El Portillo in Extremadura in Spain. One of my favourite roads… and one I put in a custom trip this summer It’s been a busy year. And not just for me. I’ve done a lot of touring with Chickenstrip and trying to pack in as many trips for myself, researching new routes, but also I planned 20% more trips for people to ride this summer than I did the year before… and there were some absolute epics. Here’s my pick of 2025's custom-planned tours.   The big one: France & Spain Rider

From the Picos de Europa in April to Corsica in October, it's been a year of great roads A busy year? That's not the half of it… It has been one helluva year. Back in March, my friend Drew noted the Chickenstrips touring calendar and said, "You'll be busy, then…" To which I replied that it would either be the best year ever or a two-wheeled Stalingrad... With two or at the most three weeks off between tours, Bruce " Teapot One " Smart and I racked up more than 10,500 miles

*I call it "exploring" or "research"… An open, empty French road and a Kawasaki H2 SX SE… with my reputation? I love riding in France....

Who said it's grim up North? Nobody who's ever ridden a road like this, that's for sure! In Whitby on the Chickenstrips tour of The North...

Madly twisty roads and a 197bhp supercharged Kawasaki H2 SX SE? Bring it on! Pic: Bruce Smart A subtle clue to why the H2 is so good...

Two people, one bike, six days, 1500 miles – and zero complaints. Here's what we learnt Happy wife, happy life, etc… There is nothing...

On the road again… leading the Chickenstrips Ultimate Picos tour New Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX SE on duty The year's first full tour is...

It's spring and a young man's fancy turns to … well, okay, before you stop me… I may not be so young but anyway it's at this time of year...

What will a Z1000SX owner make of the new Ninja 1100SX SE Tourer? Pics by Chippy Wood Handling is instantly familiar to an SX owner...

I'm making a list. I'm checking it twice. I'm making sure everything on it is nice. Forget about about Christmas, I'm focusing on next...

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN – the annual pilgrimage to the NEC in Birmingham for the bike show (or Motorcycle Live, as I still struggle...

I know some people will only just have returned from this year’s tour and with everyone moaning that it’s too early to have Christmas...

Mountains, forests, ferries, beaches and more amazing bends than the Olympic gymnastics in Paris… I've had a busy month in France. Now, I...

Money no object, what bike would I have? It’s easy to fill a fantasy garage with exotica, a different ride for every occasion. But if it...

I love riding in southern Spain. I'm lucky enough that for a long time, it was part of the day job. My first launch for Bike magazine in...

The sun always shines in magazine land. It has to, so pictures can be taken of bikes looking lovely. And while the reality of riding...

With the NEC behind us, the evenings drawing in and temperatures dropping, it feels like winter is here and the riding season is well and...

Okay, two. Hello, my name is Simon and I'm a motorcycle addict... I must be. I've been coming to Birmingham pretty much every year for...

I've just come back from Morocco. Riding there was an amazing experience. I was working as part of the Globebusters team leading a group...

Sorry for the click-bait title, but if you’re looking at the most-expensive riding gear on the planet, it’s a genuine concern. When a...