It all started around 2006 when they started wrecking the hospital I work at by building rubbish on perfectly good car parks.
I was faced with a stark choice – suffer the indignity of public transport or get a motorbike.
Easy decision then, I paid well over the odds for a beat up Honda C90. Seller dropped it off at my house and explained the basics and I jumped on it and rode to work. Probably not the safest start to biking, espescially as work consisted of a nightshift and motorbike trip #2 was performed in semi slumber.
Discovered I liked biking, a lot. So much I bought a “proper” bike with gears and clutch. A 1993 Aprilia Tuareg 125. A 2T Paris Dakar rep with a bodged restriction to make it learner legal and a seat height to keep you off balance. Ideal learner machine then. I accquired a CBT then set off the next day to stretch my legs on it. Thought it’d be a good idea to ride up to the Fens from Hove to visit my Dad. A journey that normally takes around 4hrs took me 9hrs. Navigation was a problem because I couldn’t use the motorways on L plates. It’s 170 miles using motorways, I covered around 240. I split the journey back into two days by stopping in Essex to visit family.
After about a year of annoying the neighbours with 2t crackle in the early hours I resigned myself to the fact that just because a bike is labelled as “Paris Dakar” doesn’t automatically mean it is a very good choice for the Paris Dakar. I would need something beasty…….
First I would have to pass my test.
Booked a course with Norton Motorcycle Training because everyone reccomended them so highly and the instructors had legendary reputations amongst the local bikers. Or was it because they showed up first on a Google search? Probably the latter with hindsight but you pays your money and takes your choice……..
And so I met Simon Cooke who had the unfortunate task of teaching me how to pass my test after I was half asleep after a run of nightshifts. Note that he only needed to teach me to pass the test as I was already a riding sensation by this stage as I’d watched the Long Way Round and established that I fell of less and could ride better than 2 actors with 10yrs + biking experience. I could also fuel my bike without splashing petrol in my eye.
Simons greetings have stayed pretty consistent, his first was “your late” and ” that means you get the small bike” followed by “I heard your bike coming form a mile away….”
I don’t remember what bike it was other than to say it was Japanese, low and cramped. Bit like all the Japanese cars I’ve driven. I don’t like them either.
I wobbled off down the road, struggling to operate the thing with mx boots on.
Few days and a few near misses later I passed.
Now I needed a sensible first big bike………….
As luck would have it I decided to disregard sensible and decided that what I really needed was some dirtbiking exotica. Something with learner friendly power delivery…….a 600 single should do it.
A Ebay scoop landed me a mint 1989 Aprilia Tuareg Wind 600 – the 125’s big brother – with 9k miles on it and one owner from new.
In short order the bike was kitted out with panniers and I took the missus over to France for a few days. This was the beginning of a burgeoning relationship with the Newhaven – Dieppe ferry. We really clicked when the crew were marshalling the bikes on from France. I found myself in a line of bikers revving their engines fixing their vision on the ferry ramp. The crew called “allez moto’s!!” and said line of bikers ripped down the loading ramp into the ferry.
I found myself developing my curiosity for dirtbiking. All the best motorbiking pics had something in common – absence of tarmac. I’d ridden a few local gravel roads on the 600 which was enough to convince me that I both liked dirtbiking and would find it easier on a smaller bike.
I bought a Yamaha XT350 and joined the TRF. Went to a meeting where I was told that little Yamahas were very good for trailbiking. The following week I was taken out for a beginners run where upon I rapidly found out that little Yamahas arent very good for trailbiking because they tend to break down. I then found out that little Yamahas are more difficult to get parts for than exotic Aprilias and that Yamaha spares are very expensive.
Got rid of Yamaha and bought a 1989 Aprilia Tuareg Trail 350. A rotax engined trail bike with a 30l tank! It was great on the trails and the road. It was also very reliable and a steal at £500 of Ebay. Couple of years later I gave it to my Uncle who then gave it to my 20yr old cousin. Despite his best youthful attempts to kill it the bike is still going strong.
2009 dawned and with my first child on the way, together with a promotion at work, I decided to slim down my bike collection. By this point I had a 600 and 350 Aprilia, a 125 Aprilia and a 1974 Honda c70. I also had an addiction to dirtbiking and my favourite color is Orange……..
The new KTM 690 Enduro was collected from the dealer in May. I remember riding down the M23 wondering If I had made a mistake as the wind blast tried to tear my ribs out. The power on tap was terrifying in comparison to the other bikes.
The local TRF had become a bit stale after NERC and there was a distinct lack of events. I decided to arrange one. I recieved a few interested replies to an Email shout and arranged a nearby starting place.
Turned out that two of the riders I would be guiding around the lanes were Simon and Andy from Norton. It’s bizzare leading your bike instructor – I’ve never done so many lifesavers in so little mileage.
Despite my initial concerns the 690 turned out to be a great allround bike, even for a beginner. I was so impressed with it I decided to enter a woods Enduro….in November…..
I distinctly remember asking the organiser if I would fail scrutineering if I kept the pannier rails on – “I don’t know, we’ve never been asked that before…” was the reply.
I didn’t register the hint. It was a dead engine start with a 200m push to the start line. I was knackered by the time I pushed the bike there.
Luckily Simon had come along to provide encouragement by taking the mickey and taking photos.
There was one other rider in my class who fortunately didn’t finish. Wether he gave up or broke down I don’t know. It’s quite possible he’s still stuck on the circuit.
All I know was that I was first in my class and slowest overall. One lap – 2 and 3/4 hours. I also thought it was a good idea to ride there and back.
The winter of 2009 brought lots of snow. I bought ice studs for the 690. These made commuting fun. I was commuting at either 6 am or 9 pm. The ice studs helped a great deal in the dark. They make a distinctive ticking sound on tarmac but go silent on ice. Handy when you can’t see the stuff.
2010 saw a summer of TRF outings on the lanes followed by a coast to coast trip from Deal in Kent to Clovelly in Devon on the lanes. Good times with Steve Love RIP.
The coast to coast trip reinforced the need to protect the lanes. I had been getting steadily more involved with TRF work. Seeing all those lovely lanes on the trip reinforced to me how important the heritage of lanes is and how important it is to conserve that. I attended a TRF workshop later that year which got me hooked on protecting the lanes. Things have snowballed a bit and I’m now the TRF’s regional rights of way advisor for the South East. The TRF isn’t the best about trumpeting it’s achievements. Suffice to say that in the few years I’ve been biking the team effort by TRf has prevented 10 lane closures and discovered 8 lanes in Sussex alone. I’ve little doubt that there would be no lanes to ride in Sussex were it not for TRF work.
I was in the mood for a new toy so I bought an autolube KTM 200 EXC. This is officialy called a KTM 200 EXC -GS.
Oh …. a GS……It must be good for adventure touring then?
Still not realising that a bikes label (ie 690 ENDURO) doesn’t neccescarily mean it will live up to the name I accepted an Invite from Simon to go trailriding in France and decided to ride the 470 miles there on the 200.
About a month earlier I’d ridden to Switzerland on the 690 and this had convinced me that I was now able to ride any bike any distance.
The first 70 mile to Rouen nearly killed me….and the bike.
I resigned myself to the reality that motorways were no place for a 200 2t – well not for 6hrs in one go. I reprogrammed the sat nav to avoid highways and eventually got to Simons place in 10 hours.
Needless to say the journey was well worth it. for those of you who haven’t trailbiked in France you need to put it on your bucket list.
Having learnt a thing or two about the 200’s touring abilities my next trip was on the 690. I took the ferry to Santander and spent a few days riding dirt tracks and tarmac to Andorra – which I entered on an old smugglers track and left on the black run of a ski slope. They take a relaxed view of dirtbiking in Andorra.
From there I went through France to Switzerland and then back to Blighty via the Dieppe crossing.
I’ve now accquired another 690 after retiring the other one from harsh duties. In 4 years I put 32k miles on it. a lot of which were on dirt or snow.
The new 690 is being used for the local Hare and Hunds series at Westfield. Well – it does say “Enduro R” on the side……….
I’ve now got 4 KTM’s and an irate missus. Apparently I’m limited to three KTM’s so I need to slim the collection down. I’ve got to have at least one 690. I like the 200, I don’t particularly like the 250 4t.
Earlier today i found myself exploring the PX possibilities of one of the 690’s and the 250. The potential accquisition is a KTM 950 Super Enduro.
I wonder if that will live up to it’s label………..
Happy biking
