so then, what ya gonna do?
if my girlfriend tried pulling something like that i'd quit my job, give up the lease on the flat and blow all my savings on a 12 month RTW trip..........

that was 2 years ago and i spent most of it in Oz. honestly was just the best move i could have made, definetly the best year of my life and i have not looked back since.

i'm 29 have been riding bikes for about 7 years and i will give you the same advice i gave a friend of mine. treat everything on the road as if its trying to kill you, look for clues (when filtering observe the direction of cars front wheels as it gives you an indication to their direction), never assume you have been seen until you make eye contact with the driver (until then keep a finger or foot hovering over the brake), make yourself seen, be 360 degree aware, being hit from behind is not your fault but thats no good if your hurt.

ask yourself questions constantly i.e. why are these cars slowing?
a shadowed section of road in winter could well equal ice (as the sun does not get to it), a drain mid corner in the wet could surprise you as could something as innocent as a crisp packet in the dry.
if you cant see the face in the wing mirror of the driver in front then he/she cant see you!
i nearly knocked a kid off his scooter a while back cos the idiot hid behind a car that was turning left, i couldn't see him and so pulled out - my fault, but he would get hurt.
most of what i've read here rings true, good kit costs! buy a brightly coloured helmet as that is the 1st thing people look at and a decent back protecter.
i like to think if the worst happens then at least i can say i could not have done more to protect myself.

read 'bike' magazine as there is many tips about staying upright, but from my experience the best teacher is yourself and riding bikes is a learning curve(you will become a better car driver).
as long as you learn you will make mistakes, its part of life.

i cannot recommend a track day enough. whatever bike you ride you will learn more about riding it in 1 day than ever before. it was only when i started doing these that i realised the importance of being smooth, theres more grip than i realised and its a whole lotta fun!

whatever we do has an element of risk to it, this is offset by the rewards that it offers. biking is all about freedom and for me this went hand in hand with finishing both my job and with my girlfriend. im not saying you should do the same but it sounds to me like you have an itch that need to be scratched?

Hey Mardathuna, welcome to the forum.

Some good advice in your post. I share your attitude that when riding, I treat everyone as oblivious / an idiot / dangerous threat, and I try to foresee any potential danger.

Yep, it's true. Still trying to reach a conclusion on that one.

You know why there is no website dedicated to Round The World Volvo drivers????

Cos this dude's missus is right! Come on guys, let's admit it and getit all off our shoulders.

Bikes are dangerous... that;s why I love em.

Add: a third world country where some people are battling to feed their kids + some political dissent + corruption + flexible road rules + "life is cheap" = Moto travel is a bit more dangerous than motorbikes.

That's why I love it.

But she's still right!!!!!

Now there's a thought! Grant should start that one.

__________________
Dave

It not that dangerous get a paper from LA USA look at all that crime, killings, rape, kidnaping, people shot, run over. Thats LA some are in Hollywood and Disneyland.

Get all the crime reports for a week tell her about it, not where it is but just what happened and tell her you want to go there. She will freak then tell her you want to take her there she will think you have gone mad. Then tell her it gust LA and Hollywood but she is right Disneyland just dangerous for her.

Then there is the Brits.
Look at all the crime and killings in the UK and Ireland in the last 20 years. Bombings political unrest killings sounds like a vary dangerous place to me.

Yore not safe anyplace its all in your head.

Hi Maria,
Great quote, it was actually by the aviator and author of The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Oops, so my reply is nearly 2 years late but I feel a need to justify my half PhD in literature! :-)

Just found this thread............. Good on you. Get yourself over to France this summer. Even if it's just a day trip to get some duty free.

As to milage and dropping bikes thread, my '98 DR800 (owned from new) has been over twice in 32,000 miles (that's fate tempted then), both within 5 minutes, when I let my son have a go............

Soft sand and he was only 15 at the time. But he's not been on her since.

People go around the world on C90's............

Buy a map of Europe and some drawing pins. Blindfold your girl and get her to stick a pin in the map........then go and see where she picked.