Today we are reunited with ‘Streak’ & ‘Storm’. It has been 10 months since we drove away leaving two dirty motorcycles for cleaning and storage. As we travel through the rain to the storage facility I have both excitement and nervousness, what will we feel when we see the motorbikes, will we want to ride? what will it feel like? will we cope? All emotions we expected but they are now real.
We enter the storage facility and pass a couple of motorbikes that Anne notices look like ours, they are ours!! We did not recognise them after all this time! Our panniers and clothing are stored separately and as I unload the shelves I am struck by the worn nature of the clothing and panniers and think of all the memories that have been woven into them. I have new Klim Latitude trousers which look so new compared with my similarly coloured Klim Badlands jacket.
Taking Streak and Storm for their 1st ride in 10 months!
We are dressed as we were for 14 months and set out in light rain to get a Ministry of Transport (MOT) roadworthiness test, required annually as ‘Streak’ & ‘Storm’ are now over three years old. I had to look up the definition of ‘MOT’ as the Ministry of Transport disappeared many decades ago, but the name lives on.
We fire up the engines and cautiously head down the lane to the main road. Water drips down off the trees splashing on the windscreen, we are riding again. Confidence grows and as we ride through the New Forest, we hardly notice the rain as the smiles grow on our faces, it’s good to be back in the saddle.
Our first ride, across the New Forest, is grey and wet but it feels good
Yes, as you can see from the photo, it was a wet dreary day, again, but it felt great!!! Most importantly, Anthony’s ankle held up. Changing gears was painful as expected but what we hadn’t thought of was the difficulty of pushing off the side stand – that was tricky and painful. But manageable, we can work around that. That will not stop us from doing our next bike trip, through France and Spain in under 2 weeks’ time. The bikes passed their MOT, we have new wet weather pants and we can’t wait to get back on the road again soon.
– Anne & Anthony
2slowspeeds 
And we’re off …..our armchair travels have begun 😀👏 safe travels xx
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On the road in three days time, normal service will resume at that time.
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I’m already comfortably seated and ready for the ‘off’. Hope both bikes had a good service before storage and a quick check-up since getting back on the road. Remember to take lots of pictures please.
I wonder how long it will be before you make new friends.
Throttle on (carefully !)
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Bikes ready to go, serviced before storage then MoT. Anne will be taking many pictures but only the best will be on the blog. Safe travels for your trip.
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ENJOY! what you both love doing, with a cool (I hope) breeze on your cheeks, new horizons, new friends and some very beautiful architecture to discover. Good luck for The Ankle.
M’my xx
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We will enjoy. Southern Spain will be new for both of us. I am sure that a architectural feast, plus good food awaits.
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Super back to excitement
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Only two days to go…..
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Your expression ssys it all. Fired up and ready to roll! Looking good . Take extra special care of your ankle and one another. Lots of love xxxxx
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Will look after the ankle. Looking forward to being back on the road.
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Great to see you both back on the road! Enjoy!
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We will, thanks.
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Must be sooooo wonderful to be with old friends Streak and Storm. Hope the next ride to Spain is smooth and fun.
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We are looking forward to easy European roads. Found some wonderful ones in Spain and Portugal a few years ago.
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Great news! Stay safe and enjoy another long trip!
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We will enjoy, only a five week trip this time.
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We eagerly await the further adventures of Anne and Anthony with their faithful sidekicks Streak and Storm. We’re glad you’re back in the saddle. Safe travels and happy trails!
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