RiDE July 2021

‘A chance to enjoy your bike in pleasure and solitude’ Now summer is finally here and we’re staring down the barrel of Covid restrictions being lifted, it looks like we’ve got a wonderful season of riding in front of us. For me, that means making up for all the lost riding of 14 months or so – and I’m sure that you feel the same. With this in mind, we’ve pulled together our guide to Britain’s best B-roads. With fewer foreign breaks and more people holidaying in the UK than ever before, hopefully the roads and routes we’ve included will at least give you a fighting chance of enjoying your bike jam-free and in pleasure and solitude. They’ll also give you an opportunity to bask in some of the most stunning parts…

Tighnabruaich, Argyll and Bute Here is a picture from a rather different viewpoint of our first proper day out since Covid restrictions eased; as you can see, we were all having a great time. There is Kenny and my Triumph Tiger 1200s and Ian’s Suzuki V-Strom with the view in the background the Kyles of Bute. The picture was taken at the viewpoint on the road to Tighnabruaich. Danny McKenna Get your bike in RiDE & win a BikeTrac system Each month the Star Picture will win a BikeTrac security tracker with a year’s BikeTrac subscription. As well as helping recover your bike if it is nicked, it logs journeys and gives live battery voltage information, too. How to send us your photos Email your most inspirational biking photos to us at ride@ride.co.uk with ‘Your Rides’…

Been somewhere inspirational? Ridden an amazing road? Email ride@ride.co.uk to tell us about your trip and your bike Killyleagh Castle, County Down With lockdown lifting in Northern Ireland, it was time to get out and about again. This is my Tiger 1200 outside Killyleagh Castle, which is simply stunning on a sunny spring day. Damian McAfee Isle of Skye I have just come back from an awesome road trip to the Isle of Skye on my Tracer. As you can see, I camped rather than stayed in hotels. The ferry to Mallaig was great but the ride back across the bridge from Skye and the A87 home was awesome! Marc Egan Cheddar Gorge, Somerset Here is me and my mate Pete May in the Cheddar Gorge during a tour of the Cotswolds area on our BMW G650GSs, which…

THE STORY OF Japan’s rise to motorcycle dominance and the hubris of British brands that led to their simultaneous decline has become motorcycle folklore – but are riders who dismiss Chinese bikes today making the same mistake? It’s looking possible, with a growing army of increasingly convincing, large-capacity bikes emerging from China, all with worldwide sales success in their sights. CFMOTO CFMOTO has been selling bikes, including its 650cc twins in the UK for years, and its next generation of machines look like another step forward. This year we’ll be getting the 700CL-X retro twin, featuring a 692cc, 74bhp derivative of the company’s existing twin. But that’s just the start, as the company has also forged a close partnership with KTM that is giving CFMOTO access to the Austrian firm’s engineering know-how. CFMOTO already…

While depreciation might be high in percentage terms, it might not be that bad in actual cash value. Lexmoto, for instance, has a large dealer network and its LXR125 sportsbike regularly appears in best-seller lists. Brand new, the LXR125’s list price is £2599, and a scan of the classifieds shows a year-old example will be around £2000, and a two-year-old bike is about £1600. While that means depreciation is running at about 40% in two years, in actual monetary terms that’s £1000. In comparison, a Yamaha YZF-R125 has an RRP of £4800 and it’s easy to find two-year-old examples for £3500. That’s depreciation of less than 30% but works out at £1300 in total.…

‘Parts we need are delivered the next day’ KEITH CLARKSON “I run a training school and use 125cc Lexmotos and they have definitely got better over the years. At the moment, we have two Lexmoto Tempests, an Urban 125 scooter and a Diabolo 125 scooter. We like them because we have a good relationship with the local dealer and any parts we need are normally delivered next day. We can get two bikes for not far off the same price as one, over-priced Japanese bike.” ‘Dealers were not interested as a trade-in’ SIMON LONG “Six years ago my first bike was a Lifan Mirage. I ran it for a year, then did my test and bought a Versys 650, before trading it for my MT-09 Tracer. I couldn’t find a good second-hand Japanese bike locally,…