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
Start Line, Silloth Track, Cumbria
Silloth Motorcycle Museum
An afternoon inspired by a chat with Jim at Silloth Motorcycle Museum. Jim’s museum is stuffed with old track and road race bikes, several race-winners and several of which he raced back in his day. Jim Smaith’s usual race number was 33 and his home track was at Silloth, run by Solway Motorcycle Racing Club. The key to my afternoon was him telling me that I could still ride the Silloth track on my rally bike even though the surface is so beaten up by use now as an industrial estate. So began an afternoon of track archaeology trying to find the old racing line.
Fun and an adrenaline rush putting in the hours on my CRF300 Rally bike working towards getting instinctive with it. Great that it’s still smelling new as it warms up.
Another new route for this evening’s ride: out of Keswick and round the sides of Latrigg to enjoy the sunset as the day cools down. The bonus of a sunset ride is that most of the tourists have gone back to their camp-sites or B&Bs. Or pubs.
Time to get up on the pegs. Yee-haw... views over the hedges. And I’d not anticipated the cool rush through the ventilated Dainese MX armoured jeans, but it’s very welcome in this heat.
A couple of friendly farmer encounters as they do their evening rounds, feeding the animals etc. A shout-out and thanks to Sean who helped with the photos on the move.
Fantastic to be back riding the roads in Cumbria in the summer sunshine in summer gear. This ride on my Ninja Z250 was just my run to the big supermarket in Workington but the views of the fells are great.
Seen in a service area on the M40, a chance encounter with Two Bikers One World rig with two BMW F800GS bikes, (interestingly, one of the smaller “adventure” style bikes) at the back of a Pössi motorcaravan on a Fiat base Ducato van. Their mountain trail bikes look custom-built from parts with no overall branding.
You have to admire a couple of bikers living the dream and looking as though they are doing it right. Anders and Petra have an enviable set of stickers on their bikes’ panniers; they must have a lot of tales to tell. All bright and clean with no dents yet, so I guess they are setting off on a new adventure; unfortunately I couldn’t find them there in Warwick services to wish them well in person. #TwoBikersOneWorld
Riding from Keswick to Matterdale via St. John’s in the Vale, Threlkeld Quarry and sections of The Old Coach Road in the Lake District National Park.
I took my picnic lunch at Mosedale Beck with a fine view towards Blencathra, Skiddaw, the ridge of the North Pennines and on this exceptional day, even over to Eskdalemuir in the Scottish Borders.
That rare and expensive new-bike smell is beginning to wear off and also the new CRF300 Rally has taken its first mud. So it’s not new any more!
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.
