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Red Kite 2022 - A new era in my motorcycle life

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This post is ostensibly about the Red Kite Rally 2022, which is my first rally for a few years, but it's also about a new era in my motorcycle life, a big change after 22 years, which I will come to in due course.  I had last went to Red Kite, run by Moto Guzzi Club GB, a year or two before Covid hit the world (2018 I think). I had been attracted to the great location near Hay On Wye, surrounded by good biking roads and the very good facilities. On that occasion, I had ridden up on the Saturday and home on the Sunday, having left work in London Friday late and stayed in a YHA near Goring that night. Then I had bike trouble....so yeah got there late on Saturday but enjoyed my short time there.  This time I was doing it properly, riding up on Friday from here in Devon, and then going to Cheddar Sunday afternoon so that I could ride the Gorge road, which I have never done. Naturally packing was done Friday morning...as I worked late until 9 the night before...but the ride up was OK an
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Solo Single Touring Part 4 - home again and a changed person

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                                                        Home again - tired but happy!    Next day, I feel 100% and ready to set out on the next bit of the trip; back up the south coast towards Ulladulla, or around there. Depends on how tired I feel as to where I'll stay, I only have to please myself!  Ha I have remembered the name of the Italian girl I fancied; Paola!!! She was lovely  Her and I say goodbye with a kiss and a hug, and then I set off up the road into a light misty rain. These are roads that I have ridden down the other way at the start of my trip. The roads might be the same but I am not. I have gained a huge sense of self confidence, learned to enjoy my bike a lot more, the joys of just sitting in the middle of nowhere looking at a view, and enjoying a bit of solitude. And I'm also better at talking to strangers, less nervous and more open. Chugging on back up Highway 1 takes a fair bit of the day, and I'm taking it easy anyway, the roads are a bit greasy an
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Solo single touring part 3 - From the mountains to the sea..

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  Woke up in the youth hostel in Bright, and to be honest I didn't really want to leave the place but I knew I had to just keep on movin' as per Jack Kerouc but minus the women, booze, drugs and travelling companion.  A fter a good breakfast I'm on the way and turn off onto the Tawonga Road. This was a fantastically wiggly road; I could not average much more than 35mph or so. If you have the time check it out on multimap.com / Google Maps Just go to Australia and then enter Tawonga on the town search. There are leaves and bits of bark on the road, the trees are gargantuan on either side, the air is clear. After I while I get to Tawonga and turn left on the Kiewa Valley Highway. This road leads me slowly out of the mountains and into merely hilly country, instead of forests its now more farming country. There are some quite fast bits on this road so I push it up a bit and the SRX keeps it's part of the deal to make it fun. I wonder how much petrol I have left?? Hmm fille
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Solo Single Touring Part 2 - The Alpine Road

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                                                                        The B500 - The Alpine Road Yesterday I travelled a mere 372 kilometres, but I was tired enough and slept like a log. I was awoken by the lovely sounds of CHAINSAWS hacking through something at about 7AM. Had a shower and ate a good brekky, then loaded up and went to find petrol. At the petrol station I met a man from the National Parks & Wildlife service, and told him where I intended to go. He said "mate I would not do that on a motorbike", but when I asked him as to why not he wouldn't explain it! Oh well. I filled up and then set off in pretty fair weather for a place called Nowa Nowa, where the plan was to take a weeny small road over towards Bruthen, and from there strike north into "the soft underbelly" of the Alps. Everything went fine until I got to Nowa Nowa, I was humming along enjoying myself, and then just out of Nowa Nowa there were road works. At the first one I missed a bi
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