How old is too old?

There's a saying in biking circles which goes: "You don’t stop riding because you’re getting old - you get old when you stop riding." I agree with this wholeheartedly - with every fibre of my being.

I was reminded of that saying when I came across THIS story, on the excellent Visordown news page, about Britain's oldest biker. This is a guy that started riding during the reign of King George VI, and well before WWII broke out. Great Britain was still a major world power (that's how long ago we are talking about!), Everton's Tommy Lawton was the football league's top goalscorer and The Wizard of Oz had just become the first major Hollywood release in full colour.

Let's be fair here, 94 is a great age for anyone to achieve - achieving that age while still an active biker is, in my book, a terrific accomplishment. And he looks younger than I do now (and with more hair!) Personalising this story for a moment for the purpose of comparison, as a comparitively youthful 45 year old, I will have to live until 2060 and ride myself for another 54 years merely to equal what this sterling chap has done! Methinks that might be a challenge too far for our NHS....

I'll leave the last word to Reg: “I’m delighted to have been crowned Britain’s Oldest Biker. Riding gives me a sense of freedom; it allows me to get around more easily while enjoying the open road. Age has nothing to do with it for me; I’ll be on my bike for as long as I can."

Amen to that brother - Amen to that.....

Ducati Roadshow: Diavel v Streetfighter v Monster

Ducati UK are currently on a bit of nationwide tour of the main biker haunts and meeting places, to bring their new range of bikes to the masses. On Sunday, they pitched up at Box Hill and the idea of the day was to offer "taster" test rides - then it's up to the individual to follow up any interest at local dealers. So there was no hard sell, which was very refreshing. On offer was the new Diavel, the Streetfighter S, Monsters of various capacities, plus the new Multistrada, Hypermotard and the 848. The sun even paid us a visit so a fair-sized Sunday morning crowd turned out. The day felt good.

Now, I'm not normally a fan of Ducati bikes - they look great but the rattly engines and suspect build quality have always put me off. As with a lot of Italian machinery, I've always felt that for what they cost, there is better value out there. However, I've had a "bit of a thing" about the new Diavel for some time now. It's an awesome looking bike but until yesterday I had successfully fought the urge and resisted a test ride (mainly because I suspected I would love it and would then have to think about how I'd get spending clearance for a bike retailing at £15,495!). But since Ducati were coming to us (so to speak) I considered that it was time to see what all the hype was about. And as a bonus I got to try out the Streetfighter S and 1100 Monster too. So which bike won my mini test? Read on....

Diavel: I ended up having two goes on the Diavel, mainly because the first was ruined by traffic. Thankfully, I got to "explore" it a bit more on the second run. This is a bike that straddles the sportsbike and cruiser genres, incorporating the Testastretta engine from the 1198 SP race bike within a frame resembling your favourite armchair. Add the forward pegs and long wheelbase into the mix and really, you get the feeling that this sort of hybrid shouldn't work - but for the most part it does. The bike comes with loads of gizmos - traction control, keyless ignition, switchable engine mapping etc - and the 162bhp engine has been retuned to produce a huge amount of torque through the range. At one point I tried the bike in 6th gear doing about 15mph and it pulled cleanly through. The bike is also rock solid in corners, which I didn't expect at all and the acceleration is instant. Ohlins suspension, a very comfortable riding position and good visibility (mirrors that actually enable you to see behind!) all help make the Diavel a very impressive all-round package.

And yet....I found the bike a bit uninspiring. This may sound an odd complaint but in many ways the Diavel is too powerful and too comfortable. I like a bike to engage me and I like to feel that I'm working the bike for what I get out of it. You don't get any of that with the Diavel. It is very easy just to climb aboard, point it in the direction you wish to go and then simply open the throttle. It is that easy to ride. And anyone with points on their licence should beware - I was up to 80 in second gear before I knew what was happening. This bike is most definitely a licence shredder. Overall then, a very impressive (and expensive) bike but not really what I'm looking for.

Streetfighter S: I had a sit on this before deciding to take it for a spin - and instantly hated it. Despite the 1099cc engine, this bike felt minute and the riding position is more perched on top of it rather than sitting in the bike. The bars are also very forward so there's a lot of strain on wrists and the seat was rock hard too, so I expected this to be a very uncomfortable 40 minutes! All of which just goes to show that you have to actually ride bikes to make an informed judgement because in the event, the higher-spec Streetfighter S was great fun and a joy to ride. Very fast and very revvy, the engine is an absolute peach and with Ohlins as standard, the handling was spot on too. But it is very, very small and so not the most comfortable ride for those of us of a more "robust" build - and retailing at £14,000 it's also expensive. Good fun for a buzz around but not one for the long term.

1100 Monster: Coming after the back-breaking and bone-crunching Streetfighter, this was a very comfortable bike to ride. But it's also dull....v-e-r-y duuuuulllllll..... To be fair, there's nothing actually wrong with the bike - everything works as it should and it's easy to ride but I just found the engine so boring. This bike, to me, has zero character - all it does is rumble on in its plodding, unexciting way. I tried pushing it about a bit but got nothing back - unusual for a bike with an 1100cc engine. Suddenly, an Oyster card started to look appealing (I'm joking, but not by much!). A very uninspiring bike and I do wonder why they are so popular.

Overall, a good day playing around on bikes that I would not normally ride. As a package, the Diavel wins but it didn't blow me away in the way I expected - for which I suspect the missus and the bank manager will be forever grateful! If you can, get along to one of the remaining roadshow dates and judge for yourselves.

Here are a few photos of the day

National Ride to Work Day 2011

It mystifies me why so many people still persevere with our expensive, dirty, unreliable, time-consuming and thoroughly depressing public transport system (did I mention expensive?). Thousands upon thousands of people file into central London each day by train, tube, bus etc - many still even drive in. All looking thoroughly miserable and stressed by the whole experience. And they pay through the nose for it too. It's madness. Utter, utter madness.

So this is a timely plug for National Ride to Work Day, which this year is set for Monday 20 June. This campaign is a way of getting the message across that motorcycles are the best form of transport for the daily commute. The day is an occasion when people unite to promote motorcycling, simply by taking their bike out of the garage and using it to get to work. More bikes on the road would benefit everyone - there would be less congestion, less pollution and less overcrowding for those who choose (or have no choice but) to remain on public transport. If you have a scooter or motorbike but don’t usually use it to go to work, this is your chance to find out just how much time and hassle you could save, as well as how good it feels to be free of timetables, traffic and ticket office queues and the regimented manner and herding that we have come to accept from our transport systems.
   

For me, riding to work is a complete no-brainer. I love riding bikes and only snow and ice would ever stop me - so I organise myself around the bike, keeping jacket, ties etc at work. Journeys into Central London take a fraction of the time (35 minutes door to door by bike vs 1hr 20+ via bus/tube), it's far far cheaper than a Oyster season ticket and it's FUN.

The question for me is why anyone wouldn't do it - and let's face it, during the Olympics next year bikes will be the only sensible choice in London. So if you have a bike or scooter, why keep it in the garage? Get out on it and use the damn thing!
  
The Motorcycle Industry’s Get On campaign will also be using the day to encourage new riders to make motorcycling part of their daily routine, and to show non-riders what they’re missing. So overall, this is a campaign that gets my complete support. Check out the campaign pages on Facebook and Twitter and get involved.

Let's make it happen on 20 June folks....