Name: Pierre Maelzer | Age: 36 | Occupation: Freelance Photographer
First bike?
Honda CBF125
Current bike?
Honda CB500X
Dream bike?
It keeps changing and is always up for debate! It was a Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports, but the simplicity and price of the Yamaha Ténéré 700 is very tempting. More money for accessories and adventures. I’m looking forward to riding one at the Adventure Bike Rider Festival.
Most expensive motorcycle accessory you’ve ever bought?
The Givi Trekker Outback pannier and rack set up that I have. It’s a great bit of kit that has taken a beating over the years. The most expensive individual piece of kit would be my TomTom Rider 550, but it’s worth every penny having a dedicated GPS when travelling.
Mountain passes or desert pistes?
I do like a good twisty mountain road. But I do dream of riding in the desert. Morocco has been on the wish list for a while now. Time to plan another trip.
Tent or hotel?
Tent. I love the freedom that camping gives you, and the ability to rock up anywhere on my bike and be self-sufficient.
Lifelong ambition?
I’m seriously considering an RTW trip at some point. My plan at the moment is to tell as many people as possible that I’m doing it, so I have to go do it. This approach has worked well in the past on my other trips. So now I’ve said it in ABR I guess I really have to go do it!
Most Dangerous Motorcycling moment?
That would have to be the time I got knocked off my bike on the M6 in the fast lane! A car changed lanes into the side of me without looking or indicating. I was lucky to walk away from that accident with a few bruises and minimal damage to the bike. It could have been a lot worse…
Most memorable motorcycling moment?
The day my best mate James and I rode from the seaside town of Biarritz in France, over the snow-capped Pyrenees mountains and ended up wild camping in a desert in Spain! Still can’t get my head around the drastic change of scenery all in one day.
What do you miss most when travelling?
To be fair, nothing at all! I miss not travelling. It’s a very selfish point of view. Sometimes It’s good to be selfish.
If you could meet any person, dead or alive, and ask the one question, who would it be and why?
When I travel, I always wonder what the story is behind the lone shoe I occasionally see on the side of the road. How did it get there and who are these people that lose shoes? My mind goes through all sorts of scenarios. It would be interesting to finally get answers.
Favourite crap joke?
What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One’s really heavy and the other is a little lighter.
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You can’t say fairer than that, eh?