Tim Mitchell aka Volkswhip

“I’m always out in Wales, the variety and quality of the tracks are second to none, and the views you’re rewarded with are breathtaking. I’m moving to Snowdonia soon, so the tracks are even more accessible to me. I usually ride with my best mate Sean Kelly, who I run Big Bikes On Byways with which we set up to try to encourage other big bike riders to come out onto the tracks. I’m also hoping to get out with Rally Duck to get some extra training in before the next rally season kicks off.” – Tim Mitchell

Tim calls Manchester in the UK home. “I’ve lived in the northwest for the past twenty-five years. In the last year, though, I finally decided to live out of my van with my two bikes to get closer to the trails. I’m mostly parked up in Wales, which is motorbiking heaven!” Self-described as “one of those lucky kids,” Tim’s dad was always enthusiastic about bikes, and it was a natural progression for Tim from riding pillion on his dad’s Bonneville and Airhead Beemer to having his own Yamaha TY80. “I started with twin shock trials bikes and slowly got into enduro. I was never competitive as a kid, but riding bikes was everything to me and still is.”

“Growing up watching shows like The Long Way Down I always fantasized about having a similar adventure, but the thought of taking a pristine GS and off-roading with it for the first time was daunting. I had my 1150 GS stolen in Scotland, and it was later seen racing across fields. I was jealous that they were enjoying its full potential, so when I replaced that bike, I was determined to have my own adventures.”

So thus the adventures started and Tim kept pushing his own off road boundaries with the big 1200 cc BMW. It was this that led to him being selected to compete in the GS Trophy Oceania 2020. “I went to my first-weekend event in 2018 and bumped into someone that told me about the GS Trophy tryout that was taking place the following week. So I got myself booked in, and it all snowballed from there.” And did it snowball. He’s represented the United Kingdom in New Zealand as part of a three-man team along with Roy Prescott from Barton and Richard Cox from Clutton. Competition is fierce in this multi-day ride of a lifetime, but Tim and his teammates brought the true spirit of adventure to the GS Trophy. “Everybody likes to win, but for me, as long as I’ve done my best, I’m happy. So it’s more of a personal competition to me and to make sure I’m progressing.”

“My best mate always knows how to motivate me and get me ready to ride, simply having someone with the same mindset to ride with makes a huge difference. We’ve had days riddled with problems on which we’ve barely gotten any riding done, but we still had the best time. There’s a lot I wouldn’t have been able to manage without his support. I think the hardest thing about riding these big bikes off-road is the mental aspect of it, and also once you’ve got the first scratch on there, you can breathe and enjoy it a lot more.”

“It’s tough to narrow down to one singular event or moment that I’ve enjoyed the most about riding big ADV bikes. I think being at the top of the Iron Road prologue with a few of my closest friends has got to be up there with the best. Having that awesome view over the quarry and of the snow-capped mountains has definitely been the highlight for me so far. I’ve been Erzberg obsessed since I was a kid, watching Chris Pfieffer in the 2007 race there on an HP2 was mesmerizing. To be able to go there with my GS was mega. A dream come true for me.” Hopefully, all of this will be topped by riding around New Zealand this past week in the GS Trophy.

But highs dont only come in the form of trials ridden but also the relationships that get formed when traveling. “Before I started off-roading my GS, I used to do lots of solo travel. One time I’d headed over to mainland Europe, and within the first eight hours of the trip, my wallet got stolen, I’d already committed to a couple of days of exploring but just had a minimal amount of cash to see me through. People were so lovely to me, and to be honest, it was a blessing in disguise as I experienced more through people’s kindness and hospitality.”

Tim bought his current BMW R1200 GS through a private sale. “It was immaculate, not a scratch on it. It had probably never even ridden in the rain. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty, but I’ve definitely had more fun riding it than the previous owner did polishing it.” But why a boxer engine for extreme off-road riding one might ask. To this Tim is quick to point the finger at his dad. “He’s definitely to blame for that. Growing up rding with him definitely hooked me. I love how they look and sound. Sometimes though, when I forget how wide they are and get knocked off because I’ve hit a rock, I do question myself a bit.”

“I prioritize riding bikes over everything else, but I don’t always have the money to do what I want or use the parts that I want. So a lot of my modifications are DIY bodges. The best aftermarket part fitted at the moment is the Ohlin’s shocks that a friend very graciously sold me at a silly price. They completely transformed how the bike can be ridden. I’ve gone through a few sumpgaurds now but find a slightly modified ACD plate works the best and has the strongest mounting points. mostly with aftermarket parts for the GS, I often find that they’re more showpieces than off-road upgrades, so I add little tweaks to get them to fit for my purpose.”

With so much open country in Whales and routes along farmlands most riders are un-aware of the trials accessible to motorcycle riders. So Tim plans his trips carefully. “I remember as a kid watching my dad plotting his rides on a paper map, and that’s not my style, I’ll use a laptop and plot the route digitally so I can follow a GPX track. That way, I can have several backups. Although I do use the paper maps as a reference when plotting out my routes. I also always carry a paper map in case the tech fails, although mostly I need it to prove to someone that I’m allowed to ride there legally.”

Being a qualified car technician, Tim does all his servicing and repair work on his motorcycles. “Expenses always weigh-in for me, so I try to keep running costs low by doing things myself. I’m on my second engine on this GS; I killed the first one during a river crossing. All it took was a few nights after work to swap a new engine in, but I saved a lot of money doing it myself.” Money, no doubt, to be spent on future adventures instead.

“Currently, I’m looking into removing the airbox and abs unit on my bike so that I can install a better oil breather tank. At the moment, oil drains into the airbox if the bike gets leaned over too far. Of course, it would help if I didn’t drop it as much, but that’s not always a possibility. At the moment, I’ve got a 19” motocross rear tire on the front and a Motoz Tractionator adventure on the back, which is the most aggressive pattern I can run on standard GS wheels. For the upcoming rally season I’ve treated myself to some new wheels built by Haan. Then I’ll be able to run a 21″ on the front and 18″ on the rear. I haven’t decided what tires yet, although I suspect it could be an expensive learning curve seeing what rubber can handle the weight and power of the Bavarian beast.”

With the experience built up in New Zealand and Tim’s indomitable spirit for riding, we look forward to seeing more of his adventures on two wheels unfold. Follow him on Instagram for more.

All images copyright 2020