Rush of R5K members complete mileage in December

Back before #ride5000miles was begun, early December often used to be about denying the existence of Christmas. But now we look forward to the festive season in a whole new way as it’s when many #R5K members hit the 5000-mile landmark. So, let’s celebrate some of those achievements.

Chris Garratt (Yamaha MT-09) and Andrew Cook (BMW G310R) both busted five thousand miles last week and are set to mark the occasion by looking for new bikes.

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“It turns out I passed the 5000-mile mark a couple of weeks ago,” reports Chris. “Now what would you replace the MT-09 with? It’s got to handle my commute (which doesn’t require much wind protection), be relatively efficient and fun enough to entice me out at a weekend.” Erm, how about a Yamaha MT-09, Chris?

“I’ve finally made it, 14 months after passing my test,” says a markedly less nonchalant Andy. “Anyone else have a BMW G310R?”

Nope, we don’t think so. But go on anyway…

“I love commuting on it as it’s nimble and gives me enough power when I need it. It’s fine for the odd weekend outing but you may want something a little more powerful if you use your bike more for leisure. You also start getting a sore bum after an hour or so.”

For R5K-ers who bought new bikes with just a few PDI miles showing this year, the maths have been straightforward. “Another 5000 miles under my belt,” announced Dave Walters. “I did this mileage since the end of June after buying my KTM Super Duke GT new. But I forgot to measure how many miles I did on my BMW K1200R before that!”

Rookie mistake, Dave. But it’s those members lucky enough to own more than one bike that have had the biggest headaches.

Norfolk-dwelling Andy Jillings reports that following a two-up, 100-mile blast at the weekend on his new BMW R1250GS and a ‘spirited’ 40 on his Ducati 1198, he’s done for the year.

“With that in mind,” he says. “My total mileage for 2018 is 6823 over the two bikes, which I don’t think is too bad considering I didn’t feel as if I’d got out and about as much as I would’ve liked during the warmer months.”

If you’ve just hit the 5000-mile mark, post a pic and a few words on our R5K Facebook page, you can still join up and get involved ready for next year.

#ride5000miles Facebook group · 8078 members Join Our Facebook Group Here The official group for MCN’s #ride5000miles challenge, and the central social media hub for the campaign. Join to interact with others doing the same…