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Round the World on a Fireblade

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Roxyy
Renault 5 Driver



Joined: 01 Sep 2012
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PostPosted: 14:37 - 14 Jun 2020    Post subject: Round the World on a Fireblade Reply with quote

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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TheDonUK
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PostPosted: 11:07 - 15 Jun 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool trip, respect for doing it on a blade!
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kgm
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PostPosted: 14:33 - 15 Jun 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been following your Instagram, really impressed with your choice of bike! Looks like a great trip!
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Roxyy
Renault 5 Driver



Joined: 01 Sep 2012
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PostPosted: 16:23 - 15 Jun 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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


Thanks!
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woo
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PostPosted: 15:45 - 17 Jun 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quality trip currently watching on youtube now!

Id love to do what you have done but on my honda grom
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ThunderGuts
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PostPosted: 10:41 - 18 Jun 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

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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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 15:49 - 18 Jun 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 14:58 - 19 Jun 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

You had a drone-mounted camera too! Excellent!
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Moxey
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PostPosted: 23:02 - 22 Jun 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good going!

Always enjoy seeing posts from people who joined here when they started out riding through to things like this Thumbs Up
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P.
Red Rocket



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PostPosted: 17:47 - 25 Jun 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've watched through these videos today, looks amazing! Fair play, I wouldn't have the time or patience for it!
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A100man
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PostPosted: 23:27 - 01 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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


Agreed, much more commitment than I'm ever going to muster.. The East coast is far enough!
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MCN
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PostPosted: 23:50 - 01 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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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Roxyy
Renault 5 Driver



Joined: 01 Sep 2012
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PostPosted: 13:20 - 02 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

MCN wrote:
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. 🤣


It was cheap, I paid £1300. If something goes terribly wrong I wouldn't mind just abandoning it as it's not a £5.000 or £10.000 bike. But so far I made it to Australia so can't really complain.

Before I started this trip I used another 98 Fireblade on some of my European trips and really liked it for touring. I was never into proper adventure bikes. And the old models are actually really comfy, especially for me being 5ft 3.

As it's a 20 years old bike it doesn't have any fancy things = less to go wrong. Fairings are easy to take off and put back on (comparing to 2008 Fireblade - that was a nightmare). If I need to I can strip the whole bike down to the engine on the side of the road (and put back together). Simple to work on.

Some parts are "easy" to get... Burnt my clutch plates at 5300m altitude on some of the highest roads in the world in Himalayas in India. Found a set of clutch plates for $20 in the local market the next morning that were of almost the same shape. They didn't last very long but got me going for the next 1000km. (There were times that I had to wait 3 weeks for other parts to arrive though).

I quite often take it off road. When I wanted to do Wakhan Valley on the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan some people told me to not do this as they struggled on their adventure bikes. It wasn't anywhere near as difficult as they were saying and the only place where I dropped my bike in a deep sand was where everyone drops their bikes. When I tagged along with other adventure bikers on Wakhan Valley I was easily keeping up with them on gravel, sand, washboard etc. (that's not to say I would keep up with everyone obviously - we were maybe doing 30-40 mph on gravel and maybe 50 on light gravel as opposed to 5-10 mph when I took my Fireblade on gravel for the first time ever)
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Kris
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PostPosted: 14:53 - 02 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thumbs Up

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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Roxyy
Renault 5 Driver



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PostPosted: 16:08 - 02 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kris wrote:
Thumbs Up

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?


It was mostly self funded, when I first started thinking about it I thought it would take me at least 3 maybe 5 years to save up. But I didn't want to wait that long and on top of my full-time job (software developer) I started doing side jobs (fast food delivery) in the evenings and at the weekends working basically every spare minute of my free time but that way I saved up enough in some 8 months. Sold my old bikes and cut all the expenses that I possibly could. Now that my trip is paused I'm back home at work to refresh my budget so once I get back to my trip early next year I should have enough to last for maybe 1 year of travels. Then either fly back to work for few months again or find a job somewhere else.

I got some sponsorships for chain and sprockets, luggage, for helmet from Arai and other smaller bits and pieces but other than that it's mostly my savings.
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Irezumi
Nitrous Nuisance



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PostPosted: 23:33 - 02 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wish my (metaphorical) balls were as big as yours! Thumbs Up
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om15
Nova Slayer



Joined: 12 Aug 2018
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PostPosted: 12:28 - 03 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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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ThatDippyTwat
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PostPosted: 18:27 - 03 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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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Skudd
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PostPosted: 21:25 - 03 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

BCF isn't what it used to be. I feel the sad.
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ThatDippyTwat
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PostPosted: 06:50 - 05 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Skudd wrote:
BCF isn't what it used to be. I feel the sad.

If it was your normal chavvy spunktrumpet in trackies, bykelyfe fucktards, or some boring twunt filtering in London, I'm sure BCF would "show it's appreciation". The lass is going to places a lot of us will never get to go, and look at the age of the account, it's not a spam and run.
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TheDonUK
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PostPosted: 10:49 - 06 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 11:50 - 06 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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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P.
Red Rocket



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PostPosted: 16:43 - 07 Jul 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

TheDonUK wrote:
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.


Or he could have meant tits and gary.

Either way, this was once heck of an adventure and I'll follow for your Australia and onwards visits.
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steve the grease
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PostPosted: 20:12 - 06 Oct 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Respect.
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TaffyTDM
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PostPosted: 10:06 - 07 Oct 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

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!
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