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

Golfe de Porto, Corsica
Golfe de Porto

Embarking at Marseille
Embarking at Marseille

Corsica in November, my escape from storms on the continent and taking advantage of Black Friday pricing. Seeing snow on the Corsican mountains at dawn was the first of many memorable sights. The road from Ajaccio to the red rock Calanches goes over two good cols, both reasonable surfaces for a bit of sportsbike fun, though a bit of sand washout. Cool but not cold first thing, and by midday I was opening the vents on my jacket and boots

More photos: Calanches de Piana - Corsica in November

Pas d’Ouillier

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.

Pas d’Ouillier
Boarding in cold rain/sleet at London Heathrow Airport

Wasdale, Lake District National Park
Great Gable (899 m.), Scafell peaks (977 m.) and Wast Water

Wasdale, Lake District National Park
Wasdale

Wasdale, Lake District National Park
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.

Derwent Water, Cumbria

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.

KTM 390 Adventure

KTM 390 Adventure

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

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En route from Marseille to the Alps

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.