Biking 2015 Wales & Lakes by Tobers, on Flickr 3 bikes - my standard DVT Multistrada, a 2014 watercooled GS and a Triumph Tiger Sport. Miles covered: 1,127 Average mpg (imperial): 49.4 Average speed: 47mph Setting off from Surrey, we headed up for Llangollen to stay at the Bridge End Hotel, which is a decent enough spot for a couple of nights. A mixture of old-school and modern navigation techniques used. We had 2 days there, doing a circuit of Snowdonia, then up to near Kirkby Lonsdale where we stayed in the Marton Arms pub which had superb food where we stayed 2 nights. Biking 2015 Wales & Lakes by Tobers, on Flickr Beautiful scenery everywhere once you get away from the crowded southeast. I think this is looking down onto the Wye valley. Biking 2015 Wales & Lakes by Tobers, on Flickr En-route to Snowdonia. Biking 2015 Wales & Lakes by Tobers, on Flickr Much of this: Biking 2015 Wales & Lakes by Tobers, on Flickr Lots of this: Biking 2015 Wales & Lakes by Tobers, on Flickr I highly recommend this circuit of Wales which took in some fantastic minor roads, fast open bends, and excellent passes, with lunch by the castle in Caernarfon. Wales circuit by Tobers, on Flickr And this circuit of the Lake District (though I'd leave out the M6 bit if you have plenty of time. This one saw us over Wrynose and Honiston passes which were great. Lakes circuit by Tobers, on Flickr Here's the lowdown on the bike: The trip started with about 900 miles on the clock and the first service done. My bike has heated grips and a centrestand, and a screen protector on the dash. I bought the little Ducati tankbag for it, with the power cord, which was excellent. I had my camera and my phone on charge in there, and it was also powering my Garmin 62s GPS. I could also fit in a baseball hat, visor cleaning cloth and spray bottle, sunglasses, multitool, spare headphones, spare Scala G9x unit. A handy bit of kit for sure, and easy to take off and put on. Only problem is that, when opening it you tend to fold the top back against the dash and windscreen. Needless to say I now have some scratches on the back of my windscreen (dash protected). On the back of the bike was an old Gearsack tailpack that I've had for ages, which is surprisingly capacious, and waterproof too. It fitted on with it's inbuilt bungees to the four hooks under the seat unit. The GPS was fitted with a RAM mount bolted around the bars. Comfort: we tend to stop and fill up every 100 miles or so. I was getting a sore arse on the longer motorway days, though I was sporting a pair of cycle shorts under my bike gear. The other guys were the same. The bars are a little bit too far away resulting in a twinge between the shoulder blades after a long day - they need to be up and back about an inch. Legs, knees and back were all absolutely fine. When I first got the bike I was a bit worried by the sloping forward seat, but it seems to have bedded in nicely. It's as comfy as my previous GS and Super Tenere. Wind noise was loud, though not too bad with ear plugs. We stuck to 80-85 on the motorways. Cruise control is brilliant!! Buffeting wasn't too bad except when behind one of the other bikes at speed. Mirrors are very good and mainly vibe free. Handling: Absolutely brilliant. I have wound up my rear preload as the bike was too low at the rear for my liking. I haven't touched the other adjusters yet. The tyres were great in the wet and dry. No chicken strips on the rear, it's worn right over both edges. The handling is very confidence inspiring. I rode the GS and the Triumph and the Ducati was far more agile, nimble and ready to turn in than either. The standard non-active suspension is excellent, giving a smooth, compliant ride. Very happy with it. Brakes: Very powerful front. The rear is OK for trailing at slow speed and suchlike. I've got a bit of air in the front I think as it pumps up slightly. After the first day's rain the front brakes seemed to be binding a bit - only noticeable at walking speed, and now gone. Engine: Wow! I ran most of the trip with Wheelie Control (DWC) at zero, Traction control at 2 and ABS at 2. This is my Sport setup now. It is pretty bloody brilliant. Above 5-6k, the bike just flies - it is absolutely mental. Below that it is plenty fast enough. In fact, the bike is ludicrously over-powered for 95% of the time, but that 5% is just hilarious. Brilliant. It's fine just bimbling around on the nadgery single track stuff, and unstoppable everywhere else. Traction and power out of corners is by some margin the best I've ever had with any of my bikes. The noise as it picks up is very addictive. Riding the other bikes: The Triumph is pretty old by comparison, and felt it. Somewhat ponderous, though with a nice smooth engine. The Ducati completely blitzed it. The GS remains very impressive, with a very effective and smooth low end, but nothing like the rush of the Ducati over 6k rpm - the GS felt a bit suffocated by comparison. A very capable bike in the new watercooled form - I had the previous 1200 GS and it was complete garbage and basically fell to bits. In all circumstances the Ducati simply blitzed the other two. The guy with the Triumph is swapping it for an S1000XR shortly so that will make things more interesting. However, the Triumph guy didn't like the vibes on the Ducati, and the GS guy just didn't like the Ducati full stop. Takes all sorts. Comms: We used Scala G9 and G9x units. Why can't anyone make bike to bike comms that just work. We daren't press any buttons in case we screwed it all up. Good when working, full duplex is nice, but a complete nightmare when they don't work. Bastard things - work of the devil for sure. I want a mix of the simplicity of an Autocom with wireless and full-duplex, and no farting about. Aggghh! The only significant issue to report is that after the one day of rain, the throttle felt heavier than previously, and a bit "grungy". I like a light, responsive throttle, and have a bit of annoying tennis elbow, so I tend to be very sensitive to throttle grip resistance. I could feel more friction, probably better called "sticktion", as though something was rubbing inside the housing. With no throttle cables it should all be very simple to sort. Since getting back I've fixed this and it's back to being lighter and very smooth - topic of another thread coming soon. Overall, an epic bike on very, very brilliant roads. The two circuits I put up are well worth doing. I love the north west of Scotland too, but for a few days away this was excellent.
Great write up. We do a yearly long-weekend trip to Caernarfon, stopping there for a few nights and exploring the many great B roads of Wales. Love the place! I like the honest review of the bike, and great photos. Your bike looks superb.
Great write up . I'm lucky to live in the lakes/Cumbria and visit my mum in North Wales often so have some great roads to ride on.
