With the Met Office predicting the warmest day of the year so far, it was decided that an early start to the days proceedings would be prudent, so it was that at 8:30, a reduced gathering of the group left the usual meeting place of Bob’s gaff and set off Read more
Steve and Rig are both taking part in The Motorbike Forum Challenge 100 which is organised by the splendid fellows over at www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk. The challenge consists of visiting 100 locations that are divided into 10 Groups based on region and for each location you visit, photograph and then post on Read more
Unusually for an English Bank holiday weekend the weather was due to make it a good ‘un. Saturday morning arrived and, in accordance with the Met Office instructions, the day started off cold but sunny and the promise of continued sunshine had Bob out early fettling his steed in preparation Read more
Shobdon Cafe was again the chosen destination for breakfast and meet up with our Cymry Motorbeicywr contingent. Bob only needs a few more visits to qualify for the Jet A1 discount fuel card. What swung this one was the promise to the petrol pump attendant that he was going to Read more
Bob was on a promise for the afternoon so an early muster was the order of the day in order that he could be back earlyish. For the third week running the Rigsville Collective was destined for an aviation themed trip, any more of these and we will have to Read more
After meeting up at Bob’s house for our customary cup of tea we decided to start the day the best way known to mankind that doesn’t include gaffa tape, a mop and a left-handed can opener. Breakfast at the Touchdown Cafe in Wellesbourne Airfield. Once our bellies were full it Read more
Most bikers like to talk and when we are at home or work and need our daily fix of anything motorbike related there are a growing number of us that frequent on on-line motorcycle forum or 2 or 3 or 4…. One of my favourite UK motorbike forums can be Read more
It’s nearly the end of another fantastic biking year and as usual we have had our ups and downs, some of us haven’t been out on the bikes as often as they would have hoped, some of us ate too many full English breakfasts and some of us got soaked Read more
The famous Royal Enfield motorcycles were made in Redditch until 1967, when the factory closed. The brand survives, but the bikes are made in India. When J D Wetherspoons decided to convert the former Danilo Cinema into a pub, they decided to name it The Royal Enfield, in memory of the Read more
The Malcolm Uphill plaque in Caerphilly isn’t just a bit of metal on a wall; it’s a tribute to one of motorcycling’s true legends—a man who rewrote the record books and became a local hero in the process. Malcolm Uphill earned his place in the annals of biking greatness back Read more
The Triumph Monument, a towering ode to two-wheeled greatness, proudly stands on the B4104 in Meriden, right where the legendary Triumph factory once hummed with the sound of British engineering brilliance. Crafted by the talented Frances Firth, this monument isn’t just a slab of stone; it’s a full-throttle celebration of Read more
Tacla Taid, the Anglesey Transport and Agriculture Museum, is the largest of its kind in Wales. It features displays of cars, motorbikes, commercial and farm vehicles and static engines. Websites: Grim Riders Web Site Grim Riders Motorcycle History Trail Google Map Anglesey Transport & Agriculture Museum
The Llangollen Motor Museum is hard to find, but well worth the effort. The museum has a collection of motoring memorabilia which includes more than sixty cars and motorcycles. Websites: Grim Riders Web Site Grim Riders Motorcycle History Trail Google Map Llangollen Motor Museum
The Lone Rider isn’t just a sculpture—it’s a high-octane masterpiece that roars with history and style! Depicting a sleek motorcycle and rider in an edgy futurist style, the artwork practically zooms into your imagination, with design elements that scream “speed” louder than a revving engine. This awe-inspiring piece took a Read more
The National Motorcycle Museum occupies an 8-acre (32,000 m2) site in Bickenhill, Solihull, England and holds the world’s largest collection of British motorcycles. Websites: Grim Riders Web Site Grim Riders Motorcycle History Trail Google Map National Motorcycle Museum
The Coventry Transport Museum (formerly known as the Museum of British Road Transport) houses a collection of British-made road transport, the reason it’s located in Coventry because the city was previously the centre of the British car industry. There are more than 240 cars and commercial vehicles, 100 motorcycles, 200 Read more
It’s March 2013 already but unfortunately due to the poor weather we having been having this is the first time we have managed to get out and bag our first location in this year’s Grim Riders charity motorcycle challenge, the theme being Motorcycle museums and legends. While the sun may Read more
Another stop on the 2012 Sculpture Trail ride: Anish Kapoor’s Temenos, looming over the north-east corner of Middlesbrough Dock in Middlehaven like some giant alien antenna picking up cosmic vibes from Teesside. At 110 metres long and pushing 50 metres tall, it’s not exactly easy to miss, especially once you Read more
Bob and Bonzo, connoisseurs of quirky road trips, fired up the Honda Blackbirds and set off for the north of England with a cheeky detour into Scotland, on a mission to bag the last stops of this year’s Grim Riders sculpture trail. First stop, Henry Moore’s King and Queen at Read more
Another stop on the 2012 Sculpture Trail ride: Henry Moore’s King & Queen, sitting regally over Glenkiln Reservoir with enough majestic charm to make you wonder if it’s secretly running the local sheep population. It’s just one of several sculptures scattered around the estate, which looks less like a reservoir Read more
Another one for the 2012 Sculpture Trail ride: a pair of towering scrap metal giraffes that turned up outside the new Omni Centre in Picardy Place back in 2005, and have been stopping traffic ever since. Helen Denerley built the pair entirely from scrap metal, proof that one person’s junk Read more
Next stop on the 2012 Sculpture Trail ride: the Angel of the North, Antony Gormley’s colossal steel guardian that’s kept watch over Gateshead since 1998, perched on a hill above the A1, A167 and the East Coast Main Line like it’s silently judging the morning traffic. At 20 metres high Read more
Last one on the 2012 Sculpture Trail loop: the Apollo Pavilion in Peterlee, a slab of brutalist concrete that’s spent most of its life dividing opinion. Victor Pasmore built it between 1963 and 1970, part sculpture, part footbridge, and the town’s never quite agreed on whether it’s a landmark or Read more
Bob and Bonzo, armed with their trusty Honda CBR1100 Super Blackbirds—aka the two-wheeled jets of the road—set off on an epic adventure to Aberystwyth. Their noble quest? To hunt down the holy trinity of a perfect day out: Sun, Sea, and Sandwiches. Taking the scenic route through the jaw-dropping Elan Read more
The Empowerment was designed by the artist Stephen Broadbent, sponsored by Alstom Power (now Siemens), and completed in 2002, the sculpture spans the River Witham in Lincoln’s City Square. It takes the form of two aluminium-and-steel human figures reaching to each other across the water. The design is intended to Read more
On our way to visit to the Dream sculpture in St. Helens and Another Place sculpture in Crosby all part of the Grim Riders Sculpture trail ride 2012 we decided to head north into the Peak District, we also decided that as we had not been to Grindleford Station Cafe Read more
Dream sculpture in St. Helens. Websites: Grim Riders Web Site Sculpture Trail Ride Google Map
Another Place Sculpture in Crosby. Websites: Grim Riders Web Site Sculpture Trail Ride Google Map Google Street View Map
Once again, Bob, Bonzo and Ray loaded up the bikes and headed south in search of something. Nobody had thought to establish what that something actually was before leaving, which, with hindsight, may have been the first mistake. France came and went in the usual fashion: long straight roads, overpriced Read more
