Author Archives: Gary

About Gary

I was over the moon to be told in 2011 that I had been selected by the Ted Simon Foundation to be one of the first ever Jupiter’s Traveller. As a 'Jupiter's Traveler' I am inspired and motivated to develop my observations, thoughts, photographs and insights into something of value for the rest of the world to share. I have already traveled more that 160,000 miles by motorcycle and have a number of major solo motorcycle trips under my belt and left the UK for North America in 2015 riding from Alaska to Mexico by motorbike on his own through north Americas finest wilderness areas. You can follow me via Twitter @tyclyd.

In (Someone Else’s) Workshop

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The V85 has been a revelation. At last an adventure motorcycle that gets attention for its blend of classic styling, modern technology, and versatility. The V85TT features a retro-inspired design that pays homage to Moto Guzzi’s heritage while incorporating contemporary elements including classic styling and build quality. The power output at around 80 horsepower and 80 Nm of torque delivers balanced performance suitable for both on-road and off-road use with the Guzzi unique transverse V-twin layout providing a distinct sound and feel and a maintenance-free shaft drive, which is a boon for me and moving forth chain drive on the XT660Z.

The V85 has long-travel suspension (170mm front and rear) and in my experience can handle rough terrain while providing a comfortable ride on tarmac and its spoked wheels (19-inch front and 17-inch rear) are fitted with tubeless Dunlop Trailmax Meridian dual-purpose tires, making my V85TT capable of tackling both tarmac and light dirt trails. The bike has all the expected technology, riding modes, traction control and switchable ABS, TFT display full LED lighting, self cancelling indicators, cruse control, heated grips and Brembo breaks. The tank is 23 litres and in reality that’s 250 miles of high speed riding or almost 350 at a more gentle sedate “bimbling” pace.

Its not a common bike in the UK or northern Europe and I often get asked what’s it like… its about as analogue as you can get in a modern E5 bike, with loads of character and is the smaller Italian twin to its German big brother and sub £10K new its a bargain. If you have not ridden one go for a test ride… you won’t regret it.

Its Been a While – Navigating Challenges

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Blimey, it’s been a while since I popped in here for an update, due partly to everything that has been going on. The cycle of life and death, redundancy, loss of identity, being disowned by a child and then covid injury just all seemed to get in the way. I needed some help to rebuild my resilience – and without Mary I don’t think I would have survived. What did I learn though is that resilience is often described as the ability to recover quickly from difficulties, it’s not just about enduring hardship but thriving in spite of them and the idea that just ‘one more thing’ could break you. For me resilience involves a combination of mental, emotional, and physical capabilities that help me cope with and overcome personal challenges. Life is inherently unpredictable, from personal losses to professional setbacks, stress is an inevitable part of the human experience – and those who follow my unpredictable travel path would I think, say I am pretty good at dealing with the unexpected. On the road you need to build your resilience to be better equipped to manage the unexpected effectively – you need (mental health) tools in your kit bag to solve issues, some you may have already and others you will need help in acquiring. Be ready for the unexpected and enjoy the ride.

Hundertwasser

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In Vienna so popped into see Friedensreich Hundertwasser house – an Austrian artist and architect and whilst not a naturist in the traditional sense of the word he did have a deep appreciation for nature and the environment, which is reflected in his work. Hundertwasser believed that architecture should be in harmony with nature and that buildings should incorporate natural elements such as trees, vegetation, and natural light – there are 10 tenant trees in the house. While Hundertwasser did not espouse the naturist lifestyle, his work was deeply influenced by his reverence for nature and his desire to incorporate it into his art and architecture – plenty of pictures of his bits though 🙂

The Jura Massif and Mr Pasteur

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Rode through the Jura massif yesterday and came across Arbois, a little town in the Burgundy Franche-Comté region. Stumbled across a little garden and there was a memorial to Louis Pasteur who moved to the region as a child and undertook some of his most important work to make both cheese and wine taste a lot nicer… as much as I love both wine and cheese I guess for me it was the discovery of the rabies vaccine that puts him in a landmark position.