Author: Arthur

Seasoned London commuter, doing my best to stay rubber side down and never stop moving forward.

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Uncategorized

Summer 2024 Update

Things have been a bit quiet with Beginner Biker Adventures recently, as you may have seen on my occasional Insta, I’ve had to pause things to deal with family. Last summer out of the blue, my Dad was diagnosed with stage-4 oesophageal cancer and a pretty crap prognosis.

Cue 12 months of the family rallying around to provide care and support my Dad, through palliative chemo with its ups and downs. It was a tough battle with only one endpoint. But that didn’t stop my Dad from fighting, out of sheer stubbornness, tenacity and refusal to give up – an attitude he lived by. I count our blessing that at the very end, he was comfortable, in no pain and with his family by his side. These moments stay with you.

We all miss my Dad terribly and are still adjusting to life with the gap left behind. To repeat a quote from his funeral from a song that meant a lot to him:

Breathe, breathe in the air.
Don’t be afraid to care.
Leave but don’t leave me.
Look around and choose your own ground.

Long you live and high you fly
And smiles you’ll give and tears you’ll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be.

– Breathe, Pink Floyd (Waters, Gilmour, Wright)

Take it easy folks, take care of those close to you, and make the most of every day. Life is short and who knows what tomorrow may bring. I’ll be back soon, after a good measure of riding and motorcycle therapy. Ride safe!

Donate to Cancer Research UK here.

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Gear Reviews

MotoRadds Flex Slim GoPro Helmet Chin Mount Review

A while ago I reviewed the MotoRadds motorcycle helmet mount GoPro, which has worked well. However, sticking anything to your helmet will add weight, not least a GoPro and mount. Recently MotoRadds got in touch and asked me to review their latest Flex Slim GoPro helmet chin mount. Promising to be a lighter-weight version, I was eager to see how it faired.

Upon opening the MotoRadds FLEX Slim GoPro motorcycle helmet mount, it is clearly a more cut-down offering. Most crucially it no longer has a standard GoPro slide-in mount, rather just the triple brackets to bolt the GoPro directly too. This negates the need for the GoPro slide-in bracket reducing size and weight. On the scales the Flex Slim weighs in at just 34g (including thumb bolt). Compared to the older MotoRadds mount, which weighs 25g, but then needs 23g of GoPro slide-in mount and thumb bolt.

GoPro motorcycle helmet mount chin review
Unboxing the MotoRadds Flex Slim GoPro motorcycle helmet mount

The next key difference is the older models’ hinged arms which allow it to fold around your helmet’s profile, have been replaced with flexible arms that you bend as needed. These provide more flexibility with moulding the mount around the contours of your helmet. You’re still going to need a fairly rounded helmet chin, my Shoei Neotec works fine, but a pointy helmet like some of the AGVs would not suit.

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Uncategorized

We’re in such a hurry most of the time…

“We’re in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it’s all gone. ”

― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

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Riding

Scottish Route: Bridge of Allan, Fort William, Aberfeldy Loop

There are many great roads up into the Scottish Highlands, but planning a manageable loop from the Central Belt that fits into a day is harder than you first think. The landscape and mountains force you to follow a limited set of main arterial roads that are full of slow tourists and camper vans. Many quiet side roads I’d normally try to opt for simply come to a dead end up long valleys. As such, you’re forced into either shorter loops through some of the low lands, or very long loops North around huge mountain ranges.

This route is a loop North from Bridge of Allan to Fort William and back via Aberfeldy and is on the longer side at ~220 miles but is a great loop you can fit into a day. Albeit a longish day with about 5-6 hours of saddle time, plus stops.

The first leg takes us up through Callandar and Cranlarich to a pitstop at The Green Welly Stop in Tyndrum. The section of the A84 & A85 from Callander to Mid Lix is a great set of twisty roads skirting the side of Loch Lubnaig and then climbing up to Glen Ogle Viaduct. It can get busy with tourists peek season and the A84 is often policed, so take it steady. The A85 from Mid Lix to Tyndrum is all average speed cams, not particularly exciting, so just sit back and enjoy the scenery of Ben More, they’ll be time for more progressive riding further on.

The Green Welly Stop, Tyndrum
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News

The Perfect Father’s Day Gift for a Biker Dad

What does every biker Dad want on Father’s Day? Answer: Decent weather and a pass to head out on their motorbike for the day.

The first you can’t really guarantee delivery of, the second is doable and might not even cost a penny. But for those days when the weather is a bit naff and your biker Dad is needed at home to watch the kids, a subscription to RiDE magazine will undoubtedly be appreciated.

RiDE magazine is currently running a special offer of 6 mags for £14.99, and £4.30/month recurring thereafter (offer ends June 19th). Great value, as the mag is over a fiver on the high street and a perfect gift for this Father’s Day.

 

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Gear Reviews

Crash Test Dummy, Not Your Usual Motorcycle Gear Review

When we review motorcycle clothing for this blog, we usually only evaluate how well it’s made, how comfortable it is, how well it functions daily and stands up to the weather. However, we don our motorcycle gear for one primary reason – to protect ourselves if we crash. To gauge how well something will protect you in a crash we just rely on various certifications and tests manufacturers place their garments through. This requires lots of specialist equipment and avoids risking the health of a motorcycle blogger.

However, I recently had the occasion to put my gear to a real-world test. Not exactly planned and caused by some misjudgment on my part, but I found myself locking the front wheel at around 60 mph and sliding down a tarmac road for some distance. I began the slide on my front but later rolled over, thankfully, I didn’t come into contact with anything else and just slid to a halt. I couldn’t tell you exactly how long or far I was sliding, I forgot to count/measure in the heat of the moment…

Firstly, everything performed well, I was able to get straight back up and only had a slight ache in my knee and thumb for a couple of days later. No breaks, no grazes, no skin broken, not even any visible bruises in the days following.

Had I only been wearing shorts, t-shirt and bare hands, things would have been quite messy.

So, in that sense, everything here gets top marks. After a breather, I was able to jump back onto the bike and continue riding. But let us take a closer look and see how well all my gear held up.

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Riding

Short Motorcycle Route from Stirling to Kinross and Queensferry

Here’s a short little motorcycle ride-out route for you. Perfect for when you’ve just got a couple of hours to kill or an evening ride once the nights get shorter.


We start off from the Wallace Monument in Stirling, a lovely place for a walk and a great view out over Stirling and Bridge of Allan all the way out Ben Lomond and Ben Vorlich near Lochearnhead. There’s a decent cafe here, so you can get your espresso shots in before you set off!

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Motorcycles

Scottish Motorcycle Show 2023

It was that time of year again for the Scottish Motorcycle Show, a yearly event that is eagerly awaited by motorcycle enthusiasts from all over Scotland and beyond. The show is a celebration of all things two-wheeled and motorized, bringing together manufacturers, dealers, and riders from across the country. With the Birmingham Motorcycle Live show being so far away, the Scottish Motorcycle Show held in Edinburgh is the only convenient show to get to, even if it is a bit smaller than other shows.

One of the most significant attractions of the Scottish Motorcycle Show is the sheer number and variety of bikes on display. From classic, vintage models to the latest sports bikes and touring motorcycles, the show has something for everyone. Manufacturers such as Harley Davidson, Indian, Triumph, Yamaha, and Royal Enfield all have a significant presence at the event, showcasing their latest models and allowing visitors to get up close and sit on new bikes. Unfortunately, there were still a number of omissions from key manufacturers (like last year), no presence from BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki or Suzuki.

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Maintenance

FZ6 Charging System Failure, Rectifier & Stator Checks

There are few things more heart-sinking than being sat on your motorbike miles from home to find it no longer starts up. At first, you’re in denial and keep jabbing at the starter button, but it just generates more clicks as the starter motor refuses to kick in. You then have to consign yourself to the fact, you’re not going anywhere in a hurry.

The fatal selfie stop whence we discovered our dead battery…

This happened to me a few weeks ago on a cold ride up to Dunkeld. It was one of those beautiful winter days where it was bright and sunny, but cold with frost and snow surrounding the main roads. I had just stopped by the roadside to take some snaps of an ice-covered loch but found myself stuck on a bike that wouldn’t start. Thankfully, my daughter was with me pillion and was able to bump start the bike to get us moving again.

A few miles down the road I got an engine management light on the dash and a code 46. This indicated a low battery/charging system issue. After another bump start, we continued homeward bound. Close to home, the battery went completely flat, I lost the dash and lights, but the bike kept going so we persisted. But, eventually, it died as we came to a halt at a junction, though thankfully only a couple of miles from home and not too much hassle to get family out with some jump leads, charge the bike and get me home. Then began the multi-meter fun diagnosing the faults.

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Motorcycles

My First Shift with Blood Bikes Scotland

Recently, I signed up as a Blood Bikes Scotland volunteer and after some onboarding, I undertook my first shift. I had been thinking of volunteering for a few years, but finally took the plunge last year after being approached by a local rep at an IAM meet-up. It felt like a worthwhile cause, a good use of my advanced biking skills and a great way to get out and do more biking.

Have you thought about volunteering as a Blood Biker? Have you ever wondered what it is like? Read on if you’d like to find out more about what Blood Biking involves and how my first shift went.

What are Blood Bikers?

Blood Bikers provide a free-of-charge transport service to the NHS run by volunteers in their own time. They deliver small urgent items between NHS sites or to patients’ homes in the community. The service runs in all weathers and supports teams in primary and secondary care including GPs, District Nurses, Care Homes, and Community Hospitals.

This service is 100% run by volunteers and is reliant upon charitable donations and the free time offered by members. It can save the cash-strapped NHS a lot of money and help the day-to-day running of care the NHS provides, which ultimately helps patients in need.

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