Round the World on a Fireblade

[Roxyy]

Hello!

I'm Roxy, 24 years old girl. I moved to Scotland (from Poland) in 2011. When I was 19 I wanted to go and visit my family. I had my A2 licence by then and didn't want to leave my bike behind, so I decided to ride. 1200 miles each way, no problems at all.

After that I wanted more and over the following 3 years I got my full cat A licence and rode to almost every European country on my bikes (2 trips on GSX 650f and 3 trips on 98 Fireblade 900rr).

Eventually I started running out of countries to go in Europe... Where do I go next? Himalayas maybe?

If I'm going to go that far, I may as well ride all the way around the world.

But to save up, it would take me 3 maybe 5 years. I didn't want to wait that long.

I found a job closer to home (saves money on commute) and a bit better paid. But one job wasn't enough. On top of my full-time job as software developer I started doing fast-food deliveries in the evenings and at the weekends, working every spare minute of my time. I sold my old bikes (not really worth much but always something), and after 8 months I had enough to start my round the world trip.

My previous bike was 1998 Fireblade (also had 2008 1000cc Fireblade but that just wasn't comfortable for this kind of trip). 900RR was comfortable for me, and cheap - so if something goes seriously wrong it's not a lot of money to waste. Plus it's simple to work on, I can strip it all down to the engine on the side of the road.

I found 1999 Fireblade for £1300 which I bought for my trip (I abused my previous one A LOT, so it was better so sell it and buy another one in better state).

In July 2019 I was ready to set off.

I rode through Europe, Asia (Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia) and to Australia.

https://cdn.bcf.44bytes.net/files/route.png

Through the deserts, mountains, through some of the highest roads in the world, by the ocean, on tarmac, on gravel, sand, mud, knee deep river crossings, in -17 temperatures to some 43 plus.

In 10 months I covered 30,000 miles.

When I got to Australia, my trip was paused by Covid19 and I decided to fly back to Scotland and go back to work for few months.

Planning to resume my trip early next year, continue riding around Australia, then South and North America (from Ushuaia to Alaska or other way round), maybe Africa too. I also want to ride across Russia to Mongolia and Japan.

While I'm home I'm trying to catch up on my YouTube channel.

Below is my latest video from one of the most dangerous roads in the world - Shimshal Valley in Pakistan. Rough roads, gravel, loose rocks, knee deep river crossing. Add dead battery, fried stator and burnt clutch plates. Luckily this time I wasn't alone (it was supposed to be a solo trip, but in the end I ended up meeting so many people along the way!).

https://youtu.be/BslAbIQ8X8o
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Round the World on a Fireblade: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtf-0H6VOgQSWva7uQs5u-Og6M33l-LYg

[TheDonUK]

Cool trip, respect for doing it on a blade!
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[kgm]

I've been following your Instagram, really impressed with your choice of bike! Looks like a great trip!

[Roxyy]

[woo]

Quality trip currently watching on youtube now!

Id love to do what you have done but on my honda grom
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Elen sila lummen omentielvo!

[ThunderGuts]

I'd love to ride anywhere other than locally right now.

Trip looks amazing! If I was doing it, I'd probably do it on something suitably old and simple, a Cub or something, but whatever the bike, I'm sure it'd be amazing.
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TG.

[chickenstrip]

Good stuff!
Been watching a couple more from your trip. I like that you stopped for some stills photography of nice scenery sometimes too. I'd have stopped for more of that! Especially without the bike too - makes for good memories later.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[chickenstrip]

You had a drone-mounted camera too! Excellent!
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Moxey]

Good going!

Always enjoy seeing posts from people who joined here when they started out riding through to things like this
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Current: 02 FZS 1000 & 51 Moto Guzzi California Some Bike Pics...
'I was too busy paying attention to pay attention'

[P.]

I've watched through these videos today, looks amazing! Fair play, I wouldn't have the time or patience for it!

[A100man]

[MCN]

Fantastic Adventure.

Why a Sportsbike for cross-country journey? (For a trip thats bound to involve 'near off-road' conditions.)

Like using a screwdriver as a pry-bar or as a chisel. 🤣
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Roxyy]

[Kris]

Always wonder how people afford trips like this. Is it a case of spending savings, a massive overdraft etc or did you get sponsored etc?
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NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[Roxyy]

[Irezumi]

I wish my (metaphorical) balls were as big as yours!

[om15]

Hi Roxy,
Thanks for posting the video clips, looks a good adventure. I am impressed that the Fireblade is standing up to it, there is not much ground clearance and on those tracks it is a tribute to your skills that you still have fairings attached.
I hope that you took notes and will write a book about your trip, others have done so, both Nathan Millward and Elspeth Beard wrote about the same trip, (in reverse), but that was years ago.
With the changing politics of the area it would be good to have an up to date record of tips and advice for border crossings, visas, medical, accommodation and so on for others planning the trip, and interesting for the rest of us.
I think it might be some time before you can resume your journey through South America unfortunately, have you got a bike at Glasgow for local trips?
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Alcohol doesn't solve problems, but neither does milk

[ThatDippyTwat]

I've been subbed to your channel for a while. You're one of the very few who seem to take a genuine joy in doing this sort of thing, and the views and like are incidental, rather than doing it for likes and views. Most "vloggers" can feck off and die in a fire, they take something like riding bikes and rip the soul out of it. You just get on with it and have a blast.

Glad you plan to continue.
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[Skudd]

BCF isn't what it used to be. I feel the sad.
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Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[ThatDippyTwat]

[TheDonUK]

I read skudds post to mean its sad that people dont really post these things anymore here or reply to it much on BCF. Maybe i misunderstood though.
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[chickenstrip]

I particularly like Roxy's videos because we actually get to see the scenery she rode through. So many of these kinds of trips have the camera mounted where you see the road, what's at the edge of it, and not a lot else. Somehow, she also isn't mind-numbingly boring with the monologues. I'd still prefer to see more stills photography, with short captions of what we are looking at, assuming the photographer knows a bit about framing a shot. There's no point in just seeing a bike's-eye-view of rushing through the landscape imo. This seems a bit better than that. I don't get to feel what it's like riding the bike in a video - something you have to do for yourself. So the landscape becomes the most important aspect. So let's see it. With this rider, we do.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[P.]

[steve the grease]

Respect.
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All the above is my personal opinion, you can see my lips move, but I'm talking out of my arse.
I've been riding, and fixing , bikes for 50 years, in that time the more I learn, the less I am absolutely sure of.....

[TaffyTDM]

Roxy, how did you cross to australia? That was the sticking point in my future plans (got inspired when i was there in a camper van anda bloke from Yorkshire camped next to me on his gs). I understand a lot of the boat crossings that were around 10 years ago have dropped off, did you find a passenger service or barter onto a cargo boat? How did you find it?
Great stuff!