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“Addictions can be very, very bad but addiction itself is not bad.
It’s a case of what you’re addicted to.
You better live each day like it’s your last, ‘cos one day you’re going to be right”.
Ray Charles.
Link tip a friend
By all rules of expedition planning, Nathan Millward is a total failure. He pretty well broke the lot when he set out on manifestly the most underpowered and inappropriate motorised vehicle imaginable when he rode from Sydney to London on a Honda CT110 moped.
These weapons are used by Australia Post crew to deliver letters around the suburbs and to that extent they are a pinnacle of specific automotive engineering but as a long distance tourer, they are not what springs to most people’s minds and for many good reasons.
One look at a 2010 Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré will make you think: “This thing will actually make a 12,000 mile trip with ease and in relative comfort”. One look at a 5 year old CT110 will make you think you’d rather drink bleach then and there and save yourself the pain of what’s coming.
But that’s where Nathan and his brain cell comes in. The incompatibility of vehicle to mission does not compute with this guy and thus he hits the road and what a long road it is.
Read on about a total legend …… from the milk crates strapped on as panniers, Converse sneakers as riding boots, no maps ….. all of it is just too good; congratulations Millward, just an outstanding effort. It’s pointless to even attempt to outdo Nathan’s own words, so here are some of his thoughts before the trip began When you want more, you will go here
“Hi, this is Dot, the moped that’s been tasked with riding from Sydney to London with a bearded man on her back.
He might have told you about me. He said I was slow and smokey and always grumbling about needing new oil and a mechanic for my engine. Well how would you feel having to put up with his temper tantrums and the weight of all his wardrobe from one side of the world to the other?
Why can’t he get a job like his mother tells him to? Grow up, settle down, stop dreaming? Then I’d have been left to potter around the neighbourhood in my retirement. The world’s a big place and I’m not sure I want to see it …..”
Trip FAQ’s: Why is the website called The Postman?
In Australia the real postman uses the same bike – a “postie bike” to deliver the mail.
So why a postie bike?
Mainly because I couldn’t afford anything better but also a postie bike being tough and sturdy and age-old Honda technology, is probably a better bike for most of the countries I’m going through rather than a big one. At least that’s what I’ve told myself. It was a bit slow crossing Oz at 65km/h but through Indo that was plenty fast enough.
Why do I have such a big nose?
It’s always been big, then someone at school elbowed during a football match and it’s been like this ever since.
Why do I have such big teeth?
It runs in the family but you should have seen them before the dentist filed them down. My friends say that one day I’ll be hunted for my ivory.
How long do most people plan for such a trip?
A year. I shortened that slightly, to two days.
Why?
Because immigration in Australia suddenly announced I only had 16 days to leave the country. I figured I’d need 14 of those to ride from Sydney to Darwin. That left me just two to prepare for it. In my haste I forgot to bring any maps or travel guides.
How long do I think it’ll take?
Five months, maybe six but not more than seven because the bank manager will want my blood by then.
Do I know how to fix the bike?
No but I’m sure someone along the way will.
What gave me the idea to do the trip?
A culmination of many things but in the end it came down to it being a challenge presented to me that I just had to accept. I don’t know why, I’m not sure of the reason but my mind just wouldn’t let it go, so in the end I just had to give it a go.
How many pairs of pants did I bring?
Seven.
Out of the five pairs of socks I set off with, how many remain?
Two.
What have I lost so far?
A hat, a glove, a scarf, a pair of shoes, a waterproof sack, a pair of sunglasses and the socks I mentioned earlier. Oh, and my tripod.
Why aren’t I riding through Burma?
Because you can’t and the only way around is China which is shockingly expensive to ride through on a motorbike. You have to pay US$50 a day for an official guide. I couldn’t afford that so I’m flying from Bangkok to Kathmandu with the bike.
Am I an adventurer?
No, I’m not even well travelled, which means this will be my first foray into Asia. I’m nervous about that and a little jumpy about crossing Pakistan and Iran but from what I’ve heard both are great countries. I’ll let you know.
Having only two days to plan and pack for this trip here’s an area that’s a bit hit and miss ……. Like setting off without any tyre levers, I just never gave it a thought. I bought puncture repair kits and these trick canisters that inflate your tyres in seconds but without tyre levers that’s all pretty useless as I realised on day 2 when I got a puncture.
There was no way I could get the tyre off, so I was stranded until someone stopped and lent me theirs. I’ve bought some since but it did teach me that sometimes enthusiasm alone just isn’t enough.
I don’t have a razor either, which means I’m now patchy bearded. Nor did I pack toe nail clippers, so now I have talons growing from my toes. Maps would also have been a good idea, as would Lonely Planet guides and a rough idea of where I’m heading.
Instead, I’m fumbling through blind which is stupid given where I’m going.
So what do I have for gear? Well, I thought rope would be useful so I have a length rope. For footwear I have two pairs of Chuck Taylors, for the rain I have a flimsy jacket, for repairs I have a tool set and for entertainment I have an iPod with one broken earphone.
Then I have a bag of electric equipment, laptop, helmet camera, normal camera, hard disc and other things I can’t now remember. So if you want to rob me, now you know what you’ll get. But I’d rather you didn’t because I need it. But just remember, I travel with a penknife and some killer boxercise moves. You have been warned.
Sydney to London on a moped! I wasn’t sure if it had ever been done before but the more I thought about it the more it sounded like a terrific idea. I was already in Australia, my visa was coming to an end and I already had the bike. I’d bought her off eBay for $1500, an old postman’s delivery hack nick named Doris. Flat out she could do more than 80km/h and after just a week of ownership it was clear her bottom-end was already about to fall out.
Could I really ride her up to Darwin, through Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and on to England? How long would it take? How much would it cost? And how the hell was I going to make it the 4500 kilometres up to Darwin and across to East Timor in the fortnight immigration had just given me to get out?
After two days to pack and plan, there was only one way to find out…
- Made it, back in the UK.
Blazing out of Sydney with the throttle wide open and Doris loudly screaming, we had no clue what hurdles we would have to leap along the way.
They would be high and frequent – visas, shipping, foreign tongues and exotic borders – that much was certain and yet for the all this blind ambition and faith in something foolish, deep down we knew we could make it.
Was I out of my depth and ill-prepared? Of course I was.
For footwear I have my Converse sneakers, for storage - a milk crate, for accommodation - a tent, for finances - my two good friends Mastercard and Visa but I’m a firm believer that where there’s a will there’s always, absolutely, a way.
After nine months of failing to make jobs and relationships work in Sydney, this was our time, our one big moment in life to draw a line in the sand and scream - Fuck You! We will make a stand, succeed in this voyage of discovery and prove to ourselves and to all those who doubt us that we aren’t the absent-minded day-dreamers they think we are.