It Can Be Like It Used To Be !

...IF YOU WANT IT TO THAT IS !!!

There are possibly many of you who have read that evocative book

by Roy Batson, "The Land Beyond The Ridge" which was published in

1974. I first came across articles by this author in issues of

"Motorcycling" printed in the late fifties and read by me in the

early sixties. The feeling for the joys of motorcycling which

came through in those articles were undoubtedly partly

influential in converting me to a life long interest. Later he

also had articles published in early seventies editions of

"Motorcycle Sport" and Roy, who had by then been forced by health

to give up motorcycling, was so surprised at the favourable

response from a, by then, largely new readership, he decided to

publish his book, which I immediately ordered.

I was totally captivated by this book about his motorcycling

life and, although I completely disagreed with his views on Ariel

Leaders and petroil lubricated two-strokes, his ideas of the

personal freedom and feeling part of your surroundings, to be

gained when motorcycling, which is totally absent when driving a

car, certainly struck a chord with me and, obviously, many others

too.

In one particular article (or chapter in his book) Roy bemoans

the vast increase in the numbers of cars and lorries now taken to

the roads, but then counters with a statement to the effect that

even with the choking traffic excesses there will still be roads

where a motorcycle can be ridden but where cars do not often care

to follow and where one can ride to enjoy the countryside and

stop for a break and, "while leaning on a sun warmed five bar gate

have a quiet cigarette (or in my case a cheese sandwich) and

drink in the peaceful beauty of the countryside". As an expert of

many gates, benches, or just tree stumps and, of course, cheese

sandwiches, I can easily accord with that sentiment.

About ten or twelve years ago, while chatting with a motorcyling

friend, I showed him that article and lent him the book and,

although enjoying it he was of the opinion that it was far in the

past and did not reflect how things were, or could be, enjoyed

now and, although I disagreed, I could see his point and why he

felt that way, even though I saw things differently. I have now

come to the opinion that we were, actually, both partly right.

If you pick up a modern motorcycle magazine. I don't mean one

about modern bikes, just any motorcycle magazine written in the

modern idiom. All the articles are dominated by performance.

Speed and handling, plus how quickly you can get from A to B. The

only enjoyment comes from either the exitement and adrenalin

rush, or from being seen on something expensive and flashy. The

feeling of being part of the countryside you are passing through

and enjoying it as you go do not enter into the equation. For

it is not the journey itself that matters but how it is done. For

myself, I think that the journalists (and other riders) who think

of motorcycling only in terms of exitement or fashion accessory

are cheating themselves, they would be far better off on a race

track (in the case of the first type) where they could exploit

their machines to the utmost, or in a flashy sports car

(in the case of the second type) which has a much higher "pose"

value in the eyes of the general public. Although I do not deny

there is plenty of fun involved in getting performance out of a

bike, on the road. I certainly do not see it as the only, or even

the most important pleasure, to be gained from motorcycling.

There is so much more and, as far as performance goes, another

aquaintance once said to me, "The best thing to have on a 50mph

road is a 50mph bike" . Which is so true, as anything more can

get very frustrating and subsequently less enjoyable.

The other day I decided to go for a longish ride on my Scott and

in doing so, take in a visit to my first mentioned friend, who

had recently moved to a largish home on the outskirts of a

village. To get there I had to leave the village up a long

winding lane, little more than one car wide. Eventually the Scott

smoked its way up to his driveway and I pulled it onto its stand

while I made sure that I had the right place. After the initial

greetings and chatting about the new place, a welcome cup of tea

was produced and we sat on a bench in the sunshine, outside the

house, looking across at the parked Scott. Past the bike and

across a paddock I could see a new looking gate. Seeing the

direction of my gaze, my friend said, "See my new five bar gate

that I have had to put in?", and, seeing my smile and immediately

reading my thoughts added, "Sun warmed, of course". Funny how

well people get to know each other over the years. We walked over

the field to the gate, leaned on it and looked over into the

field beyond, where the grass had been cut and was drying before

gathering for hay. The only sounds were the twittering of the

birds in the bushes and field and the slight rustle from the

leaves on the trees. I looked back at the Scott and the little

empty lane beyond and thought, it IS still the same you know. If

you give yourself the time to make it so. At this stage of the

article I am thinking of what I am writing in the next paragraph

and that perhaps a better title would have been THE BEST JOURNEYS

ARE GOING NOWHERE.

It seems that we have got so used to travelling as part of

everyday life, that perhaps we have forgotten how to really enjoy

a journey. We decide a target destination (or have it decided for

us), then plan a route to get there and finally decide how long

it will take. We then set ourselves to leave in order to get

there at the right time and even our stops along the way are more

or less planned according to time. In the "old bike" world, we

have club runs, with set routes (even if they are decided on the

day) and expected stopping and arrival times. Consequently we

stick to a direction and route, tolerate any traffic hold ups or

busy congestion, try and make up any time lost so as to get back

on schedule, such that although we may enjoy the ride, we are

always "in touch" with and part of, the general traffic system

and therefore, of course, the leisurely, "all the time in the

world" appreciation of motorcycling, as imparted in the Roy

Batson articles seem so remote, and we put it down to the pace of

today's life. Is it really the case though? I don't think it is.

To discover that things can still be the same and that you still

can enjoy the Roy Batson motorcycling experience today, you first

need a few ingredients. For a start you need a complete day

(preferably of good weather) when you have no commitments or time

schedule for your return. You also need a good, fairly large

scale map of the area you intend to ride in, just in case you get

well and truly lost. You need enough money for petrol and food

and finally you need a reliable bike, the performance is not

important, but its reliability is if you want maximum enjoyment.

Start out from home, missing the known "rush periods" if possible

and, if you live in a town or city, head for the countryside by

the easiest (not necessarily the shortest) route. Once out into

the open, turn off the main road to a more minor road at the

earliest point and every time you find yourself with following

traffic, or you reach a built up area, turn off in either

direction at the first smaller signposted road. If it leads only

to another main road, then decide on a direction, but only follow

it until you find a suitable turn off. By doing this with a bit

of thought , you can spend most of your journey on very small

roads with little or no other traffic and, because you have no

set destination, any time that you see traffic problems, or a

town, ahead, you can always turn round and go the other way,

unless you need to stop for petrol or food and haven't found any

along the way. As you travel on, if you see a nice view, then

stop and study it. Take a rest and appreciate what you see. Enjoy

the day in a leisurely way and stop as many times as you wish.

You have no destination so it doesn’t matter where you end up.

Once you decide that you have done enough general sightseeing and

leisurely riding, carry on until you reach a village centre, get

an idea of its relationship to surrounding places from any

signposts, then sit down somewhere (a pub or cafe garden is quite

nice, if there is one) and get your map out. Find where you are

on the map and work out your preferred way home, either the most

direct, or by secondary routes once more. Either way it will take

you no longer than your day out has already taken you. Making

your decision over a cream tea is, I find, quite an agreeable

practice. Provided you can keep the jam off the map.

There is no doubt in my mind that all my very best motorcycling

journeys are the ones taken in this style, going nowhere in

particular. They may not be the ones which get remembered and

talked about amongst friends, as they are essentially solitary

events and totally "laid back" affairs. Consequently they are not

the shared experiences of groups and club events. Nevertheless, I

see them as an essential part of the total enjoyment of

motorcycling, which keeps me in touch with a part of life which

so many assume no longer exists. But it does....If you want it to

Colin Atkinson

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