Loads of ADVENTURE BIKES,

[BAKERMAN]

Ride report, not sure what you need to do to endorse a ride report, but as I one finger type this could be a massive thing for me,

So here we go, last October as you may know I completed a thing called The Cross Egypt challenge after a few years of traveling with groups starting with 16 I`m now down to traveling on my own.

This is due too the fact I`m an acquired taste, even on the Egyptian Challenge I managed to fall out with a Nigerian guy due too the heat in the desert and the past 7 days of his and my ego`s.

Anyhow I have found that the lone traveler is the best way, even if sometimes you want to share that moment with someone.

I rode a SYM fiddle 11 Scooter 2400km around Egypt and was really taken by it at a way to get about,

 

[Timolgra]

Bring it on

 

[BAKERMAN]

So I have been searching ebay since my return, and have even travel to Turo to look at a heap of shite, a 400 mile around trip in a bread van, th thing I rode when I got there was dis scribed as perfect, but was being sold by SCUM FAMILY Jones or Smith.

This past weekend but won I found one on ebay for £885 offered £700 and it was excepted, so 700kms on the clock £700 so £1 for every kilometer ridden.

I was off to Fowey in Cornwell and the bike I thought was in HULL, I rang the guy up saying I`ll pick it up on Tuesday from Hull, he said NO I`m in Newquey, thats 15 miles from where I was to be that day,

So throw gera in the car and a ride back from Newquey to Andover was on the cards, a good 200 miles thats nothing to me as we were doing 350kms everyday in Eygpt for 8 days.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

Andres

 

[BAKERMAN]

As you can see Ahmad is drawing a map for us showing our route, on I can a sure you that 600-400kms were uncharted ish old road and Ahmad was told it was n`t possible on scooters.

What I trying to say is that these SYM Scooters were too prove to me that I didn`t knead to travel on anything else in the future, these things were given HELL.

I `m not for one minute expeting folks to run out and buy a Thiawaness scooter but its funny how my traveling mode has changed.

 

[BAKERMAN]

Anyway, I picked up my ebay perchace and started the ride home, after a very wet start managed EXETER, what some 80 miles, and even though it was a cold Sunday morning 7 days ago, the memories came flooding back.

Number 24, that was my scooter and the White ones were the organisers colours,

 

[Greg Masters]

Snoopy - eat your heart out!

 

[BAKERMAN]

So now I have my own WHITE SYM Fiddle 11 125cc scooter, I`m adding ADV
and here it is on its first outing down to ZEN OVERLANDS in Well opening day.

If you know Gabriel Bolton, you will know hes very talented and you need to waypiont his new shop,

 

[BAKERMAN]

I umed and arred about riding down to Wells and looked on Google route master thing to find out ANDOVER-WELL, 1 HOUR 30 MINS, now I have ridden to Wells many many times over the years, on all sorts of differnt bikes.

Many Ducatis, KTM Dukes cars and I can`t beleve I`m even bothering to look how far it is what roads to take and how long its going to take.

I don`t have to be back to work till 4am Monday and its midday Saturday, who cares, so I now span google for campsites, and on looking out the window it changes to B&B`s.

 

[BAKERMAN]

So off I set from home, I fill up at the local petrol station £3.81 about 3 liters, and a quick pop into see my dear hitch hike mate Ian to see if he wants to pillion, hes on the roof of his house sorting out a water leek, so unable to come.

Maybe a good thing as that 1 hour 30 mins could be doubled, I lok at my watch and its 12 midday, dead on the time I wanted to leave, I shout out to Ian I`ll call on my arrival.

So off I go on The ADV SYM 125 Fiddle 11

 

[BAKERMAN]

As you can see its well ADVENTURED up, as were told on The Cross Egypt Challenge please can you strap a bag on the bag as too look adventurous in all the photos

 

[BAKERMAN]

So same bag, now I have added hand muffs and 3 pairs of gloves under the seat, off down the fantastic road to freedom the A303, my goal is Well in Sommerset.

I never know how to spell Somerset, my mother lives in Yoviel and really struggle with that town too, I`m OK with the village WEST COKER, and the street she lives in East Street its just Youvil and Sommerst when I write those post cards.

The A303 for me normally is as fast as possable without getting a speeding fine, now I`m trying to go fast enough to try and get one, wearing my sponsors crash helmet, and my Mansi sponsors eye wear that look real cool even if I say so.

I pin the SYM back on the stop and see 61.5mph down hill into Wyele bottom, turning off onto the A36 to WARMISTER, passing many of the spots I have stood on numerous hitch hiking expeditions well two.

With no gearsits like those KARTS at KARTWORLD you have to keep up the momentum at any cost to life, and pick if any overtakes very carefully.

I am smiling a smile I haven`t felt since leaving CIARO for ALEX that`s short for ALEXANDRIA, what is it about riding a £700 secondhand Taiwanese scooter when I haven`t had this much fun on some of the most expensive bikes ever purchased.

I am in heaven flat out knowing the cold air was cooling a scooter I would have worried about the engine popping in 50 degrees heat in The White Dessert near the Libian border in far Eastern Sahara.

Heaven riding the A303 on to the A36 Codford, looking down while passing things knowing I can bang on the brakes hard spin around and pick them up, Benson and Hedges boxes that look like gold bars at 30mph, bits of rope you think you may need.

 

[Humbug]

There's a room for you here near Taunton if you want it Bakes. PM me if you get this in time.

Andy

 

[BAKERMAN]

So I make WELLS, call Ian and settle into shaking hands with all my new friends on BIKE BIKES.

I meet these two that are going around The World, and lots of folks
that have been around the world, loads of ADVENTURE BIKES, and that`s whats
made me add ADV to mine.

Some nice food eaten and a chat to some folks from on here, I see a hole in the weather say my
goodbyes and slip off, only to leave at the same time as a massive big Orange one of these bikes.

We ride almost 5 or 6 miles together throw 20-30 - 50 mile an hour roads, always he is two cars back.
I`m thinking if I can ride this as fast as he can ride his BIG Orange bike on the road, maybe this thing can go
off road.

 

[BAKERMAN]

The Big Orange bike left me at a set of traffic lights only just as I tailed him a few more miles, maybe the ADV SYM Fiddle 11 would show it worth on the dirt.

So after a few miles I turn off onto the GREEN ROADS,

 

[BAKERMAN]

The rear seems to slip around and I don`t seen to be getting anywhere, two fellows in a Land rover seem to find my exploits very amusing, that does n`t deter me.

What if I ride as fast as I can it worked in the deep sands in Egypt, keep it pinned and just go,

Well that did n`t work maybe those ORANGE BIKES have special tyres

 

[Mr K]

 

[BAKERMAN]

Up we both get, and all in one bit still, and off again !

 

[Tarka]

Brilliant stuff Bakerman...keep it coming.

Good on you for taking the time and trouble to compose and post a written ride report with photos instead of being like the lazy feckers who just post a link to a blog or even worse just stick a monotonous video under the guise of a "ride report".

, what is it about riding a £700 secondhand Taiwanese scooter when I haven`t had this much fun on some of the most expensive bikes ever purchased.
.

I know exactly what you mean...I got the same feeling when I took my secondhand high mileage Vespa to the event in Germany in February.

 

[BAKERMAN]

Now I`m having fun even in the rain hail and snow that gets thrown at us