Gung Ho? Read my 1st post in this thread. I was 1st to suggest practice and taking serious learning to ride to survive.

Regards your comment that a license means you've got skills, been trained and indicates ability to handle a motorcycle. Once again, better step out of the UK mate. :blushing:
In California (we have most licensed motorcyclists of any USA state) has a riding test that is a joke. Tests nothing really. It's not like the UK or Europe where they REALLY test your riding ability and require serious training. Only kids under 18 must take a course before being issued a MC license.

Most USA states are the same ... the bike test is simply riding round a circle, or riding up and back. That's it, you're done. A joke. Also, for your info, we have NO tiered licensing system like UK. A 16 year old who has NEVER ridden a bike can go into a dealer and buy a Hayabusa. (180 MPH top speed)

It's quite rare that a rider hits a pedestrian. Usually other way round where biker gets nailed. But of course care must be taken, insurance should be in place. Practice practice practice!

Drivers license "training" is well overrated. I had to take additional courses to learn the skills I felt I need. I can think of heaps of awesome riders that were riding bikes well before they were "allowed" to and are way better than all the riders that only ever did a license test and associated "training". Hell, Max Verstappen is driving in the formula 1 and only just got his drivers license last week!!!

To the OP. Go for it mate. Use common sense. We did our first trip when we didn't didn't know shit about riding (my Mrs couldn't remember which was the clutch) or bikes. Learnt along the way.

Feel free to have a laugh about it below. We put it up because we thought it would be funny for others, and to show the "nay sayers" that adventure comes with risks but that they are manageable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv4XA3o3nz4

Haha you got me Toby!

And to everyone else, thanks for the encouragement. It's so refreshing when all I get is scorn, disappointment, and worry from my friends and family back home. You guys are the best! bier

I passed my test in the uk and flew out and bought a 250 enduro in Chile. That was two years ago! Now back out here for second trip - my 250 has nearly 35,000k on her. Just learn as you go along. If I can do it anyone can!


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This is my first post here, I'm new to the HUBB but have been around bikes for a few years.
Some points.
Most countries will want to see a bike license
Some will want to see the insurance

and Y in SA, don't believe all you read, check and then check again.


"I passed my test in the uk and flew out and bought a 250 enduro in Chile. That was two years ago! Now back out here for second trip - my 250 has nearly 35,000k on her. Just learn as you go along. If I can do it anyone can! "

this poster, as far as I can see in his past posts, crashed in the first week?
was taken to hospital unconscious, (found by miners thrown on the roadside), broke his bike and is very lucky to still enjoy bikes.

Get someone to teach you.......

To be fair, RTW seems to be the perfect candidate to buddy up with for the initial part of your travels

I noted the same incongruence. Seems odd to be so encouraging of new riders just a year or two after some miners happened along " who probably saved my life." Of course it's also true that lots of people crash, including many with plenty of experience.

Some of the posts in this thread strike me as excessively casual about the actual risks involved in learning to ride and the steep learning curve which most of us have left far behind. But the OP sounds like he's got his feet solidly on the ground.

Mark

Yeah wow interesting find Churchill. Good news is, Toby Shannon of Around the Block Moto Adventures in Peru is going to help me get rolling comfortably and safely. I also have plenty of time to spend here in SA (nearly 7 months), so I'm in absolutely no rush. I will be taking things VERY slowly at first, constantly honing my skills.

Never ridden before - am I crazy?
 

I did crash but had already been riding for six months on a range of different roads in Chile. Not sure if that makes any difference. All it takes is a momentary lapse in concentration and some bad luck. Solo rides across continents are inherently dangerous and skirt disaster, that's why they're adventures. To be fair I had relevant insurance, proper riding gear and helmet, full UK license and planned to have six months getting used to roads and bike (even learning Spanish) - not sure how much more I could have done given the circumstances. I have a totally differing approach to off-road riding now but everyone has to start somewhere and make those initial mistakes which teach us to become better riders.

Whoever said 70% of the roads in South America are paved is not riding in the same South America I am (Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru). Nevertheless, I think your biggest risks will be the cities, e.g. Lima. You need to be able to ride, break, swerve, accelerate automatically without thinking, in anticipation of some nutter pulling in front of you, reversing up a highway, going the wrong way up a one way street etc. If I were you I'd get plenty of practice somewhere quiet.

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Try this in Chile or Argentina and your bike will be taken off you. Believe it or not you do need a licence in these countries.

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I don't think you can prepare for all types of wrecks and accidents. My first was easy--wet city road, idiot doing left turn and stopping when he saw me. The worst--nail in rear tire on the interstate in rush hour traffic. Lucky me, the guy I had just passed had new breaks and good reflexes. I didn't do the fall down on wet grass lesson, but it will probably help you to learn how to set the bike down. Just try to be careful and remember, if someone runs over you, they get their last Driving While Drunk conviction erased from their record.:) Staying paranoid can keep you alive.

my prep story
 

Brought a ~20 year old 750cc from my brother, my first. Completed a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course (highly recommended) and a couple of months later took a test to get my motorcycle endorsement added to my driver license. Rode to work a lot and took a couple of over night trips (including a Horizons Unlimited meeting.)

18 months after starting to ride, I left on a 4 month trip from New Jersey to Costa Rica and back. I was still getting comfortable with turns when I got home. A year or so later I took a performance turns class and now enjoy the curves. =)

Get some safety training and experience in the saddle, but mostly just do it.

None of us in this forum had ridden before we started riding. And most of us are crazy, so yes: If you're not crazy already, you'll become crazy. In a positive sense, most lightly.