Who are you people?!
 

Hi everybody,
I'm curiouse to what type of people make these long and adventures journeys on motorbikes. So I just wanted to ask: Who are you? what do do for work? How old are you (ca) and how and when did you get started?
Allthought when I read the blogs and travel storys I can conpletly understand you reasons for going ;)

I see 20+ people have had a look and no reply...........so here goes. I'm a Canadian, grew up in West Africa. Have been through many parts of Africa, Europe,Australia, USA and Canada, Mexico only once. First bike in Africa - Honda 50cc scooter, first truck I ever bought in Africa was a Land Rover Series 3. Bikes now are a Honda 650 XLR and Harley Wide Glide, and truck is a Jeep Unlimited. I'm self employed, with the winters off to travel. As for age.......someone fifty dosen't look so old and more.

All sorts of people go on long trips. I, for example, am just your ordinary bloke from next door. :)

I think your question is about as easy to answer as, say, "what colour is a motorbike?"

...well, as you can see, my name is Ron. I live in Vancouver, BC and i work in the film industry as a Special Effects Technition. I'm 35 years old, and my girlfriend lives in Mexico City. I'm currently in Medellin, Colombia and will be returning home in a few days to see a hockey game. I travel on a well-modified '89 BMW R100 Paris Dakar.How about you?

who is who
 

Most things you want to know you will find in peoples profiles and on their homepages.

BTW, for someone asking personal things, you have a very empty profile, no homepage or blog and the name Guesswho does not say more.
Maybe you could tell us who you are and then you may get more answers.

I think it's interesting who chooses a more wandering kind of lifestyle and who doesn't. Does it make a difference what our past is? Maybe, maybe not. I was conceived on the road and grew up travelling, so it makes sense I continue to do so with various means of transport. I'm a writer and always wanted a profession which didn't lock me into a specific location. I'd like to know what makes the guy next door do this. What made you check out this website?
Lorraine

Everybody needs a hobby.

I`m Erik, 31 years old, from Argentina. been riding since I was 15. First bike was a honda CG 125that I still own.TRavelled to Ushuaia in that little bike- I started travelling at 16, without license. small trips (350 kms) to visit relatives. Just returned now from a 7 months and 30.000km trip to Colombia and back, following the continent`s shoreline. Bike is a 1992 Jawa 350.I just love old bikes.
For living, I`m a taxi driver and I`m in the last year in the University, geologist carrer. should have finished studies long ago, but I always find an excuse to go travelling one more time.
I don`t care much about money (I`m single) and I`m a low budget traveller who owns an old but reliable bike.

america en jawa 350 (sorry,in spanish only)

introduce myself
 

Oops, I forgot to introduce myself and I've been asked some questions that I'd like to answer now.
My name is Hannah and I'm from Germany. I'm still at school and will be enroling in an artschool this summer.
I've allways been intrested in motorbikes and will be starting my license in about 3 weeks(yay!). After that I plan to buy my brother's Suzuki of him. I also love traveling and am constanly thinking about my next destination and how to get there.
I found this site totally by accident. I had read a book called Lois on the Loose which is about a woman who rides from Alaska to the most southern point of south america on a motorbike. I checked her website out and found a link to this page. A lucky coincidence :thumbup1:
I was totally surprised by how many people go on trips around the world or across continents on bikes and it got me wondering who these people were. Thats why my original question.
So a thank you to everyone who has answered so far :biggrin:
Hope to hear more:thumbup:

Pm
 

hi, check your messages!!

Hello Hanna,

Well after your friendly introduction I'll tell you something about me and why and how I travel.

I'm almost 50 years old now and I have a wife, a few children and a nice job as a IT specialist at a big bank in the Netherlands.
I started riding motorcycles when I was 18 and never stopped. Before that I had a Benelli moped. My first real trip was on that moped from the Netherlands to Luxembourg.

A family and a good job makes it very difficult to leave for a very long time but because I do like (need) to travel, I try to save some money and holidays during that two years and then I take up to a month to go to some interesting place. As you may have seen on my homepage, I've been riding bikes in South Africa and the US, have been with a 4x4 to Albania and my last trip was on my BMW F650GS to the North Cape so I'm not complaining :-)
In the meantime I try to ride as much as I can.

I hope this answers your questions.

Good luck with your drivers license.
When you have your license and a bike, come to a HU meeting and you can meet the people from HU in person and ask all the questions you want.

Who, were and why
 

i'm a 33 yr old Franco-englishman. Been on bikes since 1993, and travelling since about 1995, but only to W Europe with friends. In 2002 my g/friend and I met Kev and julia from Globebusters at a bike show and chatted a while and decided we wanted top do a different trip from what most tend to do, and that led to our 13 weeks in Arg and Chile, last Autumn.

I live in England, just west of London (but would rather live in the french pyrennean foothills!). I work in an office on a career ladder of sorts. I try to go forward and not back, but big titles and big positions are not my thing: as long as I earn enough to put a bit aside for the next trip and live in relative comfort in the meantime!!

Hi Hanna,

I am a musician, producer and arranger. I tour a lot with artistes and do a lot of recordings as a sessionist. I also lecture at a local university when I am not on tour. A good deal as I teach when I like. I am married with two beautiful kids.

As a musician I have travelled to many countries performing. Jazz festivals, concerts, recordings etc.

BUT nothing beats riding a bike to your destination, as oppose to flying there. The thrill, the experience on the road, especially when alone; is something one cannot put a price on.

Reason? Get on a bike soon and you'll probably answer that yourself.

One word of warning though. Riding a bike can be addictive. Look at me, I get withdrawal symptoms when I don't ride for more than a week....

Good luck with your license.

I am 47 btw. :cool4:

Im Ed. Im 27 and Live in Liverpool, England

I work for Sony as technical games tester and Im also a qualified Motorcycle Tech.

Always loved bikes and travelling so decided to pack the rat race in and dissapear next year :)


next

why
 

im 63 and worked my B..ll.cks off providing home food clothing schooling for family..suddenly started burying friends of my age.. realised it was literallynow or never... you're not put on this earth to be judged by what you leave in your will...

jeff watts

Gone wandering

Dropping 'E'
 

Jeff
Did you forget an 'e' in your URL?
Regards, Stephan

It's a brain thing
 

Hi there, I heard on the radio the other week that they did a study on people who like to travel and those who prefer to stay at home. What they discovered is those who travel have a slightly different molecule in their brains from the norm, K5 against K3 I think they said:confused1: , anyway it would appear if you got it you travel, if you aint you don't. I believe it's also genetic. I know people who have never left my county, or only rarely, and cannot see the fascination of far away places, they holiday on the coast within 50 miles from their home:( , that's about an hours ride away.

Me, I'm coming up 60, recently widowed and quit work (electronics management) this January to concentrate on my AWT (RWT in American English). I'm selling my home and think that 3 or 4 years on the road meeting ordinary people before I start riding a rocking chair is the way to go.:wheelchair:

Read Ted Simons book, Jupiters Travels, for an in depth look at the thoughts fears and motivations experienced on a long m/c trip. A bit scary for a neophyte like me, but like I said it's more about the inside of my head than the outside world.

I'm also artistic by nature and the urge to 'do something' has prompted me in both this and other fields. (Including radical job changes)

My web page is in the process of being changed from art to motorcycles, I like painting fairies, a good excuse to include naked women,(at least that part of my brain appears to be ok) I think that the human form is the most difficult and rewarding subject to paint.

Good luck and maybe we'll meet on the road someday.

Motorcycle Trip Around the World -RWT-

Well, who'd have thought I'd be looking at pictures of Fairies this morning, thanks Stagbeetle, they're wonderful. Do you paint from memory (too much acid in the 60's) or life models (you lucky bugger) ? I'll look forward to reading about your travels.

Good luck.

old age and spelling
 

Stephan
yes i did forget to put an e in!! silly old sod!!.either that or i have got some saharan sand in the keyboard..thanks

jeff

Gonewandering

Top shelf old boy, what???
 

So many years since a young nubile wench stood still long enough for me to catch the details that memory is not enough :eek3:

On the other hand, it's also 20 years since I sat in a life class. (As an artist, not a model):cool4:

So I use a montage of photos of arms, legs, torsos and heads, joining them together on the canvas, changing shadows, highlights and blending the whole lot with my knowledge of anatomy. (Needs updating though, any volenteers?)

I have never been much of a landscape painter, but on this trip will be taking a small watercolour pallet and sketch book to relax and record the landscapes I pass through.

Which prompts me to ask, any other overlanders out there painting their trip, if so tell us about it, you may have started something here Hanna, I hope so:thumbup1:

My old brother in law used to draw comic books (Sandman, Batman) and he'd use porn mags for the models.

Take a couple mechanic classes and do your trip on a Goldie! If I had the money, I'd be doing my trip on a Vincent.

Let me know if you come through California. I'll buy you a beer!

--Dave

Ah memories
 

I spent 7 years as an agricultural mechanic and previously did all my own repairs, so no worries there. However I would probably have chosen a Greaves perhaps, or better still how about a Heinkel bubble car:cool4:. The Goldie never could keep oil inside the crankcase, I was always shouded in smoke every time I pulled up after doing a ton down the Western Avenue to the Ace Cafe, no as my own bearings get more worn out I need something a bit more reliable thanks.

Hey Stagbeetle, as an ex-ag mechanic, I think you're stuck with a Guzzi, BMW, or a Ural. Can you get any more agricultural than a Guzzi?

The Heinkel would be nice. I've got an NSU Sport Prinz that I'm going to have to sell to help finance Round 2 next year.

I should answer the original question for Guesswho. I'm 37. I spent a lot of years in IT doing nothing (a lot like the movie "Office Space" if you've seen it). I also play(ed) in punk rock bands for 15 years. I was walking home from a show and got mugged. 4 days in ICU (heavy duty health care) with 4 hematomas (3 minor, 1 major) that left me with epilepsy.

I always wanted to travel and realized that life is shorter than I thought (and I already knew it was going by fast). I worked at a monkey lab for a 18 months, along with being a programmer, paid off my student loans and saved up money.

Right now I'm running a movie theatre while saving up for Round 2. I don't want to work with computers ever again. If I could, I would've done this all at once.

The only change I would've made is, I would've bought a Vincent Comet instead of my Ducati single. I got ripped off a wee bit and spent almost as much on the Ducati as a Vincent would've cost.

If you're thinking of taking long rides, do it! It's a lot of fun and a learning experience.

--Dave

Is it K5 or boredness?
 

It seems to me that many travelers are or, if they are lucky, were IT-nerds :cool2: (like me).
This raises the question: Do IT-nerds and travelers have the same brain-molecule (was it K5 or K9 :taz: ) or
is a job as IT-nerd so boring :yawn: that you start to dream :boat: about distance travels?

I can't be sure, but for me I think it was the latter... :palm:
Then again, it has been at least 6 years since I touched a computer with an other goal then to Email my friends
which are stuck at home :cool4:

The same question can be asked about sports like rock-climbing, scuba-diving etc...
Percentage-wise mostly IT-guys (and gails) do this kind of scary :scared: stuff (at least scarry in the eyes of
the by-standers)
Why? Bored by IT and dreary novell or NT-server screens that need to be watched for days.... or a K5 (or K9)
brain-defect?

Life is filled with intrueging questions....

Which brings me to the folowing question:
Why is it that motorcycle-travelers aks so many :smartass: and un-usual questions?
Is it becuase of their brain-thing (K5) or is it becuse they spend so much time in the sadle
looking at the road ahead.:mchappy: .... much like the former monitor, looking at the console-screen of a major network....

Questions, questions.....

Maarten:mchappy:
(confused as ever)

@ Stagbeatle, I think having a forum or a website where travelers can put there sketches, paintings and inpressions ect. on would be a really good idea. Don't you think?

@ Dave,I'm sorry to hear about the mugging, did they ever catch the guy?
I use to have a light version of epilepsy as a a kid and young teenager. The doctors tolled me that I think about 5 % of kids or teens with epelepsy grow out of it. I got really lucky and now rarly have any problems with it anymore. But (if you don't mind me asking) how can you drive/ride with such a conditon? Thats where I had the most problems. if these questions are too personal then don't answer. Its no problem :)

Mmaarten, I don't think its only IT neards who need a good adrenalin rush;)
A tip, if your after adrenalin, go sailing on a tall ship, climb into the rigg,get yourself in a storm. It is seriously fun and will have your heart beating a lot faster ;)

Again, thanks to everybody for answering my question so well and honestly :thumbup1:

More art please
 

Hi Hanna,
There is an art section, (left hand margin, bottom) and the pictures are most enjoyable:thumbup1: , but only a couple of contributions so far:( , so I was hoping that anyone else out there with a few sketches or full size paintings would be drawn in and add to the existing file.

As none of my artwork is travel or bike oriented yet, I have not added my work, but plan to in the future.

Some of you guys and galls must surely have decorated your steeds with the odd motif or two, even a name you have given, hmm must dig out that photo of a classic bike where they spelled the name wrong on the tank 'Kowaf******saki' Fancy making an error like that:cool4: Anyway send them in, lets enjoy ourselves:clap:

Chicken or egg?
 

A lot of the IT nerds I know who travel work as contractors rather than being full time, salaried employees. I work in the same way but in a different field, partly because it gives me some flexibility to travel between jobs, but mainly because I am such a nomad by nature that I can't stick at a permanent job for any length of time (I'd be rich if I was better suited to following a career structure, and Mrs MarkE would have left me for someone less boring, so I'd be even richer!!!:oops2: ).

I worked in the IT field (Local Authority data management) and it was undoubtedly boredom to the point of feeling dead inside that made me get my license and go overlanding. Totally cured the problem, but I am back in the UK sat in front of a PC now........ still the bug bites hard and I am planning bigger, harder trip right now to keep me motivated is a definite bonus. In fact sod writing e-mails, the sun is streaming in through the window and I am off to the Peak district!

well what are you waiting for?
 

Sorry about the bum card you got dealt:( , but what are you waiting for? Sell everything, get your arse off of the sofa and ride your dream:scooter:

(I know that it's harder than that, but take a long think (30 secs should do it) and make plans):thumbup1:

One big happy family
 

Hi! we are just one big happy family,helped and inspired by each other, and watched over by Grant and the rest of he's harding working crew, I joined this site 6yrs ago and asked all the normal questions, like ..which bike,and what about this or that?...listened to all the answers,after 5 heart attacks and a quadrupal by-pass.6mths after my operation ,i kitted my bike and locked my front door and rode off,not looking back...Now after 4yrs back in Uk planning to move to Spain.Who are we? we are the people who do NOT just walk the path of 'life' with blinkers on. we ride it , and turn stones over and forage in the bushes ,looking for more in life,''live the dream'',face the challenge,ride into it, even the weeks ride across Europe,is more than a personal acheivment, .Bike riders have a bond, bike travellers seem to have just that 'bit' more,We are all ages,men woman..Doe's that answer your question? by the way I am just a youngster 55yrs old

I don't remember the mugging at all. I got home and it took a bit to get my key in the lock and I thought, "I didn't drink that much".

I've only had 2 seizures. The first as a reminder that life is short. My neurologist said if I go another year without a seizure, he'll probably ween me off. Which is when I'm planning on starting Round 2.

I second that.
 

Well said, Jeff.

Same for me - although not as ancient as Jeff - not getting any younger either. I've been on the road (in Ecuador at the moment) for just over a year now - another 4 years to go, mas o menus.

ok,ok, I got it wrong, but....
 

Sorry Pete, didn't take the time to read your bio :blush:

Any road up, you know better than I what's out there, and what responsibilities you have...'nuff said.

Guilt trip, yep got that, from a burn out at work though, you know it dont make sense, but just can't help yoursel. Funny it disappears when I'm on the bike:cool4:

If Hanna is a troll, then WTH ... got us all talking, and that aint a bad thing is it?

Now gotta go....down the pub; Quiz Night, to answer stoopid questions like 'who invented the paperclip?' How the hell should I know, or why would I want to? Still the Abbot is b'good.:clap: :wave:

Gonna miss that, the Abbot Ale, not the Quiz

elusive
 

Stagbeetle, is there anything else you might remember about that radio program which differentiated between travellers and non? I'm trying to find out more and having no luck....
Lorraine

Worryingly familiar
 

I'm scared now Pete - Mrs MarkE's first husband was an itinerant IT type, although I never thought he would own a bike. You're not stalking me are you?

No, but I am.

--Dave

P.S. Your zipper is down.

who are you people
 

My name Hendi Kaf , I grew up in France and started by travelling on my moped at the age of 15 ,then a 125 MZ arround Europe , a old GS arround Africa, a 250 XLS from Key West to Terra del Fuego, and then plenty of other cool bike , Ducati 900 SS to Guzzi ,FJR1300ABS,Asia on a XR250R,I now own a 1200GS, a XR650R tagged,a KTM450SXF. I started in restaurant business, continue in Real Estate , then Photography , I am currently working in my own company (Century 21 Hansen in SE Florida) , great job with plenty of freedom to pick you next time to go on the road.I am 40 now but not slowing down a bit.
Next trip India on an Enfield it seems.

Life is good,isn't it

Hhhhmmm!!
 

Hi Ed,

I wondered why you are dissapearing next year, working for Sony, hhhhhmmm!!, you not been taking photo of a certain place in Manc have you, are you sure the church is not after you. Lol sorry bout that.

Roi. n Bron.

Funny you should say that. It part of my job to test things like that in the games and it was my department that gave it the ok LOL (not me personally).


The COE is all hot air anyway. We've broken no copyrights or laws using the building. Its a fictional building in a fictional game. Just because it happens to be set in Manchester, the COE thought they would try and get some easy cash out of Sony.

If you see a heavily laden XT600E being chased through South America by flock of Vicars, you know who it is :D

HaHa HeHe HoHo,,
 

Just pulling your leg Ed, you should know the banter between Mancs and Scousers, but i'll keep watching the news for you tho and then when i see you on t.v, i can say,

"I know that guy"

Roi. n Bron.

hahah yer !!

:D

catch me if You can
 

hi everybody:thumbup1:
I could seem silly, childish or even "an idiot on a hill":oops2: mentioning my thoughts about the who and why question , but when I·m riding my bike to far away destinys:mchappy: , I feel as if I·m living the theory stating: if You go quick enough (in a spaceship or whatever) time kinda goes backwards and hypothetically You don·t get older, actually the opposite! :smartass: ( Perhaps an "escaping death" thingy)?:scared:

What a load of b.......it!?
Cheers .... Dan

Puzzled!!??
 

Just another silly ?tion for any one, " how do you get the icons and characters in yours text".

Roi. n Bron

Click on the 'smilies' also known as 'emoticons' on the right. You can also drag and drop them or use keyboard strokes. E.g. a colon + D creates :D, a colon + ) creates :)
Stephan