Tales from the Saddle

In 2004 I originally thought about doing a trip by bicycle and subsequently I planned a ride with a friend through Europe, it came like an epiphany from nowhere.  Over time, the plan eventually escalated into a world trip.

Four and half years later, having been injured for eighteen months, I admitted defeat on the bicycling idea.  And so, if I couldn’t pedal I figured the next best thing was a motorcycle.  At the time I didn’t have a license, so to keep cost low it was logical to use a 125cc bike.  So, in September 2008 I rolled away from my home and my family, on a motorcycle heading first to Cape Town, South Africa, just me and “Rudolf” (my Yamaha YBR 125cc). And then…well you’ll have to check out the map, the photos and the blog

Looking back, I’m eternally grateful for my injury and the places that my little Yamaha YBR and Honda XR took me.

The site was originally meant to keep friends and family informed of my current status, but hopefully others may find some enjoyment from my tales.

Why I ended up riding solo on a 125cc motorcycle is actually a long story…here’s a few key points.

• It’s cheap to buy.
• I could use it to obtain my license with a CBT.
• Cheaper Carnet – The carnet deposit for Africa is 800% the value of your vehicle, for example.
• Fuel efficient – The YBR was fuel injected and provided up to 50km/litre.  Phenomenal.
• Fuel Tank Range – Because of the great fuel efficiency the standard 13 litre tank had a huge range of 650km.
• Cheap Spare Parts – 125cc bikes are sold in their thousands, aftermarket spares and OEM spares are cheap.
• Spare parts availability – all the locals ride the same 125cc bike(s), so spares were available in most motorcycle shops.
• Quite long service intervals, 6,000km.
• Only one litre of oil in engine.
• Air-cooled, no radiators to break in falls, no leaking water pumps.
• Simple engines – meant I could work on them myself and local mechanics were familiar with the 125cc engines as well.
• Lightweight, I could pick the bike up on my own in case of a fall.

You can read more on the equipment page.