DangerRuss58 Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 Just after I bought my bike last February I had made my mind up to ride it back to the UK, another Adventure for the old man! I was going to use the trip to coincide with a race meeting at Santa Pod one of the biggest of the year "Dragstalgia" where I was going to race my slingshot dragster. by March I had booked the crossing tot he UK via the Chunnel on one of those open ended expensive bookings just in case, and I was coming back on the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe I left home nice and early all packed up, well over packed actually as usual, I had remembered to re-set the suspension settings and checked my tyre pressures again something I am very slack about as a rule. I set off along the coast up to Valencia then across to Zaragoza and up to Huesca which ended the really boring part of the trip, the next part was the bit I was really looking forward to, over the Pyrenees via the N330 the only problem was that particular area had just got over the wettest period on record and I caught the tail end of it where I found out that my "shower proof" riding gear wasn't!! but the roads were great and in between showers the views were still incredible. My destination for the night was a budget Ibis Hotel in Pau just over into the French side of the Pyrenees a distance of around 400 miles. the budget hotels are great for stop overs cheap with car parking as a rule, I wouldn't want to spend any time in one though,they had a small bar which I made use of later in the evening but they don't do food only breakfast so after unpacking and a quick shower I hung my stuff up to dry and went for a walk into town for something to eat, I didn't have to go far as the first roundabout from my hotel had the usual food outlets burger joints, pizza etc. After the usual continental breakfast it was pack the bike up time and leave via the nearest petrol station, I am now heading for a small Hamlet north of Limoges near the town of Bethines called Les Brouillons to a bikers B&B called Belonga Mick it's on Google just type it in. I was riding up to Bordeaux via the national park The Landes De Gascogne which is very pretty where you will see familiar names of villages on sign posts such as Cadillac and Bergerac. Then round Bordeaux up to Limoges and then Belonga Mick along the lovely D179 The small hamlet of Les Brouillons was just about deserted when mick an old friend bought his first house there he has renovated the inside and made it a very comfortable B&B he now has a Gites and is working on another house he has bought, a very relaxing place with great food, the are is often over looked by tourists but its a motorcycling dream. This part of the trip was the shortest only 300 miles After a lovely evening of drinking too much beer and catching up as we hadn't seen each other for three years I went to bed, Up early for a full English breakfast pack the bike up and....wouldn't start, battery was flat. I had fitted a set of auxiliary lights which didn't run through the ignition so I think I must have accidentally switched them on while walking the bike into the barn when I arrived, A two hour wait for the battery to charge up enough to start . I was now leaving a lot later than I had wanted to, good job I had an open ended crossing, So now it was a dash up to Tours and then Le Mans and Rouen along the coast to Calais well the Tunnel. The only problem I had was if I would make it in time to be let into he race facility. The race meeting was from the Friday to the Sunday but the gates were open from 2pm to 8 pm on Thursday to let racers in to set up. I was pusing it a bit but got on the train around 8pm European time 7pm UK time had a great chat with a fellow traveller on a BMW adventure bike. Got off the train then another dash up the motorways to Wellingborough I got to the gates at gone 9pm but luckily the security guards knew me and let me in, it had been a long day and boy did I sleep well that night 420 miles to Calais and and a further 160 once I got of the train. Friday downed and it was time to sort the car out after it had been fitted with a new cam shaft, My race team "Slimline Racing" consists of myself owner and driver and my eldest son who is my crew chief and my Brother Dave and my BUG (Back Up Girl) Dianna who works a photographer and reporter for eurodragster.com. How it works is my son keeps my Dodge ram at his home and on race day he drives it from Swindon to Luton to pick my brother up then to the storage depot where the trailer is kept with the race car inside the hook up the trailer and drag the whole thing to the track. The car is called "Tight Fit" and is rather rapid with its race desiigned V8 injected running on Methanol. We had a great weekend racing and drinking far too much alcohol while listening to live music on the premises. I had an 11pm ferry booked for Sunday evening so had to leave the Pod at around 7pm after I had helped the team pack everything away, I managed to get a couple hours sleep on the ferry then it was time to unload at Dieppe in the dark and make my way back to Belonga Mick where i was going to spend a couple of days so Mick could show me around this beautiful part of France. A short vid of the ride around Belong Mick Two days went far too fast and it was time to leave again my route back home was the same as my route to the UK stopping at Pau on the way back I was glad to get home. In total I was away for 10 days I had ridden around 2600 miles and the bike had returned just short of 55 mpg I love this bike. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Fallsalot Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 Great photos and trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 Absolutely amazing Russ! Wish I could get out and do something like that but my circumstances make it impossible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specs Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 Great read. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 @DangerRuss58.......I didn't recognise the SuperTen at first.......not used to seeing it standing up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DangerRuss58 Posted April 22, 2020 Author Share Posted April 22, 2020 Swine it's been down three times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 2 minutes ago, DangerRuss58 said: Swine it's been down three times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 What a great adventure. I have a mate who lives a couple of hours south of Limoges, great area for trail riding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 Good stuff What kind of horsepower is that thing making, and what are your normal times? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catteeclan Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 13 hours ago, XTreme said: .....I didn't recognise the SuperTen at first..... Neither did I and I've owned one. Won't another one now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DangerRuss58 Posted April 23, 2020 Author Share Posted April 23, 2020 I take it you mean the race car, the motor is a race version of a small block Chevy with 4 bolt mains tunnel ram injection ally heads with massive valves revs to 9000 rpm runs on methanol two speed power glide race gear box. So far we have run 8.3 seconds for the quarter mile at a shade under 160 mph 159.7 mph if I remember correct the 8.3 was run by my son after we sorted out the fuelling with the new camshaft the speed is mine LOL yes we do have a competitive spirit, Our hope for this year with different gearing in the rear axle and some better valve springs was to get her in the 7 second bracket once done I was going to retire completely but due to this lock-down looks like I might have to put off my retirement plans for a bit Nearly forgot it churns out around 1000bhp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DangerRuss58 Posted April 23, 2020 Author Share Posted April 23, 2020 The fuel pump is a 5.5 gpm unit that runs direct drive form the end of the camshaft its a rotory pump, shaft and veins type. A small vid of her running last year at Dragstalgia while still trying to get the tune up right.... Turn the volume up LOL Commentators never get my name right can't believe that my surname is really Heaven LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 Brilliant Russ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 That’s a kick in the back for sure, brilliant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DangerRuss58 Posted April 23, 2020 Author Share Posted April 23, 2020 It is a kick up the arse and it's brilliant and I didn't even use the chute to slow down on hat run....I for got LOL but think about the Top Fuel Guys their rear engine dragsters are running on Nitro methane with engines that pump out somewhere between 11000 and 12000 bhp they hit 100mph in their own length in under a second and never stop accelerating up to 330mph when they hit the chutes +6g on launch and -8g when they hit the chutes, would love a go in one of them...the drag bikes are a no no those guys are just mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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