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David "Most important is to set off!" |
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I always knew that I would travel. As a child I dreamt of a rafting down the Mississippi (like Huckelberry Finn) or driving a wrecked Land Rover through the Northern Territories (like Crocodile Dundee). I never considered touring on a motorbike at all.
Having finished school and military service, I began studying mechanical engineering at University. A friend of mine had a different plan, he passed his 125cc bike license and went to Australia. Getting there he bought a 200cc Yamaha DT (which he officially couldn’t ride) and rode it back to Switzerland. Now that impressed me.
Sometime later, my girlfriend and I were to be found in Tunesia, on 125cc bikes. We did everything wrong. We were travelling in August, wearing bike jackets without removable padding, we strapped a jerry can on top of the other luggage and decided to ride a couple of desert routes. We took a full day to ride the route between Matmata and Ksar Ghilane following the pipeline (at the time the road hadn’t been surfaced). We arrived in darnes, totally exhausted. What an adventure! In hindsight, I must say, that despite the mistakes we made, we did one thing right: We set off!
With experience (and a more suitable bike) it was time for the bigger projects. After a four month ride through the Australian outback it was clear that the bug had bitten me. A life reduced to the contents of two saddlebags and a tank bag, the world open before the front wheel and meeting the elements and nature up close and personnal every day – this is my personal Enduristan.
In the following years, I have crossed the Sahara, from Dakar through Mauretanien and the Western Sahara to Marroco, and undertook two more rides through Australia (maybe Crocodile Dundee left more of an impression).
In addition to a long engagement with the Swiss KTM Adventure Club, I have collected many ideas of places to visit. I have this feeling that Enduristan is a lot bigger than I ever dreamed, I think that parts of the old Soviet republic, south America, Canada amd Alaska are part of Enduristan, probably even more places…
As I said, the most important thing is to set off! 
My rides
| 2012 Morocco - Crossing Atlas and a few dunes as well
I could say someone had to test the prototype of the Monsoon 2 saddle bags. But in the end it just comes down to the fact, that I badly needed a few sand dunes for a change. Fabian and Marcel from the Swiss KTM Adventure Club didn't need much convincing and so we set off for Morocco.
Cross the dunes with us: Morocco 2012 |
| 2010 Tunisia - Mt. Timbain
To reach the table mountain Timbain at the northern edge of the Grand Erg Oriental in Tunisia was the main goal for this year's desert ride of the Swiss KTM Adventure Club. In addition they also enjoyed roadbook navigation through salt lakes, dunes and wadis. I was glad they asked me to join in as a tour guide - a perfect opportunity to test the first prototype of our Monsoon saddle bags.
Grab your handful of sand: Timbain 2010 |
| 2009 Australia - Crocs and Roos Tour
There can't be enough riding in the Australian outback! This time we planed to ride along some of Len Beadell's famous bomb roads in the vast emptiness of Western Australia, followed by the Old Ghan route down to South Australia and of course one of the best spots for adventure bikes in Australia: The Cape York, always good for some wet feet - and carbis as well.
Check out the red continent: Crocs & Roos 2009 |
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