Getting into Adventure issue 3

A COLLECTION OF STORIES TO INSPIRE 

ISLAND HOPPING ADVENTURE 

FEATURING: 

ICELAND ON A BUDGET 

BEGINNERS CAMPING KIT 

ROAMING MINI ADVENTURE THROUGH BIKE TEST IRAN 

TRANS 

MINI 

EUROPEAN 

ADVENTURE 

TRAIL 

BIKE TEST 

TRAVELLING ON A CLASSIC 

WIN A BIKE! 

ISSUE 3

WELCOME 

Hello and welcome to another issue of 

Getting into Adventure. The first issue 

came out at last year's Motorcycle Live, 

issue 2 at the London Bike Show back in February 

and this third issue for the 2017 NEC show. 

It's something of a pet project at the minute; my 

own take on the adventure 'scene' that continues 

to grow in interest and scope. For this issue I've 

tried to take it back to basics with articles on 

lifting a bike and what to take on a trip. There's 

also a common theme running amongst some 

of the travel stories which you might well spot, 

and that is adventuring in the face of adversity. 

There's a great tale of Charlotte Murphy, her 

partner Mikey and their wheelchair travelling 

on a BMW R80, David Martin who completed 

the Land's End to John o'Groats after recovering 

from bowel cancer, and Ross MacDonald 

who fought his demons to go on a budget trip 

around Ibiza with his partner Heather. Those 

trips in many ways sit at the opposite end of the 

spectrum to the likes of Sjaak Lucassen building 

a bike to take him to the North Pole, or the 

Kulturide crew roaming through Iran, but in 

many ways they boil down to exactly the same 

principle; and that is making the most of your 

opportunities. 

For me, the heartbeat of adventure, is doing 

exactly that. It's about having an idea or a desire 

to do something or go somewhere, finding the 

opportunity to do it and then pulling the trigger 

and getting on with it. It'd be easy instead for 

any of the people in this issue to find reason or 

excuse not to do what they wanted to do, but 

they didn't. They just got on and did it, and that's 

the same principle whether riding to the North 

Pole or taking part in the Round Britain Rally in 

order to see more of your own country. So just 

get out there and get on with it. And if you're 

interested, write about it later. 

CONTENTS 

RIDING AWAY FROM THE EDGE 

Page 4-5 

GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 

Page 6-7 

HAVE WHEELS, WILL TRAVEL 

Page 8-9 

THE BASICS OF PACKING 

Page 10-11 

BUILDING THE DREAM 

Page 12-13 

WIN A HERALD MAVERICK 

Page 14 

HOW TO PICK UP A BIKE 

Page 16-18 

SPEND LESS, DO MORE 

Page 20-21 

TREASURING THE CLASSICS 

Page 22-23 

TRANS EUROPEAN TRAIL 

Page 24-25 

A LIFE OF ADVENTURE 

Page 28 

NOT YOUR AVERAGE HOLIDAY 

Page 30-31 

BEYOND YOUR COMFORT ZONE 

Page 32 

MY FIRST CAMPING KIT 

Page 34-35 


Page 36-37 

ROAMING IN IRAN 

Page 38-39 

BEN KING INTERVIEW 

Page 40-41 

SMALL CAPACITY ADV TEST 

Page 42-48 

RALLY RAID G310GS 

Page 50 

ICELAND ON A BUDGET 

Page 52-53 

£8.5K: HOW TO SPEND IT 

Page 54 

SJAAK LUCASSEN 

Page 56-57 

L'AVVENTURA SERIES 

Page 58-59 

DOWN BUT NOT OUT 

Page 60 

ROUND BRITAIN RALLY 

Page 62-63

RIDING AWAY FROM THE EDGE 

IF RIDING THE LENGTH OF THE UK WASN’T CHALLENGING ENOUGH, 37 YEAR OLD 

DAVID MARTIN DID SO ON L-PLATES, RIDING A 125CC AND SHORTLY FOLLOWING 

HIS RECOVERY FROM BOWEL CANCER... 

At the summit of Holme Moss, Peak District 

It’s May 31st 2016 and I’m 

lying on my side on a hospital 

bed. I’m wearing a rather 

fetching gown and a pair of 

disposable paper pants. 

Stood next to me is the consultant 

who has just had the fun task of 

inserting a camera in my rear end, 

and he now wishes to deliver the 

news no one ever wants to hear. 

“I have found what I think is a 

cancerous tumour.” 

The next couple of weeks are a 

blur of blood tests, CT scans, MRI 

scans and an emergency colostomy 

surgery. The same consultant now 

delivers the news from the scan 

results that show the cancer has 

already spread to several areas of 

my liver (stage 4). 

Later that day I’ve returned 

home from the surgery and that 

devastating news. I now have to 

use a colostomy bag, and then mild 

panic sets in when the gravity of 

my condition hits home. I have a 

little cry to myself. 

Prior to the discovery of my 

cancer I had bought a brand new 

Derbi Terra Adventure 125cc. 

The main purpose of the bike was 

for the dally 20 mile round trip 

commute though the busy streets 

of Birmingham. 

Over the next 12 months I 

go through what can only be 

described as a balance between 

killing the cancer or killing me. 

Chemotherapy cannot really be 

described to anyone who hasn’t 

personally experienced it. You feel 

so drained, with days and days 

when you can’t get out of bed and 

a feeling of sickness that never 

goes away. 

“THE IDEA OF 

RIDING THE BIKE 

BECAME SOME- 

THING TO LOOK 

FORWARD TO” 

All this time my bike sat idle in the 

garage. Less than 200 miles on the 

clock, it patiently waited for the 

day I could ride it again. 

To me, the idea of riding the bike 

again became something to look 

forward too, it became more than 

just a bike I would use to get to 

work and back. It became a goal 

to achieve, a treat waiting for me 

once I was fit again to ride. 

A year to the day of first diagnosis 

I had my final chemotherapy 

session. During that long year 

I underwent around 10 hour of 

surgery, 12 sessions of chemo, 5 

sessions of radio therapy; at times 

my insides were being held in by 

over 70 metal staples. 

Less than a month after my last 

treatment session, a recent scan 

confirmed that all the cancer had 

been removed and hadn’t returned! 

Getting fit again after so long of 

4 Find out more at www.gettingintoadventure.com

Reaching the top after surviving the weather 

laying around doing nothing was no 

easy task, starting with daily walks 

around the neighbourhood and 

doing some work around the house 

finally got me to a day I had been 

looking forward too. 

The bike started and I rolled it out 

the garage! Over the next month I 

rode when I felt up to it and steadily 

increased the distance I would ride. 

The longest ride being around 70 

miles from my home in Solihull up 

to visit family in Matlock. Still on 

‘L plates’ and building my riding 

experience up slowly. The freedom 

and fresh air was amazing! 

I had heard many riders talk of the 

sense of freedom that going for a 

ride gave them, and after feeling 

like a prisoner in my own home 

with cancer as my jailer, I now 

totally understood that feeling. 

During the treatment I announced 

to my family that I would do 

something big once I was well 

enough again, and I really liked the 

idea of riding a motorbike from 

Land's End to John o’Groats. Both 

my family and friends thought 

I had gone a little mad to even 

contemplate such a trip on a bike, 

let alone a small engined bikes and 

me still using 'L' plates avoiding 

motorways. 

With the support of my amazing 

partner Krina, I signed up. 

Bright and early on the 9th 

September, having just seen my 

breakfast again due to nerves, I lined 

up with 25 other riders in front of 

the Land’s End visitors centre. 

Over the next week I rode 1400 

miles of some of the finest UK 

backroads. Averaging around 180 

miles a day was significantly more 

than the longest ride in one go that 

I had done before. 

The weather was simply horrible, 

it rained heavily for some or all of 

every day, and it was tough going, 

but at the end of each day I had a 

great sense of achievement. The 

roughest day ended with a ride 

over the Pass of the Cattle into 

Applecross on the West coast of 

Scotland. I gather this is a tough 

ride when the conditions are nice, 

with lots of tight hairpins and single 

track roads. Add to that gale force 

winds, low cloud/fog and rain and 

looking back at that day it probably 

wasn’t the smartest of moves to ride 

over there as a learner rider in such 

conditions. However, I made it, and 

enjoyed every minute. 

Did riding save me? 

The doctors and nurses involved 

in my cancer treatment did a great 

job at fixing me physically, they 

also went a long way by being there 

to talk to if I needed it. However 

mental fitness over this time was 

tough. 

Having the goal of getting out 

and riding really did help. Days of 

sitting around being unable to do 

anything seemed to pass that little 

bit quicker with an end game plan. 

The run from Land’s End to John 

o’Groats for me was more than 

just a long ride, it truly was an 

adventure. I spent a long time 

worrying that I hadn’t given myself 

enough recovery time after my 

treatment before setting off, but 

I needn’t have worried. With the 

great support of the other riders I 

made it, and even my colostomy bag 

didn’t get in the way. 

In the last 18 months I’ve stood 

very close to the edge of my own 

existence. I won the fight, and I got 

to ride away. 

So what’s next? I’ve always wanted 

to see some parts of Scandinavia, 

and a bike sounds like a fun way 

to see it, and plenty of areas in 

America I’d love to see as well. The 

world’s my oyster, and now that 

I've passed my test I can possibly 

upgrade to a bigger bike, though the 

Derbi is a great bike! 

Dave was raising money for the 

charity Beating Bowel Cancer along 

the way, raising over £2000 in the 

process. If you’d like to donate 

the donation link is still active. 

Find it here: www.justgiving.com/ 

fundraising/long-ride-north

DAVE’S GUIDE TO THE PEAK DISTRICT 

GETTING OUT ON THE BIKE, BE IT FOR A DAY OR A WEEKEND, IS OFTEN PART 

OF THE CHARM. HERE YORKSHIREMAN DAVE ROBINSON TALKS US THROUGH HIS 

FAVOURITE RUN AROUND THE PEAK DISTRICT... 

I’m Dave Robinson, a mildly 

immature 64 year looking 

forward to his 65th birthday 

when his pension rights kick 

in. 

I’ve been riding since I was 16 years 

old when I started my two wheeled 

experience on a 1958 Lambretta 

LD150, which I bought for £10 and 

sold a year later for £20 – if only all 

my two wheeling since had been so 

fiscally efficient! Most of my riding 

is road orientated but I do enjoy 

both trail and trials riding. 

My first memories of riding 

the 'Peaks' was back in the day, 

travelling down from Huddersfield 

to the Strines-Snake Pass-Holme 

Moss loop on my RD350 with 

the girlfriend on the back. Back 

then the roads had little speed 

restrictions or double white lines 

and you could have a blast. 

The beauty of the Peaks is that it 

is so accessible; a short ride from 

Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, 

Derby etc. But this really is a 

double edged sword because at 

the weekend the area is swamped 

with walkers, cyclists, caravans, 

sightseers, coaches and other 

traffic. For this reason my 

first piece of advice is to avoid 

weekends if at all possible. Book a 

day’s annual leave, throw a sickie. 

Trust me, you’ll have a much more 

pleasant ride. 

There are plenty of roads where 

you can make 'good progress', the 

problem is that there are plenty 

of white vans and yellow boxes 

that are keen to measure your rate 

of progress. So my second piece 

of advice; the speed limits are 

there, they are regularly enforced, 

so you might as well embrace 

the situation and settle for the 

fact that you are going to have a 

bimble around. Getting rid of your 

chicken strips can wait for another 

time and place. 

THE ROUTE 

The route I am going to 

recommend to you more or 

less circumnavigates the Peaks. 

I thought I would do this so 

no matter which direction you 

approach the area from, you can 

link into the circular route at any 

point, do the run and then drop 

out at the point at which you 

joined in. 

Think of the route as the tyre and 

rim of the area, there is still much 

to enjoy by travelling up and down 

the spokes, with the added benefit 

that you will be using roads less 

travelled and therefore quieter. 

We are going to start off in 

Holmfirth, Last of the Summer 

Wine country. We leave the village 

on the A6024, direction Holme. 

The road will take you over Holme 

Moss from which you will (on a 

good day) have spectacular views 

of West Yorkshire with Castle Hill 

in the distance. The road itself is a 

cracker, plenty of 'shell-grip' and 

twists and turns that would not be 

out of place on an Alpine climb. 

Drop down the other side, turning 

“THE BEAUTY 

OF THE PEAKS 

IS THAT IT’S SO 

ACCESSIBLE” 

right onto the A628, turning off 

after a mile or so onto the B6015 

to Glossop, passing the Woodhead 

reservoirs on your right. Drop 

down into Glossop, past the 

railway station, through the lights 

and stop at Glossop Cafeteria if 

you're hungry. This is a brilliant 

place that serves super food at 

frankly ridiculously low prices. 

From Glossop ride south on the 

A624, taking care on the Hayfield 

bypass with the two speed 

cameras. At Chapel-on-le-Frith 

take the bypass (A6) and after 

about a mile take the A623, first 

turn off the roundabout. This 

road is very popular with the 

speed detector vans! 

After about five miles look for a 

turning left to Tideswell. From 

Tideswell on to Millers Dale, left 

onto A6 then quickly right to 

Taddington then onto Monyash. 

These are minor roads in the 

great scheme of things, so keep 

your eyes peeled for the road 

signs. In the centre of Monyash 

is a delightful little café that is a 

popular biker stop. Cake or ice 

cream, the choice is yours. 

After a personal refuelling leave 

Monyash in the direction of 

Longnor, crossing the A515, 

straight on through Longnor and 

on to the A53 Buxton-Leek road. 

This really is a brilliant road, 

starting with alpine bends and then 

on to sweeping bends, rises and 

drops. If your bimbling restraint 

has faded by this point you might 

find yourself getting some air 

under your wheels. Not that I 

would condone that of course! 

When you arrive at the A53, 

you can take time to admire the 

Roaches rocks and if time allows 

there are nice walks to be had in 

the area. 

At the A53 bear left, direction 

Leek, then immediately left 

again, back onto the moors and 

pick up the signs for Warslow. 

Ride through Warslow and on to 

Hartington, another picture perfect 

Peak district village with plenty 

of coffee and cake opportunities. 

Leaving Hartington follow the 

signs for Newhaven, turn right on 

the A515 then left on to A5012, 


down to Cromford and ultimately 

Matlock Bath. More advice – 

Matlock Bath and the subsequent 

road to Chatsworth House can be a 

nightmare at weekends. 

Again, a double edged sword, as 

if you want to look at all the bikes 

and be part of what is a great 

atmosphere then you will have to 

bite the bullet and put up with the 

crowds. If you want it quieter then 

midweek is the advice. 

Matlock Bath itself is a nice place 

to stop and stretch your legs. There 

are plenty of chippies and cafés. 

However there was talk of parking 

restrictions on bikes and I am 

unsure as to how things stand at the 

moment. Check! 

Take the A6 north out of Matlock 

Bath. Warning, there is a plethora 

of speed cameras on this stretch 

of road. Travel up through Darley 

Dale turning right at the sign for 

Beeley. Follow this road and it 

will take you through the grounds 

of Chatsworth House, where you 

could take advantage of the photo 

opportunity. It is all a great place 

to take a break if either you or your 

partner would like a bit of culture. 

When leaving Chatsworth travel in 

the direction of Pilsley, through the 

village, merge on to the A619, then 

quickly right on the A6020. 

About a mile on this road is a 

roundabout where there is an old 

railway station with a coffee shop, 

book shop and a cycle hire facility. 

Consider hiring a bike to do the 

Monsal Trail. Obviously, if you are 

in one-piece leathers this might 

have to wait for another visit. 

The trail takes you up the gentle 

gradient of the old railway line, past 

the spectacular views of Monsal 

Head, through several tunnels in 

the direction of Buxton. A two hour 

hire period will give sufficient time 

for the return journey. 

Leave the station north on the 

B6001, travel via Hassop, Calver, 

Grindleford to Hathersage where 

you turn left on the A6187 to 

the Hope Valley then right on 

the A6013 via Bamford to the 

Ladybower Reservoir. 

Now at this point you might see 

the sign for Snake Pass and think, 

'Let’s go left here.' Honestly, it is 

not worth it, with all the speed 

restrictions, traffic, double white 

lines. It will double your blood 

pressure by the time you get back to 

Glossop. 

Instead, turn right on the A57, 

direction Sheffield and after a 

couple of miles turn left, signposted 

'Strines'. Trust me, you will enjoy 

the road much more, with its twists 

and turns up and down several 

valleys until you reach the A616. 

At the A616 go left through 

Langsett (speed cameras!), 

straight across a major then minor 

roundabout, drop down a steep 

hill and up the other side, as the 

road begins to level out turn left 

on Bents Road and this will take 

you over the moors and back to 

Holmfirth. 

If I was to pick 

my favourite 

five things 

about the 

Peak District 

it would be 

a mixture of 

roads and 

places: 

#1 Holme 

Moss summit 

(on a clear 

day). 

#2 Castleton and the caverns. 

#3 Matlock Bath (on a quietish day) 

#4 Chatsworth House (keeps the 

wife happy). 

#5 Strines road (keeps me happy). 

If you want to explore the area a 

little bit more then I would suggest 

you base yourself in Bakewell. It 

has a nice central position in the 

Peaks and we have never had any 

problems finding a place, even 

when the annual Bakewell Show 

was in progress. And it has a super 

pizzeria! You could also ride some 

of the TET from there (see page 

22). For accommodation, www. 

booking.com is your friend.

 

 

HAVE WHEELS, WILL TRAVEL 

NOT LETTING THE USE OF A WHEELCHAIR STAND IN HER WAY, 22 YEAR OLD 

CHARLOTTE MURPHY AND HER PARTNER MIKEY SUNTER STILL RACK UP 

PLENTY OF THE MILES... 

My name is Charlotte 

Murphy. I am 22 years 

old and was born in 

Glasgow but have 

lived in Thurso, 15 miles from John 

o’Groats, for the past 13 years. I love 

where I live. It’s a hidden gem that 

isn’t so hidden anymore what with 

the growth of the North Coast 500, 

which has seen major growth in 

vehicle tourism for the region. 

I was born with cerebral palsy (CP), 

which affects my legs. As a child I 

had the capability of walking with 

leg splints and walking frames. I 

did struggle when I was younger 

with the idea that one day I would 

end up in a wheelchair, as I had 

thought that it would make my life 

unbearably difficult. Eventually, 

around the age of 11 I had a knee 

injury, but because I couldn’t hop 

with crutches I then transferred to 

the chair and have been in it ever 

since. 

I will say that my preconceived 

idea of a difficult life wasn’t the 

way things turned out. As well as 

the CP I suffer from scoliosis of my 

spine, nerve pain and pain from 

the lightest touch of my back - a 

hug would have me in agony for 

days. Because of my back problems 

I use many pain meds which 

could be a problem in the future 

if me and my fiancé want to travel 

outside of the EU. 

It is not an exaggeration when I 

say that never ever in my wildest 

dreams did I think I would be into 

motorcycle travel. When Mikey 

– my partner – and his family 

introduced me to working on the 

bikes in the shed I decided to get 

involved because I could see how 

much it meant to him and to them. 

“NEVER IN MY 

WILDEST DREAMS 

DID I THINK I'D BE 

INTO BIKE TRAVEL” 

I remember being strangely proud 

the first time I got oil on my jeans! 

The reason that I first ended up on 

the back of our first bike together, 

which was an ugly 1980’s Honda 

Spacey 250 cc - was that I wanted 

to visit a place on the north west 

coast called Durness. We had to 

get there by bike because my car 

at the time would have been very 

uncomfortable due to the road, 

but we also wanted to see if it was 

possible for us to travel in such a 

way. The significance of Durness 

and the date we went was that it 

was the one year anniversary of my 

mum’s passing and Durness to her 

was like heaven on earth. 

Myself and Mikey had both 

been greatly inspired by Cathy 

Birchall and Bernard Smith’s book, 

Touching the world, which told the 

story of their trip around the world, 

despite Cathy being blind. The 

book certainly made us wonder if 

travelling on a bike was something 

I would do and find interesting. We 

could relate heavily to the story and 

now Bernard is a very close friend 

of ours. 

With the bike we have now, a BMW 

RT 80 R nicknamed Matilda, she 

needed a new rack to carry the 

travel wheelchair, plus we had to 

adjust my foot pegs because of the 

shape my feet rest in. We used old 

wheelchair footplates we had from a 

spare chair, thus making new footplates 

for me which is much more 

comfortable. 

Of course, there are challenges in 

relation to being on the bike and 

going places. The main challenges 

for us are my health - pain levels and 

sorting medications - and getting on 

and off the bike. My pain and fatigue 

has had a big part to play when we 

have made far off plans. I always 

want to push myself but sometimes 

you have to just hold your hands up 

and say, 'it’s too much'. Mind you, it 

very rarely stops us. In the past, with 

smaller bikes, I would try and use 

crutches and not the chair whilst we 

were away. 

On the smaller bikes I wouldhave 

With partner Mikey 

the problem that my legs would 

continuously spasm and shake to 

the point that the bike and Mikey 

would end up shaking with me 

from over exertion. With Matilda 

this doesn’t really happen, both 

because of my proper foot rests and 

that I use the chair now. 

Getting on and off the bike is a 

much more obvious challenge. For 

getting on I need at least Mikey 

and if available someone else to 

help me get my leg over. Getting 

off is a different story. First the bike 

has to go on the center stand and 

mikey has to take the wheelchair off 

the back, once that is down I will 

then sit while he gets the luggage 

off. Something that I struggle with 

and have a lot of internal turmoil 

about is the fact that there is almost 

nothing I can do to help when 

travelling. Mikey has to pretty 

much do everything, but he does it 

without gurning. 

There is almost an infinite list 

when it comes to what I enjoy 

about being on the bike. For me 

apart from of course seeing new 

things and meeting new people, 

one of my favourite things about 

being a wheelchair bound pillion 

is challenging people’s perception 

and expectations of someone who 

is wheelchair bound. For instance, 

on many occasions when we were 


Very well thought out 

design... absolute bargain 

Customer review, May 12, 2017 

Ribblehead Viaduct, North Yorkshire 

out and about on Matilda this 

year, her blue badge proud on her 

windscreen, many people while we 

parked up came over to us ready to 

tell us off for parking in badge spots. 

That was of course until they saw the 

badge or me getting into my chair. 

Also, it is always amazing to me the 

way that biking has opened up the 

world to me, and how in not many 

other circumstances would you find 

a group of people from all walks 

of life from all over the world to so 

readily help each other. 

At the moment most of our travels 

have been around the north of 

Scotland, as up until this year our 

bikes weren’t properly adjusted and 

equipped for us to travel further 

afield. With the arrival of Matilda this 

year we felt like there was nothing 

really holding us. We went to an 

adventure bike rally in Strontian 

as our first long trip, over the 

Applecross pass as well. Since that 

went well we felt spurred on the go 

to HUBB UK 2017 in South Wales, 

which was about 650 miles from our 

home one way. It took us three days 

to get there, mainly because I was 

suffering pretty bad with my pain. 

Next year we plan to go to the 

outer Hebrides and we plan to tour 

around Ireland for a few weeks. I 

spent many summer holiday with 

the family there and would love to 

show Mikey it and tour on the roads 

with the bike, which I think will be 

spectacular. 

Something that sums up my delight 

of challenging people’s expectations 

of the disabled is an interaction 

I had with someone when I first 

started going on bikes. 

I was waiting outside an ice cream 

shop in John o’Groats while Mikey 

went to get our food. I was sat 

on the bike in the sun looking at 

my phone when a young girl who 

couldn’t have been more than four 

years old said to her mum, “Mummy 

is that a girl on a motorcycle?” 

“Why yes darling I think it is” 

“Wow, I didn’t know girls could ride 

motorcycles!” 

At which point I chimed in “And 

this one can’t even walk!”. 

That look of confusion, surprise 

and joy on the wee girl’s face has 

continued to motivate me to surprise 

people and will stay with me from 

then on, and while I may have 

challenges with pain,I would rather 

be in pain from doing something I 

love than being on the couch. Mind 

you, we all have those days! 

To follow Charlotte's travels go 

to her Facebook page: Facebook/ 

thatshowIroll 

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THE BASICS OF PACKING 

ROUND THE WORLD RIDER BRUCE SMART TALKS US THROUGH THE ESSENTIAL 

KIT HE TAKES WITH HIM ON ANY ADVENTURE... 

It’s always the way isn’t it, when 

the time comes to head off to 

the horizon on your motoadventure, 

you find yourself 

with an Everest-like stack of kit to 

transport on your trusty steed! 

When I first left on my 74,000 

miles, 54 country, 442 day RTW 

‘TeapotOne’ adventure, I literally 

had a mountain of kit on the 

back of ‘The Beast’, my trusty 

GSX-R1000 companion. It was a 

farcical sight, a nightmare to ride, 

and a huge pain in the derrière to 

load, unload, unpack and repack 

each, and every day. Eventually it 

helped snap the sub frame too, so 

there’s no doubt excessive kit weight 

can even hurt your pride and joy! 

So what’s the secret, the key to 

successful and minimalist packing 

for a motorcycle trip? 

Read on ;-) 

What do YOU need? The basics... 

We all know that person don’t we; 

the one who literally has every bit 

of kit to cover every eventuality. 

If that’s you then fair play to you, 

you’ve probably already worked out 

your best system and the mere fact 

people know you as ‘this’ person 

means you’ve nailed it – you can 

effectively carry all the kit YOU 

need. Awesome job! 

But then there’s the rest of us. We 

pack the night before we go, mild 

panic setting in – how many tops 

will I need, do I just take t-shirts 

or will I need a drinking shirt, 

can I get away with one pair of 

pants for a 7-day trip, do I take 

textile or leathers (or both), not to 

mention tools, puncture kits, maps, 

waterproofs – I’m starting to sweat 

just writing this!! 

Having made MANY mistakes 

over the years, carting redundant 

kit across countries and even 

continents, these are my ‘must 

haves’ when I go away on the bike, 

the things I won’t leave home 

without. 

Mobile phone: It’s literally 

everything for me these days. Using 

your phone in Europe no longer 

means having to re-mortgage when 

you get home, whatever your tariff 

is in the UK is the same in most 

European countries (but check 

before you go). With it I can access 

my emails on the go, meaning ferry 

tickets and hotel reservations can 

be found at the swipe of a thumb, 

instead of printing out on reams of 

paper that get wet and fall apart on 

the bike. If needs be I can access 

the t’interweb to book a hotel for 

the night wherever I am at the time, 

navigate out of that city I’ve found 

myself stuck in, or seek answers 

to the greater questions in life 

via Google or Bing (other search 

engines are available). 

Get your phone unlocked before 

you go and should you find yourself 

in a foreign land, you can easily 

pick up a pay-as-you go type 

local SIM card that will give you 

hassle free local calls/text/data at a 

fraction of UK costs 

Credit card/bank card: Common 

sense this one, but it’s amazing 

the amount of people who worry 

about getting money in foreign 

lands. Here’s a wee trade secret, 

there are cash machines available 

EVERYWHERE, and with a bit of 

street savvy you’re perfectly safe 

to use them and gain access to 

the local currency, often at better 

exchange rates than you’d find on 

the UK high street too. Just exercise 

a bit of awareness around you when 

using an ATM – is there anyone 

standing over your shoulder, make 

sure you cover your pin as you 

enter it, check for visible signs of 

anything out the ordinary around 

the card slot, display or keypad – 

just the same as you would here in 

the UK. 

Passport: Goes without saying, 

unless I’m going to be staying in the 

UK on my travels, it’s an essential bit 

of kit and I literally have it with me 

ALL the time. Keep it wrapped in a 

sandwich bag, or similar, to keep it 

waterproof and protected from the 

elements, and always have it secure 

on your person in a zipped pocket 

that never leaves your person. 

Travel adaptor: Absolute MUST- 

HAVE, without it you can’t charge 

up your phone…. Unless you have 

a 12V on-bike power source. An 

absolute Godsend is the ability to 

charge up ancillary devices whilst 

on the bike – things like your 

phone, cameras, sat nav etc. If a 

power outlet isn’t standard on your 

bike then you can pick after-market 

kits up off eBay/Amazon cheaply. 

I even found them available at 

petrol stations around the world. 

They wire direct to your battery, or 

get them wired into your ignition 

loom so they are only usable when 

the ignition is on (that way they 

won’t drain your battery when the 

bike is switched off and you’ve 

forgotten to unplug the device from 

the charger!). Combine this with a 

tank bag or pannier and you have 

yourself a mobile charging station 

Tank bag essential for the close to hand things 

for all your worldly tech. Lovely job. 

Cable Ties and gaffa tape: I NEVER, 

EVER leave home on the bike 

without some of these stashed 

in my rucksack. There are three 

things that will survive a nuclear 

apocalypse – cockroaches, cable ties 

and gaffa tape. With the last two 

you could probably outlast Bear 

Grylls, although he’d more than 

likely just eat the cockroach. 

Bungee cords/nets: These are a 

total lifesaver and I’ve always got 

at least a set of bungees or a net at 

the bottom of my rucksack when 

on the bike. If you find yourself 

having to acquire that memento 

whilst away on your travels (think 

Top Gear’esque model tall ship) 

you can easily just strap it to the 

bike and off you jolly well go. On 

a more practical basis, I ended up 

strapping my tent across the front 

of my GSX-R using a bungee net 

and it was perfectly safe, freeing 

up valuable real-estate at the back 

of the bike for other items. I even 

did the mountain section of the TT 

course at over 150mph without any 

dramas! 

Sandwich bags: Yep, you read that 

right, but not in case you get peckish. 

Take a couple of these along rolled 

up in your pocket or tucked away 

in your bag and you have instant 


Even a superbike can carry enough kit of a big trip 

Kriega gear worked a treat 

waterproof protection for the likes of 

your phone, passport, cash etc. 

Puncture/plug kit: Providing you 

have tubeless tyres (if you don’t 

just replace this with an inner tube 

and repair kit), this will at the very 

least allow you to limp your bike to 

civilisation should you pick up an 

unwanted hole in the rubber on your 

travels – and nobody likes that! 

They come in a small handy selfcontained 

pack that will usually fit 

underneath your seat (it fits under 

my GSX-R seat but surprisingly not 

under the GS one?). Replacement 

CO2 canisters, plugs and glue are 

readily available should you need 

to top up. Check out the likes of 

eBay and Amazon for suitable kits. I 

always go for the ‘AirPro’ variety and 

it has never let me down. 

Tools: My mechanical knowledge 

pretty much stops at turning the 

key so there’s just no point in me 

carting ‘Snap-ons’ complete works 

around with me. I literally take a 

little cycle multi-tool in my bag 

that has the right sized allen keys, 

screw driver and socket to cover the 

absolute basics of maintenance; i.e. 

taking off fairings, tightening the 

chain etc. Anything more complex 

than that and I’d need to take it to 

a dealership anyway, where they’ll 

have all the tools for the job. You 

will always be able to muddle by 

enough to get somewhere where 

people will help – that’s just part of 

motorcycle travel. 

Clothing: This depends on how 

‘aromatic’ you are prepared to be. 

I did my entire RTW trip with 4 

t-shirts, 3 pairs of pants & socks, a 

pair of lightweight combats, flipflops 

and a base layer to wear whilst 

riding under my leathers. That’s it! 

When I’m touring with my tour 

company ChickenStrips I don’t take 

much more, but we’ve developed a 

bit of a trick these days that means 

we actually come back with less than 

we started. Pop along to the likes 

of Primark and get yourself a stack 

of cheap t-shirts. You can often get 

5 for £10, and I’d suggest black as 

they are the most practical, yet also 

slimming! 

We wear a fresh one for the evening, 

then wear it again the next day on 

the bike and once you stop for the 

day, you can use the now dirty top to 

give your bike a quick once over! 

Another option is to use Marino 

wool base layer tops. They can be 

worn for days without smelling, 

look good off the bike meaning you 

can rotate them for the evenings, 

and are versatile keeping you warm 

in the cold and cool in the heat. 

Alternatively, take three t-shirts 

with you and just wash the dirty one 

in the sink each night, rotating them 

as you go. 

Trouser wise I’d always recommend 

lightweight cargo-style bottoms 

such as Craghoppers or similar. You 

can even get ones that zip down 

into shorts, allowing you to air your 

pale lower limbs to the exotic funny 

bright thing you see in the sky in 

foreign lands. Just watch out for the 

mozzies! 

At grass roots level it’s got to be flipflops 

for me. They are lightweight 

and pack away great, taking up 

hardly any space in the bag. If you 

have to take trainers or shoes, one 

pair is fine and pack your socks and 

other small items tightly inside each 

one to further minimise packing 

volume. 

Coat/Jacket (depending on whether 

you’re Welsh). Again lightweight is 

key here, the type found in outward 

bound stores is ideal, allowing you 

to be cool when hot and vice versa, 

all from one versatile, easily packed 

away top 

Let’s Hit The Road! 

So there you go, what’s stopping you? 

You can easily get all that squared 

away in one US20 Kriega Drybag 

or similar, and if you can stretch to 

a rucksack and/or a tank bag, you 

could take all you need to conquer 

the world for years on end. 

If you’d like to see what I took on my 

TeapotOne RTW trip, checkout t he 

vid on the ‘TeapotOneVids’ YouTube 

channel – remember to SUBSCRIBE 

please! ;-)

ESTABLISHING A NEW BIKE BRAND IS NEVER EASY. 

HERALD MOTOR CO. ARE GIVING IT A GOOD GO. WE 

CAUGHT UP WITH THEM AT THEIR HUNTINGDON HQ... 

BUILDING THE 

DREAM 

The world of motorcycle 

manufacture has changed 

in recent years. The 

manufacturer's country of 

origin no longer dictates where a 

bike will actually be built. 

We have BMWs and KTMs built in 

India, Hondas and Triumphs built 

in Thailand, Suzukis in China, 

Yamahas in France. The age old 

notion of a nationality dictating 

a design and manufacturing 

identity are increasingly blurred as 

manufacturers seek to reduce costs 

and bring manufacturing hubs 

closer to the emerging markets 

they're ever more trying to tap 

into. 

It leaves us with the bikes of China, 

for a long time stigmatised - and 

justified in that - for their cheap 

price and poor quality. There was 

often very little to recommend 

them. 

Times are slowly changing though, 

in large part brought about the 

increased price point of established 

brands, leaving room for Chinese 

retailers to capitalise, whilst UK 

importers are slowly getting their 

act together in terms of quality 

control, distribution and branding. 

And lets never underestimate the 

importance of branding when it 

comes to selling motorcycles. 

One to have caught the eye in recent 

years is Herald, formerly referred 

to as HMC, or Herald Motorcycle 

Company. Word got around that 

rather than simply import the bikes 

from China and sell them straight 

onto the punter, they instead set 

about making improvements to the 

bike; changing the engine oil for 

Silkolene, the tyres for Continental, 

spark plugs for NGK, as well as rear 

shocks and other bits and pieces 

to mean that the bike sold to the 

customer was tuned to perform in 

the manner we would expect of a 

new bike. 

The Herald brand has continued 

to blossom and gain in profile 

and model range. A new Euro 

4 Maverick 125cc recently took 

part in the run from Land's End 

to John o'Groats (the Garbage 

Run), proving itself reliable and 

robust. Good looking to boot, 

which, with a retail price of £2650 

makes it somewhat of an appealing 

proposition for many riders, not 

just those looking for a bargain. 

Keen to find out more about 

the brand and their ambitions I 

headed over to Herald's facility 

in the Northamptonshire town 

of Huntingdon, meeting up with 

regional sales manager Dan 

Headland and their lead designer, 

a Kiwi by the name of Gareth 

Williamson. 

Rather than a fly-by-night operation, 

I discovered that the company began 

importing bikes back in 2008 and 

founded by Dr Mike Ashmead, the 

Director of Encocam, a collection of 

engineering led companies heavily 

involved in the development and 

manufacture of crash test dummies 

and energy absorbers such as crash 

barriers. They have offices in Spain, 

Germany, US and Japan and a 

turnover for 2017 of thirteen million 

pounds. Certainly a solid platform 

on which to diversify into a new 

area. 

It was Mike's passion for 

motorcycling that led him down 

the path of launching Herald; 

initially something of a pet 

project perhaps. The bikes were 

bought in wholesale from Chinese 

manufacturers, branded HMC 

and sold on through independent 

motorcycle dealers across the 

country. Competition is rife in this 


market; with the relative ease to 

which anyone could buy a bundle 

of bikes, give them a new name 

and effectively operate as a bike 

company. 

Bar the name, the bikes sold by 

these companies are often very 

much the same, from the same 

Chinese factories, which has often 

been the problem in companies 

differentiating themselves from 

each other when essentially the 

bikes they were selling were 

identical. None of this aided in 

establishing brand loyalty, just in 

churning over a steady supply of 

imported bikes, sold mainly on the 

basis of cost and often let down by 

the 'fly by night' nature of some of 

the importers. 

“IT'S ALWAYS 

BETTER TO START 

WITH A BLANK 

PIECE OF PAPER” 

Herald's plan to counter that is to 

flip things around, by beginning 

to design and model bikes in the 

UK (Gareth's role), before utilising 

their existing manufacturing hubs 

and contacts in China, and for next 

year also in Taiwan, to go away and 

put that bike into production. This 

guarantees a unique product to fit 

within the Herald brand and also 

marks a step towards the company's 

ultimate goal of bikes being built in 

Britain. 

"As a bike designer it’s always 

better to start with a blank piece 

of paper and design a bike from 

scratch, which is what we’ve got 

coming with some of our other 

projects," explains Gareth. "We've 

chosen the engine and designed the 

frame, and are now working with 

styling companies to create our own 

unique product. It's why I spend so 

much time in the Far East working 

with our partners, in order to build 

a Herald bike and Herald image 

with a new UK bike." 

'Built' and 'assembled' are two closely 

aligned terms that often blur the 

realities of a bike's true identity. It's 

likely that parts will be made in the 

Far East before being shipped to 

Britain for assembly. It's the process 

many manufacturers employ now, 

with Herald's intention to bring the 

manufacture of frames to the UK 

perhaps their most ambitious. 

As Gareth attests, "We’re going to 

see what we can make in the UK. 

We’re going to look at making the 

frame here in the UK as that is a 

biggie for us, and then working 

with our suppliers to get the price 

right." 

As the team admits, the difficulty 

for a fledgling brand such as Herald 

is price sensitivity. It's a big leap for 

a company to go from charging low 

prices for imported bikes, to then 

charge higher, mainstream prices for 

bikes that suddenly feature UK input 

in their design and manufacture. 

Price parity with the likes of Ducati 

and Triumph would be a challenge, 

suggesting that as the brand builds 

then it's the middle ground that can 

to be cornered. Good quality bikes, at 

Herald's custom bikes have featured at the Bike Shed 

good quality prices. 

By all accounts, the specification is 

done, with finalisation to the design 

concepts and engine and frame 

specification decided, though the 

company remaining tight-lipped on 

what those specs are. "Ultimately, 

we're looking to built cost effective, 

affordable bikes with affordable 

custom options." Adds Dan. 

Another issue is distribution. 

Established brands have the benefit 

of solus dealers where the sales 

environment, process and pitch can 

The new trio: Maverick, Cafe Racer and Scrambler

WIN A BRAND NEW 

HERALD MAVERICK! 

(And a place on the next Garbage Run) 

A Herald Maverick 125 was ridden on the September Garbage 

Run from Land's End to John o'Groats by 

-Motorcycle News journalist Peter Baker. The bike proved 

itself completely reliable and perfectly able to keep up 

with the pack, riding a mixture of A and B roads as well as 

some dual carriageway for good measure. 

As well as a brand new Maverick Herald, the prize winner 

will also receive a free place on the May 2018 Garbage 

Run. To enter simply fill in the form at hand it in at the 

stand at Motorcycle Live, or alternatively post to Nathan 

Millward, 31 Mill Street, Worcester, WR1 2NH. Closing 

date for entries 15th December 2017. 

TO ENTER FILL IN THE FOLLOWING DETAILS , TEAR OUT AND POST IN THE BOX ON THE STAND OR POST TO THE 

ADDRESS ABOVE. THE WINNER WILL BE DRAWN ON THE 15TH DECEMBER AND INFORMED IMMEDIATELY. 

NAME ....................................................................................................................................................... 

PHONE NUMBER ................................................................................................................................ 

EMAIL ADDRESS ................................................................................................................................................................. 


Dr Mike Ashmead 

all be dictated and homogenised by 

the manufacturer. For Herald, much 

like other relatively new to market 

brands such as SWM, Sinnis and Lex 

Moto, using smaller, multi-brand 

dealers to sell the bikes is a large part 

of the challenge. In this environment, 

bikes compete largely on price. 

Increasing the quality, and therefore 

cost, runs the risk of bikes being 

sidelined if the price goes up. 

As Dan and Gareth explain, part of 

the challenge for Herald is making 

sure customers actively seek them 

out by designing and building the 

bikes the customer wants, backed up 

by Herald's attention to detail that 

already sees them doing most of the 

Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) at the 

factory, ahead of a bike's delivery to 

the dealerships. This guarantees a 

constant quality of product supplied 

to the dealer, with the company 

currently looking to take on more 

people to fulfil this role. 

What is apparent in all this is the 

quick pace of Herald and their 

partners in the Far East. The 

incubation period for a bike from an 

established manufacturer can often 

be many years, sometimes reaching 

market too late to capitalise on 

current trends. The quick turnaround 

of the Chinese manufacturing 

process, aligned with designs posted 

through from the UK, allows the likes 

of Herald to be more reactive to the 

market, designing and having built 

the bikes to take advantage of the 

current trend. 

"One of the benefits with working 

with Chinese companies is speed. 

They are responsive. The reaction 

time is so quick," explains Gareth. 

This could be a particularly 

interesting development for the 

adventure sector, which is perhaps 

one of the fastest evolving sectors in 

the market. Already the tide could 

be turning towards smaller, more 

manageable bikes with fuel efficient 

engines and affordable price tags; see 

the mini adventure bike test in this 

issue as a case in point. 

The gap for the likes of Herald, in 

partnership with the Far East, is to 

capitalise on this fast pace of change 

and balance affordability, with good 

customisation and durable, fuel 

efficient motors and bikes. 

The company is certainly not lacking 

in ambition. Going hand in hand 

with the development of new bikes 

is the talk of a new assembly hub 

in Huntingdon, offering four times 

the space of the current facility. In 

November of 2017 the company also 

takes delivery of its first batch of 

Euro 4 compliant 125cc Classic, Cafe 

Racer and Scrambler. The new 

Euro-4 400cc models aren't far 

behind them either. 

In the not too distance future a bike 

topping 400cc could also be offered, 

taking advantage of what might be 

a parallel-twin of some description, 

with Dan and Gareth remaining 

tight-lipped as to its origins and 

output. 

There's certainly some intrigue here. 

You have a small company, quick to 

adapt, with a strong creative design 

team, aligned with huge Chinese 

producers able to turn around 

new designs in record times. The 

potential is there. The enthusiasm 

and appetite is there. Time will tell 

if there is the necessary demand 

from the market to match it, and 

to see the Herald brand grow. You 

certainly wouldn't bet against them. 

#heraldriders 

heraldmotorcompany.com 

Available in a range of colours the Maverick is only £2650 + OTR. Check it out at Stand 2C10 in Hall 2.

HOW TO: PICK 

UP A BIKE 

Dropping a bike is something we've all done and will no doubt 

do again. Knowing how to pick a bike up is therefore essential, 

whether you're riding on road, off-road, in your local area or 

when off on far away adventures. Especially when travelling 

solo it's essential that you know how to pick your bike up. Also, 

consider that if you can't physically lift your bike on your own, 

then is it the right bike for you? 

1 

The main thing when the bike goes down is not to panic. 

Make sure you're alright to begin with and then kill the engine. 

This saves anything getting caught in a spinning wheel 

and is especially important if the bike goes down in water. 

2 

If the bike's fully loaded then consider 

taking off some of the weight before 

attempting to lift. A good tip after that 

is to use your neck scarf to tie around 

the front brake lever. This stops the 

bike rolling away from you once the 

bike is upright; especially handy if the 

bike is in neutral and has fallen on the 

gear shift side. If fallen on a steep hill 

then consider using rocks to chock the 

wheels to prevent them sliding down 

the slope. 

3 

4 

Once the ignition is off, the brake secured (if necessary) the next step is to turn 

the bars in order to ensure the headlight is pointing at the sky. This opens up 

the bike and allows access to lower handlebar bar end, which you’re now going 

to use as the basis for getting the bike upright. 

Bending your knees, keeping your back straight, you want to crouch down beside the 

bike, cup both hands beneath handlebar grip closest to the ground, go up on your 

toes, lift with your legs and begin to walk the bike upright. The initial inch or so of 

movement is the hardest but as you start to come up you’ll start to feel the bike rise as 

you step into it. Try and lift with your legs as much as you can. 

5 

16 Find out more at www.gettingintoadventure.com 

Once the bike is past 45-degrees 

from the ground it's just 

one last push to get it upright. 

Be careful in the final stages 

now to carry so much momentum 

that you push the 

bike over the other side. Easily 

done, especially when lifting 

on a slope. Once upright, get 

on the bike. Check everything's 

in one piece. Untie the neckerchief, 

start the engine and 

away you go. The best thing to 

prevent it happening again is 

to get some good training. 

6

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OPTION 2 

This is another method that often works if 

you don't have the physical strength to do 

it the other way. It's arguably less suited to 

rough surfaces such as muddy or rutted 

lanes, with it sometimes difficult to get 

a good firm footing, but on tarmac and 

compact dirt it can be a good method of 

rescuing a stricken bike. 

1 

2 

Having killed the engine, this time, rather than turning the bars to have 

the headlight point at the sky, turn them so that it looks down at the 

ground instead. Put your back to the bike and crouch. 

3 

Take a firm hold of something at the rear of the 

bike; pillion rail or grab handle for example. 

4 

With you other hand take a firm grip of the handlebar 

grip closest to the ground. 

5 

You're aiming not to sit right up to the seat, but keep a distance 

between your bum and the saddle. Get too close and you'll 

struggle to get the leverage to lift it. 

6 

Push back at the knees, try and keep your back 

straight and feel the bike begin to rise. 

7 

Watch for the bike trying to slip away from you, 

especially if the ground's muddy. If on a slope it might be wise to 

chock the wheels before you begin to lift. Now step back into the 

bike as it begins to lift. 


As the bike sits upright, be sure not to go to far and tip it over the other side. 

Keep the bars at full lock for more stability whilst getting on the bike.

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AW_SGB2_31657_Adventure_Guide_MCL_280x430_V3.indd 1 07/11/2017 14:06

The KLE500 is more capable than many believe 

SPEND LESS, 

DO MORE 

TIM DUNCAN HAS JUST PICKED UP A 

KAWASAKI KLE500 FOR £750. HERE HE 

EXPLAINS THE APPEAL... 


I'd just sold my R1200 GS 

and was looking for a cheap 

bike to fill the gap. I'd been 

rummaging around online, 

looking at the auction sites and 

what not, when I stumbled upon 

this twenty year-old Kawasaki KLE 

500. I'd not really considered one 

before but the price seemed right 

and doing more research it seemed 

to have a lot of virtues. 

With a bit of haggling I paid £750 

for it from a seller on Gumtree who 

was upgrading to a new Honda 

Africa Twin. He just needed the 

space in the garage and I think 

that's what helped me get a good 

deal. To be fair, it's probably worth a 

little bit more. 

What I like about it is the 21-inch 

front wheel and that the wheels are 

spoked so can be easily rebuilt and 

tidied up if necessary. It also means 

there's a decent selection of trail 

friendly rubber available for it. 

I also like that at 192 kilos it's not 

too heavy, it's quite nimble to ride 

and mechanically it's quite simple. 

There’s nothing here that doesn’t 

need to be here. There’s a little bit 

of plastic that I’m not a fan of, but 

that goes with the territory. Other 

than that it's just a frame, engine 

and wheels, with a carburettor and 

minimal electronic interference. It 

also feels very solid and reliable. 

“BUY YOURSELF A 

CHEAP OLD TRAIL 

BIKE TO GO GREEN 

LANING ON” 

More importantly, I thought it was 

very good value, so I can get out 

there and get riding without having 

to risk a huge amount of money or 

spend a huge amount of money if I 

fall off of it. 

For the time being I go to work on 

it, ride backwards and forwards 

from work in Worcester to home 

in Wales on it, and more recently 

I’ve done a little bit of light green 

laning. With a few additions and 

modifications it could also become 

a handy touring bike if I actually 

do plan any big trips, which 

unfortunately I don’t have on the 

horizon at the minute. 

If I had any criticism of the bike it's 

that it’s not the most fuel efficient. 

I can get about 50-55mpg out of 

it. On the plus side, it is gently 

powered with 'only' 44.8bhp, so 

I can’t see it wearing its tyres out 

quickly. It also passed its MOT 

recently so I don’t envisage any 

major problems in the near future. 

I quite like the quirky looks. You 

put it next to a modern bike and 

it stands out. It’s got a little bit of 

character. And there is scope for me 

to personalise it. The handlebars 

aren’t very clever so I’ll probably 

put some Renthals on, and a 

Powerbronze screen just to keep the 

wind off my face as I’m a bit tall. I 

haven’t got any luggage for it yet but 

that’s the plan. 

It’ll cruise at 60-65mph and push 

onto 70-75mph. I do feel like I’m 

pushing it a bit hard at that, but 

it could just be me being a bit 

sensitive because I haven’t really 

tested it properly yet. 

The biggest difference between this 

and my 1200 GS is that it’s a lot 

less powerful and I do feel a touch 

more vulnerable on it. Having said 

that, it's a good cross between the 

GS and the Honda XR250 that I 

also own. 

In a way you have to ask yourself, 

what are you achieving by spending 

a vast amount of money on a bike?’ 

You’re risking it if you fall off and 

break it. When push comes to shove, 

bar mechanical disaster this is always 

going to be worth what I paid for 

it. With a new expensive bike you 

might worry about where to park 

it, servicing costs, repairing it if 

it’s out of manufacturer's warranty. 

You worry about the cost of tyres 

and how reliable it’s going to be 

with all those electronics on it, 

and then you take it green laning, 

fall off it and do £2000 worth of 

damage to the plastics. 

I've come to think that rather than 

spend a lot of money on a large 

capacity adventure bike such as 

a Multistrada or GS, one option 

could be to go and buy two or 

three bikes that are more focussed 

for different jobs. 

Buy yourself a cheap old trail bike 

to go green laning on, an old tourer 

to go across Europe on, and a sports 

bike perhaps to get your road kicks 

on closer to home. So have several 

bikes rather than one. There’ll be 

very little depreciation. In fact, you 

might make some money with the 

way the second hand market is 

going. You'll also have a bike perfect 

for the job you have in mind. 

For now I'm happy with the 

KLE500. For £750 you can't really 

go wrong. 

Along with the KLE500 there are a 

number of good value soft-roaders to 

consider. Prices are starting to rise and whilst 

you'll be unlikely to find a bargain as good as 

Tim's, you might come across the following 

bikes for around £1200, though prices 

will increase closer to £2000 as condition 

improves and mileage decreases. It's always 

sensible to go and see these bikes in the 

flesh rather than buying unsighted online 

for example, as mechanical condition is 

everything. 

Never a big seller and therefore not so many on the 

market, but the DR650 derived engine and road 

tuned suspension make the Suzuki Freewind XF650 

a surprisingly capable dual sport machine. 

The beginning of BMW's foray into the competitive 

single cylinder 650cc market, the F650 Funduro was 

built in Italy by Piaggio and powered by Austrian Rotax 

engines. Find a good one and they'll go forever. 

The Honda Transalp comes in many forms and 

guises, but this sort of money you should be able 

to pick up a late 90's XL600V. Simple technology, 

robust and reliable, you can't really go wrong. 

Essentially the same machine as the BMW F650 

Funduro (with slight differences to the engine), the 

Aprilia Pegaso is often cheaper and harder to come by, 

but still a good buy. 

The Yamaha has a long of pedigree in this single 

cylinder class, with this budget likely to get you a 

slightly 'leggy' XTZ660. Consider stretching your 

budget to a later 660 Tenere

IF YOU'VE EVER FANCIED EXPLORING THE GREEN 

LANES OF EUROPE THEN THIS COULD BE YOUR 

ANSWER, WITH THE MAPPING OF OVER 34,000 

KILOMETRES OF TRAILS... 

The Trans European Trail is 

a new initiative to link up 

the trails of Europe. The 

appeal of it is that for the 

first time there's a fully mapped out 

route to follow, with the full route 

downloadable as GPX files and 

up-loadable to your smart phone or 

GPS unit. It takes its name from the 

TAT, or the Trans American Trail, a 

similar route devised several years 

ago to mark out a complete off-road 

route across America. 

passes through 29 countries in total, 

covering over 34,000 kilometres, 

with 1200 miles of those passing 

through the UK. 

The TET enters the UK through the 

ferry port of Newhaven and winds 

its way across the south of England, 

through narrow lanes and quaint 

villages before breaking out onto 

the rolling expanse of the Salisbury 

Plain, passing the prehistoric 

monument of Stonehenge. 

or, if wet, very slippery. It then runs 

north and west crossing the Severn 

Estuary entering the mountain 

vastness of the Principality of Wales. 

Staggering views and remote trails 

characterise this country. Reentering 

England, the TET traverses 

the industrial Midlands before 

entering the Peak District and 

reaching the valleys, drystone walls 

and sheep covered hillsides of the 

Yorkshire Dales National Park. 

The TET was the brainchild of John 

Ross. Here he explains more about 

how the idea came about... 

Now one for Europe, the route 

Trails here can either be hard back 

Enduro bikes help, but much of it is accessible by bigger bike 

The high mountains and clear 

waters of Wordsworth’s Lake 

District await you next before 

finally crossing England’s watershed 

for the last time through remote 

moorland and down to the North 

Sea port of Newcastle. 

The TET is aimed at small and 

medium capacity trail bikes - 

bikes such as Yamaha’s WR250R 

and XT600 and XT660Z Tenere, 

CCM’s GP450, KTM’s 690 and 

Suzuki’s DRZ400. Larger bikes 

can tackle it but riders need to be 

more experienced and competent. 

Soft luggage, travelling light is 

the ethos – leave those panniers 

and armchairs at home. This is 

overlanding in its purest form. 

"I’ve been riding for 33 years and 

have been lucky enough to explore 

trails around Europe and in Eastern 

and Southern Africa. I’ve dipped 

my toe in Rally Raid but found 

my greatest pleasure was sharing 

adventures and camp-fires with 

good mates in remote locations 

using motorbikes to explore off the 

beaten track and see parts of the 

world that only a bike can carry you 

to. 


This morphed into co-organising an 

off pavement trip from the North 

Sea to Tarifa in 2007 and then in 

2009 and 2010, inviting friends to 

participate in long distance trail 

rides in France and Belgium to raise 

smiles and some money for good 

causes. 

Beers, chats and the internet led 

to a realisation that there were like 

minded individuals scattered across 

Europe with the same passion for 

exploring by trail bike and that each 

knew a lot about their neck of the 

woods but were all looking just over 

the horizon to extend their trips. 

This realisation coupled with the 

variety and history of our continent 

and the question of why we all spent 

time dreaming about far off exotic 

places when there was so much to 

be seen on our doorstep grew into 

tentative enquiries on forums and 

then unabashed cold-calling of likely 

co-conspirators around Europe. 

The idea of developing a free to 

access legal off-pavement route 

from North Cape to the Straits of 

Gibraltar fell on fertile ground and a 

plan was hatched to form a group on 

Facebook to pool ideas and bounce 

ideas around. A TAT for Europe or 

perhaps a motorcycle version of a 

GR walking route was the vision. 

We soon realised that a single route 

would not do the continent justice, 

so the Trans Euro Trail developed 

two arms – one through western 

Europe and the UK and the other 

through the Balkans and Eastern 

Europe – a total of 29 countries and 

in excess of 34,000km. 

The more 'vocal' participants got 

'voluntold' into becoming Linesmen 

– one per country to coordinate 

their local contributors - not with 

promises of financial returns (the 

TET is fiercely independent, entirely 

community run and not for profit 

although supported with a long arm 

by Adventure Spec), but with the 

thought of good karma and a warm 

fuzzy feeling alone. 

The revelation of this project has 

been the power of the internet to 

first make contact with and then 

facilitate discussion between so many 

individuals who, in many cases, 

have never met but share a passion, 

ethos and aspiration that transcends 

national boundaries and languages. 

Our passion is shared but so too are 

the challenges that riders face across 

Europe. Changing public perceptions 

of trail riders from hoodlums to 

valuable, responsible contributors to 

rural economies just as long distance 

walkers, cycle-tourers and canal boat 

users are is the ripple effect of this 

project. Making adventurous light 

weight motorcycling 

mainstream may be 

too much to ask but 

we’re making a start! 

The future? Who 

knows. We’d love to 

see the TET become 

established as a 

bucket list aspiration 

for overland 

travellers, whether 

they take on the 

whole thing in one go 

or just take bite-sized 

chunks at a time. 

We’d love to see a 

TET article feature in 

a Sunday paper travel 

section – not just the 

motoring section. 

We’d love to see rural 

businesses putting 

up 'TET Riders 

Welcome' stickers in 

their windows. I’d love to see more 

people discovering the unique joy 

of travelling by a lightweight, quiet 

motorcycle (petrol or even electric!) 

with their few essentials strapped on 

the back stopping to take in views, 

smiling at the top of challenging 

sections, settling down around a 

camp-fire and soaking in the variety 

of this great continent. I'd like to do 

that with my son and seeing a new 

generation join us without feeling 

they need to spend a fortune on 

bigger and newer bikes. 

But most of all I want to meet a 

couple of Montenegrans following 

the TET down Fremington Edge in 

the Yorkshire Dales revelling in the 

beauty I call home." 

To find out more about the TET 

and to download the route visit 

www.transeurotrail.org/uk/ 

Linesman for the Wiltshire section, Jimmy Kawasaki, on a Ducati

TREASURING THE CLASSICS 

KEVIN THOMAS IS A CARPENTER AND RESTORER OF 1980S DESERT BIKES. WE 

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR THE LATTER... 

I 

started like most people; my 

dad getting me into bikes, 

sitting me on the handlebars 

and taking me out for a ride. I 

never had much money as a kid but 

always worked on and built bikes 

with my dad and then on my own. 

There was an old Bantam sat in an 

old boy’s garage down the street, 

and every time I rode past on my 

pushbike I asked if it was for sale. 

It was two years until the old boy 

asked if I wanted to buy it. And 

that's where it all began. 

At the age of 17 I passed my test in 

the January, bought a 250 LC and 

was in Le Mans in March for the 24 

hour race. It just went from there, 

and by the time I was 21 I’d done a 

three month tour of Europe, finding 

myself in Algeciras and realising 

Africa was just across the water. 

Having crossed into Morocco I then 

entered Algeria, before riding all 

the way down to Niger, where I met 

two Germans riding Honda XL600 

XMs. I came back from that trip and 

from there really got into the idea of 

doing a rally. I started racing enduro 

bikes, got fitter and learned the art of 

navigation. I had a 660 Tenere and 

raced rallies in Africa. I just took 

to it like a duck to water, absolutely 

loved it, and from there came my 

passion for working and restoring 

the desert race inspired bikes of 

the 1980s. 

I just love the style of that era 

of bikes. They’re practical and 

functional. I generally prefer the 

Yamahas to work on for the fact 

that a lot of parts crossover between 

models. To fit a water-cooled engine 

in an air-cooled frame is just a case 

of nuts and bolts. The gearboxes are 

no longer available for the earlier 

bikes but you can fit a later gearbox 

cluster straight in. You can’t do that 

on modern bikes so easy, not with 

complicated CAN-bus systems and 

the numerous electrical components. 

“THE ISSUE IS 

INCREASINGLY 

FINDING THE BIKES 

TO BEGIN WITH” 

The issue increasingly is in finding 

the bikes to begin with. The numbers 

are drying up, mainly because people 

are wanting the bikes they couldn’t 

afford when they were young or had 

when they were young and regretted 

selling, but there are only so many 

of them out there and the supply is 

just starting to dwindle a little bit. 

A few years ago the Italians realised 

they were selling all their own bikes 

to us and now they’ve gone down the 

same route, so the nostalgia thing 

has kicked in over there too. Those 

that have got them are starting to 

hang on to the them, whilst those 

that fell by the wayside are just parts 

on eBay. That's good for repairing 

existing bikes, but not so good for 

the stock of complete bikes to own 

and restore. 

I find most people interested in this 

type of bike are 40-50 year olds, 

with a growing number of young 

riders who never saw this era of 

bike, but who are now seeing them 

and interested in what they have 

to offer. It’s old school but it’s still 

practical and its still usable. Price 

wise it's also affordable. I've just done 

Exploring the back roads of America 

The demise of the 750 class in Dakar killed off most of these bikes 


Original looking Tenere 660 fitted with later 5-valve engine 

This Cagiva Elephant is running a Ducati engine from ST2 

a restoration on a XT600 that the 

guy paid £800 for. Another £1700 for 

the restoration and he's got himself a 

good solid bike that'll last him a long 

time. Most people come to me with a 

bike they already own, though I can 

source a bike for people, they just 

could be waiting a long time for the 

right bike to come along. 

Believe it or not but plastics are 

becoming the biggest issue. Yamaha 

has no stock of new plastics 

anywhere, so it’s a case of sourcing 

them where you can, but it can be 

difficult. The Australians have started 

making some moulds to make 

them in glass fibre. The Germans 

are working on some injection 

mouldings. So there might start 

to be more parts coming through 

as the restoration of this era of 

bikes becomes more popular, and 

commercially viable. 

especially in the winter when I like 

to focus on the bikes. 

Most of all I like to see my bikes being 

used. I really dislike the classics being 

tucked away in garages and used 

as show-pieces. These bikes are all 

built to be used. It’s what they were 

made for. It’s really sad to see them 

not being ridden. That shapes my 

approach with the bikes. Aesthetics 

are important but it’s more about the 

mechanics of the bike. 

All the bikes are renovated with top 

notch suspension, not necessarily the 

most expensive but the best I can get 

for the bikes. Front forks are stripped, 

re-shimmed and rebuilt for purpose, 

same with the rear shock. They all 

need to work properly. That doesn’t 

mean to say you can’t make it look 

pretty, but the mechanicals have to be 

right first. 

Yamaha 660 taken out to 690 and modified for long distance travel 

Two years in the making for Kevin's re-imagined Yamaha 660 

Before starting on the restoration of 

a bike I like to talk to owners about 

what they're after, what they intend 

to use it for, what their interests are, 

perhaps where their history goes 

back to in motorcycling. Sometimes 

it’s doing exactly what the client 

wants, and that’s pleasing when you 

get it right, and then there's the open 

brief where you do whatever you 

want with it. When that happens I 

tend to build a bike that I would like 

for myself but haven’t got the time 

or money to build, but can do so for 

someone else. Once I've built a bike 

for someone then I'll love it like my 

own. I built one bike for a guy and 

every year he gets me to service it. 

We go out for a ride and I get to see 

‘my’ bike again. It’s not my bike, but I 

created it. 

It’s the same bond I have with 

some of the furniture I make. The 

carpentry and the motorcycling 

compliment each other very well, 

I find it’s quite an exciting process, 

almost like a blank canvas, and it’s 

really satisfying when a customer 

turns up to collect their bikes. They 

fire it up just like they would a new 

bike and away they go. You teach 

them a few basics for oil changes 

as it’s a dry sump, and that's it, 

the beginning of their own classic 

adventure. 

You can find out more and get 

in contact with Kevin at www. 

woodcutterbikes.co.uk 

Kevin's Top Five tips when buying 

a classic desert bike: 

1. Don’t worry about the 

mechanics, worry about the 

cosmetics in terms of what you’re 

buying, because the mechanics can 

always be fixed, but the cosmetics 

are getting harder to come by, and 

cost more. If you get a bike that 

looks tidy but is mechanically tatty 

then you’re better off than the 

other way around. 

2. Wheels are always fixable so 

don’t worry about those. You can 

always rebuild them or use items 

from another bike. 

3. Buying a bike you have some 

emotional bond with is always 

good, as you’re more likely to see a 

project through to the end. 

4. Do a bit of research in advance 

to see what kind of parts are 

available, and what kind of price 

they are. There are some bikes out 

there that are easy to get the bikes, 

but hard to get the parts. 

5. Join a club. There’s a lot of 

knowledge and people who are 

passionate about that mark can 

help you out with searching or 

locating parts.

KEV’S TRAVEL TOOLKIT 

NOT NECESSARY FOR EVERYONE, OR FOR EVERY TRIP, BUT THESE ARE THE 

ITEMS KEVIN OF WOODCUTTER BIKES TAKES ON HIS DESERT EXPEDITIONS... 

Generator (1) - Normally I’d carry 

a spare set of gaskets as well, clutch 

cover gasket and generator cover 

gasket. If your voltage regulator goes 

it’s normally because this is gone or 

about to go. It’s the heaviest piece 

I carry but they’re often unique to 

each bike so can be hard to find, 

especially if you’re against a tight 

deadline. 

Fuel pump (2) - Sometimes the 

higher Ethanol rating in Europe can 

make the diaphragm in the pump 

stretch and stop working. Often it 

just needs a rest for a few days, so 

having a spare one can be handy 

whilst the other one dries out. 

Coil (3) - They’re specific to this 

bike, so you can’t put a universal 

coil on. It's why I take a spare. 

HT caps, spare CDI units - These 

can all deteriorate and fail. The last 

place you want that to happen and 

not have a spare is the desert. 

Chain links (4) - Highly unlikely 

these days that a chain will break 

but it does happen. I had one go in 

ten miles due to some grit that got 

caught in the chain. I’m not a fan 

of split links but if you have to fix it 

in the middle of nowhere then it’s 

useful to have. 

Electrical parts (5) - I always take 

some spare wire and a collection of 

connectors. You might be pulling 

a connector apart and need some 

replacements. Spark plugs aren’t here 

but I’ll always carry a spare, making 

sure I check it in the bike before 

setting off, just to make sure it works. 

Wheel bearings (6) - It's always 

handy to carry a spare as you can 

never tell when a set's going to fail 

on you. 

Selection of bulbs (7) - In Europe it’s 

a legal requirement to carry spare 

bulbs so I'll take one for all lights and 

indicators. 

Clutch plates (8) - I carry old clutch 

plates rather than new ones because 

it’s better to put in a set that's already 

soaked in oil. So I just take a good 

old set. 

Selection of nuts and bolts - Big 

washers are always useful, especially 

for cracks in fibre glass. Cable ties 

are invaluable for everything. 

Chemical metal (4) - As well as the 

regular type of chemical metal I 

also carry a fuel resistant version, as 

Ethanol destroys the regular stuff. 

Swarfega (4) - Really good as a 

lubricant and for heping get tyres 

back on a rim, but also handy 

for getting your hands clean 

afterwards! 

Clutch lever and perch - It's always 

easy to snap a lever if you drop the 

bike, and if the perch goes as well 

and you don't have one then you're 

in a spot of bother. 

Main jets - I always take different 

sizes for running at different 

altitudes and different weather 

conditions. It's the only downside 

to a carbouretted bike from a more 

modern fuel injected one. 

1 2 3 

Three Mittens, Monument Valley, Utah, USA 

4 5 6 

7 8 

9 


A LIFETIME OF ADVENTURE 

THE STORY OF THE ADVENTURE BIKE SHOP IS ENCOURAGING TO ANYONE 

WHO HAS AN IDEA. OWNERS CLIFF AND JENNY BATLEY EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT 

THE TRIP AND CIRCUMSTANCES THAT STARTED IT ALL... 

We left England in 

May 2002 on a pair 

of BMW F650s, 

heading East in the 

direction of Australia. Through 

Europe we rode into Croatia, 

Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and 

from there Macedonia, Greece, 

Turkey, Syria, Jordan, back up into 

Turkey, then Iran, Pakistan, India, 

Nepal, flew the bike to Bangkok in 

Thailand, then Cambodia, Laos, 

more of Thailand, then down 

through Malaysia to Singapore, 

flew the bikes to NZ, had 7 weeks 

in NZ before flying the bikes into 

Australia. 

We covered 27,000 miles in total, 

costing £25,000 for two of us for the 

year, including all the shipping and 

all the air freighting. I was 40 at the 

time of the trip. Jenny was 35. We 

had originally planned on doing 

South and North America as well, 

but my dad had taken ill whilst we 

were in Australia so we flew home 

early to help look after him. 

To afford the trip we'd sold the 

house we bought when we first 

got married. We replaced it with 

a flat and spent the difference on 

the trip. At the time I was mostly 

driving trucks for a living as well as 

working on race cars. I was just self 

employed, trying to make a living 

out of a couple of different jobs. 

Jenny worked in an office and after 

the trip we went back to doing what 

we were doing before. 

Five years later, on the 5th 

November 2008, the company I was 

working for went out of business. 

It was driving long and wide loads 

and it was interesting. You had to 

think about it rather than just sit 

there with the cruise control on. It 

also paid well and I'd have made 

good money if it’d have carried on. 

After that I went through about 

five different jobs in 14 months. 

One was working night shifts steam 

cleaning the front of supermarkets 

to get rid of the chewing gum. They 

went bust as well. It was during the 

recession and it just went on like 

that. A few months of work, and 

it was only ever going to be a few 

months work, and then nothing. 

It was the push I needed for the 

move into what we’re doing now. 

When we were travelling we'd 

always thought that Jesse was the 

best aluminium pannier on the 

market. They were instantly the 

toughest, easiest to get on and off, 

they were stronger, neater, lighter… 

everything about them were better 

than the competition. The bikes we 

bought for our trip were already 

kitted out with Touratech panniers, 

but ideally we’d have preferred the 

Jesses. 

At the time there was no one in 

Europe importing them, certainly 

not to the UK, so I just saw a gap in 

the market. I booked my flight out 

to America, Al Jesse met me at the 

airport, gave me a tour of the factory, 

then we sat down and worked out 

some figures. I brought my first set 

home with me on the plane. 

A couple of days later - February 

2010 - I took the set down to the Ace 

Cafe for their annual Overland day. I 

took orders for three sets of panniers 

that day, the best weekend we’d ever 

had, then and since! After that we 

were selling and fitting them from 

out of our garage at home. I was also 

night trunking as well - working 

through the night delivering with 

the trucks. I’d start at 6pm in the 

evening, get home about 5am in the 

morning, get a few hours kip, then 

start on the computer trying to sell 

panniers. We probably did 25 sets in 

the first year. 

At the end of the first year I picked 

up the rights to sell Nomad tents 

and managed to convince Givi to 

give me an account, even though I 

didn’t have a physical retail outlet at 

the time. I was finding that people 

often wanted a Givi top box to go 

with the Jesse panniers, so the two 

brands went hand in hand. 

For the first two years we were 

operating out of the garage, with 

the office in the loft. I learnt how to 

build a website and open a digital 

shop. Eventually we ran out of 

space, with stuff in the garage and 

the rest in a couple of stables we 

rented a few miles down the road. 

We needed storage so was looking 

for a bigger unit. When we found 

the one we’re in now we thought 

we’d hang stuff on the walls for 

people to come and look at. And 

from that, came the shop. 

The first thing we did was put a 

mezzanine floor in, with the tents 

on display up there. We spent about 

£10,000 kitting the place out. To 

fund it we sold the flat we’d been 

renting out having bought a house 

in Sudbury, and here we are, five 

years later. 

We had no idea we’d be doing this 

when we set off on that trip back in 

2002. We actually planned to come 

home, earn a bit of money and go 

off again. We actually planned to 

leave again in 2008. In a way It’s 

tied us down and stopped us from 

travelling, but that’s no bad thing. 

From having travelled ourselves 

we have a great knowledge of what 

works and what doesn’t work. I 

think it gives us more credibility, 

that we’ve done it ourselves and we 

know what it’s about. We just give 

information and advise people and 

then leave it up to them to decide. 

The idea one day is to finally do 

that trip through South and North 

America; finish what we set out 

to do. This time, rather than on 

bike, we plan to do it in a Mercedes 

overland truck, with a bike in the 

back. We’ve got a dog now, and we 

can’t leave without the dog! We’ll 

ship the truck to South America, 

drive up to North America, then 

ship to Australia and see more there 

as we missed most of it the first 

time. Meanwhile, come and visit us 

at the Adventure Bike Shop... 


www.adventurebikeshop.co.uk 

Unit 19, Inca Business Park, Acton, Suffolk CO10 0BB 

t: 01787 372901 e: info@adventurebikeshop.co.uk 

Come Instore and see our wide range of 

clothing, helmets, boots and much more..... 

Amazing selection of bike accessories too.... 

WE WON BEST RETAILER CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD 

2015 AND 2016 

FINGERS CROSSED FOR 2017 

On display 6 brands of hard luggage, 

topboxes and soft luggage..... 

in store now 

Adventure.Bike.Shop 

@Adventure_Bikes

NOT YOUR AVERAGE HOLIDAY 

IAN MOUNCE AND WIFE RACHEL USE THE CANARY ISLES AS A BASE FOR THEIR 

TWO WHEELED EXPLORATION. WHO SAID BEACH HOLIDAYS HAD TO BE BORING... 

I 

first visited Lanzarote two 

years ago for a relaxing break 

with my wife to de-stress from 

work. After a few days of lying 

by the pool we hired a car to see the 

rest of the island and what it had 

to offer. Once out from the tourist 

resorts and busy built up areas we 

discovered that the island had silky 

smooth roads and fantastic scenery, 

quaint villages and picturesque 

coastline. It looked like a great place 

to ride a motorbike! 

Six months later we returned, 

searching online beforehand for 

bike hire in the area of the hotel we 

where staying at. Most hire shops 

rented small capacity scooters 

and 125cc bikes, but with a bit of 

research I found bike hire near 

Playa Blanca that rented everything 

from 125cc to 1200cc good quality 

machines. I dropped them an email 

about price and availability and 

booked a bike for our return. 

My choice of motorcycle was the 

Honda CB500X. I had test ridden 

one a few months before and felt 

comfortable on it, plus it was easy to 

ride with feet firmly on the ground 

for good stability when carrying a 

pillion. 

Bike hire was simple. All I needed 

was my drivers licence, passport, 

hotel room number and credit 

card for refundable deposit. Most 

hire shops will rent you helmet, 

jacket and gloves, but I prefer to 

wear my own as sometimes the fit 

of helmets and gear can vary on 

each individual. I carried my riding 

gear on the plane with me, wearing 

jacket and Kevlar jeans on the flight 

out there. 

Lanzarote isn't a very large island, 

with very few roads meaning no 

real planning was done or needed. 

We just headed down the road 

once formalities had finished and 

made it up as we went along. As an 

average we spent 5 to 6 hours riding 

on a day, stopping for pictures and 

coffees and covering about 150 

miles in total. 

Once out in the centre of the island 

we couldn't help but notice the 

amount of unpaved and gravel 

roads leading away from the main 

roads and out into the mountain 

areas. I was interested to see if 

anyone hired or takes enduro bikes 

to these areas. 

Returning the bike to shop I also 

asked if, when we return the 

following year, we could take the 

ferry to the neighbouring island of 

Fuerteventura. The owners of the 

shop were happy to rent us the bike 

and allow us to take the ferry to the 

island for the day but didn't know 

of any enduro tours on the island. 

Back in the UK I searched online 

and found a chap called Paul Sully, 

the only person on Lanzarote who 

would take me off-road around the 

island. Following the exchange of a 

few emails we arranged to meet up 

on what would be our third visit to 

the island. 

Again, we would be hiring another 

Honda CB500X and planned on 

taking the ferry to Fuerteventura, 

which is only a 35 minute or so sail 

away. I carried a detailed ordinance 

survey map of Fuerteventura and a 

route marked up thanks to friends 

on Facebook who had ridden the 

island before and had given me 

points of interest. 

The island didn't disappoint. It was 

more mountainous than Lanzarote 

with perfect riding conditions. The 

weather was warm, with very little 

traffic, plenty of twisty roads and 

points of interest along the way. 

We spent a total of 8 hours on 

the island, starting with an 8am 

ferry across from Lanzarote to 

Fuerteventura, then a 4pm return. 

In those eight hours we covered 

a total of 150 miles and had an 

amazing day of riding. 

The day before we were due to fly 

back to the UK I contacted Paul 

Sully regarding the enduro bike tour 

of Lanzarote. While my wife Rachel 

lay by the pool I met up with Paul 


and went off trail riding for half a day 

on a Yamaha WR450F he'd hired me. 

The route took in everything 

from beach riding. dry river beds, 

mountain tops and across deserted 

farmland, as well as all the small 

trails and unpaved roads. It was a 

fantastic day of trail riding. 

It was after that third trip to 

Lanzarote that I became friends 

with Joy Allen, the owner of Canary 

Motorcycle Tours. She was based 

on the island of Gran Canaria and 

reckoned it was biking's best kept 

secret. After a chat with my wife we 

decided to give this island a visit 

too. The deal is that she finds the 

hotel, whilst I find bike hire and start 

planning a route. 

A company by the name of Moto 

and Bike Rent in Playa de Ingles 

(www.motoandbike.com) offered the 

best options for rental, with quality 

bikes and offering another Honda 

CB500X for two days of riding, 

plus hotel pickup in the morning 

and return. Again, it was just the 

simple formalities of hiring; licence, 

passport, room number of hotel, and 

away you go. 

Ten minutes out of the tourist zones 

and, as Joy promised, the island 

opened up to be one of the best 

places I've ridden. The scenery, roads, 

coastlines, numerous hairpins, single 

track lanes with no walls or barriers 

with 200 feet drops either side. This 

was finding everything I like in 

riding a motorcycle. 

Having picked up a good detailed 

map of the island I plotted two days 

riding for myself and Rachel as 

pillion. We took in as much as we 

could in so little time, covering 275 

miles over those two days. We will be 

returning to Gran Canaria in April to 

discover more. I'd say that four days' 

riding on this island would be plenty. 

“THESE ISLANDS 

ARE IDEAL FOR 

ANY RIDER” 

In my opinion I think these 

islands are ideal for any rider of 

any experience. Also, if you have 

a partner who is not interested in 

motorcycling or you have a family 

and both parties want to enjoy 

your holidays, then you can easily 

compromise and spend a few days 

relaxing by the pool, then the rider 

can hire a bike for a few days to 

explore the islands. 

By comparison, it'd take me two full 

days to ride down to the South of 

France or to the Alps, not to mention 

the cost of two ferries, hotels, toll 

roads, fuel, tyre wear and probably 

£1500 out of my pocket for 10 days 

travel. And out of those ten days only 

six are spent down in location. Four 

days are spent in transit. 

Instead, the wife and I spent £1400 

on 7 days all inclusive at a 5 star hotel. 

It was four hours flight time and an 

average of 60 Euros a day for bike 

hire. This can rise to 125 Euros if you 

prefer a GSA or KTM Adventure, as 

those bikes are available, but arguably 

not necessary as your average speed is 

around 55mph. 

The only other expense we had 

was the ferry from Lanzarote to 

Fuerteventura, which was 88 Euros 

return for bike and two passengers. 

Paul Sully's enduro ride was 150 euros. 

Out of the three islands we've ridden 

so far, Gran Canaria is the best for 

all round biking needs. In four hours 

from a UK airport you can have a 

week's riding, in warm weather, on 

smooth twisty roads and only 10 

minutes from your hotel. Experience 

is needed on some of the mountain 

hairpins, the cambers can be quite 

steep and corners are very tight, even 

on the single lane, two way roads, but 

the coastline and mountain roads are 

only minutes from each other. 

We're planning to ride Tenerife in 

the next year or so, taking ferries 

to island hop on a tour of all the 

islands. That should be a good trip. 

A trip like this is very easy and 

straight forward to plan. The only 

problem I had was convincing the 

owner of the hire shop in Gran 

Canaria to let me ride the roads I had 

in mind as he advised me not to take 

them due to the cambers and 200 feet 

drops. Once I'd shown him pictures 

of the Stella Alpina and roads in the 

Alps I'd ridden previously he was bit 

more understanding!

CHALLENGE YOUR COMFORT ZONE 

WHAT STARTED OUT AS AN EXCUSE TO MAKE A TRIP HAPPEN HAS NOW BECOME A 

MOVEMENT TO GET OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES... 

The Garbage Run is an 

idea that came about 

through the frustrations 

of repeatedly putting off 

a ride from Land's End to John 

o'Groats. In the end a date and time 

was set, and an open invitation put 

out to anyone that was interested in 

coming along for the ride. 

On the inaugural run of May 

2017 a total of 26 riders took part, 

spending eight days riding from 

the bottom of the UK to the top. 

Only back roads and scenic routes 

were taken, the trip averaging 180 

miles per day. On that first run we 

had a good mixture of bikes, from 

Honda C90s, to MSX125s, Yamaha 

Townmates, Suzuki V-Strom 

650s, a 1250 and even a Vespa 

125. The nature of the roads are 

a great leveller when it comes to 

performance, with it more about 

the camaraderie along the way, 

rather than trying to break any 

necks or records in getting there. 

A second run was planned for 

September 2017. Again, another 

25 riders took part, this time with 

an even broader spread of bikes; 

with everything from Derbi 125cc 

Adventure bikes, Moto Guzzi V7s, 

a Royal Enfield, a Honda Fireblade 

and a classic BMW. The weather 

was atrocious on this run, as bad 

as you could probably have it over 

eight consecutive days. 

“THE RUNS ARE 

SEMI-GUIDED AND 

IN A WAY CHAOTIC” 

More than the weather it was the 

breakdowns that proved the most 

challenging. We had a Honda 

CB400 blow out a spark plug and 

damage the thread, running on 

three cylinders from that point on. 

We had a Honda C90 run dry of oil 

and seize, the same with a Sinnis 

Apache 125. A recently purchased 

MZ ETZ 251 gave up the ghost 

within 75 miles of setting off, 

whilst a Honda XR250 finally lost 

its exhaust header after five days on 

the run. 

One unfortunate rider, Mike Lyons, 

even had the wheel bearings of his 

Triumph Tiger 955 collapse just 

three miles from arriving at the start 

line, but a man with a van helped 

get his bike to a place to have it fixed 

and he caught the group up later in 

the day. In the end everyone made 

it to John o'Groats, be it on the bike 

they set off on or on the spare bike 

they thankfully had at home. 

The runs are semi-guided and in 

many ways supposed to be a bit 

chaotic. People know where they're 

heading to on an evening but in 

between the two points of setting 

off and arriving there's always room 

for things to go wrong during that 

day. From people getting lost, to 

getting wet, to breaking down. 

I like to see it as is adventure in 

your own backyard. For most 

people - including myself these 

days - it's difficult getting more 

than a week away from a busy life 

and commitments. Then there's 

the money aspect and the fact that 

it costs a lot of money to go on a 

global jaunt. You have to be fully 

committed, sacrifice a great deal 

and hope it's all been worth it by the 

end. Too many people I speak to are 

so busy romanticising the notion of 

leaving it all behind and taking to 

the road that they forget that good, 

solid adventures that can be had in 

your own backyard, on the bike you 

already own, without having to say 

goodbye to the career, mortgage or 

partner. 

The run from Land's End to John 

o'Groats is as tough a week of 

riding as that you'll encounter 

almost anywhere else. It also offers 

a new perspective of your own 

country, showing you places you 

might otherwise never have been, 

and hopefully giving people the 

confidence, as well as the riding 

buddies, to go off and do more of it 

at their own pace. 

For 2018 there's also a Garbage 

Run America; offering a chance 

for a container full of bikes and 

people to venture across the USA - 

admittedly a little bit beyond their 

own backyard, but hoping to show 

that even something as daunting 

as riding across America on your 

own bike is actually very simple and 

easy thing to do. It's just a matter of 

riding, much like anywhere else. 

Also look out for Garbage Run 

Ireland, which is Land's End to John 

o'Groats, taking in Ireland along the 

way, plus Garbage Run Australia, 

which looks to take a squadron of 

postie bikes across Australia. Just 

remember; Garbage Run is a state 

of mind, not a type of bike. 

See www.thegarbagerun.com 


Next run 30th June 2018 

Semi guided run 

£245 inclusive of all accommodation 

For more info see www.thegarbagerun.com

MY FIRST CAMPING KIT 

GRAEME HOOSE HAS BEEN PITCHING TENT FOR OVER 50 YEARS. HERE HE GIVES 

ADVICE ON PUTTING TOGETHER A BASIC CAMPING KIT... 

now split their smaller and 

lightweight tents into Hiking and 

Adventure tents... and you are 

heading off onto an adventure. 

I 

started camping aged nine 

as a Cub and carried on for 

several years with the Scouts. 

After that I spent some time 

paying back into them for all the 

experience and training they gave 

me, acting as leader on several 

expeditions. 

Since then I have spent nearly 50 

years strapping camping gear on my 

back; push bikes and motorbikes 

from 100 to 1200cc, taking personal 

trips all over the UK and Europe, 

from Iceland to Bulgaria. 

Tents 

If you are inexperienced at camping 

or have never done it with a 

motorcycle before then there are 

a few simple tips that will ensure 

you stay warm, dry and get a good 

night's sleep, ready for the next 

day's adventure. 

Tents to ignore, unless you are 

spending big bucks, are any budget 

single skin tent (as they are for fair 

weather only as they get cold and 

are prone to condensation in our 

climate), and usually any advertised 

as hiking tents. Instead, always look 

for a tent with a breathable inner 

and waterproof outer or fly. Also, 

ideally with enough headroom to 

sit up inside to at least get some of 

your bike kit on if the weather is 

wet outside. 

Tent sizing is fairly easy for 

motorcycle touring; number of 

people using it plus one. Hiking 

tent sizing is however based on 

one person plus a rucksack, not a 

helmet and riding gear. Also, until 

you have built up some experience 

in camping then you might be 

advised to stay away from tarp and 

hammock camping; its a skill that 

takes time to acquire. 

Most suppliers and manufacturers 

The two main types to consider 

are dome tents and tunnel tents. 

Dome tents (Eurohike Avon) and 

their close relatives; semi geodesics 

(like the Vango Halo), are useful 

for any expedition with numerous 

overnight stops and early starts as 

they are quick to pitch (erect) and 

hike (take down). They are also 

self-supporting (also known as free 

standing) and can be anchored with 

your kit in an emergency. Look 

for one with a porch area. This 

is a must have as it will give you 

somewhere to protect the entrance 

to the inner in bad weather and also 

offer somewhere to store wet gear 

and even have a brew. 

Tunnel tents such as the Vango 

Omega give plenty of porch space 

and head room but are not as quick 

to pitch and need pegging out to 

take shape, which is something to 

consider if you are heading off to 

sandy climates where it might be 

difficult to get pegs to stay put, or 

on locations with firm or rocky 

ground, where it might be difficult 

to get pegs in at all. 

Most tents in the UK are pitched 

fly first (the outer later) or with 

both parts together, as this benefits 

having a dry sleeping compartment 

in our less than sunny climate. 

If you head off to the south of 

Europe then consider a tent that 

can be pitched inner first as this 

will be cooler, especially if it has 

mesh doors, allowing air in and the 

insects out. 

Pitching tents has some basic rules 

as well. Always check for stones and 

sharp objects as these can easily 

pierce the ground sheet. A foot 

print or second ground sheet (tarp) 

is useful to take with you, especially 

if you're likely to be camping on 

rough ground. When pitching, try 

and look for smooth ground with 

as few hummocks and clumps of 

weeds as possible, and keep above 

the lowest point of a field where the 

surface water will drain. 

If you have to sleep on a slope make 

sure your head points uphill. Stay 

away from under trees, as roots will 

often make the ground uneven, 

branches can drop and trees get hit 

more often by lightning than any 

other object. Also, when it rains the 

ground stays dry...ish, but beneath 

a tree, when the dripping starts, 

it’s like water torture and soaks the 

tent. 

Lastly, tents advertised as 'Festival 

Specials' should be ignored as they 

get left behind for a reason. Instead, 

look at a well known supplier like 

Go Outdoors, Cotswold Outdoors 

and Blacks/Millets and dedicated 

local camping shops. Also look for 

local camping exhibitions where 

companies will often sell off the 

display models at huge discount, as 

long as you turn up on the last day 

and take the tent down yourself. 

Brands to look for are Eurohike, 

Vango, Coleman and Outwell. 

Sleeping Bags 

Now its time to cover keeping 

warm. Sleeping bags come in many 

shapes and forms and two major 

filling types; Polyester Hollow-fibre 

and Down. Each has it pros and 

cons but the proven best bag shape 

for most is the one described as 

the mummy bag. Shaped like an 

Egyptian mummy with a hood to 


keep in heat and prevent draughts 

from the top allowing heat to escape. 

Down is the warmest and lightest 

and has the smallest pack size, but 

it's also expensive, and should only 

be bought from ethical suppliers 

who use the Responsible Down 

Standard. It’s only major downside is 

that it can lose effectiveness if it gets 

wet, so if you want to go down this 

route look for hydrophilic down. 

You will also need specialist cleaners 

when comes to freshening it up. 

Hollow fibre works the same way 

as down but is more bulky when 

packed for the same level of stuffing. 

The good thing about it is that it 

keeps working even if it gets wet, 

and is easier to clean. 

Both types of filling work the same 

way in keeping a layer of warm 

air contained by insulation. You're 

looking for a bag that is a snug but 

not a tight fit. Get down and dirty 

in the shop, make sure there are 

no tight areas which will reduce 

insulation and when you are fully 

inside your feet are not tight against 

the bottom. Actually, a good gap 

can be handy for placing clothes in 

to keep them warm on a cold night. 

Also, make sure you can use the zip 

fully in the bag. Most bags have 

a two-way zip that can be left or 

right handed to allow bags to be 

connected and for ventilation. 

Most bags will either have a season 

or comfort temperature rating (max 

and min temp range). Unfortunately 

there is no industry standard for 

this, so rule of thumb is to use a 

two season bag only at the height 

of summer and a three season bag 

for the rest of the year. By using a 

liner you can add a few degrees to 

the suggested comfort rating of any 

bag and help reduce the need for 

cleaning. 

Using a silk liner adds about 5C 

and can be used to sleep in on top 

of a three season bag in a summer 

crossing of Europe, and inside the 

bag when you reach the Alps and are 

camping on a trail. Brands to look 

out for include Snugpak, Mammut, 

Vango and Rab. 

Sleeping Mats 

Another essential item is a good 

sleeping mat. They work by 

insulating and padding your sleeping 

area. Bigger is not always better and 

the perennial rubberised canvas 

guest bed air mattress is the worst 

you can have. Lots of padding but 

works as an effective heat pump on 

cold nights, transferring your heat 

into the ground. They're also heavy 

and bulky and require a pump to 

inflate. They therefore rob you of 

valuable space and are prone to 

punctures. 

The most basic alternative is a closed 

cell foam mat, which is often too 

big to pack but will work when wet 

and never needs a puncture repair. 

Then comes the reed type manually 

inflated air-bed; easy to inflate by 

mouth and the use of reeds prevents 

a total deflation. Small pack size and 

low weight. 

The most luxurious though are the 

self inflating mats. Once again it's 

a case of the more money you pay 

the smaller the pack size and more 

effective the insulation and comfort. 

However you can take a tip from the 

lightweight cycle campers and only 

use a three quarter one to stop cold 

spots and pressure points on the 

shoulders and hips. Brands to look 

for are Therm-a-Rest, Alpkit and 

Exped. 

LAST FEW PLACES REMAINING!!


Derek at John o'Groats after a long ride from the bottom


68 YEAR OLD DEREK WATSON WAS RECENTLY REUNITED WITH THE BIKE OF HIS 

YOUTH - A BMW R60/2 - A BIKE HE RODE FROM LAND'S END TO JOHN O'GROATS... 

The first bike I had was a 

1952 BSA Goldflash with 

a Swallow sidecar. We got 

up to all sorts of mischief 

on it. My first day riding it, I'd just 

turned16 and I was up at 7 o'clock 

to take it for a spin. I'd got my little 

brother and sister in the sidecar and 

set off on it thrashing around the 

streets. The local policeman came 

knocking on the door that evening 

and told me I had to slow down 

a bit! We did of course, but only 

when he was looking. 

At the age of 19 I acquired an 

Ariel Square 4 from a neighbour. 

In those days all we had were 

motorbikes. I was 25 before I 

had a car. The bike was what you 

went to work on in the week, on 

the Saturday you fettled it, and 

on Sunday you went to the races. 

We'd often go to Brands Hatch. 

Back then the motorway started at 

Coventry and ended at the North 

Circular. We'd go down and back 

in a day to watch the races. It 

seems a long way to go nowadays! 

A year later, at the age of 20, I 

bought a 1969 BMW R60/2 off my 

brother. He was going onto a Suzuki 

GT750 'Kettle'. It was supposed 

to be the best thing ever - water 

cooled, three cylinder, two stroke, 

so I bought the BMW off him. It 

was a 1959 and this was in 1970. I 

think I paid him £180 for it. 

In those days you'd didn't just get 

on them and ride them. You'd had 

to fettle them at night to make 

them last. That's the way you had 

to do it. The BMW was different. 

It was absolutely unbelievable. It 

never leaked oil and on top of that 

it was so smooth. You could ride 

it literally flat out and it wouldn't 

bother it, holding its 85mph top 

speed all day long. Your feet didn't 

vibrate off. Your hands didn't tingle. 

On the BSA your feet would shake 

off the footpeg. 

As good as it was, if I went out with 

my brother I could pull 100mph 

in my brother's slip stream, but 

it'd be over revving and it knocked 

the main bearings out. I thought, 

'I've got to get something faster 

to keep up with him', so I bought 

a Honda CB750 KO. I sold the 

BMW to a chap down in London if 

I remember correctly, and I've had 

many different bikes ever since. I've 

never not had a bike. 

At the age of 67 I retired. I was 

bored. The wife told me I had to get 

something to do. I said I was going 

to get another BMW as I'd always 

thought fondly of the R60/2 I'd 

got rid of all those years ago. This 

one came up on eBay. Nice pristine 

examples would sometimes come 

up and command a lot of money. 

But I knew what I was doing with 

mechanics so didn't mind buying 

one that needed some work doing 

to it. 

This one came up as a non-runner. 

I bid on it and won it for £3200. 

I spent another £800 to get it 

running. There was a re-bore and 

pistons, new clutch, odds and sods 

really. It was a standard bike apart 

from the previous owner converting 

it from 6v to 12v. It's an import. 

God knows where it's come from, 

but I'm not bothered. 

I bought it to ride. I got it running 

quite quickly, but it was pretty 

smokey at the start. It'd also got a 

horrible oil leak. Once we'd sorted 

out the re-bore it was sorted. I 

bought it to relive the past mainly. 

When you get old you seem to want 

to go out and buy bikes you had 

when you were a kid. When you're 

on it you feel like you're 18 again, 

it's like going back in time. It's hard 

to ride mind. Modern bikes are 

so much easier. You just push the 

starter and go. If you stall the BMW 

you have to get off the bike to start 

it as the starter comes out from the 

side at 90-degrees. 

This one won't leave me now. I've 

no intention of doing it up, it's not 

a show bike. When you get them 

shiny and polished they just sit in 

the garage, and I much prefer riding 

them to cleaning them. 

When it came to riding from Land's 

End to John o'Groats back at the tail 

end of Summer I did have a Honda 

VFR750 and a Kawasaki W650 I 

could have gone on, but I wanted 

to take the BMW. Before that run 

the furthest I'd been on it was an 80 

mile round trip to Oxford and back. 

It was happy cruising at 50/55mph 

and that was good enough for me. 

The luggage I used was a set of 

Oxford panniers I bought from 

the BMF show in Peterborough 30 

years ago. I bought a tank bag from 

my nephew and kept a roll of tools 

in it. I ended up only using them 

on others peoples bikes. Over 2500 

miles it didn't miss a beat, apart 

from a piston rod disconnecting 

itself on the front shock. 

It’s mental how much interest the 

bike gets. Straight away, as soon as 

you park up people come and ask 

about it. It’s 1965, but looks a lot 

older. I’ll never sell it. I keep asking 

the missus if she wants a sidecar on 

it. But if I get a sidecar for it I’d need 

a new garage! As for the next trip on 

the BMW, I have nothing planned. 

I'm just going to enjoy it.

ROAMING IN IRAN 

RIDING OFF INTO THE SUNSET IS WHAT MANY PEOPLE DREAM OF. FOR THIS 

GROUP OF FRIENDS FROM ROMANIA, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID.... 

We’re five friends 

driven by the 

same passion: 

adventure touring 

on motorcycles. Our careers and 

personalities are all different: 

Radu restores motorcycles, 

Alex is an engineer, Tudor is 

creating animations, Codruț is an 

administrator and Denisa makes 

films. We all however wanted to run 

away from home and head East on 

our 20 years old Yamaha’s. So we 

started Kulturide East Adventure, 

a project about traveling, 

companionship and motorcycles. 

We left our native Romania in May 

2017 and went North, crossing 

Russia all the way to Mongolia, then 

covered almost all of the ‘Stans, 

before making a quick stop in 

Georgia and then Iran, the ultimate 

destination. Only three of us got 

there (the other two had to return 

home earlier) because that’s the 

unpredictable nature of adventures. 

The three lucky ones spent 19 

glorious days in Iran. 

“THE CITIES WERE 

FULL OF MOTOR- 

CYCLISTS RIDING 

LIKE CRAZY” 

Whoever goes to Iran and 

says he didn’t like it is a fool. 

Whoever travels the world and 

disregards Iran is also a fool. In 

this controversial country we 

discovered the nicest people who 

were ready to help and take us 

to their homes in just seconds 

after we said hello. Their kindness 

completely overwhelmed us. There 

are also amazing roads through the 

mountains, deserts, seaside, forests 

and famous historical cities. It’s 

really crazy to try to see it all. We 

almost made that mistake. 

We entered the country from 

Armenia, reached Tabriz and 

headed towards Urmia and its salty 

lake. People were very friendly, 

gathering around our motorcycles, 

giving us tea, dinner or inviting us 

to their homes. Most of them knew 

little English but they didn’t care, 

they still wanted to help. 

From there we crossed the 

mountains in Kurdistan, from 

Marivan to Kermanshah. We didn’t 

ride so many corners in our entire 

lives combined. And then we had 

plans to reach Isfahan. But that 

didn’t happen. Why? Because we 

met Mahmud and his family in 

the small city of Najafabad. That’s 

when we realized that if we tried to 

see everything, we would actually 

miss so much. So we relaxed and 

ended up spending five days with 

Mahmud’s family. 

Actually, we spent several days 

with several families in Iran and 

everybody was just so kind to us. We 

enjoyed spending time with them 

and discovering all things about 

their active lives. Iranian old music 

sounds surprisingly good, people 

eat on the carpet with fresh basil 

at each dinner, many women dress 

up colourfully and classy, many 

men ride motorcycles in the cities, 

garden parties is a trend. For being a 

woman, Denisa had to cover her hair 

in public places, but she didn’t mind. 

We had noticed that cities were full 

of motorcyclists riding like crazy. 

We were very interested in the 

spectacle. Men in Iran are allowed 

to ride motorcycles of up to 250cc 

(bigger bikes only on Friday) so 

most people own small Chinese 

motorcycles but boy, do they know 

how to ride them! Police could not 

keep up with picking up the bikes 

of those riding without a helmet. 

Or a license. Each weekend men 

Bike Life; Iran style 


Enjoying Iranian hospitality 

gathered at race tracks near cities and 

made all sorts of crazy stunts, without any 

protection gear. It seemed a very efficient 

way of cooling down. 

Minimum protective gear, maximum talent 

In Tehran it was even crazier. We got 

caught in the city rush. Motorcycles 

were roaring everywhere, not caring 

about driving rules. Other than that, 

the city was very modern and beautiful, 

with castles, gardens, towers, bazaars 

and shops. From the capital we went 

exploring a little bit of the seaside, Chalus 

and Rasht, and the jungle seemed to us 

more like a forest. As we were riding back 

South towards Mianeh on some beautiful 

mountain roads, we became sad. The trip 

was coming to an end. 

For us Iran was mostly about people. 

Of course, we need to go back to see 

Shiraz and Yazd and Mashhad, but it’s 

not like we want to settle for the next 20 

years, so we have plenty of time to do 

that. We are happier that we made good 

friends: Masoud, Mahmood and Shahlo, 

Leila, Soheil and Parisa and many other 

amazing people we met in Iran. We are 

wondering if the documentary that we’re 

putting together will be able to capture all 

this Iranian magic. 

The Kulturide crew continue their journey east 

We’ve learned one precious lesson in this 

trip and we want to share it with you. 

Don’t rely on what other people tell you 

about a road or a country, like ‘that road 

is difficult’ or ‘that country is dangerous’. 

You have to go see by yourself! You’ll be 

surprised to see how different things can 

be for you. 

Words and images: Kulturide East 

Adventure 

Team members: Denisa 

Andronache, Radu 

Constantin, Alexandru 

Olaru, Tudor Calnegru, 

Codrut Constantin 

website: kulturide.ro 

facebook.com/KulturideEA

WE WISH HIM WELL 

21 YEAR OLD BEN KING PLANS ON SPENDING FOUR YEARS RIDING AROUND THE 

WORLD. WE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIS AMBITIOUS ADVENTURE... 

Ben chose the CRF250L for its lightness and easy maintenance 

WHAT ROUTE ARE YOU GOING 

TO TAKE? 

From the UK I'm going to head 

over to France, down into Italy, 

Switzerland. Austria, Hungary, 

Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 

Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, China, 

then back up through the Stans, 

Russia, Mongolia and from there 

East to Siberia and Magadan. I'll 

figure out a way to freight the bike 

to Japan, then over to the States, up 

to Alaska, all the way back down 

to Argentina, to New Zealand and 

Australia, then South Africa and 

back up into Europe along the west 

coast. It's ambitious but I'm going to 

give it a go. 

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED 

ABOUT THE MOST? 

I would say Iran. Everyone thinks it's 

crazy and dangerous, but everyone 

who has actually been says that Iran 

is an amazingly cool place. They say 

the people are friendly, so I'm just 

excited to see it for myself. I'm also 

excited about Siberia and Russia, 

and also just to have some sunshine 

is what I'm looking forward to the 

most. I'm going to find a beach 

to relax somewhere and enjoy 

travelling at my own space. For 

the last two years I've always been 

around people and been told what 

I've got to do and where I've got to 

be. Now, literally, I can do whatever 

I like. 

WHAT DO FRIENDS AND 

FAMILY MAKE OF IT? 

I didn't tell my family or my friends 

for quite a long time as I knew they'd 

stress out. They're slowly coming 

to terms with it and they know I've 

done previous trips before on a bike 

in South East Asia and I think they 

were more worried that first time. 

But part of the reason that I'm doing 

this trip is for my friend India who 

died last year at the age of 22 from 

Crohn's and Colitis. Along the way 

I'm hoping to raise some funds and 

awareness for the charity Crohn's 

and Colitis UK. I think my mum 

would rather I just did a charity ride 

or run around the local park rather 

than ride around the world, but she's 

getting used to the idea. 

WHY HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO 

RIDE A HONDA CRF250L? 

Because I'm super skinny and weedy 

I wanted something that was super 

light weight and great on fuel. I 

tried one of the big BMW F800 

GSs and Triumph Tiger 800s and 

it was insanely heavy for me. The 

CRF is perfect for when I'm tackling 

off-road sections or looking for 

rough camping spots to sleep on 

an evening. There are also parts for 

them everywhere, as well as plenty of 

luggage options. And Steph Jeavons 

has proven the bike plenty reliable 

having ridden one to all seven 

continents over the last three years. 

WHAT MODIFICATIONS HAVE 

YOU DONE? 

It's basically a stock CRF250L but 

I've spent a bit of time with Austin 

Vince who's helped me modify it 

for the trip. We've fitted Kriega soft 

bags for luggage, opting for soft 

luggage over hard luggage because 

I just think they're lighter and not 

as cumbersome as heavy metal 

panniers. I also wanted something a 

bit more compact that doesn't stand 

out so much. I've also added a Givi 

top box as I wanted somewhere I 

could safely secure valuables and 

electronic equipment. I've also fitted 

an Adventure Spec sump guard, 

whilst a company called IMS in the 

States are sending me a prototype 

fuel tank which I'll collect on my 

way through Europe. This should 


take it up from the standard bike's 

7-litres to about double that, which 

should get me about 300 miles. I've 

also added Barkbuster hand guards, 

which have proven invaluable so far, 

especially as I tend to fall off a lot 

riding off-road. Lastly, I've fitted a 

Baja Worx screen that should help 

with all the bugs and wind. 

ANY FEARS? 

I've been fine for the last 2 years, 

totally relaxed, but since I quit my 

job and have been getting all the 

visas it now seems real and kind of 

terrifying. Hopefully, once I get on 

the road I'm hoping it'll disappear 

after a few days and my nerves will 

settle. My only worry is falling off 

the bike when I go to leave when 

everyone's there to wave me off! 

HOW DOES A 21 YEAR OLD 

AFFORD TO GO AROUND THE 

WORLD? 

It's been tough but I've been working 

two jobs for the past 2 years. I've 

been working at Waitrose in the 

morning doing online deliveries, 

then working at the Apple store in 

central London in the afternoon and 

evening. It was pretty horrific with 

long hours, but I had this goal in 

the back of my head that I wanted 

to do this trip. I've just worked hard 

and hopefully it's all paid off. I may 

have had no sleep or no life for the 

last 2 years, but I think it'll be totally 

worth it. 

“I DON'T THINK I 

COULD EVER 

TRAVEL IN A 

GROUP” 

WHAT'S THE DRIVING FORCE? 

I'm just keen for adventure and to 

explore. When I was seventeen I 

was in a car accident in the lanes in 

North London. I was supposed to go 

to university, train to be a teacher, 

and it put it all into perspective. 

The crash wasn't that bad but at the 

time it seemed like the worst thing 

in the world. I ended up quitting 

school, quitting my job, flying to 

Asia and living out there for a year 

teaching scuba diving. I loved the 

freedom of it. I then lived in Saigon 

for a while, did some trips on bikes 

then flew to South America, bought 

a bike in Columbia, biked half way 

down South America, but fell off 

again which ended the trip earlier 

than I'd anticipated. On the trip I 

met a couple of guys in Bolivia on 

big adventure bikes and their stories 

sounded amazing – they were doing 

the Alaska to Argentina route – and 

I thought I want to do that someday, 

so I came home and started planning 

this trip. Then my friend India passed 

away and I started of thinking of 

ways of raising money and awareness 

for that, and all these things tied 

together. I can't imagine myself ever 

settling down now. I have this hunger 

for travel and adventure and there's 

no better way to see the world than 

on two wheels. 

DID YOU EVER THINK OF 

GOING WITH SOMEONE ELSE? 

No never. I don't think I could ever 

travel in a group. I love being by 

myself. Every morning I can wake 

up and decide where I want to go 

and I don't have to ask someone or 

please someone. Selfishly perhaps, 

but you don't have to sacrifice your 

own dreams for someone else. But if 

I meet a girl and she wants to go on a 

trip then sure, we'll maybe go two up. 

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO 

GET OUT OF THE TRIP? 

I'm hoping to experience a different 

kindness than I'm used to. Working 

in the rat race no one talks, 

everyone's miserable. But out there 

on the road people are generally so 

kind and they might have nothing 

but they're so happy. Then you 

come to London and everyone's so 

depressed! I don't have a clue why, 

maybe the miserable weather. But to 

experience kindness and happiness 

and new cultures is the main reason 

I'm doing it. I don't think too much 

about what might happen after the 

trip. I can't see beyond it. Maybe 

along the way I'll meet a Uzbekistani 

girl and settle down! I just hope 

if I do choose to settle down that 

employers will see this as a fairly 

impressive thing to have done, but 

whether I'll be employable I don't 

know, maybe I'll be washing pans 

the rest of my life! Maybe I'll go back 

to doing Waitrose deliveries. 

To follow Ben's adventures see 

www.facebook.com/ 

benkingontheroad/ 

or visit: www.thekingontheroad.com

IT’S MAKING YOUR 

OWN ADVENTURE 

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two-wheels - it’s taking the scenic route and making 

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comes to insuring your bike, we go the extra mile 

for our riders, meaning you can follow the tracks 

and enjoy your adventure. 

• We search our panel of insurers to find you 

our best price for the cover you need 

• 90-day EU cover as standard 

• Expert 24-hour claims service 

• Tailor made insurance packages 

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or call 0330 018 5943 for a quote

SMALL CAPACITY ADVENTURE BIKE TEST 

A NEW WAVE OF LOWER CAPACITY ADVENTURE BIKES HAS RECENTLY HIT THE 

MARKET. HERE'S A QUICK REVIEW OF THE MAIN FOUR... 

For a long time now the 

adventure bike market 

has been going in only 

one direction. Bigger and 

bigger: Faster and more powerful. 

More expensive to boot. Clearly 

there's been demand for such bikes 

given their sales success and the 

switch many people are making 

from sports bike to adventure 

style machines. That the BMW 

R1200GS has been the best selling 

bike in the UK (over 125cc) for the 

last few years is testament to their 

popularity, whether you care for the 

bike and the brand or not. 

Times are now changing, with a 

bunch of small capacity machines 

to suggest a renaissance of small 

light biking, perfect perhaps for 

those getting into the sport and on 

A2 licences, and also for those at 

the other end who are getting too 

old and stiff for their tall seated, 

quarter tonne adventure machines, 

and are therefore looking for 

something more manageable. 

It'd be prudent to think all of the 

bikes here have been designed 

specifically with this latter, ageing 

market in mind, but it'd perhaps be 

more realistic to accept that most 

of these bikes have been designed 

to target and capitalise on the 

emerging markets in developing 

countries. For riders of South East 

Asia and the Indian sub-continent, 

raised on a diet of scooters and 

125cc motorcycles, this new flood 

of bikes are seen as aspirational 

machines, with aspirational 

badges, and therefore have to be 

acknowledged as not necessarily 

built with a European customer in 

mind. We get these bikes, but not 

necessarily are they built for us. 

The importance in saying that is 

helping to understand why these 

bikes might not meet our exact 

expectations. A European customer 

is quite demanding. They have a 

long list of requirements for their 

machines, especially in the segment 

of adventure, where some expect a 

bike to be all things to all men. And at 

this price point, they simply can't be. 

What's interesting to discover in 

riding these four bikes back to 

back is that each of them is very 

different from the other. Each 

has very different strengths and 

weaknesses, good for some tasks, 

not so good for others. One is a 

great commuting tool, the other 

excellent on trails, the other superb 

on the road and one is a strong allrounder. 

It's up to you to determine which 

bike best suits your needs, as 

bringing these bikes together 

reveals that there can never be one 

out and out winner. 

More importantly, riding these 

four bikes back to back shows that 

despite preconceived notions, 250cc 

motorbikes are not underpowered 

for the roads or for travelling long 

distances on. They carry realistic 

speeds and do so with manageable 

weights and price tags. Basically, 

don't rule them out until you've 

tried one. You might be suprised. 

For a comprehensive review of the 

bikes, as well as video review, please 

visit www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial 

Kawasaki Versys 300 

BMW G310 GS 

Suzuki V-Strom 250 

Honda CRF250 Rally

SUZUKI 

V-STROM 250 

SUZUKI’S V-STROM JOINS THE GROWING RANKS OF 

SMALL CAPACITY ADVENTURE BIKES, BUT CAN IT 

HOLD ITS OWN IN THE FACE OF STRONG 

COMPETITION? 

Suzuki has had a hugely 

successful run with its 

V-Strom range, especially the 

650 which has continued to be 

a bike of choice for anyone looking 

for a solid, versatile and comfortable 

machine to commute or do distances 

on. Not the most exciting bike 

perhaps, but as robust as they come. 

The 250cc V-Storm aims to follow 

in those footsteps, bringing those 

same virtues to a newer, possibly 

younger audience, or, as case may 

be, an older audience looking 

for something more manageable 

than the bigger bikes that are 

increasingly too tall and heavy. 

In this company of bikes the 

Suzuki is the cheapest by a good 

£600. It’s important to note this 

price difference from the very 

beginning, as it’s quite easy to 

see and feel that by comparison 

to the other bikes the V-Strom 

250 is in parts somewhat of a 

'lesser machine'. Up close it has 

a cheaper feel to it, and a more 

make shift composure. The engine 

is derived from the Inazuma, 

hardly a new machine, and it 

would look as though the frame, 

suspension and front end also 

comes from that bike, albeit with 

V-Strom styling tacked on. 

You get the sense then that rather 

build the bike from scratch, 

as BMW has done, Suzuki has 

instead rummaged around in 

the parts cupboard and cobbled 

things together to make this. The 

handlebars for example have a 

huge up-sweep in order to give 

an upright adventure bike feel, 

compensating for the fact that 

frame geometry is very much 

designed to be a road bike. 

The bike is heavy at 188 kilos, it’s 

also not overly powered at 24.7bhp 

The information screen is readable 

but hardly cutting edge, whilst the 

squidgy seat has you sinking deep 

into it to give a slightly knees up, 

crouched riding position compared 

to the other bikes. Suzuki pitches 

the bike as a mini tourer, offering 

panniers to go with it, but on first 

impressions it doesn’t feel that type 

of bike. 

Out on the road the bike feels 

somewhat average. Power is 

average, cornering ability is average 

and the suspension is perhaps a 

touch below average, with a soft 

under-sprung set up sending 

impacts from potholes or bumps 

right through the frame and rider. 

On the upside the engine is silky 

smooth and whilst not fast, does 

whisk you along without effort and 

will buzz away flat out at 85mph at 

what feels like all day long. 

“THE BIKE REMAINS 

INSTANTLY 

LIKEABLE” 

Not a great write up on the Suzuki 

then? And yet, taking the bike offroad 

along one of the trails I often 

use for bike testing showed just 

what the bike is good at. In a way 

it was out of its depth, suspension 

bouncing up and down for all its 

might, and yet it was great fun, the 

bike manageable and matching the 

rider’s enthusiasm with that of its 

own. It’s hard to describe, but in 

many ways you feel like you can 

really enjoy it and get the most 

out of it. You can hustle it along 

lanes, chuck it through mud filled 

ditches and it just powers on. 

Dynamically it's not the best, but 

the bike remains instantly likeable 

despite that. It also feels robust, as 

though you could ride it through 

five consecutive winters and it’d still 

keep on chugging. 

The V-Strom 250 will probably 

never excite you, but you get the 

sense it would never let you down 

either. And so really, if you just 

want a bike to get about on, with 

none of the frills or price tag of the 

other bikes, then the little Suzuki 

has a great deal of merit, especially 

when you consider that with a bit 

of discounting you can get a preregistered 

bike for nigh on £4000, 

which is great value. 

To be fair, it also looks pretty good 

as well, and with that smooth 

parallel-twin engine and excellent 

fuel economy of 80mpg plus, there's 

no reason you couldn't take the bike 

further afield. It would probably 

make a great travel companion. 

Not a trail bike at all, but good fun on the lanes nonetheless 

Engine: 248cc liquid cooled parallel twin 

Power: 24.7 @8000rpm 

Weight: 188 kilos (wet) 

Seat Height: 800mm 

Price: £4,599 

Nutshell: Good value and durable. 

The perfect bike to use and abuse. 


KAWASAKI 

VERSYS 300 

CAN THE MINI VERSYS SERVE AS GOOD 

REMINDER THAT A BIT OF HIGH-REVVING ACTION IS 

JUST WHAT WE NEED FOR OUR ADVENTURES? 

The Kawasaki Versys 300 is 

arguably most mature and 

grown up looking bike here. 

Angular in a distinctively 

Japanese way, but with vivid green 

paintwork it’s a very eye-catching 

and well finished machine. And this 

is what initially stands out the most. 

Items such as the exhaust headers 

have a sense of quality about them, 

same too with the rear rack that 

is solid and well thought through, 

with hooks for bungee ropes, an 

insignificant feature in some ways, 

but one that most manufacturers 

often overlook. The spoked wheels 

are also a nice touch, as is the clear 

instrument cluster with prominent 

rev counter. 

The first ride on it was telling. For a 

start the bike is taller than the BMW 

and V-Strom, though a touch shorter 

than the CRF Rally. The seat is rock 

hard, like a bench. The other thing to 

strike you is the firm suspension, You 

then realise that despite rising revs, 

and noise from the engine, there isn’t 

much ‘go’. It feels flat, extremely short 

geared with first barely necessary 

before short shifting to second, third 

and fourth, at which point the engine 

finally seems to settle down. It’s the 

same engine as in the Ninja 300, 

though oddly Kawasaki has added 

two teeth to the rear sprocket to 

make it really revvy at the bottom. 

On first impressions the bike is a 

disappointment. 

Thankfully, more time on the 

bike, with a 200 mile round trip to 

Rhayader in Wales, as well as taking 

in some trails once there, reveals a 

much deeper personality A major 

positive is the riding position, which 

is near enough perfect for an upright 

adventure bike. The bars are nice and 

wide, and because of that slightly 

taller seat there’s plenty of room 

down to the pegs. The seat remains 

firm but after six hours of riding it 

hasn't proven problematic, though 

you do question why they didn't give 

it a bit more padding. 

The suspension is also a surprise. 

It is firm, but surprisingly well 

damped, meaning it absorbs bump 

and potholes very well, whilst at 

the same time remaining poised 

and composed when pushing on. 

It means cornering on the Versys is 

fast and fun. The bike feels like an 

upright sports bike in that regard. 

This is reinforced by the engine, 

which, with 39.5bhp, has the 

highest output of the four bikes 

here. Despite that low gearing 

there's not a lot of grunt low down 

(perhaps why they've done it), but 

by 8000rpm the engine is making 

strong power and feels genuinely 

fast. The rush of top end speed is 

very reminiscent of the two-stroke 

125s you may have ridden in your 

youth; overtaking manoeuvres a 

mad rush of two gears down the 

‘box, pull out and gun it past the 

car, rev needle passing into the red. 

The bike is certainly the fastest here, 

just about hitting three figures if 

you keep it going. It's also vibration 

free at a cruising space. 

On the road then it feels much like 

a mini BMW XR1000 perhaps, 

suggesting it wouldn't be much 

good in the dirt. In that regards 

I was quickly proven wrong. The 

standing position is perfect, with 

good weight over the front and a 

nice easy balance. Simple things like 

the steering lock is also very good, 

making tight turns a doddle. Also, 

because of the gentle power low 

down in the rev range you never 

feel like the bike is going to get away 

from you. You also realise in this 

environment just how much engine 

braking it has, meaning descents 

are easily controlled through engine 

braking alone, rather than relying 

on the brakes, which, unlike some 

bikes here, don't have the option of 

disengaging ABS. 

In terms of suspension, that well 

damped set up means that it deals 

with rocks and ridges much better 

than you’d think. The bike has a 

limit, no doubt, and even Kawasaki 

don’t tout it as an off-road bike, but 

a softer set up in the suspension, a 

proper bash plate and knobbly tyres 

you could have a good squirt along 

the trails. 

So that’s it; the Versys 300 is a bit of 

a dark horse, and probably, if you’re 

downgrading from the sports bike 

scene, the one you’ll enjoy riding 

the most, mainly because it’s like 

riding an upright sports bike, with 

extra versatility on top. And that, to 

me, is no bad thing at all. 

The most powerful engine here gives Versys 300 upright sports bike feel 

Engine: 296cc liquid cooled parallel twin 

Power: 39.5bhp 

Weight: 175 kilos 


Price: £5149 

Nutshell: Strong performance and 

engaging on road ride.

HONDA CRF 

250 RALLY 

THE CRF250 HAS BEEN GIVEN AN ALL NEW LOOK 

AND ATTITUDE TO MAKE THE RALLY, A BIKE THAT IS 

ALREADY PROVING POPULAR WITH THOSE 

LOOKING FOR MAXIMUM TRAIL BIKE THRILLS... 

The Honda CRF Rally is 

a new derivative of the 

regular L model that's 

been with us since 2012. 

Same engine, frame and wheels, just 

with slightly taller suspension, full 

'rally' fairing, LED lights, daytime 

running lights like the Africa Twin, 

a slightly larger fuel tank, up from 

7.8-litres to 10.1-litres, and a price 

tag of £5,329, up from £4,649 of the 

standard L model. 

The result is very striking. The 

headlight is divisive in its looks, 

but it's hard to deny the extra 

presence and impact of the Rally, 

particularly in the flesh. Important 

to note that this is very much a 

different machine to the other three 

bikes here. It's the only one with an 

off-road friendly 21-inch front and 

18-inch rear wheel for starters. 

It has long travel suspension, offroad 

style foot pegs and a perfectly 

suited stood up riding position 

right out of the crate. It's a trail 

bike for all intents and purposes, 

and immediately less road tuned 

than the other three bikes. If you're 

wanting a bike solely for the road, 

then perhaps consider the other 

three machines. 

What impacts immediately about 

the Rally is the seat height. At 

895mm it's the tallest bike here and 

takes a good stretch to get your leg 

over it. Once on the rear shock is 

incredibly soft, with a great deal of 

static sag. You could be forgiven for 

thinking that it has been released 

this way in order to compensate for 

the tall seat height - intimidating to 

some - which would be fine if only 

the rear shock was easily adjustable. 

Instead you have to drop out the 

shock to wind on some pre-load, 

something that is perhaps not the 

most user friendly. Ridden solo 

it's not so much of a problem, but 

throw on some luggage and the 

headlight would point at the sky. 

On the trails this sag isn't such a 

bag thing. Ride quality over ruts is 

very good. There's lots of nice travel 

and damping to soak up the rough, 

and the sag at the rear means that 

you can easily plant your feet for 

tight manoeuvring. What's good 

about the bike on the trails is it's 

softness. The throttle response is 

soft, the brake action is soft, the 

suspension is soft and the 24.4 bhp 

single cylinder engine is ultimately 

soft in its power output. It makes 

for a very novice friendly trail bike 

and one that you can grow into as 

your confidence improves. 

“THE RALLY MAKES 

FOR A VERY 

NOVICE FRIENDLY 

TRAIL BIKE” 

With its foundations and geometry 

that of a trail bike it's not surprising 

that the Rally isn't quite so suited 

to the Tarmac as some of the other 

bikes here. That soft suspension 

makes for a light front end which 

robs you of confidence when 

pushing on, especially given the 

knobbly tyres and larger diameter 

front wheel. A lot of time in the 

saddle also reveals the seat's firm 

nature, which, after an hour can 

start to make you fidget. 

The weakest link on the road 

however is the engine. Perfectly 

suited to the trails, on the road the 

bike feels a touch under-engined. 

It makes good power between 

5500 and 6750rpm, and will cruise 

happily at anything up to 65mph, 

but push the engine harder and it 

feels strained, though not unable 

to deliver a maximum speed on the 

clocks of around 85mph. If Honda 

could develop the engine to match 

that of the BMW then it would 

possess the best of both worlds. 

As it is, the Rally isn't quite as 

enticing as the looks would suggest. 

It looks like it's going to give more 

and be that bit more aggressive 

- both in terms of engine and 

suspension. It's actually quite soft 

and gentle, very much suited in fact 

to the nature and look of the regular 

L, which might be where the wise 

money is. That said, the Rally does 

look fantastic and to me the most 

desirable bike here. It's also built 

on bullet proof engineering, so for 

the long haul adventures, involving 

Tarmac and dirt, it's still perhaps the 

one you'd go for. 

Trail friendly from the get-go, the Rally is in its elements here 

Engine: 250cc liquid cooled single 


Weight: 157 kilos 


Price: £5329 

Nutshell: Compromised on road but that 

makes for a great novice trail bike 


BMW G310GS 

PROMISING A BLEND OF ON ROAD AND OFF- 

ROAD CAPABILITY, THE G310GS IS THE BIKE BMW 

HOPE WILL LAY FOUNDATION FOR ATTRACTING A 

YOUNGER ADVENTURE AUDIENCE 

Expectation can be a hard 

thing to live up. Given the 

success of the 1200 and 800 

GS there was a good deal of 

pressure on the 310. Signs weren’t 

positive. The bike was to be built in 

India by BMW’s partner company 

TVS. The R model, with which it 

shared much of its components and 

platform sort of just came out and 

quickly disappeared, suggesting 

little appetite in a small capacity 

BMW. 

Seeing the GS version in the flesh 

for the first time was a surprise. 

It had more presence than I’d 

imagined, swelling in size and 

stature over the R mainly through 

the trickery of extra plastic cladding 

to the tank area, that and the front 

wheel that had also grown from 

17-inch to a more dirt friendly 

19-inch. The front cowl and beak 

also make it more of a bike, with the 

snub screen something that could 

probably do with increasing in size 

for long distance riding. 

Details such as the hand controls 

feel solid and well thought through, 

with an integrated ABS on/off 

button moulded into the left hand 

control. Small but important 

features such as the filler cap feel 

solid and durable, the instrument 

screen is modern and informative, 

with details relating to trip, average 

economy, gear position, revs and 

engine temp all easily readable. 

There’s a lot to like here, with a few 

negatives, ranging from the overly 

long clutch and brake levers that 

would make it difficult to fit hand 

guards, to the rear brake assembly 

and side stand mount which have 

a rather cheap, shiny finish, and sit 

a little vulnerably beneath the bike. 

For off-road riding they could be 

an issue with regards to ground 

clearance, or easily damaged if 

clattered with a rock. It is however 

good to see BMW fit the bike with 

what feels to be a robust plastic 

sump guard, as well as footpegs that 

have removable rubber inserts with 

grippier metal teeth beneath. Wing 

mirrors and foot pegs seem to have 

been lifted from the R1200 GS. 

Start the engine and it’s got that 

low beat thrum much like all 

bikes in this class. Not much of a 

burble but that’s to be expected. 

The clutch lever is well weighted, 

the bike does stall easily if you’re 

not careful with pulling away revs, 

but it’s clear straight away that it’s a 

decent engine this. Pick up is clean 

with a nice linear delivery through 

the range. Power is smooth and 

rewarding. It does show a good 

turn of pace and will power out of 

corners. The brakes lack feel and 

take a good squeeze to bite as hard 

as you’d like. Replacement softer 

pads might help. 

The suspension is well tuned for the 

road. The bike arrives on its softest 

rear pre-load setting, meaning a fair 

amount of sag when you sit on it, 

but it does make for a supple and 

comfortable ride, with Metzeler 

Tourance tyres giving good grip 

and the bike handling potholes 

and imperfections well. I like the 

bike on the road. In fact, it’s hard 

to fault. It feels light, manageable 

and brisk. Importantly, it doesn’t 

feel like a budget bike. The same 

can be said off-road. The bike could 

perhaps do with bar risers to give a 

better stance when stood up, not to 

mention wider foot pegs for a more 

stable platform, but everything 

from the throttle response, balance 

and suspension work well off-road. 

That doesn’t mean to say it’s an offroad 

bike per se, but it does work 

better than you might expect. You 

can push on and grip is surprisingly 

good, even on the hybrid tyres. 

I came away impressed with the 

310 GS. Part of me didn’t want 

to be. I think I had something 

against the budget nature of it and 

off-shoring of its manufacture 

to India. I have to eat my words, 

because, much like the 1200, the 

310 is a bike that manages that 

rare trick of working well on and 

off-road. It feels good quality, and 

it feels that the designers started 

with a very clear idea of what they 

wanted to achieve with it, and 

on first impressions I would say 

they’ve hit the brief clear on the 

head. Some people won’t like it, but 

BMW has set the benchmark in 

this category, and built a cracking 

bike in the process. Fair play. 

A strong all-rounder from BMW 

Engine: 313cc liquid cooled single 


Weight: 169.5 kilos 


Price: £5100 

Nutshell: Strong all rounder, road 

and off-road. 


RALLY RAID 

G310GS 

WE CAUGHT UP WITH RALLY RAID PROPRIETOR 

JOHN MITCHINSON ABOUT THE COMPANY'S PLANS 

FOR THE BMW G310GS, AND WHY THEY CHOSE 

THAT BIKE TO BEGIN WITH... 

We chose the BMW 

G310 GS as a project 

to work on after 

the Honda CB500X 

because we felt it fitted in with 

the company's ethos of light, 

middle weight adventure travel 

bikes. We saw that it was coming 

with cast aluminium wheels and 

budget suspension and that was 

something we could upgrade in the 

same way we did with the CB500X; 

giving the bike spoked wheels and 

uprated suspension. 

We'll be making our engine 

guards, soft luggage racks and 

billet aluminium bar-risers to offer 

a range of bar types and heights, 

as well as a taller screen, then 

Tractive suspension front and rear. 

Because we make our own shock 

and fork kits we can also offer it 

with taller or shorter ride heights. 

WHEELS 

We'll retain the 19-inch front and 

17-inch rear of the standard bike. 

They will be tubeless rims with 

stainless steel spokes and the billet 

hubs will accept OEM cush drive 

and discs. They'll be available in 

tubed as well. We'll be running 

Anlas Capra-X tyres, more of an 

off-road biased adventure tyre and 

available to fit tubed and tubeless 

wheels. 

EXHAUST 

UK company Scorpion is working 

on a full system, necessary as the 

end can and header on the 310GS 

come as one piece due to the 

bike being reverse cylinder (the 

exhaust exits out of the 'rear' of the 

engine). It'll be a similar profile 

and positioning as the standard 

exhaust, but lighter and also 

smaller, allowing a lot more room 

for the soft luggage racks. 

LUGGAGE RACKS 

We'll be doing these so that you 

can run soft luggage. We don't 

think anyone's going to want 

to put hard luggage on the bike 

given its size, and the rear rack 

is already very good as standard, 

so a replacement rear rack isn't a 

priority at the minute. 

ENGINE GUARDS 

We'll be making tubular engine 

guards that are independent 

from the engine rather than 

bolted directly to the sump like 

the standard plastic sump guard. 

Instead, bolting to the front engine 

and rear frame mounts means 

that if you have any impact on the 

engine guard there's no transfer 

impact through the engine's sump, 

which can ruin it. 

FOOTPEGS 

We'll be making heavy duty pegs 

as we did with the CB500X, just to 

give a better foot platform. 

We'll also be making a side-stand 

immobiliser switch, just because 

the standard switch is exposed, 

which could be an issue for offroad 

riding. We'll also make a 

protector for the standard item for 

those who wish to retain it. 

SUSPENSION 

We'll offer a Tractive rear shock, 

with two levels of upgrade. Level 

1 will give improved damping and 

springing whilst retaining standard 

ride height. It'll also feature a 

lowering option of an inch. Level 

2 will give the same improvements 

but also an extra inch of 

suspension travel and ground 

clearance. Both Levels will have the 

option of a preload adjuster. 

Like the rear shock, the front 

forks will have Level 1 and Level 

2 upgrades, Level 2 bringing an 

extra inch of travel to match the 

rear. Both Levels will also have 

adjustable preload caps. 

Taller screen 

Soft luggage racks (to come) 

REAR BRAKE LEVER 

We will make an improved rear 

brake lever as well as an in-line 

hydraulic switch to replace the 

standard plunger, which is quite 

exposed for off-road riding. 

BAR RISERS 

Spoked wheels/ 

tubeless rims 

Uprated suspension 

We shall be doing a Renthal Fat 

Bar riser kit, which means you can 

run more varied positions for offroad 

riding. A GPS/power mount 

will also be an option to go with 

the billet top clamp. We're also 

working on a taller screen, as well 

as shorter, adjustable levers that 

will take Barkbuster hand guards. 

New bashplate 

Availability will be early in the 

New Year. The price will be 

around £2000 for the wheels, 

suspension, and engine guard. For 

more information see www.rallyraidproducts.co.uk 


READ MORE AT WWW.CB500XADVENTURE.COM

ICELAND ON A 'BUDGET' 

ICELAND IS GROWING IN POPULARITY, ESPECIALLY AMONGST BIKERS AFTER 

SOMEWHERE A BIT DIFFERENT. HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER... 

GETTING THERE 

There are two options in getting 

your bike to Iceland. The first 

option is to take the Smyrill Line 

ferry (www.smyrilline.com), 

leaving from Hirtshals at the top of 

Denmark, allowing four days either 

side of the trip to get there. From 

central England it's approximately 

1000 miles to the Danish ferry 

port if you cross from Dover to 

Calais, with the cost of the ferry 

approximately €750, depending 

on which accommodation option 

you take. You can also stop off at 

the Faroe Isles on the way across. 

Ferries sail twice weekly and whilst 

you spend two days at sea getting 

there, it is a good way of arriving. 

To save these four days either 

side of the trip it would be 

quicker to sea freight the bike 

from Immingham using Eimskip 

(www.eimskip.com) and fly into 

Reykjavik to collect it. The price 

is about the same for the flight 

and sea freight as it is for the ferry 

from Denmark and the ride up 

there; about £1200. I found www. 

voyagertravelinsurance.co.uk to 

be the only company offering 

breakdown cover in Iceland. 

There are a few places that rent bikes; 

Biking Viking being one, but prices 

are high and there are limitations on 

where you can take a rental bike; no 

F roads for example. If you can take 

your own, do so. 

COSTS 

Through camping and taking dry 

foods out with me, for a three week 

trip I was able to stick to a daily 

budget of £50. Camping and stove 

cooking for that length of time can 

get tiresome, but it does show that 

you can do Iceland on a relatively 

small budget if you do go prepared. 

The biggest expense comes in getting 

there and back. The total cost of the 

trip, including all expenses was just 

over £2600. The breakdown of those 

costs are as follows: 

- Smyrill Line ferry from Denmark 

to Iceland including a bunk in a four 

bed dorm: £625 

- Cost of travelling to and from 

Denmark, including £64 ferry from 

Dover to Calais: £350 

- Spending money in Iceland for 

food and accommodation: £650 

- Fuel receipts in covering 3500 

miles on the island at approximately 

£1.40 per litre: £472 

- Pre trip purchases including tent, 

bike service and bits and bobs: £500 

Iceland isn’t the cheapest place to 

ride, but if you go prepared and are 

willing to camp then other than the 

ferry to get there it has no reason to 

cost you any more than a similar trip 

around Europe. The only issue is that 

given the cost of hotels/restaurants 

etc, it’s not affordable to splurge if 

the weather’s bad or you feel the 

need for a proper bed or meal. 

To save money you can get a 

camping card for 149 Euros, which 

does make sense if you’re travelling 

for between 1-3 weeks, especially if 

travelling as a couple or as a family, 

as it then allows you free stay on 40 

campsites around the island. Many 

of the service stations also offer 

discount cards which can reduce litre 

costs by a fair bit, though it might 

prove impractical on a roaming trip 

where fuel stops are unscheduled. 

The best fuel place I found was Olis 

(a green and yellow sign) who have 

good WiFi at all their places and 

with one of their free loyalty cards 

you get a free cup of coffee with each 

fill up. Supermarkets Netto and local 

brand Bonus are also cheap places to 

stock up on, with prices a bit higher 

than the UK but still manageable. In 

terms of mobile phones, with relaxed 

data roaming rules for Europe, 

you’re existing contract and tariff 

should still apply. 

ROUTE PLANNING 

Iceland isn’t a huge place, with 

the island’s Route 1 ring road just 

826 miles in length. The island’s 

roads are generally in very good 

condition, with speed limits on the 

tarmac roads 55mph and even with 

increasing traffic levels you can still 

cover good ground in the course of 

a day. Away from the main roads 

the compact gravel roads - usually 

those designated three digit names - 

still offer reasonably good progress, 

though can twist and turn around 

peninsulas and mountains, making 

for slightly slower progress. The 

F roads, featuring deeper gravel 

and often include river crossings 

and steep inclines, can take a lot 

more time to cover. An off-road 

compatible bike would be best for 

covering this terrain. 

Sticking to the tarmac and you can 

circumnavigate the island, on the 

main Route 1, in a comfortable five 

days, as we did when my wife flew 

in for a week in the middle. This 

doesn’t allow you to explore the 

extremities of the island, and can 

give cause to push on too frequently, 

but in that time you can still get 

around the main tourist attractions 

such as Lake Mývatn, Dettifoss 

waterfall - the most powerful in 

Europe - and the spectacular Glacier 

Lagoon Jökulsárlón in the south, 

where miniature icebergs break away 

from the glacier and float across the 

lagoon and out to sea. 

Following the weather is probably 

the best bet. The weather makes a 

huge difference to the enjoyment 

of the ride - especially in Iceland 

where it can be quite wet, windy 

and cold - and the official forecast is 

pretty accurate. I would say it would 

be better bending your plans to suit 

the weather rather than trying to 

religiously stick to a plan that keeps 

you in the eye of the worst of it, 

especially as there isn’t a great deal of 

shelter in some parts of the island. 

As with all trip planning, the key is 

to be realistic with your ambitions 

and expectations. It’s perhaps better 

to see things in detail, and relax 

whilst doing them, rather than 

rush around like a headless chicken 

trying to tick off places mentioned 

in a guidebook. I found Iceland 

by bike was a very easy country to 

roam around, with no real need for 

extensive planning, unless of course 

you centred your trip around prebooked 

hotel accommodation. It’s 

a very easy place for novice bike 

travellers to gain some confidence, 

as long as they come prepared for 

the weather. 

ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS 

There’s no denying accommodation 

is expensive on the island and only 

increasing in price what with the 

rise in demand. To stay in hotels or 

other facilities for three weeks would 

almost quadruple the price and make 

it a £200 plus a day budget. Even 

youth hostels are expensive at around 

£40, and some places have bunks for 

you to use your own sleeping bag, 

which even they can be around £50 

per night if it’s in a remote area. By 

contrast, camping in most parts is 

around £10 per night, with excellent 

camping facilities around the entire 

island. Many sites have laundry 

facilities, WiFi and showers, though 

sometimes even the latter comes at 

additional cost. The free cycling maps 

are the best for finding facilities. 

For a more extensive report on this 

trip to Iceland visit www.bikesocial. 

co.uk and look for the travel pages. 


Camping makes Iceland affordable on a budget 

Glacier Lagoon Jökulsárlón one of the highlights 

'Rescue' huts throughout the island's interior 

Many miles of compact dirt to explore

£8500... ON A BIKE OR ON A TRIP? 

IF YOU CAN AFFORD THE BIKE BUT NOT THE TRIP THEN IS IT TIME TO 

CONSIDER A CHEAPER BIKE? 

So much importance is put 

on the bike we choose for 

our adventures, yet equally, 

so much comes down to our 

budget. The question is, do you 

spend the money on the bike, or the 

money on the trip? 

This was something I'd experienced 

from both sides, having spent 

roughly £8,500 riding for nine 

months and 23,000 miles from 

Sydney to London on a 105cc 

Australian postal bike. That sum 

included the cost of the bike (£1100), 

all travel documentation, the cost of 

doing the trip and all shipping along 

the way. It would have been difficult 

to have done it much cheaper. 

Several years after the trip I found 

myself spending the same amount 

of money on a 2014 model liquid 

cooled BMW R1200 GS. The two 

bikes couldn't have been more 

different, and their values were at 

opposite ends of the spectrum. 

In many ways, the postie bike was 

the perfect vehicle for riding such a 

long distance. Its cheap price, small 

engine capacity and low weight 

meant that costs relating to shipping 

(where costs depend on weight), fuel 

economy, spares and repairs and 

documentation were all significantly 

lower for being on that bike. 

The Carnet de Passage for example - 

the document you need to take your 

bike across various global borders 

- is calculated as a percentage of a 

bike's value. The cost of the Carnet 

for the postie bike was $950. For 

the BMW it would have been in the 

region of $5000. A huge difference. 

Then there's difference in purchase 

price, fuel costs, spares, repairs and 

tyre costs, plus the realisation that on 

a global trip such as that your bike 

isn't insured for theft or total loss, 

meaning that you have to be able to 

afford to write off the value of the 

bike should the worst happen. 

Taking everything into account, 

the same Sydney to London trip, by 

GS1200, would cost in the region of 

£25,000, and in many ways be made 

more complex by the dealing with 

any mechanical issues along the 

way, plus the added vulnerability 

of a bike of that value on a trip of 

that nature. In the case of a trip the 

magnitude of Sydney to London, 

you would then - unless cost was 

of no concern - be much better off 

spending the money on the trip 

than you would on the bike. 

Not everyone however has the time, 

money, or inclination to go off on 

a big trip. They might enjoy trips 

closer to home, perhaps two-up, 

and enjoy the engineering, speed 

and technology that goes with 

modern motorcycling. This is the 

argument for spending that sum 

of money on the bike and not 

necessarily the trip. Obviously the 

ideal is some sort of compromise; 

having a bike you enjoy as well as 

the time and money to use it on the 

trip you wish to do. 

The important thing is not to let 

the bike hold you back. If all your 

money is invested in a bike to the 

point of not having means to fund 

the trip you want to go on, then 

consider a cheaper bike. Equally, 

if you're nervous of damaging or 

depreciating the value of the bike in 

getting out there and using it, then 

once again, consider changing it to 

something that better fits with your 

budget. The best adventure bike after 

all is the one you can afford to use. 

All in all I've enjoyed both bikes 

for different reasons. The CT110 

enabled me to do a trip of a lifetime 

at a price that I could afford. It was 

cheap, reliable and manageable. Back 

at home, where the little Honda 

becomes too slow and restrictive for 

daily UK use, the R1200 GS equally 

finds its role. It's a bike that's good 

on motorways, light trails, two-up 

touring and also enjoyable to ride 

on a daily basis. It's taken me and 

my wife across America and around 

Iceland. It's done things the postie 

bike could never do. 

Were I to ride back to Australia 

tomorrow I would take the option 

in the middle. A bike with a bit 

more power and luggage capacity, 

one that was still cheap to buy and 

cheap to run, and one that I still got 

enjoyment from riding. Possibly an 

older single cylinder 600cc would fit 

the bill (one of the Woodcutter bikes 

perhaps), or even one of the four 

mini adventure bikes reviewed in 

this issue. Ultimately, it's about not 

allowing a bike to dictate the trip. 

Both good bikes, just for different jobs 


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WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY! 

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PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES 

FAR BEYOND THE LIMIT OF MOST, SJAAK LUCASSEN SHOWS THAT WITH THE RIGHT 

ATTITUDE AND PLANNING, ANY MOTORCYCLE TRIP IS WITHIN REACH... 

In search for the best solution I 

balanced out the pros and cons from 

three different options; electric, 

hydraulic and the regular drive with 

chain and two extra sprockets on an 

axle in between the rear wheel and 

engine output shaft. I opted for the 

chain and sprockets because it's the 

simplest solution, which makes it 

easier - and therefore quicker and 

cheaper - to build. 

Dutchman Sjaak Lucassen 

is no ordinary rider. He 

has ridden around the 

world twice. Once on a 

Yamaha R1 and once on a Honda 

Fireblade. In 2013 he also attempted 

to ride a modified R1, pulling a 

sled, across the Arctic ice of Alaska. 

His next mission is to build a bike 

capable of reaching the North Pole. 

Here he explains the changes to be 

made to the bike. 

THE BIKE 

The frame and engine are from 

a 2001 model Yamaha YZF-R1. 

Many of the parts that are going 

to be placed around it will be far 

from stock. I will try to retain the 

‘superbike look’ as much as possible 

and name it 'aRctic 1'. 

THE TYRES 

The rear tyre will be approximately 

60cm wide and formed by 

vulcanising two tyres together. 

The front will be around 40cm 

in width, which I believe will be 

sufficient. The tyres are preferably 

developed for vehicles that ride 

in snow or mud. The more pliable 

the tyres the better, because as well 

as reducing the pressure, it brings 

you the best grip and increased 

carrying capacity. The tyres will also 

need to have several ply because 

the ice ridges can be razor-sharp. 

Importantly, the tyres must be 

suitable to use in temperatures 

around -40°C. There will also be a 

new triple clamp to deal with the 

wider front tyre and I'm also going 

to fit air suspension to allow me to 

lower the height of the bike in order 

to help me pick it up when I drop it. 

SWINGARM 

A custom-made swingarm will be 

needed to fit the bigger and wider 

rear tyre. Because of the larger wheel 

diameter, it has to be a lot longer 

than the original. Also, a new axle 

has to be made for the swingarm, 

which I’m probably going to build 

out of steel first, because then I can 

easily adapt it myself. If everything 

works as it should, the final version 

needs to be made of aluminium for 

lightness. 

DRIVE 

Having a much bigger and wider 

rear tyre means that a standard 

chain drive won’t be usable anymore. 

ENGINE PRE-HEATER 

Starting a cold engine will damage 

it. Also, starting it takes a lot more 

effort, or it won’t start at all. That’s 

why I will mount a pre-heater in 

the cooling system. An aggregate 

will produce the necessary 220V 

to operate it. The glow spiral in the 

pre-heater warms up the coolant. 

Hot liquid rises, so a circulation 

starts that will eventually heat 

up the engine. Essentially, it’s a 

reversed cooling process. 

ALTERNATOR 

An uprated alternator will be used to 

deal with powering the bike’s various 

systems such as the air suspension, 

heated clothing and two sets of Xenon 

lights. I will also need a new battery 

as a standard one barely delivers any 

current once temperature drops below 

-25°C/-13°F. 

CARBURETTOR 

During the 2013 Polar Ice Ride, I 

had a 220V – 100W resistance wire 

wound around the carburettors 

to pre-heat them. Roughly half 

an hour before starting the bike I 

connected the wire to the power, 

delivered by an aggregate. To 

get as much as possible from the 

generated heat into the carburettors 

I had the whole unit - including the 

resistance wire - covered with a layer 

of aluminium tape. It really made a 


huge difference! That’s why I will use 

the resistance wire during the North 

Pole Adventure. 

Extreme cold requires a different 

carburation, namely with more 

fuel. It’s why Yamaha uses jets from 

150 instead of 130 in their 4-stroke 

powered snowmobiles, which are 

fitted with virtually the same engines 

as the R1. I discovered this by 

accident whilst searching for a cause 

for the light colouring on the spark 

plugs that I was getting on the 2013 

Polar Ice Ride. That indicates a lean 

combustion, which eventually could 

cause damage to the cylinder head 

and valves. Luckily those 150 size 

(snowmobile) jets were available in 

Barrow at the time. 

the same or even a better protection 

than the standard prescribed oil, 

even at normal temperatures. 

THE PLAN 

The plan is to do the first leg in 

2019, travelling in January from 

Anchorage in Alaska to Tuktoyaktuk 

in Canada. There I will go across 

the polar ice that will be frozen. In 

March 2019 I want to go to Ward 

Hunt Island, the most northerly 

island in Canada. Then, in 2020, I 

want to start from there and go all 

the way up to the North Pole. I’m 

excited, but not nervous. The only 

thing I’m nervous about is finding 

the money to make it happen! 

To find out more or to help Sjaak 

out by buying a book or DVD from 

his past travels, or by sponsoring his 

Polar Ice Ride visit: 

www.sjaaklucassen.nl 

He's also looking for anyone with 

expertise in making some of the 

components, so get in touch if you 

can help. 

ENGINE OIL 

Regular oil solidifies around 

-25°C/-13°F. During a cold start 

this ‘gel’ cannot get pumped 

around. Through lack of lubrication 

the engine could get internally 

damaged and that we need to 

prevent from happening. For the 

2013 Polar Ice Ride Challenge, 

Putoline Oil developed the 4T 

POLAR-Oil, which still remains 

liquid at temperatures of -50°C/- 

58°F. Besides that, their product has


Bikes don't come much better 

looking than this. It's the 

L’Avventura Series, a builtto-order 

adventure bike 

by New Hampshire (USA) resident 

Walt Siegl and his lead technician 

Aran Johnson. The bike is powered 

by a 1100cc L-Twin Ducati engine 

(previously in the Monster and 

Hypermotard), features a 25-litre 

fuel capacity and a sophisticated 

GPS system for long journeys. 

Other upgrades include custom 

suspension, bug eye Hella lamps, 

and 21-inch front/17-inch rear tyre 

and wheel combo. 

Walt explains, "The bodywork is full 

Kevlar and can be removed through 

dzus fasteners within a few minutes. 

There are two aluminium fuel cells: 

one underneath the tank shell, and 

one within the subframe. The two 

units are connected with quick 

disconnect line that is large enough 

to drain into each other quickly 

when you fill up the tank. I wanted 

to make sure the bike can carry 

enough fuel so that it can be used 

as a true rally bike. The suspension 

components are built and tuned for 

this bike's weight, which is around 

156 kilos. 

A special fork lug has been 

machined so a radial calliper can 

be mounted. The geometries are 

off-road, with 26 degree steering 

neck and 13 degree swing arm. I 

wanted to make sure that the seat 

doesn't end up as a wedge, as it is 

normally the case with true offroad 

bikes, so I gave it the correct 

height for its purpose. I also made 

it wide and cushioned enough so it 

is comfortable for long travels. The 

upholstery is a grippy vinyl, so you 

don't slide back when you move 

yourself forward on the tank shell. 

The final drive gearing is tuned so 

that it can be used in even technical 

terrain. And the six-speed gear 

box leaves enough so the bike can 

be run at highway speed without 

hitting high rpms. The GPS is quite 

sophisticated. It has 14,000 miles 

of trails already downloaded. It 

also reads speed and can be easily 

disengaged from its holder and used 

as a tablet. 

I designed the bike so it is light, 

with a powerful engine to do long 

trips with full off-road capabilities. 

Visually, I wanted to lend a 80s/90s 

aggressive rally look without giving 

up a bit of elegance. For future 

builds, I will offer panniers that I'm 

currently designing." 

The L'Avventura starts at $34,000. 

For more information visit 

www.waltsiegl.com

DOWN BUT NOT OUT 

BLIGHTED BY DEPRESSION AND RELUCTANT TO BOARD THE PLANE, ROSS 

MACDONALD AND HIS PARTNER HEATHER TRAVEL TO IBIZA FOR A BUDGET 

SCOOTER ADVENTURE... 

The typically dour Scottish 

weather perfectly matched 

the growing feeling of 

dread that was currently 

brewing in my gut. I was just about 

to board a flight to Ibiza, an island 

that was, in my mind, a honey-pot 

for drunken Brits and obnoxious 

partying which wasn’t helping my 

already low enthusiasm for the trip. 

Heather, my much more 

adventurous girlfriend, had 

managed to grab flights for a 

ridiculous £10 return each, with our 

plan to hire a scooter for the four 

days that we would be there, taking 

each day as it came. With prices this 

cheap and a sunny, warm climate 

ahead, my reluctance to board the 

flight seemed rather unfounded and 

a tad ungrateful. 

However, for many years I was 

(and still am) suffering from 

severe depression, for which I was 

hospitalised just a year prior, so 

what would have been an amazing 

getaway for most folk was a huge 

and nerve-racking task for me. 

Plus, we were also very skint, 

unemployed drop-outs, so that 

didn’t help my worrying. To top 

things off, I had also just passed my 

bike test and had never ridden in a 

foreign country before. 

After much encouragement 

from Heather and a good deal of 

determination I was sat on the flight, 

which passed in a blur. The greys 

and green of Britain gave away to 

a clouded seascape before the arid 

Spanish mountains eventually began 

to sprout into view. 

morning. I had never couch-surfed 

before and I was a tad nervous 

about the idea but a few hours later 

that worry was gone. I was amazed 

at the bizarre kindness and amazing 

hospitality of strangers. Paco fed 

and watered us and very kindly 

dropped us off at the airport in the 

morning to pick up our scooter. 

And what an awful scooter it was. 

Our ride was a tired and truly 

forgettable 125cc Peugeot that had all 

the power and elegance of a turnip, 

but it was the cheapest option. It 

was at this point that I started to feel 

excited, staring at this heap on wheels 

as the maddened Spanish traffic 

screamed past us. We climbed on and 

went to find some food. 

“I WAS FINDING 

OUT THAT THERE 

IS MUCH MORE TO 

IBIZA THAN 

CLUBBING” 

My first time riding in a foreign 

country was later in the day when I 

took the Peugeot down a mountain 

bike trail. It was also my first time 

'off-roading'. To be fair to it, the 

poor scooter took all the abuse we 

threw at it and it left us with huge 

grins in return. It made me realise 

that it didn’t matter what you were 

riding to get that sense of adventure. 

I relished that feeling of going off 

the beaten track and not knowing or 

caring which route to take. 

I was also finding out that there is 

much more to Ibiza than clubbing. 

The island is a beautiful vibrant place 

with excellent twisties to throw the 

bike around and marvellous scenery 

to compliment them. The traffic was 

soberingly dangerous too, with no 

one seeming to care about any road 

markings making for interesting 

riding. 

As night dawned we roamed about 

until we found a place flat enough 

and quiet enough to set up 'camp', 

which purely consisted of two 

sleeping bags and an Aldi bike cover 

to lie on. We cooked cheap pasta 

bought earlier that day over a small 

camping stove, using a teaspoon 

nicked from a coffee shop as cutlery. 

Sat staring at the small fire in the 

darkness, I realised I hadn’t felt 

down or anxious for a while. I had 

been living in the moment, taking 

each bend and hill as it came. I was 

feeling quite peaceful. 

The sense of serenity was abruptly 

ended as morning erupted, waking 

to a score of bite marks and 

scratches, having just spent the 

night out in the open. Nevertheless, 

we began another day riding 

around the small island, buying 

cheap food, sneaking into cafés 

to charge our phones and getting 

chased out of said cafés. It was 

later that I experienced my first 

depressive episode of the trip. 

Despite everything that I had been 

enjoying, I was overcome with 

the familiar gnawing nothingness 

that floors everything in its path. 

Heathers response to this was to 

drive me to a very steep cliff edge 

(which looking back was a bit 

worrying) and make me stare at 

the glistening sea. After a while 

of sitting on that sun-baked hill, I 

forced myself back on the bike and 

we went on our way. 

I realised that I would have had that 

exact same feeling back in Scotland 

or anywhere for that matter. I 

realised that depression does not 

care about what I do so there is 

no reason for me to hold back 

when fighting it. No reason that I 

shouldn’t go on spontaneous trips, 

experience the world and meet new 

people. The struggle to do so came 

more from within myself rather 

than my wallet, since we managed 

to spend a pretty small amount of 

money during the whole trip (it 

worked out at around £65 each). 

After we had managed to explore 

pretty much the entire island, 

we headed home. The trip had 

awoken something, it had sparked 

an overwhelming urge to keep 

exploring more places on two 

wheels, to go into the wild. Most 

importantly, I had proven to myself 

that I am capable of stepping into 

the unknown and experiencing the 

world. I’d just like an actual bike to 

do it on next time. 

After landing we were met with a 

wave of Mediterranean heat, despite 

it now being the evening. My 

anxiety was still firmly rooted but at 

this point I was forced to go on and 

so we ventured into the pleasant 

warmth. 

Heather had gotten in touch with a 

local, a man named Paco, who had 

offered to let us stay with him so 

we could collect the scooter in the 


THE ROUND BRITAIN RALLY 

SOMETIMES ALL YOU NEEED IS AN EXCUSE TO GET OUT AND RIDE. THE ROUND 

BRITAIN RALLY HAS TAKEN FIREBLADE RIDING ALAN TO ALL CORNERS OF THE UK 

A good way of making friends along the way 

Three Mittens, Monument Valley, Utah, USA 

My name is Alan Dupré. 

I'm 46 years old and 

live in Manchester, 

where I provide IT 

support for an insurance company. 

I've been riding for over 10 years 

and currently have a Honda 

CBR1000RR Fireblade in the retro 

Urban Tiger scheme. 

Originally I owned a 2008 Blade that 

did almost 100,000 miles with very 

few issues. I had an opportunity to 

buy this 2014 model at a great price 

and it has quite a few updates over 

the 2008 model, making it better 

to ride. The only modification I've 

made are heated grips, which I think 

should be standard on all bikes sold 

in the UK! 

Joking apart, it’s actually very good 

on fuel for a sports bike in regular 

riding, so 150+ miles from a tank 

is easy, with almost 200 possible if 


I'm careful. With the rack it handles 

luggage okay too, and I’ve not had 

any problems with comfort on long 

trips either. 

I got involved in the Round Britain 

Rally having read a very small article 

in Bike magazine, which mentioned 

the event and gave a web link. 2016 

was the first year I took part. 

The Rally is a laid back orienteering 

event by which riders at the 

beginning of the year are given a set 

of locations, with it up to them as to 

how many they go out and tick off 

during the year's riding season. 

What I like about it is that it's 

a great way to visit locations in 

Britain you never knew existed and 

learn some history at the same time. 

I find it makes trips on the bike 

interesting and gives my riding a bit 

more purpose, as like most people, 

I don't like just riding around 

aimlessly. 

In 2016 I was awarded ‘finishers’ 

certificate and for 2017 I'm hopefully 

going to be getting a Silver award. 

Doing it certainly put some miles on 

the bike and enabled me to see some 

amazing places along the way. 

Once you've signed up you receive a 

list of the landmarks for the year. It’s 

roughly two landmarks per county 

and covers mainland Britain, from 

the far end of Cornwall to the top 

of Scotland, West Wales, Kent and 

the East Coast – hence the name 

'Round Britain Rally'. 

The details of each landmark are 

deliberately vague, with each one 

needing time to research and 

locate on a map or find the nearest 

postcode, depending on how you 

navigate. 

Then it’s up to each individual to 

locate as many or as few as they 

want with different certificates 

awarded depending on total points 

scored throughout the year. 

It runs from 1st April to the end 

of October. When you visit each 

landmark you have a printed check 

card to display with your bike plus 

the landmark. All are accessible 

from public roads, it may just 

take a bit of skill to get your bike, 

the landmark and the checkpoint 

card in the image – sometimes a 

short walk is needed. The scores 

for a landmark vary depending on 

location – so far flung locations 

may score 50 points, central 

England ones 15 or 20. 

In 2017 the first place I ticked off 

was LM82 at Chirk Estate. The 

clue was ‘Red hand of Chirk atop 

white iron gates.' It was a stunning 

setting and somewhere I will return 

to visit with more time. It was also 

somewhere I never knew about but 

had been close to a number of times. 

“THE DETAILS OF 

EACH LANDMARK 

ARE DELIBERATELY 

VAGUE” 

My favourite landmark is a tough 

one to answer, as they're all so 

different, ranging from Roman 

ruins, medieval bridges, bronze 

statues in town centres to a 

memorial to a young boy lost to the 

incoming tide, which was very sad 

to read about. 

I think the one I spent most time 

at, due to it’s location, was LM72 

- Nant-y-Mooch reservoir dam 

Cairn with plaque. The weather was 

perfect and a stunning location in 

the middle of Wales; I would never

have ventured to it had it not been 

for the Rally. 

For 2017 I visited 37 in total, 

equating to 45%. Annoyingly, I got 

one wrong in Applecross so missed 

out on 50 points, yet I was within 

one mile of it. In terms of mileage 

covered I didn’t keep an exact track, 

so that’s something I will do for 

2018. I think I must have covered 

around 3,500 – 4,000 miles as I 

made two trips to different parts of 

Scotland and got landmarks on each. 

For anyone wanting an excuse to get 

out more and are thinking of signing 

up I'd say it's definitely worth it. It’s 

not an easy task but it’s up to each 

individual how much time, effort 

and cost they put into it. I think 

those who get to all 82 landmarks 

show huge commitment (maybe 

they are also retired). You will see 

so much of Britain and hopefully 

get to visit some great cafés for cake 

and coffee on the way, which is really 

what it's all about! 

My one piece of advice would be to 

make sure you have the locations 

of the landmark and maybe a saved 

image before you set of. Saving 

locations on Google Maps on your 

phone helps, but be warned, some 

locations will have limited phone 

service. Another important piece of 

advice is to take your time at each 

Exploring new corners of the UK and their histories is part of the appeal 

landmark, learn about it and above 

all else enjoy it. That's what you're 

there for. 

Next year I will sign up to the Rally 

again in 2018 and set a realistic 

goal, with my target to get 50% of all 

landmarks – hopefully more if I make 

it down to Cornwall. I just need them 

to launch a Round America Rally, to 

give me an excuse to go there and tick 

off some famous landmarks in the 

States! 

To find out more about the 

Round Britain Rally visit: www. 

roundbritainrally.co.uk

Getting into Adventure issue 3

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