Old Man Heading South-Partner Wanted
 

I started to ride to TDF from Alaska in Autumn, 2023 and by the time I reached the Rio Grande, I decided I did not want to spend several more months on a motorcycle. Well, I am thinking this fall (2025) it is time to try again. I will probably leave the US in late September or early Oct and would like find a riding partner. I have a blog here under travel stories which documents my 2023 ride from Alaska.

I am 72 and in good health. I can ride 100 or 1000 miles a day (did iron butt last summer). When I decided Alaska to the Rio Grande was enough in 2023, I bought a ticket to the Philippines and spent five months scuba diving. I did the same in 2024 and will depart the Philippines in a few day to continue around the world going to Sri Lanka, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and Northern Europe. I will probably ride my Versys 650 toward TDF but have a GS310 and a 690Enduro as well.

I hope to reach TDF but for sure will reach the Panama Canal. I have a great retirement income so I can go as long as I want. I will be speaking at the HU CanWest event in BC in July. I can be reached at rdnewton3.14@gmail.com or ktmrider2@live.com.

Old Man Heading South
 

Hi Old Man from another one with similar attributes.
I rode from Nova Scotia to Buenos Aires in 2009, looping around through Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, etc. Not sure if I want to do that again but it was great. Central America not so much.
Where are/were you in Philippines? I want to do Vietnam again in the Fall, or next. Also doing Scottish Highlands and Spain/Portugal this summer and fall.
I am 76 and miraculously can still ride up to snuff.

Best
Larry Simpson

I will be heading south from the Banamichi meetup on November 10th. Hopefully cross paths on the way down, if not, see you at the Horizons Unlimited weekend in Nakusp in July.

Robert Tymchuk

Another vote on Central American borders not being worth the hassle.

Just fly to South America and buy a bike here. Easy in Colombia. Can also be done easily in Chile. Sell it at the end of your trip.

Would you mind elaborating a bit on this? I would like to venture south, have the time and means to do so, but when I hear podcasts of people talking about border crossings, it all sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

You'll want to self-assess as best you can how aversive you find border crossings. Personally, I didn't think Central America was all that bad--irritating at times, but far easier than (for example) Africa, and I never thought twice when it came time to do it all a second time. Others swear never again.

The other variable is what makes touring worthwhile for you. I like the variation in terrain, experiences and indigenous cultures throughout Central America, and that made whatever discomforts worthwhile for me. But there's no denying that if you're trying to make time in a particular direction it's not ideal to have to stop every day or two or three to cross another border.

Not so different from, say, Eastern Europe a few decades ago....and maybe again soon.

Mark