I think there is a wee bit of a backlash amongst the AT community. I was at Austin's recent passionate talk in Edinburgh about DIY motorcycle touring and while there were a few slightly embarrased looking people who'd clearly bought the shop, most of the people there seemed to agree with his viewpoint that small, cheap and homemade is better than simply bought off t'internet.

I think (and I know this might be contraversial!) that this might in part be due to E&C (much as I'd like it not to be!). There are an awful lot of of 1200GS riders out there in their BMW 'Twat-Suits' (Austin's term, not mine!) who just ride their bike in a perfectly pleasant, ordinary biker sort of way, going to the places ordinary bikers go and having a great time while they do it.

Perhaps the upsurge in popularity for DIY biking is a reaction from those who consider themselves to be 'proper' adventure bikers to mark themselves as different from Johnny Weekender? When you see a chap (or lass) on a GS or a KTM Adv, you think - 'There's someone who's bought an adventure bike'. When you see someone on a ratty old DRZ with his underpants sticking out of his homemade luggage and handguards made out of plastic milk bottles - you think 'Ooh, I wonder where he's been!'

The 'DIY' adventure touring community perhaps seems more 'real' to people because it is so divorced from the E&C, support vehicles, sat phones, sponshorship type riding that the world at large thinks what adventure motorcycling is.

Of course, it could just be because making things is fun.

Matt

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*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!