Lexmoto Adventure Club Article
Posted December 07, 2020
Lexmoto Viper Conquers Steepest Road In England!
Start point was my home in Darwen. Stopped off at the Green Frog at Preston Docks, Lythe Fell Road within the Forest of Bowland area, Lake Windermere, Wrynose Pass, Hardknott Pass, then looping all the way around and heading back home.
Hardknott Pass is allegedly the steepest road in England, and it seemed like a no brainer to me. It also meant that I could put my Lexmoto Viper to the test and just prove exactly what a Lexmoto is capable of!
The bike got a home service the day before heading out. Checked the weather which was intermittent rain, and also watched a few videos to get an idea of what I was about to climb... I made sure to pack my portable charger, a set of Allen keys and a few spanners of different sizes in case of a breakdown or emergency. A couple of drinks, my wallet, phone and keys, and last but not least, a second pair of gloves incase they got drenched in the rain!
The original plan was to go straight up to Windermere on the A6, but then I made the decision to alter the route and go via Forest of Bowland. I used the Waze app on my phone, mounted to my bars using my trusty SP Connect phone mount.
My favourite part was definitely the descent of Hardknott Pass. It was the scariest thing I've done in my life, but it was the highlight of the day. Videos just never do the landscape any justice, and I had no idea what I was in for when watching the videos.
My favourite thing about the Viper is definitely the looks and the riding position. I used to be a sports bike fan but it put too much strain on my back, so I opted for an upright bike. With an upgraded 16 tooth front sprocket, and a Lextek YP4 exhaust, the Viper is quick enough at just over 70mph for all of my needs. I have a few additional extras including gold Lextek levers and recently have just removed the mirrors and swapped them out for some convex bar end mirrors. It's definitely a head turner and I find a lot of people mistake it for a larger bike!
I recorded the ride over Wrynose and Hardknott and I uploaded it to YouTube which you can find here.
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A valiant performance Jamie, we commend your fearless efforts! Hardknott Pass looks steep on the video so it must have been a seriously steep decline!
If you've completed a 200 mile+ round trip on your Lexmoto, get in touch. We just need some photos for proof and we'll send you an exclusive Adventure Club t-shirt and a £50 CMPOPARTS.COM voucher, if we publish your story.
Safe riding.
