This motorcycle blog tells my story as a biker in London, from learning to ride to now a seasoned city commuter and lover of motorcycle adventures further afield.
Read on and watch my videos about the lessons I’ve learnt, tips I’ve picked up, reviews of my kit and stories of amazing rides around the globe.
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Things have been a bit quiet around here. Life continues to throw curves at me, and I’ve been doing my darnedest to lean into them. However, this year I’ve been seriously floored and at my lowest. I thought last year losing my Dad was life-changing, but this year has completely turned my life upside down; everything has changed, everything I once loved shattered.
Nonetheless, I keep riding. I might not shout about it, or post lots of inspirational photos and videos, but I’m still out there riding. Sometimes, you just have to get out and ride to escape the shit you’re dealing with. When your head is a mess and the black dog threatens to smother you, a long ride can be all that keeps you sane.
But panic not, I’ve a good network of supportive family and friends, I’m using professional help, I’m staying healthy, and I hardly drink anymore. This curve may have me at my limit, but I’m leaning right over into it, my sights are laser-focused on the exit, ready to pin the throttle and leave all this shit way behind.
Getting sent on a work trip to exhibit at a tradeshow can sometimes be a chore. But when the trip is to California, and there’s an opportunity to tag a few days’ holiday on the end, it can be a real bonus. So, after a busy week working the show in San Diego, I took the chance to rent a Harley Davidson from Eagle Rider and explore the surrounding areas of Palm Springs and the Joshua Tree National Park.
My plan was as follows:
Riding a motorcycle through a busy city can be thrilling. The ability to weave through traffic and the freedom that comes with two wheels makes urban motorcycling a popular choice, particularly for commuters. However, city riding is also one of the riskiest environments for motorcyclists. Whether it’s unpredictable drivers or poor road conditions, the urban landscape presents a wide range of hidden dangers that riders must be prepared to face.
The 2025 Ducati Panigale V4 is more than just a motorcycle—it’s a statement. Built for speed, engineered for precision, and styled to turn heads, it stands at the top of Ducati’s performance lineup. But even a bike this refined leaves room for one more crucial upgrade: personalization.
If you want to go beyond factory styling and truly make your Panigale V4 your own, custom stickers for motorcycles offer a high-impact, low-effort way to do it. Vulturbike.com is known worldwide for producing high-quality, model-specific graphics that give your fairings a custom look—almost as if they were professionally painted.
This latest version of the Panigale V4 delivers performance and design upgrades aimed at riders who demand more. Sleeker aerodynamics, refined electronics, and improved chassis tuning push the rideability and control even further. The engine—the same 1,103 cc Desmosedici Stradale powerhouse—now feels smoother and more connected, thanks to updated ride modes and a more intuitive interface.
It’s a bike built for speed but engineered for precision. And while it’s visually stunning right out of the showroom, there’s still space to make it match your personal style.
2024 has been a tough year for me and downright shit at times. I’m woefully overdue for some decent motorcycle therapy and a good adventure, something to look forward to and bring back some positivity and saddle time.
My work has roped me into doing a tradeshow in San Diego at the end of January. It’ll be a crazy few days, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to take a couple of extra days to rent a bike and explore more of California. The last time I had such a chance was way back in 2019, pre-covid when I rented a Yamaha Super Ténéré to explore Yosemite National Park, which all seems a lifetime ago. It’s high time I booked another Californian biking adventure, a chance to explore the South of the state I’ve not ridden yet.
The decent folks at EagleRider had some great winter discounts on offer, though their San Diego shop only had Harley Davidson’s available to rent. Not my first choice of bike, but having done a couple of Harley Davidson rentals in the past, I know they can be a good laugh and are great for some chilled-out touring. I’ve gone for the Road Glide, a big bagger with fixed front fairing, as EagleRider had reduced all their Hogs to the same price, so no reason not to try one of the bigger models!
Things have been a bit quiet with Beginner Biker Adventures recently, as you may have seen on my occasional Insta, I’ve had to pause things to deal with family. Last summer out of the blue, my Dad was diagnosed with stage-4 oesophageal cancer and a pretty crap prognosis.
Cue 12 months of the family rallying around to provide care and support my Dad, through palliative chemo with its ups and downs. It was a tough battle with only one endpoint. But that didn’t stop my Dad from fighting, out of sheer stubbornness, tenacity and refusal to give up – an attitude he lived by. I count our blessing that at the very end, he was comfortable, in no pain and with his family by his side. These moments stay with you.
We all miss my Dad terribly and are still adjusting to life with the gap left behind. To repeat a quote from his funeral from a song that meant a lot to him:
Breathe, breathe in the air.
Don’t be afraid to care.
Leave but don’t leave me.
Look around and choose your own ground.Long you live and high you fly
And smiles you’ll give and tears you’ll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be.
– Breathe, Pink Floyd (Waters, Gilmour, Wright)
Take it easy folks, take care of those close to you, and make the most of every day. Life is short and who knows what tomorrow may bring. I’ll be back soon, after a good measure of riding and motorcycle therapy. Ride safe!
Donate to Cancer Research UK here.
A while ago I reviewed the MotoRadds motorcycle helmet mount GoPro, which has worked well. However, sticking anything to your helmet will add weight, not least a GoPro and mount. Recently MotoRadds got in touch and asked me to review their latest Flex Slim GoPro helmet chin mount. Promising to be a lighter-weight version, I was eager to see how it faired.
Upon opening the MotoRadds FLEX Slim GoPro motorcycle helmet mount, it is clearly a more cut-down offering. Most crucially it no longer has a standard GoPro slide-in mount, rather just the triple brackets to bolt the GoPro directly too. This negates the need for the GoPro slide-in bracket reducing size and weight. On the scales the Flex Slim weighs in at just 34g (including thumb bolt). Compared to the older MotoRadds mount, which weighs 25g, but then needs 23g of GoPro slide-in mount and thumb bolt.
The next key difference is the older models’ hinged arms which allow it to fold around your helmet’s profile, have been replaced with flexible arms that you bend as needed. These provide more flexibility with moulding the mount around the contours of your helmet. You’re still going to need a fairly rounded helmet chin, my Shoei Neotec works fine, but a pointy helmet like some of the AGVs would not suit.
Motorcycles are more than just a means of transportation. They represent a lifestyle, a unique way to connect with the world, and a brotherhood that broadens horizons with every mile travelled.
However, like everything in life, riding a motorbike also carries risks. Motorcyclists are much more prone to road accidents and, therefore, need to be more attentive to their surroundings and know what to do in case of an unexpected event.
Learn more about the joys of motorcycling and the basic precautions to take if you suffer an accident.
Taking the plunge and investing in your own motorbike would be a major milestone if you are a motorcycling enthusiast. It represents a great opportunity to experience amazing freedom, zip across the country with the wind in your hair, and invest in a method of transport that may “tie you down” to a lesser extent financially than a larger car or van.
The world of motorcycles is fast-paced and ever-changing, and every year sees the unveiling of a host of new models, designs, and technology.
But what are some of the hottest bikes to watch in 2023? We took a closer look; get ready for some amazing inspiration, as well as some serious motorbike envy!
“We’re in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it’s all gone. ”
― Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
