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Royal Enfield Continental GT, from a woman's view


Press photographers gather glamour shots of the Continental GT at Brooklands.
Alexandra Straub stood out as the only woman I saw among the many foreign writers riding the new Royal Enfield Continental GT at its launch in England. Her testosterone-free report on the Continental GT is on Canada MotoGuide.

It's a complete report and it's funny. I liked it because Straub is the only writer there, besides me, who admits to struggles riding on the "wrong" side of the road — and she is a far more experienced motorcyclist.

"Even through the unnerving urban haul, the bike posed no additional stress on my being," she writes. "It's easy to live with, even if your life expectancy appears short."

I got to like her ready sense of humor during hours on the press bus, when she would entertain her Canadian colleagues with a trivia quiz from her smart phone. Journalists from around the world would jump in with answers North Americans wouldn't know.

Riding the Continental GT on the unfamiliar route from Brooklands to Brighton I followed the wisp of blond hair from beneath her helmet. Very possibly our little group was lost, I figured, but she was bound to be amusing regardless of where we ended up.