[GR rider]

A week long motorcycle journey, six ferry crossings, four border crossings thousands of miles and countless breathtaking images and riding emotions all presented in the most pleasant, smooth and easy to grasp way along with stunning photography and in the most humble demeanour. Thank you for all the above and also for the fact that you make them feel easy and feasible for the rest of us. I would be happy to achieve even a fraction of what you have done as a motorcyclist so far. Keep travelling so we can keep dreaming.

Thank you for your (very) kind words

There are young women on YouTube travelling the world as we speak so maybe my journeys are not such a big deal after all

Motorcycle travel is perfectly feasible as you don’t have to spend a week on the road or visit ten different places per trip. I had to start somewhere too, and there were two-day trips at single destinations that made me unbelievably happy and excited.

As cliché it may sounds, when it comes to two wheels it’s about the journey and not the destination, no matter how long or short it is.

 

[Machinist]

Maybe one day lad, keep dreaming and planning.

 

[GR rider]

A few of words about my helmet and some accessories that really made my life easier while traveling.

This was my first long trip with my new Shark Spartan Carbon and my impressions are excellent:

Ultra-light, very aerodynamic and stable, with an extremely comfortable interior and good ventilation. Two to three hundred grams off my head in comparison to other helmets made a huge difference, especially when I had to wear it for many hours every day! The first thing I’d usually do when stopping was to take off my helmet right away, but not this year. I only missed the Microlock closing system even though I can fasten the DD rings with one hand, an excellent helmet for naked motorcycles that I definitely recommend!

I also recommend these very practical luggage space dividers:

Believe it or not, these are all my clothes for 7+ days on the road! I had ample space left for my summer jacket and my rain suit case on the very top for easy access. They turn loading and unloading my tail bag into a breeze and keep the clothes in good shape. A good quality set costs around 20 euros and it’s totally worth it as you can use the it with regular luggage too.

This year I also tried this visor cleaning sponge:

It is ideal for trips during spring and summer when we get huge amounts of bugs on our helmet visors. Indeed, it works brilliantly with large amounts of bugs, just add water as the instructions say, but smells really bad because of that! A drop of antibacterial soap is enough to solve this problem and it is small and practical to carry. I just don’t like the V shape of this sponge as it started to tear with the ultra-frequent use during my trip, but it is good enough and cheap enough to recommend.

And lastly, my new travel wallet:

By far the best, safest and most practical I’ve ever used, I could wear it directly over my skin or over the first layer of clothing, invisible – unstealable – comfortable. Direct access to documents, cash and cards on and off the bike and better than the necklace type wallet that I used to carry until now

 

[Kawisurrey]

Perfect timing, perfect weather, perfect photos, perfect narration, classic GR Rider...

Sicilia and Targa Florio look stunning and special, I can't even imagine how epic riding there was. Thank you for sharing!

 

[GR rider]

Perfect timing, perfect weather, perfect photos, perfect narration, classic GR Rider...

Sicilia and Targa Florio look stunning and special, I can't even imagine how epic riding there was. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for responding

Yes, you can feel the magic of that place from the get go, a unique and unforgettable ride.

Avoiding the highway in Sicily in general leaves you with a huge smile on your face!

 

[GR rider]

Some maps for more detail, my whole trip outline:

My unforgetable custom Targa Florio route, combining the Picollo and Medio circuits:

And the way to the southern Sicilian coast through Ragusa, so much better than the highway!

 

[GR rider]

Apologies for some Greek lettering, Google Maps insisted

From the Latin insignia it is easy for one to understand why Southern Italy and Sicily was referred to as “Magna Graecia” or “Greater Greece”.

It was colonized by the Greeks way before the arrival of the Italian tribes and the majority of the places still keep their original Greek names or Latinized versions of them like, Tarantas, Metaponto, Kefaloidion and even Tropea, which was supposedly established by Hercules.

There is also a version of Greek still spoken around the area of Lecce and a community of Greek speaking people with the most famous village called "Kalimera" – good day in Greek. Until a couple of hundred years ago students were advised to visit Southern Italy in order to improve their Greek speaking skills and there are still prefectures in Sicily named “Magna Graecia” and “Notos” which means South in Greek.

And of course the same phrase used in both Italy and Greece, “una faccia, una razza” or “one face, one race”

 

[Jimclarque]

As the Romans put it even when you conquer Greece, you always end up conquered by her. It must feel bloody awesome to be Greek sometimes.

 

[GR rider]

As the Romans put it even when you conquer Greece, you always end up conquered by her. It must feel bloody awesome to be Greek sometimes.

All the time

What feels even better is this kind of genuine, mutual appreciation which is very rare and beautiful indeed.

 

[Kawisurrey]

I had no idea so I googled, nice information. It is insane that the Greek colonisation of Italy was basically ancient history for the Romans themselves. Maybe that's why they were respectful instead of vengeful.

 

[Machinist]

I thought that the official name of your country was Hellas so what is that name on the map you posted? Also what brand are those luggage thingies and where can I buy them?

 

[GR rider]

I thought that the official name of your country was Hellas so what is that name on the map you posted? Also what brand are those luggage thingies and where can I buy them?

Yes, Ελλάς is the formal denomination but in modern Greek Ελλάδα, as you see it on the map, is also used, it is pronounced El-A-tha, the th as in them or these.

Just search for "luggage dividers - organisers" on Amazon or simply Google the term, you will find many styles, my tail bag is pretty much square shaped so the large - medium - small format works just fine. You may need to buy two sets for side bags - panniers but don't spend more than 20 quid per set, the quality of the materials and the zippers is just fine around that price point.

 

[GR rider]

Trip video ready, a nice part of SS120:

Looks pretty good on 4K TVs

 

[stephan750]

Loved it, beautiful scenery and nice riding

Driving analog prototypes at race pace for the race back then must have been brutal, real racing.

P. S. You almost hit two birds!

 

[GR rider]

Loved it, beautiful scenery and nice riding

Driving analog prototypes at race pace for the race back then must have been brutal, real racing.

P. S. You almost hit two birds!

Thanks Stephan, I wish the video could convey the smells of the nature and the cool breeze too! Really enjoyable ride, so much so that I didn't want to stop and use the camera at all.

 

[Kawisurrey]

Beautiful video GR, highly representative

Do you also post on Facebook?

 

[GR rider]

Beautiful video GR, highly representative

Do you also post on Facebook?

Thank you, no, I don't use social media at all.

 

[Jimclarque]

Excellent choice of footage and a heavenly place to ride

 

[GR rider]

Excellent choice of footage and a heavenly place to ride

Thank you sir

 

[Machinist]

Thanks for the luggage info, I will definitely buy a set

Lovely video once more, along with your photographs and description one can really get the feeling and the unique atmosphere of the beautiful places that you choose to visit and ride through. Your videos indeed look almost perfect in 4K on big screen tvs but pretty poor in lower definition. Loading times are also higher in comparison to other channels.