Has it Been a Good Biking Year for You?

[Asian Boss]

Pretty good. I bought a bike I actually like and will keep for a bit. The second one was probably a mistake but they do look good parked next to each other, it's something to do with the way the handlebars sit at the same angle.

I might get another one this weekend too. For the bairns, like, for the bairns. A proper kids' bike. I only brae 'em cos I love'em.

[2xtwins]

Yep, definitely.

Not done loads of miles compared to some but a lot more than others. Pretty much all of the miles have been done on my own - I very rarely go out on group rides - and all have been done for fun.

I bought one more bike this year, which I need to sell, and have put miles under the wheels of all bar my old Mille which is languishing under a cover in the corner of the garage, insured but SORNed.

I've done wheelie school, trackdays, some meet ups with RTTL peeps, a Bikesafe day with Surrey Police and even got my arse in gear and found a locksmith to enable me to get the Tuono back on the road.

So yeah, well happy.

[Slenver]

I think I've done about 100 miles this year, and about 70 of those were to the MOT and back and then tyre place and back.

Without anywhere to commute to, and weekends full of other things, I just don't seem to have a purpose for biking. Wondering whether I should just sell the bike and not bother really, it's clearly less important to me in reality than I think it is. Which makes me very sad.

That's about where I'd got to with the 10R. I was saddened to think I'd lost my love of biking,yet couldn't bring myself to the place where I had no bike at all. Two things happened.

Covid and authorities advising folk not to travel. All of a sudden,when it was taken away,riding the bike became important.

Then randomly,I decided to trade the bike for a new one and that really lit a fire.

If the spark is still there Slenverz,you just need to know how to blow on it.

Matron.

Well, yesterday was sunny and I'd bought some new bike jeans in a sale so wanted to try them out, so I went out for half an hour for no real reason, which was nice.

I just need more hours in the week really, that's the main problem. I got a pilot's licence in 2018 and that's been just as bad with lockdown and other things. Flew so little over the last 18 months that it's effectively expired now and I'd need to take a new test.

[Bustaspoke]

I've done less than 2000 miles this year & so far I've done 1600 miles on the pushbike.
I'll do more than 2K cycling before the year's out & a few hundred more on the Triumph,so once again I'll probably end up doing more miles on the pushbike.
I was planning on doing the NC500 in May along with a couple of mates,but due to the lockdown restrictions & reports of Campervan traffic jam hell we decided to postpone it until next Spring.

Gridlock on the morning commute

Another spanner in the works with the motorcycling was frosty mornings all through April & into May.I start work at 06.00 & last year I got into commuting again.It's a 15 mile trip each way & when the weather's nice it's a hoot first thing in the morning,boring going home in the evening rush hour, but this Spring the low temps took the fun out of it.

One massive bonus this year was being allowed to attend BSB again,been to Oulton Park for the pre season test,the first Oulton Park round & again for a couple of days next weekend.
I'm looking forward to next year as I take early retirement in March & have a lot planned,the big one being a trip to the Norkapp postponed from this year.

[Bigjawa]

Been a quiet year, did a load of commuting on the Pan to the extent I gave my car to the missus so she could stop having to pay £200 odd a month for her motor, then the Pan springs an oil leak and fork seal so that'll have to wait till over the winter. K1200 Arseport has for once been boringly reliable, haven't done the miles I need to justify keeping it but every time I've actually had it out it's been so bloody competent I lose the desire to sell it, it's a licence loser though, every time you give it the beans you're nearly instantly up to licence losing speeds. The wee CBF is off the road because of head bearings and general corrosion so it can go on the list along with the GPz550 which is still lying in my sons yard.

Speaking of which, his 1200 Sportster seems to be disintegrating at a frightening rate, latest malady is front wheel bearings collapsing at 16000 miles. Without doubt it is the worst built POS I have ever seen in my life, he wants to keep the bloody thing though so I'm stuck with it for the meantime.

In an attempt to raise some cash, I bought my friend's wee lads YZF-R125 thing for a song, hoping to make a quick turn it had a horrendously loud pipe on it so I put a new stainless system that is nearly as horrendoulsy loud, replaced the speedo sensor and got it an MOT, problem is, it's such a fun wee thing to ride, I don't really want to sell it.

Gave up driving buses so I now have every weekend off so hopefully next year I can get out loads more.

[Dickyboy]

Hadn't changed bikes for the past 15yrs and to be honest not done much riding in the past 8yrs, so it's been a good year for me, with still more to come. Booked to ride my dad's old brough at Kop Hill on Sunday and off to France on the GS at the end of Oct, although I've not done many miles they've all been with smiles even if there is a pang of regret for selling the Centauro..