The Happy Bikers Global Adventure: Around the world on two wheels – Departing 27th June 2026

TWO BIKES – ONE WORLD – FOLLOW THE ADVENTURE

The count down has started!

In June 2026, Steve & Duncan, aka The Happy Bikers are setting off on a trip of a lifetime…. We are riding around the world! We will be leaving behind our jobs, homes & our loved ones for this once in a lifetime crazy adventure…. We would love you to follow our journey…. The Happy Bikers Global Adventure will be shared on our growing socials.

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December 2025

Global Adventure Update: Preparations & Key Milestones

December has been a busy month behind the scenes as we continue preparing for The Happy Bikers Global Adventure. While the bikes haven’t clocked up many miles, major progress has been made on partnerships, training, route planning, and logistics as we edge closer to departure.

Mental Health Motorbike Partnership Confirmed 💙

We’re proud to officially confirm our partnership with Mental Health Motorbike, placing mental health at the heart of our round-the-world motorcycle adventure.

As part of this commitment, both Duncan and I have completed training with Mental Health First Aid England and are now qualified Mental Health First Aiders. This is something we’re incredibly proud of and a responsibility we’ll carry throughout the journey.

To support our chosen charities, we’ve also set up fundraising pages via JustGiving, alongside our SERVSC page, for anyone who would like to support the causes we’re riding for you can do so below.

Global Adventure Route Finalised & Ferry Booked

Version 4 of the Global Adventure route map is now complete. We don’t expect this to change again until we’re on the road and real-world riding decisions take over.

Ferry tickets are booked, and our official departure is confirmed. We’ll be leaving from the ABR Festival on Saturday 27th June, marking the start of our round-the-world motorcycle journey.

We’re also delighted to have been invited to be speakers at the ABR Festival, a huge honour and a brilliant way to launch the adventure.

Travel Vaccinations Underway

Adventure preparation isn’t just about bikes and routes. Steve now had his second round of travel vaccinations, while Duncan has had his first, with more scheduled for January. These are essential steps for long-term international motorcycle travel.

Next Steps: Bikes, Visas & Insurance

Looking ahead to January, our focus shifts to two critical areas:

• Confirming a supplier for our new adventure bikes
• Researching motorcycle travel visas, particularly for countries where applications must be completed in advance
• Worldwide travel & bike insurance

At this stage, visas appear to be the only real time constraint for the entire trip, so careful planning now will keep the adventure flexible later.

The countdown is well and truly on. Every step brings us closer to rolling out of the ABR Festival and into the biggest ride of our lives.

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November 2025

We attended MCL25

We had in mind a few exhibitors to visit, before some retail therapy. Our purpose was to discuss our Global Adventure and gain more knowledge.

First stop was our preferred luggage manufacture Mosko Moto. We have both been using the Reckless 80 for many years. It is a fully waterproof three-bag organisation and packing system. Mosko Moto have just released the [V4.0] with composite base harness, we wanted to see this & look at their various tank-bag designs. We need a rugged system which will take the knocks & abuse & we think we have found it! Mosko Moto are a premium brand with excellent aftercare & warranty.

Next stop was our bike manufacture of choice, no surprise to most, Ducati UK. Our bike of choice the New DesertX V2. On display with a camouflage wrap you can see immediately this is a DesertX! We are waiting for this to be available in dealers which should be May 26. We are cutting it very fine as we leave 1 month later. However, this has the all-new, lighter 890cc V2 engine. It features a more conventional valve train (spring-return valves, not the traditional Desmo system). Which would need 4 or 5 Desmo services on our trip!

Whilst on the Ducati stand, we had the opportunity of chatting to the guys from Sweet Lamb Adventure Bike Academy. We will pay them a visit in Q1 2026 for a 2-day off road training session. This should be hilarious!

We had the pleasure of meeting up with some of the trustees from Mental Health Motorbike. A charity we were keen to support alongside SERV Suffolk & Cambridgeshire. Two very relevant & relatable charities not only to us motorcyclists but the whole community. We are excited to have both on board. The Happy Bikers are booked on Decembers training to become qualified Mental Health First-Aiders.

Next, we stopped at the Adventure Bike Rider Festival stand. We aspired to start our Global Adventure from the world’s greatest celebration of adventure motorcycling. We were welcomed with a positive & enthusiastic response to our crazy trip. We are delighted to report we will be setting off from here on Saturday 27th June 2026!

WOW, what a day! It was then time for coffee. We took a moment to reflect on the amazing reception we received from the exhibitors we had talked to. Overwhelmed is an understatement, we’re still 2 crazy middle-aged (cough) men embarking on a trip of a lifetime.

It was then time for some retail therapy & browse the stalls. Whilst wondering we came across the tours & rental exhibitors. We spotted Paradise Motorcycle Tours New Zealand. This is a country we really want to explore. However, the cost of shipping our own bikes too and from Australia does not seem feasible. After all, we’re two unemployed blokes! We were considering renting bikes. Then we met Michael and experienced another WOW moment. A total stranger offered us to loan us two bikes! Does this only in the motorbike community? Of course there are conditions & we need your help… Please continue to like and share our content. Help us build a world wide community of like minded adventure enthusiasts.

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It’s getting serious!

To safely travel around the world on our Global Adventure, we need protection from all sorts of germs and bugs. They are out to get us… We need several vaccinations.

• Tetanus
• MMR x2
• Typhoid
• Hepatitis A x2
• Hepatitis B x3
• Rabies x3
• Yellow Fever
• Malaria

Three of which are available on the NHS. We need to go private for the others, and it will cost around £700…

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Latest list of countries

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October 2025

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Route refined & Countries confirmed…..

The route planning is in full swing, we are now on Route v3 🙂 this should be the final version (for now anyway). Using Myroute-app, we’ve started mapping out possible routes to get a sense of distances & travel times. There’s a good possibility we will be spending Christmas & the New Year in Australia. By the time we reach Argentina, we will have clocked up circa 35,000 miles (not including Air/Sea freight distances). This is only the half way point! So completing the whole journey within a year is looking pretty unlikely.

Duncan has been busy finding logistics companies for the 11 crossing. These crossing will be freight. If costs permit, we hope the longer crossings will be by air.

Having adjusted the route the stats remain the same with the exception we have add one more sea crossing from Cuba to the Bahamas as we couldn’t cross into the USA from Cuba

• 61 Countries
• 17 Sea or Air crossings
• 21 Visas
• 19 Countries require Carnet de Passage en Douane

We have also added the possibility of crossing from Mozambique to Madagascar. This has its challenges as no ferry crossing. It is possible by private charter or cargo ship. It can’t be planned in advance, so we’ll see when we get there…

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So we’ve have had a couple of route planning sessions which has seen us add & remove some countries. We are happy with the current choice. It seems doable today. Yet, this could change again before we set off in June 26.

This route has

• 61 Countries
• 21 require Visas
• 19 countries require Carnet de Passage en Douane
• 16 Sea or Air crossings

Still lots to sort out. We still have 8 months before we leave 🙂

Any advice from you seasoned travelers? leave a comment below.

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September 2025

The Happy Bikers Global Adventure planning has included

• Reach out to a shipping company – One that wants to talk to us!
• Reach out to Ride China – A tour company who will help with, Visas, bike registration & a local guide (Compulsory requirement)
• Enquiry made regarding Carnet de Passages en Douane

Still to come in September

• Happy Bikers planning meeting
• Meeting with local Motorbike dealer

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August 2025

Putting our kit to the test…

Where better to test our kit out than Norway! We had 17 days to get from England to Nordkapp & back just over 5300…. We had varied weather, sunny & warm through the Netherlands, Germany & Denmark. Wet & cold in Norway, dry & cold in Finland & Sweden.

Clothes wise we both went with a layering system, I opted for Adventure Spec while Duncan went with Klim. We both needed that extra layer once we’d entered the Arctic Circle so brought a couple of down jackets. These jackets proved to be the game changer. We could wear the hoods up under our helmets. This kept the arctic wind out.

Waterproofs – I had the Adventure Spec Aqua Pac Jacket which has been my go-to for a number of years. This time, however, I found the cuffs too tight. I struggled to get my Rukka Gore Tex gloves inside the sleeves. Trousers were Ducati branded & here I struggled getting them over my adventure boots. I need to find a better option, Any suggestions? add comments below.

Duncan used the Klim Forecast Gore-Tex Over Trousers and Klim Forecast Gore-Tex Jacket on his trip. These garments performed well and kept him dry throughout. When not in use, they packed down small. This allowed them to fit into a MoskoMoto AuxPox mounted to one of the engine bars (see previous blog review). The only criticism is that the regular leg length of the trousers is rather long. No short leg length option is available. 

Duncan also used the Klim Zephyr Wind Shirt to keep the wind out and add a layer for warmth. Base layers were the Klim Teton Merino shirt and trousers. 

Cooking – Everything we took we used which was great as we wasn’t carry equipment we didn’t need. My MSR Dragon Fly petrol stove gave me issues which need sorting. First night it was fine. From then on, it would light and then just go out. I tried cleaning the jet and re-pressurising the fuel bottle but no joy.

Anyone had the same issue? If so please comment below.

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July 2025

Planning has started for what will be known as The Happy Bikers Global Adventure…

• Chance meeting with a preferred motorbike manufacture seeking support
• Reached out to a relatable charity to partner with
• Rough route outline created
• Contacted shipping company – No response
• Opened communications with a media specialist
• Contacted second shipping company
• Started more detailed route

A very rough outline of our route