TRAVERSE Issue 09 - December 2018 | Page 5

EDITORIAL TRAVERSE: Hitting The Road! A s we head into the Australian summer and many riders start getting their bikes ready for the warm weather riding, it seems social media lights up with questions about all sorts of things. Probably the same all over the world really. Questions like; what makes the best adventure bike? What’s the best camping gear? Which tyres perform best? What’s this? What’s that? The answers invariably come back with advice based on personal opinions, a considerable amount seems to that a certain bike is rubbish, or someone is taking too much gear or that that particular tyre is undoubtably the best. Personally, it seems that the best advice is; do what feels right for you. No one brand or model of bike should be any better than another for adventure; have a look at what Daniel Hayes (YouTube: Million Dollar Bogan) does when taking his Harley Davidson halfway up Australia’s Cape York Peninsula. If this isn’t adventure, then you really don’t understand what adventure means. TRAVERSE 5 Adventure should be what it does for you individually, not what other people think. If it challenges you, if you see places you’ve never been before, if you meet people different to you, learn from different cultures, environments, politics then that’s the adventure. You’ve discovered something about yourself; that’s the adventure. Adventure, exploration, discovery is a very personal thing and should be treated as such. Advice is great but should be taken as just that, don’t treat it as gospel. What works for me, won’t always work for you. What you consider tough and remote might not be the same for me. So, while we all enjoy the festive season remember that adventure starts with the first step; learn from others, don’t be critical, just enjoy the sharing of stories and share the adventure. Enjoy your festive season, stay safe and we’ll see you in the new year. Leigh