Welcome to the Bike's & Bio's Page of the GlobeRiders Himalaya Expedition 2015 Live!Journal!

This is the "up close" and personal Chapter of the Himalaya Expedition 2015 Live!Journal.  I've asked each of our riders to share a little about themselves, and also provide a couple of favorite photos to go along with their Bio's. You may not be with them in the flesh, but at least you can learn a bit more about them virtually.

This is going to be a fascinating adventure. Not only do our participants get to experience the wonders of the Himalayan Countries on their own bike's, but they also get to meet local people off the beaten track, taste the cuisine and immerse themselves in the amazing history of this mystical part of the world.

It's my privilege to introduce the members of the GlobeRiders Himalaya Expedition 2015.

Best Regards,

Helge Pedersen

We are 57 &56 years old, married and parents to 3 wonderful children (28, 24, 21).

Kainan is an experienced biker and in the last few years made quite a few bike trips around the world: Mongolia, Cambodia, Baja, Turkey, Cairo to Cape Town, Southern Africa and many more. He will be riding a KTM990, and also owns a KTM EXC400 and a Yamaha FJR 1300.

Shiree views the bike as her sworn enemy, and she joins this trip according to the old Chinese rule of "know thy enemy".

Shiree and Kainan

Age 70 years young. Married to Judy for 52 years with 3 children and 6 grandchildren. Started riding at 18 and enjoy dirt, street and adventure riding. Have ridden 6 GlobeRiders Tours with Helge Petersen. Enjoyed the different cultures, food, historical sites and especially the people. Thanks to Judy and my family for allowing me to live my dream to see the world by motorcycle.

David

I am a self employed gardener. This is not my first GlobeRiders trip. The bike is a 2009 R1200 GS. The bike suspension was modified to Ohlins shocks by Stig Petterson. The bike's rear wheel was changed to a Volkswagen car tire which is interchangeable with the chair wheel. The front forks have been extended. The bike modifications and sidecar manufacture were accomplished by Claude Stanley Motorsports in Middleburg, PA, USA.

Marty

Countless after-school hours on an Honda 50 as a boy laid the foundation for my buying a Harley in 1990 to travel with my partner, Marty Kromer. Together we were fortunate to be able to take a portion of each summer and tour through North America over the following six years, visiting most of the lower 48 United States, Alaska and much of Canada. Other life issues then got in the way and our opportunity for long windows of time on the road closed.

I'm now at something of a threshold of life, ending one set of responsibilities – both career and personal, evaluating options before making new commitments, and attempting to look at the world from a new perspective. What better way of getting a fresh view than from a bike? This time, as the monkey in a sidecar, my view is 360 degrees and of places I've only dreamed about until now.

Bill

This is a big year in so many ways, lots of life changing events both good and bad. Regardless I like to do my very best to be optimistic and turning 60 can be a good experience or what do you say?

I have been so much looking forward to this Himalaya Expedition with all its challenges and changes. A new itinerary will take us through places that have not been on our agenda in the past. It is experiences like this journey that keep me going these days. I love traveling and what better way to do this than on a motorcycle.

Despite all the bad news from the media that we are overwhelmed with every day it is great to be able to go and see the other side of the story.

If you have family members or loved ones taking part in this journey I promise you we will do our very best to take good care of them. GlobeRiders work with the best of the best when it comes to partners in the countries we are traveling through. The shared logistics on putting together this journey is daunting, but that is part of the Adventure. We have had an online Forum for close to one year now in preparations for this journey; time to go riding.

Ride Far – Ride Safe!

Helge Pedersen