CHRIS is on the road now and will send you emails about his trip. Just request such by
telling him you were sent by Tynda at GoTo Motorcycle Travels:
chris_r100gs@hotmail.com
As on November 99, Chris has his own web page so go to CHRIS BRIGHT WEBPAGE
###As requested by some: A few words on the background to my trip.###
*My Background: I'm 33, British, with a Scottish father and German mother. For
the past 5 years, I taught German and French at schools in Slough and
Birmingham. Before that, I gained a Degree in International Business and German
and travelled for 3 years.
Amongst other things, I was a failed waiter in a TexMex restaurant in Nashville,
Tennessee (I got too annoyed with people loving my accent and asking me to
'speak some more'...), a taxi driver in Sydney/ Australia (being able to speak
English helped a lot, but nobody asked me to speak much) and for 2 winters a
photographer in Kitzbuehel/ Austria - (imagine having to ski to get to work...)
Except Central and South America, many of the places to be visited, will in some
way be old haunts.
*The idea for the trip: Well... various.... Once you start to travel, you can't
stop. At least that was what it was like for me. I've sat on enough crowded
public buses bouncing over potholed African and Asian roads and looked out of
the window at motorbikes cruising by, to think that I want to do the same. So 5
years ago, during my teacher training, I worked as a dustman to afford my bike
lessons. (I've had a car licence since I was 18.) Being presently slightly
underwhelmed with my life in England, this way I might put a little excitement
back into it. Who knows where the road might lead?
*My biking experience: My first bike was a 1990 Honda Africa Twin. A top machine
on which I travelled thirty thousand miles around Europe. I found it excellent
on the road, but off road a little too top heavy.
The bike for this trip is a 1989 BMW R100GS. I bought it from a friend in
Germany and imported it into the UK. After changing the dodgy ignition coil, it
runs like a dream. It's big, but with the low down weight, it's very comfy all
round.
*Motivational reading: If you're planning any sort of motorcycle excursion, be
it a midge-infested and rain soaked-jaunt to Scotland or half way round the
world (if you're reading this in Australia, Scotland is of course already half
way round the world!), then Chris Scott's 'Adventure Motorcycling Handbook' is
absolutely invaluable. It is incredibly thorough and well written. Other books
which turned my idea from 'maybe' into 'definitely' include Helge Pedersen's '10
Years On 2 Wheels' and Ted Simon's 'Jupiter's Travels'.
*Travel partners: Another interesting topic. I'm leaving on my own, but hope not
to be alone for too much of the time. I already have several contacts from the
internet and I hope there will other like-minded souls going the same way. I
left several ads. in the travel magazine 'Wanderlust'. In six months I received
about 10 replies. I gained some good contacts and even went on a 'compatibility
weekend' with one woman. We were quite compatible, but she had already made
other plans. The most bizarre call I received was from another woman who was
under the impression I was offering a lift on the back of my bike all the way
round the world!
*The Route: I can't recall how many hoursI spent looking at maps and being
frustratingly (for me and others) indecisive. In the end, I had to choose a
route before I pulled out the last of my remaining hair.
A bit advice I got was to ride from home, rather than ship to a far flung place
and realise a hundred miles down the road that I didn't like it. At least this
way, I can turn round and ride home. Not that I have any intention to do this!
The route is now to head south via Turkey and the Middle East (September and
October) and then try to get through to East Africa, arriving in Cape Town by
about March 2000. After that it's either (unsurprisingly enough, as south it
might be a bit chilly!) east to Australia (including visiting the Sydney
Olympics) or west to South America. I'll have to see what the plan is when I get
there. Factors such as weather, finances and my mood will probably play a small
role.
*Support/ Sponsorship: Sounds easy... not! First I wrote to guide book
publishers offering to write/ update their guides. The resounding answer: 'get
lost'. (So I went out and bought a GPS... knowing my navigational skills I'll
need it!) I had a 50-50 split of biking/ adventure magazines (in the UK and
Germany) which either didn't reply/ said no, or were interested in reports/
pictures from the road/ at the end of the trip. Armed with this info, I wrote to
35 oil, clothing, tyre, bike accessory (etc etc) companies asking for support
and offering a marketing avenue for their products. More than half half didn't
even bother writing back and all except one of the rest uttered the usual
'sponsorship budget full blah blah blah...'
The exception was BRIDGESTONE.; (Again, MANY THANKS). So the bike is sporting
nice shiney on/off road knoblies and lots of Bridgestone stickers. Maybe if
you're doing a trip for charity or something totally wacky you might have more
luck. I also received lots of spares on sale or return from the BOXER SHOP in
Krefeld, Germany. (Vielen Dank Norbert!)
*Paperwork, Planning: You need the usual passport/ visa stuff (see travel
literature, embassies and particularly the Lonely Planet Guides: in my opinion
the best on the market) - also see my trials and frustrations with Sudanese
embassies above -, a Carnet de Passage (in the UK through the AA; they're very
helpful and efficient - the bike is valued at £750!?) -, immunisations (see your
doc.), a medical insurance (including the 'dangerous' pastime of riding a bike -
when they say 'yes' it's included in the policy, make sure you ask them about
engine sizes. Most policies stop at 50cc!), motor insurance (I found it
impossible to get any for outside Europe in England (hopefully it can be
arranged locally), common sense and a fair bit of luck.
*Web sites: For interesting bike stuff (and my story!!) visit
www.adventure-motorcycling.com and www.horizonsunlimited.com. If you read these
and visit their links, you should be busy or a while. Pictures of my trip might
may take a while, as I obviously need to have my trannies developed and find
somebody with a scanner and email facilities. Hence stories in magazines will
only be possible at the end of the journey or during a major interruption.
I will be keeping a diary on a Psion5 palmtop (if you've tried to read my
handwriting, you'll know why) and as far as possible also sending/ receiving
emails from it. Otherwise there are always internet cafes or being plain
unsociable...
*Bike Prep... I completed a motorcycle maintenance course at a local college.
Here I learnt a great deal, including how to do a major service and lots of
tips, which will hopefully stand me in good stead, should the bike decide to
pretend to be kaputt.
The bike has the following modifications/ extras: 43 litre Acerbis tank, new
drive shaft, aluminium pannier system, large bash and skid plate, raised bars,
steel brake cable, voltmeter and oil temp gauge and the usual fancy plastic
bits. My father helped in many ways to get the bike in order, including making
useful bags to strap onto the fuel tank and modifying the boxes that they didn't
hit the shock on a full compression of the suspension. (Thanks for all your
help.)
*Personal Prep... Not much, just the light at the end of the tunnel... self
belief that all the obstacles (real and imaginary) being thrown in my way would
be solved. I did take the bike for a bimble around the mud of Mid Wales. I
thought I did quite well, until I watched an enduro rally the next day, where I
saw what real off road riders can do. Please do remind me to avoid the rainy
seasons on my trip!
*Budget: If I had taken everybody's advice, I wouldn't have left at all, as I
would spent all my money before I left! Fully loaded support vehicles, brand new
bike, helicopter following carrying women to nibble the soft bits on the end of
my ears etc etc (this last bit is purely fictional... but not entirely
undesirable!) Anyway, I'm budgeting on £20 (US$30) per day for 2 years. Maybe
longer, maybe shorter. I'll have to see how it goes. Working en route is of
course also an option. Camping, cheap living, own cooking etc. will hopefully
make the money go further.
So there it is. If you're planning something similar, stop procrastinating and
just go out there and do it. Thank you to everybody how has supported me with
kind deeds and words. Please do write to me if you can find the time.
###I look forward to any comments/ suggestions regarding the above.###
CHRIS
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