We have had the honor of meeting many Adventurers who pass through Touratech and enjoy sharing their stories with you. In this 27th Newsletter installment, we are proud to introduce you to a unique touring duo with their own compelling story about not letting anything stop them from their dream to travel aboard a bike, despite obstacles that might keep most of us at home. Meet Melissa and Chris, with No Boundaries! Here are some highlights from our conversation with them when they visited Touratech-USA in Seattle.

Melissa: “Chris being from South Africa, a lifelong dream for him was to ride a bike from Capetown to London.”

Chris: “I read 'The Long Way Round' and decided the time had come to fulfill that dream, so I spoke to my wife about it and she was skeptically supportive”.

Melissa: “I have rheumatoid arthritis and take 2 shots per week of a medication that needs to be refrigerated. We searched and searched and nothing small and portable existed which did not require us to use ice. Chris being the inventive type, I asked him to try and invent a solution.”

Chris: “What I needed was a container that would have enough space to hold at least one soda can and that would be fine for the quantity of medicine we needed. The unit itself needed to be extremely robust in case we had a spill…it needed to survive. Obviously it needed to be 12 volt and then I also needed it to be 110 volt so we could use it in hotel rooms when necessary. Last but not least, I had to facilitate the fridge remaining on while we stopped for lunch without the bikes primary starting battery going flat, so I built a bracket to hold a separate battery and installed a circuit that would charge the fridge battery while under way and disconnect the fridge battery from the charging circuit while the bike is turned of. When I tested the unit, it cooled from 80 degrees to 40 degrees in around 30 minutes and then I took a room temp can of beer and that was cooled to around 40 degrees in approx 15 min.”

With the technical barriers overcome, the couple had to decide what part of the world to direct their travels.  We asked them about that decision making process.

Melissa: “We decided on South America.”

Chris: “We chose Central and South America because we love that part of the world, and because Ewen and Charlie have not done it yet. As I have spent a lot of time on bikes in the last 10 years, choosing the bike for this trip was easy, the BMW1200 GSA. We had met a German couple in Panama, while there on business, who were doing the same trip and they suggested we get a bike with as little on it from the factory as possible. This way I decide what I need and research it on-line. I install myself so that if something goes wrong on the road I know how to fix it. While researching those different items I stumbled on a little company called Touratech. Well not so little at all, and now my bike looks like a factory Touratech bike with a BMW logo. Touratech items I have installed include: a fog light and a HID light, Ohlins rear shock, headlight protector, oil cooler grill, panniers, Ipod holder, drink holder, 12volt receptacles, luggage straps and pannier liner bags. Some of the things I made myself are the mini-motorcycle fridge and backup battery with circuitry, toolbox (that slides in under and attaches to the left pannier), hand guard extensions and aluminum plate for passenger backrest and fridge mount.”

Melissa: “We shipped the bike from our home in Ft Lauderdale to Bozeman, Montana, where we had friends who could receive it (Chris built the crate himself). We then flew to Bozeman, and rode up through Glacier National Park, crossed into Canada to Waterton National Park, then on to Banff, rode the Icefields Parkway, a National Heritage Site fronted by glaciers. There were LOTS of bikes on this road. We found this interesting, as it is known to be full of bears and the warnings say 'If you see a bear, STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE!' We also went to Lake Louise, then did Canada's wine country in Kelowna and Penticton. From there we went West over to Vancouver where we took the ferry from the mainland to Horseshoe Bay on Vancouver Island. Once on the Island, we rode a 3-hour drive on a very windy road to Tofino, which is on the Northwestern tip. From there we went South to Victoria and then on to Seattle. We are now in Cannon Beach, Oregon, continuing our trek South. From here it's California, Mexico, then off to Central America. We will fly the bike from Panama to Bogota Colombia to avoid dangerous jungle riding. Then onward to Colombia to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. We will go South to Patagonia where we will hop a ship to cruise Antarctica. Then we will turn around and ride home!”

An incredible team overcoming obstacles, both medical and technical, to spend endless days together on the open road living and loving an Adventure of a lifetime.

Follow their adventures with the constantly updated blog at: http://www.noboundariesbikers……ogspot.com