DrGMIA
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Bikes
- Oldest 1931, newest 2016, numerous makes and models in between on several continents
Passing through Southeast Asia recently I stopped at the well-known serious motorcycle traveler’s touch point, the Rider’s Corner, in Chiang Mai, Thailand to see what was happening prior to the Horizons Unlimited Traveler’s Meeting. Some very interesting motorcycle personalities and well-known road warriors were hanging around, chilling and swilling, between motorcycle riding in the Golden Triangle.
Harry Lyon-Smith pictured above was seen on his highly modified 1950’s British Royal Enfield. It had been converted to diesel, and then to run on vegetable oil. He had piloted the motorcycle overland from the UK. A fellow rider said following him was better than smelling burned diesel, the odor more like that of french fries. Lyon-Smith will be back to the Rider’s Corner for the Horizons Unlimited Meeting January 13 to enjoy the Welcome Reception by the Golden Triangle Rider Band and for the shows and BBQ January 14. He will be there with his “Vegi Bike.” To get a taste of his adventure more can be found at his website http://www.vegibike.com.
Caught by the camera relaxing were German Horizons Unlimited supporters Werner Zwick and Jo Deleker while working on a magazine article for the well-respected MOTORRAD magazine. I had met Deleker and Zwick at previous motorcycle traveler’s meetings in Germany and as far away as Ushuaia, Argentina, the furthest point south one can drive on the continent of South America. While meeting with Deleker and Zwick at the Rider’s Corner we were able to trade travel tales and warnings as well as update our personal cranial hard drives about things like quality maps (“Wunderbar!” for the new North Thailand Road & Off-Road map from http://www.rideasia.net) and useful information sources.
Horizons Unlimited “Super Moderator” Chris Bright from the UK was using the Rider’s Corner as his expedition base camp while exploring the Golden Triangle off-road. He was impressed with the detail of the new North Thailand Dirt Track and Tarmac GPS Map sold through the Rider’s Corner. “Brighty” offered suggestions for future motorcycle travel products and the upcoming Horizons Unlimited Mini Meeting January 13-14. A detailed report of his 1999-2002 ‘round the world adventures can be found at the website for Chris Bright http://www.TheBrightStuff.com.
While meeting Bright in far-away places like a campground in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, my fondest memory was of his arriving at my home in the Big Horn Mountains of Montana. There he could not pass on making a “test ride” on my 1947 Indian Chief, pictured below.
After departing the USA, Chris Bright gained international distinction for being the first person I have known of to literally “ride a BMW GS motorcycle into the ground.” I had logged some big, hard miles on BMW GS motorcycles, one having over 240,000 miles and now “resting” in a BMW motorcycle museum, described on pages 39-41 of Backroads Motorcycle TourMagazine http://bit.ly/svYNh2 . However, never did I ride one into the ground as Bright did in Brazil. At speed the neck of his BMW R100 GS snapped off! That left him sitting atop a heavily loaded BMW sliding along the pavement upright, holding onto useless handlebars while the front wheel flipped and flopped from side-to-side.
As Bright and I sat in the motorcycle travel and adventure ambiance of the Rider’s Corner enjoying a meal and the camaraderie of other serious motorcyclists, the true tales traded were at the extreme end of the motorcycle adventure spectrum. I look forward to our next random meetings and hearing his tales and those of Werner Zwick, Jo Deleker, and Harry Lyon-Smith as they recount their adventures while exploring Asia.
Harry Lyon-Smith pictured above was seen on his highly modified 1950’s British Royal Enfield. It had been converted to diesel, and then to run on vegetable oil. He had piloted the motorcycle overland from the UK. A fellow rider said following him was better than smelling burned diesel, the odor more like that of french fries. Lyon-Smith will be back to the Rider’s Corner for the Horizons Unlimited Meeting January 13 to enjoy the Welcome Reception by the Golden Triangle Rider Band and for the shows and BBQ January 14. He will be there with his “Vegi Bike.” To get a taste of his adventure more can be found at his website http://www.vegibike.com.Caught by the camera relaxing were German Horizons Unlimited supporters Werner Zwick and Jo Deleker while working on a magazine article for the well-respected MOTORRAD magazine. I had met Deleker and Zwick at previous motorcycle traveler’s meetings in Germany and as far away as Ushuaia, Argentina, the furthest point south one can drive on the continent of South America. While meeting with Deleker and Zwick at the Rider’s Corner we were able to trade travel tales and warnings as well as update our personal cranial hard drives about things like quality maps (“Wunderbar!” for the new North Thailand Road & Off-Road map from http://www.rideasia.net) and useful information sources.Horizons Unlimited “Super Moderator” Chris Bright from the UK was using the Rider’s Corner as his expedition base camp while exploring the Golden Triangle off-road. He was impressed with the detail of the new North Thailand Dirt Track and Tarmac GPS Map sold through the Rider’s Corner. “Brighty” offered suggestions for future motorcycle travel products and the upcoming Horizons Unlimited Mini Meeting January 13-14. A detailed report of his 1999-2002 ‘round the world adventures can be found at the website for Chris Bright http://www.TheBrightStuff.com.While meeting Bright in far-away places like a campground in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, my fondest memory was of his arriving at my home in the Big Horn Mountains of Montana. There he could not pass on making a “test ride” on my 1947 Indian Chief, pictured below.
After departing the USA, Chris Bright gained international distinction for being the first person I have known of to literally “ride a BMW GS motorcycle into the ground.” I had logged some big, hard miles on BMW GS motorcycles, one having over 240,000 miles and now “resting” in a BMW motorcycle museum, described on pages 39-41 of Backroads Motorcycle TourMagazine http://bit.ly/svYNh2 . However, never did I ride one into the ground as Bright did in Brazil. At speed the neck of his BMW R100 GS snapped off! That left him sitting atop a heavily loaded BMW sliding along the pavement upright, holding onto useless handlebars while the front wheel flipped and flopped from side-to-side.
As Bright and I sat in the motorcycle travel and adventure ambiance of the Rider’s Corner enjoying a meal and the camaraderie of other serious motorcyclists, the true tales traded were at the extreme end of the motorcycle adventure spectrum. I look forward to our next random meetings and hearing his tales and those of Werner Zwick, Jo Deleker, and Harry Lyon-Smith as they recount their adventures while exploring Asia.
