Resend my activation email : Register : Log in 
BCF: Bike Chat Forums


Visiting London from USA - What to do?

Reply to topic
Bike Chat Forums Index -> Touring & Exploration
View previous topic : View next topic  
Author Message

RogerDeCoaste...
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 24 May 2018
Karma :

PostPosted: 00:53 - 24 May 2018    Post subject: Visiting London from USA - What to do? Reply with quote

OK guys, here's my situation. I'm traveling with my family this summer on holiday. We're staying in an AirBnB somewhere in greater London. I plan to spend a full day by myself to do what I want - something British and on two wheels - while they sightsee in the city. My available dates are Sun, July 14 or Mon, July 15. The question is, what to do?

Quick bio: 58 years old, have ridden dirt and street, did some road racing a long time ago, currently ride a KTM 300 XC 2-stroke and do a little hare scrambles and enduro.

Ideas:

* Rent (or "hire" as y'all say) a classic British bike for the day, but I'm concerned about riding on the left side of the road, especially in London. You could talk me into it though.

*Go to the ACE Cafe. You could talk me out of that, it's probably a lame touristy thing to do, right?

*Watch a road race

*Hire an off-road bike and go enduro or trail riding (this is the best idea on this list if it's an option)

*Go to a motorcycle museum

So, I'm hoping for some advice. Which of these are good options? What other ideas am I missing? If you were me, what would you do?

Thank you for reading this, and thanks in advance for your advice.

Cheers,

Jim
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

ThatDippyTwat
World Chat Champion



Joined: 07 Aug 2016
Karma :

PostPosted: 08:20 - 24 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Riding a bike in London is not a thing you want to do for fun. Lots of filtering, possibility of getting jacked, and that's for those of us used to riding on the correct side of the road.

Go to the Ace, You are a tourist after all. See what's on that day, and when. It may not have many there if there's not an "event" on. There are loads of events however.

There's the London Transport Museum when you're done with the London Motorcycle Museum. Both have websites.

The road races are in Ireland (Mostly), Isle of Man (Famously) and Wales (Largely unknown). You'll struggle to get out to one and back on a couple of days, even assuming they have dates suitable for you.

Same with offroad. I think you'll struggle to get out, ride, and return in a day.
____________________
'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

weasley
World Chat Champion



Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Karma :

PostPosted: 08:44 - 24 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

First: over here the 14th of July is a Saturday and the 15th a Sunday. Wink

I'd agree that riding in London is not for the faint-hearted nor is it a typical 'British' experience. My first thought was Ace cafe but you may find you go there, stand around a bit on your own and then leave, depending on what's going on, what the weather is like and so on. A Sunday is more likely to be busy, if you want more chance of seeing stuff.

The National Motorcycle Museum is just over 1 hour by train from London (train from Euston to Birmingham, then a short taxi ride).

Trail riding will be tricky - the number and location of legally-rideable trails in reach of London is limited.

For something typically British, you could just hire a bike and ride to the nearest coast (Brighton, Bournemouth, Southend etc) for fish and chips and an ice cream. Or just ride around until you find a nice looking pub. Just be clear that your idea of what is typically British may not be the same as the reality - remember the weather lottery we have here.
____________________
Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Ste
Not Work Safe



Joined: 01 Sep 2002
Karma :

PostPosted: 09:05 - 24 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's this happening that weekend https://assemblymotorcycleshow.com ( Sick )

Or the 70's bike day (whatever that might entail) at the Ace Cafe. https://london.acecafe.com/event/70s-bike-day-9am/

I'm not sure if those count as something British and there might only be a handful of bikes at the Ace Cafe that day. Laughing
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

RogerDeCoaste...
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 24 May 2018
Karma :

PostPosted: 10:20 - 25 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the great replies!

"Riding a bike in London is not a thing you want to do for fun. Lots of filtering, possibility of getting jacked,..." I have no idea what that means but it sounds bad!

"over here the 14th of July is a Saturday and the 15th a Sunday" - damn you Brits and your bloody Imperial Measurement System! Laughing

All kidding aside, great info and good feedback. OK how about the Goodwood Festival of Speed? It looks pretty epic, and it happens to be running when I'll be there. What do you think, should I do that? How would I get there, is there a train? I only have one day and I think it would be a pretty long haul down and back.

As epic as the FOS looks, I'm still really liking the idea of riding a Bonnie down to Brighton for some fish & chips and ice cream.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

Fizzoid
World Chat Champion



Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Karma :

PostPosted: 10:53 - 25 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

FoS is worth a visit, but if you're pushed for time...

You're probably looking at a 2.5 hour trip from London just to get there
____________________
Rogerborg wrote: It'd certainly make it easier to ego-find my own posts on pages, given the number of fags (gay like traps) who insist on putting my name in their .sig
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Freddyfruitba...
World Chat Champion



Joined: 20 May 2016
Karma :

PostPosted: 11:29 - 25 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

RogerDeCoaster wrote:
Lots of filtering, possibility of getting jacked,..." I have no idea what that means but it sounds bad!

Filtering = lane-splitting
Jacking = Hijacking = being chased by undesirables on mopeds wielding knives and/or bottles of sulphuric acid (but not guns)

As already said, London's not really the ideal location for a bike-focussed day out. What part of Greater London will you be staying in? It's a massive area, especially in terms of access to rather more rural and bikey locations - your answer might help generate some more directed responses?
____________________
KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Ste
Not Work Safe



Joined: 01 Sep 2002
Karma :

PostPosted: 12:22 - 25 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.goodwood.com/flagship-events/goodwood-revival/getting-here/

It's quite do-able in a day but it's one hour and forty minutes on the train each way. Neutral

Plus the time standing around waiting for the trains that will almost certainly be running late. Laughing
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

weasley
World Chat Champion



Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Karma :

PostPosted: 12:45 - 25 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a great day out if you're at all into motorised speed. If you want to go you'd better get a move on as tickets sell out for weekend days and they're not cheap. You can expect to see a load of cars and bikes of all shapes and sizes run the hill climb (which is largely ceremonial, but some people do compete for a fast time). You can get near a lot of the machines and drivers in the paddock with no special access needed and there are various other sideshows and attractions going on. It will be busy and it will probably rain.
____________________
Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Polarbear
Super Spammer



Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Karma :

PostPosted: 22:19 - 25 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Goodwood if you can get tickets. Thumbs Up It's a great day.

Riding a motor bike in London? I've been riding 40 years and can count the number of times I have ridden in (central) London on one hand and I've hated each time.

Add in getting used to riding on the left, roundabouts (I used to give my wife's American cousin heart attacks with roundabouts Laughing ), the shit traffic and push bikers.....

It really isn't worth the stress.
____________________
Triumph Trophy Launch Edition
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

barrkel
World Chat Champion



Joined: 30 Jul 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 22:48 - 25 May 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Polarbear wrote:
Riding a motor bike in London? I've been riding 40 years and can count the number of times I have ridden in (central) London on one hand and I've hated each time.

I've been riding over 10 years and I love riding in London. I've been bike-jacked once, but I reckon you face no more than 0.05% risk or so on any given visit. Still too high, but it's very small.

If it's your first time riding a bike in a European city, I might give it a miss - it's not a grid, and you'll get nowhere fast queuing with regular traffic. If you don't know where you're going, it's very easy to make a wrong turn, and many side-streets are one-way systems either to nowhere, or back out on to the main street, to avoid rat-runs. The extra stress of trying to actually get anywhere means you can't focus on the fun of the cut and thrust of traffic. And it is fun, when you get into it.
____________________
Bikes: S1000R, SH350; Exes: Vity 125, PS125, YBR125, ER6f, VFR800, Brutale 920, CB600F, SH300x4
Best road ever ridden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MhNxUEYtQ
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

RogerDeCoaste...
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 24 May 2018
Karma :

PostPosted: 00:40 - 05 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just wanted to circle back and thank all you guys that took the time to read and respond. Great advice, really helpful! Just goes to show that motorcyclists are awesome no matter which side of the pond we're talking about. As you guys say: cheers, mates! Thumbs Up Thumbs Up Thumbs Up

(And because y'all are bikers after all): Middle Finger Very Happy
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

A100man
World Chat Champion



Joined: 19 Aug 2013
Karma :

PostPosted: 15:32 - 05 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's also this place.. https://thebikeshed.cc/

I hesitate to recommend it since

a) I've never been and
b) it looks to be populated by the sort of hipster/nouveau biker (or 'pseud' in Private Eye speak) I despise.

Nevertheless if you're on the tourist ticket and it's not far from your digs it might be worth the price of a cup of coffee if only to guffaw at the outrageous prices..
____________________
Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts
Old Thread Alert!

The last post was made 5 years, 298 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful?
  Display posts from previous:   
This page may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Bike Chat Forums Index -> Touring & Exploration All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Page 1 of 1

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum

Read the Terms of Use! - Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group
 

Debug Mode: ON - Server: birks (www) - Page Generation Time: 0.13 Sec - Server Load: 0.27 - MySQL Queries: 17 - Page Size: 83.88 Kb