Commuting in the Sun and Staying Cool

The warm weather here in Lincolnshire is still with us.  Most people would be surprised to find out that the Summer is not my favourite time for motorcycling.  I find the Spring and Autumn is better, not too hot, and not too cold; the Goldilocks seasons.

With modern clothes cold is now quite easy to deal with, and if like me you ride all year round, then indulge in heated grips and a heated waist coat.  An expensive luxury, but feeling cosy and warm in the middle of Winter can really make your Winter rides fun.

Anyway, I am starting to ramble, back to the point of the post.  Hot weather is harder to deal with, I see far to many people wearing tee-shirts, and shorts.  Some people compromise and wear the full bike gear but leave the gloves at home.  Well your all MAD never compromise on what your wear.  I have the BMW Rallye 2 Suite, its major downside is when its hot and wet, its just too hot, the waterproof layer zips inside and is fleece lined, on a warm day in the rain you melt, but on days like we have had in the last week, its been brilliant.  With just the outer layer, with all its vents and the armour layer its perfect for hot dry days.

But always remember its better to be hot and uncomfortable then badly injured, waiting for skin grafts.

BMW Rallye 2 Pro – Time for a clean and reproof


The BMW Motorrad Rallye 2 Pro is the best textile suit I have had, while it can be a little hot in the summer if it’s raining due to the inner warm lining also being the Goretex layer, it truly is a great all year round suit.

Because the outer layer that gets all the road muck and the inner waterproof layer are separate it does make it easier to wash. In fact the jacket is made up of three pieces, the outer layer which is mildly water resistant and very abrasion resistant. This layer has lots of vents to help keep you cool even in the heat of summer. The middle layer which is very light and holds all the armour which zips into the outer. Then the optional inner lining for extra warmth and is also fleece lined Goretex so 100% waterproof.

With all the heavy use it’s been getting it was time for a full wash.

I stripped out the armoured layer from the jacket and also the Gortex layer from the jacket and trousers.  Then removing the armour from the trousers, a little tricker as its not in a layer like the jacket it was all ready for the wash.

Let’s hope it’s dry by Monday!

The Normal Commute is resumed

Well after a week of motorcycling and generally having fun, today was the day back a work.

After a week in the saddle enjoying the best roads the midlands and North Wales has to offer the morning commute felt very short and remarkably easy despite the rain.

It’s certainly one of the best ways to start a day.

a Months Rain in a Day

Well the weather finally caught up with us. So far this week, we have had light showers and sunshine.

Today it was time to head home. The weather forecast was not good, weather warnings, and a forecast of a months rain in a day.

It was a slow steady ride home in none stop rain plus some mist and fog over high ground.

The rivers we saw were close to bursting their banks but the roads were passable with care.

a Sunset over the Menai Straights

Thursday saw us exploring North Wales and visiting Castles. We had rain in the morning but the afternoon was sunny so we had a blast riding round the Snowdonia National Park.

In the evening we found a lovely Greek restaurant and had a wonderful meal. Later we walked back to our hotel along the harbour. Typically the Sunset was rather nice as I had left my camera back at the hotel.

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At least I managed to get a snapshot using my Phone.

and the River Flowed

This summer so far has been particularly British. We had very little rainfall up to mid Spring, once the drought was official it’s been heavy rain since.

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Today we spent our day riding the twisty valley roads, and mountain passes of North Wales. The heavy rain has meant that the rivers and waterfalls have been in full flow. With great scenery like this, it’s easy to find great locations for photography, but one can keep visiting for years before you get the weather and the light you need to get a truly stunning shot.

Even with the rain it’s been a great days motorcycling, if not photography.

A day on the Road

Its always a great day when you can spend it in the saddle. Of course my wife would agree but she would mean on the back of a horse, while I mean on the back of a motorcycle.

Crossing the Ford

We packed the panniers on Sunday night and headed out first thing Monday morning. Once past Chesterfield we hit the Derbyshire Peaks.

The rain when it came was generally light, so did not prevent our enjoyment.

Altogether a great ride out.

Seeing the Olympic Torch on the way to Work

The commute to work this morning was a little more challenging due to more closed roads as the Olympic Torch headed out of Lincoln.

As the main road I needed to use was to be closed it made sense to park up by the next village the Torch was due to visit, join in the crowd and experience the event until the road was open, then head into the office.

Once again I took a few shots with my Nikon V1.

I have to admit its not as good or as easy to get a good shot with fast moving subjects, even a runner with an Olympic Torch as an SLR, but for its size it beats just about every other small compact camera.

Its lovely to see the community spirit that has been around over the last few weeks, starting with the Queen’s Jubilee and now with the crowds supporting the Olympic Torch as it travels through our communities, its been great to see the British Spirit pulling together.

Equipment Choice

A lot of amateurs only have one camera, often believing its ‘The Best’.

For those of us luckily enough to have more then one body, we get to choose the best camera for the job at hand.

Tomorrow the Olympic Torch arrives in Lincoln, I have other work to do but I hope to be able to get a shot of the Olympic Torch coming past.

With commuting by Bike, my camera choice is somewhat limited, but also the choice of camera should be driven by the subject and what suits it best.

The Bike Commute Advantage

This week the Olympic Torch reaches Lincoln.

While a great event it will cause some major issues for commuters. The Police have recommended that people who do not want to attend leave the city by 16:00.

Well that might be fine for some, but what about the workers, are car park is going to be blocked off, giving car drivers some major issues.

Luckily I’ll be leaving by the car park via the pedestrian entrance, luckily the bike will just fit.