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Perspective of a motorcyclist – A travel diary

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Category: Europe 2018 on the R NineT

11/06/201912/06/2019davesviewpoint

Europe 2018 on the R NineT – Day 51: Goodbye Europe!

11/06/201911/06/2019davesviewpoint

Europe 2018 on the R NineT – Day 50: Last night in Germany

11/06/201911/06/2019davesviewpoint

Europe 2018 on the R NineT – Day 49: An evening in Aggertalsperre

11/06/201911/06/2019davesviewpoint

Europe 2018 on the R NineT – Day 48: Cologne to Gummersbach

11/06/201911/06/2019davesviewpoint

Europe 2018 on the R NineT – Day 47: Calais to Cologne via Paris

11/06/201911/06/2019davesviewpoint

Europe 2018 on the R NineT – Day 46: London to Calais via Brighton

11/06/201911/06/2019davesviewpoint

Europe 2018 on the R NineT – Day 45: Amsterdam to London

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  • Africa Twin Across The Australian Outback 2017 (15)
  • Bike Life (18)
  • Europe 2018 on the R NineT (52)
  • Panigale ADV – A Divergent Italian – 2015 Summer Road Trip (6)
  • Panigale ADV – A Divergent Italian – 2015 Winter Road Trip (8)
  • Panigale Around Australia 2016 (28)
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Rain: Manna from heaven, in liquid form. Looking forward to more rain over the next few days here in Sydney, and of course much more of it in the regional areas where droughts and bushfires have decimated communities and livelihoods. This coming Sunday, @sydneywestriders is holding their annual Start of Year charity ride, this time in support of ReachOut.com Australia who dedicate their lives to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people who are most at risk of misdirection and hopelessness. I highly encourage you to join me and my friends at Sydney West Riders. Rain, hail or shine, it's gonna happen. Well, depends. We'll see how bad the weather gets this weekend. Keep updated on SWR's page. I just hope my CRF doesn't break down in the middle of the ride!! Swipe to reveal more details for event 👉 #honda #crf250rally #crf #rally #dualsport #motorcycle #sydney #swr #sydneywestriders
After over 3 months since despatch from the UK, my CRF250 Rally is back on the roads of Sydney! Might be the last time I would want to go for a sea freight service halfway around the world as a result of two months of delays on top of the existing lengthy ETA. Should have left the bike in Europe, I thought! So glad that I didn't experience such a huge delay with the initial shipment out of Sydney to Kuala Lumpur. Logistical delays and factors dealing with Australian quarantine and customs procedures pushed out the original arrival date of early Nov 2019 to a collection date after the new year. Nevertheless, happy that the bike is back on Aussie soil. Time to service and repair the CRF back to peak form! #honda #crf250 #crf250rally #dualsport #motorcycle #travel #overland #eurasia #sydney #australia
Comforting the Black Dog. After quitting my job and going through really rough times, I went on a massive journey of soul searching as I questioned everything that I thought I knew in life. Debilitating emotions and crushing anxiety had got me feeling that I wasted 5 years of my 20s to a uni degree I didn't want, a relationship that destroyed my trust for people and a job that lobotimised any passion that I had for a career ahead. The photo of me and the dog was just a happy snap back in 2015 at White Cliffs NSW for the Panigale trip to Uluru & TAS, but I now look at it as a symbolic transition in my mid-20s, where life was at a pivotal point. Quarter-life crisis was real, and it hit hard. I quit my job, walked away from religiosity, and literally at one point tried to ride away from anything that resembled anything to do with the life that I knew. Eventually, I got rid of the Multistrada to move on with the new. The replacement was the Panigale. If you're familiar with my trips, then the rest is history. Looking back on the past decade, I'm not quite sure what to make of the 2nd half; doesn't seem more productive than the previous half. I only have terabytes worth of motorcycle-related photos and videos to show for the 5 years, most of which will likely never see the light of day. Career-wise, just a very simple, easy but dead-end job to support the financial side. However, without a shadow of doubt, motorcycles have been the most significant part of my life that had given me the continuing will to live and exist today. I am alive because of a love for motorcycles, and flashbacks of past adventures will continue to live on in the form of pictorial memories to remind me of the abundance of experiences collected throughout my time on two wheels. What 2020 and beyond would bring will be a mystery until it becomes the present. All I can hope is for something as simple as a motorcycle to continue to bring hope and inspiration to live day by day as it has for the past half-decade in my life. Happy new year, and a happy new decade. #ducati #honda #motorcycle #adventure #travel
The perfect balance between personal time and family time. Featuring the famous and adorable @mrchibo 🐶🐶🐶 Hope you had a brilliant Christmas Day!! 🎄🎅 #husqvarna #vitpilen #701 #husqvarna701 #motorcycle #christmas #summer #australia #sydney
Merry Christmas! It is always a joy to be a part of this very special annual occasion with hundreds of motorcyclists from across Sydney. In support of @bear_cottage , @sydneysriders runs an annual Santa Ride to raise funds for a purposeful and inspiring cause. Bear Cottage is the only children’s hospice in NSW, one of only two in Australia, and the only one in the world affiliated with a children’s hospital. These are the heroes that assist to provide sick children and their families an opportunity for joy and comfort particularly during Christmas when the festive season can be overbearing for those in difficult circumstances. How exactly do we help to raise funds in these charity rides? Simple! The online donation page is currently live, and will continue to be available until the end of the year, and the cheque is handed over in January! If you can afford to fill your petrol tank, a few bucks for a great charity event is chump change which collectively will make a huge difference for these kids. Imagine what 500+ riders can do if everybody donated?! Link for online donations: https://www.bandagedbear.org.au/fundraisers/srsantaride or follow the link on my Facebook page. Update: So far, over $5200 has been raised through cash collection buckets and the online donation page. Incredible achievement!! 🎄🎅 #honda #motorcycle #sydneysriders #santaride #bearcottage #christmas #charity #bondi #sydney
Long time since I last rode on Putty Road, sparked by the recent bushfire disaster that's caused mass ecological destruction. Had the opportunity to meet Kim, the owner operator of Grey Gum Cafe which is located in the heart of Wollemi National Park, where almost 200000 hectares of bushland were razed by the Gospers Mountain fire. I have great admiration for how proactive she had been to ensure that the majority-volunteer firefighters were well fed and working overtime to ensure the best outcomes while they used the premises to set up a command centre in order to stand a chance against the massive inferno that crept up to the perimeters of the property. In other news, I've had awesome fun on the Vitpilen 701. Despite its Swedish Husqvarna parent's designation for its child to grow up into a city-dwelling, trendsetting fashionista, its Austrian KTM roots belie the hip looking clothing which attempts to conceal a brash and unsophisticated hooligan that demands to be unleashed. This is a machine that was meant for roads like these. #husqvarna #vitpilen #vitpilen701 #ktm #lc4 #caferacer #motorcycle #nswbushfires #bushfire #puttyroad #sydney #australia
Sold. Waved goodbye to the BMW S1000R this evening as I usher in a new phase of motorcycling. Lately I've become less excited about sport bikes. In fact, I've been on the edge of almost dropping the whole bike life thing in pursuit of other interests. With the funds I acquired from the sale of the BMW, I was in deep thought about what the future held for me. Well, that's until I found this 2018 Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 which I somehow negotiated down to a price that I could not resist. Suddenly, a new subgenre of the moto scene has emerged in my sights. Perhaps you'll be seeing a more hipster Dave in the near future? Uh ohh... 😅😅😅... #husqvarna #vitpilen #vitpilen701 #caferacer #bmw #s1000r #motorcycle #sydney
Long time no old road! An easy ride to Sydney's most notorious road for motorcyclists. Met up with my mate and one-time MotoGP road trip buddy @thevbruce who's about to move out of Australia indefinitely for entrepreneurial reasons. He'll be taking with him a part of what made this road so good. Proof of that lies within the last of the photo slide; an oldie, but a goodie from back when I used to shoot on the road often.. the good old days! Also, thanks to Jason from @zoomzoomphotography for taking a photo of me at Eddie's corner. Context of photo: I was yelling out "Jasonnnnnn!" in the hope that it would result in a guaranteed shot. It worked!! #bmw #s1000r #bmwmotorrad #makelifearide #adventure #motorcycle #sydney #australia #oldroad #oldpacifichighway
The fun stuff happens when compiling and analyzing collected data after the completion of a trip. I do like a bit of statistics, so here are the basics from the most recent overland journey. – Total trip time: 86 days – Distance ridden: 28400km – Longest distance travelled in a day: 1121km from Marseille, France to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg – Litres of petrol used: 820.51 litres – Average fuel consumption: 2.88 litres per 100km – Nights of indoor accommodation: 57 – Nights of outdoor camping: 28 – Number of tyre punctures: 2 rear tyre tubes, in Myanmar and Serbia – Number of tyre changes: 1 rear tyre at Osh, Kyrgyzstan – Coldest riding temperature: 4°C at Khunjerab Pass, Pakistan/China – Warmest riding temperature: 46°C at Agra, India – Number of foreign currencies: 24 currencies – Countries visited: 33 countries – Total cost: AUD $21482.92 #honda #crf250 #rally #crf250rally #adventure #travel #scenery #nature #landscape #camping #roadtrip #sost #pakistan #asia #overland
I don't think that guy was happy about having to go around me 😆... Finally added up the expenses for the trip from Kuala Lumpur to London! Total for trip: $21482.92 (Australian Dollars) Below are categorised costs to give you an idea of what it takes financially for you to embark on a similar trip. I'll try and go through the expenses in more detail on my Facebook page later this week... ▪️-Accommodation: $729.62 ▪️-Communication: $434.75 ▪️-Food: $832.80 ▪️-Fuel: $1187.70 ▪️-Freight: $5568.47 ▪️-Insurance: $584.65 ▪️ -Maintenance: $647.02 ▪️ -Sundry: $234.46 ▪️-Tolls: $300.79 ▪️-Compulsory Guide: $8234.00 ▪️-Transport: $1548.83 ▪️ -Visa: $1179.85 ▪️...... #honda #crf250 #rally #crf250rally #motorcycle #roadtrip #adventure #travel #overland #asia #europe #myanmar
I miss my old R nine T... Does anybody in Sydney wanna swap theirs with my S1000R?? 😝 p.s. I also miss northern Europe. I wish I had done a good recount about the 2018 trip, but life had gone far ahead of anything else I wanted to do. The 2019 trip is looking almost exactly like it will face the same fate. Haven't even posted anything about how much it costed 😔 Am I getting less in love with social media? #bmw #bmwmotorrad #rninet #rninetracer #racer #s1000r #motorcycle #roadtrip #travel #adventure #europe #sweden #stockholm
I've been feeling less than happy about the shipping progress for the return of my CRF Rally back to Australia. It's not the fault of the shipping provider at all, but the fact that the shipment just left the Felixstowe port a few days ago, which is 6 weeks after I left the UK, got me thinking that I should have maybe left the bike in England so that I could maybe fly back early next year to ride around the UK/Ireland and Spain/Portugal regions 😅😅😅 Once the bike is unloaded in Sydney by late November, there will be lots of work required to get the bike back up to scratch and in adventure-ready condition. It's actually incredible that I managed to make it from Malaysia to the UK with minimal mechanical issues, particularly considering that the last proper service it had was in Kathmandu at around the 11000km odometer mark; the odometer currently sits on 33000km! From what I am aware, the bike requires an open-heart surgery. The lethally-worn sprockets, the floppy frame of the luggage rack and an exhaust that's rubbing against the rear tyre barely all even makes up the synopsis of what I am sure will be a storybook of parts to be repaired and replaced. It's going to be a busy Australian Summer with this bike! #honda #crf250 #crf250rally #rally #camping #adventure #travel #overland #uk #malaysia #theshard #london
2015 - Ducati Multistrada 2016 - Ducati Panigale 2017 - Honda Africa Twin 2018 - Honda CRF250 Rally 2019 - Honda CB125E Looks like I've been downgrading by the year everytime I visit the Great Alpine Road. Regardless of the bike of choice, it's always great to visit the snow on perfectly dry and clean roads this time of the year! #honda #cb125e #motorcycle #roadtrip #adventure #travel #snow #camping #greatalpineroad #victoria #australia
.. Decision made for the long weekend. BMW can stay indoors while the econo-Honda is let out into the big world. Currently packing up the CB125E as I type this! What else is the little carby Honda capable of apart from contributing to global carbon emissions? Check out my IG Story to keep updated! #honda #cb125e #cb125 #carburetor #petrol #125cc #shitbox #motorcycle #adventure #travel #camping #carbon #pollution #climatechange #goodoldglobalwarming #bikelifethough #newcastle #australia
Long time, no post. Current status: Sydney, Australia.. and busy with work and life overall! What should I do this long weekend? #bmw #bmwmotorrad #s1000r #motorcycle #travel #adventure #sydney #sydneyharbour #sydneyoperahouse #australia #hashtags #because #instagram
Day 86 - 06/09/2019 – Shortened from original FB post - This is it. 27835km and 86 days are all I can and will do for the journey that I have taken from Malaysia to the UK. The day after my arrival in Sydney will be a quiet time spent at home to begin life as an adult in my 30s. For a few years, I have dreaded the point in time when I would have to bid farewell to my 20s. Perhaps the specific thought of having to act like a 'real' adult was something that I'd never be prepared for. The thought of dropping out of a younger demographic was terrifying to a mind that seems not to have established full maturity. Somehow though, as I sit here on the edge of the Thames in London, it all doesn't seem to matter anymore. I am just happy to be alive. Life is so short, holidays even shorter. There are many issues I have observed that others face on the daily around the world; my personal issues are trivial in comparison. The opportunity to even be able to have travelled on a motorcycle though tens of thousands of kilometres is one that I cannot be anything but thankful for. I have to acknowledge that this is all in part because I live in a beautiful country like Australia that financially and logistically allows me to travel through so many different countries without too many unreasonable restrictions. I can only be thankful for this opportunity, because the vast majority of the world does not have it as great. I hope that in this next decade in my 30s to expand my horizons and achieve more meaningful endeavours. Some day, I will grow up to be sensible, mature, forward-thinking and become some sort of practical inspiration to a group of a few mortals here and there who should know better. Until then, I guess motorcycles will continue to be a part of life. #honda #crf250rally #motorcycle #roadtrip #adventure #travel #london #unitedkingdom #england #uk #europe #overland
Day 85 - 05/09/2019 - Barely over 24 hours of arriving in Germany, I had to get a move on with a revised final destination to end this journey. I had originally organised a German company to handle the freight for the return of my motorcycle to Sydney, but that fell through whilst I was in the middle of this journey. Thankfully, after a small moment of panic, I found out about Get Routed, an entity that specifically deals with bike freight between Australia and the UK particularly for the dates surrounding the Isle of Man TT events. I was lucky to have been informed that there was exactly one spot remaining for the return shipment to Sydney. Thus, my journey points towards London, and then finally the small port town of Felixstowe. Heading through Belgium, my journey still had new areas to be explored. Just like Slovenia from last year, Belgium was just a transit country between other main destinations, so I did not see anything apart from the motorway. After checking out the small stone marker at the borders where Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands meet, I made Brussels my major Belgian stop before getting to Calais where I had booked for the Eurotunnel shuttle service to the UK overnight. Reaching the Belgian capital, I utilised the very short time available to observe the seedy and the classy; two clear contrasts of the city. Perhaps the Dutch had something to do with the prominence of window girls at Rue d'Aerschot in the city central's north, while French influence may have had a hand with the amazing architectural finesse that is evident from the courtyards of Grote Markt. Whatever the reason, it was great to have visited Belgium and see a few more place than the last visit; a day not wasted despite now being more susceptible to laziness as I had already completed my original goal of reaching Germany. #honda #crf250rally #motorcycle #roadtrip #adventure #travel #brussels #belgium #overland #europe
Day 84 – 04/09/2019 – Guten morgen, Deutschland! Oh Cologne. it's been just over a year since I visited. My European home away from home, Cologne was the heart and the centre of my road trips on the BMW last year. The city was the start point of the journey, purchasing my motorcycle at the BMW Cologne dealership within 24 hours of landing in Germany by plane. The city also represented a midpoint of that 20000km journey across Europe, before eventually spending my final night on the banks of the Rhine River where I spent time to contemplate the jubilation that resulted out of the whole process involved in making such a road trip a possibility. So much hard work and long hours were invested into the preparation of that trip, so much that I thought that it would have been easier if I just spent those two months of leave from work to stay within the bounds and familiarity of Australia. I once thought that a motorcycle trip around Europe was a step too far for me, both financially and mentally. I once was terrified about the prospect of dealing with foreign languages, a variety of currencies and a huge array of roads and landscapes, tens of thousands of kilometres away from home. When I finally went through all of that, I wish I had done the trip all over again. The exact same sentiments apply for this year's journey across Asia and the parts of Europe that I had explored this year. And really, who would have bloody known that I would return to Cologne, Germany after just a year, but this time the more difficult way? I could have just picked another destination for the end of this trip, but there was no way that I'd miss out on catching up with my best German mate, @konrad.dng , who made last year's road trip a seamless and fuss-free experience. I can't even express completely how grateful I am to have a friend like him. Gummersbach is just an ordinary town in the outskirts of Cologne. But with Konrad's abode up in the hills of the town, it's simply a special place. It is that place out of home that I feel the most comfortable. Welcome home! #honda #crf250rally #motorcycle #roadtrip #rhine #river #cologne #germany #europe #overland
Day 83 – 03/09/2019 – A quick overnight nap before heading north from the coast of the French Riviera. Still a long way to go to reach Cologne in Germany, so I figured that a bit of fatigue is an acceptable trade-off for an earlier arrival at my mate's place in the small German town of Gummersbach. I was hoping to reach the hometown of @sebrdn , the French on the Royal Enfield whom I rode together with in few parts on the way from northern Pakistan to eastern Uzbekistan, before he reaches the European continent. Today, I am happy to have fulfilled that small goal, arriving in Lyon to check out its central city area which is the location of the confluence of two significant French rivers, the Rhone and Saone. If I had the time to relax in Lyon, I would have taken the effort to buy a bunch of croissants and French sticks to pose with them in front of a large Lyon sign with the intention of provoking jealousy and homesickness out of Sebastien. I'm in a hurry to get to Germany, alas I had to continue on with the ride to Luxembourg. My arrival in Luxembourg a few clicks before midnight marks the 49th country ridden on my own motorcycle. It's been a physically taxing journey, feebly depending on energy drinks and excessive sugar to keep me awake. There wasn't much to see or do without further research of the country, nor am I sure if there was much on offer anyway apart from the usual old European buildings that have by now lost my interest. On the plus side, Cologne is not too far from Luxembourg City. It's been a long journey, and I can barely remember everything that's happened in the Asian part of this adventure, but I am happy to say that I am less than a day trip away from my end destination! #honda #crf250rally #motorcycle #roadtrip #adventure #travel #scenery #landscape #lyon #france #luxembourg #europe #overland
Day 82 – 02/09/2019 – I’m getting worried now. I know that I was running out of time before today, but Monday has really hit me hard as I realise that I’m still in the southern part of the continent when I should have been up north in the weekend. With my post-holiday work schedule in effect starting next week, I must get the motorcycle cleaned up and prepared within this week and fly out of Europe before the end of the weekend. Despite the lack of time, Pisa was close enough to be visited after Florence. The Leaning Tower doesn’t seem too badly tilted from some angles; I reckon she’d be alright for another few centuries. What was more interesting were the surrounding landscapes that are partially walled. In the middle of the well-maintained lawn sits the Pisa Cathedral, which encompasses a floor plan akin to the shape of the crucifix. The nearby dome-capped Pisa Baptistery completes the grand scenery. I would have liked to have a tour around the city for longer, but separation anxiety leads me back to my motorcycle to continue the journey out of Italy. The highway system that links the coastal Italian region with the French Riviera is nothing short of an engineering marvel. Tunnels run through the many hundreds of kilometres of mountains that separate villages and towns that inhabit the valleys in between them in intervals of just a few kilometres. The ETA on Google Maps indicated that my journey from Pisa to the French border would have taken at least 10 hours using local roads, versus just 4 hours if I used the tolled highway. That 20-Euro toll fee was definitely worth the time saving. Just a moment from the border road sits a tiny but very wealthy country, Monaco. The visit to the city of Monte Carlo makes Monaco the 48th country that I’ve ridden on a motorcycle. I’ve never counted the countries I’ve visited until yesterday when I visited San Marino, and thought that it was interesting to have gone through three countries in one day. Should I try and push for a 49th country in Europe, just so that it gives me the excuse to visit the USA as the 50th country? You know, like the 50 stars on the US flag! #honda #crf250rally #motorcycle #roadtrip #overland
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