Hi Everyone!
I am new to all this and a drastic change in my life made me fall in love with motorcycling. I am still dreaming and I still haven't managed to get myself two wheels, but I am studying to get my license and I'm reading lots of books. I have never been on a motorcycle in my life and some questions come natural... they may be obvious to the experienced traveler, but they are surely far from obvious to me.
I have been watching Long Way Round and Long Way Down and these guys constantly complain about how horrible it is to ride off road, how much of a terrible time they are having and most of all they fall off their bikes continuously...
:confused1:
Question 1:
Is it really like that?!? I was under the impression that the off road bits were the most fun, but it certainly doesn't seem to be the case with these two guys.
The title of this post is related to my long time dream: travelling from London to Mongolia, as I believe Mongolia to be a place where you feel absolutely free... for a while, but then you would probably feel very bored. Maybe that's the beauty of it, but I am tired of hearing it... I want to experience it for myself!
The thing is that if it is really as painful as they showed on TV... is it really worth it? I want to believe that it is more fun and that if you are careful enough you don't end up on the floor as much as they did.
I am terrified of wild animals and I cannot imagine what I would do if a pack of wolves will approach my tent at night... or a solitary bear... there are both these animals in Mongolia.
:confused1:
Question 2:
How do you deal with wild animal encounters when you are on your own in the middle of nowhere?
Another one of my silly questions is related to tires. I imagine myself riding a lot on roads and motorways at first, but occasionally and when I get the chance, I would love to leave the road and go exploring exactly where there are no roads on a map. I would say that in my imagination 95% of miles would be on tarmac and the rest off road. I can well imagine that road tires will perform extremely bad off road and especially on the ever so popular British wet grass.
:confused1:
Question 3:
How bad are off road tires on motorways? How fast can you safely go with them? I mean tires like the BRIDGESTONE M102 MX
Any advice about my silly questions will be greatly appreciated and maybe one day I'll be able to advice someone myself.
Thanks,
Michael