Motorbiking
"Biker" for me usually means motorbiking, though I also have a couple of mountain-bikes... see Trail Bike
My current motorbikes are a Honda CBR600RR ABS 2017 and a Kawasaki Ninja Z250SL.
Previously I have owned: Kawasaki ZX4-RR (Ninja anniversary edition), Honda CRF300 Rally, Honda CBR600RR 2005, Honda CBR600FW, Honda VF750F, Yamaha FJ600, Suzuki GSX750EX, Yamaha FJ750, Yamaha XJ900, Kawasaki Z750 and I passed my riding test on my Kawasaki KH250.
See also my Motorbiking web links
Bikers passing Hermitage Castle
Langholm
Ride out east from Moffat, linking up with places round Hawick and Langholm I first visited in the late Seventies. Hermitage Castle has been a particular favourite since then, its massive fortress blocking the Reivers seeking to predate on the valleys below. The architecture draws potential invaders in to fight at close quarters but makes retreat “costly”.
River Clyde - Abington
Scotland/England border at Gretna
Here I am in Bonnie Scotland, based in Moffat for a couple of nights and riding round some fantastic roads on my Ninja Z250SL Very limited luggage space but that’s the price for the great handling of the little bike. Reivers country this, the thuggish mobs who terrorised and raided the area for centuries.
The A701 up Tweeddale and down in to Moffat is on many bikers’ list of favourite roads, now I can see why and you definitely have to ride it to understand. Long enough to get your teeth in to, so to speak, but varied enough so it’s never boring. Height gain and loss, straight and sweeping curves or tight bends with almost no visibility round the corner.
More photos: Reivers raid ride - Southern Uplands - Scotland 1
Port Carlisle
The western end of Hadrian’s Wall was the start of my ride along the southern shore of the Solway Firth, known as the North Cumbrian Riviera because it is favoured with warmth from the Gulf Stream. I was riding at times closer to the hills of Dumfries and Galloway than the Lakeland fells. These are reclaimed wetlands so some of these roads are flooded at high tide.
Warming up on the Col de l’Espigoulier (723 m.). I’d passed a few petrol stations still dry on the way out of Marseille but hurray, basically no prob. Unusually clear air with visibility all the way to the Écrins and even the Alps; it’s extremely unusual to see Mt. Blanc (4808 m.) clearly like this, over 350 km away.
A fantastic start to a day to Just Ride. But a few more kilometres along the ridge of Ste. Baume the sunshine began to seduce me. Onwards... but I found a friendly location, parked my RR in the shade and unpacked the sun kit and picnic lunch.
Back to Just Ride and pressing on with my route around the Massif de la Sainte Baume and back passing the Circuit du Castellet, bringing back memories of watching the Bol d’Or here.
Pretty much the dream day out on my RR.
Subcategories
Alps Biker 2016
I'm riding light for a week on the mountain roads of the Alps. No laptop, although I do have my SLR camera but photos will have to wait till I'm back in Marseille..
I left Marseille for a long ride north via the Col de la Croix Haute (1179 m.) to Saint-Gervais under Mont Blanc. A bit of rain towards the end of the day which cleaned the Provence dust off my white leathers and boots but didn't soak me through.
