After dabbling with a few tatty mopeds around the fields, my father bought me and my brother a real motorbike when I was 13. Well we thought it was a real motorbike. Infact it was a Russian Neval 125cc trial bike with no power - a good job as the drum brakes were useless.
We had a lot of fun on it but blame has still not been apportioned, 25 years later, as to who caused us to ride two up into a gatepost wrecking the front end and thrashing my new birthday wellingtons.
Apart from a few years while studying away at University I have always had motorbikes. I was never a fan of reading but even so I would always have a motorbike magazine on the go from the age of 12 onwards.
To date I have owned 13 different motorbikes: the Neval, DT175, FS1E, CB100N, GSXR250, Hardtail chop, XT600, GPz550, VFR750, CBR954, VTR1000, Thurxton 900
Just before beginning the big bike trip I had 6 bikes but sold 3 of them to help raise some funds. Now I just have just 4 - but spread across 3 continents.
It has to be the VFR for she has been with me a long time and has taken me on to the track, up rocky mountain tracks in Oman, across the deserts of Iran, 150mph along the German autobahns chasing a friend's Nissan 350z and hopefully on to many more adventures.
Though the Triumph Thruxton is a very close second but since hitting a deer in 2008 she is not looking so wonderful.
Software development and management at the Benetton F1 team and later the Renault F1 Team kept me out of trouble for 10 years prior to packing it all in to begin my journey.
Until the big bike trip I had not really done holidays, all my money used to go on karting, and only had the odd week biking trip into Europe with friends.
At University, in the very early 90's I had thought of doing a big bike trip though then it was just to ride across the USA. To see the full story visit the The Big Trip - early notes page
It was a smouldering dream but not till I went to a www.horizonsunlimited.com travellers meeting did I realise it was just regular people like me who were doing similar trips.
Meeting Jacqui Furneaux at the meeting was the real turning point. She spoke and explained her 'plan, wot plan' method of travelling, then the final thing holding me back was lifted from my mind and I was free to go.
Jacqui was certainly the biggest inspiration. Others would include all the members of the www.horizonsunlimited.com website who answered my endless questions and made it clear it was easy and I read every motorcycle adventure book I could find, too many to list!
I have never really thought of that, if someone does get inspired from my riding and writings I will be most honoured.
The UK based Motorcycle Action Group, www.horizonsunlimited.com and of course the very helpful VFR Forum
Not sure I call the track days relevant training for the big bike trip but I did go on the BMW 2 day off-road course in Wales. Primarily to see if I liked the GS650 but also to learn some off-road skils.
The big thing I learnt and continue to use is 'momentum is king' whereby if coming to a tricky or slippery section of road/track the bike will happily roll through it as long as enough momentum is gathered before the section.
I've also dabbled with vehicles whether bikes, cars or karts. So built up a pretty good knowledge of the nuts and bolts of biking. Which meant in India it was very frustrating to be told by the local mechanics to keep my hands off my bike as they 'knew best' as they approached my Bullet with a bigger hammer.
I am happy and content with life tinkering away on my bikes and probably do enter another higher (lower?) state of mind, whether this is my main hobby I am not sure.
France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iran, the UAE and Oman on my trusty modified Honda VFR 750.
Then during part two of the bike big trip I am exploring India on a Royal Enfield Bullet.
SE Asia is the rough idea after India then if money allows Australia and New Zealand.
In the end I think the best was the different natural landscapes I saw emphasising the sheer beauty of the earth from the steep rock faces of the Meteora region in Greece to the very flat and barren empty, yet strangely engaging, deserts of southern Oman and the Gorges du Tarn region of France was a delight. More highlights are listed in the summary of part 1
The worst, at the time the snow in Turkey, again in Iran, seemed awful as it stopped me riding but they were just doors to open to new adventures.The litter in Oman and India where definitly the worst. With Oman being worse as it was not that people were really poor just they had no care for their otherwise beautiful country.
Email is best paul@prexpressions.com
'The big plan is no plan'
Who knows - see above!