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
Mazan-l'Abbaye
Corniche of the Cévennes on the horizon
Riding.lesser-known roads in the Ardèche mountains to the west of the famous gorge and north of the Cévennes. Riding with a group of the French club AMA and guided by a local rider, this was a loop taking in many rider challenges as well as scenic distractions. Valleys and ridges, hairpins and straights; red pines and colourful chestnuts, villages and forests etc. Quite a sporting challenge too on my CBR600RR to ride with the mostly litre bikes in the group.
A memorable lunch of Ardèche specialities with all the riding groups. But a fine day ended on a downer: the rider I had been mostly following in the group had an accident after I had split to ride solo back to the gÎte. Multiple fractures, serious but not lifestyle-threatening.
Next morning, back along the fantastic Ardèche gorges rim road, not much motor traffic but a herd of wild goats was spread across the road at one of the tourist look-out points.
New for my underground garage: a mains power pack that gives enough power for the bike battery charger. There’s no mains in my box garage two floors underground so with this power pack I can top-up the bike’s battery in place. The CBR600RR’s not the worst of bikes for taking the battery out of and strapping it back in but charging the battery in the bike is one step less hassle when preparing my RR for a trip after a lay-up.. Could also use the power pack for an electric air pump for the tyres but the foot pump has been fine for years.The little floodlight on the power pack’s handy though.
One of the most spectacular road passes in Europe, it joins Martigny (CH) and Aoste (I). The name Grand St. Bernard Pass is mythic, evoking Roman legionnaires and the big dogs of the hospice reviving medieval travellers with brandy. The Grand St. Bernard Pass fits in a itinerary on the way to Piedmont and Tuscany or as part of a tour of Mont Blanc.
Pits, grandstand and start/finish
Cronk-y-Voddy
Road riding is my thing, not track days, so when the forecasts looked fine for a ride round the TT Course on the Isle of Man, I was happy and excited to book the trip.
Ride to Cockermouth for an after-work decaff with Mikey outside in his yard, back via Lorton and Whinlatter Pass (318 m.). The road over Whinlatter is tricky (a bit twisty and no white lines) but was nicely clear of traffic so I was able to enjoy it on my Ninja Z250SL. The ride down to Braithwaite is demanding and almost scary in places as the road dives in to the shadows of woodland: I ride it more often in the up direction so this was a great end to my evening ride on this hot summer’s day in Cumberland.
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.
