Sunday ride railroaded.

(RIP) MOTÖRHEAD

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Got up at 5.20am Sunday morning and had my key in the ignition by 6.

There's always that thought the night before, that if you get an early night, you can get up to the rise of the sun and have the roads, as near as dammit, all to yourself.

The plan was to get down to my mates in Fareham and tap him for a fry-up before he goes off to referee a local footie match.
Not really much to write home about but this time I thought I'd have a play on the disused railway that's down the road from his gaff.

So I have a really good blast down to Gosport/Fareham from Aldershot/Farnham, through Odiham, across to Alton and then down the A32. Bit of fog in the low bits and beautiful breaking sunshine on the levels and the high bits and virtually F' all traffic to taint my early morning fun.

When I pulled up to said railway I kinda realised that
a) I'd probably got the wrong tyres to get proper purchase on the large stony gravel
B) I'd not done this kind of thing before.

Oh well...In for a penny, in for a pound. You'll never know until you try!

So at 8am I merrily trundled off the road that crosses the old line and headed down the centre of the two tracks.
Oh yes, This should be a laugh.

After a while it dawned on me that getting back was going to be a bit of a problem. How the f*ck was I going to turn round? I mean, just look at those track girders.....They didn't look that tall before I started!!!

The slow realisation that I could only travel forward and not be able to turn round and ride back slowly made me realise what a plumb I'd been for not thinking about these slightly more than minor thoughts before charging in like a bull elephant with his testicles trapped between two hot bricks.

Right then...
Wrong tyres - check

Space between the tracks too narrow to turn in - check

Rails to high to ride over in order to turn the other way - check

Who knows how far the track goes and what is at the end? After all, it's now disused.

Bugger!

Looked at how far I travelled and realised there was no way I'd be pushing the bike backwards along the long channel I'd just made.
OK, I'll give it a go. Er...No way. The back wheel just got pushed deeper into the large gravel.

Bollox!


8.30am
On the mobile "Oi, Lumpy...Are you up yet?

A while later the sleepy figure slowly walked down the track towards me.
I won't go into details as to what was said in my direction for the next five minutes.
It was better to apologise and be humble about dragging my mate from his bed at this hour. I still wanted my Sunday fry-up.

After a quick shufty found the corner, we found the track ended with a large gorse and bramble selection that had made a barricade across the track.
In the end I got the GS as close to a sleeper as possible, leant the bike right over and pivoted the machine round on the side stand. With the front wheel over the closest rail, I put the bike down and we both picked up the front of the bike by the engine bars and brought the front end back over and in line with the trail I'd come in on.

It's the sort of thing that would have taken a couple of well thought minutes and wouldn't have been a problem if I'd have been accompanied by another rider.

Ah, well...live & learn.

Yeah.....and Lumpy brought his camera with him, just so he can get some mileage out of this & take the piss for a good while yet.

Got back to his for a fry-up, copious amounts of tea and a bit more of a ribbing.

The ride back to my place was top notch with the sun out and the breeze blowing through the heat as I buzzed along.
I did however think it wise to stick with asphalt for my route home.:D
 

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Can't fault you for giving it a go :thumb
at least its not as stupid as riding off with a disc lock on :p
 
My mate Lumpy, the bloke that 'rescued' me, just sent me this.
He's got a good memory & loves to extract the urine....Twat!
 

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It could have been worse.

You could have chose a main line track.

Nice photos though and makes you think!
 
Fantastic story, Ben, thanks for sharing! :thumb2

Somehow reinforces the twelfth* commandment: "Thou shalt not go trail riding on your own on a bike that you can't lift yourself..." :augie


*) The eleventh being: "Thou shalt not assume." :mmmm
 


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