This will actually be my second attempt at an around-the-world motorcycle trip. Back in May of 2017 I sold everything I owned and shipped my 2017 Kawasaki KLR650 to the UK with the intent of continuing east from there.
While camping in the rain just north of London I came to the conclusion that I had a over packed and under powered motorcycle; something had to change. When I looked out the window of my rained soaked tent and saw a gentleman sitting in a warm motor home watching a movie and drinking a glass of wine, I immediately Googled, "How to buy an RV in the UK". Plan B was now in affect. I would find an RV and trailer the motorcycle through Europe for at least the summer of 2017.
Having looked around the UK for a week or so and not finding the right RV, I headed to France with the idea that even if I couldn't find an RV, at least I would be camping in better weather. As luck would have it, within a few weeks of arriving in Calais, France and with the help of some fantastic new friends, I had purchased an RV and found a trailer to tow the motorcycle.
Long story short, I toured Europe for the next 16 months and had a fabulous time. In September of 2018 while sitting on the beach in Castellon de la Plana, Spain I had to make a decision; go to Portugal for the winter or head back to the US to try and get my pilot instructor license. It was a difficult decision, made even more difficult because I had made some incredible friends in France, but I had started to miss flying and quite frankly had become a little bored; I needed a change. So I sold the RV and trailer, put the motorcycle on a cargo ship and hopped on a plane back to the US.
I arrived back in the US on December 7, 2018 and within a few weeks had purchased another RV and trailer. I traveled quite a bit in the RV during the summer of 2019 and finally ended up in Apache Junction, AZ, just east of Phoenix, AZ.
Unfortunately, due to some health issues, I was unable to pursue my instructor license. In the back of my mind I knew I had to try another around-the-world trip even if I had gotten my license, so I just accepted the FAA's decision and moved up the start date of the trip.
Even before arriving in Arizona, I had contacted Scot at GO AZ Motorcycles in Scottsdale, AZ concerning the purchase of a 2019 BMW F850GS Adventure. On Nov. 9 I took delivery of the bike and am currently in the process of prepping the bike.
So the plan is to prep for the trip this winter and hit the road April 1, 2020.
Stay tuned....
There is a line from the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" that I have always liked and that kind of sums it up for me.
“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
While camping in the rain just north of London I came to the conclusion that I had a over packed and under powered motorcycle; something had to change. When I looked out the window of my rained soaked tent and saw a gentleman sitting in a warm motor home watching a movie and drinking a glass of wine, I immediately Googled, "How to buy an RV in the UK". Plan B was now in affect. I would find an RV and trailer the motorcycle through Europe for at least the summer of 2017.
Having looked around the UK for a week or so and not finding the right RV, I headed to France with the idea that even if I couldn't find an RV, at least I would be camping in better weather. As luck would have it, within a few weeks of arriving in Calais, France and with the help of some fantastic new friends, I had purchased an RV and found a trailer to tow the motorcycle.
Long story short, I toured Europe for the next 16 months and had a fabulous time. In September of 2018 while sitting on the beach in Castellon de la Plana, Spain I had to make a decision; go to Portugal for the winter or head back to the US to try and get my pilot instructor license. It was a difficult decision, made even more difficult because I had made some incredible friends in France, but I had started to miss flying and quite frankly had become a little bored; I needed a change. So I sold the RV and trailer, put the motorcycle on a cargo ship and hopped on a plane back to the US.
I arrived back in the US on December 7, 2018 and within a few weeks had purchased another RV and trailer. I traveled quite a bit in the RV during the summer of 2019 and finally ended up in Apache Junction, AZ, just east of Phoenix, AZ.
Unfortunately, due to some health issues, I was unable to pursue my instructor license. In the back of my mind I knew I had to try another around-the-world trip even if I had gotten my license, so I just accepted the FAA's decision and moved up the start date of the trip.
Even before arriving in Arizona, I had contacted Scot at GO AZ Motorcycles in Scottsdale, AZ concerning the purchase of a 2019 BMW F850GS Adventure. On Nov. 9 I took delivery of the bike and am currently in the process of prepping the bike.
So the plan is to prep for the trip this winter and hit the road April 1, 2020.
Stay tuned....
There is a line from the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" that I have always liked and that kind of sums it up for me.
“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”