With only a couple of thousand kilometres of riding under his belt and a minimalist bike set-up that more or less consisted of a milk crate and a PVC pipe,
Simon Ho travelled solo 14,000km in five and a half weeks at a cost of $1500. He slept next to his camouflaged bike to save money, he traversed six Australian states and territories during the hot and humid wet season and he came home 10 kilos lighter than when he left. He slept next to his camouflaged bike to save money, he traversed six Australian states and territories during the hot and humid wet season and he came home 10 kilos lighter than when he left.
What the young adventurer lacked in mechanical knowledge and riding skills he made up for in instinct. He’s been an Army Reservist since 2012 and attributes much of his success to the perceptiveness and unique skill set picked up in the field.
“It’s about just observing nature and environments, leaving nothing behind and just experiencing,” he explains. “When I slept, I concealed my motorcycle and once the sun went down, I stayed quiet. No lights, no cooking, no sound. No one can see in the dark. I didn’t think of it as camping, for me it was just sleeping.”
For an older generation of motorcyclists, the inspiration of such a long-distance and courageous adventure generally comes after years of riding, developing a thirst to push ourselves and our motorcycles further and further as our knowledge, skill and self belief increases. But for Simon Ho who was born in the mid 90s, inspiration came from somewhere very different.
“There was a lot of influence from the computer game series Fallout, which younger people will probably be quite familiar with,” he revealed. “I really liked the idea of the game especially since they’re set in Mad Max crossed with outback-style environments.
10 things the road taught Ho
- “Cutting off 10km/h doesn’t make much difference to travel time”
- “Worry only about what you can change and less about things out of your control”
- “Do it once, do it right”
- “Your mind can be an asshole when you want to sleep”
- “Plans are only plans unless you action them”
- “When the external temperature is hotter than your body temperature, gear up. It is better to be insulated from the heat.”
- “In extreme and dry heat, Vaseline up your nose stops it from bleeding”
- “Walk through water crossings before riding through them”
- “UFOs might sound like freight trains”
- “Flexible plans doesn’t mean you’re unprepared”
READ THE FULL STORY IN THE CURRENT ISSUE OF AMCN Vol 65 No 21