I'm back!

Hi guys

A lot has changed in the past year (can't believe it's been that long since I last posted something).

I had sold my Yamaha Fz6N just before starting my new job (I'll get to that in a minute) and bought a little Hyosung Gt250r as a commuter bike. To be perfectly honest, the Hyosung handled brilliantly and still had quite a bit of poke about it for something with less than 30bhp - didn't look too bad either! However, I was constantly battling with reliability issues and breakdowns - it's electrics are clearly made of Spaghetti.

After a few months I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the bike (and the butt of all jokes with my mates) so I ended up selling it as spares or repairs before purchasing my brand new L5 Suzuki Sv650s.

It's safe to say I'm much happier being back on an SV. That 70bhp V twin lump is just the perfect blend of everything you'll ever need on the road. It's one of those rare and great 'do-it-all' bikes that exist - except this one's only a few hundred pound more than the price of a 125! I simply cannot rate them enough.



As well as this I now work at a Suzuki and Yamaha dealer called Streetbike in Halesowen. I work in the clothing and helmets section, selling top brands like Dainese, Halvarssons and RST which is just amazing. In less than a year, this job has taken me away to the Silverstone MotoGP, training days with big helmet brands such as Arai and Shoei and even on a 3 day business trip to Italy where I visited Dainese headquarters and had a look at the new 2016 collection.

It's safe to say that I'm buzzing and I'm going to have plenty of things to write about. This job has completely made me fall in love with motorbikes all over again - which is no bad thing (unless you ask my missus).

Finally, I have two trips planned for this year that I hope to be recording and writing about, so keep an eye out for those! 

It's safe to say I'm back... and for good.

How I almost quit motorcycling

February 2011. The lights turn red and I hit the brakes. Donnell pulls up next to me on his Motorhispania, revving the little yellow 50 like there's no tomorrow. A grin is hidden behind my black visor. I blip the throttle on my Hyosung Gv125 a few times, the four stroke V twin purrs beneath me. The exhaust of the Motorhispania next to me, crackles and pops, emitting a cloud of blue, 2 stroke haze. The lights turn green.

A regular day out on the bikes soon turned into a nightmare

The fading sun of a February evening lingers for one last glimpse, before eventually giving in to the inky black sky. I'm gliding through the lamp-lit streets. Donnell just in front of me, crouching over his bike, determined to lose me. Still smirking, I twist the throttle back again. I start to creep closer. Still accelerating, I look down at my speedo to see how fast I was going. I looked back up.

That's when it all changed.

My mischievous laughter turns into a yell of shock. Donnell's brake lights were on. He was slowing down, fast. With not a lot of stopping distance, I look to drive around him but I see an on coming bus. I have no choice but to slam on the brakes.  A blur of colour and light swirled around my eyes. I hit the floor hard and slid across the road, my head hitting the floor.

I was lay in the road for what seemed hours. Nothing was going through my head. I was just blank. I gingerly got to my feet and stared at my bike. Still, nothing was going through my head. I could see Donnell picking our bikes up. I rushed over to help but yet again, my mind was paralysed. I just stared. Donnell's faint voice began to grow louder and louder, shouting to flick my sidestand out.

Eventually, I processed what he was saying, putting my bike on it's stand. I sat on a nearby wall, shaking. Not quite sure what was going on, my mind was a total block. Donnell was still talking to me. I could hear him, but I couldn't take anything in. I simply stared at what was once, a great conditioned bike.

The next day I began to seriously consider giving up biking. I began to convince myself that they were dangerous. I tried to make myself think that they were a stupid, impractical idea. Despite the freedom and joy that motorcycles have given me over the past 14 months, I was forcing myself to get rid of my 125. I didn't ride my bike for a few weeks, it remained untouched in the garage. I had lost all motivation.

But then I began to think about Guy Martin, Connor Cummins, Ian Hutchinson... TT racers that had all crashed a few months ago. They're all now back on their bikes, racing again. I then turned my thoughts to my father, who had suffered a terrible motorcycle crash back when I was twelve. He too, was back on a bike as soon as he could and still rides today. Which made me think... What sort of big, girl's blouse am I?

Never give up on something you love

I felt ashamed of myself, and still do. I'd had a relatively minor slip, walking out unscathed and began to consider giving up. Why give up on something that has changed my life so much? Those weak excuses for not having a bike flew straight out of my mind and have not since returned to this day.

I jumped on my Hyosung and have never looked back since. And I know for sure, that I never will.