Who here is an Adventure motorcyclist

[the Ferret]

And by that, I don't mean who rides an ADV style bike, I mean someone who is willing to take off on a motorcycle putting themselves in strange and maybe compromising situations?

I am reading a book I got for Christmas, "No Thru Road" by Clement Salvadori. Amazing stuff. (I also have read "10 Years on a Motorcycle" by Helge Pederson.) I'll admit, I have been a long time Rider Magazine subscriber, over 30 years, for which Salvadori is a staff travel writer. Salvadori has never been my favorite writer, I much prefer Peter Egan ( Cycle World) with whom I can relate, who has tried to cross the U.S. on a Norton .. If you consider that an adventure lol... I would. (I have all 3 of his books)

However the IDEA of Adventure touring intrigues me very much. Imagine riding on 6 continents, thru areas where roads are sometimes optional, where gas can be iffy. Where medical help could be hundreds of miles away. Where you are not familiar with the language, where food could be decidedly unappetizing, far from friends, family, even communication at times. Where border crossings can sometimes come with detention and interrogation, where you must rely on your own mechanical skills to keep you rolling.

My biggest motorcycle adventure was going to Europe, with Edelweiss motorcycle tour company, with prearranged hotels and meals, guides and a chase vehicle, where everyone at least would attempt to communicate in English....and I put that off for 5 years after I had saved the money because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find food I would like...and I still suffered a lot of stress on the trip ( just ask my wife) Thank goodness she was with me, as she is pretty much unflappable in the face of adversity.

I've travelled all over the United States and some parts of Canada by motorcycle, but I am never far from people that speak my language, food I will eat, or gas stations, or motels, or hospitals or AAA if I need them, or rental cars, or an airport as a last resort. Even then sometimes on the road I feel the stress of not being " at home".

I could never be an Adventure motorcyclist. Too much uncertainty for me. I do however have the utmost admiration and respect for those that could or do. The more I read Salvadori's book the more respect I have for him as a motorcyclist.

So what do you think? Have you done it? Do you think you could do it? Would you like to do it?

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/imagejpg1_zps98c3ee54.jpg.html]

[nhawk7504_imp]

It's a great challenge. They don't always make it back. It would be enjoyable and nerve wracking too sometimes. See Youtube; Paris to Dakar on a VFR1200! That was an adventure! A woman or two is doing it solo and taking years. They get jobs and adapt. They are writers. People are extremely helpful to these adventurers as well. It's unnatural in a sense. Most animals have a sense of home.

[Henrik_imp]

I can't say I am an adventure motorcyclist, although I would like to be! Up until now, I simply have not had the time to really get out there and travel the world on a bike, but I have often thought about doing it. Perhaps someday when I have enough money to stop working I will go on a proper ride.

However, throughout my life I have travelled extensively and the thing I particularly enjoy is the discovery of everything unknown. I love finding and trying local food, and to date there is nothing I have not eaten. There have been some pretty strange things sometimes in my travels through Asia or Africa, but I always figure that if the locals can eat it and live, then so can I. As far as language is concerned, that is not a huge problem either as together with my wife we cover fluently English, French, Spanish, German, Swedish, Italian, and can get by in Japanese and some Arabic. You also get a knack for communicating in English with locals that don't necessarily speak it like in China or other Chinese speaking countries.

I got used to moving around in some foreign places very early on, and have grown up a bit all over the world. I am Swedish, but the place in the world that I feel the most like a stranger is actually Sweden. So, the whole world adventure part of a trip like this is totally within my comfort zone.

My biggest problem is my obvious lack of mechanical skills. I have friends that have done some pretty adventurous rides, and there will always come a moment when something brakes down in a remote place, and I really don't think I would be able to fix it. More than anything else, this would be my main concern before setting off on such a trip, so the best would be to do it together with somebody who is a bit more mechanically inclined than myself.

[the_undecider_imp]

I'm not a real adventure motorcyclist, but I play one on the internet...

[hb9400_imp]

Henrik that's an impressive list of languages, I can barely get by with English

[Rocky_imp]

I've always been a pavement rider and have never had the urge to ride off-road or into the wilderness.
But like ferret, I enjoy reading about ADV riders and their adventures.

[Django]

I'm not yet. But I could dream of a half year trip around the world or longer...

Meanwhile I watch videos like this:

[rboe]

The concept is very attractive, but the spirit is less willing. What I'm willing to eat is getting larger I'm afraid it ain't near enough to handle the real world adventures out there. Some parts of the world I'm simply not willing to face the risks (e.g. the first 80 miles of Mexico) from humans, but weather and animals seem much less risky.

Language; drawing, arm flinging and when totally flummoxed, raising one's voice a lot seems to work. I had a young fellow from the Czech Republic help me lay our porcelain kitchen tile. My Czech was nonexistent, his English was not much better and we got along famously. Communications can be the least of your worries.

[emptysea]

Rode my bike down Lincoln Highway through Chicago Heights and Ford Heights....THAT was fairly adventurous.

Seriously, though, I too am in the "like the idea" camp. My son and I have a preliminary plan to do a circle tour of all the Great Lakes in one trip and we would camp along the way. I think that's the closest I'll get to what we are calling "Adventure Riding".

[Cormanus]

I really like it when you share your ruminations, Ferret. Thanks.

I've discovered I like touring on motorcycles and I'm happy to do it in any country I can, although I lack Henrik's facility with languages. That said, I don't think I'm an adventure motorcyclist to the extent I'm not sure about riding where there are no roads and no mechanical support. Like Henrik, I lack real mechanical capability.
Thanks for the video, Django. I went to Luang Prabang once and came across this rather more dignified form of motorcycle riding. Pity about the bush.