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Wales

Posted by Brickboy <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=Brickboy' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 19, 2024, 6:27 pm

Land of rain and motorcycling heaven...

As I suspected, Wales was excellent over these last two days.

A very meandering, mostly B road ride up to Aberystwyth, via Dolgellau and Machynlleth and numerous minor routes. Quite a few cycling groups out on Sunday with cars queued behind them. No problem for me on the V Strom with just the topbox and my mate on his R1100RT with extra-wide panniers and top box in case he needed to buy a nice kitchen sink whilst we were there!

20mph limits made villages peaceful and allowed a good look at gardens as we trundled through. Not a problem at all on a modern, fi, bike but I'm not sure I'd like it on a Goldie.

Sunday does bring out the morons though. Easily spotted by their ridiculously loud pipes and Darwin-award-qualifying overtaking manoeuvres combined with complete disregard for speed limits. When I say complete disregard I don't mean 10 or 20mph over the limit on an overtake... I'm thinking 100mph+ in groups of four or five at a time overtaking on double whites and solid hatchings approaching junctions and causing other drivers to compensate for their idiocy by taking evasive action or ceding a right of way to allow them to live a little longer.

Today was a different world. Very few bikes, a lot of rain and much care needed on some of the minor road surfaces. On the other hand 'A' road progress swift and secure with not much traffic.

A lovely couple of days of riding: many cyclists: no problem; many cars: one loud, fast prat hundreds of others no problem: Sunday motorcyclists: a significant number were a bloody liability and I wish they were all arrested and their bikes crushed.

The V Strom is extraordinary: comfortable for the taller man, good weather protection and fast enough for swift overtaking although I did learn not to do whole rows of cars like I would on a litre+ bike. Smooth, with a flat torque curve and 70mpg on the way up. The return, on faster roads and with a bit more urgency to outrun the rain - much more wide open throttle and lower gear use and many sharp overtakes plus rapid acceleration away from stationary - returned a much reduced 68.5mpg! It's as ugly as sin and has plenty of fancy electronics but what a bike to ride: it floats over the road.

Re: Wales

Posted by Expat Stu <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=Expat+Stu' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 19, 2024, 6:48 pm, in reply to "Wales"

Photos hombre! words alone don't do it!

Re: Wales

Posted by Brickboy <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=Brickboy' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 19, 2024, 8:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Wales"

Sorry guys - we were enjoying ourselves so much we didn't stop for pictures. Try to imagine sinuous roads winding across gentle hills and numerous opportunities to overtake if you wish or sit back and enjoy a smooth ride. Throw in a £43 B&B at the seaside with a massive cooked breakfast and numerous pubs the night before with decent, cheapish pub food and you're there.

Re: Wales

Posted by ChazzyB <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=ChazzyB' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 19, 2024, 8:43 pm, in reply to "Re: Wales"

We need pictures or it never happened.

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Re: Wales

Posted by Andy C <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=Andy+C' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 19, 2024, 7:16 pm, in reply to "Wales"

Sounds like you had an excellent bimble.

Most weekends around are marred by the lunatics on loud bikes with a total disregard for life and law - you get quite a few of em around here.

They are mostly in a minority, but they give us all a bad name.

P.S. Did your mate end up buying a kitchen sink ?

Who needs a signature anyway......

Re: Wales

Posted by MadMike <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=MadMike' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 19, 2024, 7:36 pm, in reply to "Wales"

It will be interesting to see the inquests on the five motorcyclists killed near Buxton this weekend. Two accidents and five fatalities. One accident is reported to have involved a car resulting in two deaths. The other is reported as involving a car, a van and three Ducati's, all Ducati's ridden by men in their fifties.

A truly tragic and sad day for all the families involved, and sadly the media will emphasise the dangers of motorcycling.

Other opinions may be available but this one is always correct.

Re: Wales

Posted by Beezabryan <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=Beezabryan' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 19, 2024, 7:37 pm, in reply to "Re: Wales"

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/emergency-incident/derbyshire-police-appeal-for-dashcam-footage-after-two-bikers-die-in-a6-crash-4746994

BeezaBryan

He knows not where he's going, For the ocean will decide,
Its not the destination, It's the glory of the ride (Edward Monkton, Zen Dog)

Re: Wales

Posted by 6TDen <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=6TDen' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 20, 2024, 6:45 am, in reply to "Re: Wales"

One is tragic, five is beyond words. Thoughts must be with their poor families.
Den

Re: Wales

My mate and I discussed the dangers at length this weekend. After our encounter with the morons we wondered what the accident stats are like for careful riders such as ourselves. In 300 miles I made two cancellations of multi-vehicle overtakes that I should have decided not to pursue in the first place. I had plenty of time and space to cancel both before overtaking the final vehicle - without any drama involved. I also discovered a large iron manhole on my line on a wet corner - perhaps an even more gentle entry would have allowed a correction but I was slow enough that there was no loss of grip anyway. I do think about these things quite a lot - mainly to avoid future repetition. Every ride's a re-education to be safer next time whilst still enjoying a bike.

Re: Wales

Posted by geoff the bonnie <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=geoff+the+bonnie' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 19, 2024, 9:46 pm, in reply to "Re: Wales"

3 riders killed in 1 accident ? some sort of speeding must have been going on. One of the reasons i rarely ride weekends. Too many cars to hit.

Re: Wales

The reasons are not yet known and speculation is pointless at this stage. There was a van and a car involved I believe so it may not be bike speed related.

The second accident with two lives lost also nvolves another vehicle. Again speculation is pointless.

Not riding at weekends because of cars on the road? The drivers on week days are the same ones thar hit the roads at weekends. We do not have two separate driving populations.

Other opinions may be available but this one is always correct.

Re: Wales

Posted by Will <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=Will' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 20, 2024, 8:42 am, in reply to "Re: Wales"

Not riding at weekends because of cars on the road? The drivers on week days are the same ones thar hit the roads at weekends. We do not have two separate driving populations.

Thats absolutely true but things do change over the weekend.....

Drivers can have a different set of priorities, distractions & attitudes. Someone who drives hundreds of miles for work 5 days a week may drive completely differently when driving 'socially' over the weekend when there are different pressures (ie instead of rushing to meet a business deadline they are distracted because they have noisy kids in the car). They may also relax at the weekends, drive lazily, paying less attention to the traffic conditions around them, and become the dreaded dreadful "Sunday driver".

Personally I don't trust any of them any of the time and try my best to always be "on guard" when riding whatever day of the week it is!

Re: Wales

At the weekends, we have a lot more drivers around here going on holiday and shopping. I would estimate about 30 percent more vehicles around the coast areas. There are also a large amount of sports bike riders trying to win the TT coming at you as you round a bend. Of course, i have 5 quieter days to ride around a bit more safely and during those 5 days, thousands of the local people will be at work so a lot less cars on the road

Re: Wales

<<Personally I don't trust any of them any of the time and try my best to always be "on guard" when riding whatever day of the week it is!>>

Quite so: treat them as though they are out to kill you.

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Re: Wales

Posted by JERRY <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=JERRY' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 20, 2024, 9:57 am, in reply to "Re: Wales"

Spot on Mike. I always ride weekends and I think roads are quieter.

The oldest rocker in town!

Re: Wales

Posted by Nigel B <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=Nigel+B' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 20, 2024, 11:18 am, in reply to "Re: Wales"

I was detoured in Dove Holes heading for Buxton on Sunday morning due to the road closure for one of the accidents - guessed it must have been a bad one due to the closure. At the point the diversion returned us to the main road, the Police were just letting a group of a couple of dozen or more bikes out of the closed access area.

The road there is, at most, a 50 limit & not that many side roads or challenging bends. The Buxton-Leek road is also a 50 limit while within Derbyshire - it goes National Speed limit when you cross into Staffordshire.

Increasingly seems that many motorcyclists think that any limits, road markings etc. don't apply to them & rely on oncoming traffic to take avoiding action to miss them when they ovetake into blind bends on the wrong side of double white lines. The Dove Holes detour was along a narrow, twisty back road with dry stone walls close to the road on both sides. Traffic was heavy and slow moving, but that didn't stop several bikes pushing past when they could not see what was comming & with no where for them to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. Later on that day had another bike overtake in a 40 area on the wrong side of double whites over a level crossing !

There are some nice roads around there, but I tend to use it as a corridor out of my neck of the woods to get south, rather than as a destination in itself - particularly at weekends. Dawdling "Sunday driver" cars & aggressive bikes don't make for a relaxing ride.

Our ride was a back roads bimble to Ross on Wye for an overnight stop, then return the next day. Still running in on the Himalayan but up to 4000 rpm now, so comfortable cruising at 50 mph. Apart form a bit of drizzle in couple of places, stayed far enough East yesterday to avoid the rain that arrived an hour or so after we got home.

With nearly 1000 miles on now the Himalayan is feeling noticably freer. The riding position is more comfortable on my duff hip than the Classic 500, but seems a bit harder on my hands. The seat is the biggest comfort issue, though - too soft & compacts down after a couple of hours so I'm sat on the seat pan. You would have thought that in 2024 it would not be beyond the wit of a manufacturer to make a comfortable seat !

Nigel B.

Re: Wales

Posted by Will <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=Will' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 20, 2024, 1:59 pm, in reply to "Re: Wales"

You would have thought that in 2024 it would not be beyond the wit of a manufacturer to make a comfortable seat !

One man’s comfort is another man’s torture! There are differing schools of thought about bike seats = firm or soft?

My KTM has a very firm (OK, hard) standard seat. I also have the accessory “comfort seat” which is just as hard. The difference is like comparing softwood or hardwood= not particularly comfortable BUT they don’t feel any worse after several hours. My BMW has a much softer seat that is initially more comfortable but then does get worse. I’m just glad my bladder generally require a rest stop long before any bike seat does!

Re: Wales

Posted by Lannis <iframe src='https://members5.boardhost.com/classicbikemart/info/user=Lannis' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on August 20, 2024, 2:06 pm, in reply to "Re: Wales"

I wish they would sell new motorcycles without a seat, and let the customer put on his own.

Horses aren't sold with saddles already attached. Top line bicycles aren't sold with seats or pedals... The new owner puts ones on that suit him, not some tiny Italian test guy.

I've never used the stock seat on any modern bike I've ever bought in the last 25 years. I always change out the footrests, the bars, and the seat so that it will be comfortable to ME instead of compromising to some "universal" setup.

We range from 5 feet tall, 125 pounds and a 27" inseam to 7 feet tall, 300 pounds and a 38" inseam. We don't all wear the same size clothes; why would be expect to ride the same size motorcycle?

Lannis

I don't take health advice from people who think the world is overpopulated.

Re: Wales

I wish they would sell new motorcycles without a seat, and let the customer put on his own.

Horses aren't sold with saddles already attached

BeezaBryan

He knows not where he's going, For the ocean will decide,
Its not the destination, It's the glory of the ride (Edward Monkton, Zen Dog)

Re: Wales

We don't get emissions nor fuel consumption data about horses, either. How is a chap to make an informed choice, eh?

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Re: Wales

At the weekend in this holiday area with the biggest holiday caravan park in the UK plus all the people living inland who want to be on the beach. Traffic is markedly increased unlike Cities where traffic is busier in the week days with commuting. It is definitely high risk weekend riding in holiday resort areas.

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