Hardknott Pass death defying road

[kendo57]

I watch a lot of YouTube these days and came across a couple of men riding Hardknott pass.
OMG drama queens, they banged on about how dangerous it was ,one nearly fell off ,the other had
a melt down.
So i read the comments expecting a proper roasting but no , 'well done guys' ' respect' 'good job there' ect.
I then watched a couple more Hardknott road trips, same again, people falling off , needing counselling, patting themselves
on the back.
I have ridden across many times both ways, fully laden with pillion at times and never considered it as anything
more than a scenic run. Now i have been riding many years , done a bit of motocross, track days , ect but only now
have I realised I must be a 'Riding God ' far superior than the average rider.
What do you think.

[Yorick]

I've done it loads of times. Funniest was when I took a pal on full dressed Wing with wife on back. He was cursing me

[weeksy]

They want to try a ride out with @Tricky and his Sat Nav. Then you find interesting stuff

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I've drove over it in a Puegot 405 SRI that had done 140,000 miles sometime in the mid 90s< I don't remember it being any great experience.

[Horse]

Is that where (mid-80s?) there was a set of three signs before the descent from the summit?
- Slow - steep hill
- Slow - low gear now
- You have been warned

[Buckaroo]

Yep, no big deal. My daughter has rode this a good few times on a Harley and a BMW. She's little and weighs naff all. She said it was surprisingly easy.

[Skub]

Henry Hyperbole Cole rode over it with not much drama,which says something.....

[wheelnut]

Done it a few times on my GSA with full camping gear and Mrs W on the back. Only gets tricky if you have to stop for oncoming and there's nowhere to put your feet due to short legs and ridiculous camber. You do have to bully your way though on occasion.

[Taipan]

If you can get (almost) get round it in a motorhome, it can't be that bad!

[Bustaspoke]

It's the internet,everything's hyped up & people get overdramatic,as someone has said you've just got to read the comments on YT video's
I've done a few lake district passes but I can't remember which,it was before social media so it doesn't count.
I'll have to nip back up there & post a video on YT in a attempt to attain social media god status

[mangocrazy]

Why on earth would anyone decide to take a motorhome up a pass like that? 'Just because I can/because it's there' does not qualify as a realistic answer.

[Rockburner]

Why on earth would anyone decide to take a motorhome up a pass like that? 'Just because I can/because it's there' does not qualify as a realistic answer.

sat-nav.

[Taipan]

Why on earth would anyone decide to take a motorhome up a pass like that? 'Just because I can/because it's there' does not qualify as a realistic answer.

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/th ... av.283054/

[kendo57]

Well all your comments have brought me back down to earth , I am just average after all.

[Count Steer]

Well all your comments have brought me back down to earth , I am just average after all.

Average on here is ninja level 'out there'.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I think Porlock Hill in Devon might be more difficult, but it's not super challenging either

[demographic]

Last time I went over Hardknott on my LWB van it was pretty frosty.
Had to keep a bit of momentum up so it wasn't slipping one driven wheel as it kind of lifts a wheel at the tightest part of the corner.
Was a bit of a faff and not my favourite road but I can't think it would be significantly difficult on a bike.

[Trinity765]

A friend of mine recently sent me a video asking if I'd done it - I'm guessing it was the same video and yes, those guys make a total meal of it.

I confirmed that I have and the best way to do it is as fast as you can and when it's quiet as the last thing you want is to be stuck behind something big and slow moving.

When I did it on my CB1000R, the older version on which I could barely reach the ground, I wore trainers in case I had to stop as they gave me a little more reach. I don't think that I would have fared well if I did have to stop, trainers or not.

I had to stop once on one of the steep gradients on a Street Triple and putting as much weight as I could on the back brake the bike was still sliding backwards. I was thinking "This isn't covered in the IAM book".

I've heard some funny stories - one was of a group ride where two female riders got to the top but then refused to come down crying "I can't do it". One of the other members of the group had to ride his bike down, walk up and ride one bike down and walk back up and ride the other bike down - hero.

Another friend crashed his R1 on it because he was showing off in front of "adventure" riders and using the passing places for overtakes

It's rumoured to be the hardest past in the UK and I think it probably is. The weather makes a huge difference.

[Rockburner]

I think Porlock Hill in Devon might be more difficult, but it's not super challenging either

I don't remember Porlock hill having a corner "that" tight (yes there's at least one hairpin, but it's relatively benign iirc).


I have fallen over on Porlock Hill in the past.... I stopped in the layby at the bottom and my foot slipped when I turned to look back down the road for the next rider in the group.

[Tricky]

They want to try a ride out with @Tricky and his Sat Nav. Then you find interesting stuff

A fun little trip that, and we had a nice variety of roads eh