He’s red, he’s hot and he’s irresistible!

I’m one of the luckiest riders in the world. Not only do I have fun working in marketing and public relations, I get to work with my husband 😂😂 and I also get to ride motorbikes as part of that work. And it just got better — because they needed a new pool bike and I got to choose!

I work with White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors and will visit the dealers and events we are showcasing at, as well as bike nights, on a motorcycle. The MT09 Tracer is now 11 years old and still going strong, but with our work supporting the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride in Tring which I was delighted to co-lead, and the warm welcome we have received from those with vintage wheelers it was clear that another bike was really needed that was more suited to such interactions.

With the Tracer being a triple the obvious answer was a twin to ensure a real difference in the ride and handling, But since I’m not mechanically minded I knew it needed to be a modern classic rather than true vintage so it would hopefully be reliable. So the hunt began for a Speed Twin 1200. I chose that over others like the Ducati Scrambler because, whilst pretty to look at, I have an almost irrational dislike of pipes running under my thighs or calves from a heat/safety aspect. I’m convinced that despite selling thousands of bikes to riders safely like this that I will be the one with third degree burns!
I also thought of the Triumph Bonneville but that weighs in at a hefty 236kg compared to the 196kg to 216kg of the 2019 to 2026 Speed Twins.

After assessing the latest release I found myself put off by its very modernity – an offset single clock? why? Not to mention the fact that Triumph had seen fit to release it with Metzler Racetech tyres on it. I know there are many who rate them but say what you will they are not my weapon of choice for British weather. (And yes I do know tyres can be changed but that’s money wasted straight off the bat.)

A Korosi red Speed Twin 1200

And then I saw him – he flashed up on my Facebook page in a post from On Yer Bike, and as if it was a sign, followed by a Whatsapp of the same from the husband – and off I went to see him. A 2020 Triumph Speed Twin with just 5k miles on the clock and a lot of love thrown at him. One test ride later and I knew he would be the perfect addition to the pool.

The handling of the Twin when compared to the Tracer is like chalk and cheese. The Twin’s acceleration is slower and steadier but kicks in and pulls with the power of a mammoth tractor or should that be a steady plough-horse? whereas the Tracer takes off straight out the gate like he’s a racehorse that’s seen a warm stable on a cold day.
The Twin dislikes being in third gear for any length of time, becoming fretful and screechy like a whining rug rat in need of a bottle, whereas in fourth and fifth he’s settled with a gentle burble and feels light and easy and you know there’s so much more pull available which is thanks to all that torque.

Whereas it’s common practice to overtake in third gear with the triple of the Tracer providing mucho power, try that with the Twin and it’s painful on the ears and the body from vibrations. It feels alien to me but make the same manoeuvre in fourth and he’ll gently lap up the distance, engine literally purring, well planted and with negligible effort on his part which makes for a much more enjoyable ride.
The seat is low and narrow and indeed the entire bike is sleek compared to my Tracer which has a broader front end. I feel like I’m sitting on rather than in the bike, if that makes sense.

Beautifully tricked out

This version has three ride modes, Road, Rain and Sport. They all leave traction control on, unless you switch it off, but delay it according to the mode. I found Road mode was a touch boring. Popped into Sport and the response gives a much more aggressive ride – which is more fun. You feel like your riding rather than coasting the bike and that’s why I just leave him in that mode all the time. As I’m not planning on riding this one in the rain (have you seen all that chrome!) I can’t tell you how that handles but should I get caught out I’ll let you know.

One of the first things I noticed about him was the heat that just rolls off the engine. I’m talking to the one point I was worried enough to pull over and get off to check the bike thinking there must be something chronically wrong. But nope, apparently that’s just how Speed Twins are – and having researched it and spoken to other owners they’re renowned for it and you just have to learn to do a little chicken or frog leg action now and then as you ride🦵😂 Having said that there is just one owner I know (Biker Kaz) who says she’s never noticed it!😂
As all of my other bikes have had full or semi fairing which has helped to dissipate the heat a little before it reaches me, I did need to think whether it was a deal breaker – but nope – I just adored him too much not to want to take him home!

On my way to bike night at The Village Swan, captured by @bikes_through_the_lens

Apart from how well he rides, he’s just gorgeous to look at. There have been changes aplenty to the bike starting at one end with a tail tidy and finishing at the other with a beautifully matched fly screen and lots in between – see below for the full list. Best of all there have been changes to the exhaust with slip on cans added which has reduced the weight, and boring look of the OEM pipes.
Funnily enough on every bike I’ve ever owned I’ve either changed the pipes if I bought it from new, or they were already changed if I wasn’t its first owner.
The original shocks had also been replaced with Ohlins. All the reviews I’d read had mentioned how poor the originals were so that was a great investment to see. And as for his boots – well I was pleased to see he was properly dressed with Michelin Road 6s. They’re my weapon of choice, just perfect in all weathers, and I’ve been using them on my rides since the 3s which is when I first discovered them.

I’m taking my time to get used to him since he’s so different to the Tracer, and having fun whilst doing so. Last week I headed over to The Village Swan in Aston Clinton for Biker Kaz’s Bike Night. What a turn out! was fantastic to see so many riders and all welcomed by the pub and even one of the neighbours who opened their drive as an overflow for bikers to park in. Now that’s what I call a great community spirit.

After just a week of riding I’ve also realised that in comparison to every single bike I’ve ever owned, it feels like his tank is the size of a gnat! At just 14.5 litres I’m still working out his entire fuel range since the heat has meant I can’t always fill to where I want. Not entirely sure if I need to be so cautious but I feel I need to account for expansion in this heat. Using one of his two trips as fuel gauge/milometre reading is giving me a fair idea of about 160 miles to a tank. He has a fuel light that comes on at 35-40 miles left in the tank and it’s slightly disconcerting to see the miles of fuel reducing as you look for a petrol station. Looks like I’ll be filling up at the beginning or end of each day out.

In the past week I’ve added bar risers of 25mm which are just enough to take some pressure off my wrists. I think the front of the bike has been lowered through suspension changes but it handles fine. At some point I’ll of course have to head over to Triumph in Hinckley which I consider to be the “spiritual” birthplace of my Speed Twin.

Currently sharing some space with the husband’s GSX1400 which he’s restored, having had it from new in 2003, it’s a beautiful sight to see such “classics” together. Incidentally I’ve decided to name him Chilli and that’s because he’s red and he’s hot 😆.

Aren’t these handsome chaps!

Prendy
X

Chilli’s spec:
* Engine size – 1198cc
* Engine Spec – 4 stroke, parallel twin, 6 gears
* Top speed –
* Power – 96 bhp
* Torque – 83 lb-ft
* Weight -196kg
* Seat height – 807mm
* Tank range – 14.5 litres about 160 miles

Chilli’s accessories already supplied:
* Tail tidy
* Colour coded seat cowl
* Bobbins for paddock stand
* Ohlins shocks
* Exhaust slip ons
* Radiator guard
* Headlight grille and bezel
* Colour coded fly screen
* Tank protector
* Side Pannier rails
* Legend Side panniers with inners 13.5 litres
* Legend magnetic tank bag 3.5-5.5litres
* Optimate lead

Accessories I’ve added:
* 25mm bar risers
* Engine protector kit

Oh what a dapper day!

One of the best experiences of my life has got to be being one of the ride leaders for the Tring Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride.
Everyone gathered at The Red Lion for DGR Tring 2026

It’s an event which deeply appeals to my well dressed soul where riders dabble in a vintage look, with an abundance of tweed, ties and bowties as they bring out some beautiful old machines in aid of charity.

The DGR happens around the world on the same day, and this year was 17 May. It aims to raise funds for mens mental health and prostate cancer research. This year I was delighted to be asked by DGR Tring to co-lead the ride with one of the key organisers Biker Kaz. We’d be leading 175 riders from The Red Lion in Marsworth, past the reservoir, through Tring, into Berkhamsted High Street, past Ashridge House and over the Ivinghoe Beacon.

Took the GSX1400 out for a spin prior to the DGR ride.

As I usually ride an MT09 Tracer, I knew I needed to find something else as that was just too modern. I initially settled on my husband’s beloved GSX1400. A monster of a bike that ten years ago I couldn’t even get off the side stand! But time, patience and experience have taught me much and I no longer baulk at riding it. Although I will say that whilst he can sit in third gear all day long and tackle anything, a sluggish front brake makes for some interesting moments!

Let’s get this party started!

However, ultimately I switched to another bike after the key organiser, Steve Hamilton, offered me his Yamaha RD250 complete with kickstarter. Considering he’s had this bike for 50 years I was astounded to be trusted with it and was initially super nervous. Mind you, I wasn’t entirely sure I could cope with a kick starter either! Let’s just say it’s given me a healthy respect for motorcycle development and I’m now fully aware of and extremely grateful for the joys of the invention of a switch button!
The RD250 is a two stroke complete with smoke and an aggressive hand needed on that throttle – both of which are alien to me. Yet I loved him because he was just so plucky, and a perfect example of how far bikes have come.

Passing by Ashridge House

Kaz has led the Tring ride for all of the three years it’s been going so I felt in extremely safe hands with her being the main lead. Both Kaz and I tend to err on the side of caution, so we are both wearing our Summer Knox pro armour under our white shirts.
My bosses at White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors had sponsored the ride for the second year running and have been extremely supportive to both myself and the ride. As sponsors they also made a wonderful commitment to helping raise the profile of the ride through plenty of social media so we could all raise as much funds as possible.

Tring ride co-leaders, Biker Kaz and myself.

The day of the ride was one that will be a key memory in my old age, indeed my face hurt so much from smiling the whole day through. Lots of lovely folk lined the streets in Berko and other areas of the route to wave and cheer us on. With 175 beautiful bikes, the majority of which were true vintage or modern classics, going no faster than 35mph was something to behold. Half way through we stopped off at the Berko train station car park to give all bikes a chance to gather together after getting strung out along its high street.

Dapper riders and bikes as far as the eye could see.

The whole day was amazing with great community spirit – and the team at The Swan did a fantastic job keeping us fed and watered. They’re currently undergoing repair work after a fire devastated their kitchen. But they soldiered on and cracked open the barbecue grill to provide breakfast and lunch to the hungry bikers and their supporters.

Beautiful bikes at The Red Lion

After such a fantastic day the DGR Tring raised an astonishing amount – over £32.6k and was the 7th best fundraising venue out of 80 cities, despite being one of the smallest.
I was extremely grateful to everyone who sponsored me and managed to raise £715 towards this brilliant effort by the Tring ride.

Flying the flag for the Tring DGR

Prendy
X

IFRD with Ruby Rides🩷

IFRD – or International Female Riders Day, on May 2nd, was marked around the world by women coming together to celebrate riding motorcycles, and the fab Ruby Rides organised an incredible free event.

I’ve never been to a IFRD event, so when I realised there was one on my doorstep, at the Superbike Factory in Milton Keynes, I ordered a ticket, made a donation to next year’s event, and off I went. The brief was “wear pink” and as I don’t own any pink motorcycle gear I had to get creative and wound up wearing one of my petticoats.

Ever tried to ride a motorcycle in your underwear? I can tell you now that when you go round a corner that nylon will make you slide across your seat😂 When I pulled into the petrol station for fuel I took the opportunity to heft it up round my waist – much to the amusement of other shoppers!

I was taken aback by the sheer number of women who turned up – and on everything from 125cc to high spec sports bikes, off roaders and tourers.
Ruby had organised amazing speakers from all the avenues of motorcycling from off road/endurance to race to bike development to those who inspired by riding with a disability. Awesome speakers included @laramoto @iqrx.h @carrie_the_prophet and @bikerwithabag. (Pictured with Ruby are Lara and Iqra, and myself with Biker with a bag.)

Let me tell you, hearing their stories, from making their way in the world of engineering to winning races was awesome. The confidence these women exude makes me question why I baulk at something simple like a u-turn and have a complete hissy fit at the thought of it for heavens sake! (Although maybe the fact that I’ve spent considerable amounts of time lying under bikes after attempting to do them might be the answer!)

Ruby organised yummy breakfast with hot drinks at the Superbike Factory before the talks began. Then there was a rideout to Caffeine and Machine in Ampthill for more speakers and a good lunch. The entire ride was marshalled by women too and was one of the biggest rides I’ve ever taken part in.

Ruby had forewarned that the Ampthill carpark was gravelled, so that anyone who wanted help could be looked after. I will admit that whilst I don’t like gravel I can usually manage it but on this ride managed to stall the bike three times before parking! Needless to say, when I wanted to leave I didn’t hesitate to ask for help – and the lovely Ruby came to my aid, making light work of moving my heavy Tracer to hard ground.

It was such an awesome day and I met so many lovely ladies who were either starting their journey or had been on it for years. There were some injured bikers too who were facing their fears and cracking on – which was a joy to see because I’ve been there. But there is something about motorcycling that calls to us isn’t there.

Prendy
X

When a fairytale becomes real life!

Tell me – have you heard the fairytale of a small country where the roads are a rider’s dream? They’re scenic so you’re surrounded by the beauty of rivers, grand trees and fields. The roads twist and curve, go up and then down AND have a surface that’s smoother than the proverbial baby’s bum.

“No potholes! – where is this mythical place?” I hear you ask. Well I can confirm it does indeed exist and it’s called Luxembourg and I’ve been riding around it for the past week. It took two years and four different bookings thanks to life’s ups and downs but I finally made it – and it is everything good that anyone’s ever said about it 💯%.

Let the train – and the van – take the strain!

The really good thing about having a large company van is that you can fit motorbikes into it. I’m beyond the age or enthusiasm where I want to spend hours riding the motorway to get to Dover. So I booked the Shuttle, and Chef, the beloved husband, packed the van. Once in France we went straight to Esch-sur-Sûre as everything I’d read about it said it was a great place to base yourself as the surrounding roads are fab .

I found it to be the perfect stopping place for a base to head out on twisty rides to areas such as Vianden and also Clervaux 👍👍 Further research highlighted the N27 and N10 as excellent roads for motorcyclists – and again I found them to be correct 😉

When your map shows the “intestinal” route you know it’s going to be good!

I am not a skilled navigator as anyone who knows me will tell you, but Chef was clear that for once he didn’t want to do all the work so I armed myself with a paper map, the Tread App and my Garmin XT2 and gave it my best shot. I planned routes which turned 40 min trips into two hours with a stop for lunch and kept my fingers crossed.

As this was my first bike trip abroad since 2016 I was more than a little nervous about mountain roads, hairpin bends and navigating as well. So Chef took pity on me, and agreed to lead the way, with my routes, so that I could concentrate on riding. Which worked out well as I could stop doing nodding dog impressions glancing down at the satnav, especially if there were roadworks and a diversion on, and could focus on riding some of the harshest hairpin bends I’ve ever ridden! But they were so worth it.

Don’t say they don’t warn you about the roads ahead!

I make it a rule to be off the bikes by 4pm. That means we can get showered, changed, have a good meal and have a walk around where ever we happen to be. I just don’t see the point in travelling to places and then not seeing anything! And I always want a decent dinner after a day’s riding so why risk everywhere being shut?
Every day we’d sit back and relax and marvel at the great roads we had enjoyed, with Chef especially pleased by all the routes I had planned, – before tucking into some great meals and a few drinks too.😂

Luxembourg really is a beautiful country with very unspoiled land and it was lovely to wake up each morning to such wonderful countryside.

So I can highly recommend Luxembourg. It’s a very small country, with great roads, pretty good food, and we were lucky enough that the weather was ideal with no rain, yet not too hot to ride comfortably in.

For a first motorcycle trip in a decade I’m really happy!

Prendy
X

Does gravel grate on your nerves?

When it comes to motorcycle days out there are three things I have an intense dislike of – gravel, mud and road surface water!

It’s not that I’ve not faced them or been unable to ride through them on occasion – but that usually involves incredible tension, gasping for air, a heartbeat that can be heard the other side of the country, and the shakes for what seems like ages afterwards.

I’ve been riding about 22 years and I’m not about to give up doing it anytime soon, but I’m sick of the fear and worry about what “might” happen let alone trying to cope with it when it does.

So I did what I do best – I asked around, did my research, and found someone to teach me how to do better. Because what I kept hearing time and again was that off road skills translate to road riding making you a far better rider – and that’s my aim: to be better. And if there was one name that kept coming up time and time again it was Sweet Lamb Adventure in Wales.
They do 1-2-1, 2-2-1 and group training from novices who’ve never even seen gravel through to hobbyists, coaches and champions who all want to hone their edge.

Mark Molineux – my tutor and a real star

I learn best in a 1 on 1, because let’s face it I always have at least 100 of the dumbest questions to anyone else’s one question! and frankly if I’m going to make a fool of myself I’d rather do it with no one else watching!
My tutor was Mark Molineux – and what this man doesn’t know about off roading does not exist.

He began my day with some good strong Yorkshire tea, and getting to grips with my concerns, understanding my levels of experience and working out what miracles I was hoping to achieve – I wasn’t ready for nor wanted to be able to ride over hills, rocks and streams, my extreme novice status and focus was on surviving unexpected road issues.
I had hired bikes through the school and he wanted me to start with the Honda CRF250 which he said was bullet proof, before trying the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 later in the day.

We headed out to the basin – which meant a ride for a few minutes along a trail with me diligently following in his road positions as ordered. By the time we got there I had the usual evidence my heart was working as it was sounding loudly in my ears! Mark got me doing figures of 8s in the slightly wet, light gravel, to see my control of clutch, brakes and gears.

After several minutes he stopped me and surprised me by saying: “Prendy you are so much better than you think.” Apparently my use of gears, brakes and clutch is quite good with a little refinement needed. We worked on arm and head/body position (think flapping chicken crossed with strutting peacock) also two finger coverage of brakes and clutch which was entirely alien to what I was taught in road riding.

The idiot-proof Honda CRF 250

As the day progressed we worked on riding around the paths, up steep hills and around corners all on the moving stuff, criss crossing it, slow control down hill on it and turning tight corners. I will admit that I had a mini melt down at one point rather early on when I was feeling sick trying to ride down a steep hill and Mark kept holding his hand up but kept moving. At first I couldn’t make out what he wanted and was by no means inclined to stop literally headfirst down the steep cliff and find out. Eventually I just stopped and yelled my terrified head off about stopping his dithering, getting a bloody move on and quit scaring me to death!! Did I mention Mark is a very patient man?

It’s a good job that the Honda is also idiot-proof. Despite having already ridden up one steep path with a slight switchback, for some reason when I stood at the bottom looking up at it and thought about going up I then started to panic. And for the life of me then couldn’t work out power or clutch and ended up revving it to the limiter for ridiculous amounts of time. Fortunately Mark rescued me, calmed me down, urged me to stop over thinking it. We left the bike to cool down for ten minutes to get the clutch working again and used the time for a quick lesson in the mechanics of a clutch, drive and disengagement.

We repeated routes over hills, turns, in both directions to avoid complacency, with plenty of breaks for questions and advice. I was surprised to hear Mark tell me the road that I’d started on at just 9 miles an hour that morning, I was then riding quite comfortably at 35miles an hour by lunchtime, crossing the gravel with ease.

The Himalayan feels like a mighty beast compared to the little Honda. Despite it being a lowered one I was on tip toes. Initially I found it hard to manoeuvre and realised that whilst my MT09 Tracer is actually heavier and I also can’t flat-foot it, that it is just a little bit lower and that bit makes all the difference to my management of it.

But like any bike, once the Himalayan gets rolling it’s much easier to handle. I was surprised how much at ease I felt on it in the turns and little puddles. And most amazingly Mark had me standing up fully whilst riding it. Last month I had to ride through a road where a river had burst its banks and unlike many of the other riders who stood up, I was firmly sat since I didn’t know how to do it safely (do not stand with bent knees). If you’d said at the beginning of the day that I would be standing up on the pegs, firmly in control of my bike by the end of it, I would have laughed out loud in disbelief. Yet there I was and with the biggest grin on my face.

What a way to end my day! Poor Mark – I couldn’t stop hugging the man and grinning because I felt so very different to the morning’s start. Then I was frightened to my core with a fear of my bike washing out from under me and hurting myself. By the end of it I knew that it was going to take a lot more than a little twitch on gravel. I knew what that would mean (ie not instant death) how to relax, better body position, not fighting it, and knowing that unless something really is desperately wrong, that I am more than capable of taking it as par for the course.
I received a Sweet Lamb Adventure neck buff as my graduation gift 😉

⏹️Did the day give me what I wanted?✅ 100% – the knowledge and skills to banish the debilitating effects of fear.
⏹️Will it make me a better road rider? ✅100% – I now have the skills to identify the lines to take, a better biking position, better understanding of what the bike will do and how to use brakes and clutch should I happen upon gravel.
⏹️Am I going back? ✅100% – because skills need training. I need to go back to ensure I hone those skills, and even expand upon them because I want to be a better road biker.
⏹️But will I take up off roading as a hobby? ❌not in a million billion years 😂

Prendy
X

A picture on the wall of Sweet Lamb – words to live and ride by.