Looking for advice from experienced motorbike travelers.
After having covered a large part of Asia in various trips, normal backpacking style, I am planning a trip from Mexico to Chile over some 8-12 months. What I am still not sure about, is if I will try to do this trip on motorbike or not.
If you have any general advices, any experiences to share, or other input regarding travels on motorbike, please feel free to share it here in this thread or get in contact with me by mail.
Since I just started the planning phase, I am happy for information in general, but here are some questions to start with:
What are the biggest differences between regular backpacking and traveling by bike?
Assuming I have what it takes to backpack alone by bus/train/hitching, what more characteristics do I need to possess in order to enjoy traveling by motorbike?
What bike/type of bike is best suited for this kind of trip? (Guess there are some different schools here :)
Does the bike really gives you more freedom (to go wherever you want, on or off beaten track) than it limits you (bringing it cross borders/always thinking about keeping it out of reach from thieves etc)?
I have some 6-7 years experience of riding a bike, but only know just the basics when it comes to the mechanical. Is it important to improve my skills there (it really bores me), or can I happily trust any issues along the way to local mechanics?
etc. etc.
Thanks in advance for input.
And of course, if someone else is planning a similar trip this year, in SA or elsewhere, give me a note and we'll share info/experience a long the way...
/Mattias
www.mattiasgustafsson.com</a><BR>
"This is a BICYCLE forum. Better try this Forum for motorbikes. " ....BETER STILL why not got a bicycle!
Seriously, you ask about gaining/losing freedom, obviously with a motorbike you will gain loads of freedom, but you will have problems at borders with insurance, carnets, etc. No such trouble with a bike - that's why we do it. Not to mention your mech breakdowns, spare parts, etc.
Nonetheless, if you want a motorbike, go for it at least you're part way to the perfect way to travel.
Go for it, dude. I've always thought that when (or if) it comes time to stop travelling by bike, motorbike would give a very similar experience. There is a huge difference between conducting your own form of transportation, and having others doing it for you. I've been vocal enough on this recently, so I have to stop there for fear of starting another "war" ;-)
Having ridden a motorcycle from Colorado to Panama ( stopped at the Darien Gap) I have some related experience.
Motorcycling in Latin America seems much more stressful and adrenaline-filled than bicycling, since you are mixed up in the flow of traffic more. Road rules are basically "might makes right", so even a big motorcycle is on the bottom of the priority pile. This means you have to ride defensively ALL the time. Having a bus swerve completely through the oncoming lane to avoid a pothole, cow, or a slow truck is just normal behavior and a motorcyclist needs to be ready to take evasive action at any time. More than once I ended up riding the white line to avoid two oncoming vehicles side by side. So the risk is real, but it is kind of challenging and exciting if you are in the mood for it.
Repair parts are highly country and brand dependent, I ended up riding many miles with mechanical problems until I could get Yamaha parts in Guatemala city.
Today I would much rather ride my bicycle down a peaceful country road than fight it out on the highways on a motorcycle. On a really busy road I might throw my bicycle on a bus for a while, but I do not miss motorcycling at all.
A motorcycle gives you route freedom, but you have to think about where to park it every night (can't really put it in your hotel room) and some roads are really nasty motorcycling (cobbles, slick with cane juice/mud/unidentifiable crud, washboard, sand, etc.) and a bus is much more comfortable.
I read a report by a one Simon Gandofini who rode a small motorbike from,I think,New Jersey down through S.America....
In 'Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' (a book I was unable to finish and cannot recommend), the author starts off by saying that when travelling in a bus or car, you are in a box and all your views and horizons are constrained by this box. On a motorbike you are free of this constraint.
What he doesn't add is that on a bicycle you are also free of the (full face?) helmet and all that noise. I suppose he nearly got it right!
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<hr>'Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' (a book I was unable to finish ......), <hr></blockquote>
hehe, I couldn't either. But if you're interested in the zen part, read Zen im Kunst des Bogenschiesen. Its very well written (I don't know the english title)
Freedom of driving a motorcycle, is a myth created by Hollywood and some MC makers. I like MCs myself, have 2 road racers, but prefer a car at any time for long distance travel. Honestly I can only see one advantage of the MC: its cheaper to buy and run. OK, its maybe easier to get around landslides on the road, but how often do you need to do that ?
What is the freedom of wearing a fullfacehelmet, leathers, backprotector, gloves and boots in 35 C ?
A bike will run max 150km between tanking, my car 800km, but then you have to get of the bike every hour anyway, because of a sore bum :o)
You can smell the air on a bike, but I often turn off the aircon and open the windows and can smell everything as well, BUT if its raining or too hot (or stinking, which CAN also be the case), I can just close the window again.
I have room for surfboards and diving equipment in the car. I can lock it up when leaving, I can sleep in the back of my stationwagon. I can eat, drink and listen to music in the car and talk to girlfriend and friends on the whole trip.
A car really gives you freedom but no one bothered to propagate that fact, so nobody thinks like that, because so many peoples opinion is formed only by the media.
AND, to get back On Topic, a bicycle does give you freedom too:
Very reliable, easy to repair, no special dress needed (yes, it IS possible to ride a bike without lycra dress),
can be brought on planes, trains, busses.
Gets you in close contact with locals.
No paper hassle at the borders,
can be driven against traffic or pulled on the sidewalk.
Can be kept in the hotelroom.
You TALK to people you meet, not just wave at them.
Many locals sympathise with you and have a lesser tendency to classify you as another rich white pig
and probably a lot more, that I can't think of just now.
Well, you asked for it, posting about motor vehicles on a bicycle forum ;o))
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