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“One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.”
— Henry Miller

EVERY TRIP HAS A STORY AND HISTORY, THIS ONE HAS BEEN 12 YEARS IN OUR MINDS, TOOK A YEAR TO PLAN AND IT WAS TWO DECADES IN THE MAKING. 

ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO I SAW MY FIRST EVER VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE. I WAS 18 AND I CAN REMEMBER IT AS IT WAS YESTERDAY. JOEL HAD JUST RETRIEVED THE BIKE THAT BELONGED TO HIS FATHER FROM THE HANDS OF HIS COUSIN. IT WAS STORED IN AN OLD WOOD SHOP IN GRACIA IN OUR NATAL BARCELONA, A BURGUNDY 1975 BWM R60/6.

Joel and I meet while in a high school trip to Greece in 1994, we were both 16 years old. At the time we both had scooters, and for many years motorcycling was a means of transportation and 9 years had to pass before they took their first trip together to the south of Spain. 

September 2002 / Back from the first trip after 1542Km to South of Spain

May 2009 / Rioja, Spain

MOntesa Exhibitoon, Barcelona 2014

MOntesa Exhibitoon, Barcelona 2014

There was when a the spark ignited and the idea of a massive adventure started. I moved to NY to pursue other design career opportunities so our chances of traveling together were small. But over the years our friendship and passion for motorcycle traveling kept us focused and we did two more trips together. Every time this trip was becoming more and more real even there was a lot of unanswered questions. When? Where? For how long? What bikes will we take? Are we ready?

In 2015, following the sudden passing of Matias' sister Sol, the idea that we have our entire life to check off our bucket list became a fallacy. We decided to not postpone our dream any longer and start planing. 

We were stealing back our own dreams.

 

MOTORCYCLE PREP
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After 6 years under the vigilance of master mechanic and friend Peter Boggia from Moto Borgotaro I was able to do most of the preparation on both bikes for the trip. 

To us it was essential to be self-sufficient as much as possible so we're not at the will of other mechanics with less knowledge of our bikes. And sometimes there are no mechanics to help you... The last time I had a charging issue I was stuck for 5 hours just to realize my rotor was broken. Today I can troubleshoot and replace the rotor in 30 minutes at most, providing that everything goes well...

Read how we prepped our bikes >

BREAKING DOWN
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In 2010 we took a trip to Montreal with my buddy Bryan. After 5 days on the road and coming back to NYC my bike started smoking sporadically at high speeds, I had no idea of what was the cause. I called my trusted mechanic Peter Boggia and asked for advice.

On this picture I'm listening to him on the phone and understanding nothing. It was frustrating to be traveling on vehicles that i didn't understand. After that day I promised I'd learn to repair my BMW since I knew this trip would eventually come to be a reality and I wanted to be self-sufficient on the road. 

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THE VINTAGE WAY

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One of the most common questions we get are: "Why take a couple of bikes that are 30 years old on such a trip? Won't it break down all the time?" 

There's a huge misconception around old vs. new bikes. And it's that new bikes never break down. Motorcycles were made different in the past, they were simpler and had the basics to get you around, and BMWs were also designed so one could be able to work on them easily. 

This bikes also have a character and spirit that I can't find in any modern bikes. 

 

FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY
ON INSTAGRAM

View fullsize My home on two wheels. When you pack everything you own, everything you need in such a small and concrete package an unstoppable sense of freedom manifests itself. Lately I have been yearning for it hard. I think I’m going to have to scratch th
View fullsize Who wouldn’t want to be in the mountains of Peru on a motorcycle right now. I know I would love to. Isolated, free, and able to take in all the beauty and the peaceful energy of the Andes without having to be somewhere else. It’s interest
View fullsize “After all the challenges we finally make it to the Salar, it’s noon and the sun is the highest in the sky. It has been raining and the Salar is flooded. The view is otherworldly. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Captivated
View fullsize “A single track road cuts through the mountains, topped by perpetual snow peaks and surrounded by a ring of clouds. The road is just a worn out jeep track carved through the most spectacular landscape. Ahead of us, I can only see the road disap
View fullsize Where will your bike take you? When you look at this pic you see a quite courtyard that could be in any city. I see the tens of thousands of miles that we had to ride to get to Baños in Ecuador. I see North and Central America behinds along wi
View fullsize “Marking our third month on the road, we cross into Perú from Las Balsas. Perú is about four times longer from north to south than it is across, which leaves about 3,200 miles of mountains to explore ahead of us. The sheer enormit
View fullsize Who can be silent with you as you sip warm coffee after a long ride, and then say something that makes you both burst out laughing? For me that is Joel, a friend, a adventure partner and a brother from another mother. I have reflected over the last 3
View fullsize Crossing tiny crinkly wooden bridges in Colombia is an exercise in self-confidence!Traveling with someone is not only sharing the road, fun and difficult moments, is about being part of a team and to be part of a team you have to trust each other. Wi
View fullsize “The road gets worse with thick gravel, and sharp rocks the size of tennis balls are all over the road. The rains flooded this section of the road, so we cross over a puddle every ten seconds for an entire hour. Every time we go over a puddle,
View fullsize One of the highlights of our time in Colombia was riding to the top of Nevado Ruiz with @estevelez10 as our guide. It’s only 3pm and the fog is so dense it feels like the sun is about to set. We’re probably around 15,000 ft (4600 meters)