Colby Ellis

“One of the best moments for me was in Australia on the Great Central Road. After three days of mishaps including a broken pannier, melted shoes, and stolen camping gear I managed to get out into Australia’s true outback. Camping with a roaring fire in what can only be described as the middle of nowhere, seeing the Milky Way extend from both ends of the horizon before watching the full moon slowly rise and brighten the night to almost daylight. All the while being completely alone to reflect and enjoy life after a hard day of riding corrugations, loose gravel, and sand was totally fulfilling.”

Colby Ellis was born and raised in Vancouver British Colombia, Canada but also holds a New Zealand passport. “I was graced with a father that was a Motocross racer in the 70’s and has had a passion for motorcycles since his teenage years. My father’s racing also fostered in me a healthy realization of the inherent risks associated with bikes. After seeing many injuries and some deaths, I’d convinced myself away from motorcycles until I got to my mid-twenties. That’s when all my dad’s warnings wore off, and I simply couldn’t get myself on one quickly enough. In the end, I got into motorcycling for the exact reason my father tried to keep me away. It was an attractively dangerous pastime, and it was during a time that I had a lack of care for my well-being due to depression. Thankfully though from the first time I threw my leg over the seat and twisted the throttle I knew I had found something I could be passionate about. Something I could put my time, effort and energy into instead of pursuing more self-destructive habits.” Initially, Colby’s around the world adventure started with him contemplating one of the most manageable ‘exotic’ adventures currently on offer. “I was looking at the trip so many people do these days; Hanoi to Ho Chi Min on a Honda Win. It’s a cool trip, but anyone can do it including people that have never even ridden before. Thankfully while I was looking at that trip I found the wonderful online community (Instagram mainly)   around over landing and motorcycle travel. Naturally, I became hooked. People like Mamuts World Tour, OnHerBike, Lea Rieck, 2 Wheeled Asta and Tim Burke. There are so many incredible people that are not only inspirational but who also show the ups and downs of exploring the world on two wheels. From there I don’t ever remember making a decision. There was just an overwhelming understanding that it was something I was going to do.”

At home, Colby rides a 2012 Triumph Tiger XC, but having done some “decent mileage” he decided that for his RTW ride he’d be better off getting a motorcycle that was a little less used. “I looked through, and test rode a pile of the modern mid-sized adventure oriented bikes. KTM 1090, KLR 650, V-Strom, Honda Africa Twin and the BMW 800. I’m not entirely sure why, but I didn’t feel comfortable on the KTM and remembered thinking that it had more power than I would ever need. I had no desire to sit thousands of miles doing road riding on a KLR 650. The V-Strom could have worked but didn’t excite me. I found the motor of the BMW a little boring which may be an unfair criticism since it’s star qualities are being consistent and reliable. Unfortunately, like the V-Strom, I found it wasn’t inspiring. So I got down to the Africa Twin, which realistically was my first choice despite the shorter fuel range, or another Tiger 800. Shopping around both new and used the price difference between the two bikes was monumental. The Honda generally came needing to be fully outfitted where the Tigers came with skid plates, crash bars, panniers, handlebar protection and I was more familiar with it thanks to 15 500 mi / 25 000km in the saddle of ‘Meg’ my 2012 Tiger. In the end, I didn’t have a monumental preference for the Africa Twin, so cost won out, and I stuck with the Tiger. I found a great deal on a gently used one with under 2485 mi / 4000 km on the clock. One bike though that I have seen in New Zealand and Australia which I don’t believe is available at home is the Yamaha XT660z, the baby Ténéré. While its performance on the tarmac is significantly below my Tiger, I think it would have been a much more capable bike to get out and discover the side country with everywhere I went, and I would probably have been more confident exploring technical terrain.

Parts added to the bike include the “absolutely invaluable” Unifilter Pre-filter, a Touratech double bottle holder and 2L gas can holder mounted on the metal panniers. Also from Touratech is a folding clutch lever. The Triumph adjustable touring windscreen got fitted with a no-name brand clip-on extension for comfort on those highway miles. “Mosko Moto graciously gave me a massive discount on their equipment to outfit my bike with a Nomad tank bag and Backcountry 30L duffel bag. Both fit more things than you would expect and take a total beating. On one hard dump, the bike skidded on the Backcountry bag coming down from going around 45 mi / 70km per hour. Once vertical I wiped the dirt off, and you couldn’t even see where it slid. They have done everything as advertised and more.” Aside from upgrades to his ride, there are two pieces of personal equipment that have truly stood out for Colby. “Two pieces of gear that I wear every day and that I can’t say enough about are my Nexx XD-1 helmet and my Icon Raiden DKR jacket. Neither of them has sponsored me in any way, as much as I wish they did, but they’ve been my favorite pieces of gear by far.”

Depending on the level of service needed and his current location Colby is keen to get his hands dirty. “Through the western world, I did as much of the maintenance as possible like oil changes, air filter cleaning, chain adjustments, brake pad replacement, etc. In Southeast Asia, labor is inexpensive and usually of high quality, so I turned to them for more time-intensive things like sprocket replacement, valve shim checks, and adjustments, brake caliper rebuilds, etc. Now that I’m in China there are not many people experienced with engines this size, and from what I’ve seen I’m loathed to trust the long-term quality of their work. So I’ve gone back to performing the maintenance. Unfortunately, my clutch burnt out while riding in sand. Luckily some locals told me about a trick to fully loosen the clutch cable and so get more force on the plates. This gave me about another 300km, and I definitely tried to milk it as far as possible. Thankfully I was able to source some plates though Triumph Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, and they were able to set up shipping to Chengdu in three days where I had someone else that could forward the discs on. The highlight for me in China though has been staying alive. Despite the near insanity and utter lack of regard for motorcycles or other vehicles that so many drivers show. Regardless of where you are, or what space there is around you, cars and trucks will come into your lane head on and force you to avoid them. Yes regardless means even if it is a blind corner, a set of blind corners, a red light, a one-way road, it doesn’t matter. On that note maybe its divine intervention keeping me alive that has prevented me from riding the last 1680 mi / 3000 km in China.

Colby is candid about the real side of a multi-continental overland journey. “For me, it seems that the hardest parts to mentally overcome are the financial hits along the way since each one limits the length of time I can remain on the road without worrying about employment. Parking the bike and making expected repairs are part of the adventure, and I would never consider them to be a difficult moment. An un-enjoyable moment? Totally. A painful moment? Probably. But something that affects you in the grand scheme of things? Not really.” And except for the recent clutch failure, Colby has faced three other significant hurdles. “The first two were having my camping gear nicked… twice. The first time the theft itself could have crushed me and my finances. If I’d had to replace the gear in New Zealand with similar equipment it would have been well over $2000. The instant support from the New Zealand online community overwhelmed me. I’ve never received so many messages on Facebook and Instagram in just a couple of days. My mental bounce back was immediate thanks to people offering donations to Heads Up Guys, beds to sleep in, shops to do maintenance in and in one case a bag of camping gear to borrow while I continued exploring the country. The second time was again exasperating, but not soul-crushing. It was not the gear I was in love with or spent long compiling, but the loss of finances and the fact that it could have forced me to miss the Great Central Road.”

“The first one that truly bummed me out was when I was trying to start the Great Central Road in Australia and made it about 31 mi / 50 km down some heavily corrugated sand and gravel when my pannier snapped off nearly tossing me off the bike with the instant center of gravity change. Having a piece of equipment you’d never considered being a weak point fail while in the middle of nowhere entirely took the wind out of my sails. Thankfully on a call home, I was called out for being too self-pitying and reminded that some duct tape and a ratchet strap would get me through as long as I needed it, and they were right. While having to strap on panniers every day is a pain, it doesn’t overly change my overland experience and thus quickly became a non-issue.”

Currently, his motorcycle journey has taken him around 19 9000 mi / 32 000 km so far hitting New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, and China and he entered Kyrgyzstan in early September to continue across to Europe. A definite highlight for Colby has been the Mae Hong Son loop in Thailand. It is a multiple day ride of 1864 corners that takes you through the Northern Thai countryside exposing you to scenery straight out of a postcard. “You gain access to villages and towns most people who tour the region would never get a chance to visit. Riding it gave me the opportunity to stop and for instance enjoy a quick bite at small roadside food carts. No English meant no idea what the food ever was, but I can assure you it was delicious. Enjoying the beauty of a small local temple unaltered by tourism, sitting and watch people hard at work in the rice fields or people working in small house-side shops. Even experience it in the rainy season where camping was not ideal and riding hard was impossible. I enjoyed almost every minute of it. It is definitely on my list to go back and re-experience when I can take more time to explore and ride the swooping curves harder.”

“I find one of the best ways to truly enjoy an area that you can’t immerse yourself in long-term is to try and get as many experiences possible from a local perspective; so don’t say no to opportunities. If someone offers you a bed or a meal, take them up on it. If, through the wonders of google translate, a Chinese motorcycle group offers to take you for a ride through the countryside, jump on the opportunity by nodding and giving the thumbs up until your neck is sore. If someone offers to show you their favorite swimming hole under a waterfall, grab your trunks and trek over. Honestly, before this trip began, I was a human sack of gung-ho and overconfidence. While I was realistic that things wouldn’t always go right, I had no worries that everything could be overcome without too much heartache or pain.”

For more on Colby’s adventures follow him on Instagram or check out his website. All images copyright Colby Ellis.

Special mention goes to Colby’s social cause he is raising awareness for on this journey “Once the trip was in my mind I embraced the idea that it wasn’t something that I should do just for myself, but that I should find a way to do some good with it. My first thought was to a resource I’d leaned on heavily in the previous years. Heads up Guys are a Vancouver based organization that provide mental health strategies, self-check tools, tips for men (and women) experiencing symptoms as well as those concerned about others, and first-hand stories detailing men’s experiences recovering from depression. They are a valuable resource that I have used, trust and believe in. Their material is clear and accessible, providing men with the tools and courage to break through deep-seeded societal stigmas about mental health while giving them the tools to reach out for help.”