Motorcycle Tour - Diversity

© Anne Veendijk

Enjoy. One simple word is the result of the ASTRON-JIVE PV motorcycle tour on Friday September 2. Nine participants had a fantastic day for a lot of reasons, most of all - the weather was perfect.

Practicing our hobby, everybody prefers a type of motorbike and that is where the first factor of diversity comes in. All motorcycles have a frame, head- and tail lights, a seat, brakes and so on, most of the motorcycle types have two wheels, some have three, but all have a different heart - the engine. In our group of eight motorcycles, all powered by different motor engines and cylinder configuration. For the experts: Boxer-twin 180°; V-twin 90° in drive-direction; V-twin 90° across-the-frame; V-twin 60°; V-twin 52°; Parallel-vertical-twin; 4-cylinder in-line; Every engine has its own character, sound and influence on driving experiences, in short, there is something for everybody.

At 09.30 hour we started our bikes and went through a lot of places, mostly small and less well-known places, some of them I would like to mention: Brunsting, Eldersloo Loon and Peest. Typical Saxon farms could be seen in the many ‘brinkdorpen’ of the province Drenthe. A short stop for a drink at the bike was held just before Lieveren. Near Nietap we entered the province Groningen and experienced a different ambiance of surroundings. After riding over several dikes along the canals and again small villages like Faan, Nieuwklap, Schifpot and Alinghuizen, we arrived in Winsum (in 2020 pronounced as the most beautiful village of The Netherlands), where we visited Henk Batterman. In his showroom Henk has a nice collection of old mopeds and racing motorcycles. On the terrace of a local restaurant, with a view on the canoes and boats in the canal Winsumerdiep, we enjoyed a delicious lunch.

The second halve of the route we went via Onderdendam, along the belltower of Westerdijkshorn, passing by the city Groningen through small places called Noorddijk and Ruischerbrug. We had to wait for open bridges, drove through places with manlike names called Middelbert and Engelbert and entered Drenthe between Noordlaren and Midlaren. In Zuidlaren some of us had to refuel their bikes and all of had to cool the inner body with a tasty ice.

The final piece of the tour went through the valley Hunzedal. After Eexterzandvoort and Gieterzandvoort we ‘climbed’ the “Hondsrug” near Gieten and drove in the shadow of the forest “Staatsbossen,” between Gasselte and Grolloo.

The second factor of diversity is undoubtful the variety in landscape and it has been said that the roads surface was the third factor, mostly asphalt, but a lot of brick pavement. This is one of the reasons why the trip took the hole day. At approx. 17.00 hours we arrived in Spier at the last stop of the route, where we refuelled ourselves on a beautiful terrace.

Thanks to the organizers and of course the participants, everybody had a great day.