You don’t need an adventure bike to have an adventure, but we all knew that anyway

With the unpredictable UK weather, I’ve learned to grasp opportunities to get out on the Suzuki GSX-S1000GX (or any of my bikes) when I can and often at short notice. And while I don’t mind riding in the wet and cold, a bit of sunshine definitely goes a long way. 

Read more

• Update one: First impressions after a switch from adventure bikes
• Update two: The hits and misses after 2350 miles
• Update three: Tyre swap transforms the handling
• Update four: 1250 miles in Spain
• Update five: The aftermarket accessories I’ve fitted

To ensure I’m always ready for a mini adventure I have a packing list saved on my phone. But being a middle-aged man it’s not just one list, I have multiples depending on the number of days away, where I’m staying, whether I’ll be bike camping, cooking, expected weather, etc. 

It means that within an hour or so of seeing a window of opportunity I can be rolling off my drive heading somewhere fun.

With my window identified, and weather looking good across vast swathes of the UK, I was spoilt for choice. But when I saw an afternoon, evening and even the following day was sunny in Wales, my destination was decided. Wales never disappoints with its combination of minimal traffic combined with brilliant roads, beautiful scenery and a plethora of campsites.

With the weather on my side, I decided camping was the way forward and with Suzuki panniers and the versatile SW Motech roll bag, packing was easy.

Living in Hertfordshire and with my destination set as Abergavenny I had some miles and at least three-and-a-half hours of riding to get there depending on my route. 

• Related: Best tents for motorcycle camping tried and tested

I decided to crash out the first couple of hours on the motorway, knowing that the best riding roads would appear as I got closer to the border and into Wales. The GSX-S is particularly good at mile munching. I find it very comfortable and with a new adjustable Powerblade screen fitted from Powerbronze, the annoying and excessive wind noise has been reduced significantly. 

Having cleared the M4 it was time to explore the area and take in some twisties before reaching my ‘wild camping’ destination just off the A40. The minimal facilities didn’t bother me mainly due to the wonderful setting, stunning views, and friendly host. And things were made even better by the fire pit, abundance of wood and the fact that I had company in the form of the beautiful farm dog.

Perched on the edge of a valley, access to the camping field meant ascending a steep off-road climb into one field before traversing the width of the heavily cambered second field. It was adventure bike and knobbly tyre territory, but thankfully it was bone dry and the Suzuki flew up the hill and dealt with the field with ease.

After a night of cooking, a couple of beers plus some quality fire and dark skies star gazing, it was time
to hit the sack.

The next day, the sun shone again and in no real rush to return home I went the long way. By default, I was up early so even after exploring some great roads I was still home by early afternoon – making the entire trip a sub-24-hour adventure.

The moral of the story is twofold. One is that you don’t need an adventure bike to have an adventure, but we all knew that anyway. And secondly, preparation is key. Knowing what to load depending on the trip you have planned reduces packing anxiety, prevents over-packing and means you can be a lot more spontaneous – which in my experience is a great way to get a trip under way.

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