motorcyclemeditation.com

A little trouble with a BMW today, new, low, sleek, modified exhausts, sports badges, a load of attitude. Coming out of the Dartford tunnel on the motorcycle, filtering through, passing said BMW, noticing it but not hugely. Trucks blocking the way as four lanes converge into three, minding my own business. The BMW suddenly right up about six inches behind, body language clear, get the hell out of my way, I’m much too important to hang about.

An easy enough problem to solve, just filter between the lanes, now he can bother someone else. Unusually, though, the problem resurfacing, normally you’re long gone, this time the traffic arranging things such that coming off the motorway he’s sitting right beside me, front of the queue, waiting for the traffic lights to turn green. The car edging forward in impatience, stopping, edging forward again.

Lights green, he’s off. I’m turning left, quite a sharp curve, going slowly up the slip road. Oh look, so is he. Oh how very sweet, perfect circumstances, the road clear of traffic. Plus two other factors. First, the road uphill, not that steep, but enough to aggravate a car’s biggest handicap, the weight it has to lug about. For a motorcycle, the slope’s nothing, like swatting off a fly, for a car, it’s a great sluggish elephantine dampener. Second, straight into quite a stiff breeze, another car drawback. For a motorcycle, the hole you have to punch into the wind is slither thin, for a car it’s like a bulldozer. Not that the motorcycle needs such advantages, just nice to notice them in passing.

The BMW opening up. The motorcycle doing likewise. Both leaping forward. Especially the motorcycle. The motorcycle then doing that thing that clutches at your heart just thinking about it, namely, surging. The car’s acceleration easing off, the motorcycle’s just going on and on. And on. Rev counter passing seven thousand, suddenly the horses further unleashed, finding their stride. Hurtling past the BMW like an avenging hurricane.

Easing off at around a hundred, BMW some way behind, not interested in racing any more. Funny that. Motorcycle slowing further to eighty, in the middle lane. BMW eventually passing, but quietly.

Oh well, job done, what’s next.