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
Fine day’s riding but a bit more of an adventure than I had hoped for. The bike’s battery, that was new in August 2014, let me down despite being charged the previous day. Had to be recovered.
Good side is that the bike shop who keep me running has been taken over. Not a surprise and that was one reason for intending to pass by the place in Peyrolles but meeting them first in a recovery situation wasn’t in my plan! The new guys are race bikers not town riders or trail bikers; they look to be setting up a track bike hire and training business.
So I made my itinerary pass by the Circuit du Castellet for a quick coffee and to check out things. It’s also known as the Circuit Paul Ricard as it was founded by the drinks magnate of Pastis Ricard fame. The track is suddenly being bike friendly again, including hosting the Bol d’Or in September, the 24-hour race: those riders must be really mad...
Blue skies, low wind and air temperature 18°C.
New white leathers, new boots, new crash hat and a couple of fine days to practice skills on the Col de l’Espigoulier (723 m. altitude), It’s less than half an hour from Marseille and as tortuous as its name suggests.
South side was pretty much dry and the surface is in good condition, apart from burnt rubber tracks from cars. Clear blue sky means Mistral wind here but not a problem on the south side of the mountain. So ran the route a couple of times to practice yesterday and also today and found various other motorbikers to have chats with, this being Friday afternoon.
Back in Marseille after quite the best day’s motorbike riding I’ve had for eighteen months. Nice to enjoy the ride rather than be doing it as rehab. Clear roads, warm hazy sunshine, not a lot of wind and no rain. 195 km for the day and less than half a tank of petrol so it was a moderate day’s riding.
I started very cautiously, my previous rides this year have been very much rehab and try-outs, not entertainment or play. That said, I was in good condition at my first pause, just outside the Marseille urban area. It was reassuring that nothing physical was complaining. I ventured off the big roads for some “real” riding though initially I was riding very much in the car driving style. Apexes started to present themselves and I found them and did the necessary. Then some “point and shoot” when some long straights presented themselves.
We left Rasteau and the vineyards of the Villages des Côtes du Rhône beneath Mont Ventoux and the Denterelles de Montmirail after an early breakfast and crossed the Rhône on the medieval ecclesiastical bridge at Pont St Esprit. Next the famous road along the belvederes and corniches of the Ardèche gorge and a stop for coffee and croissants at Vallon Pont d'Arc.
Eastbourne this last weekend was as pleasant as always, in many ways it's the ideal south coast seaside resort, favourable climate and bucket and spade-fulls of Edwardian nostalgia and architecture.
The night out with the GBMCC bike club boyz was fun but the change to summer time made it a short sleep. I went for a hike up Beachy Head (162m altitude) to enjoy the views back over Eastbourne and to Boulogne in France far away in the murky haze over the Channel.
Since then, the pier was damaged by a fire but it looks as though it may be rebuilt.
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.
