Sunday 30th of March 2025

A lot has happened since the previous post:

looking west across Neston marshes, with Wales concealed by fog on the horizon

fluffy seeds caught on fence wire

Damp, cold, and dull; it felt interminable, and made me quite disinclined to go out on my motorbike. Still, around the middle of January I decided I’d had enough of waiting for my local motorbike training place to call back about a Direct Access course, so I phoned Camrider in Norwich. To my delight they we able to book me in right away, with my first training session on a Bike Bike only a few days away!

Big bikes

February was, therefore, all about learning how to ride a bike with actual power: they offered the choice of a Kawasaki Z650 or a Honda CB650R. I tried both, but ended up mostly preferring the former, just because it felt easier to handle at low speed. People had been saying it to me beforehand, but it really did surprise me how much more stable these bigger bikes feel compared to my little Yamaha 125 – the extra 80kg makes it feel like riding a tank: no more wobbles, no more getting blown around as much by the wind, just a reassuring feeling of solidity.

In case you’re unaware, the UK motorbike licence test is done in two parts: Module 1, which is all about low-speed manouevres, done in what’s basically a large carpark, and Module 2, which is a test of real on-road riding, and is really just the examiner following you around on the roads and occasionally giving you instructions and directions. I was not at all concerned about the latter part, as I’d been riding around on my little 125 for a few months by this point, plus I have over 20 years of car driving experience, so I’m comfortable and confident on the roads. It was the Module 1 that worried me, as I’d only really had a few days of practice doing slow manouevres on an unfamiliar bike, but my instructors were great, and a quick practice on the morning of the test mostly eliminated my fears.

And, to me enormous relief, I passed! I am now in posession of a full, unrestricted motorcycle licence, wahoo! This, of course, meant I had to get a bike, and despite what I said in an earlier article, I did not, in fact, end up getting the ‘sensible’ (but very cool) Royal Enfield Super Meteor.

A Triumph!

my new bike: a 2022 Triumph Tiger Sport 660

This was initially a choice made from practicality: I found the bike for a very good price, with the huge top box included, and after having a quick sit on it in the dealership, I was convinced.

The thing is though. The thing is. This bike, it has 80hp, which might not sound like a lot if you’re familiar with power numbers in cars, but remember this bike only weight about 200kg. I’d already got somewhat used to powerful bikes doing my A licence training, so the idea of going back to a heavy, relatively low-powered bike now seemed less appealing. It turns out, quick acceleration on a bike is quite addictive, and the Triumph will do 0 – 60mph in under 4 seconds. And it’s only a 660cc engine, basically a middleweight.

Still, it’s plenty for me, at least for now. I can overtake with ease, it sits comfortably at motorway speeds, and I’ll soon be ordering the Triumph side panniers, that clip into the bike with no extra frame or mounting rails necessary, which will give me all the luggage options I need for the kinds of trips I have in mind.

That Royal Enfield though…

It really is lovely to look at though, isn’t it? And while my Triumph, with its 3-cyclinder purr, has its sonic charms, the burble of the 270º parallel twin in the Enfield is something else altogether. Moreover, the cruiser style naturally lends itself to a more relaxed style of riding, so bombing down A and B roads at 80mph within the legal speed limit, officer, and overtaking at every opportunity, is not always what I want to do. Or so I imagine – at the moment, that power and torque is still remarkably addictive.

Maybe in a year’s time, when buying another bike will be more financially feasible, the novelty will have worn off, and I’ll be happy to chill out a bit. Or maybe I’ll still crave it, but want a more classically-styled bike, and so something like a Triumph Speed Twin 1200, or Moto Guzzi V7, will be on the cards. We shall see!