www.zxrworld.co.uk

Hello all,

Got a few questions for you as I'm planning a trip through Spain later this year on my ZXR400. I'm 27 and took my CBT 2 years ago and decided just before Christmas it was time to get my full license sorted out, which I somehow managed to pass with not a fault on the board... So I went shopping with my cash from selling my CBR125 I'd be pottering around on to get some confidence on a bike, after looking through magazines and talking to bike fanatical friends I could not pull myself away from what I had adored back when I first started thinking about bikes. You guessed it, I came home with a 2000 X Reg Kawasaki ZXR 400 with 23000 miles on the clock for £1300 (£70 less than I sold my CBR for). I've been riding it as much as I can in the decent weather since Christmas which is unfortunately not as much as I would like to have ridden.
Now to the trip, my parents live in Spain and my brother is organising a 30th birthday gathering at their place in the south of Spain and as such I thought to myself 'why not ride down' so I spoke to my old man who is going to meet me at Bilbao on his Ducati Darmah 900 and we will ride through Spain all the way to Andalucia in the very south, but as times goes by I'm starting to wonder (and worry) about all the logistics involved which I have NO clue about what so ever as I know little about bike mechanics and thought I'd ask those in the know... so here I am at zxrworld.co.uk

So the questions:

1. I'm going to be taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao and I'm concerned of coming down after the 36 hour crossing to find my new pride and joy wedged underneath a car as it's been sliding about all the time. I've read that they supposedly give you 1 poss 2 ratchet straps so how the hell do I go about securing it without breaking bits off..

2. I'm putting the bike in for a service a few weeks before I go and asking them to look for anything that is likely to go wrong while I'm out there, however I don't really trust mechanics so is there anything you can advise with a bike of 23K miles that I should be thinking of, especially due to the heat and the distances I'm going to be covering.

3. How the hell am I going to get any cloths down there? I'm not really a fan of riding with a backpack but I spose if I get a decent one it will be ok, however I thought maybe I could get hold of side panniers or a rear high pannier to save me struggling to ride comfortably. I'm only a midget to sticking a tank bag on concerns be I'm going to have it buried in my chest all the way.

4. As I'm a novice rider and still tend to grip too much and not have the strength in my hands.. is it going to hurt? Cos I'm used to monster drives in the car so I was planning high distances and covering it in 2 days, however I know how I felt after I got back off an afternoon ride when I found muscles I never knew I had.


Any advice is gratefully received as I tend to panic about everything... So any help might calm my nerves as I'm supposed to be ready to enjoy the riding, not worried about every detail.

Cheers all,

Phil Brett


P.S. I'm not worried about the pace of riding down with my old mans bike built in 1978.

distance shouldnt be a problem but you will have to sort your riding possition out (ie. take your weight with your back, not your wrists and dont grab the bars so tight!)

Problem with holding the front to bad is 1. it hurts! 2. it can cause tank slapers and stops the bike handeling as well as it should. The best advice i can give is lossen up and enjoy the ride 9/10 times people hold on to tight is because there nerus.

As for luggage get some soft panniers (loads aviable) and a R35 Kriega backpack (i carry loads of stuff in mine and forget its there very offen, rarely ride without it now)

Enjoy the ride fella! just out of intrest are you going with a kid called carl on a 636?

philbrett wrote: 1. I'm going to be taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao and I'm concerned of coming down after the 36 hour crossing to find my new pride and joy wedged underneath a car as it's been sliding about all the time. I've read that they supposedly give you 1 poss 2 ratchet straps so how the hell do I go about securing it without breaking bits off..

the way they usually do it when i have taken my bike on a ferry is with one ratchet strap.
put the bike into gear on the side stand and put the strap over the seat, tighten the ratchet to compress the suspension so your bike doesnt move. you may want to have a couple of rags to hand to put under the straps to protect your paint work. if you want peace of mind - take your own ratchet strap.

2. I'm putting the bike in for a service a few weeks before I go and asking them to look for anything that is likely to go wrong while I'm out there, however I don't really trust mechanics so is there anything you can advise with a bike of 23K miles that I should be thinking of, especially due to the heat and the distances I'm going to be covering.

23k miles is nothing on a jap bike.... dont worry! make sure your tyres are in good nick. Tyres tend to wear exponentially, so if they are starting to look a bit worn - change them before you go

3. How the hell am I going to get any cloths down there? I'm not really a fan of riding with a backpack but I spose if I get a decent one it will be ok, however I thought maybe I could get hold of side panniers or a rear high pannier to save me struggling to ride comfortably. I'm only a midget to sticking a tank bag on concerns be I'm going to have it buried in my chest all the way.

i wouldnt advise a backpack, especially if you are a newish rider as it just makes you less mobile on the bike. I always strap my luggage to the bike. And if your only small, a tank bag will not be good - i struggle with one on a ZXR!
my personal preference is for a Cargo monster tail pack. Not cheap at £80 but you can fit tonnes of stuff in it, and it is rock stable at high speed. Oxford do a good range of budget luggage if you dont have much cash to spend.Do make sure you put everything in plastic bags though! oh and put tape on your bike wherever the luggage touches so you dont damage your paint work
take a bumbag or small backpack with your valuables in. Do NOT forget that you need to take
- your drivers licence; both parts
- your MOT certificate
- your insurance certificate
- your V5
and you should have these on you all the time
for peace of mind, you may want to investigate breakdown cover

4. As I'm a novice rider and still tend to grip too much and not have the strength in my hands.. is it going to hurt? Cos I'm used to monster drives in the car so I was planning high distances and covering it in 2 days, however I know how I felt after I got back off an afternoon ride when I found muscles I never knew I had.

you shouldnt be gripping the bars tightly - relax. I was advised to ride with my between my teeth, when you get tense you bite your ... you soon learn to relax!!
learn to change your body position - this will help you. Move around the bike, stretch your legs, stand up on your pegs.
start doing miles on the bike now, and your body will soon learn where is comfortable. Start doing ride outs now where you do 100 miles without stopping.

keep your fluids up, once you are dehydrated it is already too late. Whenever you stop, have a drink! without fail!!

dont worry and enjoy the ride! my first big bike trip on the ZXR was 450 miles (in one day) to the Nurburbgring. The bike is more than capable of it!!

Caz

get them to do a compression test if they can as-well. just for the knowledge .
cheers
dan

4.

I'm a racer so don't do long distances on a bike but, one of the big problems with many racers is arm pump, and that can happen within a couple of minutes in a race, cause, gripping bars too much, unless you're braking or using clutch, you don't need to grip, just push the bars, it's called counter steering, push on the right bar to turn right, push on left to turn left, practice gently and build it up, you'll get the hang of it. It's how you can get the bike on it's side as quick as possible to turn quick. It'll come very naturally after a while.

The main thing is have fun, sounds like an awsome trip, I know a few people that have done it

Welcome to the forum brett, not been on a trip but some good advice here from others by the sounds of it. Enjoy the trip!

Hi,

Firstly another ZXR in Northants.... get in!

One thing that will help is to plan a stop every 100-120 miles. You'll have to anyway for fuel, but take time to stretch and loosen up at same time, take plenty of fluids, the last thing you need is dehydration.

Make sure your insurance is sorted, and as said above carry all required paperwork in a bum bag, so it's easliy accessable should you need it.

Get breakdown cover which covers you abroad.

And lastly.....

Enjoy your trip, take your time (add plenty for any hold ups) and don't rush anything, this will help with the nerves thus helpng you to relax.


Rob.

here's an rac route from bilbao to andalucia

http://routeplanner.rac.co.uk//showrout ... fb632da83f

just under 600 miles, no probs for a zxr

me and baz did on average 500 miles a day when we went from lands end to john ogroats and so long as you have regular stops for fuel but mainly for a drink, stretch legs and a relax u will do it no probs

gem

Just wanted to say thanks for all your comments, all very helpful as if I've planned and packed everything I need then I can relax and enjoy the ride.

With regards to the in the teeth idea, I think I'll pass as with the stiffness of the shocks one little bump and I'm missing half my . Really it's just going to take time to get used to riding and feeling comfortable doing it so I need as much practice as possible. All ready got a trip sorted to Thruxton on 20th April for the British Super Bikes so I'll see you there if ya going.

Cheers,

Phil

getting comfortable on the bike will come surprisingly easily. I rode my ZXR to Germany a couple of months after passing my test and very few road miles (maybe 500 in total). The journey there was fairly hellish - but on the return trip I was so much more relaxed as I was so much more used to the bike. Just make a consious effort to move around the bike - stretch your legs, change your riding position etc

keep grinning n enjoy

/Caz

Normally what I’ll do to get used to a new bike is go for a long trip. Jump on the motorway and do 80 odd miles in a striate line. Then go onto some twisting roads that I know quite well and ride at a comfortable pace.

Really is just practice, the more you ride the more confident you’ll get. Try and get out on some 200+ mile rides as often as possible. I still go out purposely just to get lost and find places that I’ve never been before.