Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Rides, Rallies, & Events Regular Rides Thread?

Regular rides
In UK we can't get out on the road these days and like many I'm missing this badly.
So I thought I'd try to start a thread ....maybe the good rides you do fairly often rather than those wonderful but rare trips round the world.
Here's mine at any rate.
I've been doing this ride for the past 10 years at least and I do it every 4- 6 weeks or so from February through to late November when the weather makes it a real chore to my elderly bones.
First...the bikes.
I've done this trip on x3 Bonneville Americas ....black 2012, then blue and white 08 865 and later on my 865 LT. Current rides are on either my Thunderbird 1600 or my Tiger 955i. I've got my eye on a lovely green and silver 07 790 at the moment...if it's still there when our lockdowns over, I'm having it!
The ride itself
I live in Tunbridge Wells in Kent UK. My friend Clive and I might be sitting in our local pub, say Sunday afternoon when one of us says the magic word " Paignton?".
We'll be off the following Saturday morning and return the next day.
Paignton is just over 250 miles away. It's a slightly run down holiday town in Devon...for those readers not familiar with UK geography.its what might best be called ' cheap and cheerful.'
But accommodation is affordable and there's a good selection of bars and eateries.
And it involves running down the A303.
This remains one of my favourite roads.Takes us about 40 minutes to cover the dreary motorways till we hit this splendid road near Andover in Hampshire.
The A303 snakes it's way across a large chunk of South/ South West England...Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset before morphing into the A30 not far short of Exeter.
Crossing the Marlborough Downs in Wilshire we ride by Stonehenge and 4000 years of history before our first stop for fuel and a welcome tea and bacon roll at Willoughby Hedges.... basically a shed in a layby where we're something of a regular item.
It's good to hear the change of accent here to the softer burr of the West of England. On the road again we'll ride at a fair pace( read " thrash it mercilessly") only stopping for a cigarette break before we hit the outskirts of Exeter and the A380 ...well into Devon now and almost there.
Rapid ascent of Telegraph Hill and we soon reach Paignton itself.
Wash and clean up and we hit Henry's Bar. We learnt only last year that the staff there had believed us to be regular customers who simply didn't come in that often!
Later there's a decent curry house who know us welll. On one occasion Clive informed the chef that we'd come 250 miles for this meal
" And Sir" he replied " I have travelled 5000 miles to cook it for you."
Nice response.
Next day it's an early breakfast and the journey in reverse
Great way to spend some time without losing days holiday.
So what's your own regular ride?
Al

I like this... Good idea, hopefully we can get some more folks to write about their favorite rides.

This route has been a regular yearly ride, that is to ride to Reno, Nevada from Chowchilla, California (San Joaquin Valley) for Street Vibrations in the Fall. The route takes us over the Sierra Mountains via Carson Pass and into Carson City and neighboring town of Old West Virginia City mining town. The trip is more like a planned four day-er instead of on the fly. Virginia is remote compared to Reno, which makes for good get away but still be surrounded with other bikers.

That sounds pretty good to me.
Thanks for posting this one....now, where's my map?
Al

The best day ride in the Ottawa area will inevitably include the 511 which runs from Calabogie to Perth .Good pavement big sweeping curves not too much traffic and the cops know it but haven't been too hard on patrol. Whether you get there via Quebec running up to Shawville crossing over the Ottawa River at Portage du Fort passing through The Frew (Renfrew) and on to Calabogie OR taking the straighter farmland roads to Carleton Place or Perth and getting into the Lanark Highlands somewhere in between the 511 is the destination. Just south of Calabogie is a race course where one can go in for free to watch cars or motorcycles doing practice days for the Superbike series. You can build loops larger or smaller up in the highlands and further but its the 511 that everyone loves to ride. In reference to another thread there are a few craft breweries up that way that we often stop by to throw some cans in the saddlebag for a reward at the end of the day.

Thanks for your posting...I've always wanted to ride in Canada.
If I can't get there,well at least I can look up your route now on Google maps and imagine.
Cheers

Al

Just looked this up....looks like a terrific ride.
Thanks again.

https://goo.gl/maps/5DWuVxxrt68hH84V6

This the route the wife and I take, also many join the route at Jackson from the Bay area and Sacramento, Ca..

Bob&Amy

Thanks...just took a look at that.
You're lucky to have such roads .
Al

Bob and Amy do you stop in to see Pa and the boys at the Ponderosa on route? Would your route back take you further into Nevada or is it just too hot when you get away from the border we've not been in that part of the state before? From Vegas we did a loop through Sedona then up to the Four Corners through Utah as far as Moab then cut across through the Five Parks (hiked in each so Jane could get the T-shirt) and back to Vegas. That was in a car I'd love to go back and do it on a bike. And there was the trip from LV over to Sedona for the rally a few years back returning via the bridge across the Colorado at Ft. Mojave. That was at least in a Mustang convertible.

Badlands National Park area.
I assume that it is a good area to ride as Sturgis is only an hour or so away and we've all heard what goes on there. Can anyone comment on the area as a good area to tour? Either later this year or next we will be heading there after a tour through northern Ontario Manitoulin Island, Timmins, Sioux Lookout then SW to the Badlands. We will trailer the bike and do loops out from the different areas.