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Photo by Brad-Houghton, of Parque Nacional Eduardo Avaroa, Bolivia

Destination ANYWHERE...
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Photo by Brad-Houghton,
The Stone Tree,
Reserva Nacional de
Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa
(Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna
National Reserve)
Bolivia



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  • 1 Post By AlexEkins

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  #1  
Old 1 Day Ago
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Join Date: Feb 2025
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Total newbie looking for inspiration...

Total newbie! I’ve joined here hoping to get some advice and inspiration.

I’m in my fifties and am looking for some new adventures and challenges.

I’ve done a lot of adventurous travelling and mountaineering but I’m wondering if adventure motorbiking might be a way to keep active and challenged as I get older.

I’m looking at creating a long term plan to ride the Trans Moroccan Trail.

I’d be looking at shorter tours and maybe a guided tour or two in Morocco first.

I’m not in hurry which is good thing as I’ve got to learn to ride a motorbike first!

I’m based in Sheffield, UK.

It would great to get some advice. But also feel free to discourage me!

Cheers
Alex
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  #2  
Old 1 Day Ago
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Posts: 4,000
I’m not going to go on and on, because it sounds like you’re in the very early stages of even deciding what you want, much less how to do it. But I did start riding in my fifties, and although I’m slowing drastically heading into my seventies I did manage quite a few adventures before previous errant lifestyle choices started catching up with me. I first started riding as a means of continuing adventurous travel in relative comfort as I aged and became more fragile, and that seemed a valid approach for a decade and a half.

But it’s all highly theoretical until you start riding. Maybe you won’t like it; maybe people you’re close to won’t like it, and will insist you stop. And maybe you won’t be able to make it work financially—this can be a lot more trouble than it first seems. So start by doing whatever it takes to get licensed—this is apparently much more complicated in England than a lot of places—following which you can beg, borrow, steal and/or purchase a bike to see how it feels. You’ll need to get some miles under your belt before joining any sort of guided tour, group or solo, and if you’re not enjoying those miles the whole thing becomes academic.

Hope that’s helpful.

Mark
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  #3  
Old 1 Day Ago
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Join Date: Feb 2025
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Hi Mark
Thank you for your intuitive reply. And yes very helpful.

You've picked up on some of my own fears. And getting the approval of my wife is definitely an issue. Having said that she is very much aware that I have 'enthusiasms' and will most likely hope that this one goes away.

I'm encouraged by your own late start and it's great that you got a good few years of adventures.

So yes first step is get that license.


Thanks again
Alex
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  #4  
Old 8 Hours Ago
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Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: Catalunya
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As per above, learn to ride first, see if you enjoy it, then start planning if you do. Being on a motorcycle is a very different prospect to other modes of transport, it's not just a car without windows (in a good way)
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  #5  
Old 50 Minutes Ago
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Munich, the beer capital
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Go for it! See that you find riding pals in your vicinity with whom you can practice your riding skills.
I only got my m/c license at the age of 52, but was very lucky to have close friends who were all ardent bikers. So I could learn a lot in a short time. Six years later I was fortunate enough to be able to quit my job and fly my bike to Cape Town. And yes, fortunately I've got a wife who keeps me on a very long leash It took me a whole year to get back to Munich....
That said - it is never too late to start with ADV riding.

Good luck!
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