THE LONG ROAD TO NEW ZEALAND
Overdrive|May 2020
Ex-OVERDRIVE journo and long-term adventure motorcycling enthusiast MARTIN ALVA shares his personal journey on making it to the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2020 Oceania as part of Team Middle East
MARTIN ALVA
THE LONG ROAD TO NEW ZEALAND
February of 2020 is a month I will never forget. For many, motorcycling is a weekend hobby or simply another way to commute. For a select few like me, it is also a way of life. From being a pillion rider on my mom’s Kinetic Honda DX to owning a BMW R 1250 GS to qualifying for the International GS Trophy 2020, I have devoted the last 18 years of life to offroad and adventure motorcycling.

They say it all begins with a dream and I have to admit, they are correct. The whole adventure riding bug bit me back in 2005 when I first saw a pirated version of Long Way Round starring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.

Back then, my idea of an adventure motorcycle was a heavily modified Royal Enfield Bullet and to some stretch of my imagination, a Honda Africa Twin XRV750. Growing up in India in the 90s, I had never ever seen an adventure motorcycle before, and therefore, didn’t have the slightest clue about its capabilities.

Then I saw the BMW R1150GS which changed everything for me. Watching Long Way Round and seeing these motorcycles in action unlocked a part of my mind which I didn’t know existed.

I was an obsessed 18-year-old who just found his calling. I watched the series on repeat that whole year and searched every nook and cranny of the internet for any and all bits of information I could get on the motorcycles they rode in that series.

This story is from the May 2020 edition of Overdrive.

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This story is from the May 2020 edition of Overdrive.

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