Time to start a new adventure…
For a long time I have been thinking about my transport requirements and travelling. I love travelling by motorbike (can you tell?) day to day they are just better than cars but long distances by motorbike are pretty boring. Motorways are dull as dishwater and don’t do the bike any favours either in terms of mega miles on the clock. I’ve been all over europe on the Versys, my motorbike for the last 7 years. She’s a dear old lady now but I bought her new 47k miles ago.
I can do long days in the saddle on her, but my butt doesn’t thank me. Once, when I mis-timed my departure from a friends house in France, I had the unenviable journey up to Calais to do in one day from Bergerac. That was the start of a 650 mile blast back to west London. I only narrowly made it onto the ferry because I had run out of fuel and money on my travel card and 24 hour petrol stations couldn’t take the last of my euros because they are unmanned! After a bit of french arm waving I managed to get some fuel from a local and make the ferry on time. When I finally got home I worked out I had been awake for 26 hours and biking solidly for 16 of them!
This is the sort of story that people enjoy telling because it was miserable at the time but hilarious to tell in the pub afterwards. A friend of mine coined the phrase “Type 2 Fun” and this journey was a great example.
Type 1 Fun
Fun at the time of doing something, eg; eating ice-cream, go-kart racing, sex
Type 2 Fun
A bit dangerous or unpleasant at the time but everyone comes back alive and it’s fun to tell in the pub afterwards, eg; eating ice-cream whilst having sex on a go-kart
I think that great stories are born from Type 2 Fun. The thrill comes from the ability to get yourself out of trouble and back to the pub for the post trauma debrief. Whilst being traumatic, in their own way, I really enjoy Type 2 Fun stories and want to increase the likelihood for generating them. I don’t want to actively put myself in danger because that’s how Darwin kicks you in the nuts, but more adventures are definately welcome.
To this end, I’ve bought myself a van, which I plan to convert to a camper motorcycle transport van. The plan is to fit a motorbike rack in the back and then let the van do the boring long motorway journeys to the interesting roads in Scotland or Wales or the Pyrenees. It will be ready to go at the drop of a hat meaning I can just disappear off every weekend for some new adventure!
…all very romantic but right now all I have is a white van and a dream. Actually scrap that, I saw a “motivational” photo on the interblag which is suitably cheesy and simultaneously true enough, for me to live by.
Don’t call it a Dream,
Call it a Plan,
And make it Happen