Community Scotch-land trip May 2024

Gotta thank @Hugo Magnus for taking me to the CCM factory.

Here's my take: Damn gorgeous in person, all the little details, expertly executed. They sound amazing.

On the ride: Olde school, all manual and fun. The suicide kickstand could take some getting used to.

I expected a bit more ooompf, 1st gear vibrates straight from the 'Ole bunghole through to your vertebrae. Certain womens may find that feature useful, took a bit off the polish off for me.

Suspension is stiff also rattled me olde bones.

While I remain a huge fan and appreciate the craftsmanship, I'm no longer in a hurry to get one into my garage.

I am also determined to find a way to help CCM get their bikes "as is" into the US. Homologation will ruin them as designed which is what makes them so awesome IMO.
 
RA5 said:
Gotta thank @Hugo Magnus for taking me to the CCM factory.

Here's my take: Damn gorgeous in person, all the little details, expertly executed. They sound amazing.

On the ride: Olde school, all manual and fun. The suicide kickstand could take some getting used to.

I expected a bit more ooompf, 1st gear vibrates straight from the 'Ole bunghole through to your vertebrae. Certain womens may find that feature useful, took a bit off the polish off for me.

Suspension is stiff also rattled me olde bones.

While I remain a huge fan and appreciate the craftsmanship, I'm no longer in a hurry to get one into my garage.

I am also determined to find a way to help CCM get their bikes "as is" into the US. Homologation will ruin them as designed which is what makes them so awesome IMO.
Click to expand...
They don't help themselves very much, by ignoring general standards just because they feel like it.
I was living in Sweden when the first of the new styles came out and a friend who was already a motorcycle importer got his after waiting for a year or more.
He struggled so much with registering the bike over there due to several issues, but I seem to recall the biggest problem was the VIN number
wasnt on the headstock, it was somewhere stupid like the swing arm? I dont think he ever got the bike on Swedish plates, keeping it on uk documents and playing on his British nationality.
Another of his contacts who worked at Öhlins had similar problems and just put his in a display/collection.
 
Ok, here goes, I’ve whittled the photos down, but there’s still quite a few, I suggest if you’re not bothered about piccies of a Multistrada in front on fantastic scenery, this post might not be for you…

Day 1

I decided to do some motorway to get around Leeds etc and it was a relief to get off it, I was on my way to meet Bobthebounder in Leyburn, so we could do the fun roads towards Alston,I stopped here for a wee.

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Our timing was impeccable, as I was filling up at the fuel station on the way into Leyburn, Bob went past, we had a cup of tea and set off, stopped at the Tan Hill Inn for a rest
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On to Alston
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Bob had access to a truck stop in the comedically named Ecclefechan, where they served food of the gods…
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All in with a cuppa it was £4

I was stopping at ‘The Inn on the Loch’ near Crocketford, an hour and a bit short of the rendezvous point for the start of the trip, it was very nice and rounded the day off nicely.
IMG_5700.webp
 
990Glen said:
They don't help themselves very much, by ignoring general standards just because they feel like it.
I was living in Sweden when the first of the new styles came out and a friend who was already a motorcycle importer got his after waiting for a year or more.
He struggled so much with registering the bike over there due to several issues, but I seem to recall the biggest problem was the VIN number
wasnt on the headstock, it was somewhere stupid like the swing arm? I dont think he ever got the bike on Swedish plates, keeping it on uk documents and playing on his British nationality.
Another of his contacts who worked at Öhlins had similar problems and just put his in a display/collection.
Click to expand...
All they needed to do is a UK SVA prior to shipping and then import it to Sweden and re register - Bimota did this with some of the Final Edition Tesi's as they were older Euro spec, they shipped them to the UK, SVA's them then shipped them back into the EU.
 
Exige said:
All they needed to do is a UK SVA prior to shipping and then import it to Sweden and re register - Bimota did this with some of the Final Edition Tesi's as they were older Euro spec, they shipped them to the UK, SVA's them then shipped them back into the EU.
Click to expand...
They looked into this and because of the vin thing it wasnt as simple as that unfortunately.
As i said, the lad was already an importer who knew his way around the system. There wasnt a simple or perhaps economical fix.
 
IMG_5705.webp

Breakfast on the Loch.
They didn't start serving breakfast ‘til 08:30, I was meeting almost everyone at 10:00 approx an hour and a bit from here, but thought “fook ‘em” and had brekky anyway ( I got there at 10:05)
We set off inland, through the Galloway Forest Park to New Galloway, where we met Bob the Bounder (you have to sing it as in ‘Bob the Builder’), he was waiting for us here…
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We let Bob lead, he has extensive knowledge of everything Scotchland.
Now, to say Bob sets a brisk pace would be an understatement, I was intent on keeping up and no photos got taken from Day 1 proper on the tour.
We zig-zagged through the Southern Uplands, visited the Falkirk Wheel and then onto Kirkcaldy for our first night as a group.
The Victoria Hotel was quite good and quite cheap, a coupe of the party turned into Rowell Birkin QC and stayed in character for the rest of the trip.
IMG_2241.webp
 
990Glen said:
They looked into this and because of the vin thing it wasnt as simple as that unfortunately.
As i said, the lad was already an importer who knew his way around the system. There wasnt a simple or perhaps economical fix.
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The Tesi VIN is on one of the aluminium side plates and not on the head stock, maybe if CCM were doing the SVA they might have stood more of a chance 🤔
 
Kirkcaldy to Dingwall.
Again we were off at a lively pace (I’m not complaining), we stopped for a warm beverage near Braemar
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Onward and upward, stopped for a phottty here near Tomintoul
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Lunch stop in Grantown on Spey…
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…and on to probably the equal worse place we stopped, The Waverley, I didn’t mind it too much, but it wasn’t up to some of the groups high standards, we ate at The Mallard. RA5 got a great deal of enjoyment from the word ‘Goujon’.
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It was cheap at least, unlike the night in Oban, which was shit AND expensive.
 
SHarper said:
Onward and upward
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I must be pedantic and point out that the A93 Blairgowrie to Braemar is the highest pass in the UK (just south of glenshee I believe) and the A939 Cock-bridge to Tomintoul is a few metres lower.

Therefore, onward and downwards (sounds like work) before a bit of upwards (the 1:5 hill climb after Cock-bridge) to just below where you started from would be more appropriate.

I'll get me coat :unsure: :LOL:
 
SHarper said:
Kirkcaldy to Dingwall.
Again we were off at a lively pace (I’m not complaining), we stopped for a warm beverage near Braemar
View attachment 106856
Onward and upward, stopped for a phottty here near Tomintoul
View attachment 106857

Lunch stop in Grantown on Spey…
View attachment 106858

…and on to probably the equal worse place we stopped, The Waverley, I didn’t mind it too much, but it wasn’t up to some of the groups high standards, we ate at The Mallard. RA5 got a great deal of enjoyment from the word ‘Goujon’.
View attachment 106859
It was cheap at least, unlike the night in Oban, which was shit AND expensive.
Click to expand...
To all the lads who looked after the hotels I extend my thanks... Regardless of how shit some were it's no reflection on the person booking it's pure pot fucking luck and was easily cured by getting very very very drunk 😆
Thanks @Dox
Thanks @SHarper
Thanks @Hugo Magnus
😘😘
 
Barry Hell said:
I must be pedantic and point out that the A93 Blairgowrie to Braemar is the highest pass in the UK (just south of glenshee I believe) and the A939 Cock-bridge to Tomintoul is a few metres lower.

Therefore, onward and downwards (sounds like work) before a bit of upwards (the 1:5 hill climb after Cock-bridge) to just below where you started from would be more appropriate.

I'll get me coat :unsure: :LOL:
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In a two dimensional world you would almost certainly be correct, the onward speaks for itself, the upward as in further North (actually NNE), and downward in the z axis, I’m sorry for not being comprehensive enough. X
 
Barry Hell said:
I must be pedantic and point out that the A93 Blairgowrie to Braemar is the highest pass in the UK (just south of glenshee I believe) and the A939 Cock-bridge to Tomintoul is a few metres lower.

Therefore, onward and downwards (sounds like work) before a bit of upwards (the 1:5 hill climb after Cock-bridge) to just below where you started from would be more appropriate.

I'll get me coat :unsure: :LOL:
Click to expand...
Pedant.
 
SHarper said:
Kirkcaldy to Dingwall.
Again we were off at a lively pace (I’m not complaining), we stopped for a warm beverage near Braemar
View attachment 106856
Onward and upward, stopped for a phottty here near Tomintoul
View attachment 106857

Lunch stop in Grantown on Spey…
View attachment 106858

…and on to probably the equal worse place we stopped, The Waverley, I didn’t mind it too much, but it wasn’t up to some of the groups high standards, we ate at The Mallard. RA5 got a great deal of enjoyment from the word ‘Goujon’.
View attachment 106859
It was cheap at least, unlike the night in Oban, which was shit AND expensive.
Click to expand...

The waverly looks like it was/is used for people of the boat persuasion
The skitz said:
To all the lads who looked after the hotels I extend my thanks... Regardless of how shit some were it's no reflection on the person booking it's pure pot fucking luck and was easily cured by getting very very very drunk 😆
Thanks @Dox
Thanks @SHarper
Thanks @Hugo Magnus
😘😘
Click to expand...

I think it was wpc?? Who mentioned it was no easy task trying to book hotel/s for a group of 7. Difficult at the best of times, even more so as it was the start of tourist season and rip off prices. So well done all in the involvelment of making this happen, it looks a right chuckle.
 
Dingwall, NE to John o’Groats, W to Durness, SW to Scourie

BTB came to find us early on on whatever this day is.
Went to the local Tesco for fuel, somebodies bike wouldn’t start.
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Luckily he’d pre seen this and had brought a jumper pack.
Paul wanted to do JOG, those that had even before told of a desolate shit-tip not worth the petrol, we went anyhoo.
By ‘eck it’s changed, lovely car parks, an abundance of eateries, some shops, the building with the turrets was no longer graffiti covered, it’s had a facelift.
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We had to have the obligatory photo at the signpost after scattering the bloody tourists aside.
Westwestsouth to Doonrae, just for a pic.
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Then the road across the top, how beautiful is it? Very.

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Noobie said:
The waverly looks like it was/is used for people of the boat persuasion


I think it was wpc?? Who mentioned it was no easy task trying to book hotel/s for a group of 7. Difficult at the best of times, even more so as it was the start of tourist season and rip off prices. So well done all in the involvelment of making this happen, it looks a right chuckle.
Click to expand...
We had a ball!! the calamity of the hotels added to the fun... I can't remember the last time I nearly got sick from laughing so hard but it happened several times on this trip!! Poor @West Cork Paul on our last day had to be scooped up off the floor after an unbelievable string of jokes about @RA5 finger work on the cello I had tears streaming down my face from him 👌
DSC_2536.webp
 
 
The skitz said:
We had a ball!! the calamity of the hotels added to the fun... I can't remember the last time I nearly got sick from laughing so hard but it happened several times on this trip!! Poor @West Cork Paul on our last day had to be scooped up off the floor after an unbelievable string of jokes about @RA5 finger work on the cello I had tears streaming down my face from him 👌View attachment 106909
Click to expand...

And you too Skitz…the man of many voices, and quick witted.

Five drunk blokes trying not to fall over on a mound of earth while staring up at the night sky…”your brother was right Steve…” “you are a Guinness” 😁
 
Hugo Magnus said:
A few more from me:

A quick detour to Hadrians wall on my way up there
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I can only assume that the Scotts were short - if this wall kept them out of England
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I just had to stop an snap this one!
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I now know what Barry Larry's ancestors wore under their skirts.
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Granite folly in Oban
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The demonstrators that RA5 and I took for a spin.
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I recorded, the entire CCM factory walkthrough, not sure how that will turn out cause I was being sneaky about it.

I've decided to have Lady K go through the videos and edit because I would leave everything and I have tons of videos. To be fair, given my video skills, there much left to be seen.

I'll post my pictures here over the weekend. Still need to figure out how where to post videos.

I can post and share on Google drive as I've done in the past, but not everyone can access them that way.
 
RA5 said:
I recorded, the entire CCM factory walkthrough, not sure how that will turn out cause I was being sneaky about it.

I've decided to have Lady K go through the videos and edit because I would leave everything and I have tons of videos. To be fair, given my video skills, there much left to be seen.

I'll post my pictures here over the weekend. Still need to figure out how where to post videos.

I can post and share on Google drive as I've done in the past, but not everyone can access them that way.
Click to expand...
Have you got a Youtube channel?
 
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