Hello Folks! :)
 

Hi Folks,

I’ve been riding motorbikes for long distances for over 30 years, but I’ve only just found this site! I have to admit though, that I've only ridden in the UK. :scooter:

Pleased to be here! :D

:welcome:
Riding in the UK, well, it's as good a place to start off from than any other.

Welcome and enjoy, if you get a chance try and make it to the Horzion Unlimited UK Meeting, it's well worth it. :thumbup1:

Cheers Stu

Welcome to HU!

Everybody has to start somewhere - we'll give you the help and inspiration you need to go farther! :) You'll find that everyone here is happy to help out.

enjoy!

Come on in, Xan! You'll like it here...see you in June in Derbyshire (HUBB meet). By that time you'll have planned a BIG Trip!
Good roads!

Hi
 

Are Xander of the XRV Form fame???.

Welcome to the band of brothers and sisters.

Welcome Xan
 

Welcome, they are a friendly bunch this lot, im fairly new here myself, about 3 weeks,
tell us what you ride and have you got a real name? or are you incognito?:welcome:

Martynbiker, if you check xanadu2's profile, you can see her name and her ride (a C90)

By the way, I think driving long distance in the UK on a C90 may be more archievement then riding a big 1200GS or V-Strom to Spain or Turkey.

Welcome at the HUBB Xanadu2 :-)

im an idiot!
 

cheers Jan........ told ya i was new(ish) foflmao! and where would the world be without the C90?

I think long distance on a HONDA KAREN ( pale blue with a basket on the front and a pink top box...honest!)is also brave, (or stupid in my case) i am 6'2" weigh 22 stone and did Mareham-le-Fen (lincs) to Milton Keynes nonstop.....took 7 hours, B roads, 22mph tops and 130mpg...... this was 12 years ago and I had no other transport as my ex- wife kept the car!

Thanks for the welcome, Folks! :D

Yes, I'm Rosemary the Hawk Rider, Hawk being my little C90 friend for the past eighteen years. (nearly 19 now.) :scooter:

I'm addicted to C90s. I lived in Sussex when I had my first one, and when my holiday came round I wanted to go to Scotland. So I jumped on the C90 and went to the far north, as close as I could get to Cape Wrath, and back in a fortnight. :clap: From that day to this I've never wanted to ride anything else, and one day in the future will be the UK's oldest recorded woman biker, still with a C90!

Early this year Hawk went into semi-retirement and I got another C90, The Hobbit, also known as The Bride of Hawk. :clap: I've just come back from a round trip of about 400 miles on her. I've got funny stories to tell! :funmeteryes:

I thought I would start a blog of some of the things that happen on my travels, and was just looking up how many C90s were made (I know they are the most popular bike ever.) and a Google search revealed this site!

I haven't asked for a blog here because I note you have to post once a month and the computer kinda stops me from getting on with all the other things I love doing. So I might be a bit quiet at times. Some people in other parts of the net have accused me at times of not being friendly because of this. Not True!!! :( I am Very Friendly! :flowers: I just can't fit everything in!

I've just noticed that this board has the best smilies of any that I know! :thumbup:

Tell me more! :mchappy: Of course I could look it up in the site but it is very large and confusing.

Big trip....oooeer! :eek3: I used to clear off to Nepal every winter and my mum's friends always thought I must have taken my bike. Well, first there were those woman-unfriendly countries in the middle east to travel through, :stormy:and then I trekked in the roadless Himalayas. That's as far as I've got to a big trip abroad. :o

Love these smileys.... anyone would think I hadn't seen smileys before! :wave:

Xan, you're a breath of fresh air. I love that you're riding a C90. If only we were all brave enough to do a big trip on one. Many, many (30 odd) years ago I was given a C50 in a box and so started the odessey. Post a pic of your trusty steed.

Rosemary, smilies are cool!
 

Call me a kid.....:eek3:
but I love em!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:DBut we are limited to 19 smilies ( probably more if your a gold member???)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyingdoctor (Post 151385) Xan, you're a breath of fresh air. I love that you're riding a C90. If only we were all brave enough to do a big trip on one. Many, many (30 odd) years ago I was given a C50 in a box and so started the odessey. Post a pic of your trusty steed.

Thanks a lot, Flying Doctor!

I have a digi-camera, but have to get a battery charger before I can take pics of Hawk. I bought The Hobbit through the net, although she was only about 15 miles away, so I should have pics saved somewhere on this evil computer.

Here's my main problem with going round the world on Hawk. If I go abroad on a C90, I can think of two problems. The first is that I get Numb Bum Syndrome much quicker than I did when I rode my first C90 to Scotland. The second is that roads have got busier, and I never did like mixing it with juggernauts, so I always favour the back lanes and it can take a long time to get anywhere. So I get a numb bum long before I've got where I'm going... :(

BTW, what happend to the fonts? :confused1:

Hehehehe!:rofl:

So I'm a kid too... :D but I love 'em! Here are some that I'm dying to use....:welcome: :censored: :nono: :stormy: :offtopic: :tooth: :boat: :arabia: :cowboy: :punk: :2guns: :hang: :devil: :chris: and some more. But maybe I'll never get censored, etc....

Numb Bum n Taking It Steady
 

Rosemary, a gel insert or a folded over sheepskin will help LOADS... with the Numbness. so will stopping for a 5 minute break every hour.
plan routes, take a delight in seeing stuff at a slower pace.... its not the arriving, its the journey, the sights, the sounds, the smells, so what if it takes you 2 days to do on a C90 what some one else could do in 1 day on a bigger bike? I bet you anything you like that YOU would have enjoyed the experience more, seen more, met more interesting people and actually been less tired than the other biker.

and remember Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance......

There is a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. :scooter:

Get a map, draw a straight line from where you are to where you want to go and take all the small roads that are on that line (or do the same with a Tomtom Rider) Enjoy the little villages and farmland you drive through and don't hurry. Stop for a coffee and a snack at a small cafe or truckers restaurant and plan a long time to get where you go to.
I drove that way from Switserland to the Netherlands on an old Honda CB125S (a loooong time ago).

Hi, and Thanks!

Please tell me more about the gel insert. I have some sheepskins, but none that I want to use on long-distance Hawk travel. Actually I don't quite see how they help, but....

As for the breaks, yes, I do. And you are right about the time schedule! On my last trip I went from the Welsh borders to Lincolnshire, not along some boring trunk road in flat countryside where I got cut up by the speeding idiots, but by a big loop southwards through the Cotswolds and then more pretty villages in Northamptonshire and beyond. :scooter:

Afterwards I went to Oxfordshire, again by a scenic route through little villages, and really enjoyed the Cotwolds before heading for the Malvern Hills, through the picturesque Teme Valley and then the Shropshire Hills by the quiet routes. :scooter: :D :D

Ooops!:oops2: I just saw a typo, edited it out, and here I am apparently having to make a new post.... Most of these Internet boards are different in some way....:confused1:

Yes, indeed! I love planning journeys! I'll go over 100 miles by the back roads and little lanes, and write down all the villages en route. Comment from my niece: 'Are you Still Doing That?' Me: 'Why Not? I really enjoy it!'

So then I go everywhere with a route in my pocket, which I often don't need to look at because I remember my way from the planning. Before setting out, I use my piece of string on the road atlas, work out when I would like to arrive, allow a generous amount of time in case of unforseen delays, and know exactly when to set out. :scooter:

I've used this method to travel by unfamilar routes to a B&B over 50 miles away, phoned the landlady to tell her when I would arrive, went at my own speed (never fast) and got there within minutes of the estimated time. Having done the Lincolnshire route a couple of times, it suprised me how few times I had to check my map to travel over 150 miles on back roads and little lanes. :scooter: (I like this smiley... it's even the right colour for Hawk!) :D

And I bet you had fun! :mchappy:

There is one thing that bothers me. I know all about packing light. Having carried my own rucksack to 17,000 feet in the Himalayas, I have definitely learned never to carry anything I don't need. However, as you get older the things you need seem to increase. I go motorbike camping with actually less stuff that I really want and still don't like packing that load on a little C90! :helpsmilie: It's the one thing that really makes me want a car, so I can have more gear, but pack in a fraction of the time!

loads on a C90.....
 

You don't have to worry Rosemary....... have you seen what they will load up on to a C90 (or a 50) in China?????????:eek3:!!!!!

The bike will carry the weight, i suppose the best thing would be a Topbox and throw over panniers (or even solids if you can get a rack to fit) and a big stuffsack as a backrest for clothes & sleepingbag?

Ya know what? the more I read this thread, and think about it, the more I miss my old C90! especially the legshields to keep the wet and crap off....... and the fuel economy.....and the cheap as chips spares........and the fact the damn thing always started nomatter what...... oh and the £40 a year insurance........ tyres lasting longer than marriages......... enclosed chains that didnt wear out or get covered in sand...... WHY DID I EVER GET RID OF IT??????????????:oops2:

Get a little trailer behind your bike. I have even seen bicycles with a trailer so why not ?

Xan, you've started something now. I'm looking for a light bike to go to Iceland on next year. What an adventure it would be to go on a C90 !! I want to explore the interior a bit and it looks like deep black sand and river crossings in places. I bet I could carry a C90 on my shoulders nearly. I don't know what it's like in sand but it would be fun trying.

Long, long ago, when Hawk was a stripling straight from Japan, I had a handbook, long since lost, and it said' 'Thou shalt not tow a trailer!' :nono:

So I've always assumed it would make the bike unstable.

Hmm, a C90 in sand... I know what to do if you step into quicksand, but I wasn't on a C90 at the time!

A C90 on your shoulders in the river... where's the smiley for that?

:funmeterno: ???

If you ever come up behind The Hawk or The Hobbit on my travels, you'll think the Chinese have come over here! :chinese:

Yes, the bike is up to the weight. So I load a big topbox, heaving a sigh of relief if I can shut the lid, because there's always one thing I have to leave out. Then I put the heavy stuff in the panniers. Then the tent and sleeping bag are in a big bag on the back seat. I dislike that bag because it always seems to come too far forward and stops me sitting as comfortably as I do when it's not there. Then...wait for it... a rucksack with the camping mattress, sleeping bag liner, and any other light bulky things are on top of that. People have tried to tell me the bike is overloaded, but they don't realise I can lift that bag with the little finger of one hand. Then my day sac goes on top of that, and, hopefully, it is empty!

See what I mean about the Chinese coming over here?:wacko:

Then I arrive, unpack, and wish I had twice as much stuff! :eek3:

And why do you think I hang onto mine regardless....????:cool3:

Not sure about always starting... One of Hawk's tricks, now he is getting long in the tooth, is to spend 5 minutes kidding me...
Onlookers - :helpsmilie: Me - 'He'll go when he feels like it! :whistling:
In time, Hawk purrs away :angel:

You wonder what he made all the fuss about, except to wind me up! :devil2:

Now The Hobbit is catching the idea and trying it on too...
I sometimes think they must have been talking to this evil computer....:taz:

I’ve started a blog: http://the-hawk-and-the-hobbit.blogspot.com
:mchappy: :mchappy:

Now I'M CONFUSED!!!!!
 

Rosemary, just read your Blog.......very entertaining! but why do you sign yourself Rachel????:confused1::confused1::confused1:

See....I wasn't far off when I said " are you incognito"..:rofl:

Hi Martyn,

Thanks for liking the blog!

I signed myself Rachel because of a bad guy from the past. :devil2:

I have a lovely life now, but he hates me because I stood up for myself about 10 years ago, and more. I got a threatening email not so long ago, but he doesn't know where to find me. I don't think he'll try this forum, because he's no biker, but if I keep that blog up, sooner or later it will contain information that will give away my current whereabouts.

Actually it could upset him a lot to think of me being so happy while all his past sins are catching up with him... But you never know who is reading what you post on the net.

if he disturbs you again ........
 

get either.......
A. an Injunction
B. a Baseball Bat
C. a Boyfriend WITH a Baseball Bat

not that im in favour of violence you understand........ but some people only learn when it hurts.:innocent:

I understand. I think the same too. :hammer:

BTW, I love your signature! Many a time a big bike speeds past Hawk, and I think: ‘You may get there sooner but I’ll live longer!’ :scooter:

Some years ago I had to go 180 miles down the A1 on Hawk. I was apprehensive about this, but after about 100 miles a big bike overtook me. Some way afterwards I pulled into a service station and found myself beside the biker. He said: ‘I know I overtook you, but you’re not that far behind!’ I forget his exact words after that but he was really encouraging. It was good, because the A1 is *Not* my idea of a fun ride! :funmeterno:

Its the getting there that counts......
 

Isnt it??

In my youth, ok up untill 4 years ago then......( being the grand old age of 44) I went everywhere at 100mph+ and faster if my bike was capable of it, and the BMW's usually were, after a particularly bad accident in which I was left in several pieces internally including a broken Pelvis, I reflected on the folly of my ways.
4 months on your back in Hospital kinda has that effect, ya know....

Upon resuming Biking activities I was keen to 'once again blatt around like a loony and enjoy myself' BUT after all the pain, the Hospital, the Agony, I found out that I didn't get quite the same "thrill" anymore.
There was always the niggle that maybe, just maybe , I wasn't Immortal after all!!....

So the average speeds dropped, the scenery became breathtaking rather than blurry, the fuel consumption halved, tyre wear halved, I wasnt knackered after a 200 mile ride, I didnt have to constantly scan for speed cameras and for the first time in 20 years I ACTUALLY STARTED TO ENJOY MY RIDING AGAIN.
But the MOST amazing thing.... a journey that used to take 1 hour flat out riding like a loony, only took 11 minutes longer keeping to speed limits!!!!

Hasta Luego!

Hi Martyn,

I'm glad you survived!


Yes, I enjoy the scenery, :funmeteryes: notice the fuel economy, :scooter: and I realised the point about speed without nearly killing myself. Long time ago I had an appointment in a town about 1/2 hour away. I was running late and rode like a loony to get there. I didn't crash, but I have one utterly miserable ride! :funmeterno:

On the way back I timed how long it took to do the ride comfortably. Three minutes!!! I've never tried to speed or make up time on the road from that day to this!


I was going to type a funny story for you, but I’ve not been well so I’ve slept most of the day. Talk to you tomorrow.

A long time ago (I'm 50 now) I used to ride a Suzuki GT750 3 cilinder 2stroke. One of my friends had a laverda SF750 and we used to go fast !!!!
One day I was doing 140 km/h in town and suddenly I was thinking "what the h$&*% am I doing ???"
I sold the Suzuki and bought a Yamaha SR500 with wide handlebars and saddlebags and from then on, I have been riding touringbikes and never regret it.
And.....I'm still alive to tell :-)

:oops2: I mean three minutes longer! :oops2: Three minutes for the ride would definitely have finished me off! :wheelchair: or :death:???

And the police didn't get you?

I live near a main road on the England/Wales border. It’s fairly narrow and winding, and mostly fairly quiet, but on summer weekends tourists head into Wales, and the big bikes come out. I cannot understand the mentality of bikers who zoom round a bend on the WRONG side of the road, terrifying innocent motorists who drive into the bend to find a bike doing 60 mph or more on a collision path! :scared:

If I’m travelling the other way from them, I’m so glad bikes are narrow so they can miss a C90. When I have a car, they’ll frighten the life out of me! :scared: :scared: :scared:

Signs have now sprouted by the sides of the road about the number of motorbike fatalities! :hang::death:

Biker fatalities
 

Here in Spain, because there are 330 or more riding days a year, and because it is mostly HOT (mmmmmm Yes!), a lot of younger, stupid Bikers do not wear the correct safety gear. I have seen Bikers riding just this week as follows....

A yamaha R1 rider in T shirt, shorts and flip flops passed me doing in excess of 150 kmh.

V strom rider trainers, shorts, no helmet, no shirt

moped riders in just very light clothes, not even a pair of gloves, no helmet


WE CALL THEM ORGAN DONORS

And it suits them! :rolleyes2:

One of the reasons I want a car as well as two bikes (Two steeds and a chariot!!! :D :D :D ) is because I hate wearing all that gear in our summer heatwaves, but I put it on regardless. :sweatdrop:

The average motorist thinks I’m freezing cold on a motorbike. When I tell them the usual problem is being too hot, it sounds sarcastic, but I mean it!

Mind you, although it’s quite comfortable to ride round the local valleys well wrapped up in midwinter, I do wish there was central heating on the hilltops! :freezing: We have thermoses of coffee and something stronger in our top boxes. And, no, we don't drink too much! :nono:

Coffee......nah! might keep me awake on the bike.........
 

Thermos full of Hot Chocolate with a splash of Brandy ( just a taste mind!)

or Horlicks .........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

Bought me a great Stainless steel flask, 14 euros, ya have to fill it with hot water ( just from the tap is ok) to heat it up while the kettle boils but it keeps stuff hot for ages...... I RECOMMEND A STAINLESS FLASK FOR ANYONE, they are heavier and cost more initially, but after breaking about 6 flasks at 7 quid a go one winter:oops2: i decided stainless was the way to go!

Xan, Well, I decided that a C90 was not quite for me and have bought an XT250 serow for my Iceland trip. It's a light trail bike and should be ideal in the sand and rocks. On the road people get 80mpg ! That must be close to C90 territory. Keep having fun.:thumbup1:

I found this, and thought of you.
http://www.honda50.cc/
Enjoy.

Thanks for the link!
 

Hi Folks,

I’m just checking in because I’ve been out :scooter: or asleep :sleep: all weekend. (Mostly out!) More very soon.

Sleepy again! :sleep:

Hi Folks,

Mind you, I'm usually sleepy! :sleep:

Here’s something for my blog about my trip last month, but there is a lot more to the story.

It is 166 miles from home, in the first village in Wales, to Burghley Horse Trials, and I thought The Hobbit and I were going to do it in one day under our own steam until we reached Market Harborough, with 25 miles to go. There was a heavy shower of rain and The Hobbit’s engine died.

‘Oh no, you don’t!’ I told her. Stopping in rain is one of Hawk’s tricks, now he’s got old and quirky. I tried to start her. Nothing.

I’ve lost my mobile but there was a house with lights on within easy pushing distance. The kind owners invited me in to ring the RAC. Soon a patrolman turned up.

‘I thought it was a car,’ he said. ‘I can’t fix a motorbike!’ Of course I’d told the RAC I’d got a motorbike, but this always happens. He started The Hobbit easily.

‘Hmm,’ I thought. ‘She goes when she’s dry but she hasn’t been fixed and it’s still raining. There’s a dark lonely road between Market Harborough and Stamford, where I can’t find help, and if her engine dies again she’s got no lights.’ :funmeterno:

I spoke to the call centre again and persuaded the RAC to give me a recovery to the Horse Trials. Soon another recovery vehicle came and the driver tied The Hobbit down on his huge flat bed trailer. I climbed into the cab and he tried to program his satnav. ‘Where are you going?

‘Burghley Horse Trials.’

‘Where’s that?’

Great! One of the biggest horse trials in the world and the RAC doesn’t know where it is. ‘In the grounds of Burghley House.’

‘Where’s that?’ The most beautiful house in England and the RAC doesn’t know where it is either.

‘Just outside Stamford.’

‘I can program in Burghley Road, Stamford. Will that do?’

Well…it got us there…

After the horse trials I set out to see the cross-country jumps at close quarters. A number of other people had the same idea. It was a dry day and The Hobbit started perfectly. Off we went as far as the water jump. I rode The Hobbit down to the water’s edge beside the jump, then contemplated my way out. We would have to climb steep rising ground at an angle, not a good idea on two wheels.

‘Ride through the water,’ suggested a man. I looked at him.

‘I’m not kidding,’ he assured me. I was the fence judge and I know it’s not deep.’

I visualised the call I’d probably make to the RAC. ‘You remember the little motorbike you took from Market Harborough to Burghley Horse Trials last week, because she didn’t like getting wet? Well, she’s…err…broken down in the water jump!’

That would get me banned for life. I turned The Hobbit round and rode back the way I’d come. The fence judge thought I was chicken.

Next day, when I’d struck camp and loaded everything onto The Hobbit, she wouldn’t start. Starting a reluctant bike isn’t easy for me now I’ve got a replacement knee.

‘I need a big strong man.’ I thought. Big strong men are easily found when an event is being dismantled. I stuck my hand out and in no time I had a helper. He tried to start The Hobbit.

The Hobbit. ‘Shan’t!’

Big Strong Man. ‘You need the RSPCA.’

The Hobbit, again. ‘Shan’t!’

Me. ‘She’ll go. She’s just kidding.’

Two minutes later she was running as though nothing was the matter.

*******************

To Be Continued.

Wise to stay dry
 

You were wise to avoid the "not deep" water jump. Not deep to a horse is plenty deep enough for humans and C90s - a few years ago I ran "Only fools, not horses", a charity "fun" run over the cross country course at Blenheim, after the horses have had their fun. The smallest jumps were huge and a few runners ended up swimming across the water! Obviously a great day for all, and some money was raised for a good cause, but just because a horse can run through water does not mean it is not deep!

Hi MarkE
 

That's exactly what I thought! Mind you, earlier this year I thought The Hobbit could swim because I had to pick her up from the mechanic on the day of the Great Floods. :stormy: The main road was underwater so I decided to come back along the Ridgeway, a thousand feet above the valley, and that was underwater too!

I've heard about the fun run at Blenheim. Pleased to meet someone who's done it! :clap: