Conti Trail Attack review
A trip to Corfu on Conti’s With a 3500 mile trip ahead of me it was time to select the right tyres for the job. The existing Conti/Michelin combo had been a compromise forced by a worn to the canvass rear in Ireland last year, so a matched pair was called for.
I settled on a pair of Conti
Trail attack 2’s after a short selection process, tempted by the high mileage on offer as well as the ‘Black Chilli’ finish and no release compound, meaning they’d be good to go with no wear-in period, straight from the box.
Fitted by a mate, I picked the bike up a few days before the off. I was instantly impressed by the sheer amount and depth of tread on offer; a good 8mm at least. They looked better than the tractor tyres they’d replaced as well, in a 150/70/17 rear and 12/60/17 front, a bit of a compromise as it should’ve been matched profiles, but I’d put up with that for so much tread. We set off to Calais on the first stretch of a marathon trip to my son’s wedding in Corfu. Black Forest, Alps, and autoroute were all dispatched with utter confidence. The tyres really started to show their mettle in the Alpine sweepers, laying the bike right over with ease and confidence and not a twitch to be had.
After we’d seen off the wedding, we headed back for
before
Ancona in Italy and another autostrada marathon after a visit to Tavulia to worship at the Rossi HQ. Then it was the Gorge du Verdon on a luggage- free day, side to side, left to right, fast or slow, they refused to budge, sticking doggedly to the line.
Even a misjudged overtake while racing a Golf GTI (ahem), resulting in a last minute, past the apex, corner taking episode, entirely failed to faze them. A Thunderstorm later in the day proved they can more than handle the wet too.
Back north through France with N roads, twisties and autoroute all mixed together, I never gave them a single thought which must be a good thing. They just did the job perfectly.
Nick Sanders’ place
MAG Life member Nick Sanders, the fastest man around the world, has set up a spectacular centre in Wales to host motorcycle adventurers. The initial plan is to provide a reunion venue for those who have patronised his guided trips, with off road biking in the Welsh hills close by being part of the attraction. A 40 seat cinema has been set up in the timber barn pictured here which also houses a huge kitchen and dining facility, plus
wet room and offices. About 20 miles inland from Aberystwyth, the centre is set amidst beautiful and dramatic countryside speckled with baffled sheep. Limited stopover
accommodation is available in timber huts heated by wood burning stoves, while home grown vegetables will complement fine cuisine, courtesy of Nick’s girlfriend Dr Ab Fab Caroline.
Having set more records than
Jessica Ennis, Nick is looking to pursue a parallel world hosting his weekends in Wales though more trips are still planned both solo lunacy and leading groups of the incurably ambitious. See
nicksanders.com for more on the evolving world of Sanders.
after
Once on the Eurotunnel I actually looked at them for the first time in days. They still had at least 5mm left in the middle of the tyres and look good to go for at least another 3500 miles, if not more – astonishing. The tyres were fitted to my Husqvarna SM 630 Supermoto. OK it’s not the heaviest bike by a very long way, so a more podgy adventure bike might put a bit more strain on the hoops, but my brother accompanied me on the same trip on Road Attacks, with some 2000 miles already on the clock. We rode the same roads, with
much more luggage on a GS1200 and they had at least another 1000 miles of life left in them at the end of the trip too. Conclusion – highly recommended.
Craig Witney does Corfu and back
F2 Move
After 15 years in Oxfordshire, long- standing MAG supporter F2 Motorcycles have moved. The importer who specialises in Ural, Jawa and Velorex motorcycles has relocated to Cambridgeshire. The big move, which took place during May, means bigger and better premises for the specialist bike shop.
The new site offers open views of the countryside, from Leverington Common near Wisbech. The premises includes dedicated and spacious areas for display, workshop and spares. An office and clothing area, tool room, tyre and oil store, and ample parking for customers.
“At 5000 sqft, we’ve more than double the floor space that we had at the last place,” says proprietor, David Angel, who recently appeared on ITV4’s The Motorbike Show.
“Except for the addition
of a range of 50cc and 125cc bikes from Skyteam, we’ll be keeping stocking levels pretty much as they always have been. It’s just great to have the room to spread it all out with space between bikes, instead of everything being crammed in as before, ” said David.
The new address is 290 Leverington Common, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE13 5JG Telephone 01945 410165 2pm to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday Main site
www.f2motorcycles.ltd.uk Jawa site
www.jawamotorcycles.co.uk
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