The Long Way

“The Long Way” anything. I have chosen to name my adventure The Long Way X-Cross because I was inspired by two television shows, The Long Way Around and The Long Way Down. The shows are available on Netflix and I have told many friends that they would really enjoy them and the wonderful adventure they portrayed. Both Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman chose to share their adventures with the world with the “The Long Way” name and I do not wish to take anything from that. I would simply like to relate to the same ideals and passion for a very long adventure on a motorbike. I do not make any claim to the name nor do I plan on profiting from it or being associated to them in any way. I do not have any sponsors and I have not asked for a free motorcycle.

I have incorporated as many of their Ideas and choices as possible into my own plans so I may have a similar experience. In choosing a bike I test drove the KTM Super Adventure, the Yamaha Super Tenere, Suzuki’s V-Strom and finally the BMW GS 1200. Since no one was going to give me a free bike I had to be very diligent in my decision making process. A new bike would cost me roughly fifteen to twenty five thousand dollars; a used bike would be closer to my budget ranging from fifteen to seven thousand dollars. I certainly do not want to retire and have a payment and since I have a sixteen year old daughter that would like to have a car of her own and go to college I had to be very careful in my decision making process.

In searching the local internet adds I ran across a 2004 BMW 1150 GS, this bike was almost the exact same bike that Ewan and Charley used to ride around the world. Their bike, the 1150 GS Adventure has a lower gear ratio with some suspension tweaks but it is the same bike. The only visible difference is the seat but as on their trip as well as on mine I plan on packing lots of gear on the rear seat. The bike was advertised for $5,500 which was unbelievable to me, a BMW within my budget! In reading the add I noticed that the address was just two miles from my home so I called the guy and told him I would be there in ten minutes.

There she sat, my dream bike set up exactly as I needed her with the two side panniers and a rear rack. She had two brand new tires, had been maintained by a mechanic and the color grey was my favorite. I knew it was meant to be. I took her for a short drive while I pondered my options and decided how I would explain it to my wife and daughter, my son is never an issue because he is a boy and as a boy we think alike. So my decision was made and all I needed was a fist full of cash. I told the guy that I liked the bike while I tried to not look too excited and that I would check with the bank and call him within the hour. I scraped together the cash and called the guy back, he agreed to sell me the bike for $4.800. My decision making process was aided by fate; I had the bike of my dreams at a price well within my budget and could easily justify it to both my wife and daughter. My son just said “cool” and started to tell me about an old 1943 Indian he would love to have.

Of all the things that I admire and share in common with Ewan and Charley is that we can relate to the love of a supportive wife and the blessing of having a baby girl, no matter her age she will always be my baby. I must say that the enjoyment of having a son and the ease of dealing with a boy is one thing that I really enjoy and they may have missed out on. In many ways daughters are like owning a Harley Davidson, they require maintenance and can be difficult to deal with. Boys however are like an old Yamaha 100 Enduro, you can leave it for years unattended in an old shed, dust it off and it starts like it was new. A torn seat and bent handle bars really make no difference, I do not think that my son has a pair of jeans without holes in the knees and I have never seen him wash his hands. Boys are a breeze.

As a child I was always told to “grow up” I never wanted to and as a fireman I never had to. I have spent the last twenty years playing with trucks, getting dirty and sleeping in a sleeping bag. I hang out with my buddies all day long make jokes as we tease each other, we make fun of our captain like he is our third grade teacher and dread the day we are called into the office to see the principal or shall I say the chief. In many ways riding a motorcycle is like being a kid, feeling free, having the wind in your hair; your thoughts can race as fast as you ride. For me it has really never been the speed but the freedom is what I love. The spirit of the ride, the Zen feeling of being alone on a never ending stretch of road. It is impossible to explain the feeling of ridding to someone that doesn’t ride yet to a rider the complete feeling can be conveyed in a smile and a simple twist of the wrist…