Where to do my first OS adventure bike tour?
 

Hi All

I'm from Australia and while I've ridden bikes on & off for years I'm just starting out with serious ADV touring. I'm picking up my new BMW R1200GSA in about a month and will start with touring remote parts of Oz.

In about a year I would like to take the bike overseas and I'm seeking advise from you about which continent to start with. I've travelled overseas a bit so used to international travelling, but not sure where to start with a motorbike tour when I'm new to shipping etc.

I'm thinking South America through CA and the USA and into Canada / Alaska depending on the season.

Any thoughts, experiences, reccomendations, other ideas etc will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Daz

Hi Daz,

A lot of your fellow countrymen go that route. No carnet required in the Americas so you avoid that expense. Continents are connected except for the pesky Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama so only one boat or plane ride for you and the bike while there.

You could spend a lifetime and not see everything there as you follow the weather from south to north or vice versa. I could think of worse ways to break in a new bike for 30-40,000 kilometers. And north of Mexico they speak a language similar to yours.;-)

I suggest reading ride reports both here and on advrider.com to see what areas interest you and what others have found. A great way to learn more. Here's one to get you started of a sheila from Tassie currently on the road in the Americas:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=825139



Cheers,
John Downs

I think the Americas would be a good choice. But you might want to consider starting in Canada and heading south if your time frame permits it vis a vis the weather patterns in the area. This way you can give the bike a good shakedown knowing there's a reasonably good network of BMW dealers throughout Canada and the USA in case you need some work. It'll also be easier to get new tires in the southern USA before you cross into Mexico. There are BMW dealers in Mexico and Central America but they seem to gradually become farther and farther apart. You'll also get used to travelling while not having to speak another language for a while.

Mexico is pretty tame and friendly as far as "foreign" countries go, so it would be a fairly soft landing at first ...as opposed to being plunked in the middle of a Spanish speaking country right from the start and staying immersed in that for the next several months.

Of course none that may matter to you if you're someone who thrives on sudden change :-)


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

Hi Michelle

Thats good advise about starting in Canada when I'm new to overseas touring and putting the bike through it's paces. Though I hope to do a fair amount of km's in outback OZ before I head OS. I didn't think much about spare parts / dealers etc so thanks for highlighting that.

Language barrier doesn't bother me too much as I've been working and living in non English speaking for the last 5 years ... there always seems to be a way to get the message across, even in Vietnam where it was very difficult but a bit of hand gesturing, pointing and drawing...and like magic I got what I needed!!

thanks again for your advice, appreciated.

Cheers Daz

PS Electrician is a great trade - I'm one of them too !!

Hi John

I have read some blogs, the SA to Alsaka trip looks fantastic. I was thinking of Africa first but I thought that would be a little daunting for a solo rider on thier first major tour. For some reason I feel like the Americas will be easier. As long I can understand those southern accents from the USA hehe ;)

I checked out the link you gave me, great photo's and blog. I'm feeling more inspired every time I see people actually doing it!!