Start the week topic

[guest7]

As I returned home from work today, my route took me along some pretty country lanes. The sidecar outfit is in its element on these roads and I had a really nice ride. It helped that the sun was out and the air was warm, but I've travelled that road before in mid-winter and it was still enjoyable then.

I got to thinking about my most satisfying rides and I realised that some of them were in conditions that a lot of riders might consider to be dangerous and/or unpleasant. I remember one ride coming back from a friend's stag weekend held, strangely, on the shores of the Llyn Brianne reservior. The road was wet and I was riding a solo XBR (my old red and green 'un). I was chasing two of the lads who were driving cars and I kept up with them all the way back to Llandovery, despite the fact that it was raining and the narrow twisty road was very wet. I got into a groove and enoyed balancing traction with speed and, on that occasion, it was a pleasure to feel I was doing it well.

So, here's the topic. Is the stereotypical image of motorcycling happiness (deserted, hot, sun-drenched roads) an accurate portrayal of the best side of biking? Is that where you are happiest on your bike?

Most of my motorcycling has always been done in the city and I love carving through traffic (on a solo of course!). It gives me a real buzz to scratch across the city in heavy traffic, brushing past buses and cars, making rapid lane changes and generally making a nuisance of myself... but many would say that that is hell.

GC

[guest288]

My wife rides to and from work everyday on her Suzuki SV650s, into London in the rush hour. She's used to it and just shrugs it off but I think it sounds like hell!

My ideal is as you say- leafy lanes, sun out, no cars... 
You make a good point though- If you are enjoying riding the thing, then it doesn't really matter what the weather's doing, it will end up being a good ride. 

Bit of a pain warming up frozen fingers and drying out jacket though...

[squirrelciv]

Good one GC To be honest, some of the worst rides I've had have been on what are supposed to be perfect biking days. The reasons....
1) too hot in all my clobber
2) sun blinding you as you round a bend
3) too many other people on the roads pootling about in long caravans
4) eejits on sports bikes ripping it up all over the place and annoying me
5) everytime you stop people give you the look that says "Look at that knob trying to regain his youth by buying a bike for summer weekends. He hasn't even got the bottle to buy a nice shiney, sporty one either"

Best for me are cloudy winter mornings with dry roads and a nip in the air.
(like a bit of commuter filtering too. I can get really smug passing all those cars in the road works on the M4)

[guest146]

For me its an open road with little traffic, Nice sweeping bends you can see round, Sun behind you.


 Or this takes some beating
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1119935660053768272JmXRyg

Ken

[Steffan]

I used to do 120 miles a day commuting so I have a love hate relationship with traffic - I love the challenge of carving them up and getting through safely and I have given up filtering at 65mph...honest!!

But, as the song says: "the first cut is the deepest" and as a result I do have a thing for empty roads warm sun, blue skies, hot bitumen, and the smell of long grass.

My most memorable driving moment/s (car) was in the outback and I am looking forward to doing similar sort of stuff again but this time on a motorcycle.

I have ridden in the cold, the wet, snow, hail, gales, the dark and any combination of the above. There is a sense of achievement, I suppose, but usually I am just glad when it is over. With the exception of some mixed road/off road stuff around here with Mr M and the MZs - soaked, muddy, lightly smoked and blown almost off the mountains but we were unstoppable - the motorcycling rain gods of west Wales.

I don't think its the conditions that define a particular ride, its what is going on in your head. If you have your head right and in synch the ride will be a good un, if not then you could be riding through paradise and it won't make a ha'peth of difference.

Steffan

[Andy M]

I don't think you can beat the desert. It's all about you, the bike and the country, you are not worried about speed camera's, idiots with horse boxes, sports bikes wanting to become permanant parts of the scenery etc. The weather does come into it as it changes so fast, you can do from sun to sand devils to rain and back in 20 minutes, but that's all part of the fun. There is also enough of it to make a decent trip. Off road in the UK is just too short, by the time you get the feel of the bike and can really start to enjoy it you've run out of track and are messing about with gates, B-roads and the rest of life on our crowded little island. Of course you tend not to get camels made insane by eating wacky weed (not even good for eating I'm told) or hungry drop bears in North Yorkshire 

I have a love/hate relationships with winter rides. 50 miles of nice crisp snow and the right tyres is great, 400 miles of freezing fog and rain less so. There is also the point on ice where it just becomes ****** stupid and you know you are pushing it. Stopping for a coffee because your freezing and finding you've done 50 miles out of 300 in two hours isn't good 

Traffic I grew up with (learned to ride in London) and there is a switch in my head than can result in filtering at 65 mph, but it's never fun. I do enjoy the "bikers radar" phenomena, when you think "he's not seen that" and sure enough three seconds later there is broken glass right where your leg would have been, but that's just city street theater!

The best bit of the day is of course the first beer. After 200 km of sand, a nice chilled Bittberger brought on a tray into the carpark by a first class Moroccan chap who'd got dressed up in the white coat and fez for the occasion is hard to beat 

Andy

[guest18]

The A9.. and before my countrymen shout me down I mean from the bit where we seperated from Pat on his LeJog run, down to Inverness, a sunny Sunday mid morning on a wide sweeping A road, cool enough to be fresh but not cold with stunning views on every rise, iirc in the first hundred miles I passed two cyclists and a car, and saw only one or two other cars.
If you want light and space and hundreds of miles of peace and quiet come up here then keep going North  see Pat for details/confirmation our Island is not quite as small as it seems sometimes 

But I still sometimes get a tremendous sense of satisfaction on the daily commute when the roads are clean and the traffic not impeding me too much 

[themoudie]

Aye Smudge,

Was good wasn't it? Some the old bits South of Inversnecky aren't bad either, but the developement of the Spey Valley into a dormitary town for Inversnecky is going to screw some of that up.

Have you tried the Angus Glens? Just steady like, the heros tend to stay away!

However, tomorrow sounds a bit 'white', so the garage seems preferable.

My regards, Bill.

[guest18]

However, tomorrow sounds a bit 'white', so the garage seems preferable.

Aye Bill you're not wrong, but I've got to get out and about tomorrow or Sunday as I *need* to log a couple more dives before an upcoming course! Why is it they always seem to forecast the white stuff when I plan sports that are nicer in the sunshine 

[themoudie]

Aye Smudge,

Wait till the Gulf Stream turns off! Then you can go looking for penguins and leopard seals rather than puffins and Atlantic Grey's off Eyemouth or the Bass

Keep on plopping, Bill.