Heres a small (aye right!) selection of the pics we managed to take on our factory trip last weekend.
I was so excited at the prospect of a whole weekend away without the kids I forgot to take pics as we gathered at the dealers before leaving.
15 of us were going on the trip down south but another 4 or 5 guys decided to come down with us to our lunch stop for the ride.
Lunch was supposed to be in a nice quaint typical English village pub in Melmerby.
Unfortunatly the road was shut due to a very bad accident just south of our second meeting/catch up point here.
We left this cafe and got about 1/2 mile down this road before coming across a couple of police cars and a helicopter just shutting down its rotors, two cars had been racing up this hill when one lost it, hit the hill side and went side on into an oncoming bike.
Not good news for anyone least of all the guy on the bike.
So it was back up to Hartside top for a rethink of our planned route once we found out we would be staying put for a long time, and some lunch with maybe 200 other bikers!
Boy was that cafe busy that day.
We ended up just heading onto the A1/M and getting down as fast as we could.
Long boring times were had by all on the motorway, I did manage to use 15.4L worth of fuel between stops once though....too close to running dry for comfort!
By the time we all got settled in (the fast guys were a few pints ahead of us cruiser types!!) we enjoyed a great dinner and more beer/cider/wine/vodka/whisky etc (you get the idea
)
The two riding instructors from the dealers shop proceded to entertain the women
Yea they look well entertained guys
(now how did I manage to get them both blinking at the same time lol)
The day after the night before dawned way too early for us but I did manage to get a ZZR1200 rider nearly converted
Hey he looks the cruiser type so he's half way there!!
Actually he did comment on how comfortable and light the bike felt once it was off the sidestand, and from a guy who rides 6 days a week all day thats got to be a good complement for our bikes.
By the way thats my Wife Nicki in the background wondering where I had sprung my cut off from!
A short journey to the Hinkley factory was pretty much over before it had begun and here we were parked up in one of the visitors car parks.
First impression was wow look at all those bikes stacked waiting for delivery!
This picture doesn't do the ammount justice, there seamed to be hundreds, all Rockets as we found out all heading to the States.
A quick turn around and there is the factory main entrance
Yep its just the same as last year.
Security is just as tight and all phones and cameras had to be off and well out of sight.....grrrr.
Last year the factory produced 38500 bikes this year its closer too 45000 a huge increase. Wandering round the factory and compairing it to last years visit was enough to see the increase in output just by the ammount of racks/bins and other stock holding stuff round the main production line. The guys (and they are all young only saw one woman though) really work hard, no time for let up in this factory. As last year they build whichever bike has been ordered in turn, though there were pockets of rockets and the new daytona675 going through. Peter our guide commented on how unusual this is.
The last part of the tour lets you see the packing/dispatch area and dyno(but we didn't get close the the dyno).
New colours were being lined up for the 07 catalouge due in June.
The new ST is getting a lovely cherry red paint job, the new white for the speed tripple is awful IMO.
Just wait until you see the new rocket classic colours they are too good for words....The gery and deep blue combination works very well giving the R3 a very classic and timeless look.
We did spot a daytona675 in the caspian blue and though we had a scoop but Peter told us it was a staff bike and they can request any colour they want for their bikes...pretty neat eh?
Back for a question and answer session, the R£ was brought up quite a bit with a breif design history (5 years!!) being given and the fact it was originally a 1500cc engin, now here Grips ears prick up a bit! So are wqe going to see a 1500cc middle weight cruiser soon then I ask? Instant No came the answer.
When things moved to the sports bikes there was some slippage of a new more touring version of the ST as Triumph feel the market is heading the way of a more relaxed ride again.
We were told once safely back in the debriefing room that we had walked past a new item that no-one noticed!!
Want to bet its a new 1050cc daytona?
Good tour yet again though and well worth the time and effort to get to the factory to take it. They are doing 9 tours a week at the moment.
Then it was a fast ride back up north again.
We got well fragmanted on this part of the trip but various people from our group were spotted in differnt service stations on the way.
After about 30 miles riding the heavens opened and we would have been just as well riding in the sea.
At scotch corner we did get some sun at a stop
Very welcome it was too!
Nicki and I left the guys at Penrith as we were planning an overnight stay in the Lake district (I did mention a child free weekend
)
The evening sun was brilliant and shows just how dirty the speedy got after 500 or so miles.
Next day was very windy and very cold but up the kirkston pass we went, here is the view from the top looking down towards windermere.
These roads are made for riding at this time of year I.E. before the tourists arrive!
A full tank of gas and a winding road......What more could you ask for?
Oh forgot the babe on the back
Just after I took this last photo Nicki decided I hadn't been in any of the pics so far and took the camera off me to take a pic and yes haha it broke.
No seriously it did, she dropped it! grrrrr
Much angry words exchanged and a bit if £$%& before we saw the funny side.
Going back up the road to Scotland was the coldest 100 miles I have ever done on a bike, it raind all the way and the wind howled in every direction.
Would I do it again next year?
Too right I will.
