I’ll start this article by being quite honest with you all, always a winning opening I think, by saying my motivation for attending this day was to finally meet Mr Simon Gandolfi, author, director and the leading star in his book “Old Man on a Bike” which I had the pleasure to review 2 months ago. We’d emailed many times and this was to be our first real meeting, but more of this later.
The day looked promising from the outset, blue sky and with a temperature above freezing so I decided not to wuss out in the car but to take the 7 for a run out. When I got there I saw a sea of large imposing bikes, more aluminium panniers than surely is healthy, and immediately realised that of course average buyer of a GS this or KTM that isn’t going to be put off by the weather.
I saw that this was a bigger event than I’d anticipated so wandered around to check out what was happening and it turns out that there were trade stands, notably KTM and Touratech, guest speakers and more!
Wandering around the bike park outside the café, blissfully free of people revving their engines and dodging traffic on one wheel in the street, was an illuminating experience. I’ve never seen so many overseas badges in one place, clearly souvenirs from places visited and something every traveller, myself included, can’t help but collect. There were badges from, quite literally, all over the World, and naturally the bikes which made those trips.
BMW was on balance the most represented marquee with the ubiquitous GS the front runner from Munich. Brought to fame by Ewan and Charlie, the GS is now a leading seller, and it’s come some way since the beak nosed 1100GS was seen as a quirky oddity, now the current 1200 is raved about by all sections of the riding fraternity.
Oh how KTM must have kicked themselves after The Long Way Down was released.
I spent some time talking to a guy called Matt, after staring for some time at his particularly hard core 1150GS, who explained to me that it was tractor grease applied to keep the salt off its delicate bits making it look so ‘used’. An 05 bike, it was showing nearly 80,000 miles on the clock and apparently still running well. He’s ridden it the entire length of the Americas, North to South and journeyed through Europe on it. As well as many badges (but not ours due to some stock issues) it had picked up an Alaskan sheep skin seat cover which, he tells me, is a perfect place for one’s ass to be while transcontinental blasting in the heat.
KTM of course was present, both officially and by their many orange fans with the 990 Adventure (natch) being the most popular I could see. I have memories of trying one of their monster trail bikes and balancing on this razor seat while tip toeing around but times have softened at least the popular models I thought as a wandered. Compared to the BMs they look a much more purposeful tool, all lean and well, orange. And all Akro’d up, they sound glorious.
So as I strolled in the sun, my sports bike hidden behind a van beside the café, I felt stirring in me a need to go conquer the continents again. Last time was in 2005 and I’ve got to tell you it felt great. But what of the cost? As I get older I think more about the consequences of upping and offing in the way these guys have. I’m not talking about the typical 2 or 3 week holiday (as per my last trip) but one measured in months and covering a 5 digit mileage.
It still stops me from disappearing for months and I wanted to understand it if possible. By “cost” I don’t just mean the financial one, but also the cost of leaving your life. Work and your relationship are two things which may not understand your wanderlust. The financial costs of the trip may not be much on the face of it, but the loss of earnings during that time would hurt all but the best heeled of us if a home has to supported while away.
With this dilemma playing in my mind I wandered into the café to seek answers. Are all long distance riders incredibly well off? Glancing at some of the bikes they must be! Are they all living in cardboard boxes now they’re returned?
First though, Simon. This pensioner rode a 125 pizza bike from Mexico to the tip of South America with minimal equipment and a lot of (although unreliable) heart. Not to mention some indestructible shoes.
In the flesh he appears as indefatigable as he does on paper. He has been to places and seen more that I could ever hope to and embodies the spirit of adventure. I talked a lot about my concerns of such absences from home with both him and his long suffering, charming wife and he shared my concerns about giving up everything to achieve a long trip. We listened to Around-the-Worlder Sam Manicom telling us how he sold everything, even his silk ties for 10p a go, to fund his year long trip (initially the plan) and both of us were amazed.
Simon pointed out that if the adventure becomes your life there must be a real danger of becoming, well, a crashing bore with it. If you can find fame and more importantly, fortune as a result of the trip then you should be able to start a more balanced life perhaps, but still, it’s a bit extreme. To return and then have to start at the very bottom of your life again, with nothing but a pretty used motorbike and unsavoury sleeping bag? I’m not convinced it’ll be worth it if you are settled in your current life.
Extreme or not, Sam’s speech of excerpts of what was going to be a year’s ride down to Cape Town in South Africa and then became an 8 year 200,000 mile circumnavigation of the World could be described as amazing. To see and to experience such things is within our grasp apparently, we just need to get to a car boot sale and put our life up for sale first.
Following Sam was a very very funny speech by one Austin Vince who, along with his co-conspirators, run the Mondo Enduro adventure travel site. His advice, in between much hilarity, was to take as little as possible and make sure everything has a dual purpose. For example he demonstrated his poncho’s abilities as a water proof coat, bike cover and roof to a between-bike tent arrangement. Sound words, and good laughs.
I left then, sheepishly riding off on my sports bike before the supposed snow/rain set in and left them to their all-weathered cosiness thinking about what I’d learnt.
- We are all bikers no matter what type of bike or distance covered or preference for all weather suits or leathers. This section of the community shares a passion equal to a crowd of sports bike riders. They may dress differently and, judging by the bikes and accessories, have a bit more cash, but they are just as keen.
- In the end it’s all about the riding. Perhaps an ‘adventure’ should be judged by the rider’s standards and experiences rather than against a benchmark laid down by someone who is, after all, a complete stranger. I’ve as little idea about Simon’s motivations as I have about Nick Saunders’ or Sam Manicom’s, so why judge mine by theirs?
- Do you need to give up your life to ride 10,000 miles? I realised I’d been looking at this all wrong. These people wanted to give up their lives, it wasn’t a consequence – it was a motivation. Then I was struck by the memory of wanting a big change in my life before coming up with the idea of riding to Athens.
- It’s not essential to trick your bike out with the entire Touratech product range. Items can be bought as and when unless you intend spending the entire trip in the desert. Be ruthless too about keeping things, dispose of them instead of carting them around all the time.
- The only thing that really needs preparing before you leave is paperwork for visas and other bureaucratic stuff – this cannot be improvised en route.
Otherwise, it seems there aren’t many obstacles to all of us getting out there, even if it’s only for a week or two around Scotland or France. So go somewhere this year, take a break and go. It’s surprising how many people on Londonbikers have gone as far as a distant French border, which proves it’s not exactly a difficult proposition. Any roadworthy machine will be fine, it doesn’t need a 30 litre tank and ally boxes on it. You don’t need a suitcase. Make it a late New Year’s resolution eh?
And please remember; don’t judge your trip by the standards of others, judge it by your own.
It’s a spirit thing, not a distance thing.
Some related sites:
www.sam-manicom.com
www.loisontheloose.com
www.mondoenduro.com
www.horizonsununlimited.com
www.jamescargobikes.com
www.traveldriplus.com
www.metalmule.com
www.thektmcentre.co.uk
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