I passed my license in November last year and have given myself the goal of travelling around the world by bike I am just beginning my research and I expect I will require a few years yet before I have the necessary skills to perform this task. Just as well given the pandemic.

I am 31 years old, male, and from London, UK. I am a software engineer and I am very happy with my current position at work so I'm in no rush. I have read parts of the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook although I am more focused on immediately useful skills like confidently riding my bike, and maintaining it.

I would dream of reaching every continent, except maybe Antarctica I have already been to over 20 countries using other means of transport including Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and China.

I have a Honda CB500F. It's a lovely bike but I get the feeling I will be swapping over to the CB500X eventually. I hope to delay that as long as possible though because my bike is a beauty I rode all winter, including nearly every day for 2 weeks over Xmas, rain or shine. I covered 2000 miles before the lockdown.

I am looking forward to learning from you all

Go for it! I wish I was 31, earning reasonable money and wanting to ride round the world.
Keep getting the miles in - With bikes there is unfortunately no substitute for experience. I'd been riding bikes for 10 years before I started despatch riding on London in the '80s and after six months I realised that I hadn't really known anything about riding bikes when I started. Six months later I felt the same again... and so on for 4 or 5 yrs. Riding a bike is a constant learning experience. It's good that you are riding in traffic regularly because it means you are learning about THEM.

Thank you GPZ for the warm welcome. It sounds like you've had more time in the saddle than I have in an office chair and that's saying something

> With bikes there is unfortunately no substitute for experience

Nothing unfortunate about it But I get what you mean I will keep practising once the lockdown is lifted!

> you are learning about THEM

In my petty 2,000 miles I've witnessed two collisions, including one motorcyclist (and both involved a BMW which I have already been warned about). London traffic is no joke!

Welcome motchen!
I'll chime in with "take a course" at least once a year for your first few, you'll be amazed at just how good they are and how much you'll learn. WELL worth the price.
good luck and have fun!

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Thank you Grant this is a wonderful corner of the Internet you've cultivated I will heed your advice.

Hi and welcome.
I can recommend i2i training, Even after 20 years as a full time motorcyclist I did their basic course and learnt a lot. That was about 10 years ago and I’ve a mind to do a couple more of their courses - great for road riding.
Off road training can be expensive but Adventure bike warehouse offer training days in the Peak District and it’s good value.
Personally I wouldn’t worry too much about riding skills - a lot of bike overlanders were travellers first and chose m/c for other reasons than that they rode bikes anyway. Ted Simon, Sam Manicon, Claudio Von Planta, to name but a few, all took their tests shortly before embarking on their travels.
I think you’re right in prioritising mechanical knowledge, although again most people learn on the road - if you take a simple bike. A CB500X will take you round the world a few times and the engine will be fine - maintenance stuff is easy: servicing, brake pads, new tires etc... it’s all on YouTube, as I’m sure you know

What I’m really trying to say, in a roundabout way, is don’t let the bike stuff put obstacles in your way - most modern bikes will go 30K miles trouble free with just a couple of services. If you can commute into London your bike skills will be good enough. Organisational stuff is the hardest - it’s enough, don’t add to it.

Cheers

I've never heard of i2i training. I think my biggest priority is defensive riding. I hope to take a course in this summer. There's not much opportunity for getting my knee down in London, but there are plenty of pillocks

i2i sounds like a 2021 course though! I'm definitely one of those idiots who will look at a lamp post and ride straight in to it. I think that's 100% because of my skill level. It's one thing to read about countersteering, it's another to be taking a bend at a speed that you perceive to be too quick and to lean more as a reaction. I ended up in a grassy knoll at a busy junction already because of that.

Then 2022 is maybe the year of the dirt I think that's what I'm most excited about, but I have to make sure I can get to dirt in one piece first.

And thanks for putting the bike stuff in perspective. It's definitely the part that's the most fun compared to insurance, route mapping, etc. but you're right. I haven't spent enough time organising it, beyond fantasizing whilst looking at maps. Cape Town is only 177 hours of driving according to Google Map. How hard can it be

In all honesty I have flown over so many amazing looking parts of the world and wished I was down there. I cannot wait to see the world from the ground and to properly understand its scale.