Twist & Go Magazine

It's been so long!

Well, there hasn't been an awful lot of excitement lately. My job has moved to Winchester, so every day I get to do a 45 mile round trip to work and back. On a good day that can mean 45 miles of filtering along the M27 and M3. Great.

The NC750X has now clocked up13,000 miles and she's looking good. So good that I wrote a review for Twist & Go magazine - The January issue should be in the shops now - look for us on page 60.

Other than that, BMW drivers continue to prove that stereotyping works. Of all the prat drivers I encounter those in BMWs still score highest. Audi and Mercedes are starting to climb the charts, but they still have some way to go.

The daily commute

Well, not every day. Some days I go to other destinations around Hampshire, but this day I managed some particularly fine filtering.

Traffic was pretty much solid from J9 to J5 on the M27, and slow again on the approach to J3. I left the motorway at J2 and took the Totton by-pass in to the office.

I've edited the 45 minute trip to around eight minutes for my latest video.

Nip over to YouTube and take a look.

A bit windy!

Ride out this morning with the rejuvenated RoSPA Hampshire RoADAR group; a 100 mile round trip to Goodwood for coffee.

We met at Wickham Square and the weather seemed to be getting brighter after a wet start, although it was pretty gusty. Andy led the group and Lillian was back marker. Six of us, three BMWs, Two Hondas and a Suzuki, headed towards Southwick but were soon being trailed through country lanes with a whole variety of surfaces, bends, gradients and gravel.

As we went across the South Downs the wind increased, and the rain returned in patchy showers. After slightly more than an hour we got to Goodwood for a break, coffee and a chat.

The weather was no better for the return trip which took us past Cowdrey Park through Midhurst, and on along the A272. Some of the wind on the exposed sections made the going difficult, keeping your line through the bends was certainly a challenge.

We finished at junction of the A272 and A32 at the famous Loomies cafe. Thanks for an interesting run chaps. More at the end of April - hopefully with good weather.

Now what happened in the MotoGP opening round in Qatar ... ?

Just chillin'

Well, I was this morning. I held off riding to work for as long as I could, but in the end I had to go. I got the bike out of the garage at 8.30 am and the thermometer was showing -2C. That's about 28F for those in the US.

Now, that's not extremely cold, but chilly enough to make some extremities quite painful when you include the 'wind chill factor'. According to the Environment Canada Windchill Chart, at 70mph (motorway speed in the UK) it will feel like -12C. That's cool.

Luckily I have Gerbing heated gloves, and Rukka jacket and over-trousers. With the winter linings and an extra fleece underneath, I was pretty comfortable on the ride to the office - about 15 miles today.

 

If you are going to ride all year round, make sure you get the best gear you can afford. You'll be warm, dry,and comfortable.