Few views in the world are photographed more often, and few are harder to enjoy from the saddle. The Palace of Westminster, rebuilt after the fire of 1834 by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin in a Gothic style that deliberately looked backward, stands on the north bank of the Thames, with its famous clock tower at one end. The tower is properly called the Elizabeth Tower, and Big Ben is the name of the great bell inside it. Across the road is Westminster Abbey, where English and British monarchs have been crowned since William the Conqueror in 1066, and where many of them are buried, along with poets, scientists and the Unknown Warrior.
The abbey was consecrated in 1065 under Edward the Confessor, and the surviving building is largely thirteenth-century, with a later chapel built by Henry VII. Poets' Corner holds memorials to Chaucer, Dickens and many others, and the Coronation Chair, which has been used since 1308, stands in a side chapel. Westminster Hall, part of the palace, is far older than the rest, dating from the late eleventh century, and its great timber roof is a masterpiece of medieval carpentry.
Riding in central London is a matter of preparation. The city has a congestion charge and an ultra-low emission zone, and the rules can apply to motorbikes depending on their age and engine, so check before you arrive. Traffic is heavy and slow, with buses, taxis, cyclists and tourists crossing at random, and tram lines and metal covers are slippery in the wet. Parking for motorcycles is available in designated bays around Westminster, but they fill early and you should read the signs carefully.
You will find fuel on the edges of the centre rather than in it, and cafes and sandwich bars are on every corner. For a quieter coffee, walk across Westminster Bridge and sit on the south bank, with the whole palace spread out in front of you.
Come early on a Sunday morning to see the streets almost empty and the stonework lit by low sun. Weekday afternoons are packed and slow.