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
Running-in completed, clock now showing more that 1000 km, it’s become time to show my new RR its first Alpine col; this was the Col du Labouret, 1,240 m., in the Alpes de Haut-Provence between Digne-les-Bains and Barcelonette. These clear blue skies are misleading, an hour out of Marseille I pulled in to a rest area and enjoyed a long conversation about bikes with a road maintenance guy whilst regaining the feeling in my fingers. He runs a 1200 Bandit and enjoys riding faster than 200 km/hr where he can; apparently the belly-pan is the first piece of that bike to scratch when you lean over... and the police don’t take much interest in you if you’re only doing 140 to 150 km/hr: bikers and cops (and biker cops) are very aware that the legal limit on an autoroute is 130 km/hr in fine weather and 90 km/hr on a Route Nationale.
Coffee, croissant, home-made raspberry jam from Brighton (thanks: Terry) and yoghurt in the sunshine on my balcony in Marseille, a promising start to a day’s riding.
The glint of the copper coloured panels on the side of a neighbour’s CBR600FW springs to life in the sunshine of the morning of the Equinox in Barons Court. Not the glint of the Wagner’s Rheinmaidens’ gold in the Rhine but for me a reminder of a powerful allure.
The allure that I first saw one spring dawn on my way to a breakfast television studio in 1998, which led me to buy the exact same model and colour, then leathers to match. Not at all my first bike, that 600cc bike took me to the Swiss Alps, Tuscany and above all to discover Provence and Marseille. In between trips, the orange bike took me faithfully to studios to work on major national television programmes.
White bike, white leathers riding through hills of limestone bleached white by the strong sunshine, plus the ever-present distraction of white snowy mountains in the far distance, the Allos range above Barcelonnette.Bonding with my new bike.. riding out from Marseille to the fine, clear roads of the Alpes of Haut Provence. Not La vie en rose as Edith Piaf sang her words but much the same story, just the colour is white.
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose ...
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.
