
Which one for the Awards?
It’s February. It’s minus 4C outside. North East Wales may be the warmest and driest place in Europe at the moment but it still isn’t biking weather. But it will be sometime soon and so thoughts turn to motorcycles, the Welsh Rally and the new Triumph range. Don’t panic, there will be talk of food after a short musings on bikes.
While Heathrow turns away flights and the M25 grinds to a halt, here in Efenechtyd we’ve been enjoying gloriously dry, sunny, cold days. Not a flake of snow. So dry that we’ve not really seen hard frosts so it looks warmer than it is. It’s only when you go outside that you realise how ‘challenging’ it is. Last winter (and the one before) was hard. Lots of snow that stayed for weeks and meant getting out of our house was a real trial. We had lots of discussions about buying a 4×4 ready for the next onslaught. Instead we got a SEAT Altea which is lovely but probably rubbish in the snow.
So that just leaves the problem of The Bike. The Bike is a Triumph Tiger 955i that I’ve had for a few years. It’s rather good at the type of riding I mostly do. Exploring minor roads around Wales and the occasional longer trip. It’s not that fast (a good thing), very tall (not a good thing) and weighs a ton (definitely not a good thing). But it has a great ‘presence’ and is very comfy. But I’m getting older and therefore weaker and find manhandling it in and out of the garage more and more difficult. So thoughts turn to a replacement.
I’m a bit stuck in that I only really like Triumphs. The Honda CB1300S looks gorgeous but defeats the object of getting a lighter bike. BMWs are OK but a bit staid (I know the sporty ones aren’t but ….) and Harleys are out. As are Ducatis (can’t afford the servicing costs). Price rules out most Japanese big bikes. Besides which I ‘d rather support workers in Hinckley. So a Triumph it will probably be. And here we come to the real problem. What is going on? Modern bikes look awful1 Modern design is called ‘edgy’. All straight lines, triangles and corners. Over designed. I like bikes to be curvy and ‘of a piece’. If Apple can turn out beautiful, desirable, must have designs one after another where ‘updating’ always looks better than the one that went before, why can’t bike designers?
So what to do? The Tiger 1050 looks great and rides really well but has the problems of my old one (heavy and tall). Bonnies are too slow and hard work over distance. The Sprint is too heavy. I tried a Street Triple but it was too focussed for me. So that really leaves the Tiger 800. But it looks like it isn’t finished! Where’s all the bodywork gone? It’s lovely to ride but keeping it clean must be a nightmare. And so we have A Dilemma. But also an opportunity to test ride loads of bikes, or as many as time will allow.
Time. That’s the enemy. Summer riding time is limited as that’s when we’re busy with the B&B. But winter is more relaxed and leaves time for making marmalade. And this year I’m going to enter my marmalade in the Dalemain Marmalade Awards, a prestigious competition that brings world class fame and untold riches. Or maybe a certificate. There is a category specifically for marmalades made and served in B&Bs and I think I may enter the ‘medium cut Seville’ category but I’m toying with the idea of a separate entry in the ‘marmalade with interesting additions’ one. Using Penderyn Welsh Whiskey. Oh, the pressure.