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
Afternoon ride on arrival in Marseille from rainy London. The road to the Pas d’Ouillier (349 m.) is well-graded both in slopes and curves; it used to be the trunk road from Marseille to Toulon, now labelled D559A. There are 10 turns in about 3.5 km between Roquefort-la-Bédoule and the roundabout at Pas-de-Bellefille.
Still a good surface, so great to play doing a few runs in each direction then doing the photo as the shadows were lengthening quickly. Mild temperature too but the low angle sun is a distraction and it was a bit windy at the top.
Boarding in cold rain/sleet at London Heathrow Airport
Great Gable (899 m.), Scafell peaks (977 m.) and Wast Water
Wasdale
Cold Fell
Awesome scenery: Gable, Scafell and Wast Water seen on my afternoon riding in Wasdale. The low cloud clearing at last. Hazy sunshine, then a fine sunset over the Irish Sea - I could make out the silhouette of the Isle of Man by eye. But air temperature just 6°C by the time I got back to Keswick, with an air frost overnight.
A few rays of sunshine over Derwent Water then riding my Ninja Z250SL up lovely Newlands Valley to Newlands Hause (333 m.), steeply down, past Buttermere and steeply up Honister Pass to Honister Hause (332 m.), then a stop for coffee and a chocolate brownie. Enough of a day out to start breaking in new boots but that’s all the weather would allow before the mist came down.
Comparing two lightweight adventure bikes for maybe riding a bit more in Corsica next year. KTM 390 Adventure and Honda NX500 are both light weight and offer more than enough power for local roads. Either way it’s a step up in comfort from a sportsbike, so maybe less tiring to ride but with a loss of precision and sense of the road surface. So I’m looking for light weight, low rider fatigue and manoeuvrability more than power.
More: Comparing two lightweight adventure bikes - NX500 & KTM390
Just an initial look, mainly to see if my feet would sit easily on the ground, unlike the CRF300 Rally I was riding a couple of years ago. Yes is the answer (see grin!), meaning NX500 is a possibility for a riding project I’m considering for 2025. Thinking of a small adventures bike with light weight and manoeuvrability more important than power. Next step is a test ride.
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.
