The Starting Point

The Ceremonial start will be from the 3 Counties Hospice in Worcester on January 1st but the real work will start from Calshot Castle in the following days, weather permitting. From here I will be travelling westward, by doing this I am hoping to hit the tough part around and off the West Coast of Scotland where 60% of the challenge lies in early Summer, hopefully giving me some decent weather. I know, I know it’s a long shot but I’ve got to try.

What I haven't decided yet is whether to take a detour when I get to Lymington and jump on the Wightlink ferry to the Isle of Wight and do the coast of the island, or leave it until later, looking at the map it should take no more than a day. Part of the planning phase will now include contacting all the Ferry Operators I will potentially use and see if I can get some free travel from them, or at least a heavy discount, in return for which I will carry their logos on the bike as a supporter/sponsor. At this rate it is going to look like a mobile advertising hoarding.

The last time, I promised some information on the bike I will be riding (My Baby)

She is a Honda XRV750 RD07a built and registered in 1998. I have had the privilege of owning her since the beginning if 2002. Since that time I have completed over 20,000 miles, fallen off a couple of times, both in extreme weather conditions one of which was on a dirt track in North Wales, both times they were thankfully at slow speed. I have also been knocked off once, in the Lake District by some dumb woman who didn't look or indicate and was obviously too blind to see me before pulling across a road. Thankfully I almost anticipated what she was going to do, due to the mobile phone she had in her hand, unfortunately I didn't spot that until too late but it did allow me to start to take avoiding action which saved me and the bike from suffering more serious damage, this said she did spend a week in the care of Nick Robinson having certain parts replaced at her cost. (that ended up being an awfully expensive phone call she was making)

I talk with great reverence about the bike which you will find is common amongst everyone that has owned or ridden an Africa Twin. Since production ceased in late 2003 it has started to gain cult status, with adverts appearing for people looking to buy good copies not just sell them.

The Original XRV750 was launched in December 1989, being based on the 3 time winner of the Paris-Dakar Rallye, the NXR750. There was a major redesign in 1993 which brought about the RD07 and the final version the RD07a was released in 1996. It is seen as probably the most reliable bike Honda has ever built.

Some basic specifications: these are manufacturer's listings, My Baby has had some tweaking done over the years, to improve the mid-range performance, she is not a lot faster but she does get there a whole lot quicker than just about any other copy of the bike I've come across.

Engine Size:	742cc
Engine Specification:	6v V-Twin
Power:	62bhp
Some stats show 61bhp or even 60bhp the modifications on mine have increased this, to in the region of 67bhp (A very subjective measurement really as what really matters is the power at the back wheel, standard is 52bhp, mine 56bhp)
Torque:	46ftlb
Weight (unladen):	202kg
Fuel capacity:	23 litres
Ave Fuel consumption:	38 mpg
Tank Range:	190 miles

Next time I will add some information on the equipment and clothing I will be taking with me. Some of which will have to be upgraded or replaced across the year, as well as an update on whether my begging letters to the Ferry Companies has some effect.

Take care and as Mick says 'You don't stop riding when you grow old; you grow old when you stop riding!'