I have just enjoyed another good and varied weekend of biking. First up was a little local jaunt on my Kawasaki 550 to a couple of bike shops to pick up some parts, have a natter with the staff and book myself some test rides! Both the XSR900 and the MT10 from Yamaha on the cards. Meanwhile as a bit of counterpoint to all that sporty stuff, the mighty Indian Chief will be checked out over the next few weeks – cant wait!
XSR900 test ride awaits!
As does the Transformer like MT10 in a few weeks time
I also dropped in on Mid-West Moto to book a go on an Indian
This is actually a brand new 16 plate bike…an Enfield Continental GT
The 550 is a friendly little bike and a joy to punt around the back roads around where I live. Seriously, if I could buy a new ZR550 I probably would.
Things got a bit more serious on Sunday when my friends Matt, Andy, Toggs and Dunc joined me for a 70 mile run over some great Worcestershire and Shropshire roads. Bright sunshine, blue skies and temperatures in the twenties. Hard to believe it was a bank holiday in the UK! Where is the wind and the rain we all come to expect!? I took the MV out for this run, and having lowered the ride height a touch and put in Sport mode on the engine mapping, I hugely enjoyed my ride today
Ready for the off, with the mighty Adventure for company
We met up and the cafe just outside Bridgnorth and despite countless visits there over the years it still manages to throw up some interesting bikes to have a gander at.
But it wasn’t long before we were drinking tea…
This time the star was a curious trike come sports car not dissimilar to a Grinnall Scorpion. This one is called a T Rex and is pushed along by a Hayabusa motor. Looked well made but for me the styling didn’t have much coherence. Each to their own I suppose!
Got to love a RD250
The cafe at Bridgnorth provided its normal impromptu ‘bike show’ with a good variety of ‘exhibits’!
We rode a loop running from Bridgnorth along some cracking roads to Craven Arms. There was a fair bit of traffic so the pace was a bit up and down, but you could just roll back on the throttle and drink in the shear beauty of the lush hillside views that surrounded us. We had a ‘rest’ in Craven arms, and had another cuppa – we’re only managing about 30mpt (miles per tea) on this run!
The popular GS1200 as piloted by Thumper and Ses
Time for another cuppa after 30 tough miles….
We are apparently the friendliest forum on the web….
Some good bikes at Craven Arms too!
Another swift blast followed up to Clee Hill to enjoy one of the best vistas in the UK. The mist did get in the way a bit though!
Great views up at Clee Hill as usual
I left the rest of them to it from here, but cheers lads for a cracking mornings riding, tea drinking and chatting. Good times!
Words and Pictures: Tony Donnelly