S1000RR Quick Spin

Posted on by Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist

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Last week I had the opportunity to take BMW’s S1000RR sports bike for a quick spin. It was a very quick spin. No, I don’t mean in respect to road speed, I mean short in duration. Only 40 minutes, so it is difficult to form a balanced and informed opinion on a bike like the S1000RR in such a short time.

I had been somewhat ambivalent about trying the S1000RR as there has been such a huge amount of hype surrounding the bike, and as one of the fastest production motorcycles around currently, it has no shortage of allure, but I must be honest, the more something gets hyped by the mass media, the less inclined I am to want to try it. Experience has taught me that popularity, and endless praise do not always translate to a quality product. But experience has also taught me that sometimes it does.

I have always gravitated more to the Sports-Tourer motorcycle style rather than the uncompromising Super Sports segment. As much as I love a bike that is designed to do one thing exceptionally well, I rarely find myself on a race track, so a bike that is essentially a race bike in road trim has always seemed like a waste to me.

DSC_0026DSC_0031I guess the other reason it has taken me this long to ride the bike is that, as a BMW tragic, I have found it difficult to come to terms with this new aspect of BMW. Of course they have always been a benchmark for performance, quality of engineering, and technical advancement, but you have to admit, the S1000RR is a very different BMW.

From an aesthetic perspective I think the bike is a huge success. The styling is aggressive and purposeful. It leaves no doubt in your mind that this bike is designed for one thing. The styling incorporates elements that are seen on pretty much every other bike in this segment, small aerodynamic fairing, low front, high rear, huge cooling vents, and enormous brakes. It is a striking looking motorcycle, and for me, one of the best looking Super Sport bikes available. The bike I rode was the Granite Grey version, still stunning looking, but a bit sombre. I would certainly be going for the Racing Red/Alpine White version, or perhaps even forking out the extra AUD$765 for the tri-colour version. Alpine White, Magma Red, and Lupin Blue. It’s almost worth the extra money just for the great names they come up with for the colours!

I had prepared myself for what was sure to be a horrendously uncomfortable riding position, so I was a little surprised, pleasantly so, that when I sat on the bike for the first time it felt “right”. I sat into the bike but I didn’t feel cramped, the lean to the bars was comfortable, perhaps a little too much pressure on the wrists, but that proved to dissipate once I was moving at a reasonable pace. The seat height was also good for my 180cm’s. The S1000RR has a wet weight of 206kg, so it is only 24kg lighter than Aries, but feels much lighter. The balance of the bike is wonderful, and it feels like a much smaller and lighter bike than what it really is. I have noticed this with several of the current BMW range, so the engineers are doing their work to their usual high standards. It is a comfortable bike to ride, for the style of bike it is. It is easy to move around on the bike, and after my 40 minutes on the bike I felt fine. I would love to spend more time on the bike to really get an idea of how comfortable it is, but I feel fairly confident that spending two or three hours in the saddle wouldn’t be nearly as arduous as many sports bikes.

DSC_0028The S1000RR has a huge list of technological trickery. Race ABS, Quick Shifter, Dynamic Traction Control, Electronic Throttle, Slipper Clutch. The throttle mapping, ABS and DTC can be changed between 4 modes while on the move, and both ABS and DTC can be switched off if you are that brave. I didn’t have the time to play around with much of the technology on offer, you would need at least a week with the bike to even get close to knowing all of its tricks.

DSC_0030 The things that did stand out for me in the time we had together were the throttle response, very smooth and easy to use; the  front brakes, they are simply stunning with huge amounts of initial bite, and strong progressive braking all the way to when the ABS starts to do its work. The rear brake I was considerably less impressed with, squeeze as hard as you like, it seems to do bugger all. The quickshifter is certainly another highlight. They warned me that it might take awhile to get used to, and they were right, but once you are using it, wow! One piece of “old school” technology that I was a little surprised to see on the S1000RR was the cable clutch. It did its job absolutely perfectly, but just seemed a little incongruous on such a high-tech bike.

Riding the motorcycle was easy. No feathering the throttle and riding the clutch required even when riding in traffic. It just rumbles along quite happily. The controls fall easily to hand, and are easy to operate. The indicator switch has changed back to the left side only. This brings the operation of the indicators in line with most other manufacturers, but personally I think it is a step backwards. I’m sure they have their logic for the change, but I find the system of indicator switches on both sides much more intuitive to use, and it’s a point of difference. Why follow what other manufacturers do? Mirrors on the S1000RR are, considering what they are like on some Super Sports bikes, exceptional. They are large, well placed, steady, easily adjusted, and give a clear view behind you. Exactly what mirrors are meant to do.

Once I was used to the quickshifter getting this thing off the line is a piece of cake. Hold a steady throttle and change up, all the way to 6th gear. It is so much fun I just wished it had more gears. I also wished it had more gears because it just feels like it needs it. At highway speeds the tacho is sitting around 5000rpm, which I know isn’t much for this style of bike, but it sounds very busy. One more gear would just make freeway speeds that much more pleasant. And it’s not like it needs to be revving that high to accelerate, open the throttle from pretty much any point in the rev range, and it just sprints away.

DSC_0029For the first half of the ride I was treating the bike like it was a twin, and riding it accordingly. While the performance was good, it was a little underwhelming after all I had read. Once I realised what I was doing, I started riding it like a 4 cyclinder, using the other half of the rev range, and then everything moved into a new and strange altered reality, where everything was seemingly moving very slowly, except me and the bike!

DSC_0027On the race track this bike must be sublime, on the road, for a rider of my ability, I have to say it is just a little bit scary, but not in a “oh my god I want to stop” kind of way, more a “oh my god I hope this never stops” kind of way. The sound from the exhaust is certainly pleasant from a standard system. The symphony from one of the optional Acrapovic systems must be quite an experience.

 What I didn’t like about the engine on the S1000RR is the vibration it creates, not the amount per se, as it is a smooth motor, but the frequency that it vibrates at. It is an issue that I have experienced with other 4 cylinder sports bikes, and is probably a big reason why I tend to do most of my riding on twin cylinder bikes. It is difficult to describe the sensation, but it leaves me feeling quite churned up and edgy. Maybe it’s just the adrenalin coursing through my veins, or maybe I’m just very strange!

The bike I tested had the suspension set up for a rider of approximately 95kg. I weigh in at around 65kg, so the bike was a little stiffer than it needed to be for me, but even taking this into account it was surprisingly comfortable and compliant. There is plenty of adjustment on the suspension, so I would expect it to be very comfortable when setup correctly for the rider and conditions. Testing the handling on a bike of this calibre on crappy NSW roads in 40 minutes is a fairly big ask. Was I up to the task? No. Lets just say I didn’t even get near to the handling limits of this bike, and I wouldn’t even want to try on the road. That sort of carry on is strictly for the track.

The S1000RR is an impressive piece of engineering, and I am in no doubt that it fulfills its intended use exceptionally well. If you get to spend lots of time at the track, and are looking for a bike to extend your abilities this may well be the bike. If you spend most of your time on the road, riding in the real world cut and thrust of traffic, commuting and road works, then the S1000RR’s abilities may well go untapped. I would love to try it as a daily ride just to see how it shapes up, but unless BMW Australia is going to lend me one for a long term review, or unless there is a generous benefactor reading this who wants to part with AUD$25,000 for a good cause, I may well be “whistling dixie”!

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The Perpetual Motorcyclist

© Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist, 2012 – 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Observations of a Perpetual Motorcycle Stickers

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I’m excited folks. The OPM stickers have finally arrived. Here’s one modelled by one of my beautiful daughters. So here’s the deal, the first 35 people to send me a message, or email (perpetualmotorcyclist@gmail.com), will get one, (or maybe even two) posted out to them, so make sure you include your address. They are 90mm round, UV stabilised PVC, so suitable for outside. Get in quick!

© Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist, 2012 – 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Ambulance Motorcycles – but where do you put the patient?

Posted on by Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist

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The Ambulance Service of NSW is the first service in Australia to utilise this mode of accessing patients quickly. Here’s a little history on the unit.

In 1993 the NSW Ambulance Service embarked on what many thought would either be a flash in the pan exercise or too dangerous a venture to possibly work. The concept of motorcycles as First or Rapid Responders had been toyed with for many years and the final decision to embark on this path was made, without funding for a project such as this. Sydney’s narrow streets, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, numerous parklands, and areas difficult to access in a conventional Ambulance were the main reasons for the introduction of the Motorcycle Unit.

The number of people now living in the CBD has increased considerably, especially since the  inception of the Motorcycle Unit. As has the number working there. This makes motorcycles an even more viable means of accessing the sick and injured. But what difference does a bike really make?

There is much to suggest the motorcycle unit has made significant differences to the lives of many people. Here, some overseas research demonstrates this in a pertinent way – The Erasmus University of Rotterdam found that of 120 cardiac arrest patients that were attended by Ambulance crews, 2.94% of them walked out of hospital as a result of the Motorcycle Paramedic assisting them quickly. If you were one of those people, you’d be pretty happy a paramedic turned up on a motorcycle.

Some other questions asked of motorcycle paramedics (and some answers you wish you could provide);

How fast do they go? (Fast Enough)

Can I park here (many think paramedics are police pulling up to book them)? (Sure, you can park there all day if you like)

What do you carry, a few band aids? (And some water to wash your wounds too…In actual fact, all the same essential drugs and life support equipment as a conventional ambulance)

You’re not going to take me to hospital on that are you? (Sure I am, and to save on oxygen all you have to do is hold your mouth open into the wind as I ride)

Research has now shown that a motorcycle paramedic can access a patient in cardiac arrest, on average two minutes faster than in a car, and several more minutes faster than a conventional ambulance. This has shown the benefit of reducing the rehabilitation costs of these patients considerably. Those first two minutes can be worth around $35,000AUD. Apart from looking at cost benefit, patients and families are usually pretty happy to have relatives around too (although there have been instances where paramedics have been asked to stop resuscitation as family members didn’t want someone to survive!!! But that’s another story) .

So how have paramedics maintained such a good riding history for almost twenty years? That is really easy to answer but a lot more difficult to prove. All those who have received training on the NSW Police course would attest to the benefits this training has provided them. This is purely anecdotal though. Recent research by Dr Ryuta Kawashima (http://roadrider.com.au/_blog/Road_Rider_Blog/post/Riders_are_smarter_%E2%80%93_here%E2%80%99s_proof/) indicates the benefit of continually practicing skills. This would be the single most obvious benefit paramedics would offer as to why they are safer than most other riders in a very hostile environment, practice.

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So what type of emergency are the motorcycles sent to and why? The intention of utilising motorcycles was not because of any extremes of speed, but rather their ability to not have to stop at lights. Footpaths and median strips are fair game! The original scope of the project saw motorcycles aiming to:

• Reduce response times to 2 – 3 minutes
• Attend all life threatening emergencies
• Attend cases on the Harbour Bridge and other areas where traffic presented a problem for conventional ambulances.

The perceived benefits were an improved opportunity for survival of the sick and injured. Not everyone has seen motorcycles as a useful tool since they began operation but from a motorcyclist’s perspective, it’s hard not to see a huge benefit . Many services around the world now use this brilliant source of accessing the  sick and injured as quickly as is possible.

Paul Riley

Skill Master Motorcycle Services

© Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist, 2012 – 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Slip Sliding Away

Posted on by Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist

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There was a time in my life, late last century, when I lived and worked in the bustling cosmopolitan city of Sydney. We lived in the Inner Western suburb of Lilyfield, and I worked all over the city as a freelance Television Technical Director. My chosen ride at that time of my life was Robin Hood, the 1982 BMW R100RT that you can see in the photo above. Robin Hood was so named because the stunning green paint scheme was a colour known as Sherwood Green, and because it was always robbing me to support poor struggling motorcycle shops, in particular the local BMW dealer, where I maintained a first name relationship with the spare parts manager, and an ongoing back-order list of parts which, in the words of the spares manager, “we never hold in stock because they never wear out or break”!

Robin Hood was hellishly heavy, 260kg, almost as wide as a car, ponderously slow, and prone to stopping at inopportune moments, or just flatly refusing to start. It put out a whopping 51kW when new, but was probably lucky to be producing half that amount when I bought it. Its history was hazy, it had been thoroughly flogged by its previous owner(s), and it had been poorly maintained. I bought it inspite of all these things and spent the next three years slowly replacing or rebuilding pretty much everything on the motorcycle as the need arose. Like many decisions in my life it was one made with the heart and not the head, and like all of my motorcycles I loved Robin Hood and we formed a relationship made up of almost equal parts admiration and frustration.

Robin Hood and I had many wonderful adventures riding the city streets, and a surprising number of the footpaths, of Sydney. We also had some moments that were memorable for other reasons. One such moment has lodged itself firmly in my brain, and I swear that the following story is true in its entirety, or at least as true as I can recall!

There was an intersection not far from my home which I commonly rode through on my way to my various work places, it was on one of the major thoroughfares from the Inner West into the CBD, so was a very busy intersection traversed by all manner of vehicles. It was a gentle decline approaching a tight right turn onto a bridge to cross the old railway freight lines. I had ridden around this corner more times than I could remember, but on this particular morning, the Universe had other plans in store for the two of us.

I was running late for work on the morning in question. I would love to say that this was incredibly rare and uncharacteristic for me, but that would be an outright lie. Being unmarried, no children, no mortgage, and living in the inner city meant that had I had precious little time for the mundane realities of life, like getting out of bed and getting to work on time. So as I approached the intersection my mind was distracted by the colourful and original excuse I would be delivering to my colleagues when I finally arrived at work. It was OK, we were only producing television programs, it’s not like anyone’s life was depending on us.


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As I approached the intersection I set-up the brakes and started gearing down, 4th, 3rd, now squeezing on the brakes, back to 2nd. I released the front brakes, looking now through the curve to see how much traffic was lining up at the next intersection, I tipped Robin Hood into the turn, and then it happened!

It is that strange moment when things are going very quickly, yet somehow, going very slowly at the same time. As soon as I felt the front wheel slide I knew that it was only going to end one way, the only question was how much it was going to hurt. Robin Hood’s 260kg hit the road accompanied by the sound of splintering fibreglass and the grating of metal on bitumen. Our sweeping curved trajectory of only a moment earlier was now a straight path with only one ending, the gutter. Robin Hood and I parted company as we slid across the road, thankfully I was at the back. We were both sliding on our right sides and I braced for the impact with the gutter. As I reached the gutter my speed had slowed to the point that my knees took the impact with the gutter and my momentum actually stood me up on the footpath and I was able to stop just before hitting the brick wall that was looming ahead of me. I turned around expecting to see Robin Hood lying in a smoking forlorn heap in the gutter but was met with a much, much stranger sight, no motorcycle at all!

In utter confusion I turned my head to the left and there was Robin Hood. Not lying in the gutter as expected, nor even on the footpath. Robin Hood had picked itself back up on impact with the gutter and with the momentum that its 260kg still maintained it was continuing East along the road towards the traffic waiting at the next intersection. “Come back here” I screamed to no avail. Vehicles behind Robin Hood were braking and swerving to avoid the riderless motorcycle, pedestrians had halted their usual city rush to watch the unfolding spectacle, and I too watched in what seemed like a waking dream, no, hang on a minute, a waking nightmare.

Robin Hood had been maintaining an impressively straight path within its lane but now as the speed dropped further it began to wobble, then to veer to the right. “Indicate damn you” I shouted as my motorcycle performed a lane change in front of the watching crowd. Would it make it to the other side of the road and stop there, or was its intention to ride off into the morning traffic and leave me where I was? No was the answer. Robin Hood had finally decided that the passenger door of a stationary car was the best place to end its one taste of true freedom, and it ended with a bang, or to be more precise, a stomach turning crunch and screeching of metal.

As I’m sure you can imagine getting hit by a motorcycle during your morning commute can come as a surprise, getting hit by a riderless motorcycle is probably slightly more disconcerting. I watched as the driver got out of his car and surveyed the scene, he looked around his car, no rider. He looked under his car, no rider. He even walked to the brick wall on the edge of the footpath and looked over the wall to see if I had been thrown off the bridge by the impact, but still no rider. When he spotted me some 300 metres away on the other side of the road his look of confusion changed to a look of, well, you can probably guess.

So why did I crash? Well the obvious answer was that there was diesel on the road surface, diesel left by a truck or bus as they took the right hand turn. But why did I really crash?

One reason was a lack of Observation, not seeing what was in front of me. Once I hit the diesel I knew it was there, but I should have been aware of it well before I reached the curve. Another reason I crashed was because I was distracted. I was thinking about being late for work, not thinking about what I was doing, not using a Riding Plan. Both of these skills are crucial to staying safe when riding and would certainly have made for a different outcome if I had been using them on this morning.

It might sound strange to say it, but I am grateful that I had this experience because it taught me some lessons that I needed to learn, but the only way we can learn from what we experience is by being able to recognise the part we play in what ever happens to us, and by taking responsibility for our own actions. Sometimes we just have to learn our lessons the hard way.

The Perpetual Motorcyclist

© Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist, 2012 – 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Picking Up a Motorcycle

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We’ve all done it, thought the stand was down, lowered the bike as normal, while thinking about what we’ll be doing next, then realised when it got to the point of no return. How embarrassing huh?

Here’s a method which will help you get out of there and away from the laughing crowd quickly (photos will help you see how);

i. Whichever side the bike is on, move the handle bars so they are full lock, with the bar closest the ground all the way forward.

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ii. Stand next to the handlebar which is on the ground, facing the bike, so you can get both hands around the handgrip.

iii. You should now be squatting down, looking at the bike with your hands in front and below you (like someone about to polevault), keep your back straight, and if you are prone to back injuries, get someone to help.

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iv. Look up and ahead (seems like you hear that a lot with us) and stand up using your legs only, holding the handlebar, and keeping your arms straight and against your body (as per the photo).

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v. When you are standing up, the bike will be upright enough to support.

There are other methods but this works on heavy bikes and you don’t have to be superman or woman to do it. Ask a friend to drop their bike over so you can try it! (You don’t want your own on it’s side a second time do you?)

Please don’t try this at home, unless you can try it on a mate’s bike!

Paul Riley

Skill Master Motorcycle Services

© Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist, 2012 – 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Life’s Never Boring!

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If you ride then you know the truth inherent in the title of this piece. Every ride is an adventure, but tonight’s ride home just felt that little bit more adventurous, just slightly more challenging.

After 9 hours on the training range I was just getting my riding gear on when I noticed a vehicle leaving the TAFE (Technical and Further Education) Campus where we train. Nothing unusual there, but this vehicle stopped at the front gates, the driver got out and started closing the gates with the intention of locking them for the night. Hang on a moment, I don’t have a key for those gates, if he locks them then I am locked in here for the night. I flew out the door and called out to him. It was probably around 75 metres from me to the gentleman locking the gate, I called again to him but no response. I called again, louder, and again, LOUDER, but still no response. One gate was already closed and the other was almost done. I reached down deep inside myself, I channelled my fathers innate ability to silence any room and get anyones attention, and I shouted at the top of my lungs. That got his attention.

I was on Aries and out the gate like a shot. The sun had already set behind the hills, so it was going to be well and truly dark by the time I finished my 80km commute. I joined the South bound traffic on the freeway and opened the throttle, Aries bounded away from the other traffic. The next twenty minutes entailed staying away from as many cars and trucks as possible while we all made our way towards the Southern Highlands.

As I reached the first possible exit I considered my options, stick with the freeway and the traffic, or exit onto a back road and chance the local wildlife in the dark! I chose to stick with the freeway, and it wasn’t long before I was glad for that decision. Up ahead I caught the flash of lighting, up ahead exactly where I was heading. Oh well, I already had my wet weather pants on, so a bit of rain wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Another ten minutes on and the lightning was increasing, the storm front was lit from within each time the lighting discharged, and it was an impressive sight. This was not going to be “a bit of rain”, this was going to be a downpour, and it was heading for exactly where I was heading, Robertson. Question was, who was going to get there first?

I took the next freeway exit and headed towards Mittagong, but decided to duck off early to bypass both Mittagong and Bowral. I followed a car through the back roads to give me better headlights, and a shield from any suicidally depressed wildlife. As we headed away from Bowral towards Robertson the car I was following turned off, so I had to catch another one that was headed my way. The storm front was moving fast and the lighting flashes were continuing to multiply, and these things were “motivating” me to get home as soon as I could, and hopefully as dry as I could, but that was looking less likely by the moment.

As I closed the distance between me and the car I noticed headlights in the mirrors, and these headlights were closing even faster. So fast in fact that I started to get that sinking feeling that comes over you just before…………you see the red and blue flashing strobes of a police car! Oh bugger, in my rush to get home and beat the storm did I allow my speed to “creep” up above the posted limit? Well let’s just say “I’m only human”, and leave it at that.

I rolled off the throttle and started scanning the road edge for a good stopping point, I was just about to put my blinker on when the police car pulled out and passed me like I was standing still.

How many emotions can you experience in less than a second? First disbelief, then relief, then gratitude, then sadness. I know sadness seems like an odd sensation to feel at a moment like this, but the sadness comes from the knowledge that a police vehicle travelling at that speed on a dark country road in the face of an impending tempest can only mean that something very serious has occurred.

I reached the last intersection and turned for home. Still the lightning flashed, still the storm front loomed, still Aries and I rode on. More traffic on this road, stay patient, almost home, follow the cars. Into Robertson, still no rain, into my street, still no rain, into my lane, still no rain, and into the garage. We made it, dry, safe and grateful. I walked into the house and made the grand pronouncement to my family, “there’s a big storm coming”. “Really?” they replied with disinterest.

Ten minutes later we were shouting at each other to be heard over the thunderous downpour of rain and hail as we stood on the front verandah watching the hail stones bounce all over the yard.

As I said, life’s never boring!

The Perpetual Motorcyclist

© Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist, 2012 – 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Get Your Motor Running

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For those readers in Europe who are excitedly preparing your motorcycles for the riding season, here are some ideas for riding ideas and rallies from OPM’s UK contributer, Emily Buchanan.

Summer’s nearly here, so don’t miss out on the best rallies, ride-outs and motorcycle events in the UK and further afield

Harley-Davidson is commemorating 110 years in style, with celebrations around the world this summer. But you don’t have to be a Harley rider to get in the spirit: there is a rally or ride-out to suit every interest and in every region.

It’s been a long, cold winter, which makes this summer’s events an even more alluring prospect. So get out your warm-weather gear, be sure to sort out the essentials – check out Bikesure’s guide to spring motorbike maintenance – and take a look at a few hand-picked highlights of the next few months.

● It’s probably too late to make plans for the H-D celebration events in Australia, China, Mexico and Brazil being held in April and May. But arguably the biggest – aside from the rallies in the USA this summer – is the European Celebration scheduled for June 13-16 in and near Rome. With exhibitions and merchandise, customization, tours by local H-D chapters and entertainment throughout the long weekend, it will be a fitting tribute to an iconic brand. There’s even a bike-blessing ceremony.

● Meanwhile in Britain, up to 10,000 motorbikers are expected to take part in the Ride-of-Respect through Carterton and Brize Norton on June 16. Raising funds for the Royal British Legion to support the armed forces and their families, the ride starts at RAF Abingdon in Oxfordshire and camping has been arranged nearby.

● For a unique tour of Britain – also benefitting the Royal British Legion – the Thankful Villages Run is a 2,500-mile, 9-day event starting at Llanfihangel y Creuddyn in mid-Wales on July 27. Thankful villages are conspicuous by their lack of traditional war memorials, signifying the few places where the residents who fought in the Great War all returned, and the even fewer ‘Double Thankful’ Villages that also suffered no losses in WWII. Riders will visit the 51 Thankful Villages (including the 14 Double Thankful Villages), and in some cases special ceremonies and village hosts will welcome riders.

● Ever thought about taking an epic journey – say, through Romania’s Carpathian Mountains or to see the volcanoes, geysers and glaciers of Iceland? Motorbike Europe’s tours sort out the details so bikers can enjoy the rides. Other upcoming trips include the Himalayas and South Africa.

● And if you’re thinking of setting out on your own, consider checking out HUBB UK, an overland travel extravaganza held in Leicestershire May 30-June 2. Presented by expedition specialists Horizons Unlimited, the event offers tips, information, ideas and inspiration for adventure travellers – or just a chance to meet up with like-minded individuals. Horizons Unlimited hosts similar events around the world, including several around North America.

So now that we’ve done the hard work for you, what more do you need? Get planning and get on your bike – it’s going to be an excellent summer.

© Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist, 2012 – 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Observations of a Perpetual Motorcyclist with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.