Dan,
I feel privileged that you responded to my post (although the other posts have much more depth). Believe it or not I have heard of you. In fact I read your article in Bike magazine last week. I don't understand half of what you say but enjoyed reading it just the same. I'm not sure whether you’re a literary genius or just spend most of the day thumbing through your pocket dictionary.

Your comments almost come across as what I would characterize as a "Dream Krusher", MikeBike Dictionary Def: "One who taunts and superimposes outlandish unsubstantiated societal expectations on another’s dreams for self actuating purposes"

It could be said that quitting one's job, hopping on a bike, and skirting all responsibilities in the absence of planning, and common sense is adventurous. Or it may be characterized as selfish and shallow. Is my approach better; Plan, gather information, search for the right riding partners, solicit other more experienced riders for help? I can't really say, but I have my approach, you have yours. Would it be righteous to criticize you just because you take a different path? I would argue not. I applaud your adventure, and would step up to help your cause in a moments notice if needed. Dan, your a ball crusher and that's why many of us are enamored with your writing. One thing that I like about you Dan, is that you speak before you think. Come to think about it that is how I am. Man do we have a lot in common. I am extremely stoked to see your response to my post....and believe we might very well travel together some day, and we could even exchange witty idioms!

1. You know what they say: "Better to be known for something, than never known." I guess my work is done here. LOL.

2. I take it that your comment is a form of writers’ comic relief. NO, I'm not kidding, this is me, my style, what you see is what you get, my humor might be dry, and make you cry, but it’s not arid extra dry, see the service desk for your refund, guy!

3. This is strait up. I did meet to talk with a "Life Purpose Consultant". Her name is Nancy. She says you may have a lot of problems to work through too. Bottled up anger, repressed child hood, you know all that physiological mumble jumble crap.

4. Keep in mind that I'm not just looking for an Adventure but a "soulful recognition of my heartfelt promise to journey on"; basically a Purpose in Life, a reason to get out of the house, to explore the world....as long as it doesn't take more than 40 days. Really now do I have to explain it to you. I don't want to miss the important stuff. I don't have time to read all the guide books cover to cover. I want to engage with other travelers, hear their tales, and become a WORLD TRAVELER. Besides, I only have one chance to see Central & South America, as my next trip will be to Africa!!!!!

5. So let me get this strait. You never go to the movies? You haven't seen ANY of the Motorcycle Adventure flicks? Have you been voted in as official HUBB spokesperson? How can you say "We don't need your film, we're living it?" Do you dare judge our adventure before you even see it? Shallow. SHAllow. SHALLOW. Maybe I can get You (DAN WALSH), Ted Simon, and Charlie Borman to make the run with me? Now that would be a movie worth seeing.

6. No disrespect to Grant & Susan. But they were the newbie once to. I'm sure they would agree that this website is far from perfect. All of us can improve, even if just a little. Of all the websites this one may score high in content but it needs a hearty dose of upgrade to be perfect. My site will likely not be any better, probably not even close...heck, I don't even have a functional website yet.

7. I don't get it! What are you talking about? How does Pilates apply here? I'm sorry to be the one to break the news to you:

a. Motorcycle travel IS the "The Next Big Thing"-The numbers of cross continent travel is growing each year and at a surprising rate. Well that's how I feel anyway. No facts, data or references to stand on; besides having official documentation would be veering too close to that capitalist thingy.

b. I think that motorcycle adventures could actually be the kabbalah, at least expressed by your words oh holy one. LOL. Never could picture myself as a monk either.

c. Come on, you write for Bike. What else clogs up the works and contributes to the Addictive System more than this sub culture? We buy bikes we don't need, travel where we don't have to go, waste precious natural resources bleaching, printing, and dumping a bunch of egotistical, corporate profit making, propaganda, pictures and words that do nobody any good.

d. If this is your concept of self-sufficiency then we are all doomed. Maybe you meant sustainability? But that hope burned up with the industrial revolution. Our cause today is Individualism not community. Which is what I hope our adventure movie will show. We are all in this together; let’s arrive with smiles on everyone’s face.

e. If you really want to see “how and who you are away from the safety nets of sat phones and breakdown trucks and travel guides”, then go and work five years for the Peace Corp, or perform some other dignified act. Driving around the world embellishing everything in your path isn't exactly a holistic and healing mantra.

8. If riding to self destruction is the adventure's way of life, I definitely don't want it. If you don't care about the cameras why do you write for Bike? Posing for pictures. The flight of uselessness. Purpose without reason. You can't get any closer to faking it than that. What do you mean “faking it for the cameras,” you give me too much credit. I'm not an actor, maybe a good extra, but nothing more. I couldn’t fake it if I tried.

9. If you don't want to contribute that's ok. I'll still buy Bike Magazine. Just wish they would list the bike specs in English System units, as I don't read Metric well. But let me pose a question: How does one make a Motorcycle Adventure Movie without riders; what movie doesn't have "Participants"? We don’t need another shite movie! Exactly my point, we don't want a shite movie that is why we won’t buy a camcorder, hop on our bike and expect it to be movie quality. It takes an idea, a theme, a story line, planning, patience, not bulldog tenacity. And as far a making a PROFIT, I don't even expect to even break even. I'm spending the money so that I have a video record of the adventure, of the life changing impact it will have, a record of the comrade and unraveling lust for life that will most definitely transpire.

10. It would be nice to get Ted Simon or other HUBB members to comment on my post. Is it really that whacked up and on par with dog dodo that it deserves this kind of lambasting? Not even ONE word of encouragement. Didn’t I say even ONE inspiring word? Irregardless, it doesn't matter as I have had more fun, laughs, and the more stimulating dialogue than I can ever remember. However, I may very well forget the whole thing and just throw in the towel now!

Any reccomendations on how to throw a towel?

Mike

PS How do you like your BMW Dakar? Doesn't seem to have the load carrying capacity that we will need but looks to be a very stout motorbike! Would you recommend it for our trip?

[This message has been edited by motorbikewithmike.com (edited 10 February 2006).]

Hello Mike,

You have really stired up a hornets nest with this one mate! All I will say is if you enjoy riding and travelling do it! Don't worry what people say but don't try and get people to see your side either. And the next thing I believe that you MUST do, is learn to ride a bike!! That will help you greatly upon this adventure.

Good luck on both
Dingo

Please heed Susans warning. From all the posts it seems that you all have Hollywood fever. Mike is a flake!! He pulled this same stunt on another MC site a year and a half ago. Do not fall prey to this bull-crap artist. He is not funded nor credentialed. My $0.02!!

Lizanne, I did read Susan's warning, she was obviously not aware of the data you just posted, it would have been more effective if you had been so forthcoming at an earlier date.
Perhaps we should all, Mike included, try not to create effects in others that they cannot have easily. Being accused of Hollywooding and being forearmed by you is a little hard to take, even for a tough ol biker like me. I think posting with respect, manners, and in a positive way, Maarten's "Colombian friends" excluded, will help forward the Johnson's goal for Horizons Unlimited. If I am wrong, I am sure I will hear promply from Susan.

__________________
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Discover how to legally Buy, Tour and Sell a motorcycle in Argentina

Maaaaate!
Long Way Round????? They should have called that "I'll take the high road". Jejeje

Two weeks ago I came home to find my Mum (yeah, right my MUM I'm living with my Mum while I plan my Jnauary trip; gotta love her): watching TLWR to try and experience what her "little boy" (I'm 30+) had been through.

I saw two motorbikes being loaded onto AllWheelDrive trucks, while the boys drank hot coffee from the third of their 7 support vehicles and chatted with... GET THIS!!!... their traveling medico! That is funny. Yes I mean, really funny, then sad, than aggravating, then funny again. This was 20 minute sof television.. I don't get it.

Perspective, man. I had the same river crossing in Honduras. the rains had commenced , so the locals had warned me (this is what it's all about dude) that I had a small window to ride 40 kilometres of rocky donkey trails to beat the the rising river crossing or I would be stranded. I ignored their sperior knowledge of the local conditions (I was already low on petrol).

The ride their through a tunnelled canopy of jungle with birds racing the bike ahead of me cos they were going too fast to re-enter the jungle canopy is possibly the most out of this world thing I have ever seen. ( Bit melodramatic cos I say that about many memories). Rambling... anywaaaaay.

I arrive at the river, waters are rising and I have to get across now or I'm stuffed. (40km of hard enduro is about an hour and a half give or take). I've got my whole life strapped on the back of a pissy little Suzuki DR 200 that I bought in Guatemala (Laptop, 2x cameras, tools, spare tube, clutch, tent hammock and not many clothes or anything else cos this bike was a baaaaby...

I give it the best she's got ; to try and aqua plane half teh river crossing (about 25meters to halfway).

Aqua planing a DR200 is huge mistake, lol. I've made about 25metres of my crossing when the chain hits a rock so hard it flys off and jams in the rear wheel.

Hmmm...No trucks, no NAV SAT, no support crew...

The water is rising, I'm shitting myself. fight or flight????

First instinct:look for help... there is no-one:
Second, drop the bike, **** it I am over this shit. I'm gonna walk the next 25,000 kms!
Third instinct: after crying a little, kicking the water a bit more, cursing a LOT (God, Honduras, Latinos, gringos, myself, Suzuki...)...
I drag the bike, through rapid waters about 45cm deep to a boulder rising from the midst of the water.

Prop the back up, pull out my tools, try and pry the chain loose, (waters rushing along, bike is balancing on a rock, I'm edging toward panic) ... no go!

Drop the rear wheel off the bike, free the chain, put the wheel back on.

I tell you i will never again achieve a 35 second solo wheel removal and replacement again. I have hit my PB. Ferrai F1 feel free to contact me via my email...

Waters have risen about 10 cms more (This is alot!!! I am at about maximum depth before I'm screwed and I'm losing everything.

Revving the **** out of it, i make the opposite shore semi-hysterical; laughing, crying, screaming, punching the air. Sit down o the bank and reward myself with a big Havana cigar and a few swigs from a $5 bottle of rum. Aaaaaaah.

Now, the true hilarity.

A few Hondurans had sat and watched this from high up on the bank, kept quiet and pissed them selves laughing. I am POSITIVE they were barracking for the river. They come down and want to join my celebration cause they hadn't realised I had rum and cigars. (I assure you if they had , I'd have had a dozen guys carrying the bike out of the river).

I shared my rum and cigar, (road rage doesn't exist in the jungle), and to my great pleasure was offered a joint! What a magnificent end to an adventure, smoking a BIGGGG Scoob in the jungle, at the side of a raging river that nearly ended my journey.

Heaven... that truly is the garden of Eden. It is your constant rewrad on the road, that you will visit Eden after the greatest tests. Nearly every time.

So... dude... standing around whining while your 10 wheel, All Wheel Drive trucks cross your bike for you? Hardly good TV. That wasn't riding mate, that was The Ewan McGregor Show. No more, no less.

POST NOTE: JUST REALISED THIS WAS SUCH AN OOOOOOLD PSOT> Uplate...lol. But will leave it here cos I went to teh trouble to write one of my stories down....
(aren't I feeling dumb!)

Deadly story, boss! Makes me want to head out the door right now!

What would the perfect Website include?
Girls, girls, girls....pornography is the highest grossing EBusiness in the world.
What would the perfect Website include?
Please see above
What qualifications should a riding partner meet?
Please see above
Which motorcycle to use: Avantages, disadvantages, cost, comfort, reliability?
Any thing that goes, that you can walk away from... cause you might have to. there is another post about chinese ZzhongShen bikes... try one of them I reckon.
Is sponsorship really necessary?
Necessary? Nothing is necessary, except for a bit of food, a bit of alcohol, and a lotta patience. Georgey W might think about throwing in a few dollars if you ride through some Coca Plantations...
What charities do we support?
Ummm Step 1: Make the monay... step 2: Decide how to spend the monay. Cart:Horse... no the other way around....lol
The evil of marketing: Were do I sign?
Hire Ewan McgGegor
Legal Consultant required?
Pedro-Ishmael the Third. If you get caught crossing borders with Charles... shouldn't be a prob tho' I accidentally found some Honduran magic when I cleaned pack in Colombia...lol
Best Bike Modifications (Bike Bits)?
One piece of tie-wire, one set pliers attached to bike for later use.
What to see & do?
Duhh! R U kidding? Latin soap operas are to die for. Literally.
Will just any motorcycle photographer do?
Theybahve a moto that will take photos??? Has Japan invented that already? What WILL they think of next?
What route should we take?
Head south... (Be careful of the End Of the World tho, so you don't drop off)
What to take on the trip: Spare parts, equipment, gear, supplies?
A good strong Southern Accent, a bad haircut, spare underwear (Mum said always wear fresh undies in case you end up in hospital), a copy of your voting card PROVING you didn't vote for George W Battleprone, some Pesos.
Best videoing and filming strategy?
If its getting dull zoom into the winning applicant (see answers 1, 2, 3)
Is a Satellite phone really necessary?
Who you gonna call...(ain't 'fraid a no ghosts)... Ghost Busters!
Which shipping drop points for sending out film and getting new supplies?
Shipping Drop Points (or SDPs as they are referred to by my corpoarte denizens) have been proven to be myth made up by Gerge W to perpetuate the other myth that anyone CAN access the media to enforce their right to free speech. CIA Disinformation section invented this myth about a myth strategy in the 1960s.
What to eat and what to avoid?
Eat: Beans, Pan, fried meat and potatoes... there is nothing else.
Avoid: The beans, the pan, the meat and the potatoes.....Oh, and the police, and the robbers, and the right extremist paras, and the left extremist guerrillas, and the middle extremist conservative socialists.
What are the dangers: Diseases, sickness, accidents, theft?
The dangers... avoid these, all these and keep shooting your assistant, constantly, for the whole trip. Keep shooting her, and avoiding all the fun, danger and disease. E Business=porn, remember. Danger = adventure.
To Chase or not: Can the trip be successful without a chase vehicle?
If the vehicle tags you is it ur turn to chase? Is there a ball involved? How will you fill those long days along the Peruvian coastline without a bit of bumper tag?
Should a Life Purpose consultant be consulted?
What the fukkkkk is a Life Purpose Consusltant?
That sounds so cool. (not)
Will he have a life-profit based approach or a fairness and equity principle that should be adhered to for longer term life sustainability.

I know a GREAT Life Purpose Consultant that will find you anywhere you are in Central/Sth Am... his name is CHARLIE......
Fitness trainer real needed pre-trip?
Assuming LPC (above) will keep our mental fitness up to scratch, I am thinking RICHARD SIMMONS would be cool celebrity alternative to Ewan MGregor.

(That would honestly be really, really cool. I'm actually selling myself on this, Richie, in tights, on a bike, in the Heart Of Drakness Darien Gap)
Health, Digestion, & Diet Consultant: Hollywood hype?
Definitely, someone to tell you "eat more beans"? Perhaps Jamie Oliver? Richie Simmons and Jamie Oliver.. yeah, I'm feeling it man, I'm feeling it.
What to expect at Borders Crossings?
Expect to enter a new country, eat more beans, fart a little and move on to the next border crossing...

Cheers mate,
Good luck,
Thirty days.... ummm, perhaps a cooking show.

Jeeze, you have way too much time on your hands Cpt Barb!

__________________
Mike


www.singapore-scotland.blogspot.com
www.argentina-alaska.blogspot.com
My little Vid: India/Pakistan

BMW R1150GS
Suzuki DR650 SE: Ride it like ya stole it. Oh, somebody just did...

LMAO!!
You sure you weren't suckin' down on a scoob while you posted that, Cpt.?!