Okay, it has nothing to do with bikes whatsoever, but try to watch this and not laugh.....
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Tour Maps
I have said it before, but I love maps. They guide you to places, they take you along roads you wouldn’t otherwise know were there, let alone find.
Studying a map and then making decisions about where to ride on a trip can be very rewarding and for some, this planning gives a foretaste of what is to come – the ride itself.
I enjoy seeing on peoples blogs, the routes that other people take, but I have one plea – please make them bigger so we can see the context. Very often the map is so zoomed in, we can see the detail, but we have no idea where in the particular country the route is. If needed, make two maps, some general and one detailed, and add them both to your blogs.
I have recently added to the bottom of my blog some big scale maps showing the overall routes I have taken on some of my recent rides. Will others do the same?
Studying a map and then making decisions about where to ride on a trip can be very rewarding and for some, this planning gives a foretaste of what is to come – the ride itself.
I enjoy seeing on peoples blogs, the routes that other people take, but I have one plea – please make them bigger so we can see the context. Very often the map is so zoomed in, we can see the detail, but we have no idea where in the particular country the route is. If needed, make two maps, some general and one detailed, and add them both to your blogs.
I have recently added to the bottom of my blog some big scale maps showing the overall routes I have taken on some of my recent rides. Will others do the same?
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Electric Motorcycles? I was shocked, but not literally.
Probably like me, you have at some point wondered what the future of motorcycling will be when the world can no longer afford the remaining petrol, or gas. It will be horrible, right? No longer will we be able to enjoy the wind rushing past us, the throaty sound of our engines, nor the feeling of exhilaration as we power around those bends. It will be a sad day when the freedom our bikes give us, will be gone.
The future can only be weak electric bikes with no character or potentially dangerous hydrogen-powered future craft. Ho hum.
At least, that’s what I thought.
WRONG!
I have just returned from a couple of weeks on holiday with the American side of my family (many of you will know that my wife Jackie is American) and this year we rented a house in Santa Cruz, California. While there, we did all the good touristy things like go to the boardwalk, rode the train at Roaring Camp and saw the Mystery Spot. But, I hadn’t been on a bike for a couple of weeks, so I took a look at the web to find something motorbike related I could go see.
I found an electric bike company based there called Zero Motorcycles, so I gave them a call and went to meetthem, and to go for a test ride.
With an idea that was formed in a Santa Cruz garage, the firm is now one of the world’s leading electric bike manufacturers. Zero saw that there was only one way for people to be convinced about their bikes. To use their own words “Since 2006, when the first prototypes were produced, Zero has invited motorcyclists to go for a ride. Some things are better experienced than explained”. I liked this approach and so after a quick tour of their facilities in hills of Santa Cruz, I went for a ride on an electric bike, for the first time.
I rode this S model....
I was given a quick explanation of the bikes controls and then Zero’s Service Manager, Matt Feinstein and I headed out for a test ride. It takes just a few minutes to get used to the bike. There are essentially just three main controls – throttle, front brake and rear brake, which are all pretty much the same as on a petrol-engined bike. There is no clutch, but one long gear, so no gear lever either for your left foot. It is pretty much twist and go, and oh boy, does it go!
Two things immediately struck me. The bike is almost totally silent and wow, it is just like riding a “normal” bike. The only noise you can hear is the wind, some tire noise and a slight noise from the electric motor, but the latter is very quiet indeed. The bike handled very well, the brakes were good and acceleration was a lot better than I thought it would be. Sure, it doesn’t have the initial grunt and low-down torque normally associated with bikes, but it wasn’t that far off. The bike handled just like any other and within just a few minutes, Matt had lead me down a section of freeway to get an idea of the speed (we were doing 70 mph) and then onto a twisty road to see how the machine handled the bends, which was very good indeed. Overall, I was surprised by just how good this bike was. We arrived back at the Zero premises and I had a huge grin on my face – it had been a blast!
Zero make a range of seven bikes... The Zero S, which was the street bike I rode, for normal urban street riding.....
The Zero DS, a street bike with on/off road capabilities, with longer suspension travel, slightly wider tires....
The Zero XU, which is more like a city commuter bike, including a removable power pack, so it can be charged in an apartment. This bike would be very easy for a complete novice to ride....
Then four dirt bikes, the first being the Zero X....
Then the same bike, but in street legal mode, with lights etc....
The bigger and more tuned Zero MX....
Finally, the same MX bike, but with lights etc making it street legal....
I found this Zero Motorcycles promotional video on the web.....
Range is obviously important on any bike and especially so on today’s electric bikes. The Zero street bikes do about 43 miles (of simulated urban riding) before needing to be charged, the commuter bike gets about 25 miles and the dirt bikes about 30-60 minutes of riding depending on how hard you twist the throttle. Speeds are just under 70 mph for the street bikes, 51 mph for the commuter bike and 53-57 mph for the dirt bikes. Batteries in all the bikes are Li-ion technology and the cost to charge the bikes is very cheap at $0.48 for the street bikes and $0.21 for the others.
I was told the cost of the bikes is between $7,500 for the smaller bikes to about $10,000 for the bigger versions.
For all electric bikes, the future is about improving the range and getting the battery charge times down. The launch of the Zero 2012 models will see street bikes with a range of about 100 miles, which isn’t too far away from some traditional engined bikes now. Present day charge times are about 4 hours for street bikes and 2 hours for the dirt bikes, which Zero hope to get down to about 40 minutes. That will make using future generation bikes as a replacement for petrol-engined bikes very possible, as a street bike with a 100 mile range that can be recharged in 40 minutes while eating lunch very realistic.
Thanks must go to Matt for taking me out for a ride and telling me about the company and the bikes, at short notice. He did a great job. This is Matt....
A couple of pictures of the Zero facilities. They were careful not to let me see the R&D department....
Finally, in the reception area was a Zero electric racing bike, which was entered into the TTX GP series for electric powered bikes....
Zero Motorcycles have an expanding dealer network. If you want to take a ride on one of these bikes yourself, check out their website.
Before I went to see Zero, I was worried about the future of motorcycling. What I found pleasantly shocked me.
I left there with the knowledge that the future of motorcycling would actually be quite good.
The future can only be weak electric bikes with no character or potentially dangerous hydrogen-powered future craft. Ho hum.
At least, that’s what I thought.
WRONG!
I have just returned from a couple of weeks on holiday with the American side of my family (many of you will know that my wife Jackie is American) and this year we rented a house in Santa Cruz, California. While there, we did all the good touristy things like go to the boardwalk, rode the train at Roaring Camp and saw the Mystery Spot. But, I hadn’t been on a bike for a couple of weeks, so I took a look at the web to find something motorbike related I could go see.
I found an electric bike company based there called Zero Motorcycles, so I gave them a call and went to meetthem, and to go for a test ride.
With an idea that was formed in a Santa Cruz garage, the firm is now one of the world’s leading electric bike manufacturers. Zero saw that there was only one way for people to be convinced about their bikes. To use their own words “Since 2006, when the first prototypes were produced, Zero has invited motorcyclists to go for a ride. Some things are better experienced than explained”. I liked this approach and so after a quick tour of their facilities in hills of Santa Cruz, I went for a ride on an electric bike, for the first time.
I rode this S model....
I was given a quick explanation of the bikes controls and then Zero’s Service Manager, Matt Feinstein and I headed out for a test ride. It takes just a few minutes to get used to the bike. There are essentially just three main controls – throttle, front brake and rear brake, which are all pretty much the same as on a petrol-engined bike. There is no clutch, but one long gear, so no gear lever either for your left foot. It is pretty much twist and go, and oh boy, does it go!
Two things immediately struck me. The bike is almost totally silent and wow, it is just like riding a “normal” bike. The only noise you can hear is the wind, some tire noise and a slight noise from the electric motor, but the latter is very quiet indeed. The bike handled very well, the brakes were good and acceleration was a lot better than I thought it would be. Sure, it doesn’t have the initial grunt and low-down torque normally associated with bikes, but it wasn’t that far off. The bike handled just like any other and within just a few minutes, Matt had lead me down a section of freeway to get an idea of the speed (we were doing 70 mph) and then onto a twisty road to see how the machine handled the bends, which was very good indeed. Overall, I was surprised by just how good this bike was. We arrived back at the Zero premises and I had a huge grin on my face – it had been a blast!
Zero make a range of seven bikes... The Zero S, which was the street bike I rode, for normal urban street riding.....
The Zero DS, a street bike with on/off road capabilities, with longer suspension travel, slightly wider tires....
The Zero XU, which is more like a city commuter bike, including a removable power pack, so it can be charged in an apartment. This bike would be very easy for a complete novice to ride....
Then four dirt bikes, the first being the Zero X....
Then the same bike, but in street legal mode, with lights etc....
The bigger and more tuned Zero MX....
Finally, the same MX bike, but with lights etc making it street legal....
I found this Zero Motorcycles promotional video on the web.....
Range is obviously important on any bike and especially so on today’s electric bikes. The Zero street bikes do about 43 miles (of simulated urban riding) before needing to be charged, the commuter bike gets about 25 miles and the dirt bikes about 30-60 minutes of riding depending on how hard you twist the throttle. Speeds are just under 70 mph for the street bikes, 51 mph for the commuter bike and 53-57 mph for the dirt bikes. Batteries in all the bikes are Li-ion technology and the cost to charge the bikes is very cheap at $0.48 for the street bikes and $0.21 for the others.
I was told the cost of the bikes is between $7,500 for the smaller bikes to about $10,000 for the bigger versions.
For all electric bikes, the future is about improving the range and getting the battery charge times down. The launch of the Zero 2012 models will see street bikes with a range of about 100 miles, which isn’t too far away from some traditional engined bikes now. Present day charge times are about 4 hours for street bikes and 2 hours for the dirt bikes, which Zero hope to get down to about 40 minutes. That will make using future generation bikes as a replacement for petrol-engined bikes very possible, as a street bike with a 100 mile range that can be recharged in 40 minutes while eating lunch very realistic.
Thanks must go to Matt for taking me out for a ride and telling me about the company and the bikes, at short notice. He did a great job. This is Matt....
A couple of pictures of the Zero facilities. They were careful not to let me see the R&D department....
Finally, in the reception area was a Zero electric racing bike, which was entered into the TTX GP series for electric powered bikes....
Zero Motorcycles have an expanding dealer network. If you want to take a ride on one of these bikes yourself, check out their website.
Before I went to see Zero, I was worried about the future of motorcycling. What I found pleasantly shocked me.
I left there with the knowledge that the future of motorcycling would actually be quite good.
Friday, 12 August 2011
Spain - The Final Frontier. Plus, Police use Scooters?
Concluding our trip in Spain, Paul and I soon reached the northern coast of Spain and prepared to get on board a ferry to take us back to the UK. The last few miles soon raced by as we went through the mountains to get to Bilbao, where the ferry port is located.
Before we arrived there, we had some terrific roads to ride on, set in spectacular scenery. We passed a lake with a very low water level....
We took roads that twisted through gaps in the mountains....
Here we had stopped to fix the GoPro video camera to my Harley-Davidson Road King while Paul checked his e-mails....
The gorge we rode through was very twisty and great fun. We came out the other end with big grins on our faces!....
We stayed the night in Hondarribia, which is right on the frontier between Spain and France. This was the view from the hotel, with Spain on this side of the river and France on the other. One could say, the final frontier we saw....
Hondarribia is in the Basque country in northern Spain and this region is an Autonomous Community within Spain. It has its own language and this is immediately noticeable with road signs being very different from the majority of Spain. We stayed once again in a Parador hotel which was a converted from a 10th century fortress castle. The hotel has thankfully retained many of the castle’s original features, including one wall left in its original rubble condition....
A main dining room....
A massive stone staircase....
The bar area....
Paul and I walked into the main part of the town which being a Friday, was packed with many families, friends and groups all out enjoying the evening and the start of the weekend. The atmosphere was terrific and very laid back. We noticed this scooter, which very unusually, was a police bike! I have never seen a scooter like this before....
The next day, our ferry didn’t leave until the evening, so the two of us took a ride into France, to the town of Biarritz. Being on the Atlantic Ocean, the waves are often good enough for surfing, in a pretty spectacular setting....
More views along the coast as we made our way to the ferry....
In Bilbao, we went to see the famous Guggenheim Museum, a contemporary art museum designed by Frank Gehry. The building is known as one of the most important pieces of modern architecture in the world and it is easy to see why....
We didn’t go inside the museum, for it was the building we came to see.
Interesting public art outside the museum....
A final shot of the two of us on this trip....
And one of our bikes, which had performed tirelessly and without fault....
On the way to the ferry, we had to cross a river by a ‘flying transporter bridge’. Capable of carrying just 6 cars (or 5 cars and our two bikes) the bridge is not really a bridge at all, but a cable car that you drive into, slung beneath a tall steel structure across the river. This picture is looking back at the structure....
Paul, sitting on his bike paying the bridge attendant for the crossing....
From our ferry leaving Spain....
It was on the ferry that I discovered I had left my laptop behind in the last hotel we stayed at and a quick phone call confirmed it had been found in my room, where I had left it. It was a relatively easy job to get it couriered back to me in London.
As the ferry arrived back in Portsmouth on the south coast of England, we saw a passenger-carrying hovercraft and we passed a huge aircraft carrier, moored in the navy dockyard....
Paul and I had enjoyed an excellent motorbike tour of Spain. We had seen a great deal of the country, mainly from back-roads. It is a huge and fascinating place, full of history and character. We had travelled 2,659 miles / 4,279 kms and learned much of the way of life in many parts of Spain that the tourists rarely see. We had seen glorious weather and had only been rained on for about 30 seconds, just before leaving England.
As ever, Paul is a tremendous riding partner and we cheerfully waved each other farewell as we headed back to our own homes and our wives late on a Sunday night.
A few pointers about motorcycle touring in Spain....
Before we arrived there, we had some terrific roads to ride on, set in spectacular scenery. We passed a lake with a very low water level....
We took roads that twisted through gaps in the mountains....
Here we had stopped to fix the GoPro video camera to my Harley-Davidson Road King while Paul checked his e-mails....
The gorge we rode through was very twisty and great fun. We came out the other end with big grins on our faces!....
Stopping for lunch on the northern coast of Spain, we had an exceptional view....
We stayed the night in Hondarribia, which is right on the frontier between Spain and France. This was the view from the hotel, with Spain on this side of the river and France on the other. One could say, the final frontier we saw....
Hondarribia is in the Basque country in northern Spain and this region is an Autonomous Community within Spain. It has its own language and this is immediately noticeable with road signs being very different from the majority of Spain. We stayed once again in a Parador hotel which was a converted from a 10th century fortress castle. The hotel has thankfully retained many of the castle’s original features, including one wall left in its original rubble condition....
A main dining room....
A massive stone staircase....
The bar area....
Paul and I walked into the main part of the town which being a Friday, was packed with many families, friends and groups all out enjoying the evening and the start of the weekend. The atmosphere was terrific and very laid back. We noticed this scooter, which very unusually, was a police bike! I have never seen a scooter like this before....
The next day, our ferry didn’t leave until the evening, so the two of us took a ride into France, to the town of Biarritz. Being on the Atlantic Ocean, the waves are often good enough for surfing, in a pretty spectacular setting....
More views along the coast as we made our way to the ferry....
In Bilbao, we went to see the famous Guggenheim Museum, a contemporary art museum designed by Frank Gehry. The building is known as one of the most important pieces of modern architecture in the world and it is easy to see why....
We didn’t go inside the museum, for it was the building we came to see.
Interesting public art outside the museum....
A final shot of the two of us on this trip....
And one of our bikes, which had performed tirelessly and without fault....
On the way to the ferry, we had to cross a river by a ‘flying transporter bridge’. Capable of carrying just 6 cars (or 5 cars and our two bikes) the bridge is not really a bridge at all, but a cable car that you drive into, slung beneath a tall steel structure across the river. This picture is looking back at the structure....
Paul, sitting on his bike paying the bridge attendant for the crossing....
From our ferry leaving Spain....
It was on the ferry that I discovered I had left my laptop behind in the last hotel we stayed at and a quick phone call confirmed it had been found in my room, where I had left it. It was a relatively easy job to get it couriered back to me in London.
As the ferry arrived back in Portsmouth on the south coast of England, we saw a passenger-carrying hovercraft and we passed a huge aircraft carrier, moored in the navy dockyard....
Paul and I had enjoyed an excellent motorbike tour of Spain. We had seen a great deal of the country, mainly from back-roads. It is a huge and fascinating place, full of history and character. We had travelled 2,659 miles / 4,279 kms and learned much of the way of life in many parts of Spain that the tourists rarely see. We had seen glorious weather and had only been rained on for about 30 seconds, just before leaving England.
As ever, Paul is a tremendous riding partner and we cheerfully waved each other farewell as we headed back to our own homes and our wives late on a Sunday night.
A few pointers about motorcycle touring in Spain....
- The roads are of a very good quality
- Beware of people walking on the roads, where very often there are no pavements / sidewalks
- Away from the motorways and the main roads, there is almost no traffic
- Away from the motorways, there are very few places to stay the night. Hotels and campsites are few and far between, so book ahead.
- Away from motorways and especially on the back-roads, take every opportunity to fill up with fuel, especially on Sundays. Fuel filling is nearly always done by an attendant.
- Beware of the lunchtime drinking culture, even by drivers. While we didn’t experience any problems at all, we did see many drivers (including truck rivers) drinking alcohol in the cafes and bars we stopped in for lunch
- It can get very hot in July and August. Drink a lot and wear sun screen
- Few restaurants serve dinner at night before 2030. Many don’t open until then.
- Plan your motorbike ride to pass through mountain areas. The roads there are fantastic!
- Away from the coast, very few people speak anything but Spanish, but this is okay. Learn 10 Spanish words and everyone will try to help you!
Sunday, 7 August 2011
This Blew Me Away....
Just occasionally you find something that completely blows you away.
Depending on what you are like, that might be a painting, a beautiful woman or man, a sunset, a landscape or just about anything that is stunning.
In the final few days of our motorcycle trip across Spain, Paul and I found a city called Ávila that was truly amazing because of the medieval wall built around it.
At the top of a nearby hill, we climbed off our bikes and just stood and looked at the amazing sight of the city before us. It blew me away....
(if you have never double-clicked on a blog photo before, now is the time)......
A short un-edited video overlooking the city....
The medieval wall surrounds the whole city and is about 40 feet or 12 metres high. There are 88 of the semi-circular towers built into the wall....
Ávila dates back to the 5th century BC, when it was inhabited by The Vettones who were one of the pre-Roman Celtic peoples of the Iberian Peninsula. The main wall surrounding the city was started in 1090.
The city also contains a high number of Roman and Gothic churches, one of which is extraordinary. The main Cathedral took 300 years to build between the 12th and 15th centuries. It contains a mixture of designs, reflecting the change in styles over the period of it's construction. This is the main entrance facade....
Just inside the entrance is a wooden model of the Cathedral, which was helpful to get an overview of the complex shape and sizes of its various parts....
The symmetry of the stone ceilings cannot fail to impress....
The scale of the interior is very impressive....
There is a stone screen that divides one part of the Cathedral from the main altar. The carving on the screen is exquisite and took 12 stonemasons five years to complete....
A book of songs, from the 5th century....
Ávila is a truly amazing place and we walked around the myriad of small narrow streets just looking at the incredible buildings and places to see. What a place this is....
Even though we returned from Spain a few weeks ago, I wanted to include a couple of final posts of that trip. I am so behind in my blogging!
Depending on what you are like, that might be a painting, a beautiful woman or man, a sunset, a landscape or just about anything that is stunning.
In the final few days of our motorcycle trip across Spain, Paul and I found a city called Ávila that was truly amazing because of the medieval wall built around it.
At the top of a nearby hill, we climbed off our bikes and just stood and looked at the amazing sight of the city before us. It blew me away....
(if you have never double-clicked on a blog photo before, now is the time)......
A short un-edited video overlooking the city....
The medieval wall surrounds the whole city and is about 40 feet or 12 metres high. There are 88 of the semi-circular towers built into the wall....
Ávila dates back to the 5th century BC, when it was inhabited by The Vettones who were one of the pre-Roman Celtic peoples of the Iberian Peninsula. The main wall surrounding the city was started in 1090.
The city also contains a high number of Roman and Gothic churches, one of which is extraordinary. The main Cathedral took 300 years to build between the 12th and 15th centuries. It contains a mixture of designs, reflecting the change in styles over the period of it's construction. This is the main entrance facade....
Just inside the entrance is a wooden model of the Cathedral, which was helpful to get an overview of the complex shape and sizes of its various parts....
The symmetry of the stone ceilings cannot fail to impress....
The scale of the interior is very impressive....
There is a stone screen that divides one part of the Cathedral from the main altar. The carving on the screen is exquisite and took 12 stonemasons five years to complete....
A book of songs, from the 5th century....
Ávila is a truly amazing place and we walked around the myriad of small narrow streets just looking at the incredible buildings and places to see. What a place this is....
Even though we returned from Spain a few weeks ago, I wanted to include a couple of final posts of that trip. I am so behind in my blogging!
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