Motorbikes, not horses. It only takes a few hours of sunshine, or the reliable prospect of just that and they are out. Who? The pocket rocket power ranger riders on their “not for road use” kitted race replicas that you can hear wailing from a mile away as they max the throttle for a few seconds between every overtake as they try to “make progress” at warp speed in 40mph speed zones.
And they wonder why they get stopped… Roadside checked… Fined! They pose at watering holes and moan about speed cameras and heavy handed policing before remounting and wheeling off to their next stop which will only be 5 miles down the road because the cramped up riding position which is ideal for racing is crippling for road users. But it is great pose value! Yeah… right!
I’ve been working with a guy who can’t believe that I can commute from Derby to Telford, 64 miles each way, daily and enjoy it. But I do, and the weather doesn’t really affect that enjoyment. Why? Because my Deauville offers me a high level of protection from the elements, which is supplemented by my riding gear. It’s not fashionable but it is eminently practical -- all bought on a budget as funds allow, often items are birthday or Christmas presents (November is an excellent time to find bargains).
So what does my fellow biker ride that’s so uncomfortable that he’s never ridden more than 60 miles in a day and never more than 50 miles in one journey without a stop? A Honda V-Tec VFR, that’s what. The model bike that journalists in the motorcycling press hail as the best sports tourer bar none. His is 3 years old and has done 3,000 miles. I’ve done more miles than that on my 650 Deauville THIS YEAR! And I missed out on the DmD trip to Luxemburg, much to my dismay.
No comments:
Post a Comment