Britain isn't big on rivers. We don't have a Mississippi, Danube or Volga, a consequence of being a small, narrow island where nowhere is far from the sea. But short though they are, some of the waterways we do have are very picturesque. Take the Wye, rising in the dramatic mountains of mid-Wales and carving its way through beautiful valleys to join the Severn at Chepstow, 134 miles later. Best of all, much of it can be followed by bike along some fantastic roads.
Roger (ageing BMW R80), Hume (Honda Transalp), John (1954-ish Ariel bitsa) and self (Honda NC750) meet at Chepstow's Firstclass café for breakfast. The full English is fine, but Roger's R80 has developed a leak from the final drive and John needs Ibuprofen for his broken wrist – not a motorcycling injury, this one, he got it descending his fireman's pole too fast...
Eventually, we get going, up the lovely A466 past Tintern to Monmouth, a good introduction to following the Wye as the river is visible for most of it. After a quick bit of A40/A449, we turn left to Brampton Abbots to be reunited with the river, which is wide, smooth and placid in this broad valley. But we're not with it for long, because our single-track road is closed after a few miles, forcing us up to the B4224, which isn't a hardship, as this too is very scenic and, this being May, spring has truly sprung.
At Hereford, John points out the Water Works Museum, which sounds like a cue for a music hall joke, but apparently really is an interesting place to stop. Not that we have time today, heading out of town on a minor road through Lower and Upper Breinton to join the A438, a sweeping A-road with some nice straights, the river meandering away to our left.
Denne historien er fra February 2020-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Denne historien er fra February 2020-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.
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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.