The Spanish trip that was never meant to be... (56k warning)

[r1_lad]

So for the past month I´ve been planning a jaunt around Spain & France. Soon after booking my ferry ticket to Santander things started going wrong!

A week before I was due to depart I was told by my work that I wouldn´t be recieving the money I needed for the trip until the end of the summer. Bugger. Luckily I was able to borrow it from family.

5 days before the trip I noticed the bike was rattling lots and took it back to the dealership with a suspected camchain tensioner problem. Also got a rear puncture that day! Turns out the big end bearings had gone - major job and 50:50 whether it´ll be fixed in time.

The day before my ferry was due to depart I got the call I was waiting for - my bike was ready!!! Viva Espania!

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Day 1: The Ferry

I met Itchy who was getting the same crossing. We had a few beers together on the boat and planned our routes.
You can see Itchy´s blue and red CBR600F behind my bike here:
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After a few hours kip, land was in sight!
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Santander ferry port was a bit of a rat race. Unlike Calais you get dropped straight into a busy city. This is when the trip became a bit daunting as I set off alone. I soon realised I´d left my drivers license onboard as a deposit for a crappy blanket. Couldn´t be arsed to go back and get it as luckily I´d applied for a spare one before leaving.

Any fears or doubts I had were soon gone after leaving Santander and hitting the mountains towards Logronos. I have never ridden such beautiful roads! Hairpin after hairpin etc.
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I arrived in the pretty town of Logronos mid afternoon just in time to check into a fairly posh hotel (60euros) and relax in the square with a few beers and a book. The spanish way of life is in full swing here, everybody socialising out in the street until 11pm including mothers kids and babies.

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To come... Day 2 including police, a lost passport and a broken alarm system!...
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RS50 -> RS125 -> GSXR600 SRAD -> 02 R1 -> Speed Triple 1050 -> Ducati Streetfighter 1099 -> DRZ400 Superetard

[r1_lad]

Day 2: Lost Passport!

Today really didn´t start out well at all. I realised in the morning I´d lost my passport. Argh shitsticks!

Cue a trip to the local police station where I spent 4hrs waiting and trying to explain my prediciment via sign language! Eventually I got a crime refence number (which apparently is all that is needed to catch the ferry back).

Now things really got interesting! Outside the police station my bike alarm wouldn´t disarm! Unbeknown to me, the police radios operate on the same frequency as Datatool alarms (433MHz) and jammed the signal!!! This meant I was stuck in a crowded street outside a police station with my alarm going off for an hour! After a heated call to Datatool I managed to get the problem sorted and back on the road.

I travelled from Logronos to Alcaniz. The route was about 300km and pretty damn boring. Most of the roads were very long and very straight. Although, just as I pulled into Alcaniz I saw a beautiful lake on my left.

After a bit of offroading, I arrived at the lake, stripped off and swam for a good hour or two!

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A few km´s up the road I found a great hotel. Unlike the posh hotel I stayed in the night before this hotel was used by the local workers and although it was a bit of a dive, the bed creaked and the room stank of smoke I had a lot of fun and met lots of people!

As soon as I arrived on the bike the bought me a beer and an awesome selection of bar food / tapas before I even asked.
https://i352.photobucket.com/albums/r346/pjmaddox/P1010226.jpg

I had a lot of fun with the locals. The bar girls introduced me to a local motocross / enduro rider who gave me lots of magazines. Much drinking was done!

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The bar lady was a bit short so needed a bit of help with this picture

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And last of all...

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EL SCORCHIO!


Next... The best mountain road of my life, and I finally hit the coast.
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RS50 -> RS125 -> GSXR600 SRAD -> 02 R1 -> Speed Triple 1050 -> Ducati Streetfighter 1099 -> DRZ400 Superetard

[r1_lad]

Day 3: The Coast

I woke up today and found my passport in my bag. What a dickhead, all that wasted time at the police station! Oh well!

I rode 160km along the N232 from Alcaniz to the town of Vineros. I can´t recommend this road enough! Although the map i´ve got shows it as bad road condition its just been retarmaced this week and therefore is like a racetrack! It starts off with beautiful mountain scenery that makes it hard to concentrate...

https://i352.photobucket.com/albums/r346/pjmaddox/P1010231.jpg
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It then goes through the mountains and hits about 8kms of hairpins and great fun. I was grinning like a loon the whole time whilst my footpegs grounded out on nearly all the corners...

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Eventually I hit the coast and sat back with more tapas and beer followed by a cheeky cocktail and a dip in the sea to sooth my sunburn!

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I found a brilliant hotel here right near the seafront for 15 euroes a night. Bargain! I might stay here for two nights...
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RS50 -> RS125 -> GSXR600 SRAD -> 02 R1 -> Speed Triple 1050 -> Ducati Streetfighter 1099 -> DRZ400 Superetard

[Itchy]

wocha! , be in Cadiz and Gibralta tommorow! , for a couple of hours maybe see you there before the leg home!
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[DidierD]

Sounds good mate, make sure you get Itchy home safe and sound
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Bike - '98 Yamaha YZF600 Thundercat Pics

31st March 2008 - Fully converted from four wheels to 2 sets of two wheels