Two in-UK journeys.. opinions, please?

[samharcus]

I'm looking at getting a 125, and aside from usual West London commuting, I'm going to be looking at doing a journey from London W14, to Preston in Lancashire - how feasible is this, without motorways?

Likewise for heading up to Aberdeen in NE Scotland.. any thoughts would be appreciated, eh

[Shay HTFC]

London to Aberdeen is a fecking mission even on a normal bike, let alone a 125. Probably not feasible unless you spend 3 days making the trip

But to Manchester, it's still a mission, but an achievable one.
(click for map)
Basically go up through the Midlands, through the Peak District and then skirt through Greater Manchester avoiding the mass of motorways and central Manchester.

Would take a long time and you are guaranteed to make at least 1 wrong turning (without doubt) - If you had a sat nav it would take the 'getting lost time' out of the equation.

Have a search on BCF. There were a couple of lads who rode up from the south coast to Manchester I think just using normal roads on L plates. They set off at 11pm or so and rode throughout the night I think to avoid the traffic.

If you are going without a sat nav, then it would be advisable to choose a route that uses roads that make the least amount of turnings even if it is a bit longer. Knowing you can follow an A road for 30miles is much better than saving 5 miles, but having to take loads of minor roads.
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Full Motorbike License - GS500E '95

[NSR Mick]

Are you on L's?

If not I'd go on the motorway. Getting through the Midlands and round Manchester on A roads would take ages.

I live just outside Preston so give me a shout if you need any pointers.
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If you dont like the way that I ride.......Stop trying to keep up!!!

[panrider_uk]

Perfectly doable as long as you allow sufficient time - you'll probably want a rest stop on the way.

My first 'proper' bike was a Honda CD185T back in '79 and I went from Grimsby (Lincolnshire) to London and back in the same day several times on that to see concerts. It only had a max speed of about 75 indicated but had a nice comfy seat

Mark
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Current bikes: Honda ST1100 Pan European. Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel

[panrider_uk]

Google Maps will let you do a non-highways route and then tweak it to suit you.

Mark
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Current bikes: Honda ST1100 Pan European. Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel

[Shay HTFC]

[panrider_uk]

Yeah I noticed that. But you can drag the shown route around so it goes via A roads if required.

Mark
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Current bikes: Honda ST1100 Pan European. Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel

[tizdaz]

its totally doable even on A roads.

tbh i would prefer to use A Roads... if its a leisure ride your doing why use a motorway? most boring roads there is for leisure dirves!

Plan your route before hand, take it through towns & villages, forest roads & take a digi cam you will love it. Im going to be travelling the country soon when my cruiser arrives... got a few places on my list such as snowdonia / cornwall / devon etc (im from north west) ..as soon i pass my full test will get a 400 & end up going around europe, i would travel europe now with my 125 but you cant on L plates

Just make sure you got recovery (such as AA / RAC etc!) incase the worse happens, carry spare bulbs/spark plugs etc ...just prepare your bike before hand & even take it for a service even if its not due for peace of mind before doing such a long journey. Of course if your confident enough then do the service yourself to save you some £

What bike have you got/getting? if your planning doing alot of long distance journeys id highly recommend a cruiser. They aint fast or powerful.. but they will cruise nicely at 50-60mph & if you get a twin cylinder they will cope better on long climbs etc.. but most of all.. they are comfy

Daz
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https://www.tizdaz.co.uk Largescale Petrol RC

[B_A_B]

No offence but i think you must be mad to come all that way on a 125....why not catch a train and save some aggro?
I could understand it if you were going somewhere nice...but preston?...it`s a dump mate.If you take the fastest route straight up the middle you`re gonna be bored to tears coz it`s hardly a scenic route.

good luck with it....happy trails.

[Ste]

Use the AA Route Planner and you can set it to not use motorways.

[Shay HTFC]

[samharcus]

[NSR Mick]

[samharcus]

And there we have the voice of reason

[B_A_B]

woah...chill out mate.You`ve got hold of the wrong end of the stick for sure.I`m not slagging you off either so don`t take it that way.....just saying i personally think it`s mad to do that haul on a 125 that`s all.No biggie.If you wanna do it....go for it.I hope you have a blast.

gsxrmick....not that it matters really BUT i know preston like the back of my hand so if he did mention a town i`d know it.
Spend a lot of time round there,blackburn,chorley,manchester...and all the surrounding areas.

[NSR Mick]

[B_A_B]

[samharcus]

Depends where you go, where I'm heading is lovely, so can't complain