May 2026 - Another busy month of riding, with nearly 3000 miles covered. Training, FireBiking, BikeSafe and 2 trips to Wales. One dry, and one very wet!

May was another great month, with lots going on and many miles covered. Read on to find out what I got up to.

Training.

Nicki was first up on her on her SV650. I met Nicki at BikeSafe in April, and later that day she booked her session. Nicki is a relatively new rider, having only passed her test 10 months ago, so it's great to see her wanting to boost her skills with further training. Nicki rode well from the off, the tips she received during her BikeSafe day clear to see. We initially worked on corner approach position, along with throttle control through, and out of corners before moving on to smoothing out her lines and finally dual carriageways and overtakes. Nicki worked hard throughout a very hot day, implementing all suggested changes. All of which resulted in her successfully passing the Enhanced Rider Scheme core elements. Great achievement.

Pete was up next on his 1250GS. I got chatting to Pete during a visit to Wheels Cafe Sykehouse in April, and by the time I left, he'd booked his session. Pete passed his test 2 years ago and decided it was time to upgrade his skills. Cracking session working on positioning and gear selection.

Mark came along for 2 sessions in May on his R1200RT. We worked on corner approach positioning, speed and gear, backed up with understanding the limit point and throttle control through, and out of the corner. Cracking session which saw Mark gain confidence and smooth out his lines. He'll soon be ready to take his advanced test.

Andy was on his Triumph 900. It was Andy 2nd session, and we worked on positioning consistency, speed management, gear selection and overtakes. Andy has worked hard across his 2 sessions, and that hard work paid off, when I was able to 'sign him off' for successfully completing the Enhanced Rider Scheme core modules. (That's not the worlds biggest top box, it's just the angle!)

Mike came along on his BMW R1200RS. Mike wanted a 'back to biking' refresher as he's recently started riding again after a 10 year break. Mike has experience of post test training having passed the IAM advanced test before he stopped riding, albeit it was over 10 years ago. Fortunately, a lot of that previous training was there to be seen, and after some revision on Motorcycle Roadcraft and 'the system', followed by some 'on the move' pointers, Mike was soon back on point despite his 10 year break. In fact, he rode so well, I signed him off for the Enhanced Rider Scheme! It's fair to say, we both fully expected to get very wet that day, but although the roads were wet all day, we only actually got rained on a couple of times and only for about 10 minutes each time. Very lucky.

On the 26th, I was out with Richard on his BMW S1000XR. Richard is another rider 'back to biking' after a substantial break, and we decided the Enhanced Rider Scheme (ERS) best fitted his needs. Due to forecasted heatwave, we decided to start at 830am to try to get ahead of the heat but temperatures were already 24c at 9am, peaking at 30 by the time we finished! We took on plenty of fluids and had regular stops, and I'm pleased to say that despite the intense heat, Richard rode really well and met the requirements to be signed off for the ERS. 2nd session booked to really start drilling down on those new skills.

Lynn, had her 3rd session with me and for this one, she was riding her recently purchased Tiger 900GT Alpine Edition, an upgrade from her previous Triumph Bobber. We spent some time in an urban environment, completed some multi lane roads, and of course, several miles of twisting A and B roads too. All in all another cracking session as Lynn progresses towards an advanced test in the future.

On 29th, biking mates Nigel (660 Tuono) and Grahame (900XR) came for their annual refresher. The guys have been coming for a yearly refresher for the last 4 years. They usually come before they head off into Europe, and this year is no different, as they're off to France in early June, and then Spain later in June. Two really good riders who only needed a few pointers here and there, with mostly positive reinforcement of what they were already doing. Fab 150 mile day.

Rich finished off the month on his 1200GS. Rich is a DVSA instructor, and is now looking to add an advanced qualification to his CV. Cracking first session concentrating on positioning and the principles of cornering. Second session in the diary.

RoSPA Tutoring.

I completed 4 Tutoring sessions in May with Advanced Riders North Yorkshire. The group has grown massively this year, with 11 new members signing up after Aprils 'Open Day'. On the 1st session I was paired up with Alex on his Triumph 1050 Sport. Alex rode really well, with just a few pointers needed here and there, and he's now test ready.

On the second session I was with Ben on his BMW M1000XR. Ben had a fantastic session, riding to a consistently high standard and will soon be taking his RoSPA advanced test.

On the 3rd Saturday I was doubled up with Mark on his BMW 750GS and Paul on his R1200G/S. Another cracking session, with both the guys taking on board all suggested pointers. I was paired up again with Paul on the final Saturday session. Another great session and Paul has now applied for his RoSPA test.

Mark on his 750GS

Paul on a different version of a GS.

BikeSafe.

On 10th May, I collected a FireBike and headed over to Melton near Hull to assist Humberside Police to deliver their latest BikeSafe event. On arrival, I met up with the other volunteer observers from local IAM and RoSPA groups and Police riders, and was then allocated my candidate, Craig on his Tiger 800 Sport. Craig is new rider, having only passed his test in January 26, so it's great to see him already looking to improve his skills. Out on the road we worked on his forward observation, positioning and speed management. All of which saw improvements throughout the session. Back at Melton, it was time for final debriefs, and a group photo before saying our goodbyes until the next event. Great to catch up with some ex colleagues too. Thanks to Glen and Daz for an array of photos.

Bike collected.

Arrived at Police HQ.

Great to have the bikes alongside one another.

Final debrief and summary.

Final photo call, Candidates, Police riders and volunteer Observers.

My candidate for the day, Craig on his Triumph 800.

FireBike.

As you've read, I used the FireBike to assist with BikeSafe. It's great to work alongside the Police riders and I can't thank the guys enough for the support they've shown towards the project.

Wales 1.

On Friday 2nd May, Kim and I joined 28 other members of Advanced Riders North Yorkshire, and headed off for 3 days in Wales. We stayed in St Asaph on the north coast with various ride outs on the Saturday before heading home on the Sunday. Obviously, given the numbers, we didn't all ride together and made our way there and back in 3 separate groups taking 3 different routes. All in all, a fab few days with a great group of people.

Lunch stop at The Old Stores Motorcycle cafe on our ways to Wales.

Somewhere in Wales!

One of the groups getting ready for their Saturday ride out.

The tide was definitely out!

Lovely scenery

Llanberis Pass

Beach near Barmouth.

Llaberis Pass.

Bala Lake.

Beautiful lake side house.

Llanberis Pass......again.....cos why not!

At the beach!

Harlech Castle.

Who doesn't love a hotel car park full of bikes.

Final night group meal.

Enjoying a 99 at Bala Lake. All in the all, it was a great few days.

Wales 2.

On Wednesday 13th, I set off for my second trip to Wales, this time with long time biking mate, Daren. It was a very eventful day, with massive swings in the weather, light rain, heavy rain, torrential rain, sleet......blue skies and sunshine!! I met Daren at J&S in Northwich where I discovered my waterproof weren't! New waterproof jacket and trousers purchased and we set off. Fortunately, the weather turned for the better and we the next 100 miles remained dry.

Waterproofs on and ready for the off.

Fourways Cafe at J&S where I was pleased to discover the radiators were on. Less pleasing was discovering my waterproofs weren't that waterproof!

New waterproofs purchased, and of course the sun came out!

On Thursday we headed south from St Asaph to Builth Well, a 200 mile meandering route. Again the weather was very changeable, but again dried up after lunch and we had a great afternoons riding.

Waterproof on as we leave the hotel at St Asaph.

Look at that sky.....very dark.

Beautiful lakeside stop.

Friday was definitely the best day, no rain and sunny for most of the day, although temperatures struggled to get above 12c.

Another great spot to stop for a brew.

Devils Staircase.....what a road.

Our hotel at Builth Wells didn't do food, so what's a man to do!

Your guess is as good as mine! No offence to my Welsh friends.

Saturday was our final day. We set off early to beat the forecasted wet weather as we made our was north, back to J& S, where we parted company.

We pretty much covered 200 miles each day, with a total mileage of 817 miles. The weather could have been better, but it was still a great few days.

FaceBook.

I set up my training in 2018 and opened my FaceBook page. 'Followers' have risen slowly but surely but on Saturday 30th I woke up to a very nice notification from FaceBook. My 'page' had reached 2000 followers....2000! Now I know that that's a very small number compared to some, but for me, it's pretty god damn amazing! So a massive thank you to everyone who supports me, 'follows' me, comes for training or just comes over for a chat when I'm out and about, I'm very humbled by your support.

MY GSA - it's 3 years old!

Yes, I've kept a bike for 3 whole years! Which is the longest I've ever owned a bike. The previous 'record' was about 30 months, so every day is a new record! I'll be honest, I have looked at changing it, but the figures aren't quite stacking up. Obviously the fact the bike has done almost 50,000 miles doesn't help it's part ex value! So this month it's had a new rear tyre, fitted at Leeds Bike Tyres. I opted for another Michelin Pilot Road 6 as I find these tyres offer a great mix of grip and longevity. I usually get around 8000 miles out of a rear, although I did change it slightly earlier than I needed to for the second Wales trip. It's also had its first MOT. Which I'm pleased to say it passed. It had 2 'advisories', Brake pads front and rear. However, this is already sorted as they are due to be changed when it goes in for it's next service in the 1st week of June, ready for mine and Kims trip to the Picos later in June.

Collection day from Sales Exec John, at Barrie Robson BMW, York on 26th May 2023. John has since left to open his own business in Malton. Motorrad Konnection.

Brand new and spotlessly clean. It didn't last!

Miles in May.

So here's my mileage figures for May.

01/05/26 - 45486.

31/5/26 - 48213

GSA mileage in May - 2727.

FireBike mileage for May - 136.

Total mileages for the year to date;

GSA - 7820.

FireBike - 530.

Total - 8350.

Training for everyone - will you be next?

As you have read, another great mix of people and bikes. Whoever you are and whatever you ride, please come along and have some training. You'll ride great roads while learning new skills and re-enforcing the old ones.

And that my friends rounds off May 26. Thanks for reading, until next month, ride safe.

Ian S