Motorcycling

Ready for the road on a Honda Fireblade CBR1000RR

There is no doubt that motorcycles should come with a health warning but I have been an enthusiast on and off for more than 40 years. During that time I have enjoyed a variety of machines from modern super sports bikes, including several Honda Fireblades to a proper vintage Triumph Bonneville.

I put approaching 30,000 miles on a modern Triumph Thunderbird back in the days when I used to commute in from Surrey.

One of my practice partners and I have motorcycled to the annual conference of The American Dental Society of Europe in a variety of locations. In 2001 it was Barcelona, then 2003 was in Sicily. These were followed by Lisbon in 2008 and Portofino in 2010. There were a lot of miles and a lot of smiles. We usually chose the twistiest roads that we could find.

As a teenager of the 1970's, I have always loved Japanese motorcycles of that era. My favourite was a Kawasaki 900 Z1 and I was lucky enough to own one for a few years.

The Italian Stelvio pass

I have just returned to biking with a Honda CB550-4 from 1975. This bike is more suited to pottering around the country lanes of Suffolk on quiet Sunday mornings than to riding Italy's Stelvio pass, but I will enjoy it all the same.

A 1975 Honda CB550-4