London Bike show 2020

London Motorcycle Show 2020

I have just read a recent tweet that Hackney council are wanting to charge motorcycles for parking.

Where do people get these ideas from? There is a consultation period about to start so I suggest that every motorcyclist gives them a piece of their minds to stop this. If Hackney does so will all the other Boroughs and that will be very bad news for everyone. There are few designated motorcycle parking bays so it would be a good protest to ride around slowing up everything on a Saturday trying to find one with the group stopping to ask every traffic warden where you can park. Now someone has rattled my cage to write something 

Birds of Prey...... Harlequin

I had a great time at the London Motorcycle show on Valentines Day. What better way than to spend it with your loved one? Gita was there too taking more pics than ever while I tried on new models for size. I had some success with the Honda MXT the 125 mini bike-Monkey bike with two seats. 

I thought “great for the back of the van” to go on holiday with. First I need to finish “Le Petite Van Gris” I found the Kawasaki Versys Grand Tourer much to my liking and more room to get your leg between the tank and the top box. Much better that the previous models where my foot got jammed between. I thought the 650 was a good deal. 

I had some real challenges with BMW and the big GS’s. I have a Buell XB12XT and it is small compared the these Giants. Needless to say I had to launch myself at the seat to just get aboard. 

Once seated I was asked if I would like to enter a draw to have a weekend on the rough stuff by a sweet young lady as I dangled my legs inches off the ground. I asked “What do YOU think?” She went away and I didn’t enter the draw. I sat on the 800 twin and found the foot rests in the way when I put my feet on the ground. Right in the middle of my calf muscle. If I had to get my feet down quick it was going to hurt. Shame really as it did seem to be a nice bike. Not far away was Royal Enfield and I sat on a new Himalayan and it felt like the old one. I sat on the Factory Replica Trials bike and that was as I remember it from early last year. Very sweet. I sat on the Interceptor and looked at the off road version. I like the power, but not the weight. Gita liked them all. Crazy lady.

Walking around I had a sit on most models. Having sat on a Monkey bike I thought the 750 twin might be a something for the future but I thought the modest power output was too modest and much less than my ER6F but the fuel economy was really good. The drawback with it was the positioning of the foot rests. Just like the BMW they stuck into my calf muscle when my feet were on the ground and as with the BMW the seat contour would not let me adjust my position to get around that. I did buy some new bike gear, a new helmet by HJC and Jacket and pants by Oxford that were the new laminated fabric that stopped the material becoming a sponge and dries out real quick, so I have been told. I have yet to try it out. For some reason, this year I and finding the weather making me cold and it is stopping me getting out on a bike. I would just like some sun and warmth in the air. There was some “hot stuff” at the show with the some BSB and TT stars racing 125s. It was great entertainment.

We were supposed to go to Hackney on the way home to meet up with my daughter but that went by the wayside ans there was a signalling fault on the DLR that had us shunting between Canning Town and Poplar until we got off at Canning Town and got on the Jubilee line to come home. Too much to ask getting a bus with bike gear in bags and not knowing where and how to go. Nothing worse that trying to get through crowds when you are double your size. I visited the Motor Action Group stand during the day and found they were short of people for the weekend. I offered to come for tomorrow, Saturday, to help out. I duly arrived Saturday morning and the signalling problem had been fixed. I talked to allot of people about MAG, sold some raffle tickets for the biggest hip flask ever 1.7L about 4 pints. Fill once and go around the world!

I was due to get away early but I met up with some of my traveller acquaintances. Zoe Cano, I know well, Mark Holmes who had visited the London Motorcycle Museum before setting off on his “Around the World Love Story’ on a Rocket 3. I now have his book “Rebirth”. 

Some crazy guys who went around Morocco on Honda Cubs!

Also there was Sam Manicom and Elsepeth Beard the first modern around the world on a bike lady. Not only was she the first, but also ignored by the media at the time and she did it All on her own. No support, No sponsorship only her strength of character that got her through. Hats off to her. It took her years before her book of that adventure was published and I bought that one when she gave a presentation to the Wey Valley Bike Club in 2017. Doesn’t time fly.