MT Riders Club

If you look over to the right, just left of the wee hill, thats the Skye bridge, a short walk from where I live, one MT500 from Grantham in Lincs to the Isle of Skye, 500 miles, approx 12 hours, several stops including two longish ones to nab a socket and charge my phone for satnav duties so am pretty chuffed with the journey.

On the bike, tank bag with heath robinson fixings, (thanks for the spare bungees Geoff), MT tanks are not tank bag friendly but I needed it there for the phone and nav in the pocket.
Spare petrol can purchased from Sheffield and still containing genuine yorkshire petrol, LOL, didn't have to use it, averaged between 115 and 140ish miles between fill ups without touching reserve, most of the run was top gear cruising on motorways but last leg, Glencoe to Kyle was the 140 plus one, the tyres sunday morning when checked were about 15PSI, not sure of the normal running but I set them to about 33 - 35 which made things smoother and grip was good, for knobblies, only wet the last bit from Fort William.
Rucksack behind the petrol can and a litre of oil i picked up on a petrol stop after noticing the dripping.
Not a massive amount and only when hot but a good few 5p coin sized drips from the sump pan area each stop.
Not 100% sure on the level checking procedure, i.e., on mainstand?, hot?, cold? upper line on dipstick like a car engine? etc so I chucked in some till I could see it slopping about in there until I can get the manuals and check better.
Am aching somewhat from being quite tense for the first 200 miles or so being a new machine and getting used to everything, managed to relax better once on familiar highland roads from glencoe and enjoy the ride, great chugger of an engine, seemed quite happy cruising anywhere between an indicated 60 - 75, nav showed average at 5mph lower than indicated, i.e. 65=60
Only other nuisance was the right rear shocker blowing a seal, found a puddle of oil under the rear tyre in line with the wheel spindle, first thought was how did that get there, then I noticed it was cleaner than the engine oil drips, I wondered if the bottle I bought for topping up had leaked but there was none on the frame above the swingarm, then it clicked that it was from the shocker, clarified when I rolled it forward and checked again this morning to see another deposit, was fine all the way up so presumably being excessively exercised and it being a bit tired had taken its toll so first bits i'm looking for are a pair of reasonably priced rear shocks.

Will need to get a hold of some service manuals and have a few bits to look at, general servicing and such like, oil, filter, air filters, mixture and so on, never had a dry sump motor before so things like draining and changing the oil and filter will be different.

Other than that, my little boy thinks it's sooooo coooool,

Great ride - well done.

Looks like Kyle of Lochalsh. I was there with the Royal Navy in the 70's. Great place.

It most certainly is, you can just see the roof of the MOD base in the above pic, I have a friend who works there having fun with torpedos and the like.
I live just up the road, theres a guy in Breakish who works for the PO has an MT500 also, not yet had a chance to speak to him so no idea if he's on here.

Real shame i didnt know you were stopping in Sheffield I am on the hill between Meadowhall and the Big Cranes to the left of the motorway (M1 J34) you would have been more than welcome.

I spent one of the best weeks of my life on Skye at Stein in a little house with its own jetty into lockbay.

Really want to head back up that way and show it to my Italian wife!!

Pete

You should, (you could bring shock absorbers with you, )there are (still, considering the councils ineptitude at tackling potholes lately) some great riding roads and the scenery on a clear and sunny day, theres nowhere better.
Weirder yet, you are a spit away from where I used to live in Sheffield, was just up the road from m/hall at Shiregreen, in between Hartley brook and Nethershire. Stayed over at a friends in Hillsborough Sat before setting off Sunday morning, if I can do it on a bike i'd not even viewed riding on mainly faith and the belief there are filling stations every 100 miles i'm sure you'd manage. If you were ever up this way you'd be welcome to drop by for a cuppa, maybe even a quick spin round skye to see some sights.

Do you know Julia and Peter from Upper Breakish who have the biker B&B and bike workshop Hopefully up there in October. If you do say Hi from Glenn with the red Valkyrie

I used to know a copper who covered Skye, was a a mate on the landrover forums.

Pete

Murdock wrote:Do you know Julia and Peter from Upper Breakish who have the biker B&B and bike workshop Hopefully up there in October. If you do say Hi from Glenn with the red Valkyrie

3rd cog?
In which case yes, Have a few trike riding freinds up here and they see her out and about triking quite a bit, i pass their place on the way to work a couple times a week.
Theres a Guy just a few houses back towards Kyleakin with an MT500 and most of another one too, was chatting to him today.

Manuals in post for you. Glad you got there safe, and the old girl made it. At least you managed to start it better than I ever could. lol. Keep the pictures coming.

Hi never been over the bridge luvly pic of the bike the bridge and hills.im originaly from fort augustus in the great glen,my father was the clerk of works for the forestry commision road squad for the highlands and iv'e worked in skye drilling quarry's for road construction, for them before i went to aussie in 64, i now live in wales but will be up to cromarty at the end of oct to see my sister. and a trip to skye will definatley on the agenda and to see the bike and yourself it will be much appreciated, You have probably passed where i was born in 1945 it's about 7 miles from invermorriston up the glen on the right before the dam its called blaire and was the only house there. catch up with you later for contact adress Best regards A.H.MacLennan.