Yamaha XT660 in the city

This is about as much 'off road' as the XT gets to see during the week. Perfectly suited to London’s city roads the XT nips through traffic, barks its way up to pedestrian crossings and now the newly fitted GPR twin cans ensure that everyone knows it’s coming.

Aside from great visibility and comfort the fuel economy is proving to be excellent too; £13 fills a tank and gets me 135 miles worth of road dominating mileage.

With the new-found off-road capabilities I’ve been looking into the Green-Lane scene and it’s been really good fun. Many of Kent and Sussex public byways (off road tracks that are open to powered vehicles) have been closed over the years because of some gaping holes in legislation and miserable old land owners. However some still exist and on consulting my local land ranger map the little pink crossed tracks denoting a 'byway' can be found scattered all over the place.

There is one short byway very local to me and pretty much on the way home. With a short diversion even in the dark I can get my off-road fix. Needless to say this fix is only on a 0.5 mile stretch of muddy track and I’ve found myself desperately excited to seek out the other pretty much hidden, more extensive lanes in the area.

The green lane scene is almost underground with riders and enthusiasts of all ages desperately fighting the government to keep some of these glorious parts of the countryside open so that we as bikers can enjoy the dual purpose bikes the manufacturers are producing.

This weekend I’m going to check out 15 of the best routes within a 25 mile radius of Steven's Towers. Allthough the tyres are dual purpose im not conviced they will stand up to much mud. Hopefully they will be nobbly enough to keep me going. wish me luck!