motorcyclemeditation.com

Joining the M25 at Junction 9 eastbound, four lanes of fast traffic to be traversed, care required and duly supplied. A question of gradually playing yourself in, riding to the rhythm of the road, don’t push it, just because you can go faster doesn’t mean you should. After a while, a natural cruising speed, ninety. All going fine. Then the traffic slowing but for no obvious reason, care now, it’ll be something, just can’t see it yet, aha, that’s what it is, a police motorcyclist.

Everyone now moving obediently at seventy, the motorway suffused with artificial good behaviour like the silence of a rowdy classroom gradually noticing the stern headmaster standing at the door. A collective bored sigh, resignation to having to wait a bit before resuming the fun.

The policeman riding at about eighty, gently weaving through the lanes. Doing the thing he’d be stopping me for if I were in front of him rather than the other way round. His calculation, the cars won’t be attuned to riding habits, and will assume urgent police business.

On my motorcycle, watching more closely. Similarly weaving through the lanes, staying a car or two behind. Feeling him noticing me. His discomfort mounting, always disquieting, another motorcycle’s headlights in your rear view mirror, an implacable presence, you can’t seem to shake it off. This eventually proving too much, his taillight suddenly pulling away, must be doing a hundred. Fine by me, lets me get back to the ninety I prefer, just raises the question, if that’s so safe for you, pal, how come not for me.

Five minutes later and there he is again, doing about eighty, me a car or two behind. Some cursory arithmetic and he must be able to figure I’ve been going quite a bit above the limit. The logic impeccable but requiring acknowledgement of having gone too fast himself. Hope he stops me, that’d be fun, act all innocent, play it dumb.

The police rider finally pulling off around the A2, defeated. Ah, the sweet small pleasures of a routine motorcycle journey, you never know what’ll come up.