Trip Diary - Photo Diary - Start the trip in the UK - USA - Mexico - Belize -
Guatemala - El Salvador - Honduras - Nicaragua - Costa Rica - Panama
Colombia  - Ecuador - Peru  - Bolivia - Argentina - Chile - Uruguay - Europe

Continue on to North America

From: Mark
February

A weekend trip up to see my sister Suzy and her husband Rob in Huddersfield.  I leave work early on Friday afternoon and start the ride North on my CB750.  The idea is to drop the bike of for Rob, who has just passed his motorcycle test.  In the pub I mention that on the look out for an Africa Twin and that there’s one for sale just across the Pennies.  The plan is made - Saturday bike buying for the boys, whilst the girls go shopping...perfect.

From: Mark
April

Daisy and I pick up the Metal Mule panniers from the company offices just down the road from us Brighton.  It feels as if we are actually getting close to the start of the trip, partly because we’re getting hold the things that will carry our life about with us over the journey and partly because Paul talks about his previous travels down to Cape Town.  The more he speaks, the more we grow excited.

From: Mark
May

I finish work in mid May and spend a week or so preparing the bike for the trip with my Dad.  In truth, he knows what he’s doing and I haven’t got a clue. Over the coming week I try to soak up as much knowledge as possible.  We strip the bike down, replacing the fork oil and springs, plugs, filters, rear shock, inner tubes, brush guards, fuel pump.  We add heated grips, the pannier mounts, and a nifty clamp for the rear shock remote adjuster, a shiny new Remus can and a guard for the headlamp.  Rob lends a hand when he’s down and helps fit a nice set of short indicators for me.  When it’s finished, it looks as if it could tackle the moon.  Jobs a good' un.

At the end of May Daisy and I get married, which proves to be an idea time to test the newly loaded AT out!  Along with our Varadero riding friend Mathew, we ride across from East Anglia to North Wales for the wedding.

From: Mark
June

After the excitement of the wedding, the bike is ready to be shipped across to New York.  My Dad and I leave my folks home and ride across to Great Yarmouth to drop the AT off at Bryden Enterprises for crating.  He patiently follows behind on his CB1300, whilst we trundle through the warm East Anglian countryside towards the coast.

The Bryden boys appear to be good lads who seemed to know what they were doing – the results in Newark stand testament to this fact.

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