James

About me

The short version

I'm James. I ride a BMW GS 1300, I climb hills slower than I used to, and I believe the best conversations happen at the side of a road. This site is my logbook: the trips I loved, the photos I keep coming back to, and a few thoughts written down before I forget them.

If you've ended up here, we've probably shared a road, a paddock, or a pint somewhere. Good. Stay a minute.

James standing on a green hillside in a cream fleece, smiling, with a moorland ridge behind him

My journeys

Roads worth writing home about

Press and hold the button. Every trip starts with holding the throttle a second longer than is sensible.

James in motorbike gear beside his BMW GS by a Norwegian lake with red boathouses and snowy mountains

Norway

Norway, the long way up

Two weeks, one GS, and roads that kept outdoing each other. Red boathouses, snow in June, and coffee that tasted better at altitude.

Family photo on the starting grid with the championship winning Yamaha and a row of trophies

The track

Championship autumns

Race paddocks became a second home. The 2021 season gave us a title, a family photo on the grid, and a shelf that suddenly needed more trophies.

A rider silhouetted on a mountain road at first light, from the opening film

Home turf

The hills at home

No engine, just boots. The Beacons in low cloud is still my favorite view in the world.

Gallery

Moments I kept

A wall of the good stuff, straight off my camera roll. A few of these move; give them a second.

James with his BMW GS in a car park below snow covered mountains in Norway — Above the snowline, Norway

James leaning on a boat rail on a Norwegian fjord — Fjord crossing

Selfie on a ferry deck in a steep sided fjord — Geiranger from the deck

Riding a red and white superbike hard through a corner on track — Knee down, years back

Sitting on a red race Yamaha number 118 in pit lane — Number 118, waiting

Celebrating in British Superbike Champions 2021 shirts beside the race bike — Champions, 2021

Selfie at the Cadwell Park circuit entrance in team jacket — Cadwell Park, race day

Black and white track photo with the red bike picked out in color — The red Yamaha days

Black and white photo sitting on a locker room bench after training — Between rounds

Smiling selfie with a well earned pint in a pub — The debrief

Blog

Written at the side of the road

Aug 2026

Why the GS

People ask why I ride a bus of a bike. Because it goes everywhere, carries everything, and never complains. Neither do I, if the coffee stops keep coming.

Jun 2026

What Norway teaches you

Weather there is a suggestion. You pack for four seasons, get all of them before lunch, and stop minding by day three. The roads make up for every soaking.

May 2026

On slowing down

I spent years chasing lap times. These days the speed matters less than where the road goes. The view is better when you arrive slow enough to see it.

More posts on the way. I write them faster than I ride uphill.

Say hello

The road's better with company

Got a route to recommend, a photo from a shared day, or just fancy a chat? Send it over.

Prefer your own email? Write to jamesgs1@gmail.com

Welcome to my corner of the internet.

Hello. I'm James.

The short version