I wonder how these boots would go down at the Afghan border? Or in the middle Eastern in general?

Great boots and a great British icon. But probably best saved for home….

Look at this! One of the many bridges I rode over has washed away, just a few days later.

Full story here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10857032

This Christmas I spent a great few days riding around the south island of New Zealand. What a place! The scenery is just stunning, the roads are well made and there’s pretty much no-one on them. It’s a shame I didn’t have longer, but then I can always go back for more. The BMW GS650G I hired is a single cylinder road/offroad bike, but it’s definitely oriented to on road riding. I was assessing it as a potential RTW machine, but I think it’s a bit buzzy and some of the sensors look a bit fragile. A good friend came along on his trusty KLR650, which I think would be a more robust machine for the job.

But what about the chair of despair? The Guzzi outfit? Well, with the possibility of 2 people going round the world, it makes sense to take 2 of the same machine. Since the Guzzi is somewhat unique, realistically I’d be looking at buying the same bike as Steve. So, I was interested in trying the KLR – which is actually a nice bike to ride. Plenty of power, high up position and a comfy seat. Compared to the BMW it feels a lot softer, but I liked it enough to make it acceptable. As long as it comes in a better colour than that crappy Blue! After a great week away I came back to Oz, and took the Guzzi out for a spin. Would you believe it, I snapped the sidecar frame clean in two! Maybe it’s better I take a bike anyway???