Every.Day.Ride #3 with Piston Pin-Up

Tell us a little about yourself?

I was born and raised in Lisbon Portugal and I had done my licence there but when buying my first motorcycle in the UK five years later, I had forgotten it all! 

I have now been riding for more than 10 years and since getting my first motorcycle, I have never considered being bike-less. 

In the UK, I studied forensic science and maybe that is why I found it quite funny when Litelok named their heir new composite Barronium™ for Litelok X.

How and when did you get into riding?

I did my licence at the tender age of 18 but only had my first motorcycle in my early 20s.

Not too sure how I got into riding but presume it was a bit of the bikes are not for girls in the family attitude and I saw they were cool and had some practical sides to it too.

What are the best and worst things about riding?

Best- You are in the moment, you can feel the smells and differences of temperature while travelling and they make you feel a bit more wild. You will meet the nicest people on a bike and there is definitely a very supportive and friendly community around it.

Worst - a bit hard to let them go (when upgrading or changing) and there is unfortunately a lot of theft in the UK.

Tell us about your most memorable ride to date?

Probably the 99 days I spent alone riding in the Iberian Peninsula was great to explore at my own pace and enjoy such freedom. Portugal and Spain have such beautiful unknown places!

What's the best piece of riding advice you've ever been given?

When you are tired but can't stop riding, narrate to yourself what you're doing and your crucial next moves, keeps you focused and helps you to ensure no mistakes happen. This is really simple and useful.

What do you bring with you on every ride?

A lock (nowadays a Litelok), earplugs, a neck tube and nice comfortable gloves.

How do you keep your bikes secure at home and on the go? Share your best tips to help others keep their bikes safe.

At home after having my KTM Duke 390 stolen in 2020 I totally changed my views.

So at the time I used to have one medium chain and one disc lock, that clearly wasn't enough so after the theft I got the best chain I could buy and a multi-layer system - at least 3 locks is my strategy and one with sound to help to deter, and the chain, if possible grounded to the floor/wall of the garage. Since getting the Litelok core Moto that is also added to the bike, so yes, it now takes a while with all the keys but it deters theft.

On the go is a different matter, you want flexibility but safety so I take my Litelok One Moto and my disc lock with noise. For the Honda Cub which is a smaller bike the X1 is proving to be really good and of course one disc lock with sound too.

Those are my tips, if you can take a cover also makes it less appealing to thieves.

When someone asks what kit you recommend, you say?

A good lock for UK riders, comfortable gear so you really wear it and maybe some navigation set up - phone mount or satnav.

What's on your riding bucket list?

• Morocco
• Iceland
• South America
• South Africa to Mozambique
• Azores islands....too many to list all here!!