United Kingdom - Return

Home – We got back to Swindon in 3 hours, tired, and, I suppose, relieved to have made it. The bike went in for a full service with the local mechanic and needed a fair bit of work. The chain & sprockets were completely knackered, air filter full off sand & insects and a rear suspension slightly knackered, but useable. Once I save up, I’ll fit a new rear shock but it will do for now. The V-Strom 1000 proved itself to be a very capable bike, taking the 2 of us over 4000 milesin complete comfort. There were no problems on the roads at all, open or twisty, and once I got used to the weight, even the slow speed handling was simple.

For both of us it was the first time out of the UK on a bike. Some people we met thought we were brave, some thought we were mad, and some were impressed. Whatever we are, we were very happy. We’d had a great time, visited some amazing places and met some fantastic people. We now have the bug and, if money permits, we’ll be doing more tours in the near future. In the meantime, I’d like to thank you for reading this account of my first big trip, and hopefully it will inspire you to do some travelling yourself and I’ll be able to read about your adventures in the future.