Well its that time of year again, and no doubt many of you will be heading down to the NEC for 'Motorcycle Live'. I am not sure that we will be going, there are no new models that I can really get excited about, I don't really need any new gear and I will probably be going with White Rose Motorcycle Tours for my holidays, so that about covers everything!

Actually that is not altogether true, well on the bike front at least, as I recently received a Classic Bike Guide and was really impressed with the new Brough Superior SS100, yes it is a bit weird and wacky but I think captures the spirit of the original Brough. Another bike I also like is the new Royal Enfield Continental GT, with a pulsating 30bhp I don't plan chopping the Explorer in any time soon, but once again a pretty bike. Of course I suppose to a certain extent this is an age thing, how well I remember (to my shame) joining the que of people asking  "is the Brough Superior for sale" whilst the owner lay still warm in his bed above, or pushing my nose against the window every Saturday on my way to watch Billy Bremner at  Leeds United (told you it was a long time ago) and been heart broken when the GT was sold, although my chances of buying it were nil.  I did own a few classics, my first bike was a Velocette LE , hand start, hand change, bought for £15 it took me all over the Lakes in my college days. Next was a Panther 650cc single, wow could that kick, and could only be started by using the valve lifter. Donated to me after been abandoned due to been locked in gear, I rode it with its accompanying sidecar for a short while until dissapearing through a hedge back and realising that riding with a sidecar is some form of Black Magic. Released from its shackles, the Panther supplied my first taste of power (23bhp), fired every lamp post and was sorely missed after been imbedded into the side of a dozy reps Cortina.

I can see your eyes glazing over, so to return to  present day, I am sure many of you will want to see the new water cooled R1200RT, I like the look of the new Vstrom and can only describe the Honda CTX1300 as horrible!  The bikes we get on tour provide a snap shot of how peoples preferences change. The BMW R1200GS in general still rules the roost, but certainly 2013 saw a big move to the Triumph 800, Tigers and Explorer and I think 2014 will see an increase towards the Honda NC range. 

Thanks to everyone who has booked with us for 2014, I am pleased that you have found a tour to suit you. Hopefully you will find all the information you require on the relevant tour page but if there is anything you are not sure about please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you are a regular reader of this blog or went on this years Austria & Switzerland tour you will know that I lost my passport on the way to the Hull ferry. Knowing my chances of finding it were nil, I got a replacement, so imagine my surprise this week when I got a phone call from a litter picker on the A1 who had found it !!  It was still in its plastic bag and even had the 'post it' with my ferry reservation number. Needless to say it was rather worst for wear, so I think my chances of selling it to an Albanian goat cherder are slim. .