Think I’ve discovered motor cycling heaven!

[HowardQ]

Think I’ve discovered motor cycling heaven!


Just got back from 12 days in Andalucia between 27th December and 8th of January. I have been there before in Nov/Dec/Jan but there seem to be even more bikes out there than ever this year, and lots more bikes of all types, even saw a red Falco. I was staying just outside a village called Frigiliana, just inland from Nerja. This is a place in the north of the Costa Del Sol about 1 hours drive north of Malaga. The A7 coastal motorway (the Autovia del Mediterraneo) runs along the eastern coast of Spain from north to south and is beautiful in this area with incredible viaducts, tunnels and incredible sea views and there were hundreds of bikes going up and down the motorway here. Even better was the old coast road the N340, this is a standard (for Spain) beautifully smooth 3 lane highway (2 lanes up each hill and one lane down with a perfect tarmac surface (didn’t know they still came without multiple potholes).
Anyway we were heading north out of Nerja on the N340/E15 in our Fiesta hire car at a place called Herradura going towards Almunecar. It’s a beautiful stretch of fast coast road up and down hills with some glorious bends.
Sees a bike coming up fast in the mirror, so ease over to the right and signal him through, single white line on my side but nothing in sight, gives me a thank you wave and blast past at around a ton. The bike is a Gixxer thou around a K4 on the normal exhaust with a Scorpion race can. Just thinking how I wish I was just behind him on the Falco when I see another blue and white speck in the mirror, hardly got time to move over for this one when he shot past at around 130 ish, this time similar Gixxer Thou on an Aka. Carries on a bit further up the road just past the highest point and there’s a big open layby on the other side with around 20 cars parked up and a similar number of bikes, with a crowd of people looking down the road in the direction I’m going.
There’s a long uphill two lane section coming up the hill and can hear bikes in the distance. It’s my two friends from earlier coming back the other way, coming back up the hill, both knee down and absolutely flat in 3rd or 4th gear past a couple of cars with the road almost empty, every body in the lay-by cheering and clapping. Came back and parked up for a while to watch, they seem to go out two or three at a time and put on a show, watched these two plus a couple of ZX10Rs, CBR600RRs, R1s, Blades and a few others each have their run out, even a red Falco!!
Whilst we stood there a Policia Local Nissan jeep came past but never said a word, he must have seen what was goin on. Evidently from chatting to some of the blokes (and ladies!) in the lay-by, it’s a regular thing at this time of year when the roads are quiet, (20 degrees C, perfect dry tarmac and clear blue sunny skies, by the way). The inland roads were even emptier and again there were bikes everywhere on the inland mountain roads as well, like the long climb from Motril to Grenada. The Spanish motorists seem to always be on the look out and wave them through with a smile and the bikers always give em a thank you wave. They always wave to other bikers as well whatever they are riding, even BMs and cruisers, and the ones I talked to were really friendly even if we were not able to communicate fully.
If my plans had worked I would have taken early retirement 2 or 3 years ago and been living over here near Valencia. Ultimate plan (dream) was to was to try and take in a few bikers and offer guided trips and organised track days at Valencia circuit. Sadly it didn’t work out then, even more pigged off now, never knew it could be this good biking even the in “winter”, sick as a parrot!
If only I’d had the Falco there!

[Tweaker]

Know what you mean Howard. Myself and 8 mates went down there last October for a long weekend. Flew down and booked ourselves on an offroad weekend with Andalucian Trail Tours - 3 days of biking bliss! What a stunning place to ride - both on and off road. Even out in the hills, the people - when we saw any - were friendly, not like some of the grumpy ramblers in this country.
Most of us came to the conclusion that the roads in that area are biking Nirvana and resolved to ride down there at some point. We're already planning another trip next October for more off road fun.