Steve Hotson - Lead guide for & expedition organiser
Motoexplorers Silk road adventures.
age 44 - and still getting older.
"I am passionate about exploring the East" My adventures aim to fill the gap between stage-managed tours & exploring alone. We aim to combine the best elements from each adventures into a free-spirited ride that enables you to explore places that you would be unlikely to venture alone.
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So - who are the sort of people that ride to China? |
We come in all shapes and sizes, ages, experiences - The thing we all have in common is our desire to ride our own motorcycle across the globe to China.
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| It is quite a satisfying achievement! "That itself is enough". |
Between the riders they summarize why we do these trips; we're not really 'Motorbikers' we just like to travel places by motorbike. Once you've got a taste for that smell of travelling that you only get when you're on a motorcycle, it is just a case of where to go next. No Reason |
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John Hughs
age 65
Cumbria
Triumph Tiger 1150
1st long distance motorcycle adventure
Thought I should make a journey for my 65th birthday & why not ride to China, don't need any real reason but having interest in gardens will be interesting to see what wild flowers we come across on the way!
Travelled and motorcycled in Romania & New Zealand
Autumn is also a good time to travel.
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John Walsh
age 54
Wales
BMW R1200 GS
World China scouting rider for Silk road adventure 2009
Not quite sure how I ended up heading to Beijing though because originally I was embarking on a solo overland trip to see my daughter in Australia! It’s probably down to the fact that a mate was planning to do this trip and it was the perfect excuse to wimp out of the more extensive preparation needed for the Oz tour. |
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Adrian Sky, "The Tall one"
age 30
Australian
Suzuki DL650
RTW rider continuing on into southern Asia
before returning to Australia
I wanted to complete a round World ride from Dubai to Sydney. The route through China was always an issue and having seen Steve’s website, and considered various other options, this has been extended from UK to Sydney.
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Ciprian Radovoi
age 43
Romanian
BMW 1200 GS
Eastern Europe scouting rider for Silk road adventure 2009 |
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John Bradshaw
age 73
Wales
Suzuki 1200 Bandit
A born and bred Yorkshireman, I moved in mid career to Wales in a vain attempt to avoid a midlife crisis (or was it the male menopause?), to the cosmopolitan town of Aberystwyth – the Riviera of the west coast on a good day!
I gave up football, cricket and finally squash as my skills were totally and somewhat churlishly ignored by the media and national team coaches, and today’s chances of me now being selected for the Olympic skiing team and the Ryder cup are hanging by the merest thread.
After this trip there is only moon-walking left! |
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Paul Craig
age 50
Birmingham
BMW 1200 GSA
I have been lucky over the last few years with the blessing of the family and the work that I do to get away and do a few adventures in the past. In 05-06 I did four legs taking me half way around the world on the Clipper round the world yacht race and last year entered the Polar Challenge 390 mile walking race to the Magnetic North Pole.
The challenge that we are about to embark on is looking as interesting as the ones I have done in the past, being a scouting trip to China. I am looking forward to meeting new friends and seeing some spectacular parts of the world from a different perspective. I am looking forward to the camping and the type of motorbiking that the bike has been built for. |
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Andrew Baxter
age 51
BMW R850
World China scouting rider for Silk road adventure 2009
I have been riding for 32 years and first dreamt of a long bike trip way back in the seventies when I read Jupiters Travels. So it has taken a long time to get to this position - but now I think is the right time and I hope it turns out to be all that I have dreamt.
As you would expect I have owned many bikes down the years but of the last 20 years all have been BMW's with the exception of a Ducati ST2 (these bikes are great). Very pleased with the 850R though, I have not had it long so just hoping it will be up to the job. We will soon see!! |
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John Yates
age 35
Yamaha XT660 Tenere
RTW world rider continuing on to southern Asia,
Leaving work for a while to ride a motorcycle around the world. Haven't a hugh knowledge on bike maintenance but just started a quick course to get a bit more up to speed before setting off for China.
The ride to China is the first leg of the trip, from Beijing I'll freight the bike to Bangkok & take it from there. Plan is to continue into Thailand & Malaysia via Bankok, Australia & then to South America. |
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Mark Kotting
age 45
London
BMW R100
World China rider 2009
Why does one do anything? I know I like moving, it makes me feel I’m doing something. I’m good at looking right, left and straight on.
London’s here and Beijing’s there, that’s good enough for me, I don’t need anymore reason than that.
I’m going to take my old mule and ride some roads climb some mountains. Sounds like a tractor but I love, that girl. Always have. Fell in love from the day I saw her, shining in a Kent village cock-pit. She spits oil, but I wouldn’t want to be with any other. She has loyalty tattooed on her metal heart.
I’m middle aged, swinging from life’s butcher’s hook, I’ve heart aches awaiting and Countries and cultures, I haven’t met. It’s more than that, it’s the silk road of China, god damn it.
It’s about greeting new days, seeing its sun ups and its sundown’s. |
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Ron De Raad
age 48
English / Dutch
BMW R80
I brought my bike - a BMW R80GS 18yrs ago, when it was just 2 years old from a guy in the next village, especially to do a trips like this. As for most of us, work stopped play, and I only did a few trips to France and Switserland since I brought it.
Having finally freed up some time I set of to Morocco in March 09, riding all the way from my home town of Lincoln and had the time of my life! Finally got my bike into the desert for some rough stuff and only the gps to show the way was exhilarating as it was scary! I got down to the Tropic of Cancer just south of Dakhla before running out of time and heading home.
Looking forward to meeting up with everyone to cross China and if all goes well - I hope to carry on and beyond to Australia! Can you believe it? |
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"This is not a large corporate run business -
It is a combination of riders of all kinds of experience and abilities put together into
free-Spirited adventures for passionate motorcyclists who are looking to try somewhere & something different!
Our rides are free-spirited balanced exploring adventures.
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"This site is dedicated to the moto explorers who have followed their heart and achieved their dream" |
The hardest part of doing the ride to China is making the decision!
Once you've done that - It all gradually just happens, as someone once said;
"Make a decision and the World conspires to make it happen"
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I think that you guys who ride your motorcycles to China all achieve something which is rare and precious.
Experiencing people and places in far corners of the world that few people get to see.
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People will look back on these days when motorcyclists rode on 2 wheeled machines with exploding cylinders of combustible liquids beneath their buts and say "How could they do that"!?
"How did they ride exploding machines across the World" |
| take less enjoy more
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You do not
need to be
super-off-roader!
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| "A rare opportunity to explore China by motorcycle". |
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"As the bikes get dustier - riders skills become more and more honed, until it becomes second nature to find yourself
in ever changing far away lands " |
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| Returning from a 35,000 mile around the World trip "China was the most culturally diverse stage of the whole trip." |
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| It’s about what life’s about, being alive, Giving yourself some history. |
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"I am not a motorbiker -
I just love to travel by motorbike!" |
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