Premier peninsula perambulations
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure|June 2024
Riding locally is all well and good, but Helen wanted some adventure and to get some miles under her wheels
Helen Guest
Premier peninsula perambulations

I decided I wanted to ride my Street Twin abroad, instead of just riding locally in England and sitting pillion when abroad with my partner John. I've had this bike for three years now; previously I had a Ducati Scrambler. This is the perfect bike for me: a low and comfy seat, the tank isn't too wide, and with added heated grips I'm good to go. I'd always recommend a Triumph Street Twin to anyone, but especially to the shorter woman rider. Plenty of power and you can get away with most speeds in most gears.

As it was my trip, I spent months planning a route and we eventually set off at the end of August. We began by getting the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao. I was really worried about getting parked up on the ferry in Portsmouth but, thankfully, it was easy so that was a great start. After two nights on smooth seas, we arrived in Bilbao at 8am.

Day one in Spain we rode 250 miles to Salamanca.

We used the motorways for most of the way just to cover the mileage and to help me settle into riding on the other side of the road. Two-hundred-and-fifty miles was a long way for me after just small mileage in the UK. Just a one-night stopover at the Hotel Bardo Recoletos Coco. That worked out great. The hotel was located outside of the main town and the room was as you'd expect. Good value for money. Nothing exciting but exactly what we needed. Plus, we moved our bikes to their underground car park for extra security. In fact, we only booked hotels that had underground car parks for this reason.

Denne historien er fra June 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.

Denne historien er fra June 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.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MOTORCYCLE SPORT & LEISURESe alt
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin

Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
BMW R 12 nineT
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

BMW R 12 nineT

Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

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

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
Portuguese Perambulations
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Portuguese Perambulations

Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
Highway to Heaven
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

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...

time-read
9 mins  |
October 2024
Battlaxes at the ready!
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

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

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
Ducati Riding Experience
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

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...

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
Four pot flyer
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

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?...

time-read
8 mins  |
October 2024
Eastern adventurer
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

Eastern adventurer

With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry

time-read
10 mins  |
October 2024
First Time Lucky?
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

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.

time-read
9 mins  |
October 2024