the blog

I’ve been riding a few midweight adventure bikes to help find a replacement for the long-suffering 990, but an unexpected eBay find meant I ended up buying something before I’d even finished the shopping trip. Was it a sensible choice? We’ll see…

The four of us from Bodge Tape Adventures ride to France to learn about Operation Chariot, one of the most mental raids of the Second World War. We visit the famous submarine pens, actually go inside one, and obviously a KTM breaks down.

Three years is a bloody long time to disappear from YouTube – apart from a few sporadic uploads – so I owe you lot an explanation.

When you’ve been a social media influencer (or an idiot with a a camera, as I like to call it) for a while, exciting opportunities tend to come your way. Thanks to a prior tour with Wheels of Morocco and a subsequent good rapport with the company owner, Greg, I received an invitation to join a scouting trip aimed at discovering new trails for their motorbike tours. I use the term “invitation” loosely; Greg had persistently nagged me for a while, and when both our calendars miraculously aligned, I couldn’t really resist any longer! He gathered a group of intrepid riders, not scared to explore the unknown, and I brought along Seats. It had been a while since I’d seen any of them, so I was very excited about the upcoming 4 days of fun.

The Trail and Adventure Motorbike Podcast (TAMP) has been making waves lately. Every time I check my socials, Clive usually boasts about their rankings, whether it’s hitting the ‘top 5 of this chart’ or ‘top 3 of that.’ And, it’s well-deserved praise. The podcast delivers a unique and refreshing blend of informative discussions and hilarious banter. Yes, it’s quite aggressive, often laced with humor and the frequent use of a c-bomb, but undeniably entertaining. When I learned they were introducing awards for listeners to vote on their favorite podcast guests, I thought I might get a mention, having blessed them with my presence more than once, but I didn’t anticipate anything beyond that.

I made a return to the TAMP podcast, but this time the chat was all about motorbike first aid, a subject that you should all know a little bit about. Clive reached out and wanted us to “cover everything,” which initially struck me as potentially dull for the audience. After all, first aid discussions can be quite technical. However, he was convinced it would be what the listeners wanted. Turns out, he knows what he’s doing – the episode was a massive hit!

I believe that the concept of ‘adventure’ is a profoundly personal experience. Austin Vince, as discussed in his TAMP episode, argues for an element of peril, but I see it as subjective. Whether you’re navigating through Iraq on a motorbike or simply heading to the coast for fish and chips, it constitutes your unique adventure. While I used to associate adventure with venturing overseas on a ferry, a recent spin out to Wales on my 990 for a mini-adventure has reshaped my perspective. The plan was simple: the teenie-tiny Greg Villalobos got a group of us together that he wanted to ride with. We all met up at an undisclosed location in Wales for some trail riding, and a lot of banter.

Bruce, the renowned TeapotOne, reached out to me after my name was tossed around by a few folks, inviting me to join him for a  chat on his Bru Time podcast. What’s the setup? Well normally for these things you get a bit of a heads-up of what’s going to be covered, but not in this case! No agenda, just a casual conversation covering a variety of subjects, including our shared passion for bikes, obviously.

Riding on dirt riding has been my mainstay for the past five years, and I can confidently say, it’s nothing short of awesome. The allure lies in the continual challenge – just when you think you’ve nailed it, the next rut will lob you into a hedge just to teach you a lesson. What makes it truly enjoyable is that you don’t need to be smashing along at breakneck speeds; the thrill is in the general experience.

I was back on the Trail and Adventure Motorbike Podcast, this time for some firm education. What was discussed? Well, in the battle of big bikes vs small bikes, in summary, big bikes rule. That’s the key takeaway. Wandering the trails, attempting to be fuel-efficient on your sub-400cc bike, well, that just paints you as a loser. Riding a Honda CRF? Sorry, but it’s just a bit lame. Complaining about big bikes being heavy? It comes across as a tad weak. So, get out of my inbox.