Merry Christmas to Everyone
With Christmas Day knocking on our doors (or chimney's) and the New Year not so far away, I thought I'd start a thread about the year we're just about to leave behind. 2014 has perhaps been a good year for some, and a bad or sad years for others unfortunately.
So, for our biking fraternity, give us a brief biking related resume of your year. It may be of a bike you've bought and always wanted, a tool you've only just realised you can't do without, an insurance claim, the memory of a biking friend who has moved onto God's race track, or perhaps the fact that you've not done enough or even too much riding this year... anything... but it MUST BE MOTORCYCLE RELATED.
Have a great Christmas and Safe New Year folks
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Here's mine...
Just over a year ago, I semi-retired my long suffering RD04. It had spent too long hauling work related stuff in and out of London, getting crunched in bike bays, and was looking a little worse for wear. I replaced it with a BMW RT1200 which was an ex-Police bike and I was soon to find out had had a hard life and was a bit of a lemon. The RT was replaced with the easiest option, in the form of a BMW 800GSA Travel edition, which has just clicked over 10,000 happy, efficient, comfortable miles. The bike is brilliant, does everything I expect of it, and has all the road presence of the Africa Twin, but somehow lacks it's charisma and charm. Maybe I just miss an my old clunker and the occasional fettling it required to keep it going, I just don't know.
I've really missed out on any long road trips this year. A few dashes around the UK and northern France, but I'm yearning the big open road.
This year marks my half-century, and I'd always had loose plans for a big trip in 2015. It was a toss up between Asia and the US, and I'm really hoping that if everything falls into place I will be visiting the latter for a few months and many miles some time in 2015. As usual, I was hooked to the thread of Dr Austin Livingstone and I do hope my US trip goes as swimmingly as his, although as I don't plan anything, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.
2014 saw us saying goodbye to a man I hardly knew, but somehow classed as a friend. Rob Fradley will be sadly missed by many I know.
The 2nd quarter of 2015 will be exciting for some of us, as there are rumours that Honda will be releasing the Africa Twin's successor. Will it be marketed and deserve the AT badge or will the True Adventure moniker remain on it's flanks? I'm waiting and saving!!!
I've realised over the last year that 99% of my bike riding is commuting to and from work, which is really sad. I hope I will spend a lot more time next year riding my sports bikes and scooters, more time in the garage, more time on rideouts and hooking up with you lot.
Dream Bikes = Ducati Desmosedici, Ducati Supermono, Gilera CX125, XL600LMF
Dream Rides = US, NZ
Biking Hero = John Surtees, Steve McQueen, Kenny Roberts, Randy Mamola, Rossi
Best bike/product this year = Putoline chain lube, brake hose clamps (for those monthly caliper rebuilds!) Garmin satnav
Must Get = Bigger tent, bigger garage, bigger pension, more maps
Have a great one
Bob
With Christmas Day knocking on our doors (or chimney's) and the New Year not so far away, I thought I'd start a thread about the year we're just about to leave behind. 2014 has perhaps been a good year for some, and a bad or sad years for others unfortunately.
So, for our biking fraternity, give us a brief biking related resume of your year. It may be of a bike you've bought and always wanted, a tool you've only just realised you can't do without, an insurance claim, the memory of a biking friend who has moved onto God's race track, or perhaps the fact that you've not done enough or even too much riding this year... anything... but it MUST BE MOTORCYCLE RELATED.
Have a great Christmas and Safe New Year folks
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's mine...
Just over a year ago, I semi-retired my long suffering RD04. It had spent too long hauling work related stuff in and out of London, getting crunched in bike bays, and was looking a little worse for wear. I replaced it with a BMW RT1200 which was an ex-Police bike and I was soon to find out had had a hard life and was a bit of a lemon. The RT was replaced with the easiest option, in the form of a BMW 800GSA Travel edition, which has just clicked over 10,000 happy, efficient, comfortable miles. The bike is brilliant, does everything I expect of it, and has all the road presence of the Africa Twin, but somehow lacks it's charisma and charm. Maybe I just miss an my old clunker and the occasional fettling it required to keep it going, I just don't know.
I've really missed out on any long road trips this year. A few dashes around the UK and northern France, but I'm yearning the big open road.
This year marks my half-century, and I'd always had loose plans for a big trip in 2015. It was a toss up between Asia and the US, and I'm really hoping that if everything falls into place I will be visiting the latter for a few months and many miles some time in 2015. As usual, I was hooked to the thread of Dr Austin Livingstone and I do hope my US trip goes as swimmingly as his, although as I don't plan anything, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.
2014 saw us saying goodbye to a man I hardly knew, but somehow classed as a friend. Rob Fradley will be sadly missed by many I know.
The 2nd quarter of 2015 will be exciting for some of us, as there are rumours that Honda will be releasing the Africa Twin's successor. Will it be marketed and deserve the AT badge or will the True Adventure moniker remain on it's flanks? I'm waiting and saving!!!
I've realised over the last year that 99% of my bike riding is commuting to and from work, which is really sad. I hope I will spend a lot more time next year riding my sports bikes and scooters, more time in the garage, more time on rideouts and hooking up with you lot.
Dream Bikes = Ducati Desmosedici, Ducati Supermono, Gilera CX125, XL600LMF
Dream Rides = US, NZ
Biking Hero = John Surtees, Steve McQueen, Kenny Roberts, Randy Mamola, Rossi
Best bike/product this year = Putoline chain lube, brake hose clamps (for those monthly caliper rebuilds!) Garmin satnav
Must Get = Bigger tent, bigger garage, bigger pension, more maps
Have a great one
Bob
