Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Ride a Motorcycle Around the World

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Two wheels, that is, and by herself. This was a time when women riders were extremely rare, the internet didn’t exist, and the world was a much larger place. There was no one to look to for inspiration or guidance, because, unlike now, there weren’t thousands of motorcyclists riding around the world. Apart from my tools for my bike which were invaluable it would be my Swiss Army penknife and it would still be the same now!

A great read and a terrific story, documenting Elspeth Beard's trek on a motorcycle across the USA, Australia, Indonesia, Malayasia, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and the brisk finish home to London through Yugoslavia, Austria, Germany and Holland. Along the way she learns how to cope with incredible challenges and understands how adaptable and strong she can be in a range of situations: her trek, her motorcycle, her relationships, her parents – and her life after the trip. Elspeth: Central America I’d really like to go to. There’s a huge chunk of Africa that I’d like to do as well, some on a bike, some on a plane, some in a Land Rover. Oh, I’m actually learning to fly a helicopter at the moment!All of which means, as well as our hero BMW, there is another heroine: Elspeth. Having not met her I cannot say if she sees this in herself. But to take on the world, at that time, on two wheels, is a brave move and it should inspire anyone, not just women, to try similar journeys in today’s much easier to navigate times. She also bats away unwanted advances. A lesser person may have struggled with the male attitudes that were present in many of the countries she travelled through at the time. She copes well, too, with the inevitable crippling poverty she finds in many of the countries she visits. Despite this toughness, there is a clear vulnerability. She misses her family throughout. And she is troubled by not being true to a man who loves her.

Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World, Autobiography, 2017, ISBN 9781782438045 By 1979, she had her first motorcycle—a second-hand Yamaha YB100. Soon, the Yamaha was sold and she moved up to a 250cc Honda. By age 17, she had discovered the range and freedom a motorcycle provides on the open road and she began to think about touring Europe, and eventually, the world. When she mentioned the idea to her friends, it was met with disbelief—then laughter.

Travelling as a lone woman

Elspeth Beard has shared some of her audio files with Adventure Rider Radio, the sound of her younger voice all those years ago that she recorded to share with her parents. And, we also talk to someone who was in a position to either empower or disempower her while she was on this trip, something Elspeth wasn't aware of at the time that we created this episode for you, our listener. It’s the unexpected things that go wrong, that you have to deal with that make the adventure though. If you smooth all of them out and you make it all easy it’s just passing scenery and it’s just a bit boring.”