Just got back from two weeks on the continent. Rode down with one other to meet up with mates (who rather more sensibly had flown down) for the Benicassim festival in Spain. Set off on 13th via ferry to Calais then blasted down (with slight navigational glitch through Paris!) to overnight 1st night in Limoges. Up and at it early to hoon down finally making it to within 120kms of Beni at about 9pm second day. After spending the evening in a nice hotel in Tarragona, we knocked off the last little leg to arrive at the campsite about 10:30am.
All good so far, just slight backache from the backpack, of course we were both on K7 750’s not Pans or some other touring kit.
Park up in the town whilst one of the mates that arrived the day before showed us around the camping area and facilities, then off to buy a cheap tent (sod carrying one down 
). By early evening we decided to return to the bikes to check if we needed to park then elsewhere and to remove our helmets which had been locked to the seat cowl…what should I find…you guessed it - some thieving spanish gyppo had ripped my seat cowl off and taken my lovely Shoei XR1000 Joust with black visor (I flaming loved that lid). My mates bike had been ‘looked at’ but due the the pillion seat and venturi luggage system plus alarm they must have seen mine as the easier target. Plus my lid was prettier.
Whatever…one of the hazards I guess. Didn’t stop the fun and ensued 5 days of drinking, ahem, partying from dusk till down to great sets from Babyshambles, Battles, Hot Chip, Raconteurs and great dance DJ’s
The rest flew home in a right state Monday just gone, leaving me and matey boy, waving them off and contemplating the 1100 miles return trip with low energy reserves. Binned the campsite and camping gear and went to a posh hotel in Castellon to recuperate. 14 hours of sleep later we set off. Then it all went a bit tits.
We took a small mountain road out of Castellon for 60kms to join the main Valencia - Zaragoza autopista (essentially cutting the corner). Very twisty and lovely road (if you’ve ever ridden in Andorra you’ll know the type). I’m following but when we pull up my colleague said he felt he was holding me up and a bit pressured, so I went off ahead for the last half. Hooning along for about 20 klicks smiling in my emergency purchase ‘non gold sticker’ MT 60 euro lid (it is as shite as it sounds…) when I pull over to wait for him.
And wait. And wait…surely I didn’t boot it that much as I was still a little knackered from party time. Anyway got concerned so went to pull a u turn on the narrow road and - Fck bgger D*mn - front wheel goes over the edge of the road into a deep rock filled channel designed to catch the landslide debris from the mountains and down go me and the bike on the boulders. Very slow speed so could have been much worse and luckily nothing mechanical buggered (although slight concern over a punctured radiator for a few moments) but bye bye right hand wing mirror, nicely gouged and scraped right fairing and tail unit - Noooooo. Expensive - undoubtedly due to £500 insurance excess, embarrassing - mortifyingly so. Not a happy bunny.
Anyway, hooned to San Sebastian on Atlantic Pyrenees border that night. On arrival my mates bikes rectifier gave up the ghost but thankfully right outside a suzuki dealership. At this point I have to give out a massive thanks to San Sebastian Suzuki, who despite closing in ten minutes from the bike fail, stored both our bikes and fitted a new battery and reccy to his bike by 11am the next morning (even took the reccy off a bike in the showroom - those guys especially Davide were absolute champions).
Set off the next morning and once we cleared Bordeaux, it became clear that something else wasn’t right. I kept retching in my lid and it felt like someone was jabbing knitting needles into my guts and twisting them. Oh yes, green apple splatters time. By mid afternoon I was in a sh*t state and could hold any liquids or food and eventually dragged my shivering diseased body into an Ibis in Poitiers. Didn’t think that I would get any further after an awful night of driving the porcelain bus, could barely get on the bike the next morning, weak as a kitten. Still couldn’t re-hydrate or eat so getting weaker all the time and probably unsafe to ride but you know how sometimes sheer bloody mindedness and an overwhelming desire to get home can strengthen resolve.
At Rouen, I thought I just can’t make it any further, but pressed on extremely illtempered and miserable until hallelujah, CALAIS!!! Needless to say I spent the crossing in a toilet cubicle
Eventually got back at midnight Thursday after 500mile day and literally fell off the bike from exhaustion. Still a bit iffy today but been to doctors and had some bits and bobs that seem to help.
So - to the point of this looooong winded story - Anyone know where I can pick up a cheap XR1000 Joust??
