Category: Run Reports & Events

Motorbike Run Report – Highlands, Heat & Honest Sandwiches Firstly, a huge thank you to Ian McIntosh for organising what turned out to be a glorious day out on two wheels. Perfect weather, scenic roads, and great company made this midweek ride one to remember. The Ride Begins – Crieff Visitor Centre We met up at Crieff Visitor Centre, with a strong and varied lineup of riders and machines: Ian McIntosh – our ride leader, on his Royal Enfield Shotgun Marcus Sharp – showing off his brand-new Honda CB750 Alex Muir – ready for action on his Triumph Tiger Ian Ness – rolling up with his sparkling BMW F900XR Myself – riding my trusted Triumph Custom T120 After a bit of pre-ride banter and admiration of the bikes, we headed…

A warm, pre weekend heatwave evening saw 8 hungry bikers and a pillion arrive at Lidl Whitburn for a chippy run. The usual direct route to Biggar was taken via Braehead, only to find a fellow SMC'er already in the queue for their dinner at the Townhead Fish & Chips. It was great to catch up with everyone over a bite to eat, relaying bike related holiday's was mostly on the agenda for a few. As we set off homeward, members pealed off from the main group to leave just three at the end. Attendees, Peter Johnson (run leader), John Moss (TEC), Janet Moss, Grant Powrie, David Thwaites, Dave Waddell, Alex Muir, Brian Torley, Brian's wife Jackie and Phillip Gill-Simmons. Thanks to everyone who attended, and to John for TEC…

13 bikers turned out on a sunny evening for the 23 mile Chippy run to Burntisland. We’ll go anywhere for some good Fish & Chips, even Fife! It was a little awkward parking on the exit roads from the petrol station prior to leaving but it was Duncan’s first time organising a run. Just before leaving I noticed that Steve’s front tyre looked a bit flat, we got it pumped up thanks to Peter’s portable compressor but Steve didn’t want to take any chances, so he went home and changed bike and met us at the chippy. Leaving Bowtrees went smoothly but we got a little bit spread out when we joined the M876 but the drop off system kept everyone on the right route and more or less together,…

Eleven bikers gathered at Tesco, Bathgate, for what was billed as ‘Tranquillity’ – a serene run south which would culminate in us finding inner peace at Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan centre. Our run’s spiritual leader was Peter Johnson, whose mission it was to lead us at a relaxed pace, and the most devout follower (TEC) was Steve Middleton. Amongst the other disciples was a new prospective club member, Tim Jenkins, who had made a crusade from East Kilbride on his BMW R1250GS to join us. Like me he isn’t a big user of social media but (again like me) he had discovered our club because of its website. It would seem that with the website, ‘If you build it, they will come’. Anyway, Tim was a friendly guy…

Thank you to everyone who attended this event, it appears to have been a great success. There were various plans hatched by everyone to congregate at various points over the weekend. Some setting off on the Friday, others very early Saturday, a group run from Bowtrees picking up a few along the way, most with challenge sites in their sights. Along with John & Moira riding through the rain on Sunday to join us for dinner, that’s dedication. After a broken Saturday night’s sleep due to a fire alarm, and unpredictable weather forecast for Sunday, we again split into various group sizes and planned our days expeditions. More challenge sites were bagged by some, others enjoyed a leisurely run to Ullapool for a bite to eat for lunch. A total…

A good turn out on a cool Easter Sunday morning as 11 of us met at Kincardine Bridge Services. With myself leading the run and Mandy as TEC, we had anther dozen sporty bikers join in our group from the service station as we headed off to the Falkirk Wheel lower car park for the start of the CHAS run. This made it interesting for Mandy !! Another big gathering of hundreds of bikes made for interesting viewing and hopefully a lot of money was donated for CHAS. The police controlled the cavalcade very well with all side roads and junctions closed for us as we made our way to Kinross Services, where for the first time we were well directed to where to park. So thanks to Carron Valley…

A great turnout of 18 bikes met at Dreghorn service station on a really sunny morning, but still with a cold nip in the air that lasted at least until lunchtime. We left around 10 a.m., organised by the Johnsons; Peter (BMW R1250RT) leading and Mandy (Honda NC750X) TECing. The group included an assortment of Hondas, Yamahas and BMWs, plus a small pack of beautiful Triumph big cats (Tiger 900s). I hope I didn’t miss anyone’s bike in that summary listing? (Attendee names can be found by clicking the run in the club calendar). We headed off around the Edinburgh bypass and then through the Honest Toun of Musselburgh to pick up the coast road to North Berwick. Great views of the Firth, lots of pedal cyclists on the route…

We gathered at a warm and sunny Crieff Visitor Centre at 10am for a 10.15 start. Run leader Ian McIntosh on his shiny new Royal Enfield Shotgun, Ian Ness on his shiny new BMW F900X, Ed Mackey on his Yamaha XJ6 and myself on my Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. But wait! “Only two Ians?” I hear you cry. Luckily we were joined by prospective new member Iain Beedie on his Honda CBR650. So with a healthy compliment of Ian/Iains we set off for Hell’s Glen. We set off towards Crianlarich on dry roads, perfect for those with new bikes getting a feel for how they ride, then south alongside Loch Lomond, Arrochar before turning off at Rest and be thankful on to the B828 ‘rollercoaster’ road then turning NW on…

John Nicol posted this run less than a week ahead and the first thing I did was check the weather forecast – oooo yes – sunny, dry, OK temperature for the time of year – I’m in! Duncan Calder had already said he was up for a run together on Tuesdays so I got him to sign up too. Will the four then registered be the total, given the competition from Ian McI’s westbound run the same day? I decided to give the wee Cagiva 2-stroke a run to check its longer-than-local-runs ability and gave it a check-over. These Italians need a lot of TLC y’know! Come the morning and beautiful sunny weather, Duncan phoned to say Google was expecting a longer time from Linlithgow to Dreghorn than we had…

14 bikes, with 12 members joined by two special guest appearances from David and Paul Weather: Cool, dry, and perfectly autumnal, hovering around 11°C—ideal for a last big ride before winter rolls in! Our season finale took us south toward Aberdour, catching the coastal road and soaking up stunning views across to Edinburgh and the Forth. The scenic route led us through Fife’s charming coastal villages, showcasing Scotland’s autumn beauty at its finest. The road conditions were pretty good considering the time of year, making for a smooth and enjoyable ride along the coast. After winding along the coast, we stopped in Elie for a proper break at The Pavilion Café. There was coffee, cake, and no shortage of laughs! Some riders opted for a full lunch, while others stuck…