So how was your 2021 biking year all in ?

[Demannu]

Ok, year started with this being fitted to the mighty xsr

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Returning to la belle France, discovered an advanced riding group had been set up, so tagged along and ended up with a couple of nice stickers on the bike!.
Easter time saw an uncharacteristic rush of blood to the head and an altruistic offer to a fellow board member.
So this arrived

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It doesn't look too bad, or so I thought.
I won't bore you here as there's an entire thread devoted to it.
This is what I did it for

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Fitted a cup holder to the bike later on in the year, and apart from doubling the miles on the bike, not done much at all (spent most of my time in the garage)

[The Spin Doctor]

If you'd had decent training you could have avoided that situation

??

If you're referring to the logging truck, I had actually pulled off the tarmac by the time it reached me - it was clear the driver wasn't going to slow down at all.

[Scotsrich]

Up n down for me.

I got rid of the Sprint GT as it was just too heavy and unwieldy especially 2 up.

Got the GS 1200 that lasted 6 weeks and have been bikeless since. Probably for the first time in about 25 years.

On the bright side I’m looking forward to March.

[Bigyin]

Fairly bland year for me as i was seriously looking forward to the Portimao trip which ended up being cancelled due to covid and flights being chopped by the airline.

Made the annual trip to Pembrey and that was my highlight seeing everyone, enjoying the banter and really enjoying the track time on the Multistrada. Was hoping for a couple of weekends away on the Multi but got canned due to restrictions and other reasons

I ride most days though mainly for work at mostly under 30mph with kids on 125's and 50's so not exactly exciting but challenging to keep the little sods from throwing themselves under buses etc. All going to plan now the DVSA have reopened the Instructor assessment centres i can get on and get my DAS Instructor license soon so at least i can train on bigger bikes to full license next year

[Scootabout]

About 5k miles covered on the Tracer, which is not a lot less than my usual 7k or so, considering the pandemic. But then again biking was one of the few semi-lockdown friendly activities, as a well as therapy to deal with the stress of it all. Rally-wise I clocked about 25 landmarks in the Round Britain Rally and did one day of the (English) National Rally. Sadly the Welsh rally was cancelled. I treated the Tracer to a Nitron shock, and now feel I've got a near-perfect bike for the riding I do. Roll on 2022, hopefully not too marred by Omicron.

[Skub]

We've done a few rides together since and I've done the odd ride on my own when I felt like it, but I've had different toys to play with this year and the 911 and our yacht got used more than the bikes. I've spent the largest portion of my spare time down here...

You have a lot of boats,dude.

[Bustaspoke]

For me,2021 has been a quiet year on the bike.The two stand out moments were the return of spectating at BSB meetings,I really enjoy the Oulton Park rounds.it was good to be back there.The other standout was a midweek ride to Rivi Barn with a couple of mates,we've been mates since our teenage years & met through motorcycles yet this was the first time in years that we had gone for a ride together.We also went to a midweek bike night at Eccleston Delph a few months later,we'll be doing more rides in 2022.
Covid restrictions spannered a few plans,we postponed our trip to Scotland with above mentioned mates,we're now doing that Crieff clover leaf tour in May.The Classic TT was once again postponed,I've rescheduled the ferry ticket & camping for 2022.I had planned on taking early retirement & doing a trip to the Nordkapp,I'm now finishing work in February & hopefully going to Norway late June.I can start on my old Yamaha projects when I retire,that's a 1985 FZ 750 & a 1986 XT600.
Just got to see what travel restrictions are in place for 2022
Here's the XT600 in the great outdoors,it's currently in bits under a cover in the garage..

And here's the FZ750

[Taipan]

Dunno what I started the year with, but ended up with a Tmax and a NC700X. I think I'm keeping the NC700X and getting rid of the Tmax now, as I seem to be back in love with the NCX and my knee seems to have stabilised in its deterioration which enables me to keep riding the bike? I suspect both will eventually go and another SH300 will reside as the sole bike at Chez Taipans...

As for what m year was like for biking, well just commuting on them really, so no exciting stories or memories.

[gremlin]

Good, over all. The highlight was the trip to Italy, as ever. I kinda feel at home there. Don't tell the Italian tax man that, though.

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'Nuff said.

(I did miss my best biking buddy on that trip, but the Gremlinette has promised to come next time)

[kendo57]

Not good for me, started the year not feeling well and got gradually worse. Dropped down to 9 1/2 stone so decided to sell the 1000XR.
After some intensive treatment i am back up to 11 1/2 stone and looking at new bikes for next year.

[weeksy]

Not good for me, started the year not feeling well and got gradually worse. Dropped down to 9 1/2 stone so decided to sell the 1000XR.
After some intensive treatment i am back up to 11 1/2 stone and looking at new bikes for next year.

Good luck... hope whatever you have is under control now.

[Whysub]

Moved out to Spain upon retirement so all my riding is for leisure now (was doing 20,000 miles a year commuting)..

Managed to acquire 3 more bikes since moving, so four in total, all with a distinct role.

Explored so much of the local area (lockdown did not allow me to ride outside of the province) and discovrred beautiful towns and villages plus I gained a love for tapas.

Rode up to see my mates in Czechia, 5000 kms in a week, and found the cheap Deauville 650 I bought is brilliant for long distance motorway riding (pressed for time on my return journey).

Had some mates over a few weeks ago, and insurance here allows anyone with a licence to ride my bikes, so we went out for a couple of days on them, before going to Valencia MotoGP to see Rossi's last ever MotoGP ride. And the noise and party atmosphere in Cheste on the Saturday night.

Lots of plans for next year, including doing all the Spanish MotoGP rounds, plus a few others, and riding up to Czechia and Slovakia in May without using motorways this time.

[Rockburner]

Pretty poor tbh....

Yes I got out on the bike a few times, and even got around to upgrading the suspension to Nitrons, but have only done about 50 miles on them so far.
Didn't get to do FLASH, (postponed from 2019 iirc), and the bike spent the entire year in a garage 45 minutes away so idle tinkering wasn't on the cards either.

Biggest loss was this guy:


I can't really think of anyone who I've spent more time with riding, working on or chatting about bikes. My dad was the man who paid for my first bike, paid my insurance before I could afford it so that I could ride on the road, and took me up to the Island for the first few times. He was always interested in what I was riding and where I was going (you could guarantee he'd been there and remembered some of the roads). Yes we occasionally disagreed on the best way to fix something, but we always sorted it out in the end.

We also had to say goodbye to a few of his old bikes and this brute was obviously sulking at Kop Hill because it never didn't run before, but it sold for a good price to a very friendly buyer, so that was good at least.



I'm definitely looking forward to next year, 2021 can do one as far as I'm concerned.

[Mr. Dazzle]

With any luck I'll actually get to ride the Bonneville in 2022. It hasnt turned a wheel since summer 2020.

[Flux]

Managed a dozen or so track days but no racing, will do the odd race next year.
Very little on the road bike, but did have a fantastic few days out in Scotland on it, especially the isle of Skye, fast smooth flowy roads round the outside of the island and bumpy little goat tracks through the middle, both great fun and fantastic scenery.