Riding in the rain

Let's face it, this is England. If you don't ride in the rain, your bike will hardly ever see the light of day. If you don't ride in the rain, you're missing half the fun.

Check out the wet weather fun on YouTube. (with music this time)

When I was a teenager (Lambretta Li 150 followed by a BSA Bantam) I only wore what was hanging in the wardrobe.  I spent most of my rides wet and cold and wishing I was back home. When I returned to biking I decided that I would get the right gear, and be as comfortable as I can.

Most important is protection - from contact with other things, mainly the road surface and any street furniture that is along your trajectory. So that means decent gloves, boots with ankle protection and CE grade armour for knees, elbows, shoulder, hips and back.

Keeping rain out, and warmth in, are next. I use a 3/4 length jacket with close fitting collar and cuffs, zip and Velcro fly fastening, air vents for the occasional warm day in summer, and removable quilted lining. Over-trousers to match. As a special treat I wear Gerbing heated gloves in the winter.

With all this gear, riding in sub-zero temperatures, or torrential rain, is not a problem.

To keep your head intact on impact, a good quality helmet, with a Pinlock anti mist system for the visor is pretty useful.

All this stuff could cost a fortune, but you don't have to buy the most expensive - £500 should get you covered.

Enjoy the video.

A Change is as good as ...

I've had the Suzuki GS500F for nearly two years, and covered loads of miles! Now the engine has loosened up she really flies. She still returns over 65 mpg, too. But is it time to think about trading her for something different, or should I keep her 'til she's knackered?

The other thing to consider is whether I should look for a motorcycle or scooter? The bike handles really well, but the Burgman I had before also handled well, only let down by the smaller diameter wheels. But the 'big scoots' have better weather protection and on-board storage. Whereas 'proper motorcycles' perform better. Bit of a quandary.

Honda Deauville

My thoughts so far ...
1 - I shall be commuting for the next few years, so if I splash out on a bike I will want it to be reliable, and not too expensive to run.
2 - I only commute. I don't ride for pleasure, although this may change later, but is not a big consideration now.
3 - I need at least 400cc - I have to travel on motorways a lot. I don't want to go bigger than about 650cc otherwise servicing costs become expensive.
4 - The GS500F has a sports fairing which offers minimal protection from the weather. The Burgman that I owned before, was better in inclement weather.
5 - The GS has no on-board storage, so I wear a rucksack. Big scoots have under-seat storage of varying sizes. I'm not fond of top-boxes as they have an adverse effect on handling.

Suzuki Burgman 400

What have I found ...
Motorcycle-wise, I like the Honda Deauville. The new model is 700cc, it has a good sized screen and has shaft drive. Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki have nothing comparable, BMW are too big, too expensive and Triumph have nothing that appeals. The next best thing would possibly be a Suzuki Vstrom, Kawasaki Versys, HondaTransalp  or Yamaha Tenere which are all 650cc, but a more 'adventure bike' stance.

Big scoots, well, Suzuki have Burgmans of 400cc and 650cc, Honda has the 600cc Silver Wing, Yamaha the 400cc Majesty and the 500cc TMax. Aprillia have their big 850cc, which although bigger, is cheaper than some others.

Yamaha TMax

There is also the Sym MaxSym. A 400cc scoot whose lines are similar to the small Burgman. Piaggio have the new X10 at 350cc. Pity they are not importing the X10, 500cc. Perhaps I should take a trip to Europe.

But there is no rush, any ideas or suggestions from you avid readers out there?

Spring in the air ... or is it?

After a few days of sunshine and dry roads, I got the feeling that spring had arrived.
The GS500F has been going well all winter. She was serviced at 11350 miles, 2000 miles ago, and has just gone in for her annual MOT test (for those outside the UK, this is a test of road-worthiness carried out by government certified inspectors). Other than a liberal covering of road grime and filth there is nothing wrong.
Being able to ride on dry roads is a real pleasure, excitement returns to the bends and the bike's full potential can be used.

The 500 cc air-cooled twin is still returning 65-70 mph (Imperial) depending on whether I do the slow, stop-start route to Gosport or Fareham, or the flowing motorway route to Winchester or Havant (or the occasional blast into the New Forest).

It must have been because I cleaned it, because the weather has recently taken a turn for the worse, lots of English rain. Next week I gotta go back to work after a week's holiday. Apart from having to do a full, five day stint, the first day is due to be a long trip to Frimley Park, in Surrey. Let's hope it's a dry day, otherwise, after 50 miles, I'll arrive pretty soggy. Then there will be the run home ...

 M3 between J4 and J4a - © Copyright Nigel Cox and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence