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2 May 2018
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2 May 2018
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You will ride along and occasionally there is a stretch of 5 km of beautiful pavement out of nowhere. We did not see another vehicle the entire time. The scenery varies form rolling hills, to farm land and is often along the river.
 FILE3243 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE3247 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE3258 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE3262 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE3266 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE3277 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE3306 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_2235 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
The road ends at the tar seal on the Highway 49 11 km east of Ohakune. Here we finally got some lunch at nearly 3 and decided to set up in the campground here. We walked into the village for supplies and cooked us a nice bbq dinner. The sites here are along a stream and that was the only sounds soothing us all night.
 IMG_2236 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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We woke to clouds, but no rain and we packed up and set out about 10.
 Screen Shot 2018-03-03 at 22.53.06 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
First we rode 20 km up the Turoa mountain road. This is a paved road that winds thru the Tongariro national park and up to the ski hill. This is basically a few lifts on the side of a volcano and does not look very appealing.
 FILE3356 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE3361 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE3373 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We back tracked to 1 and then headed north on the 4 to Taumarunui. This is where you turn west on the 43 or the “Forgotten World Highway”.
 FILE3388 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We stopped in the town for lunch and when at the cafe Franz stopped by to talk. He has ridden his bike all over the world as well and it is currently in Costa Rica. While we were chatting with him a friend of his walked by and this is the same guy we saw riding in Glenorchy and in Te Anau!
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Driving thru here you have to stop in the Republic of Whangamomona at the pub for a drink. There is not much else here and we decided at 4 pm to press on to Stratford.
 NZ North Isand-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 NZ North Isand-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
The forecast is for rain and so we opted for a cabin. They are quite nice here and even our “basic” one had linens and a fridge and sink. We walked the 1.5km back to town to top up our food supplies and had an early night.
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Well it is not raining. The forecast here is so unreliable it is a bit frustrating, but at least we will have a nice day. The plan it to get up the coast on the main road and then stick to the country roads all the way to Raglan.
 Screen Shot 2018-03-03 at 23.02.56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
It is Friday today and we are also in the midst of trying to get shipping for the bikes organized for next week. This means a number of calls today and we have a booking with GT Logistics to drop the bikes Monday am for a steam clean and then they are supposed to ship on Wednesday to Melbourne.
There are a number of issues and most stressful is that the behind the scene of shipping is as Dan says “ a dark art” it is so hard to get a straight answer out of these guys in general. We have had the best luck with GT with good communication and an all in roll on price. They also have steam cleaning services. We will spend the weekend getting them as clean as we can and ready for the bio-hazard quarantine in Australia. If you fail this it is 75$ per hour for cleaning. This is why in the end we only made it part way on the small road as we needed to get cell coverage and headed to Waitomo for that.
 FILE3530 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 NZ North Isand-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE3513 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Now it is just another 92 km north and west to Raglan. This is a nice beach/surf town with great camping on the spit. We set up our tent and then were invited next door to the cabin of a family who invited us to share the fish they caught today.
 NZ North Isand-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
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We had the tent set up so we spent some time cleaning it and the pegs and poles. The plan is to back track the 30 km back to the main road and then north to Auckland.
 Screen Shot 2018-03-03 at 23.03.56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We booked it on the main road and with a stop at BMW for new Oz ready air filters we arrived to Janet and Charlie’s by just after 1. They have a great set up for us with the bikes in the garage and a place to use their pressure washer. We scrubbed and de-greased and washed and scrubbed again. The final was a total wipe down with WD40. They are show room clean. We took the mirrors and wind screens off as well.
 NZ North Isand-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Today we will leave the house a bit later as they traffic into Auckland can be horrific. It is only 40 km to the airport, but it will take at least an hour. We did run into a bit of stop and go, but it was not too bad overall. Pulling into GT we were happy as 1. they were expecting us 2. they are professional and organized 3. We had a flight even sooner than we wanted and the bikes will go tomorrow!
 NZ North Isand-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 NZ North Isand-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 NZ North Isand-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
They say the bikes are some of the cleanest they have seen and that they do not need a steam clean. As a reward we stopped by a famous shop for one last NZ pie!
 IMG_2245 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_2244 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 NZ North Isand-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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We had our flight to Melbourne booked tonight at 1850 and the Russels kindly delivered us to the airport by car. 45 min before we boarded we still had not heard from GT and so we called them. AGH the bikes have been bumped off their flight by priority cargo! They are re-booked on Thursday.
This means there is no way we will make the only ferry booking left for Friday night to Tasmania. The Spirit of Tasmania service is atrocious. You can book and then not cancel the reservation until the sailing actually leaves without penalty and this means all the reservations are always full. The other issue is there might be room for 2 bikes, but on a night sailing there are only shared cabins and this weekend there are only female bunks available.
Australian customs are notoriously evil and it is likely the bikes will wait for inspection. If they fail this means you pay to move them, pay for cleaning, pay to move them back, and then pay for re-inspection. This could take ??? days. Even if they do arrive on Thursday it is unlikely we will get them until Tuesday at the earliest as this is a holiday weekend..…
We have been invited to the home of Ian who is a friend of Garry and Ivonne Dymond in Mexico City. We share the bond of broken down BMW at Garry’s place with Ian. He was super kind to drive clear across from his place as far as you can go in Melbourne, which is to the airport to pick us up at 11 pm. He set us up at his house and we crashed when we arrived in Chelsea at 1 am.
Ian is the host with the most! He has provided us with his comfy home, his V-strom, riding gear, GPS, transit cards, and tons of advice. He is an amazing cook!
 Australia-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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Ian set off for work and we rode just a few km away to Chelsea beach to meet with one of our Camino family Daniella! So great to catch up and get some advice for the sights here in the city. We will now probably fly to Hobart Tasmania as going with the bikes will not happen, but we really want to see our good friend Deb. Ian cooked us another amazing meal!
 IMG_2261 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_2263 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
It's Saturday today, but Ian has to go into the city to ABC and he will tour us around and then we can spend the rest of the day down town.
 Australia-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
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Today we did a ride out on Ian’s bike to the Dandendons up in the hills where it is a pleasant 24 degree. We saw lots of watch for wombat and Kangaroo signs, but no actual critters.
 Screen Shot 2018-03-09 at 12.09.20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Screen Shot 2018-03-09 at 12.09.39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_2268 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Today we got some work done and then road up the coast road past the crystal blue Melbourne Bay water to St. Kilda. We had dinner out with Ian's good friends Paul and Alison Peruvian restaurant in the "food desert that is Chelsea”.
 Australia-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_2272 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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It has been almost a week and still no news on the bikes!!! There is no online access to tell where the bikes are in the cue. The agents say they are trying, but they can not even tell us when they will be inspected. We did hear today that the Carnets have been signed off. This is getting a bit ridiculous. Orvar and his bike flew into Sydney today and I hope he has better luck.
The weather is cooler today with some clouds and we headed back up to the hills. The first step was to get on the highway and get to Warburton. We stopped here at a cafe popular with bikers. The speed limit on much of the route here is 60, except on the freeway. We did a side trip on the 505 to walk up the Mt Donna Buang observation tower and then back tracked to the 507 (the 505 continues as a dirt road to Healesville, but it has been gated off). There is about 15 km of dirt road from the junction on the way to Narbethong. The forest here is right out of a movie set with massive ferns and super tall trees. When we git the B3360 south it was already 3 and there was quite a bit of traffic. We managed to make it home by 430 and then headed over to Paul and Alison’s for dinner.
 Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 16.18.52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 16.19.11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_2291 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
Posts: 3,579
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A week and still no news on the bikes!!! There is no online access to tell where the bikes are in the cue. The agents say they are trying, but they can not even tell us when they will be inspected. We did hear today that the Carnets have been signed off. This is getting a bit ridiculous. Orvar and his bike flew into Sydney today and I hope he has better luck.
Today is a holiday and that means Ian is getting to work rebuilding the carburetors on his BMW and Dan is out doing yard work.
Well the bikes have been at customs for 8 days now. They are in quarantine today, but we still have had no real news!! They have not even been inspected yet and it is Friday afternoon again. Thus means nothing will happen until at least Monday. We have been sitting around waiting for the call to come get them, but nothing! You have to use an agent in Melbourne and can not contact customs directly.
We have decided to give Ian a break from us this weekend and we will try and see the Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles now because we are unlikely to get the bikes till some time next week and want to meet our friend Deb in Wodongo next weekend. We were supposed to spend the last 2 weeks with her in Tasmania, but customs has ruined that.
 Screen Shot 2018-03-23 at 21.02.13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We set off on a sunny hot Saturday to Sorrento. Here you can catch the road ferry across the mouth of the Melbourne harbor to Queenscliff in 40 minutes, which will saves hours trying to cross the city.
 Screen Shot 2018-03-23 at 20.58.24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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2 May 2018
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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The crossing was calm and we arrived at 1145. From here we are headed south west to Torquay, which is the start of the GOR. This road is 245 km to Allansford. There was actually not too much traffic and we were hardly held back. There are stunning views of the sea cliffs and beaches. There are several sections thru dense forest as well.
 Australia-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_2305 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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3 May 2018
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Contributing Member
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We finally arrived to Apolo Bay about 4 and stopped to look for a place to stay. We found a backpackers 77 km farther along the B100 and just 6 km from the iconic 12 Apostles.
 Screen Shot 2018-03-23 at 20.58.38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
This way we can see the sun set there and minimize our chance of hitting a kangaroo on the way back after dark. The gas station after Apolo Bay in Lavers Hill was closed already and so we were getting low when we arrived to Princetown (no gas) 30 km later and checked into the slightly sketchy backpackers. We were on fumes 21 Km later in Port Campbell.
 Screen Shot 2018-03-23 at 20.58.52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Here we grabbed some food ( it took and hour to get a souvlaki at the Frying Nemo fast food) and bolted back up the road to the Apostles parking area and walked over just in time for a pretty spectacularly sun set. We also saw our first living Kangaroo (and with a joey).
 Australia-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Australia-33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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3 May 2018
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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It was windy when we rode back, but by 930 it was gale force and then the power went out. It never came back on, which meant no running water either. The next bad news was because of the wind overnight ALL the roads west and north from here are closed by fires. Plus now it is raining and we do not have our own gear. This means a complete back track on the GOR we are told. We decided to ride back to Lavers hill and then try to get north to Colec.
At Lavers 2 other bikers headed up the 155 and so we followed, but found the road to Colec blocked off. We kept going east and turned onto the 159, which is a curvy paved logging road.
 IMG_2310 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_2317 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
About 3/4 of the way across we ran into the police who had turned back all the cars also trying to get thru. They did not say anything to us and 200 m later we saw the other bikers. Up ahead 200 m the ER services truck had just arrived and they set about chain sawing the massive tree blocking the road. 45 min later the was a hole big enough for the bikes to get thru and we were off.
https://youtu.be/7EM23E_ez80
 IMG_2325 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
It was raining hard at times and incredibly windy. We were almost blown into the oncoming lane twice. We pulled up behind 6 guys on Harley’s white knuckling and watched as in turn each pulled off to cower in the ditch. We pushed on and stopped in Winchelsea for some food and to warm up. Checking the ferry schedule we had 45 min to make it 63 km and we just did it. The sun was now out and we headed back “home” to Ian’s.
 IMG_2332 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_2335 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
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helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
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