Having your own set of wheels still represents a certain air of freedom to your life, especially as a late teen and perhaps even more so as a young adult. You’d likely be the outright owner of your car as a young adult, whereas the driving teenager typically had to beg their parents to either buy them the car they’re driving, or they simply borrowed it. The freedom associated with this kind of mobility, which we tend to take for granted these days, takes on a whole new form when you go out and about on two wheels instead of four.
There are some places around the world which are best visited by motorbike for a number of reasons, but most of which reasons boil down to the associated practicality.
Southeast Asian Islands
The primary reason to be visiting this part of the world would likely be to stretch each penny you spend to get the most out of the destination. This kind of thinking is part of the local culture, with otherwise pure-tourist destinations such as Phuket Island, Thailand, affording even the thriftiest of travellers some of the luxuries associated with an exotic island destination. Motorbikes are a huge part of everyday life here, with just about every make and model in existence available for rent or for sale. That’s if of course you don’t want to get around in the motorbike variation of the many taxis they have.
During peak hours (late morning and early evenings), road traffic gets crazy, but on the left shoulder of each four-wheel vehicle the traffic flows freely, as motorcyclists squeeze by to get to wherever they’re going in due time.
Motorbike spares are so easy to come by as a result of the huge biking culture, so you can literally stop anywhere to get your bike fixed or serviced, if the need ever arose. You can also fuel up just about anywhere, perhaps while you grab a refreshing drink and ponder the next leg of your sightseeing bike ride.
The Cape Provinces of South Africa
You’d probably need to pick out a bike that’s best suited for longer distances if you’re going to be taking in the sights of the Cape Provinces of South Africa. A Honda Gold Wing would make for a good choice, because, as much as there isn’t really a huge biking culture in South Africa, you wouldn’t struggle to find motorbike spares for the Honda brand.
Otherwise there is perhaps no better way to truly experience the beauty of the Garden Route than on a motorcycle, as the highlight of the Cape Provinces (Eastern and Western Cape).
Reading, England
Riding up to Reading from Marlow makes for the kind of motorcycle ride that can turn into a real adventure, as you’d likely come up against the elements, like wet weather. Make it a single-ride adventure by planning for it as a long ride to cover in one go. In case you might need some running repairs, visit Fowlers to check which parts would be readily available for your long-distance bike, which would likely be in the form of a Trimuph Tiger 1200, a Yamaha Venture Transcontinental, or perhaps even the previously mentioned Honda Gold Wing.
Before heading into the more open stretches along the recommended A4155, you’ll probably experience that freedom associated with travelling by bike, which just never gets old, as you roll into the traffic congested roads along Henley on the River Thames.