A few of us were meant to go to to the Brightona bike meeting, but our plans were spoiled by the uncooperative weather. Early Sunday morning saw heavy rain and we just didn't feel like starting out on a 100+ mile journey when it was raining cats and dogs.
My friend Alex was keen however to get some miles put on his brand-new BMWK1600GT which was just a week old. We decided therefore to ride down to the Ace Cafe where the was a Vincent and Velocette day being held, and then on to the London Motorcycle Museum.
Waiting until the rain had passed, we set out on wet roads, with Both of us being careful - Alex was riding his new bike for the first time in the wet and I was on my red custom bike, which is not the best bike to ride on wet roads!
I did like the look of Alex's new bike....
We used both fast roads and slow, given the bikes a good workout in different conditions. The BMW was a class act at speed and obviously handled very well. It is a wide bike to ride in traffic though and lane-splitting the stationary vehicles!
Like most bikers, I love looking at old bikes, especially those that are in excellent condition. There were a few examples of great-looking Vincents and Velocettes sitting in front of the Ace....
This Vincent was a dream bike....
Beautiful engineering on the Vincent....
What a lovely pair....
And for the sidecar fans, you can drool over this.... Wouldn't it be wonderful riding this on winding country roads....
A great few hours riding and we stayed dry!
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12 comments:
I think most of us would agree, Old bikes are a work of art in themselves.
Those BMW's sure are big bikes, there was one in the show room when I was buying my GS, most impressive. Syill noty sure how they would be on our tight narrow and twisty bumpy roads.....pewrhaps one day I will give it a go!
i love the look of that bmw, its setup seems quite nice. no wonder those are the long distance riding champs of bikes...
Like Roger, I think those Beemers are pretty darned big. Impressive engineering, but not for me. Would sooner have a Cobra replica or a hot MX 5 when it gets to that level :-)
Thanks for the pure bike porn photos Gary, they're exquisite. A friend I went to engineering school with had a Thruxton Velo and us mere mortals on 500 Triumphs always seethed with envy!
Nice photos. I'm glad your friend was able to put some miles on his new bike. Having a new bike and not being able to put it through its paces, now that is some agony.
Thanks for the share.
I would like to park my Bike at the Ace Cafe and just hang out
Very nice, very nice indeed. Looks like you found a great way to spend the day despite the poor weather beginning.
Very nice set of photos Gary, thanks for posting them....of course I liked the sidecar rig the best. : )
dom
Redleg's Rides
Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner
Gary: I like to stare at old machinery but not being a mechanic I would not own one. We have nothing to compare to an Ace Cafe over here. You were so brave to ride your Red bike in the rain
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Roger – I could stand and look at old bikes all day. Yes to the BMW tourer being big. My friend Paul has one as well and he didn’t seem to have too much trouble on the twisty roads when we rode together in Spain.
mq01- I agree, they are no doubt very good for touring, but I just wish they had a bit more character. Efficient and brilliant engineering, yes, but dare I sat it, also a little boring...?
Geoff – I am 100% with you on the Cobra! I can see why you were envious of the Thruxton Velocette.
Circle Blue – I agree, that would be agony.
No Name – Going to the Ace Cafe and hanging out is one of my favourite biking pastimes....
Trobairitz – It was actually better than I showed. We also went to the London Motorcycle Museum to drool over even more old bikes!
Charlie6 – You were one of the sidecars fans I had in mind when I posted that picture. LOL.
Bob – I know what you mean about needing to be a mechanic if you had one of those old bikes. Maybe I should open an Ace Cafe somewhere in the US or Canada....?
BMW is still a great machine, anyway, This is a great blog, lots of cool photos.
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Ayasha Kieth – Thanks for looking at my blog. BMW do make great machines, but I wouldn’t get one. I like something with a little more character.
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