1 PLANET – 7 CONTINENTS – 2 WHEELS

I began riding at the age of 8. Apart from a little 50cc schoolboy scrambler, my first “real” bike was a Yamaha TY80, which got me into trials riding.

From trials I went to motocross on 80s and 125s.

In my mid-twenties, whilst living in Sweden, (I’m a Scot) I moved onto Enduro, racing a YZ250.

I always had a road bike, too, though and whilst completing my Commercial Pilots License in Gothenburg, Sweden, I road a Triumph Adventurer 900 for many years.

I rode bikes in over 40 countries, both off-road and on-road and everything in between. I also flew microlights, which for me, are the motorbikes of the air.

I bought the T700 18 months ago in order to once again begin to tour the world, but this time with my now 14 y/o son riding pillion with me. Why did I choose the T700 and not a Tiger or Africa Twin? Well, I come from an off-road background and as soon as I test rode the T700 I felt immediately at home. The bars and steering feel/react very much like a motocross or enduro bike and I liked that.

Granted, there are more comfy bikes around for touring but I don’t just tour. When the opportunity presents itself, I’ll happily hit the trails with most bikes and the T700 seemed like a bike I’d confidently do that with, so I’ll take the lack of creature comforts on the highways to be able to hit the trails whenever I choose. I’m now 55 years old, so I guess that means I’ve been riding for 47 years. Lately the reviews I’ve posted have apparently made sense to many and the overlandrider.com site, whilst nothing more than a personal blog site to record my own experiences, seems to have gained some traction, and so a few manufacturers have now reached out and asked me to review some of their products. That said, I don’t and won’t review products that don’t personally interest me. If it’s something that I think I will keep on the bike (if it works), I’ll review it. If not, I’ll decline.

My hope is that you find the site useful and maybe glean a few tips. I have a small shop with a couple of useful items for T700 and adventure bike riders. If you’re able, please do support the site by purchasing the odd item and I’ll make sure it gets to you quickly and efficiently. Thank you for your support!