THE LONG ROAD TO NEW ZEALAND

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

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.