First paraplegic to ride around the world solo?
 

Hi,

I'm new to this forum, main reason why I wanted to join up is to try and figure out if a paraplegic person has rode a bike around the world, Solo.

I have a '09 Ural that I have set up so I can ride with my hands only.
I have done some trips through different parts of Australia on my own.
I camp out and have all the gear required to be self sufficient, sleeping, Cooking, toliteries and I can fit my chair in the side car, my dog comes along with me sometimes also.

I'm thinking I want to start planing a trip around the world starting from Sydney - Darwin. Through Asia to the UK then across to Canada then through the states to South America.

I have done some motobike touring through SE Asia previous to my accident.
And recently got back from road trip starting in the UK then traveling from the sands of the Sahra to the Nordkapp in the artic circle, top of Norway. 30 000km in total. I had the car adapted so I could drive.

I've given myself a year to plan the trip, at this stage its just an idea, Although I have alot of the gear required to tour long distances.

So I was wondering Manymar and China are the two big countries I'm not sure about crossing. I know Manymar is a no no. But China from what I heard is notoriously dificult to cross.

Whats the process required to cross these countries?

Also does any one know if it has been done before. Could I be the first Para to tour the world solo?

Here's a couple of pics of my setup ( and one with my little puppy :thumbup1: )

Friggin Hell
 

I don't normally swear on this site, but frigging hell!!!

Well if you gotta do it you've gotta do it.

You are right about Manymar - it is impossible to cross unless you want to do lots of secret squirrel stuff, and through you lot behind chance, so I would rule that out (as we did when we drove UK- India in our car).

China you need a guide - which is again almost impossible to avoid unless you want to go all secret squirrel, and costs some money (you can share the guide, or just speed through the country to cheapen it). I think to cross Laos - Pakistan or similar you would be looking at $3000 AUS or there about, maybe more maybe less.

Lots of information on this site about crossing China, so worth having a browse .....

Anyhow, if you get to the UK, let us know, and maybe we can put you up ... although we are a little out of the way.

Good luck .....

wow..what an undertaking
 

not sure if we can help at all...but we have GPS refs for 69 countries that are downloadable from the front of our website.

if there is anything more specific throw us an email. but unfortunately didint get to go through China due to the horrendous costs associated with that trip.

BTW - we are making our way down from Thailand to Australia right now. may see you on the way up!
good luck

Hey Handy man,

Nice setup. In regards to China, the cost and hassle of the required guide mean that most people ride across Russia instead from Vladivostok. You can get a bike shipped by sea to Vlad or by sea or air into South Korea and from there hop a short ferry to Vlad. From there it's a long ride to Moscow, but many drop into Mongolia on the way. Another variation after you get more west is to ride through the Stans.

There is one rider that I'm aware of, here's the link to his site.
DaveBarr.com

Have fun planning and let me know if you have any questions.

Check out Walter Colebatch's blog, the Tokyo to London Project. He went through China on a bike in 1994 without a guide.

Best of Luck for your endeavour :thumbup1:

Rtw
 

Hi Handy Man,

Keep good and detailed notes and write a book when your finished, or keep good video footage for a doc, it is a unique chance of probably a unique undertaking. It will be shining example for people around the world. Power is in the mind!

Actually a friend of mine met a paraplegic german guy last year who was driving around Africa with his modified Mercedes camper van and he wasn't avoiding the back country and remote area's!

Cheers and bon voyage,
Noel

Wow!

I can't offer any constructive advice about routes or countries, so I'll leave that to others who know more than me. But the level of determination you obviously have will stand you in good stead.

Keep a diary because your story will inspire others and challenge stereotypes.

Good luck with your endeavour. You are an inspiration!

Just do it bro, if you have problems at the border then go somewhere else, it's their loss not yours!

chinas a guide unless you can hire a chinese bike in the country, you can hire the chinese ural copies but then it would need modded but you wouldnt need a guide.
I know there was a double leg amputee who did a rtw on a harley sidecar setup but never heard of a paraplegic.
As for the USA try advrider its mostly american and theres alot of both ural people and also a few folks with modded trikes and sidecars for various medical reasons too, Im very surprised you havnt got ride reports of what you have done already. There is also a few guys with direct contacts with ural who do testing for them stateside you never know you have already proved you can do long trips you might get a little help from ural along the way.

Thanks for the info guys,

I'm thinking of trying to set some kind of world record, 'First paraplegic to tour the world on a motorbike, solo'. But unfortunately after looking at the GWR site they don't accept feats accomplished by disabled people.
Don't ask me why its almost discrimination I'd say.

This is what was on their site as part of the conditions when attempting a record, Its kind of a little unclear to me but I have applied already (4 -6 week wait to see the out come) -

• While we do not want to take away from any achievements, records which are qualified by disability or personal handicap cannot be accommodated in a reference work as general as Guinness World Records.

So I was thinking of trying to set a record as the first person to ride a motorbike around the world, solo using hand controls only?

Reason why I want to try and attempt to set a world record, it to attract more publicity to my trip.

I want to try and make it a charity ride to help benefit other people with spinal cord injuries. As well as inspire them at the same time.

I am currently looking at some organizations that will help me arrange this as a charity ride, although I have never attempted to do anything like this so it is all new to me.

Also if I can gain some kind of publicity I may be able to encourage some type of sponsorship, Like 'pictish' mentioned from Ural, Tilite (the manufacturer of my wheelchair) or any other company that might be interested.

It's still just an idea at this point, but and Idea that I'm pretty keen on.
So I guess the best way to start is by doing my homework first...

AWESOME dude! go for it!

Wow! Legend! Go for it man. Seek and you shall find. Pity about the GWR thing, but hey, it's for you anyway, and it's not the only forum these days for records of such things. You will pave the way for many more to have the adventures you will have. I'm looking forward to your book already.
Peace man, enjoy the trip. Keep us posted here!
You may ride it solo, but we are all with you all the way!

There was an article in American Motorcyclist ( the AMA's member's mag.) a while ago about a guy, probably in his fifties, who rode around the world with a prosthetic leg, but I think it was just the one leg. And I think someone just made a documentary about some paraplegics riding around Australia on ATVs, but I've not heard of anyone doing what you're planning.

As other's have said, there's plenty of here on the various countries. Just takes a little digging.

I think it's a great idea and don't see any reason a lack of working legs should make it undoable, although i'm thinking running out of gas would we worse, but the Ural gives you plenty of space to carry extra.

Handy Man, you have all my respect!!! :thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1:


And your dog is fantastic, tell him that my female German shepherd says "Hi" to him! :-)

Dave Barr
 

I dont know what the technical definition of paraplegic is ... But Dave Barr is your Benchmark. Disabled (legless) biker extraordinaire ... has ridden around the world in the early 1990s - solo.

Google him for more info, but he also has a page on this site ... but as far as I know has never used the site.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/davebarr/

I understand their position because you could easily argue its discrimination to include feats by disabled people ... like saying do they have a category for first black man to ride around the world or shortest man to ride around the world. By categorising people ... you ARE discriminating. You are defining them by their disability / status.

The other issue for them is instead of having one category ... first person around the world, you would have thousands of categories. First blind man to ride around the world, first deaf man, first dwarf, first paraplegic, first spina bifida person etc etc etc. Then there is first deaf woman, first blind woman etc ... then there is the first paraplegic deaf man etc ... it multiplies into thousands of potential categories.

Maybe its just me, but I dont like ANY categorisation of people, whether the reasons are positive or negative.

By removing the focus on the person, GWR can focus on the act. First trip around the world by motorcycle, fastest sailing of the Atlantic, longest motorcycle jump ... or whatever ... that way they can remove themselves from categorising people.

Then there is the grey and somewhat controversial topic of defining how you categorise people.

.... but thats all for external people like me or GWR...

If YOU choose you market your trip as the first paraplegic to ride around the world (subject to my post above re Dave Barr), then there is nothing stopping you. There is no doubt about it, it will be easier for you to get sponsorship and publicity for that than for non-disabled people to get sponsorship for a ride around the world. The fact that GWR wont make a category for it doesnt mean jack squat. There are loads of bike travel records that are quite well known but either non existent as a Guinness category or did not go thru the hoops before the trip to get it verified by GWR. Either way, nobody doubts them. And I really dont think it takes away much from the marketability of the story.

Dave Barr above is the first guy to ride a Harley around the world. They fact that its not verified by GWR doesnt really detract from the achievement.

I wouldnt be put off by it. Do your trip and be proud of it.

easy way
 

first off, you don't strike me as the sort of guy that takes the easy way but as a back up plan incase china s too expensive or just not happening make your way to s.korea or japan a ferry to vladivostok is easy enough then the trans Siberian hwy mostly tarmac now just 10 % roadworks in the summer 09 when I did it. Then to Mongolia or stay in Russia all the way to Europe. Plenty of urinals oops sorry ural’s in the old ussr mostly in the countryside being piloted by drunk farmers so parts should be ok.
Be sure to contact me when you get to the UK garage and accommodation sorted.
Jack

Hi, sounds like a great plan. I am a T9 para and my legs are definitely on holiday and I like your idea and plan. I have been using a chair since 2006. What did you do about the reverse shifter for the ural? Did you fab a lever for that. Did you put the shift lever on the right side so that you can clutch with your left hand. How has the reliability been with your ural, I have heard great things and sometimes the occasional problem. I was talking to Ricky James's (injured motocross racer) Dad and he said that Ricky uses a pingle electric shifter, he has raced the Baja 500 on his Honda. I do love the look of the Ural. One cool thing if you did start traveling is to visit a rehab hospital or two and do some motivating. When you are first injured most people have no idea of what you can do, they figure you are screwed. In a lot of countries things are not very good if your in a chair, kinda weird considering a lot of those countries have more than their fair share of war, injuries.

Anyone ever know how to get in contact with Handy Man?

I'm a paraplegic with an unfinished RTW trip as well and I've got many questions for him. Looks like he hasn't been on this site for several years. I can't googleify any other results for him either.