No ride-out in the 1990s was complete without a few laps and a spot of knee-down fun. In fact, for some they were the go-to place. Bike readers relive their good times...
By Mike Armitage Pics: Bauer archives, Bike readers
It was probably entirely our fault. Keen to please demanding designers and action-hungry photographers, no UK magazine photoshoot between the late 1980s and early 2000s was complete without a few snaps of someone’s knee being waved at the road surface. Racers had been doing it for decades, of course – it helped them go fast. Journalists did it because it looked fast. And the safest, easiest and most efficient way to get the shots was to find a smooth, deserted roundabout and ride yourself dizzy.
Pushing sliders into the tarmac went hand in hand with Britain’s obsession with the sportsbike, and roundabouts became destinations rather than just convenient ways of joining a few roads together. I can remember heading to the small island where the A453, Gelscoe Lane and Top Brand converge above junction 14 of the A42 on a Sunday morning and the verges being lined with bikes, everyone watching as riders took it in turns to do a few on-their-ear laps. Bonus points if you have leather sliders. Even more for sparky ones.
We’ve assembled a few pictures from Bike readers in celebration of this heady era-defining entertainment. And we’d love to see some more…
