Autumnal Rides – Colourful, but be careful!

Autumnal Rides

If there is one thing more beautiful than a gloriously sunny summer's day in England then it has to be a slightly chilly but still sunny autumnal day. Spectacular skies, splashed with vivid reds and blues form a backdrop to the explosion of colours as the foliage all around readies itself the coming winter. Trees and hedgerows are covered in russets, reds, yellows and oranges it's like a bomb  has gone off in a paint factory! Then the leaves drop from the trees as the wind blows them in mad, dancing patterns and huge colourful piles form like mad snow drifts in every nook and cranny. No wonder our American cousin's call it 'The Fall'. However, whilst it is beautiful to behold and an almost humbling thing to experience as you try to take in exactly what old Mother Nature can be capable of, from a biker's perspective it can also signal danger in the form of wet leaves. They are strewn by the wind across every road and form into a lovely, shiny mulch on more minor roads. So while both spectacular and pretty it's not the the ideal time to be riding your bike with only 2 contact patches the size of your fist as the only thing between you and getting intimate with the tarmac! While in some ways this can limit your fun in another I quite enjoy the challenge of riding my bike in such testing conditions…you have to be precise, deliberate in your actions, stroke the bike along gently taking care to keep your control inputs within tight limits. It is a 'technical' conscious way of riding that promotes smoothness that I think translates back into being a better rider when the weather and the conditions are more favorable.

I have enjoyed two such rides recently in the heavily wooded and forested countryside that surrounds where I live. As I alluded to earlier the views are stunning. On both occasions it is my elderly, simple old ZR550 that I have elected to  take out. No traction control, no ABS…you have to do the work for yourself, and the ride is all the more enjoyable for it. Having said all this, I still can't wait for next summer when we can all cut loose again!!