GSX1400FE.com :: Ride outs on my GSX1400 Final Edition K6

Ride outs on my GSX1400FE

This Page is just a few places I've been on my GSX1400FE. I don't ride as a group, just me and the wife riding pillion but sometimes we do go to biker hangouts, unfortunately most of the time I forget to take the camera out with me, or remember to take any photo's, but here's a few places I did remember!

2008 Season

March Midlands meet @ The Vic, Coalville, Leicester - 30th March 2008
Got to be the Largest gatherings of GSX1400's in one place. On Sunday 30th March 2008 the GSX1400.org owners club had organised a meet for the start of the new bike season due to the success of last years April Fools Day meet. This meet was bigger and better with owners travelling from from around the country with over 60 GSX1400's attending plus friends on other bikes, an excellent turnout! On the way down I had arranged to meet a friend of mine on his new Fireblade at Trowel Services, I pulled into the services and Martin was there on his Blade with some other 1400 owners so we tagged along with the 1400 owners the rest of the way to the Vic. Afterwards Martin on the Blade and myself along with another 1400 owner Rob decided we would all ride to Matlock, Derbyshire.

Bridlington & Skegness - 24th 25th August 2007
My first good ride out since returning from Spain, with the British weather being worst summer on record we haven't had chance to get out on the bike. on the way home I decided to have a steady ride back both days and set the sat nav to keeping off the motorways as every man and his dog would stuck on motorways for the bank holiday break, I got the idea of doing this from Robbie Coltrane's TV show " 'B' road Britain", Boy did it bring back some childhood memories travelling holiday and not on the motorways back in the 70's in the back of my dad's Ford Anglia van. The reality of it is that a lot of the little towns and villages are run down and some parts derelict because know one knows about the little places anymore because of motorways and Dual carriageways bypassing them.

Spain, Andorra & France - 21 June- 7 July 2007
My biggest trip ever of 2231.7miles! I have given this trip 3 pages of its own due to the amount of info and pics, Click Here to look.

Calais, France - 27th-29th May 2007
I always enjoy going to Calais, (France) on the bike, I buy a cheap channel tunnel ticket a couple of days beforehand, at off peak periods it can be as little as Ł11 each way. Getting to Calais is a 220 mile trip from were I live in Derbyshire, I had been quite a few times before on the Bandit I owned in 2004 and on my old K2 1400 in 2005 and 2006 as well as numerous times in the car over the years with the kids, so It's now like my second home, I go mainly for one stretch of road going from Calais to Boulogne called the D940, an excellent Road with stunning coastal views, we stop at one of our usual hotel in Coquelles on the outskirts of Calais, a few minutes from the channel tunnel terminal. May was a poor month, it rained, rained and rained even more! this trip was no exception, the first day hammered it down with rain, sunday morning was nice and sunny but towards dinner thick black clouds appeared. we sat on the coast in the sun and watching a thunder storm in the English channel. The afternoon rained until evening, Monday morning was time for us to come home, weather was glorious and red hot. we boarded the channel tunnel and when we arrived in England it was raining and cold, we could not believe the difference, it rained on and off all the way home. This was our last trip on the bike due to the weather until our trip to Spain.

My GSX1400 FE outside the Etap Hotel Coquelles Calais France

My GSX1400 on the coast on the D940 just below Coquelles, France

White Cliffs of Dover (Kent)- 15th April 2007
With April 2007 being the hottest on record for virtually the whole month, it was a shame to miss out on July temperatures so early in the year, I made the most of it. Dover for me is a 460 mile round trip, my longest trip in a day. I did it with my wife riding pillion (as always) we got up early one Sunday morning around 5:30 am, (lesson 1- Don't get up early like this with the intension of doing a long days ride) Initially I was going to do a day trip to Calais, unfortunately I left booking til the hour we were due setting off on the bike and the prices were sky high Ł50 each way, had I booked the night before it would have been Ł22 return. So a trip to Dover it was to be. I did this day trip as well last year but I did it this year to get a few miles on the clock on my new FE. Its all motorway for me so not a bad run. Both times I've been there has been a fair amount of sea fog so made visibility not good at all looking out to sea and the Ferry docks/harbour. On our way down we saw a old 1978 XS400 from Germany and the guy loaded up a full size suit case on the rear seat.

Wales - 7th 8th April 2007
I regularly go to south Wales to visit relatives not too far from Cardiff close to the heads of the valleys, I've never gone through mid and north Wales, so in April I decided to have a weekend in Wales starting in the south and heading through the Brecon beacons on the A470, A good road, with plenty of views running north to south of Wales. After the Brecon's we went up to the stunning Snowdonia national park and to the Coast of Barmouth then carrying on through Snowdonia. heading over to Wrexham and back home.

April Fools Day meet @ The Vic, Coalville, Leicester - 1st April 2007
One of the Largest gatherings of GSX1400's in one place. On Sunday 1st April 2007 the GSX1400.org owners club had organised a meet for the start of the new bike season, it was hit and miss as to what the weather was going to be like but as luck had it, it didn't turn out too bad, a bit a breeze, quite blustery at times but it didn't the .org members off, throughout the day someone had counted 28 14's if I remember right! Here's a couple of pictures I took. The Meet took place at The Vic Bikers Pub in Coalville, junction 22 off the M1.

Matlock Bath, Derbyshire 1st April
Called at Matlock after Coalville meet. Matlock, One of original biker hang outs, Every week on Sunday's Matlock Bath turns in a town full of bikers, it has been a long standing tradition for bikers visiting Matlock on Sunday's since the year dot. A picturesque spa town in the peak district on the banks of the river Derwent. Living in Derbyshire myself it is fairly local to me, although it does attract bikers from all over the country, the Home of the annual Rock & Blues Custom Show, Pentrich is also just minutes away. The photo's were taken on 1st April 2007 this is early on in the biker season and as you can see it is busy.