HU Travellers Meeting Ireland 2017

Jim Wilson Riding High in the Andes Trying for the altitude record autonomously riding a motorcycle at altitude.

The highs and lows of trying to break the highest altitude on a motorbike in Chile and Argentina. This is story of three guys and a girl heading to South America to play in the Andes on some KTM Freerides. They flew themselves and the bikes to Santiago, Chile and travelled north up into and across the Andes and into Argentina where they spent 4-5 days at a time riding in the mountains at high altitude. They share their preparations, the kit list, the ideas, and the training.

Séamus, Jim, Kev and Míde were on this trip together. Between them, they have travelled Russia, Mongolia, Africa, South America and across Europe on motorbikes and in a Jeep. They have many miles travelled and many experiences between them.

Sean McAnulty The White Elephant does Cape Nord A 3-month trip from Ireland to the top of Europe

Import a Toyota Landcruiser troopcarrier from Australia and place it in Ireland, and Ireland suddenly seems smaller. So with a flying pig strapped to its bullbars off it went on a 3 month journey to the top of Europe in a race to beat Norwegian winter driving legistlation. Learn what makes a good overlanding truck. Discover what swear words to use when fixing your truck at the side of a motorway. Learn what not to take on a trip. Learn the fate of said pig.

Sean likes old 4x4 trucks, does his own mechanicing, and uses them for work and overlanding around Australia, Northern Europe, and even Greenland. He's just back from relocating campervans around Australia.

Jim Kelsey, Riding the BAM Road Conquering the Eastern BAM Until 2014, attempts on the eastern half had failed. Then Kev had an idea...

The BAM Road is no more! Well, the road is gone, the route remains. The road was built to facilitate the construction of the Baikal–Amur Mainline Railway. It hasn't been maintained since the railway was completed in 1974. It snakes through the Taiga Forest, greater in size than all of Europe. Washed away for melting ice, the road leads to remnants of bridges which have collapsed into swollen rivers. Temperatures range from -50 to +30 degrees. Mosquitoes abound. While the western half is frequently travelled, as of July 2014, a number of attempts to conquer the eastern half had failed. Kev, Mark, Gary, Ned and Jim decided to have a go. Sure, what could go wrong??

Jim came to off-roading and adventure riding late through falling in with the wrong people, the sort that puts fun before practicality.

Liam McCabe Make It Up As You Go Along Around the world in four years.

Leaving Belfast in 1999, Liam rode his Africa Twin solo to India for the Millennium, and continued through southeast Asia, Australia, shipping to South America, continuing north to New York, and finally returning to Belfast in 2003. The complete trip lasted three years and nine months.

After various smaller trips of three months, biking in Europe and north Africa, and backpacking, Liam returned to bike travel. Wanting somewhere to go for the millennium and without any great preparation, he made a plan to ride to India.

Frank McNelis African Adventure! From Dublin to Capetown helping to raise awareness and funds for children in Zambia.

This is the story of Frank's solo trip from Dublin to Capetown and the amazing adventures, sights, people, cultures, and weather he experienced along the way. From the snow storms in Europe and thunderstorms in Asia to the heat of the Sahara desert, Pyramids of Egypt and the River Nile taking the ferry down lake Nasser. Difficult and lawless roads in Kenya. Jungles and savanna fires in central Africa. Close encounters with wildlife. Border crossing experiences. It really was an amazing adventure!

Wanting to travel the world, but with little time to spare over the last 15 years, Frank has been taking trips from 4-8 weeks at a time. He has so far managed to travel from Alaska to Argentina, from Norway to South Africa, and a lot of Europe. He's always planning the next one...

Mide Maher Granny on the Road of Bones

This is the story of an Irish Granny, two Irish lads and two Germans riding the Road of Bones from Magadan to Yakutsk. The story begins with a jeep and a trailer with two bikes on it leaving Abbeyleix, in the centre of Ireland, and travelling to far eastern Siberia. Mide and friends joined the jeep briefly to get (most of) the bikes into Russia!! They flew home, then, while the jeep travelled across Russia to Magadan. They picked up a stray English fella who travelled with them to Yakutsk. They rode a Honda CRF230, a KTM 690 and three BMW X Challenges. They made some amazing new friends and were warmly welcomed by all the local people. Hospitality like tehy've never experienced before.

Mide is a mom of four and Granny to Oisin. Since she met Kev in 2007, her life has been one big adventure. She learned to ride motorbikes, travelled all over Europe and, this year, travelled to Siberia to ride the Old Summer Road, Road of Bones.

Ronan Egan, 2 Bikes Go East 2 Bikes Go East - Petrol and Pedals In search of adventure: hiking, cycling, motorbiking the Himalayas, South India, and SE Asia on a budget and how you can, too.

What's it like cycling in the Himalayas at altitude and bringing all your food with you? Is it any fun? How do you get a bicycle to Asia? What kind of experiences will you have if your max speed on the flat is 20kph? In nine months of travel, what were the more interesting places you saw in SE Asia? The aim of this talk is to give you a flavor of what it's like to cycle and motorbike the Himalayas and Asia, then let you know how to go about heading off yourself and making best use of your 20 kph speed.

Ronan will tell a few of the more interesting stories from the road, like how by sheer luck he and his girlfriend, Alice, ended up cycling in the direction of where the Dalai Lama was teaching to a field of Buddhists, cycling 10 days into a valley where the other end was still snowbound, hoping their luck would hold and they would get to the other side in time to see the Dalai Lama. Pushing small Indian cars over landslides with Buddhist monks in robes, hoping they wouldn't have to retreat back out of the valley in the yellow bus of shame! They liked to mix it up and ended up renting Enfields, Hondas and Scooters for side trips that would make great 2 week holidays, we'll show you these trips and give you the details on how to get there. The pity about a lot of trips is folks stick to one thing, so hopefully this talk will show you how it's possible to mix it up. They'll have maps along for anyone interested.

Ronan is the creator of the Fiat 127 Cabriolet for racing in his uncle's fields. Petrol-powered transport was always a passion. Then add the possibilities of travel and it was always a dream to head off on wheels. For his first trip, Ronan couldn't afford a motorbike, so it was South America by bicycle. Second big trip was Asia, again by bicycle, with Alice, and some rental moto fun.

Dave Flooks Peruvian Adventure. "Adventure"? Really?? A two-week trip around southern Peru riding a bike doing some culture and having fun... is that adventure?

Renting a bike and doing a guided tour - is this really adventure or is it just a holiday? As most of us have limited holidays and cash, and many family commitments, how do you have an adventure in some far flung country? Well, perhaps it's not all Charley and Ewan (or is it?), but rather a bike rental and an organised tour, can this be an adventure? Come and make up your own mind.

Dave is a regular traveller by motorcycle both in the U.K. and around the globe. He's made some great friends on his journeys.

Patrick Hesse Myanmar - The Road to Mandalay A recent trip to Myanmar

A picture slide show of a recent trip to Myanmar showing pictures of some of the historical sites of interest places of signifigance and of the people along the way going through their daily life.

Patrick started motorcycling in 1978 and has biked throughout Ireland, U.K., Europe, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Morocco, Thailand, Laos, and, most recenty, in Myanmar. He has ridden many different types of motorcycles - sport, road, adventure, and trail bikes. He enjoys travelling and meeting new people, doing the best he can with a camera along the way to document his trips.

Jay Johnston Tech/Electrics & Interpret GS911 Data Tech electrics interpretation made easy

Jay is an ex-Motorrad Tech, so he has PLENTY he can tell you! Last year, he had a table full of both broken and fixable parts and did practical demos on pulling stuff apart and illustrating common failure points. This year, he received requests for Basic Electrics and interpreating GS911 data. Jay spent many years repairing and fixing Beemers from air-cooled, oilheads and hexheads He has built his fair share of bikes during that time (not all have been BMW), including a few for overlander adventures. He wants to share some knowledge so that travellers can enjoy relatively pain-free trips.

Rodge Byrne, Bikers Training First Bike On Scene: What Do You Do? First Bike On Scene: FBOS Insights

1. First Bike On Scene: What Do You Do?
The most critical emergency care actions you can provide at the scene of a traffic collsion.

What are the most pressing skills needed at the scene of a road traffic collsion? Learn what's needed for bikers to care for fellow bikers with the same skills as emergency service providers.

2. First Bike On Scene: FBOS Insights
What we learned from FBOS providers carrying out rescues of other bikers.

Get frontline insights on how bikers, who are trained in FBOS-ERS, have performed in a road traffic collison event. Rodge will review what can be gained from the FBOS course and what is contributed to a biker's emergency care needs. Knowledge banishes helplessness!

Rodge and Nick are the sole providers of the FBOS-ERS training across the island of Ireland. Both pre-hospital emegency care professionals and bikers, they are very conscious of the risks that bikers experience. Also, visit their exhibition stand on-site. Chat with them about training components, course information, and get the website links for course dates and times.

Victor Wright Institute of Advanced Motorists Fluorescent jacket not required. Can you be a better rider? Please don't come if you're already safe, competent and courteous.

A PowerPoint presentation and introduction to how to become an IAM Advanced Rider. A revision on road basics, what's involved in taking the Advanced Riding Test and riding to a planned system when creating your own bike safety space with other road users. It's all about information, position, speed, gears and acceleration - but most of all it's about you.

Victor has ridden for 40 years and probably had as many bikes, most of which my wife knows about. He's had punctures in several European countries and been very lucky to bike in the USA, North Africa, and South Africa. This year the plan is Nordkapp for the midnight sun.

Daithi Wright The Infamous Bodging Session & Slow Speed Riding Competition

The Bodging Session includes a tyre removal and puncture repair and talk on how to get a bike going in the event of a journey-stopping mishap. An interactive presentation on "bodge" type repairs to help travelers get on the move again following any mishaps to their bikes, from broken engine casings, punctures and repairing broken chains to electrical gremlins, carburetor/fuel problems. The presentation relies heavily on suggestions/advice contributed everyone in attendance. Also there will be advice on what to pack - even more than the bodging, this will be greatly enhanced by the contributions of attendees. Last year we had a group of about 40 and it was very enjoyable with a fair share of banter. There was a great amount of helpful hints and suggestions from everyone there. With the contributions of all those in attendance, it seems to get better every year and is well worth a look in.

Daithi has been to about 25 different countries. Recently, he's been heading down to Portugal trailriding on the CCM, but hopes to get to know his home country a little bit better this year. He enjoys fixing things and is a bit of a bodger; hence, the Bodging Sessions.

Slow Speed Riding Competition will have a course laid out for riders to traverse on their own bikes as slowly as possible. This is harder than it sounds. The current reigning champion must be de-throned! It's a lot of fun and a welcome distraction while getting some fresh air.

More to come...

How about you? We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and seminars - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please sign up here.

Dylan Wickrama When the road ends - Beating the Darien Gap on a Boatercycle

Then you arrive at a point where there is no road to continue. Between Panama and Colombia, there is one of the most dense jungles of this planet: The Darien! Stretching from the Pacific coast from the West to the Atlantic coast on the East, the Darien is home to many different groups of guerrilla fighters, drug smugglers and randomly scattered but notorious tribal groups which makes it to one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on Earth.

A perfect challenge for Dylan! As the first man ever he sails, solo, 650km around Darien, on the Pacific Ocean from Panama into Colombia on a self-built raft propelled by a motorcycle and experiences one of a kind adventure! A journey that is not only takes him across country borders but also tests his personal limits.

Constant break downs, storms, currents and zero sailing experience were some of the challenges of his incredible journey. When things go from bad to worse, dolphins come to his rescue! Watch the video excerpt of his trip.

Dylan Samarawickrama has travelled around the world for three and half years and modestly says he has 'done some interesting adventures'.

Dylan's book 'When the Road Ends' has now been published in English! Ask him to autograph your copy at the meeting!

Paul French, Lemon Rock Bike Tours Ride the Wild Atlantic Way - Review of our 2015 ride from Killarney to Enniskillen on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way

A group of us intend riding The Wild Atlantic Way from Killarney to Enniskillen - and we'll present a review of our trip. A combination of video and photos taken along the way.

You can join this trip too with LemonRock Bike Tours in Killarney who can supply BMW rentals and necessary riding gear. Departing Monday 20th June - see website for more details and to sign up.

Paul says he's been a motorcyclist for ever - but new to overland travel experience, apart from trips to France. Used to race motorcycle sidecars and sold my business to take early retirement - which resulted in forming a new motorcycle rental and touring business with his old sidecar racing partner, Tiernan.

Jim Kelsey Riding the Eastern BAM

Having traveled Siberia's Western Bam Road in 2012, Kevin Emans and Mark Kemp decided to try the Eastern Bam in 2014.

Despite a number of recorded attempts, it had beaten all visitors to date. In 2014, the lads, along with Gary and Ned O'Keeffe and Jim Kelsey took up the challenge. 5 men and 5 bikes started the trip. Two and a half of each came back almost 6 weeks later.

Just before the crash...

The people, river crossings, bridges, trains, lots of water, maintenance, breakdowns, accidents, injuries, visits from the police, varied accommodation, vodka, socialising, mayors reception all contributed to make this an eventful trip from start to finish.

Frank McNelis Travelling the world on Limited Time

Always wanting to travel the world and experience as many of its cultures its people and its amazing scenery but with very little chance of taking a year off for a big trip I had to find another way.

Merv and Sarah Colton Heading North from Ushuaia

A photographic story of 18 months through Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil

This is the second half of the story of a couple on their 2 1/2 year trip. Too old to qualify as a gap year, too young to retire, too restless to stop, it's the tale of a dream trip come true. We told the first half at the Hubb Eniskillen when we got back from South America, and this is the second half of the tale.

This photo presentation will show what we saw along the way, as well as telling the joys of getting root canal treatment in Bolivia, shot by a blowpipe in Venezuela for uttering 3 stupid words and waking up in a hospital somewhere by the banks of the Amazon.

Merv and Sarah have traveled for 2 years around South America. They traveled pretty slowly in their Unimog truck which allowed them to stay in pretty remote spots, and to haul some heavy cameras with ease.

Right now they are back home and moving into their garage to rent their house to save money for the next trip!

Alex Petrov 3 weeks of vacation? You can see a lot in a short annual leave!

It's often taken for granted that you need months to do overland traveling, but reality is some of us don't have that much time to take away from work and family. However, we sure want to explore a lot! In this session, we will look back on few trips that are possible within relatively short timescale starting from Ireland - Barcelona return in 1 week, Nordkapp in 2.5 weeks and Istanbul in 3 weeks. We will look at the transportation options/ferry routes from Ireland, as well as briefly touch base on an option to ship the bike ahead of time.

Added bonus? Some important formalities/considerations if you step outside of the EU, which you are sure to do on trips like to Istanbul!

Born and raised in Russia, then moved to NZ, the UK and finally Ireland. Started motorcycling when in NZ 10 years ago and continued ever since, travelling all around Europe, as well as a the US. Now looking to step outside for a longer adventure!

Billy Ward, Bike Truck Africa - Another axis of evil?

You're going to Africa? You sure? It's very dangerous you know. Machetes, diseases and all sorts. Have you been? 'er No'.

Well, let's get something straight, Africa is not a country! So why do so many of us bundle ALL the countries of this continent into one and then choose the worst characteristics of a couple of them to describe the whole lot?

We shouldn't really be surprised at this should we? When we listen to the 24/7 news media telling us how dangerous the whole world is. If we took too much notice of that, well, we wouldn't be riding to Belfast never mind Africa.

This prezo aims at sharing some of my thousands of kilometers across many parts of the world and will try and dispel the myth of the 'axis of evil' and help trigger that spark that gets you buying new underwear a few maps and packing the panniers!

I'll share some road trip stories and images of rides with Charley Boorman, primarily in Africa, including South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Mozambique and even an illegal dash into Angola. I'll also share some insight into what it's like working with Charley, ten years on from Long Way Round.

I've been adventure travelling in bike terms for the last 10 years. Africa, Central America, Australia, USA all on motorbikes. Working with several UK TV celebrities including The Hairy Bikers, Ross Noble and Charley Boorman, has helped me develop opportunities in adventure biking & Theatre / TV production.

Richard Le Sueur Chasing African Snow - The adventures of an actor/filmmaker around Southern Africa in search of snow

Winter – Chasing African Snow is a photographic book that follows the adventures of actor/filmmaker and entrepreneur Richard Le Sueur around South Africa and Lesotho in search of snow. The trip covered almost 15000km of mostly off-road riding through the winter on a BMW Dakar, while trying to run a business remotely with dodgy internet, battery draining cold (down to -20 degrees celcius) and of course the challenge of dealing with snow and ice on the roads. One of the highlights included riding through a reserve at night with lions. Some video included.

Richard Le Sueur currently runs a media company and also does some acting, writing, producing and directing. Recently published a photographic travel book called Chasing African Snow about a 15000km motorcycle road-trip around South Africa and Lesotho and working on a possible television series. The book is almost sold out after just 3 months of sales online.

Stephen Clark But I only have two weeks! - Getting the most out of two weeks without it turning into an "Iron Butt ride"

You can get much more than you think possible in two weeks in parts of Europe, and you don't need to ride 500+ miles a day! Meeting the people rather than just passing through their landscape is what makes the journey.

I have travelled to various parts of Europe, visited Morocco, Turkey and old Eastern Bloc Countries all on a motorcycle, during my travels I have to say very few of the the roads or even the views stay with you the way the people you meet do.

Grant and Susan Johnson, Horizons Unlimited How it all began. The story of Grant and Susan's 11-year trip around the world, without a plan or a clue!

Way back in 1987, before the Internet, two young and naive Canadians set out from Vancouver to ride around the world on a motorcycle. The plan (and budget) was for 3 years, but it didn't quite work out that way!

Mark Warrender Ditch that tent, sleep in a hammock! AND A Guide to Wild Camping

Ditch that tent, sleep in a hammock!

A practical demonstration of slinging a camping hammock, fly sheet and associated rigging. The absolute comfiest and lightest way to camp.

Having slept in a tent for 20 years I was very dubious about hammock camping, I'd never have even considered it if I hadn't seen my mates setup. After my first night I was a complete convert, right now I would take a night in my hammock over any hotel! Warm, dry and super comfortable, let me show you how to select your site, rig the hammock and fly, pack up and go in the morning. If that's too tiring, you can have a lie down in it too!

Don't knock it until you've tried it, come and see for yourself.

Kelly the Kettle (and other stoves).

A practical demonstration of the Kelly Kettle, an Irish made kettle and stove requiring no fuel to be carried. Free sip of coffee!

The Kelly Kettle is a classic design made in Ireland and something I thought would be good to carry on my round the world trip. It uses a real fire made of local materials to boil the water, so you don't need to carry any fuel. I took this along with a petrol burning stove and it won on almost every level. Come and see how it works compared with other stoves, including how to do more than just boil water.

If you're nice to me I might even make you a coffee!

A Guide to Wild Camping - How to camp where you're not supposed to be without getting into trouble.

It's late and you're tired with no place organised to sleep for the night. You don't speak the local language and can't find a handy campsite with shower block, toilets and electric hoockup. It's dark, and probably raining.

Having been in this situation too many times, I'd like to share my tips on how to survive the night. Where do you go? What do you do? What do you eat? What if you're discovered?

What do you do when you live in Australia and love it, but your family want to return to England? There were no options for staying but I wasn't ready to just roll over and fly home either, so I got up one day and decided I'd ride home. Simple! In fact it was, pretty much. Once I'd planned the route and sorted the visas, the rest of it was – well, like riding a bike!

After riding half way around the world, from the Tropics to the Arctic Circle, conquering language and cultural barriers, breaking down, falling off and being arrested I finally made it home. And do you know what? The only real problem I have is deciding where to go next!!

Merv Colton Travel Photography

The usual gotchas with travel photograph - a few tips on how to get the best photos that you can while on the road, and what not to do.

We've all done it, taken a crap photo of the most amazing scene or situation and wished we had done better. With many scenes we never get a second chance. The sun has set and you've to move on, or the old woman smiling at you with more gums than teeth has disappeared.

I'll try go through a few tips to try help get decent photos faster, not to let that shot get away. How to prepare your camera, what to look for and what to adjust to help get the best results from any given situation. This will be more about what to do, and less about the features on any given whizzbang camera.

I've worked as a weekend sports photographer for my local papers, and got used getting 10 shots per match of 6 different matches in 6 locations in the same day. I've also put down roots and stayed in the one spot for hours to get the shot I wanted.

Grant Johnson, Horizons Unlimited Fix that flat! How to change a tyre anytime, anywhere!

Grant's tyre changing seminars are always well attended and appreciated. This seminar covers: how to prevent flats in the first place, and fix them when you get one; the best tools and how to use them for tube and tubeless tires; hands-on practical for beginners to experts, optional tyre changing contest.

Grant's tyre changing seminar at HU California meeting.

Daithi Wright Bodging Session and Slow Speed Skill

The Bodging Session includes a tyre removal and puncture repair & talk on how to get a bike going in the event of a journey stopping mishap.

An interactive presentation on "bodge" type repairs to help travellers get on the move again following any mishaps to their bikes, from broken engine casings, punctures and repairing broken chains to electrical gremlins, carburettor/fuel problems. The presentation relies heavily on suggestions/advice contributed everyone in attendance.

Last year we had a group of about twenty-five and it was very enjoyable with a fair share of banter, I was pleased with the amount of helpful hints and suggestions I got from everyone there, well worth a look in.

Daithi says: "I appreciate the journey sometimes has nothing to do with the destination, I suppose most of the fun is in getting there. I'm into off-road and enjoy the challenge of getting to places that are difficult to get to."

Grant and Susan Johnson, Horizons Unlimited 4 Easy Steps to Overland Travel! You can do it - we can help! Finding your way around Horizons Unlimited, other resources. Lots of great pics and video clips.

"Grant and Susan Johnson are icons in the round-the-world (RTW) motorcycling community. The Johnsons host - or more appropriately write, edit, produce, manage and coordinate Horizons Unlimited - a global network of motorcycle travelers... and a bona fide adventure motorcycling phenomenon." Dan Hilton, Rider Magazine

This seminar will be an overview of 'How To' travel overland topics. Includes content from the Achievable Dream series and great pics from HU Photo Contest winners!

Grant Johnson, Horizons Unlimited Bike mods and ergonomics!

Grant will host a bike 'Show and Tell' - bring your bike and show us your favorite travel mods. Critique and discussion.

When you picked up your new bike, did they take the time to make it fit you? You'll learn the amazing difference a properly setup bike makes to your riding fun.

Ergonomics demonstration at HU Canada West meeting.

Border crossings - How to get through borders with minimal stress and cost!

Packing light - Tips and techniques from experienced travellers to reduce weight and bulk.

Regional discussions - e.g. travelling in South America or Asia.

For Women Only - A must for the ladies, so be sure to plan on being there! A chance to talk to experienced travelling women without the men around!

Experienced Travellers Panel - ask the experts anything you want!

Walk arounds / Show and tell!

Tool Kits - Show us your favorite tools. Toolkit discussion.

Tents and Bedding discussion (in the camping area) - What works, cheap vs dear and which ones keep you dry, warm and comfy!

Farkle Walk - Take a stroll and talk about your best bike mods - homemade saddle bags, toolbox mounts, GPS mounts, seats, side stands, tank panniers, cup holders, etc.