I began riding pillion over 2 years ago, with my partner of 13 years. Finally, after all this time, we went to visit my family on the back of the bike. I was nervous about it – it felt like introducing a new boyfriend to them. Sure, they’ve known about ‘us’ for some time, but… [Read More]
How hot is too hot?
Harking back to a previous post (“How cold is too cold?“) this crazy Sydney weather just can’t make up its mind. Here we are at the October long weekend – first weekend in October, only 1 month into Spring – and it should be the perfect time of year for riding. We, along with thousands… [Read More]
A quick sprint between Sydney storms
Here we are on ANZAC Day, 2015, marking the 100 year anniversary of that fateful landing at Gallipoli. One year ago today we cancelled a planned ride to the Blue Mountains due to poor weather and visibility (although we still drove up there by car and Zorro made a motza on the 2-Up floor, which… [Read More]
An Ode to Autumn
[A side note from the Pillion Passionista: I know it seems like I’ve lost 2 whole seasons, with no posts published since Winter 2014. Rest assured that we have been riding. And that I have been blogging. Just not as much as I’d hoped, on either account…! There are a bunch of partially-written posts sitting… [Read More]
Well, I can dream about it…
It’s been wet all weekend. Good news for the farmers. Not so good for riders… I’d be quite happy if we had a long El Nino weather pattern (sorry farmers), but the forecasters are saying it looks like it might not stick around. Meanwhile, the new K1300S is sitting neglected in the garage. As it… [Read More]
Kabuto through the ages
We spent this weekend in Melbourne. Unfortunately that meant missing a gorgeous weekend in Sydney, with 21C and sunshine. It would have been ideal for riding… Melbourne in August is pretty chilly, but we had good weather really. It was at least 6 degrees cooler than Sydney, but we did see some sun, and managed… [Read More]
The K1300S: A Pillion’s Perspective
Now that we’re back to being a one-bike household (yes, Zorro’s S1000 has been sold…) and I’ve almost forgotten how that little diamond-cut seat used to feel, it’s time to declare my verdict on the new beast. I call it a beast, because at 254 kgs, the BMW K1300S is 50 kgs heavier than the S1000. It’s… [Read More]
First road-trip on the new bike
Finally, Zorro has picked up the new bike (a BMW K1300S) and we’re taking it out together for our first ever weekend ‘road-trip’. Zorro has already put 500kms on the clock, riding solo. And he’s already fallen in love with it. Hopefully I will feel the same… We made last-minute plans to head to the… [Read More]
How cold is too cold?
Zorro was hoping to get the new bike last week. And he was keen to go on a long ride asap. “Let’s go to Mudgee”, he said. “But it’s the middle of Winter”, I moaned. “Ha, we’ll just rug up,” he says. “Besides, the new bike has heated hand grips.” Yeah, good for the rider…. [Read More]
Test-riding the new bike
Saturday, June 28: today was the big test. The test ride, that is. Zorro and I took a BMW K1300S for a test ride from Procycles at Hornsby. I hopped off the S1000RR to immediately admire the difference in seat-size of the K1300S sitting in the showroom while Zorro filled out paperwork. The seat certainly… [Read More]
We’re going to need a bigger bike…
Yes, folks, things are getting serious. Zorro has decided to sell his much-loved S1000RR to get a bigger bike. Well, a bike with a bigger pillion seat that is. That’s right: a bike to suit my butt. A bike for me. I’m feeling the weight of this decision. It means I’m Committed. With a capital… [Read More]
7 things I love being on the back of a bike
I’ve been reflecting lately on what I enjoy about going riding. Sometimes I ponder it while sitting in front of an empty blog post, but more often when I’m actually on the back of the bike. Here I am partaking in an activity that I’d deliberately avoided for many years. And no longer is it just… [Read More]
TGIM – Thank God It’s Monday
Bad weather, late boozy nights and a bunch of outstanding chores all combined to prevent us getting out on the road on the weekend. So I was pretty happy that Zorro’s work had decreed the Monday to be a corporate ‘picnic day’. Especially when the day dawned clear and crisp. Autumn is definitely making itself felt in… [Read More]
Two-up of another kind
Sadly, the stunning weather from Easter didn’t last through to the following weekend (another long one). ANZAC day dawned wet and our planned ride up to Mt Victoria fell through. We drove the car instead, in convoy with some other bike friends. The winding journey up Bells Line of Road is a favourite with bikers… [Read More]
Two days of two-up
After so much recent rain, the Easter weekend in Sydney this year was – incredibly – beautifully sunny, warm and dry. Perfect weather for riding. We’d made plans to go for a ride with some friends on the Monday plus had quite a few non-bike activities planned for the break. By Saturday night I found… [Read More]
Just a matter of luck?
Zorro has been overseas this week, and the weather in Sydney has turned cool and wet anyway. Not my idea of motorcycle weather. So far we have been lucky to not get rain while we’ve been out riding, and I know that luck will eventually run out. Speaking of luck running out… I know everyone… [Read More]
Escape to Mangrove Mountain
Sunday was another perfect day for a ride with friends – also two-up. We again did the “run up the Old Road” for brekky at Road Warriors and then continued on. The Route: At the Calga intersection we turned right and did the loop around through Somersby and Peats Ridge, then up to Mangrove Mountain. This… [Read More]
Two-way talk when Two-up
Zorro and I aren’t always the best at good, clear communications. We are good at blaming each other for misunderstanding. When we’re on the bike and competing with the noise of the engine, wind and tyres – and through impenetrable helmets – communications can be, well, interesting… We started out with the best intentions and the aim of… [Read More]
Mixing it up with a multistrada
We were invited to stay down the coast at Coledale with some friends for the weekend. This was my first ‘overnight’ ride and I was fretting about how much (or little!) I could pack into the very small panniers on the S1000. As luck would have it, a friend offered us the use of his Ducati… [Read More]
Too hot for you?
It’s been a very “Indian Summer” in Sydney and March has been easily as warm as February. We didn’t decide ’til mid-morning to head out for a ride, and by then it was already edging 26C. Not being too sure if we’d get too hot, I suggested we head up the northern beaches for a… [Read More]
Getting my gear on
Now that I’ve been out a whole 2 times, Zorro is convinced this is gonna be a regular new pastime for us. Being super safety conscious, he suggested it was time to get geared up correctly. I have my Kabuto helmet (see my first post) but the rest isn’t proper bike gear. Yay, time for some retail… [Read More]
A quick rap up ‘the old road’
Any Sydney motorbike rider who’s ever headed North of the Harbour Bridge would know about “the old road”. It’s how the locals refer to the Old Pacific Highway, which many moons ago was the Pacific Highway – the only route up to Gosford and Newcastle. Much of it is single lane as it winds around… [Read More]
A different kind of riding
No motorbike riding this week. Instead we were holidaying on beautiful but tiny Lord Howe Island, about 500 kms off the coast of NSW. There are only about 20 cars on the island, and the speed limit is 25kph. Not that it prevented one of the young local family lads from wrapping himself around a… [Read More]
Our first ride – West Head views on a Sunday
The time has come for our first ride together. Riding attire: I’m all kitted up. Kind of. I’ve got my brand spanking new helmet and teamed it up with a pair of jeans (ok, so they’re Armani), a leather jacket (admittedly, it’s only a dress jacket, but it zips up the front and sits hip-length),… [Read More]
Where it all began – with the Head
My other half has been motorbike-mad for some years now, and hankering for me to share some of his passion. He reads bike mags. He has bike mates. He goes riding most weekends with some or all of them. And me…? I’ve stayed home. Worried a little (can’t help it!). But generally happy to have… [Read More]