Golf GTI Edition 35 hits 60,000 miles at 11 years old

 

taken by the passenger on 25/09/23

2017 66 plate VW Tiguan 150 TDI 4Motion : hits 60,000 miles

 

still performing caravan duties as seamless as ever this week.
Tows a single axle Elddis Xplore 586 with ease.

VW Golf GTI Edition 35 MOT (UK) Pass : 59,223 miles

 last years MOT  55490
 this years MOT  59223

3733 miles between MOT's

Advisories

• corrosion on front coil springs
• ridges on brake discs (get this every year esp on rears)
• worn rear brake pads

Rear brakes on the mk6 (and mk5) platform always wear unevenly leaving unswept patches. doesnt look great but doesnt effect overall use.
I do try to use the handbrake at speed to 'clean' them up (allowing cool down of course)

At some point Ill have to replace the rear discs and pads.

inner surfaces behind the wheels are corroding, so will need resprayed or powder coated (black chrome?) in due course

front bumper is delaminating, so will need resprayed at some point
will do rear bumper as well and get rid of all the bumpers holes so I can run small plates!)

car still cleans up well though.

NC500 Trip BMW S1000R costs overview

5 days / 4 nights / 1592 miles

£220 : Fuel 1592 miles at an average of 47 mpg

£250 : Accomodation 4 nights     flat/hotel/hotel/caravan

£220 : Food

£free : pillion tank bag

£25   : 1 cheap alarmed disklok

£8    : 1 small siphon and piping just in case but never used

£10   : wet weather gloves :   

£18.50 : wet weather jacket / pants :  

£20 : 2 rok straps 

£59 : myrouteapp navigation

£12 : skin so soft

£25 : nikwax wash/treatment/spray. done on return home but should have done before I left!

£114 : quadlock mount / usb charger / vib mount

£981.50

if we add in things I had to do anyway

£330 : 2 Michelin Road 6 tyres (usual bike maintenance)

£20 : chain clean and lube before trip / after trip Motul C1/C2 (usual bike maintenance)

£1331.50

Trip Summary : NC 500 motorcycle trip BMW S1000R 2017 Gen 2 : 5 days 1600 miles

A simply incredible trip


NC500 stats

Day 1 455

Day 2 238

Day 3 296

Day 4 284

Day 5 319

1592 miles in total

4 riders

BMW S1000R Gen 2 / BMW 1250GS / KTM 1290 Superduke GT / Kawaski Ninja 1000SX

Sat 01/07/2023  to Wed 05/07/2023 : 5 days (4 nights) total

Bike mileage start 14274  Bike mileage  end 15866

Tyres

Michelin Road 6 tyres were new for this trip, and had been scrubbed in (at least 200 miles) michelin recommended tyre pressures

36 f / 42 r

seems very harsh so ive dropped to

32 f / 38 r
great feel. Given over 5 days it was almost always wet roads Im glad I had new tyres.

Id seriously evaluate the tread depth and wear before you set off on a trip.
AND think about the mileage and how the tyres will be at the END of your trip not just the start.
At 1500 miles you could easily finish off many quick wearing tyres from new!
Dont get caught in the middle of the NC with poor tyres in soaking wet conditions

Fuel

1592 miles at an average of 47 mpg 

1592/47 = 33.87 gallons fuel used

33.87 gallons x 4.54 = 153.7 litres fuel used

153.7 x £1.43 per litre average = total cost of fuel for trip estimated at £220

I didnt realise but the last large bar is part of the fuel gauge (not the fixed display)
This is the first trip Ive actually had that final bar go out, and still had 30 miles range indicated.
Red arrow in pic below

Of note after fillup , it will take 30 miles before the range starts to change

14 litres fillup when no further bars on guage and range showing <30 miles

The "usable fuel capacity" specified in the technical data is the

quantity that the fuel tank could

hold if refilled after it had been

run dry and the engine had cut

out due to a lack of fuel.

Usable fuel capacity

approx. 17.5 l (reserve is stated as 4 litres)

empty gauge but still some range , 

on 14 fillup this would leave 3.5 left so 25 miles left to empty ?)

(from what I can tell Gen 3 is less at 16.5 litres)

So in mixed riding, using all the gears and the full rev range (but NOT pinning it everywhere!)
14l == 3.07 gallons, at 47MPG that makes the sensible useable range of a Gen 2 S1000R is around 145 miles.

to be honest Ive never taken mine much beyond 140 miles.

but in theory there is some more left to get you around 25-30 miles more, but dont hold me to that.
On the NC500 route we took, there was only twice I took mine to no bars and <30 range indicated.
Fuel availablity is good on the NC500 in most places, but if you are below 1/2 and see fuel top up.
Of note many stations are self service using a bank card (not contactless), so make sure you have an actual card

range always goes up to 155 miles

Carrying your gear

I carried all my gear in

single 20-30 litre motocentric pillion bag, its a generic bag so you can find the same design under multiple naming.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353122890891 : £54

motea brand tailbag

Heres it on the back of the bike before I put the rain cover and additional straps on, fully expanded to 30 litres

Truth be told, this was given to me by a friend, I really wanted the sw motech panniers but they are still around £300, given the other costs I thought Id try this first time out.

fit tape to your rear pillion coloured bits to prevent damage

bag was fantastic for the money, huge amount of space 30l, only sacrifice I made was a pair of jeans

I carried

where Ive added a price I bought specifically for this trip, other items I already owned

• 6 t shirts
• 6 pants
• 6 pairs of socks
• pair of size 10 trainers
• toiletries
• 1 large hoodie
• 1 D Lock : https://securityforbikes.com/DIB-D-Locks.php
• 1 disklok :  £25
• 1 small siphon and piping    £8 took it but never used it
• wet weather gloves :   £10
• wet weather jacket / pants :  £18.50
• Anker powerbank
• UK power socket to USB adapter
• cables to charge phone / sena 30k headset

Of note , I would NOT recommend relying ONLY on the supplied straps, they are not enough.
I also used 2 large ROK STRAPS
these were simple and worked really well and kept the bag secure.

I used one strap to attach to the pillion seat pegs, the other one went under the pillion. I overlapped them to create a sort of triangulation.

I also kept my wet weather gear on the outside of the bag but under the cover for easy access.

remember put your gear into plastic bags to prevent it getting wet , dont rely on things staying dry! The bag externally  did get wet despite me having the rain cover over it. so seperate your things and put them in bags, dont say I didnt warn you.

Travelling with 3 other bikes who had far more luggage storage, I was fortunate that they carried tools , puncture repair kit / compressor and large chains which means I didnt have to.


you need to try getting on and off, with the height extended its a fair challenge to get your leg swung over ! 
you can try standing on the lower pegs but given Im 115kg Id really prefer not to!
If you have a GS then its fine to stand on the pegs.

Security

bikes were placed in an X shape at night and secured using 2 main chains and a multitude of disklocks, ideally also to something large and fixed to the ground.

For a lodge we could see the bikes
For hotels at least one of us could see the bikes
For caravan they were down the side of the van

In reality everywhere we went there were lots of bikers doing the NC500

Dont leave your bike EVER in Glasgow or Edinburgh city centre!
It will get pinched


Prepare to be wet

Look at the weather forecast.
I found it easier to have wet weather pants on from the start of the day rather than try and take on and off.
jacket and gloves easier to take on and off.
Make sure you put your gear on BEFORE it rains.

overgloves work well in torrential rain and are fine once you get used to them but I hate the feeling of them, so often I prefer to just get wet gloves/hands.

I did use the jacket and pants though and they worked really well for a generic pair for general use at £18.50 , highly recommended

see Aftermath at the bottom I cleaned and waterproofed my car AFTER I returned, I should have done it before.

nikwax / rainex for plastic visor

Ear protection

not just an NC500 thing, but one of the biggest game changers for me.
riding any distance without ear protection creates fatigue.
if you intend to ride long distances or just want to stay fresh, get some good earplugs
I bought Alpine MotoSafe Tour
Alpine MotoSafe Tour

doesnt block out completely and allows you to still hear comms etc just fine

Prepare for Midges!

Took but never used because the weather was so dismal
Avon skin so soft

Navigation

	1x Motorcycle - Vibration Dampener Note: This product is currently on backorder - shipment will be delayed	£15.99 each
	1x Motorcycle - USB Charger	£27.99 each
	1x Motorcycle Kits - Galaxy - Galaxy S23 Ultra / Handlebar Mount PRO / No Weather Resistant Poncho	£82.99 each

£114 for all inc a discount

no poncho cover !

myrouteapp navigation lifetime offer £59
(routes had been planned in myrouteapp) , this is the easiest way to allow navigation (as it turns out without a quadlock poncho and the rain I didnt lead very much)

Hydrate!

We rode with regular stops (at least every 2 hrs) for at least 10 hrs a day, its easy to forget to drink. Even in wet conditions you still sweat.
Make sure you drink plenty to keep hydrated, keeps your energy up and combats fatigue

Enjoy the experience

Goes without saying, but talk to people, take lots of pictures, slow down (sometimes) and look at the scenery, its breathtaking

Speed Cameras

Our route had some small average speed camera sections, but these were limited.

In the north of scotland and on back roads you are more likely to see a stag than a camera van.
The further south you go the more likely to see mobile vans (we saw one on the A7)

Just pay attention to the limits and keep looking ahead.
Waze or Google Maps can be great to show locations.
(myrouteapp nav only seems to show fixed camera and average speed locations not mobile)

The aftermath

rear axle adjustment locking nut backed off on last day, quickly nipped up

bike is filthy.

tank/crotch area is now badly scuffed, as are tail sections despite tape.
of note running the pillion bag pushes the rider further forward touching the tank. I would normally ride seated further back

will need to cut the paint back to shiny, Ive already tried and its going to need a few goes, so the damage is deeper than I expected.

really need Paint Protection film in place.
I could use tank grips, but havent really find any I like that dont spoil the look of the bike

Fully washed all textile gear Dianese CarveMaster 2 using nikwax clean and treat inc extra spray on water repel.
I did this on my return but in hindsight would probably have been better to do so BEFORE I went on the trip.

DAY 4 : NC 500 motorcycle trip S1000R : 284 miles : Tain to Edinburgh