A Different Type of Riding
It may come as no surprise to many of you that not everyone wants to ride everywhere as fast as possible. It certainly puzzled me for quite some time.
Review: 2019 Triumph Bonneville T120 & Speed Twin
Triumph‘s motorcycle range has crystallised into just three paths in recent years. When you walk into a dealership, you must first choose if you want practicality (‘Adventure‘), performance (‘Roadsters‘) or style (the ‘Modern Classics‘). Having funnelled their customers into ever-narrower pigeon-holes, there’s lately been little recourse for someone who would like to combine elements from…
The V-Strom 650 at 70,000 miles
Judging by the site traffic on the previous articles, my lowly V-Strom is a surprisingly popular motorcycle. I was impressed when I reviewed it, so much that I bought one with my own money. I delivered an update after a year and 23,000 miles, then detailed the extensive suspension, brake and electrical upgrades I’d made…
20 things you should know about riding in Canada
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, July 2018. I think I can safely assume that all of us have ridden our bikes in the UK, and many have pushed beyond our borders to explore the untamed wilds of Europe. Out there await wide, open stretches of dusty French countryside, verdant German forests and snowy alpine mountain hairpins.…
You can’t plan for everything
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, May 2018. Motorcycle travel can mean different things to different people. It’s not just our choice of bike and destination; the very reason we travel and what we hope to get out of the experience can vary dramatically from person to person.
State of the Industry, Part 3: Bikes
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, April 2017. Welcome to the third and final part of our series examining the state and future of the motorcycle industry. Congratulations if you’ve made it this far, and hopefully some of the facts, figures and arguments put forward in the first two-part have resonated somewhat, or at last made you…
State of the Industry, Part 2: Dealerships
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, March 2016. Welcome back for the second part in our three-part series analysing the State of the Motorcycling Industry. Some of you let us know last month that you were surprised at how opinionated the piece was, and you know what – you’re absolutely right. It’s my opinion that the motorcycle…
Review: 2018 BMW R1250GS
Henry Ford is said to have opined that, should he have asked people what they wanted from a future transport solution they would have simply requested a faster horse. Apple famously made its fortune delivering products that nobody knew they wanted, and it’s arguable that the original BMW R80GS did the same thing. Journalists at…
State of the Industry, Part 1: Marketing
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, February 2018. It’s been another year of launches, announcements and behind-the-scenes news from the global Motorcycle Industry. Some of it is business as usual, still more represents continuing trends, but beneath it all lies evidence of growing bewilderment and panic amongst the world’s top manufacturers that evidences itself in almost everything…
Headlight Upgrades
Originally published in Slipstream magazine, October 2017. While there are an increasing number of examples to the contrary, the vast majority of all motorcycles ever made have shockingly poor headlights. My indignant rage towards the pantheon of motorcycle manufacturers is tempered by the fact that most people don’t often ride at night, allowing the humble headlight…
Boy Meets Bike 
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