It's been very much an Indian Summer of late, with fantastic autumn weather resulting in dry, clear tarmac. The biggest problem has been the rising and setting sun though.
My two daily journeys mean that for sections of each, I have to ride straight into the sun, which is both uncomfortable and dangerous. 
In the Bikerdown! course where I volunteer, we discuss this issue and ways in which we can help ourselves, both when heading into and also away from the sun.
If the sun is behind us, our visibility won't be compromised, but any drivers coming the other way, aren't going to be able to see a thing. As such, we need to ride in a smarter way to really limit the risk.
Being invisible is not a new problem for bikes and now, here in the UK, the clocks have gone back which means that, for me, every journey home from work until April, will now take place in the dark. 
I often see lots of riders who are covered head to toe in black kit. My Rukka kit is black, but has reflective strips built into it, however, I don't think this is enough, so I have the added colour of a hi viz vest. Its nothing special, but it helps raise my presence when on the road.
The vest helps the driver see me as they following in a line of vehicles. Its so easy for us to disappear into the lights of the vehicle in front when favouring the right side of the lane as we position ourselves for maximum personal visibility.
For a small section of our sub culture, hi viz is not cool and so, they won't wear it, but it really does make a difference. For me, I find it helps me stand out against the background. I ride in an area with very little light pollution from shop fronts  or street lights, so the bright colours and reflective panels work. In the city however, this may not be the case so much, as the bright yellow itself can blend into the background.
My only advise when it comes to making yourself visible on the road, is to evaluate where you are riding and then select an option that will maximise how people see you. Don't just rely on them seeing the tiny rear light, or your headlight. If you are riding in a mixture of environments, then wear a mixture of different colours, so that during any one instance, there is always one part of you that is dramatically contrasting against your background.

As Autumn starts to take hold here in the UK, I've been enjoying my time back on the bike. 
My commute isn't the longest, but has enough variety to keep it interesting, which is handy. 
The early week sunshine gave way to clouds and rain towards the end of the week, so for the first time, in a long time, I suited up in my Rukka textiles. 
As is good practice, over the summer I'd stripped out the armour, gave them a wash and a Nitwax treatment to boost the water repellent qualities of the garments. Nitwax is a fairly common product and is a 'wash in', meaning you pour the right quantity into a clean washing machine and wash your jacket, or trousers on the required spin. I know, super exciting stuff right here!
The water repelling works well enough, but the biggest issue, especially on those first few rides, is just how little physical grip I get on the bike through my legs. Both of my bikes have Stomp grips stuck on the side of the tank and they work amazingly well with my leathers, but not so much with my textiles. It's not the end of the world, but what this does mean is I have to alter my riding style a fraction, especially if on fast sweeping bends to stop my backside sliding around too much.
The second biggest issue is something I've mentioned before. Turbulence. Leathers are great on the bike as the air simply slides across your back when riding, not so much with textiles, especially on a sportsbike. Its perfectly fine at lower speeds, but when the road and speeds open up, the vibration from the air rushing past the jacket starts to actually blur my vision.
It's not that the jacket is too big either, so to counter this effect, what I tend to do, is either use my Kriega rucksack or a hi viz jacket to in effect keep the fabric strapped down depending on what I have to carry. I guess it's one way to help keep the speeds down, so there is that I guess.

So it's that time again. Six years ago I started this website and well, as you can see, it's still here. There have been some ups and some downs along the way, but my passion for bikes and the site is as strong as it was on day one. 
I'd like to personally thank each and every one of you who have visited the site and joined me for part, if not all of the journey. 
The last 12months have been far from perfect but I'm still looking for ways to really expand what I do and how I do it. I'm feeling really positive going forward and I'm in a good place personally.
I hope you'll continue to join me as I continue my life with my head behind the bubble.

To quote Dave Grohl 'It's times like these you learn to live again'. So after a few months of limited riding, I'm now back out in full swing, enjoying the last of the summer, with dry roads, amazing views and a renewed purpose. 
I cannot deny that I live in a truly beautiful part of the world and I'm just as lucky to get to enjoy some amazing roads that cut their way across the landscape, on some very enjoyable machinery. 
As a biker, sometimes the only justification you need to ride, it to have a destination; any destination. And so it was this morning. Leaving the house earlier than usual, the rising sun was just starting to appear over the trees and houses as I pointed the Fireblade East away from the hustle and bustle of Poole and Bournemouth, down towards the coast and the Isle of Purbeck.
Purbeck is an interesting place. With villages and towns like Corfe Castle and Wareham seemingly stuck in a time warp, with their pace of life harking back some forty years, it's easy to forget that the little peninsula jutting out into Poole Harbour, is only 20mins from the biggest and busiest towns in Dorset. 
The biggest town by far on Purbeck is Swanage, a familiar holiday destination for generations and today's target. During peak season and the school holidays its rammed with holiday makers mixing it with the locals, but when I arrived there this morning, the only people on the seafront were me and a chap sat outside his beach hut, seemingly asleep.

The only problem about Purbeck in any serious way, is that there is only one road in and out. As a result you're often a slave to the driver in front as they travel within their comfort zone along the twisty and windy roads. There is one little gem however, and this is the slightly longer route through the picturesque villages of Kingston and Langton Matravers. The road's only purpose is for local traffic wanting to access these two villages and the smaller Worth Matravers from either side of the main A351, so traffic is often very light. But as the road has great elevation changes, a half decent surface and forms a ribbon of challenging tarmac,  it certainly raises the heartrate. Its 5-6 minutes of biking nirvana when the cuffs come off and I remember why I love to ride so much.