However, fate took a turn, my wife found it and picking up on the La Belle Etoile 'Rider Tour', suggested it may be an opportunity for myself and son to share our biking passion. The last chance' she called it; you never know, I'm 74 years old, he's just 22!
It could be an interesting dynamic, given the age difference and the experience of riders that often go for these tours, with a newly-qualified A2 licence holder, where circumstances dictated only 300 post-test miles had been covered and about to go on 1600 miles worth of roads, mostly on the wrong side! For a while I've been concerned as to the amount of testing and training, not to mention the cost, and its impact on getting new younger riders into biking before they can head off into the wide-open spaces and enjoy the freedom that motorcycling offers. So how did the 'suitable for all riders' tour go?..
The three days of touring France started on Monday, June 5. Before that we had to get to our base, La Belle Êtoile - a farmhouse in the Parthenay-Gâtine region of the Deux-Sèvres in western France - 300 miles from our home in North Wales to Portsmouth, followed by the 220 miles or so from Caen.
We'd booked through MSL Tours so it was all hassle-free, Brittany Ferries was, as ever, efficient, and before we knew it we were having early-morning breakfast on board before disembarking and heading south down the A88 to Le Mans. We figured starting on the autoroute was the best way to settle ourselves into the French roads, remembering our A2 rider was by this stage 600 miles into his post test riding experience. Using the A88 was definitely a good choice and we were getting some miles under our belt.
Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Denne historien er fra February 2024-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.
