SW England to Scotland continued...

[TobySLM]

So as some of you may have seen in the ride suggestions section I was planning a trip from my home in Devon to Scotland..or as far north as I could manage on a 125cc anyway. Due to the engine size in the UK we're restricted to the use of A & B roads only, so no motorways. I'm only taking it slowly as the whole idea was to stop and see places/people on the way.

So far I've made it to Bristol to see a friend, followed by Cheltenham and now I'm currently in Leeds with my girlfriend who is studying at the university here. The reason I've not got any further is that it's been lashing down for the past two days solid, hasn't stopped once!! Not such a big issue as I now get to stay in a nice house with decent food and of course my girlfriend But as soon as the weather clears up a little I'll try and make a mad dash toward Scotland possibly via the lake district.

The Lexmoto has held up brilliantly so far, a little under powered on the larger A roads but as I said I'm in no hurry and it's mainly dual carriageways so people are free to overtake and I'm not causing hold-ups. The rear plastics that have been taking the weight of the panniers have bent very slightly and when I hit a large bump it touches the exhaust so has melted very very slightly. Doesn't look bad at all and is a minuscule amount of damage so not bothered about that.

I am taking a few pictures as I go so I'll upload them all when I get back home. So for now it's pretty boring sadly!

Hope everyone is well.
Toby

[SpudRider]

Thanks for the update, Toby. We are glad to hear you are well and enjoying your trip. We eagerly await your photos upon your return home.

Spud

[FastDoc]

I can't wait!

Popcorn and beer ready to go! :P

[Weldangrind]

According to Google, that's over 300 miles on a 125! Good for you. Do you plan to stop in Newcastle? I'd certainly take a brewery tour.

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear you're ok, and looking forward to pics soon.

[TobySLM]

I'm thinking off heading off to the Lake District tomorrow as I went there as a child and then onto Scotland if the weather holds up!

Not sure about Newcastle as I don't think it's a particularly picturesque place sadly..and on the other side of our (massive) country there's plenty of good brewery's all over the uk though fortunately!

[TobySLM]

We have an issue sadly, I'm currently still in Leeds..went to leave on Thursday to head further north but the bike isn't running correctly at all.
Turned the bike on with the electric start (sadly has no kick start) and it took a few attempts but finally fired up with the manual choke on full, let it run for a while as I suited up and loaded the kit on etc. Touched the throttle a mm and it simply cut out the engine, so I left it to run for a while longer. Still the minute I touched the throttle it cut out so sadly had to get a local garage to pick it up and it's been with them since Thursday afternoon :(

I think my dreams of heading any further north have been blown as I start the army in two weeks and need to start preparing my kit etc. may stop off in Wales on the way home so it won't be a complete waste, very gutted though!

[Weldangrind]

That sounds like a battery issue. My TW200 does the same thing with a weak battery. Don't lose hope!

[TobySLM]

It's a brand spanker pretty much, only a two month old bike..
Did you simply get a new battery?

[Weldangrind]

No, I just charge it enough to run the bike. The TW electrical system is very good.

If I don't charge the battery, I can still start the engine with the electric start, but I can't touch the throttle for a few minutes. If I try to open the throttle rapidly, it will die. I need to be patient, and then sneak up on the the throttle a little at a time. Once I'm able to rev it, it's fine for the rest of the day.

[TobySLM]

I don't think it has anything to do with the battery because it was fine the day before when I nipped to the shops. I think I've got water in the system or something to with the carb jets..not entirely sure though.

Either way it is being sorted as we speak

[SpudRider]

I hope you get the problem resolved, Toby.

Spud

[TobySLM]

Carb was full of water due to the very heavy rain we've had the past week..can't wait to get a better knowledge of mechanics so I can diagnose these issues myself and save £100!! Ahh

[SpudRider]

I'm glad your solved the problem, Toby. Store your recently acquired knowledge for the next occasion; we all start learning at the beginning.

Spud

[Weldangrind]

Thanks for letting us know, Toby. I never even thought of water in the carb.

[TobySLM]

A beautiful tree that had been carved in the grounds of an abbey in Pershore, Worcester









Beautiful morning in Wocester, very cold though, around 2C











The cause of the damage! Horrific rain in Leeds when staying with my girlfriend..she obviously didn't want me to leave!










































This was on the way back to my home. I was coming down a beautifulroad in the welsh valleys (known for being fantastic roads for motorbikes) and a van coming the opposite way flagged me down and mentioned there was a "fire around the corner" so to take it easy..he failed to mention it was a car on fire! So I stayed with another man who'd already called the police/fire dept. They came about 15mins later so I stuck around to watch it being extinguished as I'd never seen a car fire before! Lots of loud bangs when the tired blew. You'll be pleased to know that no one was injured thankfully