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I’m not a big fan of music in your helmet, or of being able to take and make phone calls when riding. I like the solitude of the journey. Alone, inside your own head as a kind of meditative exercise, interspersed with repeated singing of the same song verses.

A 570 mile 12 hour jaunt down the east coast, on the new BMW R18 (picture, left, two days later in Northamptonshire) gave me lots of time to think. Here’s what I remember…

» 1 (Romping south from John o’ Groats to Inverness) Isn’t Scotland a fantastic place to ride a motorcycle. Amazing scenery, great roads, hospitality (even in Covid times) and haggis. I definitely need to get back again. Soon. But, given that all this is on our doorstep, how come so many used bikes have done so few miles? Why don’t they get ridden?

» 2 (Drifting down the A9) As the big BM inched past a Ducati Monster and a Guzzi V7, I pondered why the retro bike is such a big deal now. Maybe an acknowledgement that motorcycling’s image was made in the past, but also perhaps the image they convey is more engaging.

» 3 (On the M90, M8, A720 around Edinburgh) There’s nothing new; I travelled in company with an old V-max. Riding position looked pretty similar to the R18.

» 4 (On A7, A68) It ain’t what you ride… From Galashiels I was briefly in company with a fat tyred H-D with camo clad rider that I only saw the back of. Fair play to you sir.

» 5 (On the A68) Near Otterburn I encountered a mixed group of six bikes. Adventure bikes, sportsbikes and nakeds, all riding together. Everyone seems to be happy jumping from one style of bike to another. Bonnies are out with R1s.

» 6 (On the A1) Isn’t the extraordinary diversity and excellence of the bike market amazing. KTM 890 Duke R, BMW R18, Triumph Tiger 900. All flippin’ amazing pieces of technology and all, for what they are, amazingly affordable. Of course the downside of being alone inside your helmet is that you forget 99% of what you thought about, but at least that spares you my genius concepts for space travel and the list of things I need to do next week.

Enjoy the issue