McPint gets back on two wheels
McGuinness heads out to enjoy some socially-distanced miles
I’m hoping to get a Ninja 1000SX soon, but I don’t have it yet so I got out on my Africa Twin last week which I’ve really enjoyed. I haven’t ridden on the road and the bike hasn’t been started since I broke my leg in 2016. I had to put a new battery on it, but that was it.
It felt weird to get out on a bike – something with a bit of power between your legs. I rode on some of my old favourite roads and yeah I stretched its legs a little bit, but not to the point where I was doing anything silly. I adhere to the rules in 30mph and 40mph zones, I always have
‘WE HAVE TO TAKE IT EASY AND TRY NOT TO BE A TW*T’
done to be honest. Even on a bike like the Africa Twin you forget how quickly you can pick up speed. But there are a couple of roads near me where you can literally see for ¼, ½ mile so you know there are no cyclists or anything coming. And while I am miles and miles away from where I would be if I was racing and miles away from the limits of the bike – I’m covering ground and it feels good.
We’ve been speaking a lot about riding again and it was good to do it, but none of us have done it for a while, so take it easy and try not to be a twat! I also got out on the motocross bike. Everyone had to park away from each other and you had to pay online, so no paper money was changing hands. It was essentially a private hire that Davey Todd organised. I tell you what I really, really enjoyed it – I needed it. It was the first time I’ve ridden properly since the lockdown. It rained a lot so it was heavy going to start with, but by the end the track was mint. I felt a bit stiff the next day, but it was so good – because it was a bit slippery it made it quite technical and that means you really have to think about how you’re riding.