Adventure Bike Rider Forum

Mine was about 1992/3 just after I passed my test on my first big bike - a 1991 VFR750
Not big miles - just a trip around Brittany
I was hooked
The bike in question - no trip pics though

After that I was hooked and mid 1990’s I did a few Picos trips with others on small trail bikes

However my interest piqued in 1997 when I bought my first BMW GS - a brand new red 1100GS

As soon as it was run in - I began ones a MCi trip to the Bol D’Or in the south of France
That was an epic and mad trip
No GPS
No mobile phones
No credit cards - cash only for hotels/food and fuel
No speed limits - Gendarmes actually encouraged speed limit excesses
No autoroute tolls
Sun, sea and …plus 24 hr bike racing
Bliss
In my Early 30’s and riding a BMW
Ardeche Gorge


On the roadside to Grenoble


St Tropez

Bit of off-road at the foot of the Matterhorn

Cormet de Roseland in the French Alps


Great days and happy memories

Our honeymoon in 1977 on our 1973 Triumph Bonneville.
We had had a few trips around the UK before we got married (no ‘living in sin’ in those days ) and were going to see our friend’s brother who was in the army in Germany.
In the meantime he had bought himself out so we decided to get married the weekend before then do the trip with said friend/best man and his girlfriend.
Across to Cologne, up the Rhine to Frankfurt and back.
I had a spark plug failure and Dave had a partially seized rear brake on his Tiger 650 so not too bad really.
Sorry, no photo to hand.

Next trip was ferry to Denmark on our Jubilee Bonneville. Ferry to Esjberg and ride down through Germany to Cologne and back across to Calais.
Had a tiny engine nip up just before the Danish border but nothing we could do so we just carried on. We had recovery so, as long as we stayed over 30mph, the rattle wasn’t too bad but the bike did 900 miles and madevit home ok.

Bought a car after that!

BMW K75 launch in Bavaria...what a lucky boy!

Early 80’s, but no photos I'm afraid, as was with the ex-wife. On my 1981 Kawasaki LTD 1000. Pyreenes and Andorra.

1971?? on a suzuki 250 like this ..

susuki x7 by gary boy, on Flickr

then later with a Kawasaki GT750 .. like this ..

Kawasaki GT750 2 by gary boy, on Flickr

.. and some also since ..

Over to Ireland probably, a few times in my late teens and early 20's on various 125s - probably an AR125 was the first. Then Ireland on a CB550SC, later in my 20's, which I also took to France and Spain.
Pat

My first trip abroad was with the BTBC. pre 2000 but cant remember the year. Followed Paul Clarke and the other 18 bikes from zebruge to Bardonechia and up mt somelier (the Stella Alpina Rally). No phone no map no idea - just faith in me riding mates.

It was 50 weeks later just before the next trip that John Burkinshaw shown me a map of the last years route and the next trip.
Put me in good stead for many a trip after that. Africa twins x 2 an 1100GS then 1150GS.
My lovely wife used to come as well on the Africas when we went solo tripping sometimes 4k miles in just over 2 weeks ( Red arsed Baboons, we were) The 1100 red un was the best bike ever for touring Janet said after 4.5 k in 18 days = "Thats a comfy F in Tractor"

garyboy wrote: ↑Tue Jan 30, 2024 3:34 pm 1971?? on a suzuki 250 like this ..

[url=[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/509 ... a908_k.jpg[/img]

The X7 came out in 1978! (I had its predecessor, a GT250B, in 1977 )

Aug/Sept 1978. Circumnavigating France on my GT380B, with school pal Graham on his CB400 Dream. Cherbourg - Biarritz - Andorra - Perpignan - Clermont Ferrand - Paris - Calais, over 3 weeks or so. Single, no cares, French girls.... fantastique!