Autumn is upon us.. Did you make the most of the good weather this year ?

[Nordboy]

I’ve managed to get some miles in on the bikes in work, couple of courses run so a few thousand miles under my belt.

My Fazer thou, not sure it’s actually been out this year. Not sure what to do with it? Really, it needs a new battery and the suspension sorting out, but with COVID and my wife contracting taking a big hit I just can’t justify spending the money on it. So, st the moment it’s tucked away at the back of the garage feeling a bit sorry for itself.

I have started toying with getting rid of it, not that it’s worth much, and going bikeless for a bit. But I also know that could mean I don’t have a bike for the foreseeable future!!

[Taipan]

Strange one for me really. Last year I'd decided to sell the F8R but didnt as teh offers were a tad lower than I'd like. So I decided I'd hold out for better prices in the summer of this year and get to ride it a few more times as I really like the bike. However, i didn't really ride or sell it lol! So i'm going to repeat the plan again this year!

[Skub]

Strange one for me really. Last year I'd decided to sell the F8R but didnt as teh offers were a tad lower than I'd like. So I decided I'd hold out for better prices in the summer of this year and get to ride it a few more times as I really like the bike. However, i didn't really ride or sell it lol! So i'm going to repeat the plan again this year!

If you keep that going for another 10 years,the bike may be collectable and you can ask a higher price you'll not get.

[Kneerly Down]

No, not really.

[asmethurst99]

Did about 2.5 k on a combination of the Bandit (now sold) the CBR and the NC over the year .
Did my short 15 minute commute through lockdown but we didn't have our three musketeers tour in September that we've been doing since 2016 .
I'm waiting for a non rainy Saturday for a decent run on the CBR -

[Scotsrich]

Did about 3k this year which is more than I have for years.

Helped by retiring and buying a new to me bike.

The o/h and I have been going out for the day at least once a week which has been fun.

Not many runs with my mates unfortunately which I miss as its difficult to get us all together at the same time.

[Trogladyte]

I did my best to get out a bit, but as I was shielding, I was confined to quarters March-August. But I then got some lovely day trips in, on the Superduke. Its a real grin factor machine. The highlight was a day trip to Avebury, sticking to A and B roads all the way there, and more motorways on the return journey. But other highlights included a drive round the cliffs near Beachy Head, and a trip to Cissbury Ring. I've also been trying too do a few miles on the old Griso, as bikes tend to deteriorate if not used regularly, so that has taken me on a few rides round the Surrey Hills as well as some urban jaunts into London. Still working from home though, so that's 600 miles a month that I'm not doing.

[Beancounter]

This has probably been my most active biking year in the last decade.

Starting off, whilst not directly related to good weather or riding, we moved to a house with a garage (a first for me) meaning I could tinker about with the bikes in relative comfort. The garage is also 'my' space and because it's part of the house I get to spend as much time in there without my girlfriend feeling I've abandoned her.

Covid meant my commute, something I looked forward to, dropped from 16k a year to somewhere between 2k-3k. However savings on petrol and bike consumables meant I was able to buy a workshop lift for the bikes and other nice-to-haves like new suspension and good tools.

Was able to buy an MT-09 as a weekend toy, all my previous bike purchases have been with commuting and/or pillion in mind.

No annual trip to Scotland unfortunately but as that's normally my only bike holiday it's not a big hit.

Bought an electric mountain bike and have been getting back into trail riding after a few years off.

The biggest change was that my girlfriend did her CBT back in July and bought herself a Suzuki GSX-S 125. We go out about three times a week, 'comm-ed up' just riding around the local area mostly as she practices. Done a few longer rides (over 50 miles round trip) when weather and time allows but because I'm not piling on commute miles I look forward to these 'simpler' rides. It's a really good feeling listening to her when she gets something right, something that experienced riders take for granted - her first filter, getting a hill start right, feet up in slow moving traffic. She had a baptism of fire with crashing on day 1 but got straight back on the bike there and then and has improved massively. I'm incredibly proud of her.

So, as it stands today, from a full biking perspective this has been my most enjoyable biking year possibly ever.

[Scootabout]

Plans for 2020 that didn't happen included the Welsh National rally in May, social day rides and a trip to SW France with the group I went to the Dolomites with last year. On the other hand once the ban was lifted I got out for half day or day rides by myself, some of them looking for Round Britain Rally landmarks (ooh, another memorial ) and some just bimbling. I also did a modest 'chrome' award in the National Road Rally with my son, he on the NC I'd just sold him and me on the new (to me) Tracer 700 I'd 'had' to buy after being deprived of the NC by the sale to him. All in all, less of a riding summer than usual, but in a way a more valuable one, as the riding has been more necessary even than usual to keep me sane.