Happy Hacker,
You guys are starting to make me feel regretful. Why didn't you make your posts sooner. I'm starting to think that I should change my name, quit my job, and move to Beliz.

The layout of your website is good. Did you do it yourself?
Mike

Mike, I think the reason there is so much animosity to your post is that you come off as a newcomer who thinks he is going to immediately grasp the essence off motorcycle travel and present it to the world. At least that is how I read your first post. Those of us who choose to explore the world by motorcycle are cringing at the thought of another distorted view of this hobby out in public view.

I don't doubt that bikers made the same comments about The Wild One and Easy Rider when they were proposed, and they both were wildly exagerated views of motorcycle life, but I am glad they were made. So I hope I am wrong and that you succeed, but I'm not counting on it.

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Andy Tiegs
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/ts...lsouth-america

The time, keystrokes and content you've spent and displayed on this thread clearly shows that you're entertaining yourself.

1. After going back and reading my post, I see how that might be the perception. My approach needs some work. I don't feel that I am a newcomer, but to this world I really am.

2. That is not the intention. I may need to delay my trip another year so that I have more time to grasp the essence of what you say.

Thanks for your honest assessment!
Mike

[This message has been edited by motorbikewithmike.com (edited 11 February 2006).]

Lone Rider,
A little pious right? I do see what you are saying. Have spent some time reading some other threads and agree that I have been much too grandiose. About 3/4 of what I have posted is crap. I tend to go a little overboard sometimes. The comments on this site have really helped align my focus.
At first I thought the ride was the adventure. But now, it seems that the adventure started with the first post.

Ok, time to regroup and focus on substance.

Mike

[This message has been edited by motorbikewithmike.com (edited 11 February 2006).]

Is this were we find out that Mike recently bought KTM & we've all screwed our chances of shiny free bikes ?



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Last seen in S.America, missing presumed fed.
http://www.smellybiker.com

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Missing, presumed fed.
https://youtube.com/@ChileBob

motorbikewithmike Some friends and I are planning to go to Alaska in July. If you would like to gain some trippin' time and practice flim making you might come too? We all have our own bikes,kit,etc.KLRs and soft luggage for us.WE will be hauling a. through Canada to have more Ak. time. Do you have off road experience? Gravel? Understand this is an offer from me,I can't speak for the rest yet till I've confided in our loose group. We're 50+ long time street and dirt riders with limited time and patience,so if you can't hang we'll likely leave you for the bears unless we really like you.

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ride,smile,repeat as nessasary

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ride,smile,repeat as nessasary

kbikey,
Sounds like a great time. How much time you figuring on? I may be able to get a week off but not much more. If not we still may be able to do a local 2-3 day trip this summer.
Mike

Wow!! what a controversial post this has been. As a newcomer to the site this is the first time I have seen negative (even antagonistics) comments in response to a post.
If Mike wants to try capture his experiences on film and try do a professional job of it then why castrate him for it? If it works then he has achieved his aim and if it doesn't then at least he will have tried to live his dream his way.
I have read Ted Simon's book and it was a thrilling read, which would have been brought even more to life if he had been able to make a film of it. In many ways it is sad that the only way way you can make a professional film of such a journey is to organize it in the way of TLWR. However TLWR is the inspiration to many that such a trip is possible and because of that it should be applauded not condemned.
Good luck Mike, and if you do make money out of your film then even better for you.
Let us all try live our dreams in our own way (and finance them in any way we can) and if we don't agree with someone elses way, well we don't have to be involved (or try shoot them down in flames), do we?

[This message has been edited by harleyrider (edited 11 February 2006).]

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If you think you are too small to make a difference you have never spent the night with a mosquito.

When the movie comes out remind me to send you a free copy!
Mike

and a t-shirt and a coffee mug and a poster and a signed movie sound track ...

hey mister hollywood, maybe making movies about life consultants you can send out even more free copies and stuff .. this could be the next big thing.

anyway enjoy your adventure, live your dream
and do what you like.

sorry for me being that negative, but you have no clue what it means *to travel overland* and the only way you can find out is, yes !, you quit your secure job and just start to ride.

welcome to the HUBB

mika

Dear Mike,

Sucks to have people rain on your parade. It seems to me that the general feeling was that your plans were a bit ambitious and unrealistic. Could it have been expressed better? Probably, but then again, this isn't your "black-tie-diplomat-dinner-party" crowd! Lot of people have heard things couldnt be done, and have suceeded at them anyway, while others havent and wished they's listened. I guess your adventure will be found in which one of the two you become. Either way, the best movies are about catastrophic failure and grand success!!

Best of luck.

I'm really glad, Mike, that I took the time to read all the posts, by yourself and others, before responding. I was tempted after reading your first post to follow up with something as per Dan et. al. It was only by the last few posts that I had any confidence at all that you were really on this planet with regards to long distance motorcycle travel. At this point I still think you are in high orbit (somewhere out about the moon but at least you have arrived into the Solar System) so I think there is hope for you. I will be watching for your re-entry, which I still suspect will happen not long after you start your trip.
After years of some pretty hard core bike touring, for much shorting periods than real long distance travellers, but still in some difficult places (e.g. India, Indonesia, Mexico, Cuba, Samoa) as well as many softer countries, I feel I have learnt much much more from the several hundreds of travellers I have hosted at my house over the last 5-6 years. My advice: listen and learn. Do a lot of listening. And for gods sake, do some real riding! What did you say? The last time you rode 100 miles was in '84? I find it hard to believe it when you say you are an experienced rider. Your target of 250 miles in a day is realisitic only in a minority of countries in the world.

Regards
Nigel in NZ

P.S. You don't know how hard it was for me not to make some kind of "cultural" comment about your attitude. Opps! Almost did there....

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"The world is a book and those who do not travel read but a page"- St Augustine

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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

I would suggest that your intentions are a little too ambitious. I would try a "practice" ride from where you live (Michigan, I think)south to the US/Mexican border, and cross over and ride around northern Mexico for a while. An interesting concept might be to go solo with your camera for this part of the trip, and document what you think is worthy the entire way down and in Mexico. Ride back up and play with your footage to see what worked and did not work. When you feel confident, then go for the "big trip." I have gotten the sense that many writers on the bulletin board were a little miffed by Long Way Round as it took their lifestyle and turned it into something that could become the latest thing out of Hollywood, and this thread showed that some of that anger is still there. I have not seen that movie, and probably never will because of my dislike with the hypocrisy of the movie star "elite" Seeing a major star attempt to document something as grass roots as an around the world motorcycle trip is not something that interests me, especially knowing that there is such a large crew following him. Your movie might be more interesting, but it would depend on what footage is used, and how you edit. Don't try something MTVish with those major edit jobs and crappy, blaring, music. Edit out the tedious stuff if it drags on, and leave in plenty of geography as that is what draws me to watching a film or documentary of an exotic location. Perhaps, if you take my advice and document a ride in the US for practice, you could send the edited footage to people on this site for critique to see what worked and did not work for them. Then, you can be more confident for your big plunge across the border and south and back. Good luck!

Mike,
I believe this trip would have been right up my ally had I known of it before Dec, 2006. I made a life change and re-enlisted in the army for three years. I have what it takes to complete the trip to include plenty of survival training.
My only advise is to try and keep as much of the info pertaining to trip dates, times and places a little less conspicuous. The world that we live in today provides the wicked with too many rights and no need give any one the type of info to do you harm. Not to mention becoming an unwilling hostage or even being pick pocketed is a lesson no one should learn while on such an endeavor. Either way enjoy the ride and 40 days of being close to God and all he has given us to enjoy.