But I did meet a skydiver, motorcyle instructor, stuntman and ex-motocross champion who enjoyed a short ride on my Supermoto. Great guy – big grin 
Weather looking a little better for tomorrow and I just booked a track day on the K1200S: RAF Northolt airfield in August.
With the wind rising and a number of tandem students waiting, I came off the manifest and took Beth out for lunch by K1200S.
We went to a charming pub near Woodborough. I forget the name, but the location and food were good. It’s here.
Returned via Pewsey, Hungerford, Wantage, with a diversion to Didcot, where we identified a suitable KTM 950 Supermoto.
Last Sunday and Monday, I was on BMW’s off-road skills course. It was wet.
Which was nice.
Wet meant slippery and there was a lot of crashing, from low-speed muppetry, to a proper 50mph off when practising acrobatics. I picked up my XChallenge often: only BMW would think that a 650 was a good starter bike.
Now, I had a great time overall, but I loathe that bike. When standing, the handlebars were too close for comfort, and as a novice, it has just the wrong power and weight. I tried an R1200GS around a circuit I had ridden on the XChallenge and it was much, much more pleasant. Comfortable and controllable while standing, planted and easy. I suppose it’s easier because it moves around less for those of us who are used to the road. Suddenly, I got the point. It wasn’t quite so much fun when it went wrong: that’s a big bike to pick up or drag out of the hedge uphill.
The course covered balance and turns, braking, descents with engine braking and brakes, hill recovery, momentum and plenty of trail riding. It was great fun riding with the front wheel locked to prove the point, but it didn’t stop me dumping it time and again with front wheel skids.
The most amusing bit was probably after following the instructor down a very steep, rutted and muddy track, engine off and using the clutch to control the bike against engine braking. I looked back from the bottom: the R1200GS was deep in the hedge and all the XChallenges were on their sides.
No video sadly: I would have wrecked the camera in those falls.
So I have ached all week, with sore hands. It was the best off-road course I can imagine, but I’d rather do it on a TT-R 250 or an R1200GS, preferably with a little more grip.
Last summer, I took a track day at Cadwell. What a great circuit: highly 3D with some fast stretches and several bottle checks.
A smaller bike might have been a good idea, but where’s the adventure in that?
(That’s me, at the front again. I think the instructor was just following me to see what would happen.)
It was time to relax and become a skydiver. So I did:
I sold my Hobie Tiger to raise funds and took my BMW K1200S to a track day at Cadwell Park. I drove to and around Spain and Portugal, holidayed and learned to jump. I came back to begin a Master Driver’s Course. After a week at home, Beth and I drove to the Italian lakes, where we sweltered for a fortnight. The Stelvio pass was a memorable drive.
Getting back, I passed the driving course and joined the High Performance Club which I recommend to anyone who cares about the standard of their driving, whatever they drive: Read more.
And now I find myself living and working in London in the week. An unexpected pleasure all round. If only the wife was handy…
