Photo: Suzuki
There comes a time in our lives when we all dream of going on seemingly never-ending trips around the world. For most of us, that time comes in our later years, when all the struggles of being young are behind us. Not for these two, who just set the Guinness World Record for the youngest pair to circumnavigate the world on a motorcycle.
They are named Ollie Gamblin (a Brit) and Lavi Scholl (a German) and they are, at the time of writing, 33 and 35 years old, respectively, but when they set out on their journey they were almost two years younger. That's because it took them no less than 589 days to complete their journey.
The duo departed the Ace Cafe in London on the back of a Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT they got as a gift from a local dealership. This variant of the V-Strom is powered by a 1,037cc V-twin engine held inside a twin-spar aluminum frame and has everything it takes to make very long rides easier to manage.
After starting their journey, the couple headed from the UK to France, and then moved down into Spain. The African continent followed, with Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal lining up on the route.
From Senegal, the duo crossed the ocean, the bike loaded onto a container. The arrival point was Brazil, where the daring couple had to wait for no less than eight weeks after the Suzuki was lost during shipping.
Once the bike was found, the journey continued throughout South America, reaching Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Airplanes helped the two and their ride reach Panama, North America, and later South Korea.
The way back to the UK meant reaching Russia as well, but also Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Kygyzstan. From Turkey, the two came back into Europe.
The entire journey, including the waiting time in Brazil, amounted to a total of over 20 months on the road. During this time, the Suzuki and its riders reached no less than 39 countries on five continents. Even if the bike itself didn't travel all this distance on its wheels, the 46,705 miles (75,164 km) on the road do make for a very impressive achievement.
During all this time the bike, as far as we're told, experienced only minor issues, manifested through the failure of some bearings and the rear shock needing replacement at some point.
The achievement was properly recognized by Guinness World Record with the Youngest Pair to Circumnavigate the Globe by Motorcycle (Riding Pillion) title. They average age, and the record to beat, is 33 years and 247 days.
The long journey was of course documented on YouTube, and if you have the patience to go through hundreds of videos in a bid to discover the world through the eyes of others, you can do that here.
The duo departed the Ace Cafe in London on the back of a Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT they got as a gift from a local dealership. This variant of the V-Strom is powered by a 1,037cc V-twin engine held inside a twin-spar aluminum frame and has everything it takes to make very long rides easier to manage.
After starting their journey, the couple headed from the UK to France, and then moved down into Spain. The African continent followed, with Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal lining up on the route.
From Senegal, the duo crossed the ocean, the bike loaded onto a container. The arrival point was Brazil, where the daring couple had to wait for no less than eight weeks after the Suzuki was lost during shipping.
Once the bike was found, the journey continued throughout South America, reaching Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Airplanes helped the two and their ride reach Panama, North America, and later South Korea.
The way back to the UK meant reaching Russia as well, but also Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Kygyzstan. From Turkey, the two came back into Europe.
The entire journey, including the waiting time in Brazil, amounted to a total of over 20 months on the road. During this time, the Suzuki and its riders reached no less than 39 countries on five continents. Even if the bike itself didn't travel all this distance on its wheels, the 46,705 miles (75,164 km) on the road do make for a very impressive achievement.
During all this time the bike, as far as we're told, experienced only minor issues, manifested through the failure of some bearings and the rear shock needing replacement at some point.
The achievement was properly recognized by Guinness World Record with the Youngest Pair to Circumnavigate the Globe by Motorcycle (Riding Pillion) title. They average age, and the record to beat, is 33 years and 247 days.
The long journey was of course documented on YouTube, and if you have the patience to go through hundreds of videos in a bid to discover the world through the eyes of others, you can do that here.
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