After an illness, Dave Owen was told he might not be able to ride long distances again... maybe. So he rode 2000 miles to Spain and back to find out.
When I first visited Ruta 340 it was nearly 10 years ago, so in the interest of MSL readers I decided to make a sacrifice and go to one of their three times yearly shows near Malaga in sunny Espana. So that’s why I was sitting in Portsmouth pondering on the fact that it’s 600 miles plus from top to bottom of Spain and that’s what I had ahead of me.
As a result of six months off work ill and another six months recovery I wanted to see if my bones could still do a decent ride, and the gentle ride down to Portsmouth on a sunny Monday was a good introduction. The Triumph Explorer was running perfectly despite only having had a couple of 50-mile rides during the last 12 months, and it felt really good to be out on the bike again with the prospect of quiet and sunny roads ahead.
The ferry trip was uneventful – eat, drink, read, sleep, repeat – until 24 hours later I was in Bilbao. I wanted to avoid the busy, expensive, boring toll roads but also didn’t have time for minor roads so planned a reasonably quick route avoiding both. Setting off in glorious sunshine at 2.30 in the afternoon, I was in Segovia, 300 miles south, just five hours later. Yes, mainly auto routes but no tolls and the roads were almost deserted. I was slightly worried when my whole vision filled with snow-capped mountains and foothills in April in (allegedly) sunny Spain. It was panoramic and pretty but looked cold and in my way!
CRUISE CONTROL
Following signs for Segovia town I turned a corner to see a pretty looking hotel, with a fancy cathedral nearby and a famous Roman aqueduct 50 metres away (I splashed out 40 euros for the view). Lots of quaint old buildings and cobbled streets that I looked at while bar hopping, proving man can survive on free tapas if you hit three or four different bars!
Denne historien er fra February 2019-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Denne historien er fra February 2019-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
