ADV Motorcycle Suspension II

Part two of our motorcycle suspension series.

Max McAllister from Traxxion Dynamics and Ian Glynn from Touratech USA have loads of tips and explainations for both front and rear motorcycle suspensions.

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What to look for in a new suspension.
What question to ask before you buy.
Do bugs affect your motorcycle?
How to tell if you need a new shock.
How to tell if your motorcycle needs suspension service.

Sam Manicom with a\\xa0GEM that we call Riding Ancient Roads.

Related Links:

Free Audible book at\\xa0www.audibletrial.com/arr\\xa0and 30 day pass.

Sam Manicom\\xa0www.sam-manicom.com

Ian Glynn Touratech-USA\\xa0http://www.touratech-usa.com/

Max McAllister Traxxion Dynamics\\xa0http://www.traxxion.com/

See more at\\xa0www.AdventureRiderRadio.com

GEM - Sam Manicom

THE FOSSE WAY \\u2013 UK

When Jim asked me to think about a favourite route, my first thoughts were of rides in Africa, Australia and Asia, but then the Fosse Way in England leapt into my mind. It did so for quite a few reasons.

It has an amazing history

Beats the hell out of riding the motorway\\xa0

It\\u2019s great fun to ride

And I think it\\u2019s a route that any visitor to the UK should add to their \\u2018To Ride\\u2019 list.

The full 370 mile route was originally laid down by the Romans and it ran from Exeter, way down in the South West, right across England in an almost diagonal line to the city of Lincoln in the North East.

Most people know that the Romans were famous for building amazingly straight roads. Sometimes doing so across geography that simply wasn\\u2019t straight line friendly and this route certainly isn\\u2019t that.\\xa0

Some of the sections are on the original Roman route and some simply run close to it, but all the time you are riding through history and magnificent rolling countryside.

The Route?

I\\u2019m going to take you on a section of the Fosse way which covers roughly a third of the way. Your ride can take you just a few hours but you might want to stretch it into a couple of days; even a week. You\\u2019ll be ending your journey in a world famous theatre \\u2013 if you choose!\\xa0

The ancient Roman city of Bath, or Aquae Sulis , is a great kick off point. The city sits on top of a thermal spring and the Romans developed spa baths. In the Georgian times the healing nature of the waters attracted the rich and so the city developed into a very classy and popular place. Anyway start in Bath, but give yourself a couple of days to explore first. http://visitbath.co.uk/\\xa0

Ride east on the A4.\\xa0

Then head north onto the A429 near the M4. (The motorway between London and Wales.) You\\u2019ll be passing close to the Bury Camp which is a circular Iron Age fort. If you\\u2019ve never seen one an Iron Age fort site then it\\u2019s worth taking your first detour.

The A429 takes you through the old Royal Air Force Airfield at Kemble, towards the city of Cirencester.\\xa0

Cirencester is a really nice small city, which still retains some of the original cobble stone roads. Once, the city was the second largest Roman settlement England. Visit the award winning Corinium Museum as it\\u2019ll give you a really good taste of the area you are now riding through.

Staying still on the A429, carry on in the north easterly direction towards Fosse Bridge. Just before you get to Fosse Bridge, hang a left and head over to the Chedworth Roman villa site. It\\u2019s a fascinating place to wander around.

But on with the ride. If you\\u2019ve been on the road early then Stow on the Wold makes a great place to stop for lunch. If you are taking your time, it\\u2019s also perfect place to stop overnight. You have a stack of ancient and beautiful Cotswold stone hotels and plenty of Bed and Breakfast\\u2019s to choose from, and there are camping sites nearby.\\xa0

At one time the Stow on the Wold crossroads made it a natural place to trade goods coming from all over the region \\u2013 even as far away as Wales. There\\u2019s a market there every Thursday but nothing like as big as those of early days. There are two horse fairs - one in May and the other in October. The May fair is the biggest and one of the biggest Gypsy gatherings of its kind in the UK.\\xa0

Next, simply stay on the A429 through Moreton in Marsh until just north of the village of Halford.\\xa0

After Halford you ride onto a minor road, the B4455. This next 45 miles of amazingly straight road takes you just over an hour and a half to ride and includes small but very picturesque villages such as Brinklow.

End up at a busy crossroad with the A5. \\xa0You can carry on towards Leicester on the Fosse Way, but my advice is here is to turn around and do this last section again!\\xa0

From Bath to this turnaround point on the A5, is just 110 miles! If you haven\\u2019t stopped anywhere then you\\u2019ll have done it in around 3 hours, but I\\u2019d lay odds on you stopping quite a few times.\\xa0

My suggestion is that you head back to Halford and then hang a right. 8 miles later, end your ride in Shakespeare\\u2019s \\xa0town, \\xa0Stratford upon Avon. http://www.visitstratforduponavon.co.uk/\\xa0

The beauty of this road is that you can ride it the way you want to. You may want to ride it twice!

Top tip: Add in some extra time to scoot off and explore some of the small pretty villages that are within a few miles of the Fosse Way.\\xa0