Hello good folks!
I have been looking around here for a while and since yesterday, I am a member.
I am 36 years old, male, ride an Africa Twin, come from Germany, live in Sweden and work in Norway : )
My love to ride on 2 wheels could not stop me from taking a very expensive drivers license for an 80cc and the question was never if I should take the license for a motorbike but if I should drop the one for the car.
In 1995, when I was still riding my father´s bike, my brother died in an accident with his Honda 600 CBR. This kind of changed my life, I took over his role in many ways, even his job. All of a sudden I was the oldest of now three children..But somehow I could not stand to buy my Africa Twin half a year after his death.
It took 6 years until I broke out of this self-made prison and flew to British Columbia. I had always been attracted by Canada and Norway.
But, as life plays, I was persuaded to come home after 3months and started a new company with a former colleague.
To make it short: after 3 years with this company and the on-going feeling that I should take care of my family...I "escaped" to Sweden and worked as a doghandler. I took a new education up there and worked as a guide in Sweden and Norway (Spitsbergen). Then I started to work with youngsters having drug problems. This is what I still do, at least for one more week. On the 23rd of may, I will leave this work with the possibility to return in the beginning of december. As I feel right now, I won´t.
That´s where the bike comes in again: Somewhere deep inside there is a desire to go back to BC and ride a bike, maybe up to Alaska and down to Ushuaia, maybe just across Canada..
Sitting here (visiting my parents) with the feeling that I have to do that now or never, in the same time hearing my parents yell because of nothing and knowing that it would break my mother´s heart if anything happened to me, I have got a hard time focusing on the project. I start to wonder if the trip itself is what has been waiting for me since 1995 and that it could be sort of a healing to do it or if I have to get some help instead of "running away"
I know that this forum is not meant to be a psychological trashcan, but maybe someone out there has experienced similar things. Maybe it is just all about fear and that could be a common problem before such a trip, all alone.

I would be glad for any comments! I will not be angry if you call me crazy. : )
Cheers and take care!
Tobi