, with limited success. It also had worn-out cush-drive rubbers which I have sorted. On top of that it has also been over-filled with oil, as is always the case with garages who don't understand how to check the oil on dry-sump bikes. I have managed to get some of it out..... It will have to do.

Today I finally found a moment to ride my new bike for the first time! It runs great but is a bit soft being an adventure bike. I cranked-up the rear pre-load and it is loads better now. Again, it will have to do and I will need to fiddle en-route.


Packing the bikes and prepping them for the journey has been hard work and I would be lying if said that we are well prepared and the bikes are all perfect and ready for the trip. How bad can it be?








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