Theyre middle class, middle-aged easy riders, vrooming around the world on their motorbikes. ALANNA GALLAGHERfinds out about the thrills – and spills – of life on the road
MOTORCYCLE TOURING is on the rise. Long Way Round,the Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor television series and accompanying book, ignited a sense of adventure in a new generation the way Easy Rider inspired an earlier era.
By and large those hitting the road are above the age of 35. Alastair McFarlane of Cheshire-based MCI Tours explains: “In 1991 the average age of bikers coming on escorted trips was between 25 and 35. Nineteen years later the average age is 35-plus and more likely to be 50-plus.”
Money is the factor driving this rising age in travellers hitting the road. Motorcycle touring, whether escorted or do-it-yourself, is not cheap but it is exhilarating. The open road, with the wind in your face, the freedom to go where you want, when you want, to chase that elusive horizon line and scratch the wanderlust itch exists in even the most armchair-bound travellers.
Paddy Maddock runs Maddocks, a BMW bike dealership in Bray, Co Wicklow. At 65 he is an adroit overland trip veteran with 40 years on his clock. In 1972 Maddock travelled overland to India. In 1987 he navigated his away across Africa. He’s been to New Zealand and all over Europe, including numerous trips through Turkey and Romania when those countries were not as open as they are now.
Put simply, he says, biking is now more acceptable and more middle class. “It helps, of course, that the bikes are more reliable and the gear is more user-friendly. The waterproof clothing really does keep the rain out and the body armour offers protective security.” Comfort is crucial, adds seasoned traveller Ken Wayman.
There are several ways bikers can hit the road. Escorted and fly-ride holidays are increasing in popularity – especially with the cash-rich and time-poor. But the DIY option, particularly the long-haul experience, remains the most intoxicating.
Thirtysomethings Paul Browne and Maeve Peoples took a 10-month trip from Alaska to Patagonia. “We were going out about six months when we decided to hit the road together,” he explains.
The couple bought new BMWs costing $14,000 each from a Belfastman in Toronto. It was far cheaper than freighting bikes from Dublin, Paul admits. At the time, a year-old equivalent model in Dublin cost €14,000.
“Before I met Paul I was going to do this on my own,” says Maeve. “What was unusual about our trip was that I rode my own bike rather than riding pillion with Paul.”
For her the thrills were too numerous to recount; from riding past a brown bear and her three cubs in British Columbia, traversing the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, seeing pink flamingos in the Atacama Desert in Chile and crossing the Tropic of Capricorn.
The couple got as far as Colombia before there were any serious incidents. Paul picks up the story: “We had driven from Bogota to Medellin, Pablo Escobar’s home town, and found a really good bike shop there, so we spent a couple of days hanging out and having our bikes serviced.
“Then, about 100 miles north of Santiago de Cali, Maeve was involved in an accident. When the guys in the bike shop heard, they sent a truck to pick up her bike and an interpreter to help us deal with the police. Luckily, she was wearing all the right protective gear and only had to spend one night in hospital. The youth who had hit her had also hit his femoral artery and was bleeding to death on the side of the road. One of the medics attending Maeve came to his aid and saved his life.”
It’s a cautionary tale for any novice bikers. The couple had invested in full medevac insurance – something Maeve had insisted on. “It added to the cost of the journey but offered a security blanket in case anything went wrong,” she explains. She would advise any long distance bikers to do likewise.
But back to the road trip: “The adventure is in finding your own way, going off grid and meeting the locals,” Maeve continues. “Throughout, there’s a sense of scale that you get that isn’t there when you travel from A to B by plane.”
IF FLYING BY THEseat of your pants isn't your thing there is another way. If constrained by time, an escorted bike tour is the way to go.
The best biking in Europe is in Spain’s Basque Country, says Maddock who organises escorted tours but prefers to travel with his own bike. “The roads are fantastic and traffic-free. And the food is top class. But the journey begins before you depart. It starts with the route planning and bike servicing and getting the gear ready. This builds up to the physical act of leaving your house on your motorcycle which is as much part of the trip as the adventures overseas.”
Sharing experiences in the evening is also a big part of the trip, he says. “The experiences become epic tales – like the big fish stories in angling circles.”
Seasoned rider Ken Wayman has been riding bikes since he was 18. “Taking your bike on an escorted tour is both liberating and hard work,” he admits. “The camaraderie on trips is amazing. Add to that the fact that you’re there in the flesh, exploring the alchemy of the surrounding smells, sights and sounds, makes the experience incredibly uplifting.”
But the best trip the Corkman ever took was a three-week unaccompanied trans-European odyssey with his girlfriend Mary Coulter.
NOVICES CAN FINDtheir feet by riding pillion. First-timer and freelance PR agent, Sophie Flynn-Rogers, debuted in Carcassonne and rode on the back of her boyfriend's bike to Barcelona, across the Pyrenees to Bilbao, San Sebastian and on up to Bordeaux. She borrowed a friend's leather protective jacket and packed one small rucksack which she carried on her back.
Crossing from one country to another on the back of a bike may be thrilling but is it romantic? “I don’t think it’s for everyone,” she admits. “You need to be incredibly low maintenance and not mind getting covered in dirt and having helmet hair.”
Whether you adventure solo or with a group, biking is never a cheap holiday option, which may also explain the rising age of the average biker.
Paul and Maeve estimate their trip of a lifetime cost them between €40,000 and €42,000. This eye-watering price tag includes the cost of buying new bikes and gear. The pair didn’t short change themselves regarding experiences along the way either; white water rafting in Hells Canyon and flying over Peru’s Nazca lines in a Cessna are just some of the experiences they enjoyed.
They also had a couple of five-star hotel blowouts to counter the effects of long-term camping. Maeve funded her half of the trip with the proceeds of an investment property sale. Paul had savings and maxed his credit card.
A two-week escorted bike tour on Route 66 with MCI Tours, including bike hire, will cost from around €3,036pp. Include spending money and bikers fork out an average of between €5,000 and €6,000pp, says Alastair McFarlane. A European trip to Lake Garda and the Austrian Tyrol costs upwards of €1,093pp.
BUT THERE ISanother way. Horizons Unlimited is a motorcycle site with a bulletin board, the hubb, specifically for long distance riders.
Travellers can do long trips on the cheap by chatting online with people who offer to show you round their cities as you pass through and will even put you up. It’s couch surfing for the biker brigade.
There’s also a small group of adventurers who want to ride out the recession, literally, observes McFarlane. “There is a portion of the population insulated against the ravages of the recession. They will spend, regardless. They want to hark back to the glamour of the 1950s and 1960s. And then there’s also the odd guy who wants to blow his redundancy package on the thrill of a lifetime.”
But biking is not for everyone, says Ken Wayman. “It’s an activity holiday and part of the fun factor is being on your own bike. If fly and flop is your thing, forget it!”
On yer bike!
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Horizonsunlimited.com is the website many motorcycle travellers trust. Its bulletin board, the hubb, is specifically for long distance riders who want local knowledge from other bikers. Some even put them up making it a couch surfing option for the biker brigade.
Caja Sahel is a Co Donegal-based company that supplies adventure luggage, panniers, top boxes, tie-downs and headguards. For more see cajasahel.com.
TOUR OPERATORS
John Bruce of Newtownards-based Motoireland Motorcycle Tours (motoireland.com or 00-44-7709-445-852) offers escorted tours and bike hire around Ireland. A five-day tour round Kerry, from September 17th to 21st, costs from around €346pps with BB.
Bray-based Maddocks Garage (01-2868418 or maddock.ie) has a three-day heritage weekend around south Leinster. Two nights dinner and BB costs €250pps or €290 for singles and takes place from July 31st to August 2nd.
Motorcycle Rental Ireland (celticrider.ie or 045-888774) in Ladytown, Naas rent motorcycles to anyone with a full A licence aged 23 and over. It’s also launching escorted tours in late 2010.
SCOTLAND
Maddocks also runs a five-day tour of the Highlands on great roads with breathtaking scenery. Taking place from September 9th to 13th the trip costs €895 for rider and motorcycle, and €750 for pillion passengers.
SPAIN/PORTUGAL
Motorcycletouring.ie (087-2578136) is offering a 10-night exploration of northwest Spain and Portugal’s port country from €1,395 for bike and rider, departing Dublin on September 11th. Price includes ferries, overnight cabins, hotels and BB.
AMERICA AND BEYOND
MCI Tours (mcitours.com or 00-44-161-9417149) offers a wealth of escorted, fly/ride, self-guided and race meet tours, as well as bike hire. Choose from American classic tours, such as California Dreaming, travelling the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to San Francisco or Wild West USA, a tour of “big country” that takes in the classic movie backdrops of Monument Valley and Zion National Park or the classic Route 66. Two weeks on Route 66 including bike hire costs around €3,036pp.
LONDON TO BEIJING
Assisted motorcycle expedition experts Globebusters (tel 00-44-8452-304015 or globebusters.com) has an 80-day ride along the Silk Road from London to Beijing. Cost: around €20,371 per driver.