- Lumix S9 - May 27, 2026
- South Korea Motorcycle Tour – continued - May 22, 2026
- South Korea Motorcycle Tour - May 15, 2026
This isn’t just another end of year eye rolling exercise. A few months ago I was not sure I would be alive now. Good news, I am a cancer survivor.
I went under for 10 hours of complex surgery that removed a chunk of me but this was successful. I am now into my second round of 8 weeks chemotherapy which is making me horribly sick but is a necessary big hammer approach to this.
I have (somewhat ambitiously) booked my next motorcycle tour! I had vouchers for USA flights and rental from 2020 when Covid closed the world and have cashed them to go mid 2023 giving me 6 months to recover and build up strength.
I will do two easy pace rides, the first with a focus on Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, the second with a focus on the Blue Ridge Parkway and famous roads thereabouts. To say I am excited is a gross understatement, it’s going to be awesome and planning everything is hugely motivating to getting myself strong again.
My FJR1300 has been sold in Japan and talks are in agreement to sell the house I co-own there. Hope this non lawyer settlement stuff masquerading as friendly continues. If the house sells I might consider loosening the purse strings to buy a motorcycle. No longer living in a place where protection from cold and rain is paramount but the FJR’s mile crunching remains firm in my mind while browsing bike reviews.
A bike I currently like is the Moto Guzzi V100. It’s a blend of sport tourer and standard. Shaft, electric screen (touring one available) with electric speed sensitive wind deflectors, electronic cruise and a engine not needing to be revved, all things I like.
Some reservations however. I’ve never ridden a traverse V-twin and I am not a fan of all twins. Parallel twins and boxer twins feel somewhat uninspiring to me. Ducati twins and Harley 45 degree twins I find an acquired taste. But I love Harley’s 90 degree twin, Yamaha’s MT-01 twin and Suzuki’s M109R mill. A test ride is needed.
I also am hesitant about buying another Italian motorcycle. A modern Moto Guzzi should be a better reliability proposition than my former MV Agusta but still I would want to have good dealer support which might be hard to obtain living far from a capital city.
Suzuki’s GSX-S1000GT is a more sensible choice. It’s been crowned Bike of the Year in some places which made me giggle since journos pronounced sport tourers were dead. However the Suzuki’s engine, screen and final drive don’t float my (charter) boat. Side note – how is the new VStrom still a VStrom now it has a parallel twin (which cynical me deems just cost cutting).
I better not get on my soap box, but let me moan a little how I cannot access my superannuation despite having life threatening illness until I am deemed to have only 24 months to live. What good will it be at that stage of things. Oh well this does force me to keep it real with independent riding no $1000 a day guided moto tours sipping champagne any day soon.
Well it’s great to be here for another year. I don’t know how long I might have but I’m going to try knock over the rest of my bucket list rides and am very pleased to be granted a chance. I already started looking at next ride after the USA and hope I can build an unstoppable moto touring momentum. Here’s to being alive, cheers!
Great to hear!
Sad to hear that you sold the FJR1300.
It looks like you were fond of the bike.
Looking forward to your future tours and take care!
Thanks very much Brendon, I really will miss the FJR, such a great touring bike.
Hi Warren, good to hear you are planning a trip and are in good spirits.
I have enjoyed your blog for a few years now and just wanted to say thanks for the entertaining trip reports and wish you a speedy recovery.
Paul
Thanks Paul, looking forward to writing some new ride reports in 2023.
Hey Warren,
Smash the chemo, you seem to be a really positive guy and that can only help you recover from this interuption to your riding and our entertainment. As someone who survived a life threatening illness, I appreciate where you are at. Can’t wait to read those US reports and many more thereafter!
Best wishes,
Marco
Thanks Marco, your well wishes are much appreciated.
Fingers crossed ???
And toes haha 😀
Great to hear it is going well mate. Shopping for a new bike is fun and new bikes are all so good. Enjoy the process AND the US ride next year.
Thanks Dave, after the FJR I will be forever thinking of its touring aerodynamics and would not rule out another tourer here.
Good news!
Great to hear!
Cheers!
Thanks Fernando
Hello Warren! Wish you a complete and speedy recovery. You have the energy of thousands of riders from all over the world that read you wishing you the same, making you an unstoppable machine. You got this!
Hi Adrian, thanks so much for your kind words 🙂
Great news Warren and a great start to 2023 after what’s been some shitty couple of years. Will be following your US tour eagerly. Good luck looking for a new bike too.
Happy new year to you and all the best.
Hi Steve, certainly been a tough time but planning this ride in the USA has been a huge motivation for me and hope will do some riding in Australia this year as well. Best wishes to you for 2023.
Hi Warren
Wishing you a speedy and full recovery. All the best for 2023 and good luck with the new bike hunting and your US tour. I have really enjoyed the Japan blog, so look forward to reading about your US adventure.
Thanks very much Gerry, best wishes to you also for 2023 🙂
Heeeey Warren!
Good to hear that the cancer treatment is having good effects. You will enjoy riding in the eastern mountains of USA later this year, much more exciting than the flat, straight roads here in Florida. I’m on the waiting list at the local dealer for the 2023 FJR’s, looking forward to trading in my 2020 Tracer GT and putting in some miles. Traveling back to Japan in April to finish out some rides in eastern Honshu that COVID put the kabash on in 2020. Heal quickly!
Hi Eric,
Thanks very much. I would love the 2022 black and gold final edition FJR they released in Japan. No sign of it here.
I’ll rent a few bikes and probably get myself a cheap dual purpose as a run around while I decide what new bike to get in future.
Here new bikes cost $35K AUD so that has to be weighed up – well unless you are one of the guys up north here working in mining rolling in cash 😀
Alas that is not me.
Late to the party as usual, but I hope you are continuing to recover and gain strength and that you’re ride in the US is an awesome experience!
Hi Ken,
Thanks so much. I’m looking forward to riding the USA 🙂
G’day Wazza,
well well there is a lot to comment on in this blog. First and foremost of course that its been 3 years since you survived and going strong by all accounts from this site. I hope that remains the case and you can continue to expand you bucket list for many years to come.
That FJR was a very good looking bike, albeit a bit heavy and presumably trouble-free mile munching.
I never understood the whole Guzzi fever thing. Apparently its a thing and when you catch it you become a lifelong Guzzi guy and you need a 2nd double car garage at that point. I have met a few like that, and I took the risk years ago and took one for a spin. Luckily for me I didn’t catch it, maybe helped by the fact that they don’t look all that good to MY eyes. However, the first ever Guzzi that DID catch my eye was the V100 when it wass released. I thought at the time, finally they made something that looked good to ME as well. However, I am 6.2 and I reckon my knees would touch those jugs and of course crush my knee caps if I ever had a fender bender. So I never took one for a spin, well that and the fact that they are too expensive for my blood. But I still think its a good looking bike.
What bike DID you end up buying in 2023 on your return to OZ if any ?
Cheers
Joe
Hi Joe,
Thank you I hope I stay in remission. One’s outlook changes irreversibly with cancer. You know it is still there inside you, dormant for now but it could reawaken tomorrow.
It is like a knife hanging by a thread over your head and you are trying to look ahead and ignore the knife because life is difficult if you are fatalistic but still you know the knife is above and is going to one day drop.
The FJR1300 was a superb bike. Undoubtably the best I have owned. Simple servicing of oil and filter, 110,000km and the valves still in original spec. That’s impressive engineering.
Old Moto Guzzis were a cult bike but modern ones far less so. The V85TT is a grossly underrated mid size ADV bike. If I was shopping a full size ADV bike the new Stelvio would be high on my list.
I bought a BMW G310GS when well enough to ride again. Basically I found it for sale at a price too good to ignore and wanted to do try gravel riding again to see if I could get interested in what is now all the rage. Discovered I still don’t enjoy gravel but did so at a low price rather than buying a bigger GS then was going to sell the bike when it was stolen. Happy ending because insurance gave me more than I paid for the bike since I got it cheap.