Mini UK adventure to Edinburgh

Ducati 600 SS (av. 57mpg)
Kawasaki GPZ 900 Sidecar Outfit (av. 45mpg)

Matt Little & Phillip Jackson

Friday 2nd April - Saturday 10th April 2010

With Easter weekend approaching it seemed like the perfect deadline to get the sidecar project operational and tested ready for the planned summer trip to Finland. After going up to Southport to visit my family (& put an offer on a house) Matt came up from Napton on the Tuesday and the adventure proper began.

Tuesday	Stop for pie and chips by Southport Pier and then off towards the Lake district on the A6. Quite interesting but slow going around Preston, and then it started to rain. Cold and wet by Ambleside matt managed to negotiate Ł12.50 each for the night in a bed (without breakfast).
Wednesday	Weather had turned in our favour and we assaulted the Wrynose and Hardknott passes. The sidecar performed really well on the 1 in 3 roads, but hill starts behind nervous cars were a bit of a struggle! Uphill 30% with potholes and tight turns upset the front wheel a little too. Matt was nowhere to be seen having roared off ahead! After a hearty lunch at Wasdale leave England and head towards Edinburgh on the amazing B709 which runs roughly parallel to the A79. 60 limits, narrow winding roads, potholes, snow, small villages and sadly abandoned pubs litter this road - recommended. Arrive in Edinburgh for 7ish and matt's clutch hose pops its end off! Turns out it was never crimped at the factory - lucky it wasn't his brake hose! Curry, beer and banter with Nicola and Donald.
Thursday	Spend the morning trawling around Edinburgh with Matt on the sidecar platform holding the luggage straps like reins looking for someone to crimp the hose. Met some interesting characters and paid a bit over the odds for a new stainless end - needs must. Off towards Lindisfarne and Holy Island (or are they they same thing?) to see if we could cross through the retreating tide. Turned up at the wrong time but went up to the castle anyway... until we were moved on by the warden (must be what the no-vehicle signs meant!). Heading towards Dan's house near Hull we realise that Northumberland is MASSIVE! A long high speed (and boring) stretch on the A1 gets us to North Cave just after dark. Matt must eat his carrots as he was flying round the country lanes in the dark. Actually he was ahead the entire trip and I would find him relaxing at junctions waiting for me to catch up. Dan has perfected his homebrew so we drank it all!
Friday	This time with Dan holding the reins we travel a few miles to where his campervan is and load the sidecar up with the old van engine and take it back to his infinite garage! Handling only slightly impaired am very impressed! Spend the day lazing in the sun, moaning the cares of the world and creating a cool oil barrel seat. Human batteries recharged and re-inspired head towards Southport over the Peak District and Matt heads home to Napton. Taking the small roads I get quite lost in some quite depressing and rough looking areas finally finding a pub high up on the 'Pack Horse Trail' before roaring down the M65 back to Southport. Spotlights work a treat in the pitch black - need handlebar controls though.
Saturday	See the bank about a mortgage and fly down to Oxford in about 3 1/2 hours which is very good going, sidecar happy at 90, only starting to be a little unnerving on sweeping corners at 100 (kmph obviously officer). After tea with Mette and Stuart (and a proposal to tidy up the sidecar and use it as a wedding vehicle) head down the A40 into London to find it closed and get lost...
Sunday	Time to do some work for school and dismantle the sidecar because I don't have a parking permit :( 1500 miles and the sidecar did great!

Operational but not complete

Malik at the controls

Gray Jackson's first pints

Farm roads in Southport that loosened the clamps!

Oops, slight redesign needed when back in London

Mum's house in Southport

Tread near start of trip, notice small contact patches :(
Front Tyre - 1mm in 1500 miles
Sidecar - no noticeable wear over 1500 miles
Rear Tyre - 2mm+ ? in 1500 miles