Having learnt to ride on a 1997 CZ 125 9 years ago in Caerphilly and Cardiff I have little sympathy for people moaning about the weather in London, and ‘winter riding’ in the capital of this great country.
I’ll try to avoid this becoming ‘when I were a lad’ entry; but when I were a lad in South Wales I commuted 30 miles each way from Pontypool to Caerphilly (over the mountains) each day – I did it all year round and to make matters worse I did it on a naked 125 that frankly had ideas of it’s own when it came to a large Welsh lad mounting it each morning.
At 5am in the pitch dark I’d push the bike from its hiding place around the back of our terrace, over the next door neighbours’ patio and out onto the road. Once there I’d tickle the carb to get a little juice into it and then start my morning prayers… “please Dear Lord let it start first time…. please… I’ll never ask for anything else just let it be one kick this morning.” I was obviously a very naughty boy and God never answered my prayers – but the neighbours answered my kick starting a noisy bike outside their bedroom window each day with a torrent of abuse and threats to call the police – but this was 1997, Tony had only just been elected and ASBOs were a sparkle in David Blunkets eye; so my dear neighbours received a typical Welsh two finger salute and I continued to kick the bike into action, if you could call it that.
The problem you see was that at 5am, in the winter, in Pontypool you’re exceptionally lucky if the temperature is above -5 – and even the bravest of bike will have problems fireing after being left out in the cold with no cover. Which brings me to my point; I rode for two years over two mountains in all weathers, even snow, on a God forsaken East European 125 and would cheer when the temperature reached 0. So to hear people complain about London makes me laugh, it rarely goes below 0, okay there’s loads of salt on the road but that washes off, and most of the city is very well lit, the roads are for the most part good, there are no cattle grids to fall off on (that’s another post) and you don’t have Daffydd the local traffic cop pulling you over each morning cause he’s board and knows you have a thermos of coffee with you for emergencies.
